[Visivol]

I have been doing the preliminary steps in the 'Malware & Spyware cleaning guide' before posting about a malware infection (google redirect). I ran TFC to remove temp files; I ran ERUNT to back up the registry; I scanned with MBAM and with my antivirus program. I ran GMER rootkit scanner, and during this scan the computer rebooted, got as far as the Microsoft Recovery console screen, then went to a black screen and wouldn't go any further. I've tried starting the computer from the last good configuration but that didn't work; I've tried starting in safe mode but that didn't work either.
I don't know what to try next. Any help appreciated!

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got your windows cd ?

[Rorschach112]

got your windows cd ?

[Visivol]

Yes. I haven't tried reinstalling Windows because I was really hoping I wouldn't have to lose any of my files.

[rshaffer61]

Repair Installation Instructions

· Insert your Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM and then Restart your computer.
· At the first post screen start tapping the Del key to enter System Bios
· Find the Advance Options or Boot Sequence screen.
· You will need to change the boot sequence so that the CDrom is first and the HD is second.
· Press F10 to Save and Exit and then press Enter to accept.
· The system will now reboot
· When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.
· When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER
· To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
· At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. DO NOT SELECT THIS OPTION.

· On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
· Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected and highlighted in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP.
· Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

You can also go HERE
to read a step by step tutorial with screenshots.

[Visivol]

Thanks for your help. I followed the instructions and the Windows repair said it completed successfully, but when the computer rebooted it stopped loading at the same black screen as before. Any further suggestions?

[rshaffer61]

Parallel Installation of Windows XP

Boot to the Windows XP installation cd by pressing a key when the "Press any key to boot from cd" prompt appears at the top of the screen.

• At the "Welcome to Setup" screen, press Enter to set up Windows XP.
• Accept the License Agreement by pressing F8
• With your current installation selected in the box, press Esc
• Select C: Partition1 [NTFS] in the box and press Enter
• To continue setup using this partition, press C
• Now you should see formatting options...choose the last one, Leave the current file system intact (no changes), and press Enter
• To use a different folder, press Esc
• Name the folder WINDOWS0 (just type a 0 (zero)) and press Enter

The Windows installation should begin. This will install Windows to a new folder, leaving your data intact. Any programs installed on the old directory will have to be reinstalled to the new one. Device drivers will also have to be installed for all the hardware to work as it should.

The data will be located in the Documents and Settings folder (C:\Documents and Settings) under your old user account name...so when you set up the new installation, give yourself a slightly different user account name.

[Visivol]

My son dropped by today, and accessed my computer's hard drive with a Linux CD. He backed up all my data then reformatted and reinstalled Windows, so my problem is solved. Thank you for your willingness to help, it's much appreciated. Cheers.

[rshaffer61]

Thank you for letting us know and it looks like we were on the right track. A parallel installation would have probably done the trick without the formatting.
I'm glad your son had the Linux Live cd as they are priceless in these types of situations.
Congratulations. for a successful resolution for your issue.

You are very welcome. I'm glad we could help and please let us know how everything works out for you.
If there is anything else we can do to help please feel free to ask. I appreciate that you allowed Rorschach112 and myself the opportunity to assist you with your issue and for your patience.
Thank you for choosing GeeksToGo for help.