[Beagle Pup]

The Ramnit virus has infected my computer and Sweetech recently advised me to format the hard drive.

The Windows XP CD ran successfully and I selected the option to format the hard drive. I believe that it then said it was checking the system and soon after a black screen with white lettering came up inviting me to select the set up, either Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP. I selected Windows XP Home Edition and then another black screen with white lettering came up saying "A disk read error occurred, press ctl alt del to restart." I restarted but the same message came up relating to the disk read error.

Any ideas please?

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Do both choices (Home & XP) do the same thing when you select them to boot. If only on Home version then this might be the reason why:

When you formated your HD it probably did not delete the boot sector completely and you now have entry relating to the XP Home but it is actually not there but just in your boot sector.

To completely erase a HD and its boot sector it is better to use a third party boot cd like DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) and erase your HD and then do a fresh install of XP.

Hope this will help.

[Alzeimer]

Do both choices (Home & XP) do the same thing when you select them to boot. If only on Home version then this might be the reason why:

When you formated your HD it probably did not delete the boot sector completely and you now have entry relating to the XP Home but it is actually not there but just in your boot sector.

To completely erase a HD and its boot sector it is better to use a third party boot cd like DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) and erase your HD and then do a fresh install of XP.

Hope this will help.

[Beagle Pup]

Hi Alzeimer

Many thanks for this advice.


Beagle Pup

[Macboatmaster]

Beagle Pup.
From your thread with Sweetech

Drive C: | 465.76 Gb Total Space | 240.41 Gb Free Space | 51.62% Space Free | Partition Type: NTFS
Drive J: | 1.85 Gb Total Space | 1.70 Gb Free Space | 91.59% Space Free | Partition Type: FAT

Most likely I would think a SATA drive.
You have Windows XP home with SP2
W"hat is the CD you are trying to install it from please.
To save me a lot of reading of the thread on Malware is it a Microsoft XP CD and if so what SP of XP Home.

If it is an OEM reinstall CD - which and again what SP.

VERY UNLIKELY that XP Home SP1 will see a SATA drive.
Did you read the htread Sweetech sent you on the install.
to Save your time it is here
http://www.geekstogo...all-of-windows/

Edited by Macboatmaster, 15 February 2011 - 04:37 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

Further to the above with a HDD of that size you have available a valuable opportunity to partition it and create an installation that will make recovery far easier, the system will operate more efficiently than with just one partition and your O/S will be on a separate partition to the programs. You should without doubt install the recovery console as a boot option.
You should also keep a partition for a copy of the XP CD, this has many benefits.

If you are interested I can send you the details or work with you.

Edited by Macboatmaster, 15 February 2011 - 04:44 PM.

[Beagle Pup]

Hi Macboatmaster

Many thanks for both your responses.

I'm afraid that since your responses I've had more difficulty with the computer such that another spoof anti-virus program has made its way onto the hard drive resulting in an inability to boot up!! Now fed up with all this, I've decided to buy another hard drive which a friend with more computer expertise will install!!

Many thanks

Beagle Pup

[Macboatmaster]

If the HDD is good why buy a new one why not just format and then clean install- as per post 2.
The fact it will not boot is not a problem, providing BIOS sees it, format it in dos. and go from there.

That drive is a 500gb western digital caviar blue.
Use this DOS and simply format the drive
http://support.wdc.c...pid=606&lang=en

Edited by Macboatmaster, 17 February 2011 - 07:14 AM.