borked windows install

[bibble]

ok heres a stupid one. I was recovering a spyware/virus infested computer... installed sp1a and halfway through tried to change the screensaver as it kept coming up. The install halted and just hung. On reboot the system just gets part way through startup and reboots. safe mode does nothing (reboots also)

So i was thinking reinstall over the top as I used to in win98/2000 etc. There is also the recovery console.... any suggestions?

[ayoub_ibrahim]

boot from the xp cd, don't go into the repair console but continue till you're asked if you want to do a fresh install or a repair install.
choose the latter.

[bibble]

cheers ... its doing its thing now. you know those 'Oh no...' moments. well that was one of them god i was pi$$ed off. thatll teach me to shortcut things.

stockport aye.. my wife comes from there

[bibble]

your a star ayoub were back up again

[Wombat]

Originally posted by bibble
your a star ayoub were back up again

Don't forget to install all the security fixes and/or service packs.

The repair from CD has wiped them out.

[bibble]

update - i spoke too soon. reinstalling sp1 put me back to square one - continuous reboot. More spyware/viruses there yet i think. I may have to just do a fresh install at this rate

[Wombat]

What did you use to clean it? Spybot? AdAware? Hijaak?

[bibble]

all of them and a couple of others. now it turns out remote assistance and system restore is buggered. Its not very good to give a system back when it comes up with a rundll fatal error so i think its going to have to be flattened... it was such a promisingly easy one.

now the pain is they have itunes with about 2 gig of music. do you know what other files I need to save their music so that they dont lose it (i gather there is DRM here in quantity). ho hum

[ayoub_ibrahim]

hmm, if you have the use of another pc with a cd burner suggest you first slipstream sp1 to your present version of xp.
you will need the network version of sp1 which is 133Mb.
details on how to slipstream here.
use that slipstream version to do a repair install if you want to save your stuff.
cheers

[UtwigMU]

I'd just connect hard drive to the other box, back up Documents and Settings and any user data. Or alternatively borrow 6GB or larger drive, connect that as master install slipstreamed SP1 on it and back up data from the original drive.

Some googling on "slipstream" and "SP1 bootable XP CD" should help you to get a bootable SP1 XP CD. You can also do a script to do unattended install and move documents and settings to D:\ or some other data drive.

Then I'd do a virus scan (avast is free for noncomercial use uppon registration) of salvaged data.

Then just format and reinstall original drive and restore data - should take less than fiddling with un****ing original install.


If you still want to pursue the repair option, then like ayoub said, do a slipstream of SP1 and install over.

Then uppon boot, open task manager. If task manager doesn't work (some virii or spyware blocks task manager), download Process Explorer from System Internals (Free) - like taskmanager on steroids - and google for all running processes. Write down the nonlegitimate ones.

Reboot in safe mode and remove them from registry and from hard drive by manually deleting them.

Then do a virus scan with Avast, adware scan with Adaware, Spybot and Spy Sweeper.



After the problem has been solved:
- install all Windows updates
- install Firewall (Kerio is free and good)
- install Antivirus (Avast is free for noncomercial use and quite a few of people find it better than Norton)
- set internet Explorer security to high and ad sites that you trust and that don't work in high security mode to trusted sites
- Install google toolbar to block popups in IE
- Install and use alternate browser such as Firefox, Mozilla or Opera (all are free, Opera has adds) as default browser and use IE only for sites that are incompatible with alternative browsers and for Windows update.
- If you install alternate browser, you will also need Macromedia shockwave player, Macromedia Flash player and Sun Java (www.macromedia.com www.java.com). Quick time and Real have plugins for nonstandard browser. I strongly recommend installigg Real alternative (codec + media player classic) over Real Player becaus the latter is the work of Satan.
- If you go with Mozilla/Firefox, you will also like tabbrowser extension and View in IE extension.
- disable dangerous attachments in your email client and enable antivirus protection (Avast can protect Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird and others)

[Wombat]

Utwig's advice won't be enough. Stuff brought from iTunes is protected with a license key. I don't know where on the PC it is, but I think iTunes has the ability to export it?

[UtwigMU]

This is why I disadwise downloading DRM music:

It lasts untill next borked windows or borked hardware.

[bibble]

not my computer but i do agree with you - i just use mp3