Can't boot Windows XP - possible virus infection?? Help requested.

[Guest]

My partner is unable to boot his laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro about 3-4
years old, running Windows XP). An error message comes up saying that
Windows was unable to shutdown properly and this may have been due to new
hardware or software being added - but the last time he used the laptop, he
did not add any new hardware or software and, as far as he can remember,
Windows shut down normally.

On the same error screen, there are options to boot in Safe Mode, Safe Mode
with Networking or return to the last known good configuration. Nothing
happens if you try to boot in safe mode. If you try to boot in the last
known good configuration, the system counts down in seconds to rebooting,
then the screen goes black, then it cycles back to the same error message I
have just described. So basically we can't reboot at all.

My boyfriend reports that the last time he was using the laptop, he noticed
it was behaving oddly - he kept being prompted for his email password (which
is usually saved in his Outlook settings) and he got some kind of warning
message that his antivirus software (Norton) had been unable to automatically
install the latest update.

Can anybody diagnose the likely cause of this problem? I am wondering, due
to the antivirus warning message he received, if it could it be a virus?

Unfortunately the only kind of recovery disc he has is what Toshiba shipped
with the machine, which looks like it will reformat the hard drive. Is there
anything else we can try before resorting to this?

Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Malke]

My partner is unable to boot his laptop (Toshiba Satellite Pro about 3-4
years old, running Windows XP). An error message comes up saying that
Windows was unable to shutdown properly and this may have been due to new
hardware or software being added - but the last time he used the laptop, he
did not add any new hardware or software and, as far as he can remember,
Windows shut down normally.

On the same error screen, there are options to boot in Safe Mode, Safe Mode
with Networking or return to the last known good configuration. Nothing
happens if you try to boot in safe mode. If you try to boot in the last
known good configuration, the system counts down in seconds to rebooting,
then the screen goes black, then it cycles back to the same error message I
have just described. So basically we can't reboot at all.

My boyfriend reports that the last time he was using the laptop, he noticed
it was behaving oddly - he kept being prompted for his email password (which
is usually saved in his Outlook settings) and he got some kind of warning
message that his antivirus software (Norton) had been unable to automatically
install the latest update.

Can anybody diagnose the likely cause of this problem? I am wondering, due
to the antivirus warning message he received, if it could it be a virus?

Unfortunately the only kind of recovery disc he has is what Toshiba shipped
with the machine, which looks like it will reformat the hard drive. Is there
anything else we can try before resorting to this?

This doesn't sound like virus activity. It sounds like hardware failure.
Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Standard caveat: Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out
suspected parts with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing
yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer, take the
machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local
equivalent of BigStoreUSA). Have all your data backed up before you take
the machine into a shop.


Malke

 

[Guest]

Malke try rebooting the system in safe mode F8 and run a virus scan. What
this does is if it loads into memory it can not load in safe mode just some
services are run. I hope this helps!

 

[Malke]

Malke try rebooting the system in safe mode F8 and run a virus scan. What
this does is if it loads into memory it can not load in safe mode just some
services are run. I hope this helps!

You replied to the wrong person. I'm not the one with the problem. And
since the OP can't start Windows in any way (as she stated), your advice
isn't going to work anyway.

Again, this doesn't sound like a virus. The error message the OP got
from the antivirus software was that it couldn't download definitions,
probably because the time function wasn't working, not that there was a
virus.

This is not to say that the problems *aren't* virus-related - after all,
I can't see the OP's machine so can't give a definitive diagnosis - just
that from the description it sounds more like failing hardware.

Malke