Please Help - Computer will not boot

[djgosling]

Hi,
Downloading some software, seem to have picked up a virus. Noticed
first that all my shortcuts would not work and a message came up,
saying somthing about software pirates.

Foolishly I have closed down the computer, now it just goes around in
circles.
Keeps going back to the Boot from CD screen to the screen with green
writing then to the count down to switch off then back to the boot from
CD screen. Have pressed F8 and gone into safe load, but nothing changes,
just carries on going around. Please HELP, desperate, any clues at all.

I need to save my files, is it possible to load win98 and retrieve my
files?? If I just re-load XP, I will lose everything, please, any
ideas.

Thanks Dave

 

[Justin Haygood]

Hi,
Downloading some software, seem to have picked up a virus. Noticed
first that all my shortcuts would not work and a message came up,
saying somthing about software pirates.

Foolishly I have closed down the computer, now it just goes around in
circles.
Keeps going back to the Boot from CD screen to the screen with green
writing then to the count down to switch off then back to the boot from
CD screen. Have pressed F8 and gone into safe load, but nothing changes,
just carries on going around. Please HELP, desperate, any clues at all.

I need to save my files, is it possible to load win98 and retrieve my
files?? If I just re-load XP, I will lose everything, please, any
ideas.

Thanks Dave

You can use Windows 98 if and only if you're file system is FAT or
FAT32. Windows 98 cannot read NTFS, Windows XP's preferred and default
file system.

Installing Windows XP should not delete all your files unless you format
your hard drive as well. I would install Windows XP, create one user
account called "Test" or something similar, and goto C:\Documents and
Settings\<Old Usernames>\ and copy all the files you want (most likely
My Documents) to someplace else.

After which, do a full reformat and reinstall of Windows XP, to make
sure everything is nice and clean.

--Justin Haygood

 

[Peter Foldes]

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm