Selective start up problem makes PC not bootable- HELP!

[Guest]

I have a spyware program that has been annoying me by bogging down the
general speed of my PC. Instead of un-installing it, I decided to
type"msconfig" under the run command. I then used selective start up and had
it not boot with the system. This had been working fine for several weeks.
Out of nowhere, the program seemed to want to startup again when opening
windows XP. I, of course was in a hurry & decided to go back to selective
start up. I clicked on, what I thought, was the program and deselectived it.
I then rebooted the computer & then trouble happened.
I obviously deselected something else(not program related) and now my
computer will not boot. It says it's missing a needed file(can't remember
what it was) I need to use my CD and boot to that. I did that and used the
repair & recovery but all I get is a bunch of DOS commands. I tried to go to
safemode but that is not even an option. I have valuable pictures and emails
and do not want to reload the entire Windows for fear of erasing them. I do
not know where to go from here.......
Bottom Line...........
Is there a way get into selective startup or a back door so I I can simply
just turn everything back on? Please send all ideas and solutions you can
think of.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have a spyware program that has been annoying me by bogging down the
general speed of my PC. Instead of un-installing it, I decided to
type"msconfig" under the run command. I then used selective start up
and had it not boot with the system.

Why? Why would you want to have a spyware program on your machine. I would
certainly want to get rid of it permanently.

What's the name of this spyware program?

This had been working fine for
several weeks. Out of nowhere, the program seemed to want to
startup again when opening windows XP. I, of course was in a hurry &
decided to go back to selective start up. I clicked on, what I
thought, was the program and deselectived it. I then rebooted the
computer & then trouble happened. I obviously deselected something
else(not program related) and now my computer will not boot. It says
it's missing a needed file(can't remember what it was) I

Then try it again, please, and this time write down the name of the file. In
fact, write down the complete verbatim text of the error message and post it
here.

 

[Eric]

Try going through the recovery and repair options that are available to
you on this page:

Recovering Windows XP - http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/RecoveringXP.htm

You could also install Windows Vista Beta 2 on a 15GB partition or on
another IDE hard drive that you could buy for the purpose (they are
very cheap these days).

You can order Vista beta 2 from Microsoft's site. It comes on a DVD for
both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Use the 32-bit version.

When Vista detects another version of Windows installed, it installs a
boot manager that allows you to choose between them at startup.

Even if you format the drive with Vista on it to use the NTFS
partition, you can access the files on the Windows XP drive if it uses
a FAT32 partition. But you won't be able to access the files on an NTFS
partition from a FAT32 partition.

Eric,
PC Buyer Beware!
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/

 

[Malke]

Try going through the recovery and repair options that are available to
you on this page:

Recovering Windows XP - http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/RecoveringXP.htm

You could also install Windows Vista Beta 2 on a 15GB partition or on
another IDE hard drive that you could buy for the purpose (they are
very cheap these days).

That's really bad advice. You're telling the OP to 1) try and repair an
infected machine without cleaning it up and without backing up the data
that he says is irreplaceable; 2) install a beta operating system that
comes with its own differently-structured bootloader.

As Ken said, we need more information about the malware and what the OP
disabled. It is completely possible to retrieve the data off that drive
without booting into Windows and that's what I'd do first. Then, depending
on what the malware is and what the OP disabled, it may also be possible to
get back into the system. A lot also depends on the OP's level of computer
skills. If they are not high, s/he should take the machine to a local
professional (not a Big Box store) and have it put right.

Malke