Continuous restart problem

[Bob]

My computer appears to have severe problems.

When I boot up, I immediately get the message "we
apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows did not start
successfully..." The computer then starts the boot
process, but fails and continuously restarts. Doesn't
help when I try the safe mode or last known good
configuration.

I went into the "recovery console" using my XP CD.
I followed the directions to reinstall kernel32.dll in
knowledge base article 310396, but got the message "unable
to create file kernel32.dll" (also unable to cd system32).

Are there other things I can try before I have to reformat
the hard disk and reinstall XP?

Thanks much,
Bob

 

[Nada Alwarid [MSFT]]

you may have the Blaster worm.
see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=826955

or follow these steps (copied from another thread):
To remove it, do the following:

The following instructions are in three parts

1. Stop it from running

2. Remove it from your system

3. Make sure it doesn't come back



Before beginning, if you have an always-on internet connection,
it's a good idea to disconnect it.



1. Stop it from running

Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up the Task Manager, then on the
Processes tab, click msblast.exe and then "End process." Reply
"Yes" to the warning message that comes up.

This stops the worm from running, so your system will not shut
down. However, it doesn't remove it, and if that's all you do, it
will start up again the next time you boot.


***

2. Remove it from your system

a. Start the registry editor program, regedit, by going to Start
| Run, and typing REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current
Version\Run by clicking the plus signs next to each of the
folders in the left hand pane. When you get to the last of them,
Run, click the word Run itself.

Find an entry called "Windows Auto Update" on the right side.
Right-click it and delete it.

b. Do a Windows search for msblast, and delete all files found.

The worm is now gone, and won't start again the next time you
boot. But if that's all you do, you can get reinfected just as
you did the first time.

***


3. Make sure it doesn't come back

a. Make sure you're running a firewall that prevents worms like
this from getting in. You can enable the built-in Windows XP
firewall, or download and install another one such as the free
version of ZoneAlarm. To enable the built-in firewall, go to
Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections,
then click Network Connections. Right-click your connection, then
click Properties, and on the Advanced tab, click the option
"Protect my computer and network..."


b. If you've disconnected your internet connection, reconnect it.
Download and install the Microsoft patch at
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...e-b7a52a983f01/WindowsXP-KB823980-x86-ENU.exe

That will remove the vulnerability that the worm exploits.


c. Be sure you are running an anti-virus program, and that you
regularly download the latest updated virus definitions.



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