reboot loop in XP

[SandyO]

My pc reboots everytime I select a user account. I cannot even get to the
start menu. I believe that the PC was infected with a virus and I am hoping
there is a way to get into the system to remove it. Any ideas?

 

[R. McCarty]

If Viral and you have Broadband Internet - Boot to Safe Mode with
Networking. Visit this site, and follow instructions to load the ActiveX
scan utility - Scan the entire machine.
http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/
*Access the Safe Mode menu by repetitively pressing F8 after starting
PC. ( Press about every 1/2 second ).

 

[Maurice N ~ MVP]

I'd suggest you turn off the Windows duh-fault restart on error.
Right Click the My Computer icon on desktop. Select Properties.
Next, select Advanced. Look for a block that says Startup and recovery. Press the settings button.

In System failure section, turn off (un-check) Automatically restart.

Write an event to system log should be Checked (selected).
Apply change.

If you should later on see a STOP error, write down all of the codes and text. And then you can do research (as well as posting here).

Q: Was there a significant change just prior to this behavior's first appearance? hardware changes? software updates/ changes ?

 

[SandyO]

Thanks. By getting to the safe mode I was able to clean the virus. Much
appreciated.