Windows XP Boot Problem

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I recently got some spyware on my PC which wasn't being detected or removed
by Norton Antivirus or AdAware. So I searched various forums to find a fix,
all of which meant performing a Regedit. Unfortunately something's gone wrong
and I now can't boot Windows (XP Pro, SP2).

The message on startup is this:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\Windows\System32\config\system

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the
original Setup CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair


That's where my problem lies - Windows XP Pro was preinstalled by the
manufacturer. So what can I do? I thought of a bootable XP CD (can't find
such a thing). I could use the manufacturer recovery utility to get back to
the factory installed base but that will first wipe alll my personal files
(the most recent of which aren;t backed up).

Any thoughts / suggestions much appreciated.
 
Hi Jake,

Very important questions:

1. What was the spyware/malware, etc name? Please be exact.
2. And what was the method via regedit to remove? Exactly where and what?

As per your issue at hand, borrow one. More info here:

Cannot Start Windows XP if the System or Software Hive Is Missing or Damaged
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q303012

SystemRoot\System32\Config\SYSTEM
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q314874

Corrupt Hive
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys32.htm

How to Recover from a Corrupted Registry
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545

Recovering XP using the Recovery Console (Line 333) right hand side
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm


--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com
 
I never got to the bottom of what the Spyware was called. The symptom
however was that as soon as I connected to the internet a bubble popped up
saying that I had spyware (sometimes said a virus) and instructing to click
on the bubble to go to a site where anti-spyware software could be
downloaded. The bubble message used the Microsoft Security Centre icon.
Another symptom was that when IE was opened a web-page purporting to be the
Security Centre opened instead of the homepage. If I clicked on the 'Home'
button the Security Centre 'page' prevailed.

I did various searched and found numerous sites with fixes to similar
problems.

The final symptom was that on boot up, when Norton loaded to the system
tray, a Windows Installer message kept popping up and stated that the Repair
function wasn't supported by Norton, and to uninstall and reinstall Norton to
fix the problem.

I tried loads of things, including booting into Safe Mode, running a full
Adaware scan, a full Norton scan, uninstalling Norton and deleting any
prevailing entries in the register (a known problem with some versions of
Norton is that the reinstall doesn't work because some entries aren;t
removed), but nothing got rid of the problem.

What I want to do is boot up, back-up my data, and restore the factory
contents. But I can't boot up.

I guess what I really need is a set of Setup CDs, but because XP was
preinstalled I don't have any.
 
As Kelly has said, borrow a CD.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Jabe said:
I never got to the bottom of what the Spyware was called. The symptom
however was that as soon as I connected to the internet a bubble
popped up saying that I had spyware (sometimes said a virus) and
instructing to click on the bubble to go to a site where anti-spyware
software could be downloaded. The bubble message used the Microsoft
Security Centre icon. Another symptom was that when IE was opened a
web-page purporting to be the Security Centre opened instead of the
homepage. If I clicked on the 'Home' button the Security Centre 'page'
prevailed.

I did various searched and found numerous sites with fixes to similar
problems.

The final symptom was that on boot up, when Norton loaded to the
system tray, a Windows Installer message kept popping up and stated
that the Repair function wasn't supported by Norton, and to uninstall
and reinstall Norton to fix the problem.

I tried loads of things, including booting into Safe Mode, running a
full Adaware scan, a full Norton scan, uninstalling Norton and
deleting any prevailing entries in the register (a known problem with
some versions of Norton is that the reinstall doesn't work because
some entries aren;t removed), but nothing got rid of the problem.

What I want to do is boot up, back-up my data, and restore the factory
contents. But I can't boot up.

I guess what I really need is a set of Setup CDs, but because XP was
preinstalled I don't have any.
Click to expand...

It probably isn't necessary for you to wipe the system, but it probably
would require taking it to a local professional. Since you've
determined you're going to return the machine to factory condition, use
Knoppix to retrieve the data first. Here's how:

An easy way to retrieve Windows files is to boot with Knoppix, a Linux
distro on a live cd. You will need a computer with two cd drives, one
of which is a cd/dvd-rw OR a usb thumb drive with enough capacity to
hold your data. To get Knoppix, you need a computer with a fast
Internet connection and third-party burning software. Download the
Knoppix .iso from www.knoppix.net and create your bootable cd. Then
boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows files. If you are
using the usb thumb drive, right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to
get its properties and uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then
click on it to open it. Note that the default mouse action in the
window manager used by Knoppix (KDE) is a single click to open instead
of the traditional MS Windows' double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b
burning program to burn the files to cd/dvd-r's.

Malke
 
Jabe said:
I never got to the bottom of what the Spyware was called. The symptom
however was that as soon as I connected to the internet a bubble popped up
saying that I had spyware (sometimes said a virus) and instructing to click
on the bubble to go to a site where anti-spyware software could be
downloaded. The bubble message used the Microsoft Security Centre icon.
Another symptom was that when IE was opened a web-page purporting to be the
Security Centre opened instead of the homepage. If I clicked on the 'Home'
button the Security Centre 'page' prevailed.

I did various searched and found numerous sites with fixes to similar
problems.

The final symptom was that on boot up, when Norton loaded to the system
tray, a Windows Installer message kept popping up and stated that the Repair
function wasn't supported by Norton, and to uninstall and reinstall Norton to
fix the problem.

I tried loads of things, including booting into Safe Mode, running a full
Adaware scan, a full Norton scan, uninstalling Norton and deleting any
prevailing entries in the register (a known problem with some versions of
Norton is that the reinstall doesn't work because some entries aren;t
removed), but nothing got rid of the problem.

What I want to do is boot up, back-up my data, and restore the factory
contents. But I can't boot up.

I guess what I really need is a set of Setup CDs, but because XP was
preinstalled I don't have any.
Click to expand...

Put the drive in another XP or Win2k computer and copy the data you
need, then restore it you want to. And for future reference:

THE PARASITE FIGHT
Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

Richard Harper’s Guide to Cleaning Pests
http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm
 
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