Windows XP Home boot problem

[Jacky]

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update. This evening there seems to be some
error messages related to the Antivirus 2002 and a error report was
generated and sent. I clicked to get to the Symantec website to renew
subscription but decided to cancel. When I clicked cancel the dialog
box was still there for me to click next so I click next and finished
as if I had renewed the subscription. Upon restart the laptop took a
long time to boot with the usual drak screen with a bargraph and then
the colorful XP screen. But it just go back to reboot again to the
dark screen with a bargraph and then the color XP screen endlessly.
I tried to boot to safe mode but the screen just listed one file name
after another and then I think I saw a blue screen with fatal error
and then it will restart again. Never been able to go to safe mode.
Tried last know configuration. Also restart endlessly.
Is there anyway I can boot to safe mode and then run system restore?
The last thung I want to do is to re-install XP.
What should I do?
Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Guest]

Do you have a bootable floppy... or bootable CD?

 

[Jacky]

No. I don't. I only have the Dell Windows XP home re-installation CD
tha I never used before. The laptop was preloaded.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.

In that case you have been exposing yourself to danger like someone
rowing through a pirate fleet with a bag of gold. You *must* have an AV
system these days - a good free one, AVG 6, can be downloaded from
www.grisoft.com. Get it and run it. It *might* be enough to get you
out of the hole - but you may face cleaning off the machine and starting
over. And you *must * have the system's firewall enabled - at Network
connections, r-click the connection, Properties and enable it on the
advanced page, or else you are exposed to infection within an minute by
Blast or one of its friends before you have time to get the patch that
blocks them

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.

Then you've been playing with fire.


[snip]

The last thung I want to do is to re-install XP.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have multiple viruses on your
computer, and at this point things may be so screwed up that you
have no other alternative other than reinstalling.

But at least try. get yourself an up-to-date virus checker, and
see if you can straighten out your problems with that.

 

[Jacky]

Thanks for the tip of a free AV software.
I do have the XP firewall enabled. I think the Antivirus 2002 still
works but just doesn't have the latest virus definition file of course
then not work for the latest virus. I never have a problem before.
I don't know if there is a way that I can get into safe mode and do a
restore. If not can I just do a Windows XP repair and make the laptop
work again. I think a re-install will require re-install of all the
other software on the laptop.

 

[Jacky]

I thought even when Antivirus expired it is still functioning. It
just does not have the latest virus definitions.
I do have the XP firewall on. There has been no problem before.
Anyway I am hoping that there may be a way to boot to safe mode and do
restore.
May be I try Windows XP repair before I try re-install.
Of course will run antivirus program to clean it up if I can get it
boot up.
------------------------

In

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.

Then you've been playing with fire.


[snip]

The last thung I want to do is to re-install XP.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have multiple viruses on your
computer, and at this point things may be so screwed up that you
have no other alternative other than reinstalling.

But at least try. get yourself an up-to-date virus checker, and
see if you can straighten out your problems with that.

 

[wojo]

Well certainly the Virus software is still working but unless the
definitions are updated ATLEAST weekly if not daily then it's pretty much
useless and as Ken said "Playing with Fire" These days if you don't have
updated virus software your begging for a Virus to attack your computer.
Firewall doesn't do any good by itself if a virus is attached to something
you give permission to enter your system IE: Email. Do a google search for
FREE Virus software if need be there are quite a few free ones out there but
nothing's better than a good program. It's very much worth $20-30 to avoid
the headache your now in.

I thought even when Antivirus expired it is still functioning. It
just does not have the latest virus definitions.
I do have the XP firewall on. There has been no problem before.
Anyway I am hoping that there may be a way to boot to safe mode and do
restore.
May be I try Windows XP repair before I try re-install.
Of course will run antivirus program to clean it up if I can get it
boot up.
------------------------
"Ken Blake, MVP" <[email protected]> wrote in message

In

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.

Then you've been playing with fire.


[snip]

The last thung I want to do is to re-install XP.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have multiple viruses on your
computer, and at this point things may be so screwed up that you
have no other alternative other than reinstalling.

But at least try. get yourself an up-to-date virus checker, and
see if you can straighten out your problems with that.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I thought even when Antivirus expired it is still functioning. It
just does not have the latest virus definitions.

Without the latest definitions it has no way of discovering any of the
devastating viruses that have come out since - this sounds in your case
to be at least a year. See all that there was in the press about Blast;
Sobig; Netsky and MyDoom, to name but four.

And you may have unwittingly been letting these not just infect your
machine, but use it to redistribute themselves to everyone in your
address book

 

[Jacky]

Thanks all. Totally understand the importance of an Antivirus. It
has been operating like that for 2 years without problem even when all
my other PC with Win98 or WIN2K all infected a few times and I did
either re-install or fresh install.
If the virus is new it won't be in the latest definition file anyway.
Anyway of course I'll install AV when I get the thing up.
I never re-install Windows XP that's why I have to be more careful and
actually do not want to unless I totally exhaust all possibility to
get it restored.
Also I ws thinking that this boot problem may be related to the
Antivirus subscription renewal that I canceled but it appeared to
continue. (May be something needed for the real subscription renewal
was missing and the laptop continued to do something that messed up
the whole thing.)

Any pointer to restore or repair will be appreciated also tips on
re-install windows XP.

 

[wojo]

Well with 2 years without AV I would definitely say do a clean install. No
telling what kind of trojan/spyware/Virus etc. etc. is on your computer.
If you put the XP CD in your CDRom and boot to it the instructions will
guide you right through it. Delete the main partition and re partition it
through the XP install CD then it will format and do a CLEAN install.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I thought even when Antivirus expired it is still functioning. It
just does not have the latest virus definitions.

You are of course correct. It's still working, but just as it did
when you last updated the virus definitions.

You are protected against all (or, depending on your anti-virus
program, at least most) of the viruses that existed at that time.
You have no protection against all the many viruses that have
come out since then. And note that it's the newer viruses that
are spreading the most rapidly, and are most likely to infect
you.

Your situation is akin to having insurance against someone
stealing your car, but only by his riding up on a horse, lassoing
it, and leading it away. If you want to protect your car, you
need insurance against the ways people are likely to steal it
*today*.

Again, you've been playing with fire; it's very likely that you
have multiple viruses on your computer.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

------------------------

In

I have a Dell i8100 laptop with Windows XP Home. I did a XP critical
update yesterday. Everything seems to be fine. It has Antivirus
installed but expired long time ago. I just simply click to remind 15
days later when asked to update.

Then you've been playing with fire.


[snip]

The last thung I want to do is to re-install XP.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have multiple viruses on your
computer, and at this point things may be so screwed up that you
have no other alternative other than reinstalling.

But at least try. get yourself an up-to-date virus checker, and
see if you can straighten out your problems with that.

 

[Jacky]

Okay, I was thinking that this boot problem may be related to the
Antivirus subscription renewal that I started but canceled such that
may be something needed for the real subscription renewal was missing
and the laptop continued to do something that messed up the whole
thing.
Seems to me the concensus is that it is due to virus infection(s).
Now one of wojo's earlier post ring the bell. My laptop was never set
up to send and receive email. (Outlook was there when I got this
laptop new but I never even touch it, since I use web-based mail.) Now
I remember that recently I had accidentally invoked the Outlook setup
email account but I did not complete it either I cancelled it.
May be this is why it can survive for such a long time until recently.

 

[weeboe]

Guess what....I recently tried to uninstall norton & it only did a partial
uninstall. Went to symantec's site downloaded a registry tool & now my
machine does the same thing as your's. Starts to load XP stalls, then starts
over again. I ran some tools which said I have file structure errors on 2 of
4 partitions. Do a search for file structure as subject if you want to read
my post.

Weeboe

 

[Alex Nichol]

If you have a virus, you don't want to do a System Restore because you have
no way of knowing whether or not the SR file store is also infected. You
first need to update your antivirus, then do a full scan of your system.
Whether or not it finds anything in the SR file store which would be
referenced as "System Volume Information," once you've rid the system of any
viruses the safest approach is to purge the SR file store.

This can only be done by turning off System Restore, rebooting and turning
it back on. Once finished with the virus scan, open Control Panel, open
System, go to the System Restore tab, place a check next to turn off System
Restore on all drives, click apply and ok and reboot the system, then turn
it back on.

Or by waiting for a new restore point to be made, after cleaning the
virus from everyone else, then using the 'More Options' in Disk Cleanup
and deleting all but this most recent point