XP boots but wounded

[bob urz]

I have two nearly identical (cpu speed different) IBM thinkcenter P4
towers. The one i had the family use crashed and i cannot figure out how
to recover it. There are programs on it i would rather not or cannot
reinstall.

The machine takes a long time to boot. its like the hard drive is
looking for something it cannot find. then it comes up to user log on
screen. I can log on to my account (admin rights)

at first, the icons would show on the desk top with no task bar.
I managed to to the task bar back. If i click on dial up, it will not
open. the network folder is empty too. The device manager shows all
hardware seems to be ok.

So some things try to work, others won't.

I tried system restore. It would not work.
I tried to reinstall upgrade XP from a IBM SP3 systems disk.
It would start, then say cannot find file 8a........sys or such
and will go no farther. So every avenue i try seems to be a dead end.
I cannot paste files in the windows explorer either.
I tried to open the windows management console. it will open, but the
screen is missing parts. I can scroll down to services and click on
one, but it will not allow me to start or modify the ones i am trying to
do. Tried to download microsoft MMC 3.0 from web MS, but its says the
version on the machine is newer and refuses to install.
(is the version of MMC in SP3 newer the the stand alone download?)


So, how can i recover this machine short of wiping the whole deal?

I have the nearly identical machine with a slower CPU in it.
can i transfer system files from the working machine to the other.
I was thinking of trying the windows/system32 folder as an experiment,
but i have not been brave enough it try that yet without some further
input on it. I have to put the hard drive into the working machine
to make that happen.

Any thoughts on recovery?

bob

 

[John John (MVP)]

Try running SFC /SCANNOW


John

 

[Leonard Grey]

You are describing many of the classic symptoms of a malware infection.

There are several ways you can go here. One is to show the machine to a
professional technician. You should always keep that option open.

Another alternative is to take the hard drive out of the computer and
put it in another computer that has comprehensive, up-to-date malware
software. You can also run diagnostics on the bad drive, like Disk Error
Checking.

Finally, you can put your hard drive into a known good computer, copy
all files and folders you don't want to lose, and then format the hard disk.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

"A Day in the Life of a Web 2.0 Hacker" - PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330952,00.asp

 

[Gerry]

Bob

What anti-virus software is installed?

How much RAM memory?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

Please post copies of all Error and Warning Reports appearing in the
System and Application logs in Event Viewer relating to the last boot in
normal mode . No Information Reports or Duplicates please. Indicate
which also appear in a previous boot.

You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
are important.

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I have two nearly identical (cpu speed different) IBM thinkcenter P4
towers. The one i had the family use crashed and i cannot figure out how
to recover it. There are programs on it i would rather not or cannot
reinstall.

The machine takes a long time to boot. its like the hard drive is looking
for something it cannot find. then it comes up to user log on screen. I
can log on to my account (admin rights)

at first, the icons would show on the desk top with no task bar.
I managed to to the task bar back. If i click on dial up, it will not
open. the network folder is empty too. The device manager shows all
hardware seems to be ok.

So some things try to work, others won't.

I tried system restore. It would not work.
I tried to reinstall upgrade XP from a IBM SP3 systems disk.
It would start, then say cannot find file 8a........sys or such
and will go no farther. So every avenue i try seems to be a dead end.
I cannot paste files in the windows explorer either.
I tried to open the windows management console. it will open, but the
screen is missing parts. I can scroll down to services and click on
one, but it will not allow me to start or modify the ones i am trying to
do. Tried to download microsoft MMC 3.0 from web MS, but its says the
version on the machine is newer and refuses to install.
(is the version of MMC in SP3 newer the the stand alone download?)


So, how can i recover this machine short of wiping the whole deal?

I have the nearly identical machine with a slower CPU in it.
can i transfer system files from the working machine to the other.
I was thinking of trying the windows/system32 folder as an experiment,
but i have not been brave enough it try that yet without some further
input on it. I have to put the hard drive into the working machine
to make that happen.

Any thoughts on recovery?

bob

Download Malwarebytes..

www.malwarebytes.org

Install it..

Reboot into safe mode..

Delete temporary internet files

Run Malwarebytes

When given the option, remove all infections found..

Reboot into regular mode

Run Malwarebytes again

Remove any listed infections

Come back here to tell us how you fared..


--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=newswhelp&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx

 

[Andrew W]

I have a question for you. I've tried posting a new thread but I can't seem
to do that so I'll have to ask here. Everytime I boot up I get an error
message stating "Can't load c:\windows\system32\tpbroyv.dll". I can't seem to
find that file anywhere at Microsoft nor on the Windows XP professional CD.
How do I correct this error?

 

[Gerry]

Andrew

What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements?

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~