M
Moochfish
Something had hijacked the browser to replace all my search queries
with some other non-microsoft website. It was starting to get
annoying, and removing the keys manually from the registry wasn't
working.
My spyware and virus scanners both picked up "browser hijack" viruses
(those annoying search engine redirection ones, nothing too harmful).
I ran serveral online scanners to ensure I knew nothing else was on my
computer. My windows was updated to the most current version so I was
a little perplexed, but maybe I forgot to reboot recently after
updating or something. Anyhow, after determining it was more work than
it was worth to manually remove all of the spyware (since the scanners
weren't doing a good job), I concluded on a repair install.
I started the repair install, XP Pro, and things went fine. After the
part where you type in your CD key and setup a few options and reboot,
the computer stopped going into Windows. It does not boot in VGA mode,
or safemode, or anything else. It just reboots before getting to where
you can see a mouse icon. It does show that it's loading up all of the
drivers before rebooting (thanks to safemode). I had the computer
unplugged from the network during the reinstall, so it's unlikely I
have another virus (sasser/blaster). Prior to the repair, I also made
sure the computer was clean from spyware so that things wouldn't get
complicated later.
I tried fixmbr and fixboot. No effect. I tried a second repair
install. No effect.
I do not want to reformat. I am considering a reinstall (by renaming
all of the critical system folders), but that requires me taking out
my harddrive and placing it in another computer and a whole bunch of
work, so I am trying to avoid that solution if possible. Does anybody
have any ideas as to what the heck can be causing this? I believe
something in the old start up is killing it, but the safemode paradox
is contradictory to that.
What should I do??
with some other non-microsoft website. It was starting to get
annoying, and removing the keys manually from the registry wasn't
working.
My spyware and virus scanners both picked up "browser hijack" viruses
(those annoying search engine redirection ones, nothing too harmful).
I ran serveral online scanners to ensure I knew nothing else was on my
computer. My windows was updated to the most current version so I was
a little perplexed, but maybe I forgot to reboot recently after
updating or something. Anyhow, after determining it was more work than
it was worth to manually remove all of the spyware (since the scanners
weren't doing a good job), I concluded on a repair install.
I started the repair install, XP Pro, and things went fine. After the
part where you type in your CD key and setup a few options and reboot,
the computer stopped going into Windows. It does not boot in VGA mode,
or safemode, or anything else. It just reboots before getting to where
you can see a mouse icon. It does show that it's loading up all of the
drivers before rebooting (thanks to safemode). I had the computer
unplugged from the network during the reinstall, so it's unlikely I
have another virus (sasser/blaster). Prior to the repair, I also made
sure the computer was clean from spyware so that things wouldn't get
complicated later.
I tried fixmbr and fixboot. No effect. I tried a second repair
install. No effect.
I do not want to reformat. I am considering a reinstall (by renaming
all of the critical system folders), but that requires me taking out
my harddrive and placing it in another computer and a whole bunch of
work, so I am trying to avoid that solution if possible. Does anybody
have any ideas as to what the heck can be causing this? I believe
something in the old start up is killing it, but the safemode paradox
is contradictory to that.
What should I do??