XP System Restore Fails - circular error loop

[EvitaVie]

Hi All,

I am using Win XP Pro with SP3 installed. Recently, I had a problem after an
update (antivirus or critical update can't recall) and several of my services
have disappeared from the services list (including Netman, Dhcp, Dnscache,
Tapisrv, Helpsrv, etc). Network connections also disappeared, etc.

When all help failed, I decided to do a System Restore prior to the date of
update. Fortunately, monitoring is turned on for all local drives (as it
appears on Control Panel --> System --> System Restore tab). However, the
restore process fails everytime and I am going round in circles.

To be precise, I did the following:
1. Restarted Windows in Safe Mode with DOS prompt. (Have tried restore in
normal mode also with same result as in step. 3).
2. Typed at the command prompt: '%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe'
3. Received a popup message that Windows cannot restore. I need to restart +
F8 and choose option Restore system.
4. Did what was mentioned in 3.
5. After reboot & login, received popup message, Windows is currently in
Safe Mode. .... To continue working in Safe Mode choose Yes, To continue
restoration of system choose No.
6. I chose No. Received the same popup message as in 3. So now this becomes
circular!

Additional Info:
1. I am using Mcafee Antivirus AOL free version with McShield turned on
(standard configuration).
2. I checked also with Event Viewer and the last event message for source
"srservice" was from 24th Oct 2008. Just an informational message that the
system restore service was activated for all drives.

Seems like I'm in a thick soup. Please help!

Thanks in advance,
Christine

 

[Gerry]

Christine

"Fortunately, monitoring is turned on for all local drives". This is not
the correct way to run System Restore. It should only be monitoring your
system drive, usually C. Have you been using a removable external drive?
If the installed drives were different when the restore point was
created this could be the problem.

In most cases it is not necessary to have System Restore monitor
Partitions/drives other than the one Windows is installed on. System
Restore does not monitor data files.
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/drivedisable.html

What you are seeing suggests to me a malware infestation.

Does the computer connect to the internet in the normal way?

Run full scans in Safe Mode using McAfee.

As a further check download and run Spybot S & D.

There is a freeware version buried in this link:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html


--



Hope this helps.

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

 

[db.·.. >]

you can fix the looping
by booting up with a
windows cd and log into
the repair/recovery console.

the run the following commands
at the disk prompt>:

chkdsk
fixboot
bootcfg /rebuild
fixmbr

then "exit" and
try booting normally
again.

incidentally, if you initiated
a restore point then it is
highly likely the a.v.'s
corrupted the process of
restoration.

therefore, if after you boot
and the o.s. is corrupted,
i recommend that you
perform a repair installation
with your windows cd in
order to replace missing or
corrupted system files with
genuine ones from the cd.

--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces