Cleaned infected p/c - now won't boot into Windows

[roc17]

Ok....so this is what I had:

p/c would take forever to boot into windows and sometimes the taskbar wouldn't even load.

If it reached the desktop couldn't open anything - no response, just hung there.

This is what I did:

Used bootable CD (BART)with AV and latest signatures - cleaned up TONS of trojans, malware, etc.

Updated BIOS version from A003 to A004

This is where it is:

Passes through Dell splash screen - then Windows XP splash - pauses and returns to Dell splash screen....and so on and so on.

What I suspect:

Creamed a system file when I removed the files found by the AV. I was offered a long list of infected files and noticed that some were in the System32 path among other paths that looked like system-type files. I killed whatever was in the list.

What I can do:

See all the files on C: via a Bart boot CD

My system:

Dell Dimension E310 w/WinXP

Help appreciated.....

 

[KGB]

Get a Windows OS disk (Vista, XP, whatever is on it) and boot from it and do a repair install.

Beforehand, I would back up critical data.

 

[RebateMonger]

Yeah, at this point you are pretty much limited to a Repair Install or a re-install from scratch.

You could also look at booting from an XP CD, entering the Recovery Console, and playing with the System Restore points on your hard drive. (Do a Google search). This is the equivalent of running System Restore when Windows is working. It's a bit tough to figure out the first time, but it'll be easier the second time.

If you don't already have a Dell XP Install CD, now'd be a good time to ask Dell for one. They'll usually send a set (OS and Drivers) for free and are pretty fast at delivery.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: KGBMAN
Get a Windows OS disk (Vista, XP, whatever is on it) and boot from it and do a repair install.

Beforehand, I would back up critical data.

Make sure the critical data is clean too or you will bork the re-install.

 

[roc17]

I can get to that point from the CD (BTW....CD is from another model Dell - not sure if that matters). However, it's prompting me for a 'admin password'....this is my sister and bro-in-law's family p/c...naturally they don't know the password. Any way to get around this?

 

[bruceb]

The Admin password is usually blank, unless someone decided to set it. And since you have a live cd, you could reset the Admin Account password thru that. Most live cds include a password reset tool, as that type of cd is usually used when you can get into a system the normal way for many reasons.