Nasty something!! XP Home broken, not even Safe Mode

Ok, im at a loss. I have a friends computer that will boot, but no file can be executed, and even safe mode is fubared. The only two files that are runnable are Explorer and Outlook. I am assuming she has a virus, but I cannot return to last known good config, or even boot to safe mode to fix it. I have run a recovery from the windows disk, but the program now wants a CD Key, and the one on the side of the box seems to be invalid. To boot, microsoft wants to charge me 35 bucks to even talk to them. I am at my whits end on this one, the computer is now stuck at the setup .. No CD Key, no Work...

Any thoughts?

HP Pavilion 510c not sure how old, but id make it an Anchor if it were mine
XP Home Edition stuck in the middle of setup after running Repair

 

well I have a CD Key on the Box, its been taped there for years. But now its invalid. I followed directions from a web site on Repairing windows from the CD, rather than doing it the hard way that I have done before. Well the guy neglected to mention that you had to have a CD Key, I figured it would pull the origional from the drive. Well I put in the CD Key thats on the official Microsoft Tag thats taped ot the box and what do you know.. Not Valid...
I spent 50 mintues in an HP Chat with an outsourced monkey that refused to read what I had written and made things up to answer,so I will call tomorrow.

as it stands, the computer is stuck in the Setup wanting a CD Key, and now every time I start it, it just hangs on that screen.

Can I go into the Repair mode thats gives me the C:Windows prompt and then try to force a last known good cinfig? Ive done that once in the past and it worked for a different problem

 

Did you use the CD that came with the HP Pavilion, or a different windows cd? HP's generally come with their own disk that can only be used on one of their systems, and that's what the cd key is for. If you're using a retail xp disk (or one from another oem system) it probably won't recognize that cd key.

HP disks also won't work if you upgrade, say, the motherboard in the system. I learned that the hardway when I picked and pulled parts from my old pavillion with upgraded parts. The HP installation disk said my system was not a valid hp system. I had to buy a new copy of windows.

 

Correct. OEM keys don't work with retail CDs, which is just about the only way you are doing a repair is by using a retail CD.

So...your only hope is this.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

Actually, its just the system hive that triggers the repair status, but here is the jist of it. You now have mismatched file versions due to (probably) doing a repair over newer files than what is on the CD, and by doing the above article, you will have mismatched registry entries to boot.

So, even if it does work, and it probably won't being an OEM install, your system will probably be twice as bad off.

Not much hope in saving much of anything of this OS install.

 

is it possible that I have not deleted the My Photos by doing the repair. I think she is only worried about the photos. I could always jack the HD in to my system as a slave and pull them of, reformat and set her computer back up. Im sure she had a virus, just not what one. The computer would boot, but you could do nothing save for open up the IE and or the Outlook. All other executables would try to create a shortcut on the desktop, or throw up a windows error saying that files were missing. I tried to start it in Safe Made, but it did the same thing, and would not let me start a last known good config either.

I actually had that microsoft page printed but chose to do another persons advice that I had printed out. He told me to put in a OS CD and run the repair that way. If I had realized how much trouble it turned into, I would have done it the other way.

Thanks for your time guys, I wont be at that computer until Saturday, so it sits as it is for now

Silver

 

A repair should not touch anything under C:\Documents and Settings\Profile Name.

 

I'd say do google search and make a bartPE cd go in and network it and backup all her files and format....easy solution

PS if u use bartpe use a program called unstoppable copy not any of the copy programs it has, i think its in a slightly different section?
dunno if this helps

 

Thanks for all your help. I knew I had more than a software problem, and it has taken my a few days to figure it out. It was a nasty trojan called Wintools that caused all of this, and a varriant I have not seen. I ended up pulling the HP apart to get the hard drive out. Those damn companeis make it so hard to remove anything, and I assume they do that so you pay to upgrade their POS machines.

Anyway, Ive worked it out, thank you for all your input. I did have to reformat btw, the program did its job and it would have taken too much time to unwind the files. I did however recover her pictures, and that was all she waned..

Thanks again..
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