My sad story . . . :(

Discussion in 'Malware Help (A Specialist Will Reply)' started by Meekiecheese, May 26, 2009.

  1. Meekiecheese

    Meekiecheese Private First Class

    Hi All!

    I am using the computer at the library. :( Here's what happened as best I can remember, I am very sleep deprived and I forgot to bring the notebook with me with all the info.

    My computer is Windows ME, 20GB HD of which 11 is free. It's a HP. Let me know if you all need more system info. I just started using memory sticks and someone (after the fact) told me that I should not leave those in the computer, especially when booting up. Could that have caused a problem and is that true about memory sticks/jump drives? I "think" the RAM is 316MGs, but I'm not sure. I use IE and FireFox browsers. Dial-Up (both Juno and AOL and yes, I have a lot of Vista____ files on my computer despite me trying to delete the program). I have both because I had some connection problems over the past year (another sad story). OK, that's all I can think of that may be of use.

    My last scan using AVG (the one that ended on 04/30/2009, so it hadn't been updated since that date because I am just now figuring out what happened to AVG 7.5 Free) on 05/16/2009 was CLEAN. Spybot was CLEAN. Spybot was run again on 05/22/2009 and again on 05/23/2009 and was Clean.

    It started with my mouse "hesitating" and "freezing". Then I started getting BSOD with error codes "like" OE or OD and 0000 00002f2d or something like that (again, I left the info at home and I sincerely apologize for that, but coffee and a walk didn't help me today). Then as the week progressed (05/16 thru 05/23/2009) there was more "freezing" by the mouse and more BSODs. By Saturday, I could only be online for about 10 minutes before the mouse and system would freeze. I had been searching MG for posts about system freezing and mouse freezing (I had both problems), to no avail because I couldn't stay online long enough to get anything done. Then I got the really BAD BSOD (again, this is from my sleep deprived memory): ". . . Problem occured during initializing of CONFIGMG. System halted. You must reboot your computer." Now, I can only get into Safe Mode, but most of the time the mouse still freezes and I don't remember the "hotkeys" for when you don't have a mouse. :( Is there a reference here on MGs for hotkeys/shortcut keys for no mouse?

    Here's what I've tried so far and what I plan to do:

    I ran AVG in SafeMode and it came up with 2 Errors and no viruses: one was 1) Partition and 2) was Boot (MBR). I tried to use the Recovery Disk I made with AVG and it wouldn't work on it's own. I looked at the files on the Recovery disk using Win Explorer and when I clicked on the Auto Ex file or one of the other ones, I got a message that doing this may corrupt my files, etc., so I left it alone. Should I try to do something with the Recovery disk?

    Since I've been at the library, I've downloaded all the info and programs requested in "Read and Run This First". I already had Spybot and usually run it 1 to 2 times a week. I also have and use regularly CCleaner and the other cleaner that MGs recommends and I also run those very frequently, sometimes after every online session. Outpost is my firewall and hasn't been giving me any problems I am aware of.

    Just before I got the BAD BSOD, I decided to run this old free copy of Xoftspy and as usual it brought up a lot of stuff. CWS Oslongo (?), Spyware True___ something and maybe Media something came up. I wrote down the registry keys and file info incase I needed to deal with those manually, but forgot to bring the info with me to the library.

    I have run AVG and Spybot in SafeMode, Spybot comes up clean and AVG gave me the info about the 2 errors. I tried to get online in SafeMode, but couldn't. Do I need to do anything special because I can only get into SafeMode? Is it OK to run all of the programs (I downloaded all the MG's info via a memory stick/jump drive) requested by MG's in SafeMode? I guess I'm asking what precautions I need to take before doing the MG's instructions. Hope I'm making sense, I AM SOOOOOOOOOO TIRED!!! :( :cry

    I will try to wait another 30 minutes or so and otherwise come back to the library tomorrow. Please let me know if you need anymore info. THANK YOU!!! I LOVE MGs!!! :)
     
    Meekiecheese, May 26, 2009
    #1
  2. Meekiecheese

    Meekiecheese Private First Class

    I have just downloaded a Windows ME boot disk from www.bootdisk.com and I will see if this works. My library time is very limited, I will report back later. THANKS!
     
    Meekiecheese, May 28, 2009
    #2
  3. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    Your problems do not really sound like malware so you may be better off posting in the Software Forum or Hardware Forum.

    You cannot run MGtools9x.exe from your "jump drive". It must be copied and run from the root folder of the Windows boot drive which is normally C:\

    However I don't think you should bother taking the malware route since it is not likely that it your problem.

    By the way, we don't recommend using XoftSpy.
     
    chaslang, May 30, 2009
    #3
  4. Meekiecheese

    Meekiecheese Private First Class

    Thank you chaslang! :)

    I guess I'm a little lost. The main thing is that:

    a) when I try to boot up "normally" I get the following BSOD: "While initializing device CONFIGMG. Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer. System halted."

    b) I can only get into SafeMode. I can try one of the other options (bootlog and the "Step by Step" option, but I don't know what to ask for in Step by Step). Is there a way to get just the USB to load in SafeMode so I can use the memory stick?

    c) In SafeMode, I ran AVG7.5 and the virus results were clean, except I got 2 errors: Partition Table (MBR) - Reading Error - Error and Boot Sector of disk C: - Reading Error - Error.

    d) I ran ScanDisk (the more detailed option) and it said that there were errors and did I want to fix them, so I opted Yes and not much of anything happened. I still can't get into Windows normally, I can't boot the computer.

    On another computer a long time ago, I had a similar situation where I could not boot the computer, but I was able to get a boot disk and found out there were 2 viruses: AntiEXE and stoned bunny. I could never reboot that computer. I hope that's not the fate of this one. :(

    I'll post this in the other forum as suggested. Thanks again!
     
    Meekiecheese, May 30, 2009
    #4
  5. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    See this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/187612

    Don't know for sure but what are you trying to do with the memory stick?

    Yes if you have a boot sector infection like AntiEXE then this would be a malware problem for the malware forum but it is difficult these days to work on Win9x and ME system because nothing really supports them anymore. At least nothing that is updated properly. You still may be better off try to work a possible boot sector problem in the Software Forum at least until you could determine that it is an infection that is the problem and not just a physical disk problem or a software problem.

    You need to repair your boot sector but you must make sure that you are repairing it using an uninfected and write protected floppy. Did you ever make boot floppies for you system in the past before it was infected? You need to boot from floppies and run a cleaning program from the floppies if there is an infection.
     
    chaslang, Jun 1, 2009
    #5
  6. Meekiecheese

    Meekiecheese Private First Class

    chaslang - Thank you again for your reply. I read and copied the MS info and will see if that works when I get home.

    Initially, I downloaded everything I could from MG while at the library on the memory stick, not knowing I couldn't boot up in SafeMode and use the E: drive/memory stick. Today, I copied what I could unto a floppy and will try that when I get home. Is there an anti virus program small enough to fit on a floppy that I could use?

    Yes I did make Recovery disks using AVG, but for some reason they aren't working. Can't get it to boot with those or the boot file from www.bootdisk.com. :(

    The library will be closing soon, so I will move this on my next visit to the library. Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it. :)
     
    Meekiecheese, Jun 1, 2009
    #6
  7. chaslang

    chaslang MajorGeeks Admin - Master Malware Expert Staff Member

    Not sure if there are any current vintage programs that do this. There were in the past. But first you need to get your PC to be able to boot from a floppy or to the DOS prompt.

    Why? What exactly happens? And when you downloaded the file from bootdisk.com what did you do with the file exactly? You cannot just put the file you downloaded onto a floppy. You have to run the bootme.exe program which will format and install files onto a floppy to make it a bootable floppy disk for your Windows ME system. Did you do this? Does the library computer even allow this? Also you need to make sure that you have your computer set to boot from floppy disk before trying to boot from the hard disk. Otherwise the floppy will not run at powerup.

    You also need to make sure that once you create the floppy boot disk that you write protect it to avoid the possibly of having it become infected if your hard disk master boot record is really infected. Then after booting the floppy disk, you can use it to try and repair the boot record on your hard disk.

    I think you really need to post in the Software Forum to get one on one help in getting to the point where you have made a bootable floppy and you can boot your PC from it. Once you do this, we can try to continue with you in the Malware Forum.
     
    chaslang, Jun 3, 2009
    #7

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