Houston, we have a problem... (Reinstalling Windows)

Elheru Aran · Post by **Elheru Aran** » 2004-08-19 11:07am

OK, here's the situation.

My computer has been infested with some unusually tenacious spyware. I've accidentally castrated Norton AV. To be plain, my comp is utterly fucked... unless I do something drastic.

So, I get together my system disks, all of which are clearly marked "Compaq QuickRestore System Recovery CD", subtitled "Microsoft Windows XP Home SP1", 1 thru 4.

And I pop disk #1 into the drive.

Guess what... it doesn't go. Instead of autoplaying and starting to erase the HD or whatever, it gives me a window, with folders "Restore" and "Tools"-- none of which are any help whatsoever.

Advice? Suggestions? I'm open to extreme measures, although I won't replace the HD entirely-- I don't have the money for it, and this is a laptop anyway-- it'd be cheaper to just buy a new laptop.

Any help-- at all-- will be highly appreciated...

Terr Fangbite · Post by **Terr Fangbite** » 2004-08-19 01:19pm

So when you restart the computer telling it to boot off of the cd, these folders appear? Or do they appear when you open the cd in windowss?

Gerard_Paloma · Post by **Gerard_Paloma** » 2004-08-19 01:19pm

My experience with Compaq System Restore disks (be prepared to take this with a grain of salt, as it was about 5 years ago, now) is that they will refuse to work unless the computer is in factory condition. Have you changed any parts? Added a CD burner, DVD drive, more RAM, bigger HD, anything like that? If so, that could be why it won't boot from the Restore disk.

Can you call Compaq Tech Support? They'll walk you through the process, even though Tech Support is a pain in the ass. Assuming you're still under warranty, the call should be free. If not, though, fuck that.

If all else fails, get a buddy's Win XP CD and boot from that. You'd have to restore all your programs from scratch, but it's better than the alternative of just throwing the laptop away.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-08-19 03:31pm

Okay, get SpybotSD, Ad-Aware, Hijackthis, and AVG Antivirus. Then get Firefox. Post the log from Hijackthis here, and I may be able to tell your fortune with it...

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2004-08-19 03:59pm

Gerard_Paloma wrote:My experience with Compaq System Restore disks (be prepared to take this with a grain of salt, as it was about 5 years ago, now) is that they will refuse to work unless the computer is in factory condition. Have you changed any parts? Added a CD burner, DVD drive, more RAM, bigger HD, anything like that? If so, that could be why it won't boot from the Restore disk

Sorry, no. At worst this will result in the CDs to not be able to boot at all.
If I understand the situation correctly, the CD does boot, it merely comes up with a menu instead of automatically starting to erase the HDD. Doesn't surprise me one bit. System recovery CDs are traditionally NOT full-function OS disks. Oh, and even those won't level your HDD without asking a few questions first...
Chances are the 'Restore' option will...well, restore the computer to factory default installation (i.e the stuff that was on it when you got it) while 'Tools' should be self-explanatory.

If all else fails, get a buddy's Win XP CD and boot from that. You'd have to restore all your programs from scratch, but it's better than the alternative of just throwing the laptop away.

Assuming he can restore all his programs AND has access to all neccessary drivers, I'd actually recommend that. I hate System Recovery CDs with a passion.

Gerard_Paloma · Post by **Gerard_Paloma** » 2004-08-19 08:14pm

Batman wrote:
Gerard_Paloma wrote:My experience with Compaq System Restore disks (be prepared to take this with a grain of salt, as it was about 5 years ago, now) is that they will refuse to work unless the computer is in factory condition. Have you changed any parts? Added a CD burner, DVD drive, more RAM, bigger HD, anything like that? If so, that could be why it won't boot from the Restore disk
Sorry, no. At worst this will result in the CDs to not be able to boot at all.

Right. That's what I meant. If he's changed any hardware, the machine won't boot from the Restore disk. Sorry if I was unclear.

If I understand the situation correctly, the CD does boot, it merely comes up with a menu instead of automatically starting to erase the HDD. Doesn't surprise me one bit. System recovery CDs are traditionally NOT full-function OS disks. Oh, and even those won't level your HDD without asking a few questions first...
Chances are the 'Restore' option will...well, restore the computer to factory default installation (i.e the stuff that was on it when you got it) while 'Tools' should be self-explanatory.

I re-read the OP, and he seems to be saying that he's not trying to boot from the disk, he just put it in with Windows running, and a window popped up showing him the contents of the CD. Perhaps he can confirm whether or not he's actually trying to boot off the CD.

If all else fails, get a buddy's Win XP CD and boot from that. You'd have to restore all your programs from scratch, but it's better than the alternative of just throwing the laptop away.
Assuming he can restore all his programs AND has access to all neccessary drivers, I'd actually recommend that. I hate System Recovery CDs with a passion.

Good point. It's been awhile (5 years, as I said) since I've had a pre-built computer, so I'm used to restoring my system from scratch. And as long as XP recognizes his network card, drivers should be no sweat.

Elheru Aran · Post by **Elheru Aran** » 2004-08-20 12:02am

OK, good news...

I left the CD in the drive, and when I booted up, it began the whole reinstallation procedure on its own. So, that done, I went through the whole MS shit, then my roomie (who happens to be a bit of a whiz with the computers) downloaded the MS security updates, I installed Norton Antivirus... and we ran into trouble.

ALREADY there was a bloody virus!!!!! A Trojan Horse, to be exact...

So, after about 3 hours of frustration and frequent restarting, I finally remembered how to restart in Safe mode...

A hour and a half of scanning afterwards, I gleefully delete 20 viruses and restart. It comes up okay... before anything else can happen, I get on IE real fast and download and install Firefox...

And here I am!!!

Not goin' to download anything-- ANYTHING-- until I get Spy Sweeper installed (I plan to get it from Walmart-- my roomie swears by it, and he knows his stuff). However, suggestions as to any precautions I can take will be greatly appreciated...