Member Avatar for hettym

Hi, I'm not really sure if I'm posting this in the right place - I've only just joined so please forgive mee!!!

I started up my laptop the other day which is windows xp service pack 2, and when I logged in to windows this cmd.exe black screen thing came up for about a second - not enough time to read what it said?! Then about 3 minutes later the blue screen of death came up but literally for about a second as well, and then the computer restarted. Then 3 mins later the exact same thing happened! It just kept happening like a loop, so I just quickly got the task manager up and deleted any random processes - one of them must have been causing it because after that it didn't happen. But now when I start the laptop up again I can't find out which one it is or why it's happening?!

I did a lavasoft ad-aware full system scan but it didn't stop the blue screen, and right now I'm in safe mode trying to update AVG so I can do a virus scan. But it won't let me update, it won't install avast and whever I try to do a panda online scan or any online scan for that matter, it says 'refused connection' or 'failed to connect' - This is in IE and in firefox. I tried to start up the computer with last good configuration but the blue screen still came up. :(

I'm really not great with computers so if anyone could help me in any way possible it would be greatly appreciated! thankyou!

Hetty

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by donkey_pasta

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Brief summary and priority actions based on ’s symptoms: a very short cmd.exe flash followed by a BSOD loop usually means Windows is hitting a STOP error and auto‑restarting before the code can be read. Disable automatic restart (System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery → uncheck “Automatically restart” or use F8’s advanced boot options) so the STOP code and any filename shown can be recorded; collect the minidump files afterward and inspect them with a crash viewer like BlueScreenView to identify a problematic driver/module. (lifewire.com)

Why AVs and online scanners may be blocked, and a safe order to try: this behavior is typical when malware interferes with security tools or the network stack. Following ’s lead, run RKill first to terminate malicious processes so scanners can run, then run a full on‑demand scan (Malwarebytes or a similar reputable scanner). Do not reboot after RKill — run the scanner immediately. If installers or updates are blocked, download installers on a known‑clean PC and transfer them on removable media; renaming the installer can sometimes bypass simple blockers. After items are removed, inspect persistent autostart points with Autoruns (or generate a HijackThis log for expert analysis). (bleepingcomputer.com)

If in‑OS attempts fail or rootkits/boot‑sector malware are suspected: create bootable rescue media on a clean machine (Kaspersky Rescue Disk or equivalent), boot the infected laptop from that media, update the rescue environment, and run a full scan of memory, boot sectors and files — offline scans find threats that hide from in‑OS tools. (support.kaspersky.com)

Network fixes, quick checks and last resort: check the hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts) for malicious redirections and reset the socket stack (netsh winsock reset) if Winsock/LSP corruption is suspected, then reboot. Back up personal data from a safe machine before deep repair. If multiple reputable cleaners and a rescue scan still leave BSODs or instability, restoring from a known‑good image or reinstalling Windows is the most certain recovery. (techlogon.com)

Member Avatar for donkey_pasta

Having the BSOD/stop error code could help. Please post it if possible.

If you think it could be viral then you should run rkill while you run Malwarebytes. rkill is designed to stop known viral process so you can actually run your anti-virus programs.

You could also install and run Hijack This and create a new thread in the virus/nasties forum: http://www.daniweb.com/forums/forum64.html

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