My sister got new laptop Sony Vaio, which was bought in Italy. It had that password protection when you first run it, so we couldn't get into Windows (Windows 7 64-bit, not sure which edition).

A month later father got password from shop where he bought it (he works in Italy as lorry driver), but by that time sister went to this "expert" and had it reinstalled. He first reinstalled it, but 32-bit version, and all drivers for Graphics card weren't working, it just wouldn't recognize them. He then installed XP, had same problem, then reinstalled 32-bit version and returned laptop saying he'll search for drivers. She doesn't really need drivers, it was running smoothly, she doesn't play any games or anything, just casually browses internet, sometimes uses MSN and stores photographies from her digital camera, so it was ok, but he installed valuation copy only.

Once it ran out. She took laptop back to him, he installed XP SP3, while bringing back her backups to her laptop from his external HDD, he transfered files from few people whose computers he was fixing and loads of photos, porn and who know what, along with viruses. For obvious reasons, she didn't take it back to him.

I did a bit research installed Avira. It found 2 viruses. Anyway apparently which I'm not 100% sure virus which she had on her PC was so called "Sasser" (based on some problems it causes and processes it's connected to), I removed it anyway, even if it wasn't Sasser it was still a virus, had to use HijackThis to remove it.

After resolving that issue there was one left. Almost whichever process I tried to run it would give me message about it being a bad image, which is connected to file qvxoob.dll which was located in E:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Applicaton Data\Windows Server\ I've run a check on google, found it to be another virus, which Avira didn't detect. When booting, before even getting to logging, it would give me an error message about some of the usual system processes and if I didn't click X or OK it would hang there and I would have to restart PC. Than whole process again, if I got past logging, it would give me another bunch of same errors, for usual processes like ctfmon, winlogon etc. I've removed it.

Now same problem stays when logging in, except there's no error message. Avira doesn't want to run on startup (there's no other anti virus program to cause compability issues). It doesn't even want to run, I can use it to scan but I can't open it's main window where I choose to activate it, update it etc. Checked startups with msconfig, and no matter if I change anything msconfig should run on next startup asking me do I want to revert changes, but it doesn't.

While digging around for info on qvxoob.dll, I found info that it's best to actually format and reinstall windows, while I'd like to avoid formating again, who knows what other problems it has.

So I've insterted Win XP Pro cd, which I've used before to reinstall windows on her old Laptop and my old PC 2 times, but now once it loads everything on after comp is booted and before it gets to part where I should reinstall windows, format, repair etc. it gives me blue screen, which says windows has been shut down to prevent damage to hard disk... mentions chkdsk /F, which when I try to run from windows it says it's unable due to disks usage atm, and if I want to run it on next restart, which doesn't happen it just goes as normal, not doing ckddsk. When I run Defragmenter it runs, but when I choose to Anlyze or Defragment it shows me an error saying it can't defragment. I've tried copying windows disk to pc, just to see if I'll get any errors, that is if disk is damaged, everything went fine.

Additional scans with Avira show no Viruses just 2 warnings. While HijackThis only has few of those Run Once entries along with normal ones, which are for common processes and .dlls, did a bit research on google, and those entries should only show up once and after windows is restarted they should be gone, but they're still there every time windows is restarted. Everything else is fine and clean.

When I run disk check from windows, by going to properties on disk then selecting tools, error-checking, it gives me message Windows was unable to complete the disk check.

So any help, opinions, info anything would be of great help. I've been on this for 20-ish hours, kinda sick of everything and idealess so sorry for lenghty post. I've just remembered that before you could run format from command line, but I'm not too eager to turn on PC again and jerk it 'cause I think I'll get same error, since it's XP and not win 98 >_>.

Edit: There's also no System Restore point to restore to.

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I'm assuming it did not come with any discs? Personally I would want to have the original OS back on it -- Windows 7 64 bit. Can you contact the shop in Italy and see if they will send discs? Also, generally speaking, it is a good idea to install hardware drivers.

Nope no disks. Even if they did send disks, I'm failing to get to point where I can actually format windows or install it. But thx anyway.

If all you want to do is reformat and install <desired OS> then you should be able to run Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) http://www.dban.org/ to completely erase the hard drive and then reinstall your operating system. You'll need to burn the DBAN .ISO file onto a CD using a program like imgBurn or CD Burner XP and then boot to the CD -- you might have to change the boot settings in the BIOS menu.

EDIT: I suggest downloading and burning DBAN using a different computer.

Thanks I'll try it out tomorrow, while I look a bit more into problem which is mentioned in FAQs on that site about disks larger than 128GB (the one her laptop has is at least 300GB). Also need to get few empty dvds since it'll wipe out partitions. One partition still has her backups.

Sorry for double posting can't edit. Thanks for helping out, it seems my win XP cd was messed up, so I didn't have to use DBan after all. Formated and installed Windows, everything is fine, thanks again and sorry for slow response, it took some time for my sister to decide what she wants to do >_<.

Sure, no prob. Glad you got it figured out.

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