Posts by gerbil

Cheers, Exp.
Yep, only one active partition per system is allowed. with a system drive [old one, c:] already in there, you were not going to get boot files on the new installation...
These simple things, eh?

No.

Hi Cara,
it sounds as if windows is at least trying to load from the HD but has a problem with a driver or executable that it needs as a basic necessity.
As a first way out - do you have a M$ XP install CD? Then set your BIOS to boot from a CD [press Delete during POST on a restart] and insert your CD, select CD as first boot device and Enter. Now you must be sure to get the correct option. Wait until you get a simple, blue "Welcome to Windows" screen. From the options choose To setup win XP press Enter. It will than give you the option to REPAIR your installation - CHOOSE THIS . That way you will keep your application settings and all your files intact.
If you have an OEM cd then i cannot advise, because some of those take your system back to as new ie all your files are removed. In this case come back and say...
Heck, please come back and say how you got on in any case....

...then you have probably set the security options to Never!! So XP won't put up the info bar to even ask you about them.
In an internet explorer window go tools > inet options [or controlpanel > internet options!] > security tab > custom level and set it to Medium.

short answer:- "I unplugged the OLD one and plugged in the NEW one, then proceeded to install Windows on the NEW drive. That didn’t work. I got the following message (or similar), “partition table invalid”."
Windows setup will format and partition the new drive. It's a SATA, so it would be auto-detected by the SCSI, and CMOS settings don't come into it.
Except this one: did you set boot order to CD first?
... do that most simply by hitting Delete key during POST....

Boot order... it's a quirky thing... if u set it so that floppy and CD precede HD, then the BIOS will happily check and bypass those two if no bootable medium is present and finally settle on the HD. But if you have HD at the top of the order, and that HD is unbootable then BIOS is stuck. It checks for a Master boot record so that it can find which volume's boot code to use, and if it cannot find it an error message is the result.

...it would be nice if you posted how you solved it....

nope, technically it's easy.. i was merely wondering to myself if there was any ROM stuff in those drive cards, but i doubt it....
Moving on... to me it looks like something is locking down your IDE, which is why i suggested that method. So i don't think you'll get safe mode running cos u have to boot into your system drive to do that and it appears that the bung slave will prevent it happening. Try it, if you succeed run chkdsk -
Restart you computer in Safe Mode:- press F8 several times while POST is running and before IDE detection completes.
- On the Windows Advanced Options Menu, select Safe Mode with Command Prompt and press Enter.
- When the Boot Menu appears again, select Microsoft Windows XP and press Enter.
- Log in by using the Administrator account and password. NOTE: The password is blank by default unless you already set a password.
Check if you can run chkdsk command successfully in Safe Mode:-
chkdsk X: -where X is your bung drive.
-if it reports errors run chkdsk X: /f - this could take a looooooong time if uv got a big drive.

If it will not start in safe mode, come back n we'll try the last non-hardware resort.. :)

It means that you have a registry entry pointing at startup to that file which may no longer exist. Time to clean it out, and check on the job u did... :).
Download this temp file cleaner from http://www.atribune.org/ccount/click.php?id=1 -click in the download window to run it, and when ATF Cleaner opens go Select all, and then Empty Selected.
Next, if you run Firefox click that button at the top, Select All again, and Empty Selected again.
Close ATF.
Go here and dl hijackthis: http://216.180.233.162/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe
-install it to a new folder alongside your program files.
-in that folder start HijackThis by dclicking the .exe; now close ALL open windows including the explorer window containing HijackThis.
-Click the Scan and Save a Logfile button. Post the log here.

apart from being a bit slow, do you have any other symptoms? No untoward net activity? Is your HD more than 80% full [ballpark there... :)], have you defragmented...?
If you don't use that website, for news, go ahead and fix it [that O16 entry..]
and these also, they are lost clutter:
O3 - Toolbar: REALBAR - {4E7BD74F-2B8D-469E-C0FF-FD60B590A87D} - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\Real\Toolbar\realbar.dll (file missing)
O18 - Filter: text/html - (no CLSID) - (no file)
O18 - Filter: text/plain - (no CLSID) - (no file)

And go into Realplayer and stop the automatic check for updates function.

hello, bonchenko, yes - go ahead and do that. Actually it is the first step that you should have tried to rid yourself of it, although i doubt very much that it would have worked.. :). Once you've done that search in program files and delete its folder if it exists.

ow. Sarah, the log is clean. You could fix these 3 entries which point nowhere...

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - {4D25F926-B9FE-4682-BF72-8AB8210D6D75} - (no file)
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: (no name) - {BA52B914-B692-46c4-B683-905236F6F655} - (no file)

Do you use all those search pages, yahoo and dell? - all the R0 and R1 entries... you could also go thru your programs and remove all the updaters and cancel the autostarts at powerup that u do not use every day. But these are side issues.
Perhaps it is a tech problem with your NIC....

.

Ha.. the world is an amazing place. The very first time i choose to show that particular path to folder options instead of the usual way i lead folks to it.... Anyway, ditch category view for your folders, at least for control panel - it sucks. Open an explorer window, select control panel in the left pane, maybe click folders tab, and select classic view. Then go up to View and select Show details. Now u can see folder options.
Ok, you've done that - good. But i NEVER take that path to control panel.. i use the start menu pane.
Make sure the start menu is NOT in Classic view [rclick Start button, select Properties and choose Start menu, Apply, OK] . Good, now press Start and rclick in an area where nothing highlights eg the in the blank bit of head or tail of the pane, click Properties [heh!, it's just another route to the same window you just used :) ...good ole M$ for fattening an OS], select Start menu and Customise, Advanced. Choose to display control panel as a menu. I use the same setting for My Docs and My Computer. Apply and Ok your way out.
So now to get Control Panel, click Start, hover pointer over Control Panel, and in the menu u should see Folder Options.
Course, in an explorer window u could always go Tools > Folder Options... :D
Now... what was the question? oh , yeah... …

...some HDs allow you to swap out the drive electronics board. A few screws undone and it falls away [with only spring contacts connecting to the actual disc enclosure]. If you have a matching drive to scavenge, u may be able to copy out those files. Of course the fault could be in the disc enclosure itself...
There could be arcane compatibility issues that i do not know about, so maybe wait for a real tech in here to answer.

dcc. it's a solvent. yep, a petroleum spirit...... and duct tape keeps the world working. Vibration, dust, oxidation, grease [ur in a home, the air is laden with it as an aerosol, and it oxidises to give acids....].. all these take a toll on the electrical contact... WD40 [and i did not say to spray it on..] wiped on in the merest smear and polished off cleans and leaves penetrated residues. It dries, it works. And you won't wake up to a gluggy clay coloured pool of wires n chips. Circuit boards go thru a minor hell in manufacturing. Most households have a bit of wd40 lying around, but there are proper and better contact cleaners in the shops. We used to use freon, an it was magic, an then we'd go outside an improve our tans...

Then i know only one other thing... control panel, user accounts, click your account profile to change, and under related tasks select manage my network passwords... but i imagine that uv been there already.

hmmm... spinning noise at boot. if ur boot order is floppy first it will give the platen a twist to check if there is a medium loaded. Some boots give the floppy drive a quick whirl anyway just to reassure themselves that they have not been passed by progress. I think the cd drive is a bit smarter.... no cd, no spin. If case manipulation has ANY effect it means it is well time to unplug the power, open her up and unplug and reseat EVERYTHING, including cards on the mobo, the RAM sticks..... A couple of times. I used to swear by spraying a very brief squirt of WD40 onto a rag n giving accessible pins etc a soft wipe and polish. You'd be surprised how oxides build up on pins, even if they look like they COULD have the thinnest of gold platings man can contrive.... Remove hopeful spiders and dust the thing - a soft makeup brush and vacuum cleaner on blow is the go. Resist using a broom cos ul knock bits awry for sure.
Course, it could be something else...
[WD40? it cleans and it protects.... i'm not talking dripping residues here.]
[your edit.... that is the sequence all boots go thru...]

Try this. in an internet explorer window, go tools > inet options > content, click autocomplete, clear passwords. If you click clear forms also it will remove the autocomplete entries you have accumulated...

Well darn. For a moment there i had visions of setting up a dialup internet hub, screwing it into a backbone n feeding T1 bb to my dialup customers.
How did this thread ever run?

belarc... it will come up in your add/remove pgms list as is normal [for good software, anyway..]. Meaning, it creates an install.log and comes with its uninstaller.
I try hard not to give advice, point to pgms, methods, that i have not test run. Sometimes that is not possible... and then i will point that out.

you have done a messy job of removing Mywebsearch toolbar. There is still an entry in your startup folder. Do you have a tool to manage these entries?
AVG Antispyware? go analysis, autostart, rclick mywebsearch entry and delete it.
Or Adaware may remove it during a scan.
Or go Start > run > type msconfig, startup tab, uncheck mywebsearch, yes on next reboot.
Or just post a hijack this log here and someone will guide you in fixing it...

..to see those hidden 7/or protected files go control panel > folder options > view and select Show hidden files and folders, and uncheck Hide protected operating system files.... Yes, apply, and outta there. But i advise you to NOT leave the latter exposed - system mayhem lies down that road, so once sorted go back in and RE-HIDE those prot. op sys files.
That file u mentioned is the problem.... you can safely delete it...

that file... you've had your desktop hijacked. To see some of these files you have to disabvle view protections for them.... but no matter, cos in this case i think..think...that if you rclick in a clear spot on your desktop, go properties > desktop > customise desktop >web and then delete any entries there, you should then be clear of your problem. Pls come back if this solves it. or doesn't.. :)

Ed, i am afraid that you have come up against the infinite wisdom of M$. That command is only available in XP Pro..... Not only that, but M$ are not afraid to recycle anything, so that guide you are working thru will not be totally accurate. Some commands will not work in the cmd.exe window, but must be used via Start > run....
Anyway, if you are desperate for any specific and missing command you can generally copy em from a friend's XP Pro CD and load em into the corresponding folder... but in the case of systeminfo it can be easier, even better, to use the Help & Support centre in xp.
Go to Start > Help And Support.
Under the Pick A Task heading on the Help And Support Center page, click Use Tools To View Your Computer Information And Diagnose Problems.
On the Tools page, select My Computer Information in the Tools column.
On the My Computer Information page, select any of the links to view a graphical report of your system.
Or go on the web and dl this beauty, Belarc Advisor from:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
cheers.

if you do not have a lot of RAM then you could kill these system hogs... they are updaters which can be run manually, or usage reporters.... and other startup pgms. Have a lok at the list of pgms which run when you turn on your puter - do you want them all on all the time? Some can be configured via the user interface.

C:\Program Files\ewido anti-malware\ewidoctrl.exe
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://red.clientapps.yahoo.com/cust...search/ie.html
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://red.clientapps.yahoo.com/cust...ch/search.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL,(Default) = http://red.clientapps.yahoo.com/cust.../www.yahoo.com
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AlcxMonitor] ALCXMNTR.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HostManager] C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\1147281680\ee\AOLSoftware.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Photo Downloader] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Album Starter Edition\3.0\Apps\apdproxy.exe"
O4 - Startup: LimeWire On Startup.lnk = C:\Program Files\LimeWire\LimeWire.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe

See what i mean?
Java updater just does not work well. Do it manually via method in previous post whenever M$ prompt you with windows updates monthly. And kill the auto updater via its control panel.
AIM messenger. You can start this whenever you wish to use it. And then close it.
Adobe album starter... do you play with your photos every day?
Adobe reader quickstart? why? you want to read a doc, let the doc open adobe reader.
Ewido? time to move to AVG... they bought out Ewido.
…

crissa.. if it's the web your talking about, it's poss just AOL. If you mean booting, or opening files.... dunno, you do not give any info. So. Anyway, your log is clean, which i find unbelievable cos no AV, no AS, no firewall. You can rely too much on FF....
Free AntiVirus Pgms:-
AVG Anti-Virus-Free: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
AntiVir Personal Edition: http://www.free-av.com/
avast! 4 Home - Free antivirus software :http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

- the first link is also to a good free AS.
-zonealarm is an excellent free firewall, windows firewall is a good basic intrusion blocker.

Java update!!! This is for security reasons. Go control panel > java > update, & press update now. Restart after installing the update, and then go into control panel again, add/remove pgms and remove all old versions of java. Vsn 1.5.0.10 is current....

Start hijackthis and press Scan only. Place checks against the following entries if they still exist, and then Fix Checked.

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = prosearching.com
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,SearchURL = prosearching.com
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = prosearching.com
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,SearchURL = prosearching.com
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page = prosearching.com
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page_bak = prosearching.com
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page = prosearching.com
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page_bak = prosearching.com
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {5C8B2A36-3DB1-42A4-A3CB-D426709BBFEB} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {65D886A2-7CA7-479B-BB95-14D1EFB7946A} - (no file)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NI.UERS_0001_N68M1801] "G:\PSP\COMMON\ErrorSafeFreeInstall.exe" -nag
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Uniblue Registry Booster] C:\Program Files\Uniblue\Registry Booster\RegistryBooster.exe /S
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - (no file)
O20 - Winlogon Notify: st3d - C:\windows\
O20 - Winlogon Notify: winhoo32 - winhoo32.dll (file missing)
O20 - Winlogon Notify: wvusrpo - wvusrpo.dll (file missing)
O20 - Winlogon Notify: xcttgs - xcttgs.dll (file missing)

Navigate to program files folder and delete the C:\Program Files\Uniblue folder.

Java update!!! This is for security reasons. Go control panel > java > update, & press update now. Restart after installing the update, and then go into control panel again, add/remove pgms and remove all old versions of java. Vsn 1.5.0.10 is current....

Now, in normal mode, …

First go control panel, add/remove pgms and remove Zonealarm if it is there.
....to remove an executable or other file before it starts, you have the tool right there. Hijack this. Dclick the .exe to open it, select Open Misc tools Section button, then Delete a file on Reboot. Navigate to windows\system32\Zonelabs folder. Select vsmon.exe and press Open, and then Yes to reboot now. Don't fool around with this tool.
Then just go in to system32 yourself and delete the whole Zonelabs folder. That should clear out the Truevector problem and allow you to reinstall Zonealarm.
But that hijackthis log. Hmmm. there is some cleaning to do. I'll get back to you on it, or someone will.
[there are other specialised exe killers out there, such as Killbox, but HT should do the trick here..]

Pretty much if windows is asking you if you would like to compress your mail, DELETE!. Or copy the .dbx files and then delete. Cut them back until it stops whining.
Another thing... i don't know your setup, but my OE mail folders are not in Docs and Setts. I moved em away from windows into another partition, a temporary storage partition which duly gets defragged often. Windows surrounds itself with temp files and other files which change on a daily basis, which all interferes with how windows likes to stretch out n relax inside its own partition, self-organised into convenient chunks so that the most used bits are in the most easily accessed spots. Defragging the sys files breaks that up...
Sorry, too much info, I'll go away now..

gee, don't you go away with the fairies too! Ok, skip the virus stuff, you're onto it. OE. It's a core part of windows, pretty much like IE is. And when it gets a tummy rumble, the whole plot gets an ague. Time was, it hated the mail folders getting too full, and I don't think much has changed. They somehow seemed to suffer corruptions. When they did all hell would break loose. M$ came out with many guidances to unload the mail folders into other folders. A simple thing is to empty the Deleted mail folder, Sent mail folder... and copy wanted mail, unread mail to another folder unrelated to OE.
[the mail folders have the extension .dbx, and lie in your login name folder.... mail is stored in a coded [not actually compressed, unless you allow it] text stream, the only separator between individual messages is the from: line. You cannot read them cos they are not plain text. If the coding gets corrupted then the whole file is unworkable as far as OE is concerned...].
Ways out of this are many. Keep in mind that you cannot just read the mail from the files without OE.
-you can copy out each email and delete the originals.
-you can copy each .dbx file to another location outside OE for storage/backup.
-you simply copy them back to the original location to deal with them [mind, you must overwrite the file that is in there …

oh dear, that last line sounds awfully pompous.... sorry.. :)
I spose it would not hurt to post a Hijackthis scan result? First you could download this trial pgm, Blacklightbeta, and run it.
http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/ post results if it finds things.
Done a panda online scan? http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan? ..link is "Free online virus scan" at top right.... follow thru all steps... if it finds anything post the log. It certainly pays to run a cleaner first to slim down the result log.... try this one:
CCleaner from http://www.ccleaner.com/ ...put it in a new folder. You should aim to keep this one for general use. I set it from the install checkboxes to only open from the recycle bin. It's neater that way. Run Ccleaner from the recycle bin rclick menu [if you set up CCleaner as i suggested, rclicking the bin icon should give you the run Ccleaner option...]. Use the default setup. Then do the Panda scan... and finally the HT scan.
HT is here:- http://216.180.233.162/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe

Oh, Lord, yes the screen was correct! naturally! I clean overlooked the fact that you had done an SP2 installation/upgrade from a download. That XP cd is now not much use for the time being [but do not throw it away, it can be updated too by slipstreaming later - another subject...] because many files would be outdated by the upgrade. Look, it's really not a great idea to install SP2 onto a broken/infected/troubled system. Microsoft warn against it.. and in the end it may come down to uninstalling SP2, fixing the puter so it runs correctly, and then reinstalling... Bad things are often delivered via email, if it is in fact a malware problem. Did OE when you had it open that day give any hint of running problematically itself?
Meanwhile stop Reg Mech from running at startup by starting it, go to Options tab, and disable automatic startup via the dropdown menu, Save and close.
Now i must think some more on your problem...

for a start, enable windows firewall at least, then go get adaware and its latest updates file from here [just in case anything you have intereferes with contacting lavasoft site]:
http://www.download.com/Security-Spyware/2001-2023_4-0.html?tag=dir
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Definition-File/3000-8022_4-10237235.html
Unzip this second file and drop it into the lavasoft\Ad-Aware SE personal folder to overwrite the existing definitions file...
and run it from SAFE mode, as an administrator.
Actually, if you're really ept with a puter, run Safe mode with command only and drop in this line
"E:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware SE Personal\Ad-Aware.exe" including the "", but replacing E with your drive letter. That may not quite be the path to where you put Adaware, but you check that and alter the line to suit.
Run Adaware with its defaults as downloaded, do a complete system scan and remove all problems.

Then from that first link get HijackThis, place it in a new folder next to your program files, open it by dclicking the .exe and run a scan in normal mode. Post the logfile here. [Close ALL apps and any explorer windows before you commence the HT scan].

Eeek! a ghost! :)
ok, steve, silicone glues work fine [but NOT those with an acetic acid cure!!]. Cheers...

mmm... HT log shows clean as.... hmmm.. adaware, updated and run in safe mode should have removed huntbar... Okay. let's try fixing firefox, there may be an entry there that is pulling huntbar and isearch back in....
Close Firefox. You could also run ATF Cleaner as before.
Go Start > run, paste in this line:
%AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ ...and press <enter> [or OK button..]
..in the explorer window that opens check to see if in that [highlighted] folder there is a file named user.js - if there is then open a fresh notepad and drag user.js into it [lclick on name and drag it] and it should open in plain text. Now check for any entry which has Huntbar or Isearch, or any other web search page that you do not use and delete those lines. Save the file.
Restart FF, and see if you have control?

..from installshield, naturally..
http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q108322
They want you to have it, instructions are there. Check your version number if you wish to get the same one [in program files\common files\]. Mine , XP home, is version 6, if that is any help.

ok, here's a boot disc with a recovery console on it; the console runs from the cd so you don't need an xp cd or any files from your C drive. I know it works. All you need is an image burner like Nero 6, CD Writer...
Tips... unzip the file to get the iso and then BURN THE IMAGE. Do not use data cd or any other mode cos all you will get is a copy of the iso [which you will already have]... if you look at the files on your new cd n you see iso anywhere, start over. If you use Nero6 then the defaults for image burning are fine, skip the guff on the web. Burn it to a CD-RW if you wish; there is no need to close the CD whether it is a RW or R, cos later you may wish to add other good files. If you use a CD-R then hold the burn speed lowish, say 4x.
May i leave you to work out what to do with recovery console?
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/Tools/bootdiscs/xp_rec_con.zip

oh, all right then....
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom] "AutoRun"=dword:1

...if that dword is zero, then no autorun. If you reinstall windows then you're gunna reset that one to one. But that is the hard way around.

...i missed this thread in the early stages... and there is a key.. naturally.. but i guess u do not need it now...

""just a question.... you said to have my CD in when I do this scan.... ?? Am I going to need to use it or is the computer just going to automatically pick up what it needs from the CD?""
=== this is the genuine Microsoft XP cd i am referring to here...
Windows will ask for the cd if you do not have it inserted already. And i find that i have to press <enter> many, many times while it runs.... but that is all, so yep, it's automatic. heh. . There is a way out of this once you are back on your feet with your sys for future sfc runs, and that is to copy the whole contents of the i386 folder on the xp cd into your pc. Warning:- it occupies about a 1/2gig of space. This folder is also in so-called OEM xp cd's... it may be hidden but it is there.

log is clean. try uninstalling mcafee, and then reinstall it. what else? get this trial download and run it... link is at bottom of page. It will fit on a floppy.
http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight/
I know you have checked your connection settings... Reinstall the AOL software....
And i know it is not related, but when you do get on the net update java via control panel, and then via add/remove pgms remove all older versions. 1.5.0.10 is current. Meanwhile you could try clearing the java caches.

and if dcc's suggestion doesn't whip it into shape, try running the system file checker... start > run sfc /scannow -have your xp cd handy to load, or load it before you enter the command.
Why do you run Reg Mech at startup? to me it sounds like a perfect way to arrange time to make a cup of coffee.... every startup... Look, for a typical sys with a moderate selection of apps you are looking at 25 - 30 megs of registry. If you ran a cleanup once a month it might make, oh..., 1 - 2 kB of corrections. That is nothing at all in the computing scheme of things. A decent puter whizzes thru the registry in milliseconds. Anyway, that's just my opinion...

a very quick briefing on what i think you want. I assume you are talking XP. Then, for a start, you do not need to go into Safe mode to play with this stuff - safe mode is just a mode where windows loads a small subset of the available drivers and processes, and you have a limited choice of subsets available - safe mode with explorer, with networking, or with command prompt. Less stuff loaded, less chance of loading things with errors. It sounds like you loaded the last. Your screen has a black background because the full colour map is not loaded. And the "MSDOS" box you refer to is not that at all, it is a command window... running cmd.exe. It is not the same as DOS.
So play with this from normal mode so that you have access to the net for more info.... just go start > run, and type cmd, and press OK [or Enter]. And the window that opens is the same as you got in safe mode, except that it opened in C:\Docs and Sets\User [that's you]>
You can change it to C:\> by typing cd c: \ [and press Enter]
So what can it do? if you want a list of commands and their options, type help
-that immed gives you a list of common commands and a one line description of what they do
- to get more info on a command type it and …

for a start, Rob, get into CMOS and disallow the auto-restart on failure option, and then you may get some error codes. Post em. Splash screen - by this you mean the Windows loading screen? Then try booting into safe mode - it loads fewer services - and run chkdsk /p from the run box, and chkdsk /r if it comes up with errors.
If it will not do even that step, then pulling the drive is Step 2. Unplug and replug the IDE/SATA cable to your HD at both ends [with power off and unplugged, naturally]. Cable contacts can let you down...
Come back with what you find.

yeah, i have dealt with a couple of the issues....somehow [again] M$ forgot all about the backward-compatibility idea. i think it's called arrogance.

parthi, i'm pleased that simple fix worked for you [contact via pm], but some trojan built that randomly generated file name and you may have other traces you would like cleared. So if you wish, download and save this file [hijack this] to a new folder alongside your program files and start it by dclicking the .exe file, close ALL windows and apps, and run it [in normal windows mode] by pressing Scan and save a logfile, and then post it in the virus forum..
http://216.180.233.162/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe
cheers.

boot into safe mode, and delete that file. it ain't a genuine thing. Then in normal mode, assuming you can get there, follow instructions in the stickies in virus and nasties forum re hijackthis. post a log... In fact, repost in that forum with your problem and a log.

caper, that dyspeptic chook you use for an avatar has just the right expression for that answer.... heh.

like the dial-up connection won't be another account......? wha? Everything you dl via your office DSL conn would still go into your dialup conn.....if you linked to office sys.

please don't think i'm being cruel, Alicia, but you're really hanging it out there, aren't you? No SP2, no active AV; are you at least using window's firewall? .... bug writers are looking for you right now. When this is over, go get AVG Free antivirus 7.5 [it is free..], and ZoneAlarm firewall [free too]. Both are good, but there are others too.At the least turn on windows firewall. Further, Isearch is loaded in by ActiveX control, so i suspect that your internet security setting could be low? It should be Medium, at least, imo.
Now for a start, please move HT off your desktop - i suggest placing it in a new folder alongside your program files. There are valid reasons for doing this... so if you still have the HT zip delete the desktop copy and unzip a fresh one, otherwise download a new one.

I am looking for a file named toolbar.dll :- could you go rclick Start > explore > tools tab > folder options > view, and select Show hidden files and folders, and then do a search for that file? Post here where you find it. And may i ask how you have tried to remove isearch previously? Make sure that it has been removed from Control panel > Add/Remove programs list.

=Meanwhile would you download CCleaner from http://www.ccleaner.com/ - and put it in a new folder. You should aim to keep this one for general use. I set …