Planet
2008-10-08, 22:53
I have Windows Media Center Edition XP. I don't know if I have a malware issue or just managed to corrupt one of my system files somehow, but my computer will not even boot into safe mode. The last couple of things I did that may (or may not) be related to the problem) was (1) I downloaded and installed the latest updates to my Norton Internet Security software suite and (2) scheduled a shutdown in my task scheduler for the evening.
Then I went to the bed and the next morning when I tried to boot the system I got the message that Windows had not shut down properly and I had the option of starting in either safe mode, last known good configuration, or start windows normally. (the advanced Windows startup options). None of these options results in me getting into Windows, and the system just loops from showing the Windows progress loading screen back to the screen saying windows had not shut down properly the last time.
I have tried booting the system from my original Windows install disks and attempt to repair the installation of Windows. But this just takes me to the command prompt where I have tried to run chkdsk on my hard drive. This results in a message saying the drive has "one or more unrecoverable problems". When I try to use "dir" command to view any of the directories on the drive it says there is no floppy disk or cd inserted in the drive. I can view directories on external hard drives but nothing on the internal hard drive. The one thing I am able to do is get into my BIOS settings (after I restart) and it appears the hard drive is showing up in the BIOS screen.
My biggest concern is saving the data on my hard drive and I am becoming frightened that I am unable to view anything on the drive even from the command prompt. I'd appreciate any help you can give me on troubleshooting this problem and if I am seeking help in the wrong place, I would very grateful if you could refer me to where would be a more appropriate place to get help.
Given the problems I've described above I've been unable to figure out how to run a Hijack this log.
Then I went to the bed and the next morning when I tried to boot the system I got the message that Windows had not shut down properly and I had the option of starting in either safe mode, last known good configuration, or start windows normally. (the advanced Windows startup options). None of these options results in me getting into Windows, and the system just loops from showing the Windows progress loading screen back to the screen saying windows had not shut down properly the last time.
I have tried booting the system from my original Windows install disks and attempt to repair the installation of Windows. But this just takes me to the command prompt where I have tried to run chkdsk on my hard drive. This results in a message saying the drive has "one or more unrecoverable problems". When I try to use "dir" command to view any of the directories on the drive it says there is no floppy disk or cd inserted in the drive. I can view directories on external hard drives but nothing on the internal hard drive. The one thing I am able to do is get into my BIOS settings (after I restart) and it appears the hard drive is showing up in the BIOS screen.
My biggest concern is saving the data on my hard drive and I am becoming frightened that I am unable to view anything on the drive even from the command prompt. I'd appreciate any help you can give me on troubleshooting this problem and if I am seeking help in the wrong place, I would very grateful if you could refer me to where would be a more appropriate place to get help.
Given the problems I've described above I've been unable to figure out how to run a Hijack this log.