Stuck in Windows loop

[chi-va]

Hm, I don't know why it don't works.

Let us try it the long way.

First of all type in:

dir

and hit the "Enter" key. Now you should see a list of files and folders. Do you see the folder Windows there? If yes, go on with the command lines.

cd Windows

hit the enter key

cd system32

hit the enter key

cd config

hit the enter key.

[rvnmaniac]

Hm, I don't know why it don't works.

Let us try it the long way.

First of all type in:

dir

and hit the "Enter" key. Now you should see a list of files and folders. Do you see the folder Windows there? If yes, go on with the command lines.

cd Windows

hit the enter key

cd system32

hit the enter key

cd config

hit the enter key.

typed dir and got

Volume in drive C is RAMDRIVE
Directory of C:\
COMMAND COM 63,404 00-00-80 12:00a
1 file(s) 63,404 bytes
0 dir(s) 2,006,528 bytes free

then

C:\>cd Windows
CHDIR failed for Windows


After C:\ should i be getting the > sign

[chi-va]

Ok, this doesn't seem to be your system drive. Do you remember what drive letter was assigned for Windows? I wonder how you was able to change the file names in the recovery console.

Are you sure that you have startet NTFSDos? Do you see the same screenshots like in the blog? What is if try to start Windows again? Do you still see the login screen?

I'm trying to figure out what has happened. If you like, I would suggest to try the letters from a to z in combination with the "dir" command in order to find the system drive with Windows.

Can you roughly summarize what you done in order to fix your system. Something must be different.

PS: Yes, the ">" should be there.

[chi-va]

I gonna get some sleep. It is really late over here. I hope you was able to find the system drive. Good night!

[rvnmaniac]

I gonna get some sleep. It is really late over here. I hope you was able to find the system drive. Good night!

Thanks for the time, i guess it's a gonna because now i can't even get to the log on screen where this mess started, the dreaded sign on loop. I now just get a blank screen when windows tries to boot up via the HD....If this was my home PC i would really be screwed........

[kunsa429]

I know how to resolve the Stuck In Windows Loop. My question, how do you prevent problem from happening again after you execute Spybot and Spybot wants you to reboot PC to fix other problems.

This problem has happened twice immediately after I have executed SpyBot.

[Computerwriter]

I have a client who has been be-deviled with HellzLittleSpy (pun intended ). I've spent several hours reading posts in this and other fora...after re-building her registry twice (remove hard drive, put it into another system, then remotely edit Software hive to restore userinit.exe setting in Winlogon (see previous posts)).

The commonest explanation for how the Winlogon loop happens is that something has crept into recent definition updates that has caused Spybot version 1.3 to find a false positive, then to do a bad thing to the registry . But despite there being multiple reports of this also happening with version 1.5.2, various bot-team members insist it shouldn't happen with that version.

So I may have an answer for this apparent problem. Here's what's taken place on my client's system: Originally, she had version 1.3 installed. Then, she updated to version 1.5.2 without first uninstalling 1.3. How do I know this?

Ran Spybot. Clicked on Help, About. Spybot dutifully reported that it was version 1.3. Checked with client. "But I updated," she said. And, Add and Remove Programs agrees with her! Version 1.5.2 is what is listed in its record. Told A/RP to remove 1.5.2. It says it did, but it did it suspiciously quickly.

Started hunting. And, sure'nuff, there, in front of Ghod and everybody, sitting in the Start/Programs list, is Spybot Search and Destroy, together with its own uninstaller. Ran that and, taking longer this time, it removed SS&D again. Kept hunting. Checked her hard drive — guess what? There's a big Spybot Search and Destroy folder with tons of sub-folders. Manually deleted them .

Checked her Registry. Finally, all mention of Spybot gone.

Next, installed 1.6 ('cause I'm still a believer ). Told it to download new files while installing, then checked Update once the install was finished to discover (you've no doubt been there) that there are still more files to download . Re-immunized. Running 'bot-check even as we speak.........

And, lo the results are in...

Drumroll, please ............

76 new problems found (the client found only 2 before frying her system again) and none of them is HellzLittleSpy. More importantly, none of the entries found by Spybot refers to the Winlogon section of HKEYLocalMachine/software...

So, it would appear that 1.6 is clean - still some wrinkles, but clean.

But I also think it's time to go through the various posts to clean 'em up. We know what causes the problem. We know how to fix it. Preventing users from using newer definitions, etc. for old SS&D versions is a start, but cleaning up the long list of posts and flames and turning this into a FAQ would also be kinda helpful. Maybe? You think?

[easy72]

Around 7-8-08, I updated my spybot 1.3 vers and proceeded to run a scan. Hellz little spy appeared as malware and I removed or supposedly fixed it with spybot. The next day I could not get into my computer as I would be automatically logged out. I tried to do a repair with my XP installation disk to no avail as I was being asked for a password that I never had set in the first place. Since I only have one computer and my external storage drive will not run the operating system, I went out and bought myself a new internal drive and had to install Xp plus all the updates and my programs on it. I set up my old drive as a slave and found that I could at least access all my files which was somewhat of a relief. Finally, I was able to get to the internet and research the cause and any possible solutions. I finally found my way to this forum and learned that spybot itself was the total cause of my problem. By allowing users to update on old versions of spybot , this somehow caused a false positive for hellz little spy and the spybot fix was what really screwed up my computer log in log out process. I have used a computer for ten years and this is the worse problem encountered . Ironically, it was caused by a program that is supposed to help you eradicate problems. Eventually I decided to try method 2 on the userinit blog page. After three unsuccessful attempts, I was finally able to get out of the login logout loop using this method. Everything is not totally perfect with my old drive now though. It appears to hang a bit at the welcome screen before entering my desktop . Also alot of my shortcuts were missing from the desktop page and my wallpaper had changed. I am just posting this so people can be aware that spybot certainly is "use at your own risk software" and I ended up with the cost of a new hard drive and tons of wasted time trying to fix this log in logout mess.

[Zenobia]

Sorry to hear of all your troubles.

I tried to do a repair with my XP installation disk to no avail as I was being asked for a password that I never had set in the first place.

If this was at the very beginning,before you began the repair install of Windows,if you didn't set a password,then you should be able to just press enter,and it will continue.

[easy72]

I pressed enter many times, but it just kept asking for a password.If you research this here and on the web, you will find that many people were trapped like this . Check out the posts of Walker on this forum, who I think gave up.
Some like me were eventually able to solve it using the methods on the usernit issue page posted by yodama, as I did. Others chose to reformat their drives . Hopefuly, they had a backup drive with their important files on it.