On Oct 25, 2:06*pm, "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABear...@gmail.com> wrote:
> [crosspost to WinXP General]
>
> 1. How does your problem relate to Windows Update?
>
> 2. Who had access to your computer while you were away for a week?
>
> 3. What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
> subscription current? *What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
> What third-party firewall (if any)?
>
> 4. Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
> machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
> it)?
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002www.banthecheck.com
>
> At 17:09 UTC, 25 Oct-09, Mark wrote:
>
>
>
> > I'm running a 4 yr old Gateway desktop, Windows XP Media Center, w/SP3.
> > I was out of town for a week and when I came home the computer was
> > different. Couldn't connect to the internet and IE8 would not load,
> > Firefox
> > loaded fine. Noticed the desktop was rearranged and the toolbar at the
> > bottom looked like Windows 98. The only time the computer restarts is when
> > it updates automatically. It's on all the time. Here's the problem;
>
> > While trying to diagnose the problem, I tried to do a defrag. Wouldn't do
> > it. I tried to do a system restore, wouldn't do it. So, I went into safe
> > mode. When it loaded in safe mode, it gave me a choice, click yes to
> > proceed
> > to safe mode or click no to restore your computer. I clicked yes and it
> > went
> > into safe mode, then it automatically shut down and restarted before I had
> > a
> > chance to do anything. Tried again, and clicked no to restore and it said
> > System restore is not able to protect your computer. Please restart your
> > computer and it did so automatically. I went to msconfig and set it to
> > start
> > in safe mode. Now, it just goes round in circles starting in safe mode,
> > shutting itself down, and restarting in safe mode. I can't get back to
> > msconfig to change the setting. I tapped F8 key and chose to start normal,
> > but it started in safe mode again. I can't get out of safe mode now.
>
> > I want to do two things.
> > 1) Get out of safe mode
> > 2) Restore my computer to an earlier time to see if that corrects my
> > original problem.
>
> > Any help would be appreciated.

If your system is infected with a certain malicious software and you
added the /SAFEBOOT option through MSCONFIG, you need to remove the /
SAFEBOOT option from the boot.ini file manually.

The malicious software will keep you from booting in any kind of mode
to run MSCONFIG again in order to turn off the /SAFEBOOT option - that
is what it does.

You can fix the booting issue easily through the Recovery Console if
RC is installed on your HDD, invoking RC using a bootable XP
installation CD or if you have no XP media, creating a bootable XP
Recovery Console CD using files you can download to some other working
computer.

After that, you can work on removing the malicious software(s).