windows won't start

I'm not too sure where to begin here.
I'm using my girlfriends computer ATT, she's got AOL which she never uses the email part. Anyway, suddenly Windows won't start on my computer. I went into DOS and tried the recovery thing and no files. I've still got the partition but no C:\. Then I did the back-up disk that I made with Norton's and since I don't have a CD burner I had to use 11 floppy's. Things seemed to be going along OK until I got to Nav definitions 6 then things came to all-stop and just froze. Then I went back into DOS and checked to see what loaded and everything came up "loaded successful" EXCEPT at the very first one it said Windows {logo disabled) then just a few down it said VTREE UNKNOWN. Everything with the word TREE in it said UNKNOWN so I looked TREE up and come to find out that refer's to the structure and substructure of C:\ which contains everything needed to start windows. I deleted (logo disabled) then tried again. This time the logo did come up but everything else didn't. Then my book said to try doing the prompt only thing using C:\/f to see what was in the backup files and nothing. Said back up files empty. Now where do I go? Broom Hilda, my soon to be EX has all the CD's that we had with her and I don't think that would be a very good idea to ask her right about now so any suggestions short of buying flowers and a gun?
Can anyone please point me in the right direction before my withdrawls set in.
would be eternally grateful for any help! ! ! ! !
old subguy

 

Boot to a DOS prompt and at the prompt type scanreg /restore. You'll be presented a list of 5 different, dated cabfiles. Choose one of those that predates when this problem started (if there is one), cross your fingers and reboot the computer.

Edit:
I just read your post again. Is scanreg the recovery thing you were talking about?

 

still won't start

scanreg/restore was the first thing I tried. It looks like it doesn't know where to go to find the windows files and I don't know what they look like. In one of my PC mags it says to go into dos mode and type "tree c:\windows" and it should display the full C drive directory but it doesn't. I've got a sinking feeling that I lost a whole lot of data.

 

The tree command you mentioned should show you the contents of your windows folder. Did you put a space between c:\windows and /f? You should. What happens when you type the command? Can you boot to a DOS prompt from the hard drive or do you have to use a floppy to boot to a prompt? If you can boot to a DOS prompt without a floppy do so and then at the c: prompt type dir. You should see the contents of you c: drive listed. They'll scroll by from beginning to end without stopping. If you want it to stop so you can have a look at the files and folders that are on the drive type dir /p instead. Put a space between dir and /p. What happens when you try this?

Have you tried booting to safe mode?

 

Well hot **** I'm making progress at least!

It'll boot to dos without any help. When I type the dir /p command 22 files and 10dir's come up, it displays 1 page then when I hit any key it displays the 2nd page. But I don't know for sure what I'm looking at.
I see things like
WINDOW~1 BMK
SETUPXLG TXT
FILE999A CHK
FILE999B CHK
FILE0000 _DD
CONFIG SYS
CONFIG CTL
etc. . . .

The C:\tree gets me a bad command or file name

yesterday I somehow got into something that displayed everything I think and that is where I noticed that at the very top it said [logo disabled] and I figured if I erased that much I couldn't get into too much more trouble so I did and then I at least got the windows logo to display when I first boot even if it is for only a few sec's. When I do the ctr, alt, delete one time the only programs that are running is Csinject and Nprotect. at the bottom I get a flash for just a moment of the bottom of a normal boot with the start button but thats it
Man I sure appreciate you taking the time to try and un-*&^% me! (old submarine term)
Paul

 

sorry I didn't notice the last part of your post.

It goes thru the motions of displaying the safe mode but no desktop there either. Just the windows logo in pastel colors is all.
Paul

 

Boy everything is sure sensitive in regards to leaving a space out.
I tried again the dos prompt C:\DIR\WINDOWS /p and holy smokes everything came up! 377 FILES, 34 DIRECTORIES and everything looks like it's still housed on my harddrive. Now what do I do about it?
Any of this help with straightening my problems out? Man if you can walk me thru this mess you are one heavy duty computersmate!
Paul

 

Well, I don't really know what to say from here. You could try running scandisk on the drive. To run scandisk at the c: prompt type scandisk c: and press enter. Also, you could try booting using the step by step confirmation option in the same menu you use to boot to safe mode. It might give a clue as to what's happening. Pay attention to the names of the files it's loading. When it hangs, what file is it trying to load?

Also, when you ran scanreg /restore, you said it acted like it couldn't find the files. What did you mean by this? Did you receive an error of some type? If so, what was it? Did you leave a space between scanreg and /restore? If not or if you aren't sure, try it again. If it doesn't work, what happens when you try it?

Did you install any software just before this happened? Any new hardware installed?

 

Here we go. . .

I did the scandisk thing and after almost an hr it said nothing wrong.
Then I did the confirmation thing and this is what I got:

starts with SYSTEM REGISTER then creates a start up BOOTLOG TEX
CONFIG SYS
Device=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEN.SYS
" " \EMM386.SYS
" " \DBLBUFF.SYS
Devicehigh=C:\Windows\IFSHLP.SYS
Start up command file AUTOEXEC.BAT
SET CLASSPATH=C:\etc . . . ADOBE CONNECTABLES
C:\
C:\
WIN
Load all Windows drivers

then I can't read it because it's at the top almost off the screen
ndis.vxd
JAVASUP.VXD
WINDOWS\SYSTEM\vrtwd.386
" " \vfixd.vxd
vnetbios,vxd
vredir.vxd
dfs.vxd
Imouse.vxd
vserver.vxd
viagart.vxd
C:\PROGRA~1\SYMANTEC\SYMEVNT.386
SYMTDI.VXD
CSHOOK.VXD
mwlink.vxd
IPVNMON.VXD
C:\PROGRA~1\NORTON~2\SAVRTPEL.VXD
" " " \SAVRT.VXD

then a pause then nothing but a blue screen

then when I hit Ctrl Alt Delete one time all that is loaded is
Nprotect
Cinject

Now I just rebooted and got to the same point but this time all that loaded was RUNDII32

I did the scanreg/;restore and it only went back 2 days which didn't do any good. Now it goes back to the 23rd and all not started

Haven't installed anything new in over a yr except the windows updates that were recommended
My soon to be EX was the computer person and she just hangs up on me. She decided she don't like guys anymore and has a girlfriend she moved in with so she won't help. She also took Win98se disk with her when she left.

Any of this help in determining the cause why Windows won't load?
Paul

 

When I do the ctr, alt, delete one time the only programs that are running is Csinject and Nprotect.

Did you EVER empty the Recycle Bin without dumping the Norton protected files first ?


HELP !!!!
It has been so long since I used Norton products but I do remember there could be problems if Nortons' part of the Recycle Bin was not handled correctly.

C:\PROGRA~1\NORTON~2\SAVRTPEL.VXD
" " " \SAVRT.VXD

I THINK that narrows the problem down a bit.

Does anybody know how to shut Norton down from DOS ?

BillyBob

 

I've never emptied the Norton's protected files when I've dumped the recycle bin.