My computer is fried, causing suicidal thoughts :)

Well, I think that computer is officially fried... I'm on a different one now. I did the msconfig thing and selected bootlog, and as soon as i pressed ok the computer rebooted itself. so i pressed f8, and safe mode didn't work still, it just sat on that one screen again. so i rebooted again, and now windows won't open at all. first a screen comes up that says 'invalid boot file booting from c:/windows. Then it goes to and remains on black screen with this message: windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupted: <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll.

 

Hi

Ewwwww

Checking /bootlog should not have killed ability to boot up.

See if you can get to "last known good configuration "

REstart computer, tap F8 as if going to safe mode.
Use arrow keys to choose "last Known Good" and hit enter.

Let me know if it starts up and how things are working.

Look around to see if you can find your XP CD. Looks like we are at least looking at a repair install before we can do much. Since you have XP Sp2 you will need XP SP2 CD.

Few questions:

Does your computer have a floppy drive?
Does the computer you are using now have XP SP2?
Is the computer you are using XP Home or Pro or Media Center Edition?

Thanks

 

no, i don't have a floppy drive, yes i have xp sp2, and i'm pretty sure its home edition. i will try the f8 thing and let you know tomorrow morning because i'm not at home tonight. thanks again so much for helping me!

 

f8 + last known configuration didn't work. i am searching all over for my xp cd. the earliest that i will be able to borrow someone else's will be tomorrow evening, so i guess we're stalled until then. i will pm you when i have it ok?

 

Sounds good.

What is the operating system you are using now? I mean the computer you are using now. XP Home SP2 like yours? If same OS we can copy the hal.dll from this computer to your broken one.

Do both computers have a USB port and do you have a USB stick? (thumb drive)
If you can't find your CD I don't know if your friends will work unless it is an origional and you know your product key. Often during repair you have to enter your windows product key. (usually on the side/back of your computer)
If you only have your friends...then we'll just use it to access recovery console. (and not do repair yet)

If this computer you are using now has the same OS as your broken one we can create a different CD to get to recovery console and replace the missing hal.dll file from this computer.
This will at least give us a starting point again.

This computer have a burner? A burning application like Nero or Roxio you can burn ISO files to CD to make em bootable?

http://www.atribune.org/downloads/rc.iso

The above program if you burn it to CD should get you to recovery console.
It does have to be burned in such a way to make it bootable.

Let me know the OS of this computer and if you can get that file from above link burned OK.

If needed...
How to burn ISO files:

http://www.bay-wolf.com/burnimage6.htm

This tutorial is for Nero. If you have a different burning program I'll try & find tutorial if needed for your burning program. (I'll need to know what the burner program is)
If you already know how to burn ISO files & make em bootable...Great!

Blender

 

its xp professional and i don't think it has sp2. plus, there's tons of viruses on this one too and taking a file from it might not be the best idea... plus the burner hasn't worked in years. it is on a network with the computer that we're trying to fix, could that be causing problems? i am freaking out, i go to school online and i have projects and homework and this computer is soooo slooooow and sickly lol. my mother is asking the tech guys at her job what they can do for me, what exactly should she ask them for? a cd with the missing file that is bootable?

 

I believe that if indeed on a network YES !!!

Once you get things back in some sort of normal I suggest.

Make sure that you have more than one HD partition and keep backups of thing on them.

Or maybe better yet a 2nd HD or a tape drive.

I am writing here with some of the things that I have learned over the years. ( at least 20 ) and the BIGGEST thing is to keep backups somwwhere other than the OS drive. And Believe-it-or-not-by-Ripley I have learned MORE ( much more ) from Trial, Errors and TRYING than I have from books.

I had a serious disscusion about HDs witha Family Member. She insisted that a HUGH C: drive was best. I disagreed. A C: drive just a bit larger than needed by the OS is enough. After losing just about everything she had she now agrees.

BillyBob

 

Hi KzTd,

Do you have one of those thumb drives that plug in your USB port? I can send you a copy of clean hal.dll if we actually do need it. Sometimes it is just the boot.ini file that makes windows think that hal.dll is missing.

Can you get a friend with a working burner to burn you that RC.iso?

No the missing file is not on the bootable CD I'm asking you to crete. It is just the files needed to access XP's recovery console so we can try again to repair the boot.ini file and replace hal.dll from USB drive is necessary.

Since the computer you are using now is infected too and you have to use it for school I think it best we best clean that one too & make it safe.
I don't want to take the chance of your ID and stuff going to some hacker someplace.
It is possible some of the infections spread across your network from one computer to the other.
Since your computer we are trying to fix is not bootable at the moment...it being connected to network cant do any damage.

Any other computers on the network?

As we are working though and get that computer bootable--only have one computer connected to net at a time. We don't want to bounce infections back & forth undoing all our efforts.

Want to get this one working well then move on to the unbootable one?

If so...can you get me a hijackthis log to start with from this one please?
Also an Uninstall list from this one.
We'll get this one cleaned up first. I want to avoid trying to both at the same time or I'll likely confuse the logs.
This will also buy you some time to get that RC.iso burnt for the other computer.

Thanks

 

No I don't have a thumb drive, how much do they cost? Yes, my dad told me that it was probably the boot log thing that is causing the problems. He said he will pay for geeksquad to come fix it, but he hasn't sent his credit card # yet so I'm not holding my breath. It would really be a waste of time to clean this computer. I think I will just take it off the network. It is too slow and old to even waste time on! Not to mention for some reason I can't get into my virtual classroom on this one all of a sudden. My mother has a laptop that is on the network also, but she will not believe me that this computer is causing viruses on hers. She just tells me that she never sees anything wrong while she's on there, so if I'm the only one who notices then I must be causing it (???) But anyway, like I said I'm not going to wait for my dad to come through, so I will check the prices of thumb drives, but hopefully today a friend is bringing his windows cd so i can run recovery.

 

Hi,

Any of the computers on the network should be cleaned out no matter how old they are.
They are all likely infected and will keep bouncing worms & virueses back & forth resulting in an endless circle of problems.
Much of the problems you are having with the PC you are at now is most likely a result of a pile of malware and it will only get worse.

There is no need to put up with this partly cus the malware creators are getting PAID to have your computer infected!! Why should they get $$ to make your life miserable?

As long as you & your Mom are on the network---infections are likely running back & forth.
Your mom might not quite understand what is going on or may not notice things like you do if she only uses the computer once in a while.
Since you use it more for school and stuff--you notice more.

Let me know when you get that CD.

I think it is just the boot.ini that is busted and it is not too difficult to fix from recovery console.

Seeing that the computer you are on now is infected and likely your mom's laptop too I wouldn't be using either one to purchase anything with credit cards.
Possibly there are backdoors or keyloggers that can capture credit card info installed. We don't know.

If your Dad is going to get the "geek squad" in...have him call them instead.
If there is only the option to purchase the services online & no phone #...I would shy away. I won't buy anything from online that I cannot call them over the phone. I've been working with malware for too long to feel "safe" to input my credit card/bank info online and I am reasonably confident I am clean.

Thumb drives...
I don't know where you are located but I'm from Canada and can get 1GB thumb drives for about 20 bucks or less.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=379

If you are not from Canada then that site may re-direct you to your country's site (if your country has a TigerDirect store)

Anyway I would like to get the working computers cleaned up at least and secured properly so you guys can do your normal things online without worrying if your personal info is out in some hackers hands or your data being corrupted by junk and so you can quit bouncing malware back & forth.

The PC you are on now...is it NTFS or FAT32?
If you right click "my computer "> properties.
It will tell you there if FAT32 or NTFS.
It will also tell you here if XP Home/Pro/Media Center and what service pack it has.


Also...
Have you or your Dad ever worked on the inside of a computer like added a new hard drive or anything like that?

 

The guy I mentioned came last night and took this computer off of the network so it can't infect the others anymore, and he also cleaned off the laptop. However, he FORGOT the xp cd!!!!! I had to refrain from choking him... ok so I will see about getting the thumb drive today, it shouldn't be a problem. This computer has xp pro, it doesn't say a service pack, and it didn't say fat32 or ntfs. Yes, I've added some memory, a cd burner, and a video card to my computer before. My father builds computers, and he's a software engineer, but unfortunately he lives in maryland and i'm in florida... so he's not too much help, except for that credit card number

 

Update...

The guy with the cd can't make it back over today, but he says that since my mom's laptop is clean and it has the same version of xp that mine has, I can burn that file to a cd from hers and put in the broken computer, and it will use that cd to boot. And then he says that it will go to dos and i can install the file with commands. Is this true? If it is, will it matter that ever since my desktop disappeared, if I put a cd in the drive it will not open automatically, I still have to go into 'my computer' and double click it? And most importantly, he mentioned something about me losing all my files. True? Because if it is, its a no-go. I have a thirty page term paper and it will get deleted over my dead body

 

I have gone over this post again and I STRONGLY REPEATEDLY suggest that you create a C: drive just a bit larger than needed for the OS.

And install EVERYTHING else onto other drives.

My C: is 8.3 with 1.8 free.

BillyBob

 

EXAMPLE ONLY that may help explain my wild ideas a bit better.

C: dirve has the OS.

D: Has Links Golf installed.

E: Other Games etc.

H: has backups for both. PLUS SOME ( NO A LOT OF ) backups are on I: ( CDROM )

Now If I lose C: I still do not lose all the other stuff. Yes it will need to be reinstalled so that the OS knows that it is there but I do not lose all of the Data for Golf.

Same basic idea for E:

BillyBob

 

Billybob, that sounds good for me because I am an avid sims 2 player and if I ever lose 3 1/2 years of gameplay... well, lets just say I might lose my will to get out of bed each day lol. Plus I have 3,000+ songs, about 30 movies, every college paper I've ever written, etc. I will probably use a different drive from now on. Thanks for the advice.

Blender-
Okay, so here's what my dad thinks: since the laptop is now virus- free, he says that I should do what you said at first, to make an iso or whatever and boot from it (i think this is what the guy from my moms job meant but he explained it wrong) using DOS. I am checking now to see if her version of Roxio has the option to do it for me (she has DLA and recordnow data) cuz I know nero can but she doesn't have that. If her version of Roxio can't automatically make the cd bootable, are you still prepared to walk me through the process?

Update: Roxio did have the option to make the bootable cd. Sooo, I selected that option, added the hal.dll file drom system32, and if I did it correctly, its sure not working. I popped it in the computer and it did NOT use the cd to boot. *sob* Please tell me I just did it all wrong

 

I will give you a 100% HONEST answer right here and now. "NO ". Because my 75 year old PERSONAL memory is beginning to slack off a bit and I would not want to steer you in the Wrong direction.
Also I am hoping and PRAYING that I do not start having problems for the same reason.
Right now I am being challenged to a game of Golf Via our LAN. So I will say
Good night and good luck.

BillyBob

 

KzTd:

That File you burned to CD using your Mom's laptop..What was the file? Is that the one I told you to burn? RC.ISO?
You did follow Roxio instructions to properly burn ISO files to make them bootable? If you just burned RC.ISO to the cd...it won't work.

What version of Roxio does your Mom have?

I only have Nero so I would need to find (if needed) a tutorial for Roxio.


When you put CD in drive....and try boot with it does the computer give you choice to boot with CD?

If not..
you will hafta change the boot order in BIOS. to tell it to boot with CD first.

Insert your bootable CD in drive

Start computer

I am unsure of your system and they all have different keyboard combinations to get to BIOS.
Usually f10, del, f2, etc.
When you are starting computer it should tell you onscreen how to get to bios.
There may be a key to press for boot order.
Once in there look for boot order and change it to
CDROM first
hard drive next (IDE0)
Don't worry about floppy cus you don't have one.
Just make sure cd is first & enabled and HDD is second and enabled.

Usually it is F10 to save changes and exit. Boot order screen will tell you what to press.
Save changes and exit.

Computer will start..
You should get onscreen messege to boot with CD (if it is bootable)

Hit enter at this point.

Don't do anything yet. I just want to know if you can get there.
Let me know what exactly you see onscreen at this point.

No you will not see your desktop yet.
You will be running the program directly from CD to access what we need from "DOS "
It will be all commands we have to type in.

What I hope to accomplish here is to fix your boot.ini, replace the hal.dll file to get you back up and running.
Not yet are we going to loose everything.
Just fix what is not letting you boot.
Once you can boot we can work on the malware issues and back up that term paper of yours before we do much else.

Thanks

 

No, I didn't burn that file, I burned the one that was missing. Where do I find rc.iso? I don't know what version she has, but the instructions are pretty clear and as far as I can tell I did burn the (wrong) file correctly and make the cd bootable. Yes I did notice the boot order options while looking around in i think f2. So all I need to burn is the rc.iso file, and that's it? i have one blank cd left so this will be it for tonight if i ***** it up

edit: i can't find rc.iso anywhere.

 

Hi

I had left the link a while back. Waaaay back lol.

here it is again:

http://www.atribune.org/downloads/rc.iso

Once you burn the above file to make bootable see if you can get it to boot. *me crosses fingers*

I'm not sure if you can add that hal.dll to the cd or not. I do believe you can do this as long as you stay in the same session to burn everything you want to that cd. Adding additional sessions to this CD will make it unbootable.
Try and copy hal.dll right to the root of the CD.
As in D:\hal.dll (or whatever your CD Rom drive is)

Do make sure to close the session when done burning or else your computer wont be able to read it. There should be a choice to allow reading for most computers. Do choose that one.

So in short.....you want to make bootable CD with RC.ISO from above link and add the hal.dll from your Mom's computer & close the session.

Before you boot broken computer with it...Tell me where on the CD this hall.dll is located so we can feed the broken computer the right commands.
You can browse that CD on your mom's computer like any other CD.

Thanks!

 

i think i got it, hal.dll is on there too. i will go see if i can get it to work. gimme 5 mins

NOPE. I changed the boot order and everything. It didn't sound like the cd was even spinning like its supposed to. Like I said, ever since windows got that error autoplay doesn't work at all, I have to go into my computer and double click the cd. And in the case of the sims 2, i have to repeatedly try to start it by clicking multiple times and getting error messages before it will work. could that have something to do with why it's not booting from the cd? i followed the instructions for making a bootable cd perfectly.