Windows won't boot up in ordinary mode.

My PC won’t boot up properly ; I can run ( up to a point) in any of the safe-modes , although can’t actually open any files…. What happens when not in safe mode is that after the Windows Welcome screen, I get a totally black screen and can’t get any further forward.
My computer repair shop said that the files were locked by the Norton security (N360.4). And/or it was virus or malware and they couldn’t find a way round. Norton spent several hours on it, first with their free on-line chat, and then after spending US$100 with their paid service manipulating the PC remotely. Nett result "“ they removed the Norton system completely ( and failed to reinstall it); checked and said no virus and no malware "“ it’s the Operating System.
I have tried to run the OS installation disc- hoping to find a "repair" option which would keep the files and purchased software, but in fact I can’t get anything to run, maybe because it’s in safe mode, or maybe the corruption (?) is preventing this.
In Safe Mode with networking I believe that I could use the internet, aand do some of the things I want to do "“ e-mail etc., but I can’t copy files, I can’t even get to Control Panel. Maybe "“ I haven’t yet tried "“ I can get to Norton to download a fresh copy of the anti-virus etc, but in the meantime I have pulled out the router cable to avoid getting infected by any wandering viruses etc.
Sounds pretty dire ; can the experts here help where the local repair shop and the might of Symantec can’t ?
BTW I am sending this from my lap-top, which is still all OK.

 

I'd be tempted to rule out Malware from our expert before continuing.

Please follow these instructions as best you can and post in the Malware and Virus Removal forum.

 

Well, I followed all the instructions as far as possible , seemed to pay for at least one maybe two prograames along the way ( one of then I paid for and then got as far as a Windows problem sceen saying that it wouldn't do whatever I had asked it to do, and it all closed down). Whatever, lots of errors - about 800 suppoosedly fixed.
Problem remains exactly as it was. When it boots up it gets to a plain black sceen with just a white cursor...

 

Hi Geoff,

1) You should not have had to pay for any of the programs our Analyst requires you to use.

2) Please post whatever logs you were able to obtain.

 

I'm going to give up on this ; the logs are on my PC ( of course) and I can't do any copying on that because of the fault, so I can't shift them to a memory stick and put into my lap-top - which I am using for this correspondence ; copying line-by-line is a no-no !

I reckon I have spent at least 12 hours on the problems in the last two-three days , and life is too short for this ; I'll fork out for a new machine - PCs seem very cheap nowadays - and I'd sooner have a hole in my wallet than spend my days hunched in front of a screen - hey, its Spring out here , the sun is shining , think what I can do with all that freed time.
Thank you for your efforts, but this one is just too tough.

I wish I could come back in 50 years- by which time PCs might (?) be as reliable as my car is now - whereas 50 years ago, my car needed a tune-up every 1000 miles, and a trip to the garage for serious work every 3000... but at 80 next birthday , I don't think I'll be around in 50 years.

 

Well, I thouight I wouldn't rush out and buy a new one immediately, but think about it for a bit. Then I had the same idea as suggested here ( more or less) myself, but found that one of the options - along the track- was a system restore, apparently on the system not just settings ; that led me to the answer that it couldn't be completed because of a problem with the E drive ( which I think is the DVD read only on the machine with the problem. It suggested using Chkdsk/R ( not sure if I have spelled this right on the E drive, but when I click on "my computer" to try to get direct to the E drive, I am not allowed to get there.

Can I do this from "Run" in Start menu ? And is checkdisk Chdsk/R ?

 

Like I said elsewher , logs are on the problem nachine - I can't copy them. So not posted here using a different machine.

However - my question above -Can I do this ,( run checkdisk on an apparently problem area ) from "Run" in Start menu ? And is checkdisk Chdsk/R ? remains ?

 

Can you please explain what to do ?
Format ? How ?
Start in safe mode with command prompt perhaps ?then format, then attmpt to boot up with system disk in the drive ?

 

It doesn't work. The problem in not booting properly means that things just don't happen the way necessary.
I can only boot by using F8 etc, whether the disk is in the drive or not - and then I never get the needful options.

back to square 1, I think !

 

Somehow I got into Repair again - having been there several times without success, and this time I got a message first saying "Too difficult - can't fix it " and then one say " Can I ask my friend" - or words to those effects. I said Plrease do - and an hour later the PC bopoted up in ordinary fully working fashion.

Someone somewhere has a piece of lucky white heather, and waved it over my PC address - maybe . I joke. Its a relief to joke after a month of tearing my hair outand wailing !

I shall say Resolved.

 

Fair enough,

Please mark your thread as 'Resolved'.

 

I guess that my continuing problems, although different from the one I started off with may be due to the same thing ; or maybe not ?
Booting is now OK - I get into ordinary mode without having to do anything special - although if I watch, the procedure seems a bit different.

1st problem ; in Word for windows, I can open files,or create new ones, and work with them , but when I try to save, nothing happens. If I choose "Save as" a panel appears briefly ( as long as I have my finger on the button) asking me which kind of file I want to create - i.e. a Word Template, a pdf file., a Word 2003 version and so on. But I don't have any opportunity to name the file, so doubt if it actually has been saved.

2. When I click on a folder of pictures, Widows Photo Viewer opens, but when I then click on an individual thumbnail I get the message "...can't open this picture because you don't have the correct permissions to access the file location" . I note that if I open "Share with" there is a padlock shown against "Nobody ".

3. When I open Photoshop I get " Could not initialize Photoshop bcause the file is locked. Use the 'Properties' command in the Windows Explorer to unlock the file. I have tried to do this, ticking boxes etc , but to no avail.

Sounds like the same problem ?

 

I'll refer you back to post #2, start a new thread in malware removal and post the requested logs now that you can.

 

Geoff,
It sounds like your OS got hosed for some reason. I wouldn't say 100% that it's malware or a virus. Files do get corrupted for a number of reaons. You can try a couple of things.

1) Make sure your dvd is the first boot device in your system BIOS. You should have a menu option in the BIOS to set boot options.

2) IF you have a system install dvd, place it in the drive and boot your computer. It SHOULD read from the dvd, OR you may be asked to press any key to boot from the dvd.

3) Once the install process starts, make sure your choose the option to reformat your hard drive, then install the OS.

4) IF you do NOT have a install dvd, but DO have a small partion that your not sure of, check the BIOS to see if you can re-install the OS that way. It will re-install to factor specs.

With either method, you'll need to re-install your software. I would install my anti-virus software ASAP to ensure that IF the problem is malware, it gets delt with before to many other problems come back. After the OS is installed, reboot your pc. Turn the power off for at least a minute. IF your pc then reboots w/o problems, I'd say your well on your way to a working pc. OTOH, if it fails to boot properly, I'd say you have a hardware problem, esp. if the pc is a little older.

GOOD LUCK!