XP/Professional... can't find "OS" thus crashed?

[chanz]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with this issue.
My XP PRofessional OS was running just fine (no viruses - was checked an hour before this occurred) until it freaked out last night. After about five minutes of running, it shut down - but not before running a ton of code across the screen. This happened every time there after until it was finally just shutting down and rebooting without allowing any access to anything.

Now, it boots up to the log in page. Allows me to enter my user password/admin passwords; but only shows me the desktop (NO icon, NO start menu, NO menu bars.... nada) - just my desktop wallpaper. I can open the task manager which shows no running apps, etc. but does let me "see" the rest of my files and applications. However, I can't open any of them. (oh, except the stinkin' pinball game which works just fine! arg!).

It won't boot into "safe" mode either. When I use the Recover Console/CD, it tells me that it can't find the "OS". What's the deal? Am I'm completely toast?

Any help?

On a side line with this.... what does that mean for my web files? I'm a complete computer newbie who just has a tiny web site for my students (files, forums, emails, powerpoints, sound files, graphics, pdf & docs). Is there any way to "download" it from powweb and put it back into Frontpage IF I have to wipe my drive? ***May the Gods not let this one happen!**!

I know... I should have backed it all up..... I even thought that on Sunday after a ton of update.. ."Hmmmm... I should back this up and burn a copy because it's been a while..." BUT NO... I went out instead. I'm paying for that *bad* choice now.


THANKS for your help and advice in advance!

Kate

[IanS]

Originally posted by chanz
On a side line with this.... what does that mean for my web files? I'm a complete computer newbie who just has a tiny web site for my students (files, forums, emails, powerpoints, sound files, graphics, pdf & docs). Is there any way to "download" it from powweb and put it back into Frontpage IF I have to wipe my drive? ***May the Gods not let this one happen!**!

THANKS for your help and advice in advance!

Kate I can't help with the first part of your problem, but the second I can. If you go to another computer (or a restored original) you can use the import web wizard from FP to capture your site. It might warn you that the site was originally created in FP and that this will overwrite current settings but it means the settings of the new web which is the effect you're wanting anyway.

[eracc]

Originally posted by chanz
I'm wondering if anyone can help me with this issue.
My XP PRofessional OS was running just fine (no viruses - was checked an hour before this occurred) until it freaked out last night. After about five minutes of running, it shut down - but not before running a ton of code across the screen. This happened every time there after until it was finally just shutting down and rebooting without allowing any access to anything.

[...]

I know... I should have backed it all up..... I even thought that on Sunday after a ton of update.. ."Hmmmm... I should back this up and burn a copy because it's been a while..." BUT NO... I went out instead. I'm paying for that *bad* choice now.


THANKS for your help and advice in advance!

Kate

Hi Kate,

Reads suspiciously like a "witty" worm infection has overwritten critical parts of your OS and you need a format and reinstall of the OS. This may not be the case if you were not running any apps that are affected by "witty". Do you keep your AV definitions updated? If not, update them regularly. The "witty" worm was just discovered March 20th this year so virus definition files older than that would likely not detect it. Regardless of that, based on my experience I advise a reinstall would be the only safe thing to do at this point.

I recommend you contact a PC consultant in your area. This person could pull the drive from your XP(letive) computer, install it in another computer running XP(letive) as the second drive and then get a backup of your critical data (presuming the drive is usable). Then s/he should test your drive to make sure it is usable. If so the drive could be put back in your computer, formatted, the OS and applications reinstalled then data restored. If the drive is "bad" then s/he could help you procure and install a new drive.

About "witty":
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.witty.worm.html

HTH,
Gene

[chanz]

Many thanks to BOTH of you!

I've wiped the hard drive, reinstalled all software... and vowed to back up my files even if it's 1AM.... LOL

I still don't know what the issue was. I have virus protection which is updated every time I sign on (manually) - so not sure what it was as the virus software claimed there was no virus. We had just updated a video driver which caused problems with my LCD projector - so we rolled back to the old driver ... and crashed.

Yuck.

Your help was greatly appreciated!

Kate