UNSOLVED
Windows not working + BIOS question
My computer was recently badly infected with a powerful virus that went about changing important settings, like disabling the Windows XP firewall. I nearly had it cleaned up, but I believe one of the anti-malware programs quarantined a few of the wrong files, because I tried repairing windows via the original CD, and that froze while asking for a file from another disc. Anyways, now my computer just loads to a black screen with a mouse after the dell + windows screens, and that's it, not even ctrl+alt+delete works here.
After trying different boot options and safe mode configs, I decided to "Restore to Defaults" from the startup menu, and now it looks for a floppy drive first. I don't have a floppy drive on this computer, and get the error "Diskette drive 0 seek failure" but cannot remove the option from the F12 boot sequence menu. Is there a way to correct this?
Because of this it seems that I can no longer get into Safe Mode either.
I'm not sure if this windows is even repairable anymore, but if I could get the bios start up back to normal and bought a new hard drive, would I be able to install windows on the new hard drive and read data off the old hard drive similar to a usb drive, regardless of it's windows problems?
Thanks,
Aaron
Nope, just a single non-raid drive in there.
I haven't done a whole lot with the hardware of computers, but I do remember a few years ago my hard drive stopped working properly and a Dell tech had to come and replace it, but I connected my old hard drive as a CD drive or something and was able to read off of it and recover my data. I have an older computer i've opened up to try this, but it's older technology and can't connect to the hard drive.
Here is a tutorial for a CMOS reset: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps720/en/OM_EN/appendix.htm#wp1054035
Thanks, I found the floppy option in the CMOS Features setup, so the BIOS is fixed now.
I tried the windows repair again, and it didn't work.
I have Safe Mode back, but it's just a black screen with safe mode in each corner and a mouse pointer that works, and nothing else.
If you have no icons or task bar while you are in Safe mode and the Repair Reinstall did not work you ar looking at a complete reinstall of the OS. IF you did not have a backup of your drive you can pull it out and put into another system as a secondary drive and copy the files and such. IF not you will lose everything
Davet50
6 Operator
•
14442 Posts
666
0
Posted March 15th, 2009 15:00
Boot into the bio and make sure the option for the Floppy drive is set to off/disabled.
Try doing a Repair Reinstall and see if that works. You will need your OS disk.
Baring that you may be looking at a complet reinstall. If you had no chance to backup your files you could try pulling the drive and adding it to another system to access it.