[pchelpers] Re: Computer won't boot

Several answers have not read carefully what Jo described including 
suggesting safe mode when it was clearly said this just caused a reboot 
and speculations about whether the blue screen was an error message or 
empty or other blue screen and whether it occurred while reinstalling 
Windows. Jo clearly said in the first post:

> when I choose 
> Safe Mode, it displays a list of drivers in Windows/System 
> 32......then it will start all over again.......

and in the 2. post, that there was writing on the blue screen:

> When I turn it on, it immediately does 
> the initial writing on the screen before it goes into 
> Windows.....then I hear a 'click' and it goes to the screen to choose 
> how you want to boot (safe mode, windows, etc.).  No matter which I 
> choose it will briefly show the Windows Logo screen as if it is 
> booting up.....THEN it goes right back to the screen to select how 
> you want to boot.  I can't get anywhere else.  There is a blue screen 
> that flashes with writing - but it is so fast, I can't read a word of 
> it.......then it starts all over again.

The following is very interesting, Gregory; can you provide some links?:

> The latest virus that was delivered xmas eve to run at midnight wipes 
> the HDD clean, in some cases the only file left was the Windows folder 
> and it is empty. I have heard this virus called several different names 
> due to what each version does the one I like is the Santa virus.

> If this was the virus that I mentioned then 
> the windows\system32 files were gone 

I thought the Santa Virus was an instant messaging worm. 
http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/santa.shtml

This is misleading and causes unnecessary fears:

> kernel then he may have them stored in several places.When you 
> reinstalled Windows did you format the drive first. many people do not 
> believe you can recover data off  a drive where the partition has just 
> been deleted and written over. 
<snip>

It is not necessary to be concerned about remnants of malware that can 
be recovered with data recovery methods. In case one intends to wipe out 
one's hard drive, it makes sense to reformat the drive, but even without 
that, possible old malware cannot be activated in normal computer use. 
In any case, reformatting the drive still leaves the old data there. 
Only filling up and deleting the entire drive with other data provides 
for more thorough deletion than just declaring the area used by the old 
files as reusable. I.e. reformatting is security-wise identical to 
emptying the Trash.




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