RE-Instaling windows

Originally posted by Animal Mother
Don\'t reformat your Hard Drive, and the install windows. Thats [sic] like burning down the forrest [sic] to kill the bird!

Hey!  It get\'s the job done!  Quick and easy, no questions asked.

But keep in mind that this is coming from a guy who uses grenades for fishing bait!

hmmmmm from all of this new info i might wait a bit and gather some more information and ask a few of the people i know

Here\'s a description of the virus he has:  http://vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=10213&

The description does not indicate that the virus occupies any portion of the boot sector, so it\'s possible that reformatting the hard drive is not necessary.  In fact, the virus can be cleaned manually (without even reinstalling windows) by following the instructions on the link above.

Now to your message:

1.  Just because your CD-ROM drive lights up when your PC starts doesn\'t mean your PC can boot from a CD-Rom.  Many can, and many can\'t.  I speak from experience, and that\'s all I\'m saying.  When you CD-ROM drive lights up while the pc is booting, that just means it\'s received power and is initializing.  Some name-brand PCs include a special CD containing their version of Windows and all the drivers needed for their specific hardware.  If so, he should use that CD for simplicity.  If I were doing it, I would reformat and start from scratch because Windows tends to perform better after being reinstalled on a clean hard drive. It should tell you something about the quality of that OS that it\'s performance degrades over time.


2.  Viruses that attack the BIOS are RARE.  I wouldn\'t even mention flashing the BIOS to him.  This virus definitely does not involve the BIOS, so I think we can ignore that part.

Originally posted by Coredweller


1.  Just because your CD-ROM drive lights up when your PC starts doesn\'t mean your PC can boot from a CD-Rom.  Many can, and many can\'t.  I speak from experience, and that\'s all I\'m saying.  When you CD-ROM drive lights up while the pc is booting, that just means it\'s received power and is initializing.  Some name-brand PCs include a special CD containing their version of Windows and all the drivers needed for their specific hardware.  If so, he should use that CD for simplicity.  If I were doing it, I would reformat and start from scratch because Windows tends to perform better after being reinstalled on a clean hard drive. It should tell you something about the quality of that OS that it\'s performance degrades over time.


2.  Viruses that attack the BIOS are RARE.  I wouldn\'t even mention flashing the BIOS to him.  This virus definitely does not involve the BIOS, so I think we can ignore that part.

1.A. I also speak from experience, but I have never encountered a computer that couldn\'t be manipulated in the step-by-step BIOS setup to read from the CD ROM.  But I\'ve worked with business computers mostly, so I could be wrong.

1.B. I totally agree about re-formating a Windows computer.  I do it about every other year.  It\'s a shame that Windows OS are doomed from the get-go.

2. I agree, but people should know that it\'s there and what it does, \'cause other problems may arise in which changing the BIOS is necessary.

thx coredweller and everone else but about getting rid of the virus .. how would i do it when all of the exe files are trashed it says to use mcafee or boot to ms dos and use scanpm wich wont work because its an exe file, so is there anyway else to do it? if there is please tell me because the reason im reinstalling windows is because of this virus.

Do you own a copy of an anti-virus program of some sort?  If you have a legal copy, it probably came with a floppy disk you can use to boot your PC and scan/clean the hard drive.  If the software is CD-based, it probably has a utility that will make a boot disk for you.  Do this on someone else\'s pc, and then come back and boot with the floppy.  

Just because your exe files are infected doesn\'t mean they\'re "trashed."  It just adds 11k of code to each file.  This can be removed with the anti-virus boot disk.

This is just what I would try, I think it shouldn\'t be too hard.

k i dunno where i got mcafee it was on my computer last time i got it back from my dads friend because he probably put it on and i dont think i have any boot disks here... well i have this one it says

windows 98se boot disk... but it dont have anything on it to do with antivirus or anything... is that it?

No, that\'s not it.  You could go and buy a virus program.  (I suggest Norton Anti-Virus).  It should have a "fixer disk"  that you use to clean your computer before you install the anti-virsu software.

Thanks trog, that\'s what I call TEAMWORK.

Originally posted by Coredweller
Thanks trog, that\'s what I call TEAMWORK.

Go us!

so whats this boot disk for then?

That\'s for booting up windows, but what you want is a virus boot disk that will but up an anti-virus program to get rid of your nasty little problem.  The other disk is used for other situations.

k forget about getting rid of my virus, i dont think its that bad of one anyway can u just give me step by step instructions on how to reinstall windows with my cd that i have its win 98se plus

i can press delete to get into a setup screen that has a bunch of option, i heard u guys talking alot about bios or something and it has that on the screen should i go there? and what do i do when i get there?

I\'m not sure if this will work or not, but here it goes:

click on START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL

double click on Add/Remove Programs

Click Install

Put in the CD

Click next

follow the prompts

By sweet f**k, I\'m sick to the rotting, plaque-infested molars of f**king PC f**k-up\'s.

Re-boot this, re-f**king boot that, they should run like f**king clockwork, and not give us any f**king problems.

I\'ll tell you this - in 5-10 f**king years time, people will look back and laugh at the prehistoric, sh*t-ridden machines we use today.

But wait a f**king minute!  What bullsh*t spews forth from my gullet?  PC\'s will never get their f**king act together.....

I\'d rather get buggered by a pack of elephants than put up with all the sh*t of runnnig Windows....