Windows XP full restore- factory...

[Ronin13]

So I'm the go-to guy when it comes to computer stuff in our family but I haven't done this in what seems like a millennium...
So my dad's laptop has had a virus that doesn't allow him to log into Windows XP, and hasn't been with computer for about 2 years. I've told him for the longest time to get a restore/recovery disk from Dell so we can just wipe out the old windows and reinstall it onto his system. Well we got the disk (finally!) and I just went into setup on the load screen and told it to boot from the disk. It installed and worked from there, then went to the logon screen and bam! Same damn problem, it's just acting like it's going to log in then chimes it's logging out without bringing us into windows. I guess it didn't overwrite the old windows software and isn't really doing what I need it to. Someone please [Help]
Am I missing a step to do a full system restore to how it was when he first bought it? We decided since the computer hasn't been in use since 2009 there isn't the risk of losing important files, he just wants it back to factory settings and be able to go from there... and yes, I'm gonna get him antivirus installed before anything else happens.
Thanks

[jplove71]

Format the drive. That's about the only sure-fire way to know it's clean.

[Zundfolge]

Format the drive. That's about the only sure-fire way to know it's clean.

This.

Boot to the install CD and have it wipe the drive completely and then reinstall from scratch. Yes, you'll lose all your files.


I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
-Ripley - Aliens, 1986



If after doing this you still have the same problem than you never had a virus, you have a hardware problem (either a bad hard drive ... which Windows should catch during install, or more likely a bad motherboard ... time for a new computer at that point).

[Gman]

This makes me wonder if what you have is an OEM XP installation disk rather than an actual "recovery" disk.

Like the others said, reformat the target partition. Otherwise, the XP re-install will be on the drive with all of the garbage that was there before which can result in a re-infection.

[ChadAmberg]

Is the laptop new enough to boot off USB?

Download YUMI from here: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/

Then install a few of the anti-malware ISOs on a spare USB stick with it. Boot off the USB stick, select an ISO and let it clean. Last one I recovered, I booted off the PANDA ISO. Please note that you'll need to plug it directly into the network router, no wireless drivers included. But then let it go nuts, and sure enough it found and removed the malware.

And if it doesn't, make sure you install a linux ISO on the stick too, you can have it mount the local drive, and copy/paste all the data off the harddrive onto something else, reinstall Windows, and put the data back.

[Byte Stryke]

PM Sent
bring it by the house and I will do my voodoo that I do.

[BPTactical]

PM Sent
bring it by the house and I will do my voodoo that I do.
That you do so well.........


Seriously though, Byte was able to pull my files that I needed off my old corrupted/infected drive and reinstall them and the OS on a new drive for me.
Satisfied customer here.