My son has finally completely locked up his lap top with viruses. It will no longer read his CD drive and the anti virus program he had loaded with not even open.
I was thinking I would just reformat and reload his software but it looks like I need his cd drive to read his microsoft disc to be able to do that - Vista by the way.
Is there some kind of work around?
Real virus or just bloatware that forces you to buy an "anti-virus" software?
Try Safe mode.
No advice to the issue at hand, but I've been pleasantly surprised with Miscrosoft Security Essentials. Real virus detection software, for free.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 18, 2009, 02:34:25 PM
Real virus or just bloatware that forces you to buy an "anti-virus" software?
Those things are real viruses
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on November 18, 2009, 03:25:47 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 18, 2009, 02:34:25 PM
Real virus or just bloatware that forces you to buy an "anti-virus" software?
Those things are real viruses
True but easier to get rid of.
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 18, 2009, 02:28:11 PM
My son has finally completely locked up his lap top with viruses. It will no longer read his CD drive and the anti virus program he had loaded with not even open.
I was thinking I would just reformat and reload his software but it looks like I need his cd drive to read his microsoft disc to be able to do that - Vista by the way.
Is there some kind of work around?
Doesn't the CD drive work while outside Windows?
What Iormlund says. If youre reformatting/reinstalling then it should load up before windows does. Unless vista works weirdly different to xp.
Quote from: Iormlund on November 20, 2009, 12:25:21 AM
Quote from: crazy canuck on November 18, 2009, 02:28:11 PM
My son has finally completely locked up his lap top with viruses. It will no longer read his CD drive and the anti virus program he had loaded with not even open.
I was thinking I would just reformat and reload his software but it looks like I need his cd drive to read his microsoft disc to be able to do that - Vista by the way.
Is there some kind of work around?
Doesn't the CD drive work while outside Windows?
I am not sure what you are saying.
You should be able to boot the PC directly from the Windows install disc independently of booting whatever OS is installed on his hard drive. That's by design, specifically to deal with situations like this one.
Quote from: Caliga on November 24, 2009, 12:04:10 PM
You should be able to boot the PC directly from the Windows install disc independently of booting whatever OS is installed on his hard drive. That's by design, specifically to deal with situations like this one.
Hmmm, maybe its a problem with the CD drive then. I will look at that tonight.
Quote from: Caliga on November 24, 2009, 12:04:10 PM
You should be able to boot the PC directly from the Windows install disc independently of booting whatever OS is installed on his hard drive. That's by design, specifically to deal with situations like this one.
Incorrect. It'll only do that if he's configured BIOS to do it. CC, when you first turn on the computer, double-check by hitting F2 (or whichever key it tells you "press ### to enter setup"). When you get in there, you're looking for a section called "boot devices" or "startup devices." Make sure the CD-ROM is at the top of the list (if it's not, move it there), and then if your upgrade disc is in the drive when you turn the computer on, it should boot from that instead of the hard drive. If not, then yeah, it's a problem with the disc drive.
:huh: Nearly every BIOS is be default configured to boot from CD first, so I fail to see how my advice was "incorrect". But yes, he'll need to check the BIOS if it doesn't automatically boot from the install CD.
Quote from: Caliga on November 25, 2009, 09:32:54 AM
:huh: Nearly every BIOS is be default configured to boot from CD first, so I fail to see how my advice was "incorrect". But yes, he'll need to check the BIOS if it doesn't automatically boot from the install CD.
It's not an automatic thing. Nearly every BIOS I've configured for upgrades had to be manually set for optical drive first.
Fight! :w00t:
Quote from: DontSayBanana on November 25, 2009, 10:11:00 AM
Quote from: Caliga on November 25, 2009, 09:32:54 AM
:huh: Nearly every BIOS is be default configured to boot from CD first, so I fail to see how my advice was "incorrect". But yes, he'll need to check the BIOS if it doesn't automatically boot from the install CD.
It's not an automatic thing. Nearly every BIOS I've configured for upgrades had to be manually set for optical drive first.
Really? What manufacturer? Every computer I have ever used or worked on was set to boot from the CD first (except in systems so old they booted from floppy drive first, in which case they booted from CD second).
That may be changing as USB drives become the delivery platform of choice, but I haven't seen that yet. Even in that case, though, I'm betting the CD drive is still ahead of the system hard drive.
Quote from: grumbler on November 29, 2009, 08:02:08 PMReally? What manufacturer? Every computer I have ever used or worked on was set to boot from the CD first (except in systems so old they booted from floppy drive first, in which case they booted from CD second).
That may be changing as USB drives become the delivery platform of choice, but I haven't seen that yet. Even in that case, though, I'm betting the CD drive is still ahead of the system hard drive.
I've certainly seen it on higher-line computers, but mostly it's the low-to-mid-consumer-level Dells and HPs that, for some reason, were set to a boot priority of C,A,D and had to have USB boot manually enabled.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on November 25, 2009, 09:26:10 AM
Quote from: Caliga on November 24, 2009, 12:04:10 PM
You should be able to boot the PC directly from the Windows install disc independently of booting whatever OS is installed on his hard drive. That's by design, specifically to deal with situations like this one.
Incorrect. It'll only do that if he's configured BIOS to do it. CC, when you first turn on the computer, double-check by hitting F2 (or whichever key it tells you "press ### to enter setup"). When you get in there, you're looking for a section called "boot devices" or "startup devices." Make sure the CD-ROM is at the top of the list (if it's not, move it there), and then if your upgrade disc is in the drive when you turn the computer on, it should boot from that instead of the hard drive. If not, then yeah, it's a problem with the disc drive.
Thanks I will check that and report back.
Download malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/ free version and install it. If it won't let you download then download it from another computer, copy the install file to a flash drive and then install it to the laptop that way. It will work.
Quote from: PRC on December 03, 2009, 10:04:46 PM
Download malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/ free version and install it. If it won't let you download then download it from another computer, copy the install file to a flash drive and then install it to the laptop that way. It will work.
Nods, did that on a PC I couldn't clear, worked lke charm.
V