so i think i deleted an essential system file or two...

drjpoochdrjpooch
edited February 2006 in Hardware
i was messing with hidden files in C: attempting to rid myself of the last few bits of spyware/adware/trojan/etc ... and i deleted something or two.

and then i restarted my computer. rather, attempted to. but.

the windows screen appears. with the blue scroller. then the screen goes black with the underscore/cursor in the upper left hand corner. then the system reboots. repeat.

i had system restore off at the time of my dumb decision...

is it possible to get back into my hard drive without losing everything on it?

thanks.

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Do you know how to perform a "repair" WindowsXP installation? It would take about an hour, but would leave your settings and data intact.
  • drjpoochdrjpooch
    edited February 2006
    umm... i've never done it before.

    right now i'm at the point where the computer has started up with the xp cd, and it's got a blue screen... with options of Enter for to set up windows xp, R to repair a windows installation, and F3 to quit without installing...

    thanks.
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited February 2006
    Continue with the default install. There will be a point where the installer will check for an existing Windows installation. At that point, when it finds your existing install, it will ask if you want to do a repair install. This is the overlay repair install that Leo was talking about.

    If you need some better guidance than my convoluted instructions, just follow this guide.
  • drjpoochdrjpooch
    edited February 2006
    thanks. re-install was a success. now to return to the spyware hunt...
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