Fixing my friends computer: Any ideas.....

[stevens]

Ok well it boots to bios fine, but then at the windows startup, it freezes and then goes immediatley to the shut down screen. I am thinking its a virus bc my friend like to dl alot of stupid sht on his computer and let others do the same. Anyone think of a way i can recover instead of doing the good-ol format install os? Also i doesnt get to windows in safe mode either. Its running windows me. Thanks
Steven

 

[NelsonMuntz]

Well, your first problem is Windows ME, but you don't need to hear that, I'm sure.
It should be pretty easy to boot to DOS and reinstall the OS without reformatting and see if that fixes the problem. If not, then reformat and reinstall might be your only option. If you can run the virus scan from in DOS that might be good as well.

 

[Spudd]

Windows ME?? BACK SATAN, BACK!

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

If you do have to reformat, go w/ W2K or WinXP.

Check for viruses via DOS first, and if you don't find anything, I'd guess try and reinstall and see if that works. If a reinstall won't work, your friend is having some sorta hardware issue and that opens a wholoe new can of worms :Q

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: stevens
Ok well it boots to bios fine, but then at the windows startup, it freezes and then goes immediatley to the shut down screen. I am thinking its a virus bc my friend like to dl alot of stupid sht on his computer and let others do the same. Anyone think of a way i can recover instead of doing the good-ol format install os? Also i doesnt get to windows in safe mode either. Its running windows me. Thanks
Steven

Do you have a start up disk?

 

[stevens]

I know windows me sucks but its not my computer, and trust me the person who owns the computer is not very tech savy. I am going to be putting xp on it for him. Yes i have a boot disk. How exacly would i scan for viruses in dos? Thanks
Steven