[Stphn]

Hello, was just wondering if I could get some help. I'll try to be as brief as I can.

1. For quite some time now I've had the system 32 error randomly pop up while on my computer.
2. After trying many things to get rid of the message, I found a place where you could download a new system 32 and copy and paste it over your old one. Figuring it would work, I tried it. (Pretty sure here is where I messed up)
3. Everything was fine for a week or two, then my computer wouldn't start up correctly yesterday.
4. I ran several scans in safemode, it didn't work, did the same thing again.
5. The 3rd time I tried to start my computer the error that I titled this thread appeared and now I can't start it in safemode anymore. I do still, however, have the option to go to F2 setup page and the F12 Boot Menu.

I know I can reset it to the factory settings but before I do that I was wondering:

1. Can I fix this without a CD? (this computer was a gift) and if getting a CD is the easiest option where can I get one locally and/or online? Also the name of the CD, pretty new to this. Pretty sure though it's something like SP3 restore CD.
2. Can I get my computer back into safemode somehow?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply, it means a lot.
-Stephen

[Stphn]

Bump

[stevecook]

You will need a Windows XP disk to perform a repair install, see here: http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index...howtopic=61918
You can build your own CD, see here: http://www.howtohaven.com/system/cre...etupdisk.shtml
or you can buy one for a £80 - £90 from a retailer.

[marbski]

try to repair your windows follow link below...

http://www.windowsxpprofessional.win...exfullpage.htm

[Elvandil]

Does the machine boot up now? That error is usually due to a problem with the boot.ini file or the hard drive.

Do you have a recovery partition on the drive instead of a CD/DVD? What make/model? Is there a sticker on the machine with a product key?

[Stphn]

I got the CDs from the original owner. There were three CDs to choose from, but now it is currently running a self diagnosis after I clicked "can't boot OS" on the symptom tree. Hope I'm doing a good job so far, can't tell though since this scan is taking forever.

[Stphn]

@Elvandil there's a sticker in the front that reads:

Service tag: 33Q7R61
Express Service Code: 6755777353

[Stphn]

Update:

1. Found the 3 CDs the comp came with, they did nothing for me.
2. Later I was able to go into safemode with networking and download a new antivirus software, avast!. At this point I thought it was some form of MalWare Bot Norton was unaware of.
2. Scanned the (****) out of my computer for what seemed like days, for a while it would say I had anywhere from 5 to 60 viruses, fix the problem, but then when I reset the computer it would just do the same thing again.
3. Tried finding a driver-reinstalling-service online, and I found Driver Detective.
4. When I tried to install Driver Detective, it said "the system administrator has set policies to prevent this installation."
5. I log onto the Admin account and try to run it from there, when it then says "This Service cannot be started in Safe Mode"

I feel like I'm running in circles to be quiet honest, any new suggestions?

Also, thanks again to anyone who is reading this thread and trying to help me, it means a lot.

[Stphn]

Also, for the 1st thing on my last post, when I tried to run setup for drivers and utilities CD, this message appeared:

[Stphn]

bump

[DoubleHelix]

How could the disks "do nothing"? You restore the computer back to factory defaults with them. Everything is wiped out.

[Stphn]

Because when I try to reinstall the drivers using the CD, I get error 1607, which is an installshield problem. I find the software to use to fix the problem, and then it says:

"the system administrator has set policies to prevent this installation"

so I tried to fix this problem and none of the solutions I have found work for me.

I've tried:

Disabling Windows Installer
Enabling User Control Over Installs

any ideas what to do?

[Stphn]

bump

[DoubleHelix]

I'd guess there's something wrong with your restore disks. You shouldn't have problems running legitimate executables after doing a clean install.

[Stphn]

I'm pretty sure it's just because I'm in safemode that the phrase:

"the system administrator has set policies to prevent this installation"

appears