Solved: cannot reinstall xp

[Sevens]

ok, so I cannot reinstall windows. Ive got a dimension E520 (not sure the motherboard, whatever comes with an E520).

I've tried CTRL-F11 at boot, which has always worked in the past, but it doesn't work now. I HAD 2 windows operating systems installed at one point. I deleted one from the hard drive, but still comes up as a choice during startup.

I have tried running i385 files, but EVERY .EXE file I run it asks me which program to run it with. Which I have no idea what to do here. I can't run Steam.exe, Firefox.exe, or Chrome.exe. I'm assuming this is some sort of virus. Lol I can't even run a virus scan without it asking me what program I want to use to run the .exe file.

So any help?? I would love to totally reformat/reinstall windows xp. I've really got nothing important on this computer, so any help/ideas would be awesome!

 

[antech]

This is 100% surely a malware problem.
deleting windows from the hard disk dosent wipe it out from the boot menu .
Use EasyBCD to delete the Obselete Entry.
Go to to the BIOS and set the Boot priority to CD/DVD Drive at first.
Then Boot using the XP CD
It will ask you to press any key and then the XP Setup will start.
See this Site for a step by step guide
http://www.buildeasypc.com/sw/windows_xp.htm

 

[Sevens]

This is 100% surely a malware problem.
deleting windows from the hard disk dosent wipe it out from the boot menu .
Use EasyBCD to delete the Obselete Entry.
Go to to the BIOS and set the Boot priority to CD/DVD Drive at first.
Then Boot using the XP CD
It will ask you to press any key and then the XP Setup will start.
See this Site for a step by step guide
http://www.buildeasypc.com/sw/windows_xp.htm

Well thank you for the quick help. But I cannot run EasyBCD, because it asks me to find a program to run pretty much every .exe I have. And thats where I am lost, due to this virus/malware.

LOL I tried calling dell support to make sure CTRL-F11 was the correct keyboard combination to use to reinstall windows from boot. And they tried to charge me 50$ JUST to tell me the keyboard combination to push during startup.

 

[antech]

They have just ****ed you out
Just load them with S.H.I.t bombs
BTW, do you have the Win XP CD?

 

[andywit]

F2 for BIOS
F12 for boot options

 

[Sevens]

yup ive got the windows xp cd. But it doesn't give me the option of repairing windows or anything like that. Its got a "install windows" option, but when I click on it nothing happens.

 

[huggie54]

Hiya, have you reached BIOS yet by pressing F2 when you start the machine

 

[Sevens]

Yup well I finally got it all figured out and done. Found my OS cd, went into the BIOS/Boot sequence and ran from CD. Removed both OS partitions, reformatted everything. Reinstalled windows, and all drivers, and now I'm up and running again. Thanks for the help

 

[huggie54]

glad your up and running,could you you please mark your thread as solved,g/luck Huggie54