laptop doesn't complete login

dser · 02-14-2009, 09:42 PM

Hi,

I have an HP Pavilion zx 5000 (about 4yrs old)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 cpu
Speed: 3.20 GHz
System Memory: 1024 MB

I recently had the Trojan virus VUNDO in my computers. I was running a program called a-squared Security-Box to figure out why my computer was acting up (very slow, Mozilla windows poping-up constantly, computer turning on by itself from hibernating).

Any way, when the a-squared Security-Box program was running, the computers was so slow I thought it was frozen. I had to leave it for hours. It never finished, but it recognized 63 processes with the VUNDO virus. It asked me to choose if I wanted to heal the processes, which I clicked heal.
The computer froze, so I just pressed the power button to turn off, and then on again.

This is when the Windows XP logging screen appears, then it goes black, then a textured blue screen with the HP logo on the bottom right corner appears. And that is it. It just stays there. It never gets to the part where the user types the password to log in.

I reseted the BIOS default, I "quick" tested the Hard Drive from the BIOS setup utility and it passed.

I don't want to just use the application or drive recovery disks just yet because I have about a week of my thesis project in there and nowhere else.

I don't know if the virus, which showed a lot of WINDOWS/System32/dll was using vital processes for the startup. But I fear the a-squared Security-Box removed or did something.

Can I get these processes back?
Please let me know what can I try before I have to make the choice of killing one week of work for thesis.

Thanks!

**TriggerFinger** · 02-14-2009, 10:43 PM

I suggest you get your important files out of the drive already. Take the drive out of the laptop and with a USB connected external drive adapter, hook it up to another PC. From there transfer your files.

As for the problem, consider a repair install of XP.. worse case is to do a reinstall.

dser · 02-15-2009, 05:19 PM

Ok, I've never done that before. If I buy an adapter for the hard drive to connect via USB, do I have to worry about compatibility?

Next question would be, a repair install of XP, is that the same as inserting the application recovery CD that came with the laptop?

**TriggerFinger** · 02-15-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dser

Ok, I've never done that before. If I buy an adapter for the hard drive to connect via USB, do I have to worry about compatibility? -- Compatibility? I do not seem to understand... so sorry. I believe a USB plug can connect to any USB port... if that's what you mean.

Next question would be, a repair install of XP, is that the same as inserting the application recovery CD that came with the laptop? -- I am not so sure if what you have is a recovery CD that could recover your system back to factory default installation. If it is, AFAIK that could help if you will reinstall everything (operating system and factory installed programs) and not a repair install.

dser · 02-16-2009, 12:47 PM

Thank you for your advice. I have removed the hard drive and copied my data somewhere else. That is taken care of.

I do have the CDs to do a system restore. Here is my problem now. Like I said before, windows doesn't log in completely. I inserted the CD to do a system restore. The problem now is that the CD drive is not reading the CD. It makes sounds as if it was beginning to read the CD, but then it stops.

Before, when the computer worked, when the CD drive didn't work, I would go to My Computer and eject the CD by right-clicking on the icon and selecting EJECT. Then I would put it back in and it would work.

The problem is I can't access My Computer, or make the CD drive read the CD.

Any advice?

Can I restore my computer any other way?

Thanks again for the USB adapter kit advice.

**TriggerFinger** · 02-16-2009, 12:55 PM

Correct me if I am not getting this right...if you want to do a full system restore, try booting from the CD drive. Pop the restore CD (first CD in a set of many - if ever) in your CD drive. Power ON the computer. If it does not boot from the CD drive, go into BIOS settings and change boot order. Make sure CD drive comes before HDD in the list... another way to do this is to press F12 when HP logo comes up as it boots, to select the boot device.

dser · 02-16-2009, 02:26 PM

Yes, I have checked the boot order. In effect I have made sure that the CD drive comes before the Hard drive. I even disabled the hard drive.
My fear is that the CD drive is not reading the CD and that my old trick to make it read CDs is not possible right now since I can't access the computer normally.

I guess the question would be, is there any other way to boot the computer or do a system restore without the CD. I don't think the computer has a hidden drive where the necessary info is at. So it leaves me with this. Can I do a system restore or boot Windows XP thru any other way.

Is it possible to connect an external CD Drive via USB? would my computer recognize it?

How about copying the CD contents on a USB flash drive?

Thanks for your quick reply.

**TriggerFinger** · 02-16-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dser

Yes, I have checked the boot order. In effect I have made sure that the CD drive comes before the Hard drive. I even disabled the hard drive.
My fear is that the CD drive is not reading the CD and that my old trick to make it read CDs is not possible right now since I can't access the computer normally. -- you may have a dying if not dead cd drive. You can test another drive or pullout the CD/DVD drive and use a USB connected enclosure to attach it to another computer just for testing.

I guess the question would be, is there any other way to boot the computer or do a system restore without the CD. I don't think the computer has a hidden drive where the necessary info is at. So it leaves me with this. Can I do a system restore or boot Windows XP thru any other way.

Is it possible to connect an external CD Drive via USB? would my computer recognize it? -- Yep, this is possible if laptop can boot from USB connected drives. Again this has to be enabled in BIOS settings.

How about copying the CD contents on a USB flash drive? -- same as my reply above... laptop BIOS should support this otherwise it's not possible.

Thanks for your quick reply.

dser · 02-27-2009, 12:42 PM

Yes, I agree, my CD drive is dying. So I tried using my friend's external CD drive via USB, but the bios doesn't boot from USB.
Is my only option now to replace the CD Drive? Are they easy to replace in laptop?

Thanks for your advice.

02-14-2009, 09:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
dser Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	laptop doesn't complete login Hi, I have an HP Pavilion zx 5000 (about 4yrs old) Processor: Intel Pentium 4 cpu Speed: 3.20 GHz System Memory: 1024 MB I recently had the Trojan virus VUNDO in my computers. I was running a program called a-squared Security-Box to figure out why my computer was acting up (very slow, Mozilla windows poping-up constantly, computer turning on by itself from hibernating). Any way, when the a-squared Security-Box program was running, the computers was so slow I thought it was frozen. I had to leave it for hours. It never finished, but it recognized 63 processes with the VUNDO virus. It asked me to choose if I wanted to heal the processes, which I clicked heal. The computer froze, so I just pressed the power button to turn off, and then on again. This is when the Windows XP logging screen appears, then it goes black, then a textured blue screen with the HP logo on the bottom right corner appears. And that is it. It just stays there. It never gets to the part where the user types the password to log in. I reseted the BIOS default, I "quick" tested the Hard Drive from the BIOS setup utility and it passed. I don't want to just use the application or drive recovery disks just yet because I have about a week of my thesis project in there and nowhere else. I don't know if the virus, which showed a lot of WINDOWS/System32/dll was using vital processes for the startup. But I fear the a-squared Security-Box removed or did something. Can I get these processes back? Please let me know what can I try before I have to make the choice of killing one week of work for thesis. Thanks!

02-14-2009, 10:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,826 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: laptop doesn't complete login I suggest you get your important files out of the drive already. Take the drive out of the laptop and with a USB connected external drive adapter, hook it up to another PC. From there transfer your files. As for the problem, consider a repair install of XP.. worse case is to do a reinstall. __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

02-15-2009, 05:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
dser Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: laptop doesn't complete login Ok, I've never done that before. If I buy an adapter for the hard drive to connect via USB, do I have to worry about compatibility? Next question would be, a repair install of XP, is that the same as inserting the application recovery CD that came with the laptop?

02-16-2009, 12:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
dser Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: laptop doesn't complete login Thank you for your advice. I have removed the hard drive and copied my data somewhere else. That is taken care of. I do have the CDs to do a system restore. Here is my problem now. Like I said before, windows doesn't log in completely. I inserted the CD to do a system restore. The problem now is that the CD drive is not reading the CD. It makes sounds as if it was beginning to read the CD, but then it stops. Before, when the computer worked, when the CD drive didn't work, I would go to My Computer and eject the CD by right-clicking on the icon and selecting EJECT. Then I would put it back in and it would work. The problem is I can't access My Computer, or make the CD drive read the CD. Any advice? Can I restore my computer any other way? Thanks again for the USB adapter kit advice.

02-16-2009, 12:55 PM	#6 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,826 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: laptop doesn't complete login Correct me if I am not getting this right...if you want to do a full system restore, try booting from the CD drive. Pop the restore CD (first CD in a set of many - if ever) in your CD drive. Power ON the computer. If it does not boot from the CD drive, go into BIOS settings and change boot order. Make sure CD drive comes before HDD in the list... another way to do this is to press F12 when HP logo comes up as it boots, to select the boot device. __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

02-16-2009, 02:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
dser Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: laptop doesn't complete login Yes, I have checked the boot order. In effect I have made sure that the CD drive comes before the Hard drive. I even disabled the hard drive. My fear is that the CD drive is not reading the CD and that my old trick to make it read CDs is not possible right now since I can't access the computer normally. I guess the question would be, is there any other way to boot the computer or do a system restore without the CD. I don't think the computer has a hidden drive where the necessary info is at. So it leaves me with this. Can I do a system restore or boot Windows XP thru any other way. Is it possible to connect an external CD Drive via USB? would my computer recognize it? How about copying the CD contents on a USB flash drive? Thanks for your quick reply.

02-27-2009, 12:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
dser Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Re: laptop doesn't complete login Yes, I agree, my CD drive is dying. So I tried using my friend's external CD drive via USB, but the bios doesn't boot from USB. Is my only option now to replace the CD Drive? Are they easy to replace in laptop? Thanks for your advice.