Sys File Repair

[timw128]

Hi- I need to repair my System Files. I am running XP Pro SP3 x86. What I am trying to do is make a bootable CD from my Genuine Windows XP Pro SP2 disk and slipstream SP3 to it, so I can run the Repair. I have never done this before, and I am with the understanding that in order to accomplish the task there must be an i386 folder in C:\. Here is what is confusing me- I do not have said folder directly in C:\, but it is contained in a folder named '403971ec4f6071759b'. This folder has 2 files: amd64 and i386, and they both contain the identical data. I do not know how this happened.
Here is an example of the structure: C:\403971ec4f6071759b\amd64 and C:\403971ec4f6071759b\i386.
What I need to end up with is: C:\i386 So, my thinking is to delete the '403971ec4f6071759b' and the 'amd64', I could conceivably wind up with C:\i386.
To be honest, I am not sure that the data within the i386 file is what is supposed to be there.
All of this has happened as a result of an attack, and I noticed that something was definitely wrong via Event Viewer and general performance.
Could I please get some advice on this matter?
Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
tim

 

[Chicano]

Let's see; Si, todo está bien allí (A+ even the punctuation? you still sure you aint hispanic?)... slotto (ranura, socket C for the intent), Comprendo the rest!.

Well, the video card can only use one driver at a time, so all that bunch of video drivers may infact be trojans, as long as they are not installed there's no way they can bog the system down, so they sound suspicious to me, if I understand 'removed them' correctly you deleted them?, but if you haven't do-them with a file shredder not just delete them (I use File Shredder). And if you don't want to shredd them, scan them directly with the antivirus and with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

The 2.68 is a little short of the 3.2-3.5GB the 32 bit system should register, the remaining 700-500MB from the 4GB is assigned to Video. The 512MB PNY has it's own memory, but apparently the system is assigning it another 800MB from the RAM, so it would take some searching to understand what is actually happening, but you should be able to recover the assigned memory to the onboard video card by disabling it... that's unless you have two monitors hooked-up and you need both video cards.

You mean the Saphire litterally smoked (burned)?... bummer!.. Looks like you've got everything else by the horns... I'll check those links. I agree on the Michael Stevenson website, just check the MVP logo, those guys really know their stuff... enough to receive a Microsoft recognition... I believe they receive it in 1 year terms but this guy has kept it for a long time... so that fact alone tells you how brainy the guy is, only the best MVP's can keep the tittle for more than a few years straight.

The portaltech hardware prices are way to steep for me. I'll probably like it for sure but heck!.. with those prices I could probalby assemble two comparable systems for the price of one. Claims, warranties? if you do things right you don't need tehm. I can see where? you forgot to put up the image link.. but I've seen blown capacitors before and they do get messy... that's why they now make them solid, those that blew-up are supposed to have been inducted into the market by a taiwaneese company that stole an unfinished capacitor coolant formula in the early 00s with the now known results.

Yeah, better cool that P4 before it smokes... keep having fun, but better not get those text programs, they don't need installation they're standalone but their in spanish, I know you probably would use them any way, but you can probably get your english versions from the Windows XP CD with the Copy command from the Run start menu or CMD, or from the Control Panel, Add/Remove Windows components

later

 

[timw128]

Hey, Yo Chicano!...Sí, demasiado Tequila esta noche, mi amigo!...Si, I had some trojan initiators and a trojan in the wood pile. But!, I still have no audio out the back of the pc-ie- sound card. The front head phone jack works, so I am wondering if I've got a wheezed sound card.

Yes, anything suspicious I use a shredder- not just delete!...no somos demasiado tontos!

Even when working with the torrents, we scan everything with a couple of tools.

...512MB PNY has it's own memory, but apparently the system is assigning it another 800MB from the RAM...

That's what I am saying, the
GPU is soaking it up.

You mean the Saphire litterally smoked (burned)?... bummer!..

Si, Amigo!...Just like Cheech n' Chong's Up In Smoke movie!...El Poofo!

Michael Stevens is no joke!.... albeit a bit on the extreme side, but you can trust him!...Word, esse!

I have to agree with you on the PortaTech deal, but it is a site worth looking at when it comes to component matching...Just for reference.

As far as the P4 Prescott goes*, I have a couple of friends who are MS35 cert'd who can't believe I am getting away with pushing that chip like that. I

tell

them to stick with their Windows knowledge and leave the hardware aspect to me. They can't figure out how I got around the locked BIOS to tweak the

FSB and chip. I told them don't worry about it, this is my lab rat!...lol!

Oh, by the way...

...(A+ even the punctuation? you still sure you aint hispanic?)...

That's the most difficult part of foreign language-

punctuation and word arrangement. I speak and understand 4 languages... fluently?... Probably not, as there is lingual characteristics amongst the

dialects... rolling 'r's', etc. Italian, which I speak too, and true Spanish are very similar. North American 'Spanish'-ie-Hispanic is not the same as Basque

Spanish. My career forced me into learning the different languages, and we didn't have Rosetta Stone as a tool!

I got the 'cmd' issue fixed. I think I have the viral content cleared up, too. Between the malware experts at bleepingcomputer.com and

MajorGeeks.com, it should be history. I have left Log interpretation up to them- I don't have the time to Google all the queries.

Since you mentioned Add/Remove in CP, that, to me, is a useless option. I strictly use Revo as it org's the Registry accordingly whereas Add/Remove

leaves traces in the registry. Thus said, the Reg will become cumbersome, to say the least.

Hey, my Friend, I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas!....¡Feliz Navidad!

*Remember, you can OC the crap out of anything, but it has nothing to do with 'multi-tasking'. The Cache has everything to do with threading and the

Pentium family has absolutely 'zero' cache capacity. Kinda like a 16MB vs. 32MB cache HDD- which would YOU rather have???

 

[Chicano]

Hey, Yo Chicano!...Sí, demasiado Tequila esta noche, mi amigo!...Si, I had some trojan initiators and a trojan in the wood pile. But!, I still have no audio out the back of the pc-ie- sound card. The front head phone jack works, so I am wondering if I've got a wheezed sound card.

Well, not to much TQ just enough to liven-up.
First check your audio settings in Control Panel \Sound and Audio Devices\Audio\Play\Volume.. see if any box is checked. If nothing is marked/disabled, the rear Sound out (aguacate green jack)... may have a problem.. the front audio is connected to different pins on the sound card so... your guess is as good as mine.

Yes, anything suspicious I use a shredder- not just delete!...no somos demasiado tontos!

Even when working with the torrents, we scan everything with a couple of tools.

Great, then we're on the same train of mind.. or is it trend? whatever.. shredding is the propper way to go.

Michael Stevens is no joke!.... albeit a bit on the extreme side, but you can trust him!...Word, esse! I have to agree with you on the PortaTech deal, but it is a site worth looking at when it comes to component matching...Just for reference.

As far as the P4 Prescott goes*, I have a couple of friends who are MS35 cert'd who can't believe I am getting away with pushing that chip like that. I tell them to stick with their Windows knowledge and leave the hardware aspect to me. They can't figure out how I got around the locked BIOS to tweak the FSB and chip. I told them don't worry about it, this is my lab rat!...lol!

Yup, the P4 is a good processor... I've never heard of someone in this side of the line ever losing a Pentium 4 processor... they are still selling them used in good working condition. The problem back when was they didn't have the hardware that allowed it to develop it's full potential... and when they had it, they probably changed P4 to something else. I don't hink any other processor has been

That's the most difficult part of foreign language-punctuation and word arrangement. I speak and understand 4 languages... fluently?... Probably not, as there is lingual characteristics amongst the dialects... rolling 'r's', etc. Italian, which I speak too, and true Spanish are very similar. North American 'Spanish'-ie-Hispanic is not the same as Basque Spanish. My career forced me into learning the different languages, and we didn't have Rosetta Stone as a tool!

Well there are rules for punctuation in spanish, knowing them simplifies everything. Once you know the rules, you automatically know where to accentuate a word... there is no magic or complication about it just common sense. Sometimes using the accent makes a word mean something else. EG: estas (these) estás (you are). Italian and Spanish may sound the same to you, but they are completely different... some words have been kept in both languages from the Latin tonge, but that's about the only similarity. North american-latinamerican spanish is the same as Castillian Spanish, the way it's spoken is the only diference... Basque is an entirely different language, it sounds more like an eastern european language than anything else. They still speak it but they also speak spanish with their Basque accent and Basque words mixed in, and rrrroll their rs heavily so it sounds very strange. Other dialects of spanish used in Spain are Catalán it sounds like spanish but you can't make out what they're saying.

I got the 'cmd' issue fixed. I think I have the viral content cleared up, too. Between the malware experts at bleepingcomputer.com and

MajorGeeks.com, it should be history. I have left Log interpretation up to them- I don't have the time to Google all the queries.

Since you mentioned Add/Remove in CP, that, to me, is a useless option. I strictly use Revo as it org's the Registry accordingly whereas Add/Remove

leaves traces in the registry. Thus said, the Reg will become cumbersome, to say the least.

What I meant by Add/Remove is the way to add Windows programs from the CD which may include Wordpad and Notepad... I also use Revo Uninstaller and rerely remove programs with Windows Add/Remove.

*Remember, you can OC the crap out of anything, but it has nothing to do with 'multi-tasking'. The Cache has everything to do with threading and the Pentium family has absolutely 'zero' cache capacity. Kinda like a 16MB vs. 32MB cache HDD- which would YOU rather have???

Yup, I've myself OCd my 3.0GHz Athlon II x 2 to 3.8GHz just to play with the BIOS settings, but brought it back-down to defaults cause the defaults are enough for now...

Hey, my Friend, I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas!....¡Feliz Navidad!

Thanks!.. and you to have a Very Merry Christmas and the best of wishes for a Happy New Year!!.... And remember; fatty Menudo with hot chilli sauce (enough as you can tolerate) for the day after!!!

 

[timw128]

MY sys is acting up...big time. Got the virus out, and got up this morning, logged on, and the dang thing just kept going through a continous boot sequence loop. Checked in recovery console and the os is there. Any suggestions?... Tried a repair install to no avail, and last known good config didn't work. Can't get to sys restore, obviously.
Thanks!

 

[Chicano]

What about the Safe Mode Option in the same list as Last Known Good Configuration? If Safe Mode loads, the first thing you see is a box where you can select to Restore the System.

If that doesn't work, download the Hiren's Boot CD .ISO file, burn it on a CD and use it to boot and check or scan the system from CD. Since you've been having virus/malware issues, it may be you haven't got completely rid of them.

 

[timw128]

OK, I'll give these a try. Thanks!...I'll report back.

I don't think I can get there-Safe Mode-, but I have been trying so many things I can't remember what I've done...lol!

 

[Chicano]

OK, I'll give these a try. Thanks!...I'll report back.

I don't think I can get there-Safe Mode-, but I have been trying so many things I can't remember what I've done...lol!

Didn't mention this before: If you can Logon in Safe Mode, try Safe Mode with networking and go on line and search for "Online Antivirus Scan". This is supposed to be better than an installed virus because some viruses can infect the installed antivirus and online antivirus are obviously not affected.

 

[timw128]

Hey Chicano!...Hope you had an awesome Christmas. Mine was EXPENSIVE!... Smoked my 2600k... Soooo, ya got $315 I can borrow???...lol...jus' kiddin', man.
I can't get to safe mode conventionally- boot loop thing, so I can't run the ISO CD I made. Yeah, I am familiar with the 'Online Virus Scan' utilities.
I just got home, so I'll mess with this latter. I think the problem is in the Registry @ [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\services]
"Lavasoft Ad-Ware Service" =dword:00000002
Now, if I can only get there! I am not sure what to do with that ISO CD- Hiren's Boot CD .ISO file. Sorry about my ignorance on these advanced matters!
Give me a shout if you get freed up...Thanks!
tim-aka- timateo

 

[Chicano]

Smoked your 2600K? what is that.. Video Card?
I don't think it's the Lavasoft Service? that would only affect the Lavasoft application. If you can't boot in safe mode, and can't even run a bootable CD, the first thing I would suspect is hardware. When you use a bootable CD the installed system has nothing to do with the boot, you should boot the Hiren's CD with no installed system or even a hard drive. The boot loop may be caused by the processor overheating and shutting down for self preservation. Try disconnecting the Hard Drive's power and digital cables, and boot from the Hirens CD, If you still get the boot loop check;
1. Check the temp readings in the BIOS
2. The thermal grease on the processor-heatsink.
3. That the heatsink fan is working, check the speed in the BIOS
4. Check the RAM memory with Windows Memory Diagnostic... or Memtest86

You mean Tim aka Timoteo?

 

[timw128]

2nd Gen i7-2600k Sandy Bridge cpu... Poof!
Should be able to just unplug the HDD from the mobo and run Hiren's CD. It can't be any of the hardware anomalies you mention as it is working fine with this other HDD plugged in. The HDD that is going through the boot loop was known to have viral content on it, and it is a Seagate Barracuda 160GB 16MB cache that I just ran the Seagate tools on to check for integrity. It passed the SMART test with flying colors.
I haven't played with the Hiren's ISO CD yet, but I am assuming that it has all the diagnostic tools to check for the specs you've mentioned above.
I'll run that tomorrow and let you know what is going on. It would seem that there is a way to get that drive to boot. I had a couple of the Infection experts at bleepingcomputers.com and MajorGeeks.com guide me through a bunch of infection diagnostic tools. The only thing they mentioned was there was a Trojan and a Trojan Initiator that were caught. The way that the machine was behaving made me think that there was a Rootkit involved, too. I just don't know.
On this clean install of XP Pro that I put on this current HDD, the Reg got a couple of hacks put to it that I need to undo. Again, I didn't back the Reg up and am going to have to chase the hack down. One of these days I'll learn that the photographic memory don't work like it used to!

 

[timw128]

...If you still get the boot loop check;
1. Check the temp readings in the BIOS
2. The thermal grease on the processor-heatsink.
3. That the heatsink fan is working, check the speed in the BIOS
4. Check the RAM memory with Windows Memory Diagnostic... or Memtest86

...

I don't think this will matter because it is an OEM mobo and the BIOS is locked. Typical for OEM pc's so a warranty can be expressed.

 

[Chicano]

2nd Gen i7-2600k Sandy Bridge cpu... Poof!
Should be able to just unplug the HDD from the mobo and run Hiren's CD. It can't be any of the hardware anomalies you mention as it is working fine with this other HDD plugged in. The HDD that is going through the boot loop was known to have viral content on it, and it is a Seagate Barracuda 160GB 16MB cache that I just ran the Seagate tools on to check for integrity. It passed the SMART test with flying colors.
I haven't played with the Hiren's ISO CD yet, but I am assuming that it has all the diagnostic tools to check for the specs you've mentioned above.
I'll run that tomorrow and let you know what is going on. It would seem that there is a way to get that drive to boot. I had a couple of the Infection experts at bleepingcomputers.com and MajorGeeks.com guide me through a bunch of infection diagnostic tools. The only thing they mentioned was there was a Trojan and a Trojan Initiator that were caught. The way that the machine was behaving made me think that there was a Rootkit involved, too. I just don't know.
On this clean install of XP Pro that I put on this current HDD, the Reg got a couple of hacks put to it that I need to undo. Again, I didn't back the Reg up and am going to have to chase the hack down. One of these days I'll learn that the photographic memory don't work like it used to!

Come on!!.. a i7 poofed? they are supposed to have thermal protection and shut down before they overheat... so I doubt the processor is the problem... the motheboard would be more likely, or the cooler fan not working. If you get video image (can see the BIOS), the processor is OK. And if no video, I would still suspect the mobo not the processor. You could even try to boot the HD with a floppy bootdisk, you can make one with copies of the NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and Boot.ini from another XP... or download one from the Bootdisk.com

OK so if the HDD is the cause you should be able to get rid of any infection with the tools included in the Hirens boot CD or with an online scan from the Hirens Boot CD... I believe you can even scan for trojans online... and I would try to find a rootkit scan also. Run HijackThis, and Combo fix.. there are some 12 Antivirus/Spyware scanners in the Hirens version I have included an antirootkit.

 

[Chicano]

...If you still get the boot loop check;
1. Check the temp readings in the BIOS
2. The thermal grease on the processor-heatsink.
3. That the heatsink fan is working, check the speed in the BIOS
4. Check the RAM memory with Windows Memory Diagnostic... or Memtest86

...

I don't think this will matter because it is an OEM mobo and the BIOS is locked. Typical for OEM pc's so a warranty can be expressed.

Right!.. forgot about the Compaq BIOS but you can check #1 (temp) by touching the heatsink with a finger, #2-3 are obvious and #4 with the Memtest included in the Hirens CD.

 

[timw128]

Come on!!.. a i7 poofed?

Don't forget, we are talking about 2 different machines here!...I built the i7-2600k machine and simply pushed the voltage too much. Yes, it has a thermal protector integrated into the architecture- but that will not protect against a voltage flash. I am not sure exactly what has happened. One project at a time here!

Right!.. forgot about the Compaq BIOS but you can check #1 (temp) by touching the heatsink with a finger, #2-3 are obvious and #4 with the Memtest included in the Hirens CD.

No, nothing is running too warm- cpu, heatsinks, HDD, etc., to the touch. I have a stand alone disk that ISO'd MemTest86+ to. Remember, these boot issues, etc. are on the old Compaq Presario NR1426NX machine with the XP Pro x86 installed. I am still all but convinced that it is a Registry setting that is causing this boot cycle deal. I just haven't figured out how to get to it. If there are any hardware issues in this machine, I am 100% that it is with the OEM Goldfish3 (ASUS) mobo. I mentioned earlier about the blown capacitor and subsequently inactive RAM slot.

OK so if the HDD is the cause you should be able to get rid of any infection with the tools included in the Hirens boot CD or with an online scan from the Hirens Boot CD... I believe you can even scan for trojans online... and I would try to find a rootkit scan also. Run HijackThis, and Combo fix.. there are some 12 Antivirus/Spyware scanners in the Hirens version I have included an antirootkit.

Done all this!...Twice, manually, to no avail... I am almost caught up with the online and offline tasks that needed attention. I think what I'll do first is unplug the HDD from the mobo and run the Hiren's ISO CD through the BIOS. Then, I'll plug the HDD in question back in and run some diagnostics on it. The people who interpreted the ComboFix and the HJT files (plus MGTools and a few other tools for Rootkits, etc.) have both confirmed what I found on my own. A Trojan and a Trojan Initiator. They feel, as do I, that it is in a Reg setting. Again, before I can check any keys or paths, I need to get the OS to boot to get at the Reg. The only thing of any value on that particular install is a bunch of photos and some My Photos docs that I created using Print Shop, Adobe CS, AutoCad, and MicroGraphics progs. I do not store Video content on the local HDD because it eats up too much volume.

Are we on the same page now?... Like I say, regarding the other machine (i7-2600k), it APPEARS the cpu popped, and it wouldn't surprise me because I did get crazy with the oc'ing. We'll find out! :lol:

 

[Chicano]

I was aware that you're speaking obout 2 different machines.. and still think the i7 is recoverable... unless you pushed the voltage way to high, which the motherboard would not allow anyway.

You can access the Registry on the P4 machine through one of the included registry applications, I would access the registry from the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows from an application that opened the registry on the HD directly.. but the name skips mymemory... I think The Hirens CD has an equivalent but you need to type in the System name and workgroup in if you can remember it. You can also access the HD registry first accessing the Hirens Boot CD registry, then select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, go to File menu\Load Hive\find the C:\Windows\System32\Config\ select the file named SOFTWARE\Open and name the new key AAAA.. then select the key named AAAA\and browse to the key you need to check. I would start in AAAA\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\value Userinit\Data should be: C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe, (including the coma). Winlogon is indispensable to boot the system and some malware add their own data in the Userinit value, and when you remove the malware the data is not restored so the system wont load past the logon screen.. most antimalware applications developers have taken this detail in mind and repair the registry when necessary... but it's always recommended after removing malware to check for the default data just in case.

You may be able to restore the registry similarly to System Restore with the app named RegResWiz, just restore it to a date immediately before the system became unbootable because you will lose all the configurations, installations, etc that were done from the date you select to present. Only problem with doing this, is you may restore the registry to a bootable but damaged state, but what you want is being able to boot the computer, so you need to think things through before proceeding. What I'd do is recover the registry with RegResWiz, boot the computer, scan the system again and check/fix the registry before rebooting.

 

[timw128]

unless you pushed the voltage way to high, which the motherboard would not allow anyway.

I've been thinking about it a bit and I think it is a minor glitch in the way I was playing with it. CPU more than likely is fine. I'll look into that matter later.

As far as the boot issue on the XP machine, I am going to start with a boot up with XP disc, go to the first 'R' and run ChkDsk in Recovery Console. If it finds an error(s) and recovers sectors, I'll run it again. Seems like a good place to start. There are a few ways to default the Reg to M$ intent. I did have a bunch of hacks implemented to speed things up a bit. Ya know, I could also jump that HDD that won't boot and run it as a slave to the now C:\ drive and pull the Docs and Sttgs over to the current drive. Then do an NSA wipe on it and start over. But why?... I have a brand new WD VelociRaptor 600GB 32MB cache HDD sitting here. I'll probably just put a new CPU/Mobo combo in it and run that VRaptor for my XP Pro application. With a new mobo, I can get away from that PCI interface for the VC and go to a more efficient PCIe, right?...
You probably wonder why I would do that with this Compaq mATX platform- well, I have a new Corsair 450w PSU, 2 new LiteOn IDE Optical Drives, new RAM, newer HS-high flow bearing less fans, and the prototype liquid cooling system I designed for this machine. This system will work with virtually any CPU and/or socket. Plus the radiator is modular. There is a chance that I may market this design a bit down the road. There is nothing out there that is even close to this design. The radiator is remote and couples to the case via QuickConnect fittings, and runs on it's own PSU. All integrated into a tidy lil' package!

I'm thinking it is going to be a couple of days before I get to playing with that boot issue anymore. I have gotten busy all of a sudden outside the cyber world. Gotta get serious in the gym and I have a bunch of timber to cut- among other things. My life is tooooo complicated! :lol:

 

[Chicano]

With a new mobo, I can get away from that PCI interface for the VC and go to a more efficient PCIe, right?...

Right... PCIe is more advanced...

You probably wonder why I would do that with this Compaq mATX platform- well, I have a new Corsair 450w PSU, 2 new LiteOn IDE Optical Drives, new RAM, newer HS-high flow bearing less fans, and the prototype liquid cooling system I designed for this machine. This system will work with virtually any CPU and/or socket. Plus the radiator is modular. There is a chance that I may market this design a bit down the road. There is nothing out there that is even close to this design. The radiator is remote and couples to the case via QuickConnect fittings, and runs on it's own PSU. All integrated into a tidy lil' package!

Great!.. that should cool any processor.. even better if you use car engine antifreeze.

I'm thinking it is going to be a couple of days before I get to playing with that boot issue anymore. I have gotten busy all of a sudden outside the cyber world. Gotta get serious in the gym and I have a bunch of timber to cut- among other things. My life is tooooo complicated! :lol:

Cutt timber? living out in the country?... Don't answer that... I wont take anymore of your time.

 

[timw128]

Best answer selected by zeuseng06.

 

[timw128]

Hey Chicano- I had to give the nod to your advice and suggestion towards the Hiren's ISO CD for Best Answer Award. That is a pretty amazing Tool Kit!

 

[Chicano]

Yup,... I told you so... I'm one that put-off burning it for some time since I also have the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (UBCD4Win) so that one was enough for a long while but Hirens turned out better and much quicker to load... besides it has some pretty handy tools and you can use it to browse the net much better than with UBCD4Win. So if you have an unbootable system and have to search for answers, it comes in very handy.

Thanks for the best answer award.

 

[timw128]

The only thing on the Hiren's is that I don't think it has MemTest86+ on it. That's OK, though, 'cuz I burned an ISO of it. The thing about MemTest is that you wanna run it 5-6 times consecutively for best results.
Been outside shovelin' that white stuff- Yuk!!!...Still comin' down!
Maybe I'll get that drive sorted out tonight and I can move on to the issue with the new machine. I am sure the Hiren's will troubleshoot that matter, too!
Have a Happy New Year!
tim

 

[Chicano]

Right I think it only has Memtest... not Memtest86 or 86+... but there are other applications of the type. I've only used Memtest once and found it inconclusive and complicated to read the results... but Windows Memory Diagnostic is supposed to report good or bad ram when it's done..

Brrrrrrr... just thinking about snow makes me shiver! Hope you have a warm & toasty New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!!..

 

[timw128]

Well, it's done!...Something ate my OS on that Barracuda 7200.11 HDD. Recuva nor any of the other recovery utilities could pull my documents off that HDD. It appears that something screwed the pathes up and it had a mutation of the OS and a partial Repair Install. Couldn't make much sense out of it, so it is going through a Gutmann 35 pass wipe right now. It's a hell of a good drive- almost reads and writes as quick as the VelociRaptor of the same cache. Oh well!... Not going to mess with it any more- I'll turn it into an external storage shack, I guess!

 

[Chicano]

Well, it's done!...Something ate my OS on that Barracuda 7200.11 HDD. Recuva nor any of the other recovery utilities could pull my documents off that HDD. It appears that something screwed the pathes up and it had a mutation of the OS and a partial Repair Install. Couldn't make much sense out of it, so it is going through a Gutmann 35 pass wipe right now. It's a hell of a good drive- almost reads and writes as quick as the VelociRaptor of the same cache. Oh well!... Not going to mess with it any more- I'll turn it into an external storage shack, I guess!

Well, I may be to late but a partition recovery application could have helped. They say a Hard Drive doesn't forget.. all information that's deleted is only hidden, and can be recovered, and the same goes for partitions that are apparently lost, can be recovered with applications as long as they haven't been formatted or wiped.

 

[timw128]

Yep, it's done... I tried to recover the data in question using a recovery app from Hiren's, but it was gone. There is no way telling what happened, but it appears I had a half way installed OS in progress. I sure didn't initiate it, but who knows?...