I got my xp system back from the shop after they cleaned it and switched me from AVG to AVAST. It still does not boot reliably. Avast reports a malware in physical drive /.//F or some such, but that drive is non existent. If I click on it in Explorer I am told to insert a disk.
So I tell Avast to delete and report it. It asks if I want to schedule a boot scan. I have done this scan twice. So now I say no and then I get another error message. Delete that. I can then use the computer. But if I reboot, this happens all over again.
Related or Not? I cannot get into windows if the last USB drive I connected is running. I just cycle the screen with the safe mode, etc. options. Removing the last installed drive allowed me to boot. And I always get a request to install my device (a maxtor hard drive). If I cancel, the drive is recognized just fine and works. But reboot and the whole rigamarole begins anew.
Oh, and I can’t send mail from Pegasus mail (socket timeout) whereas Outlook works fine.
Where to start? I must still be infected. I have also run Mbytes and Spybot, which always find more junk.
I don’t know if Avast scans inactive partitions however from what you posted you may have an “inactive” partition that may have been active at one time. If the partition is inactive Windows Explorer will not locate it.
Check out the link below. The link talks about making an active partition inactive but if you follow the steps outlined there you should be able to tell if you have an inactive partition.
Partitions can become inactive for a number of reasons,voluntary and involuntary. I just had an external HDD go bad and its partition became inactive when it went bad, however whatever was on it when it went bad was still there after it went bad.
Thanks. I read the article you linked, but it is way over my head. Next time it happens I will write down exactly what message I get. Maybe there is a simpler fix.
Altair, eh? My first was a Vic 20. And how I miss my Amiga right about now…
After nearly formatting the drive in desperation, I found the solution. I used the Recovery Console of the XP CD, and then used the commands fixmbr and bootfix (in that order). I still can’t send from PMail, but everything else is working nicely and Avast is no longer finding that problem.