Need Some Help with Log on Loop

Viruses and worms
1

Okay So after recently being infected with what I think was the Win32 Vitro, I believe Avast got most of it but I am now stuck at the Windows Log on Screen and when ever I log in it saves my settings and kicks me back to the log in screen, even does this in safe mode.

I even tried the method of using the windows recovery console to copy the userinit.exe wsaupdate.exe no luck

I also tried a repair install of windows XP Prof and no go

I don’t want to wipe the HD completely and start from scratch just yet. If I do I just want to wait untill i can just buy a new HD and a few other upgrades for my PC and if anything a new XP disk I lost mine, had to use a friends.

Also I’m posting this from my laptop Or I would just hook up the old HD as a slave and see what data I could recover, so thats not an option yet either.

Any other suggestions to try to fix this problem?

2

Vitro is a serious and virulent .exe file infecter and the only thing avast can do is effectively move files to the chest or delete (not advised, but then again) so you may be left with little choice but to format and start from square one as you say.

Unless you had a back-up and recovery strategy (hard disk imaging software) in place where you could go back to a point before infection. Because as fast as files are replaced by a repair install they could be getting infected and detected by avast.

There are several recent topics in the forums on this new win32:Vitro a variant of the previously virulent win32:Virut virus that was starting to lose the war to AVs so this new offshoot of that is more complex than the virut infection.

DrWeb CureIt! - See http://www.freedrweb.com/cureit/ - Download ftp://ftp.drweb.com/pub/drweb/cureit/launch.exe (Free) Fairly effective against file infectors, Virut (infects .exe, .scr & .wmv), more so when used in safe mode.

If you try to back-up data before a format you have to exercise care as the file types above could well have been infected.

3

If Dr. Web suggested by David fails for any reason, read the instructions, download and burn (maybe from another computer), finally use one of this rescue CD’s:

  1. Avira
  2. Kaspersky
  3. BitDefender
  4. F-Secure
4

Okay Ty for the advice I’m going to try some stuff now and see how it goes.

5

Since I cant log on to the PC I didn’t get how to use DrWebCureIt So I have an Avira Rescue CD running now.

If I can log onto Admin or User after that, I’ll then try to run DrWeb.

6

DrWeb CureIt would effectively only work if you had that HDD extracted as a slave drive (as you mentioned earlier was a consideration).

7

Thought so

I may yet have to take it to a computer tech place ( Still waiting on Avira to Finish, Hope it Works )

Any estimates on how much it would cost to reload XP Pro and format the HD?

Currently I had to use a Friends XP Pro cd and key, I have No Idea where my XP Pro disk is but I have the Key on the inside of my PC
Would a tech place be able to use that key or would they charge me for a New XP Pro?

because if thats the case I Might as well continue to work on it myself.

8

DrWeb also do a live cd, worth a try,if Avira can’t help

http://www.freedrweb.com/livecd/?lng=en

9

Avira Didn’t work, So I tryed F-Secure but It wont scan it tells me the HD is encrypted how Do I get in there to scan it?

Trying Drweb CD now see what it tells me

10

Shame about Avira, before it started scanning,did you tick the box, 'rename files,if they cannot be repaired ’
http://forum.avira.com/wbb/index.php?page=Thread&postID=730130#post730130

11

Yep Did that and ran it twice on full scan, Just go back home now

Checking on DrWeb see if that helped now.

12

Nope still does the Login loop, Maybe if I try to Repair windows now.

If not Tuesday = Pay Day = New HD

13

Currently Have it Slaved to a new HD on my friend CPU, didnt want to buy a new HD just yet, and I have Avast scanning it, see if it finds anything.

I think I might just burn what I can to a DVD-R and then just format it.

Though here is where I run into my CD key problem I have the CD key on the inside of my PC but No disk, still cant find it

My friend has his CD but my key wont work with his disk as I found out when trying to just Repair Install Windows

What should I do? I want a working Valid Windows on my PC :-\

14

I’m not sure it discovers outside from the running windows (i.e., the master HDD) but it says it could…
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

15

I’ll have to give it a try Like I said though I have the Sticker with the CD key for my XP Pro it was on the inside of my PC case

But last time I tried to do a Windows Repair Install it wouldn’t accept my CD key because it was my Friends XP Pro disk

16

:o Okay Now I have 2 Windows XP Pro installed on my HD and it lets me log onto one but not the other, the other with all my old data still logs me in and right back out saying how it saves my settings but I can now get in there.

I’m still not sure If I want to format the HD though, I do need to remove 1 of the windows though, So far I’m going to copy and paste the good windows files into the bad see if that fixes the other OS before I format if I need to.

Also I used Product Key to see what the Windows key was and it doesnt match the one I have inside my PC, So it’s probably not Valid How can I get it to match the one I have So I can get updates if I do have to format my HD?

and what would be the best way of removing one of the Windows XP Pros?

17

Did you install the new one with a valid XP key? Why don’t you just keep it?

18

No the new ones key is not valid :-\

19

I guess my best bet now is to format the HD I’ll lose some applications but I think Half of them are missing their .exe files because of the Win32 vitro virus Avast cleaned up.

But As I said before I have my Old Windows XP Pro CD key from the inside of my PC case, When I install using my friends XP Pro disk and enter my key it says it is invalid and doesnt let me continue. :-\