Can't Defrag, Can't Run In Safe Mode-What Else Can I Try?

M

macman81

Joined
1 Apr 2007
Messages
110
Reaction score
2
Location
London
Country
United Kingdom
I'm trying to clean up an XP laptop which has some viruses and spyware on it. It's slow and freezes, and has a pop up (aol.software.exe) that won't go away and asks me to run Chkdisk. Norton AV was installed but not updated. So far I have:
Run Liveupdate and scanned with NAV. Reports all clean.
Installed and scanned with Ad-Aware and SuperAdBlocker.
Run Windows Update-all OK.
Run CCleaner and Disk Cleanup.
When I try to Defrag, it tells me that Chkdisk has to be run first. When I try to run Chkdisk it says it can't run at all!
Thinking that there is a virus in the start-up system and it's reinfecting on each boot-up, I tried to go into Safe Mode to run the antivirus/antispyware from there. It will go to the Safe Mode options screen, but when I select Safe Mode it just hangs and won't enter Safe Mode, I have to reboot.
Can anyone suggest what else I could try, as I'm almost at the stage of admitting defeat and advising a Windows reinstall to the owner.
Update: managed to boot it into 'Safe Mode With Networking', but it still won't run Chkdsk or Defrag. It also won't allow me to set a System Restore point.
 
Sponsored Links
You may already have tried these but:-
Is there an early restore point that you can go back to before you started having problems. If so I would suggest you restore to this first. If not then try the following:-
1) Defrag won't run unless there is sufficient disk space to compress files. Is there plenty of hard drive space free?
2) Clear out all the internet temporary files. Assuming IE7 Tools>Internet options, General Tab> Browsing History.
3) Do a find for all temporary files on the hard drive using *.tmp as the search criteria.
4)Can you uninstall AOl from the add remove programs?
5) Download and install RegSupeme Pro http://www.macecraft.com/downloads/ and run this fully functional 30 day software. This should remove all the rubbish in the registry and allow the laptop to run better.

Try these and report back.
regards
Fozzie
 
Thanks for your suggestions:
1) there are no restore points set-although system restore is turned on! How can that be?
2) plenty of HD space-disk is only about 40% full.
3) have cleared all temp files with Disk Cleanup and CCleaner.
4) will try AOL uninstall, but I think this is not genuine AOL but some spyware.
5) will try Reg Supreme (I have RegCleaner but haven't tried it yet).
 
Just a thought but is the hard drive formatted as Fat32 or NTFS? You can check this by rightclicking on the drive and select properties. Alternatively right click on My Computer and select Manage from the menu. Towards the bottom is Disk Managment. This will show you local drives.

Also when you say that Chkdsk wont run at all, what is the error message? Does it say the volume is locked or in use, or that chckdsk is already scheduled?
If so try running checkdsk from the command prompt using the following syntax:
chkdsk c: /F /X
This will force a dismount of the drive. note the space after C: and F

Good Luck
Fozzie
 
Sponsored Links
C drive is NTFS, D drive (recovery partition) is FAT32.
Error message on chkdsk is 'Windows is unable to complete the disk check'. Comes up immediately.
Tried to run from command line, the black command box flashes up and then vanishes immediately.
Have I got the spacing right? (Sp+space).
chkdskSpc:Sp/FSp/X
UPDATE: got correct command line prompt. Message: 'cannot lock current drive. Chkdsk cannot run as volume in use by another process'. Would you like to schedule it to run at next startup?'
I did this, but at start up but it just booted up normally without running chkdsk.
 
FozzieBear-managed to repair it using a program called MalwareBytes. Needed a 3 hour scan though. Once I'd run that it revealed about 20 more rogue programs. Once I'd removed those and rebooted it went to Chkdsk of it's own accord and repaired some damage.
It nows runs Defrag OK, System Restore is usable again, and the AOL pop-up has (for now) vanished.
Many thanks for your help and advice.
 
You are welcome.
The vast majority of my work involves cleaning customers and friends PCs from viruses, malware and stupid toolbars. Even my own daughter installed Kiwee toolbar on my vista machine which hijacked IE and it was a pig to get rid of! Unfortunately the "software" :evil: written by these SH**s so clever now you dont know that you are installing anything!!!
regards
Fozzie
 
FozzieBear, are you getting any outbreaks of 'Antivirus Pro 2009' recently? I've had two calls in the last day to fix this spyware (strangely enough both in the same street-must be crawling through the walls I reckon).
Anything you would recommend to remove this? The standard AV programs don't seem to pick it up or block it as yet. Thanks.
 
macman81 said:
FozzieBear, are you getting any outbreaks of 'Antivirus Pro 2009' recently? I've had two calls in the last day to fix this spyware (strangely enough both in the same street-must be crawling through the walls I reckon).
Anything you would recommend to remove this? The standard AV programs don't seem to pick it up or block it as yet. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hi Macman81,
I have had two over the last few months one Antivirus 2007 and then Antivirus Pro 2009. The poor guys couldn't do anything with their PCs without continual pop ups or the browser taking them off to the Antivirus Pro website.
You can boot in safe mode but I tend to use BartPE then browse to the suspect files and delete them, followed by a reboot and a scan of the registry to remove any entries.
regards
Fozzie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sponsored Links

Similar threads

S
Can't AVG scan in safe mode
Replies
11
Views
3K
dave.m
D
B
Cannot boot in normal mode
Replies
11
Views
2K
Blasphemous
B
S
Safe Mode Doesn't Work
Replies
3
Views
1K
clion
C
Alison556
Disaster - virus!
Replies
10
Views
1K
tim west
T
A
Boot up problem
Replies
12
Views
1K
Monsterminty
Monsterminty
Back
Top