WinXP Pro freezes on boot in normal and Safe Mode - stops at aswRvrt.sys...?

[thekochs]

I haven't tried removing Daemon Tools yet, but....new symptom. For the hell of it, I let it sit at trying to boot into Safe Mode with Networking while I went up to get seconds for supper and when I came down, it is now at a screen that says:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows Setup using the original Setup CD-ROM. Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.

DarkStrike, make sure if you go down the full XP Repair Install path you know the sequence.....not as straight forward as one might guess.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
3.Press  Enter to start the Windows Setup. 
To setup Windows XP now and Repair Install , press ENTER. do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press  R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat,  do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press  R". 

Essexboy, do you recommend to him a CHKDSK /R ?....if so, perhaps a how-to on how to run from this machine state.

[Darkstrike]

If I try booting from a WinXP cd to get to the recovery console or otherwise, the machine just hangs on the CD at "checking for previous versions of Windows"

can I do a chkdsk /r from Reatogo?

I booted into Reatogo earlier to see if I could access the partition on the disk, and I could, but it looks like her user profile may be corrupt because where her folder under "Documents and Settings" used to be, it now simply says "name"...? *sigh*

[thekochs]

If I try booting from a WinXP cd to get to the recovery console or otherwise, the machine just hangs on the CD at "checking for previous versions of Windows"

can I do a chkdsk /r from Reatogo?

I booted into Reatogo earlier to see if I could access the partition on the disk, and I could, but it looks like her user profile may be corrupt because where her folder under "Documents and Settings" used to be, it now simply says "name"...? *sigh*

Essexboy is going to have to provide guidance on next-steps here.
You ran FRST with his daemon tools fixlist.txt removal ?...post #28....you had said in Safe Mode it goes down the list as far as Mup.sys, trying to boot STPD.sys....
Also, any chance Safe Mode boots without Networking ?....min driver type thing.

[Darkstrike]

I thank you both for your continued efforts, but at this point I have a bad feeling the data is somehow irrecoverably corrupted....

[thekochs]

I thank you both for your continued efforts, but at this point I have a bad feeling the data is somehow irrecoverably corrupted....

You may be at point of repair install.
Here was another thread on similar effort: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=144887.15 with several other items Essexboy provided guidance on.  It may be worth the two page read....but again, I'd wait for his suggestions.

[Darkstrike]

I'll wait and see what he suggests tomorrow before I do anything else. If her user profile folder seems corrupted, that's where most of her files are, so unless he knows how to recover that, it doesn't matter if I do a repair install or a full reinstall because I won't be getting those files back. I DID do a backup of them to a flash drive, but that was at least several months ago (although her files don't change that much), so she told me if I do have to completely reformat, it's not a HUGE loss.

Also, with a Repair Install, don't I still have to reinstall all of her software again?

[thekochs]

I'll wait and see what he suggests tomorrow before I do anything else. If her user profile folder seems corrupted, that's where most of her files are, so unless he knows how to recover that, it doesn't matter if I do a repair install or a full reinstall because I won't be getting those files back. I DID do a backup of them to a flash drive, but that was at least several months ago (although her files don't change that much), so she told me if I do have to completely reformat, it's not a HUGE loss.

Also, with a Repair Install, don't I still have to reinstall all of her software again?

Correct, and perhaps those files are there in some recoverable state.
 
Is this a desktop or notebook ?.....I ask because if you can remove the HDD and get a USB adapter you can attach to other PC and grab the files. 
There are boot CDs you can boot from to access the HDD with perhaps the USB port enabled to copy off the files.
May want to Google about recovery CDs to see what is out there since I've not done this in along time.
Some I recall........
BartPE Windows Live CD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwpy55mb-nk
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Hiren: http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd

....one of the better ones I recall..........
UBCD:
http://www.ubcd4win.com/
http://www.ubcd4win.com/howto.htm {Steps to Create CD}
Ultimate Boot CD is a powerful tool kit for scanning and recovering system. This is a small sized image file of boot CD which contains huge amount of various programs which can help to restore your data if something’s happened to your PC. The necessity of this tool kit appears when you need to extract some important data from HDD, but your OS doesn’t work properly or just doesn’t work at all. Ultimate Boot CD will easily help you to cope with this problem.  Ultimate Boot CD main features are LAN, USB and mouse support.  Numerous applications integrated in UBCD will serve to:
•Make virus filtering
•Make operations with HDD (Formatting, section adding/deleting etc.)
•View system files
•Restore deleted files
Ultimate Boot CD will save the day to you and its additional functions will  ensure your data is safe even in some critical situations. And this fact makes UBCD a must have application. Download Ultimate Boot CD free of charge and secure your data from various unpleasant accidents.

[Darkstrike]

I had actually booted from a Xubuntu Live CD to try to get files off and copy them to a USB HDD, but Xubuntu couldn't mount the windows drive, which was my first indication something may be very corrupt on it. It's a desktop. Reatogo is based on BartPE, so that option won't work as I'll probably end up with the same issue I had with Reatogo (i.e. I booted into Reatogo earlier to see if I could access the partition on the disk, and I could, but it looks like her user profile may be corrupt because where her folder under "Documents and Settings" used to be, it now simply says "name"...?)

I keep those other options in mind however.

[Darkstrike]

UPDATE:

Hi guys, an update...woke up this morning and for the hell of it, decided to try a "Last Known Good Config"....it WORKED! I somehow was able to boot into Windows normally! First thought was "get Avast Uninstall tool and finish removing remnants of it"....which I did, however, clearly not thinking, the tool said it needed to run in Safe Mode and I thought "sure, that's fine"....stupid mistake, as when I rebooted and tried to go to Safe Mode, I got stuck back at the loading screen at "aswRvrt.sys" again...

Back to square one I guess.....going to try running through all the steps you've mentioned so far (use FRST to restore to the 9th again, use FRST to remove Avast from start-up, use FRST to remove Daemon Tools from start-up), and pray I can get it to boot back in again...if I can, instead of trying to run the Avast uninstall clean tool, I'll try running the normal uninstaller and see if that will work...

[Darkstrike]

New (current) issue while trying to re-do the fixlist for Daemon Tools. FRST shows the drivers for SPTD.sys still exist in it's Scan Log, but running your fixlist.txt results in FRST saying "Service not found." even though your file exactly matches what is listed in the FRST.txt log....?

[essexboy]

Do you have another FRST scan please

[Darkstrike]

Trying, but I can't get my Reatogo CD to boot past a blue screen with the cursor at the moment to even get to FRST...

UPDATE: I did another Last Known Good Config and am booted normally back into Windows!!! Suggestions to what I can do to prevent this from happening again next time I restart...?

[essexboy]

Sounds like a hardware problem of some sort as Reatogo bypasses windows

[Darkstrike]

It might just be the CD-RWs I've been using, they're ancient (i.e. from like 2005)...

At any rate, I am sitting at a normal boot of Windows right now, but fearful of restarting in case this all happens again. Any ideas to prevent it aside from uninstalling Avast...?

[essexboy]

Now you are normal windows could you run an OTL scan, as that looks in different areas

 Download OTL  to your Desktop
Secondary link

• Double click on the icon to run it. Make sure all other windows are closed and to let it run uninterrupted.

• Select All Users
  
• Select LOP and Purity
• Under the Custom Scan box paste this in

netsvcs
BASESERVICES
%SYSTEMDRIVE%\*.exe
c:\program files (x86)\Google\Desktop
c:\program files\Google\Desktop
dir "%systemdrive%\*" /S /A:L /C
/md5start
rpcss.dll
/md5stop
CREATERESTOREPOINT

• Click the Run Scan button. Do not change any settings unless otherwise told to do so. The scan wont take long.
  
  • When the scan completes, it will open two notepad windows. OTL.Txt and Extras.Txt. These are saved in the same location as OTL.
    
  • Attach  both logs