Reboot is now looped, will not start in any mode

[Bill Burgstiner]

OK it is a Gateway 510 with Windows XP service pak 3. That is all the information I have on the machine. Mr friend got a Trojan and when it happened AVAST advised him to move it to the chest which he did. Once he clicked the move button the screen filled up with with multi web browsers. He said that he tried to close them but the were just opening to fast for him. In a panic he turn the computer off with out shutting down, he just pushed the power button. He has AVAST home free edition I have no idea of which one (SORRY) I am getting this information from him and he cannot remember which one he loaded. Today I tried to restart the computer and I tried every mode there was listed in Safe mode, safe mode with networking etc. it will make it to the windows screen with the running bar and the it goes back to the safe mode screen every time. I put the gateway reconfigure disk in the drive and tried to boot it up on the drive and nothing it goes back to the safe mode screen. Has anyone seen this type of Trojan or virus before and can the hard drive be saved. Anything would help.
Thanks

[Yanto.Chiang]

Hi Bill,

Honestly i am not sure what is your friend's browser or Operating system that you used for operational.
But in term of this infected causes, i believe it is look like worm attacked which run each of .exe of your vulnerability explorer to multiply it self and open automatically internet explorer.

Based on this article : http://sikathabis.multiply.com/journal/item/1045/Mengenal_virus_W32Almanahe

This case cause of W32/Almanahe.a, but you can using Malware Bytes to scan your PC/Notebook. And then you could use avast home edition to scan it again.

[Yanto.Chiang]

Hi Bill,

Again, if you have try Malwarebytres but can't solved your issues.
You can follow this step to clean your system use Combofix.

Before that please make sure that you already backup your system as well.

[Jtaylor83]

I'm afraid you'll have to disconnect from the internet, format and reinstall the OS because Win32:Alman (Virus.Win32.Alman.a/w32.almanahe) has a malicious payload and it can drop malicious image files which are actually password-stealing trojans.

So like what Yanto says, backup all of your files (non-PE). Don't back up movies, music, or any of your favorite applications.

You can also use Dr. Web CureIt.

Once you backed up your files, format, and reinstall, you will have to create a user account with limited privileges, be sure to change your internet, gaming and/or email passwords, use Mozilla Firefox with NoScript, Keyscrambler Personal, Adblock Plus, and Web of Trust, get a third-party firewall such as PC Tools Firewall, Online Armor, or ZoneAlarm.

Update your system with Secunia Software Inspector and use IObit 360 and/or Javacool SpywareBlaster.

[Bill Burgstiner]

Ok guys thanks for the replies, but I guess I did not give enough in my post. I cannot get the computer to start, it will not make it past the safe mode screen at all it keeps looping through the start up and it keeps taking me right back to the safe mode screen every time. I need to know if any one knows how to get past this SO I can run Mal Warebytes etc.... So I am sorry that I was not clear in my post 

[.: L' arc :.]

Hi Bill Burgstiner,

 If the problem is caused by a virus, then for at least, a Rescue CD would help. Here are some examples of it:

• Avira AntiVir Rescue System
  
• Kaspersky Rescue Disc
  
• F-Secure Rescue Disc

[edifyguy]

Have a look at what we're doing in this forum:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=50422.90

I think you might need to clean this this way as well.

[Bill Burgstiner]

Ok guys
I have tried all of the suggestions but it is not working. I have disabled every one of the drives and it still will not let me load the rescue Cd's that were mentioned. I saw on one of the Linux sites that the rescue stuff can be loaded on a thumb drive. But from what I read that is way above my level of doing . So my next question is where can I find the stuff to make a ADA hard into a external hard drive so I can scan the hard drive outside of the computer would radio shack etc,,, have the items I need to do this or is this even an idea that will work.
Thanks
Bill

[edifyguy]

It's an idea that will work, but it's not worth the trouble.

Download Puppy Linux 4.1.2 (be sure to get that version, NOT 4.2.1) at a friend's house and burn the image to a blank CD. DON'T just burn the file to CD, you have to burn it as an IMAGE, or it won't work properly. All CD burner software that I know of offers that functionality, and if you are in doubt, use Burnatonce (freeware) because that's all it does.

Once you do that, connect it to the Internet with the "Connect" button, then download the Avast! for Linux Workstations from the Avast website with "Browse" from Puppy. You want the tar.gz version.

Right click on the file in the Puppy Explorer "File" and select "Window" > "Terminal Here" then type in "tgz2pet avast4workstation-1.3.0.tar.gz" without the quotes. The file icon in the explorer will change, and clicking on the newly improved icon will launch the self-installer.

Once its done, type "avastgui" without quotes in the console and hit enter. It will ask for a key. Put your Avast! registration key in the box and hit OK and it'll load up Avast for Linux. Tell it to download updates.

Poke around with the icons at the bottom of your screen until you find the one that contains the WINDOWS folder. Then in Avast choose "selected folders" and type in /mnt/**** and change the asterisks to the Linux name for the partition your WINDOWS folder is on (sda2 on most OEM installations.) So it would be set to scan /mnt/sda2, for example.

Then let it scan! Basically this lets you scan it AS IF it were in another computer, because you have a second fully-functional OS and virus scanner looking at it, but you don't have to buy anything more expensive than a blank CD. If you read the link I provided you with earlier, we worked through the whole Linux thing already, although using a different AV program that is good, but not quite as effective.

Once you get the crap off, you might still have to do a repair installation of Windows to replace any missing files that the virus ate, or rather that the virus caused Avast to eat. Avast would rather you go without the file than use an infected version.....and I guess I would too!