Frozen xp, frozen everything??

[defgimp]

Hello

New to this so it may be that this has happened/been covered before but I can't see it and it's driving me mad!!

Updated my AVG (well it did, I didn't know I was) and it started playing up so removed it.

Managed to get back into pc and then couldn't connect to the internet, windows firewall set to high was blocking that.

Sorted that out and then wanted some antivirus before spending much time online so did a search and found avast, twice as many downloads as AVG so thought it worth a try.

Downloaded no problem, installation seemed to be no problem.
Then, avast froze.
Then everything seemed to freeze?
Couldn't do anything else but turn the power off and go for a restart, no other option.

Did that and now, although my pc starts and loads windows xp, it's frozen from the first screen?
avast seems to be running as it keeps popping up to tell me so, but can't do anything else.

Mouse controls are being blocked so can't even move over to avast to disable it.
No start menu options and CTRL+ALT+DEL doesn't pop up either?

So, at this moment in time, I'm stuck, frozen if you like 

Can get into the XP recovery console using the disc but don't know how, or even if I can, disable avast from there to get control of my pc back so I can uninstall it??
Can boot into safe mode but can't then get past the title screen as can't move mouse to highlight anything?

Any help or suggestions??

Thanks in advance

[AdrianH]

You did FULLY uninstall AVG prior to installing Avast didn't you?  You cannot run both on one system.

[defgimp]

Hello

Yes as far as I know I did?
Ran the uninstaller which completed and said it had done, removed it.

Pretty sure it had done as the next time I started the PC, my windows firewall kept popping up, blocking stuff?
It kept telling me that chrome,IE and firefox were viruses and blocked them?

Something somewhere ain't right 

[adotd]

Hi Defgimp

If you can access your desktop visit:

http://www.avg.com/us-en/utilities

Select the correct removal tool:

If you have a 32 bit operating select this one

AVG Remover(32bit) 2012
(avg_remover_stf_x86_2012_2125.exe)

If you have a 64 bit operating select this one


AVG Remover(64bit) 2012
(avg_remover_stf_x64_2012_2125.exe)

Message from AVG website

WARNING
All AVG user settings will be removed after the uninstall process is complete, as well as content from the Virus Vault and all other items related to AVG installation and use. You will be asked during the removal procedure to restart your computer. Therefore, please make sure to finish your work and save all important data prior to launching AVG Remover.

Run the program and allow it to complete

This will remove all the remnants of AVG from your PC

my windows firewall kept popping up, blocking stuff?
It kept telling me that chrome,IE and firefox were viruses and blocked them?

Was avast saying this? if it was then you may have a infection

If it is not you need to allow the programs through your firewall

[defgimp]

Hello

Thanks for the advice but can't actually access my desktop
It's there, it's right in front of me, just can't do anything other than look at it 

To me, I need to be doing something before startup, at a recovery/repair level, before programs get going?

Can get into the XP recovery console using the disk, but have no idea where or even if I can, do anything from there?

Only got rid of AVG as it updated and then seemed to start allowing various pop-ups through and tried to system restore and couldn't until i'd disabled AVG.
Once disabled I was able to do a system restore but it didn't help so removed AVG altogether and tried again.
Still made no difference but then windows firewall wouldn't let me connect to the internet?
Disabled that and got online and went to get some antivirus, avast.

Downloaded that and installed and everything seemed fine.
Clicked to close the avast window as it said everything was ok and thats when it froze.

Like I said, can't do anything at a desktp level, it won't let me 

Don't know where to go next?
Have spent the best part of 18 hours trying to sort it thus far and the more I try, the more it looks like it's going to be a full reinstall/format job 

Hope that makes sense 

Thanks again

[adotd]

Hi defgimp

Do this

Boot into safe mode with command prompt

Enter into the command box explorer.exe

That will allow you to access your desktop

[defgimp]

Thanks 

Didn't work though 

Can't get far enough into safe mode to get a command prompt box up?
Just seems to be frozen at the welcome/choose a user name screen?

[adotd]

When your on that command prompt enter


appwiz.cpl

This will access Add/Remove Programs

[defgimp]

Thanks, would try that but can't actually get to a command box???

Like I said, it freezes up before I get chance to choose a user in safe mode and although it's running in normal desktop mode, just can't do anything at all??

Thanks again for your help

[aztony]

Thanks, would try that but can't actually get to a command box???

Like I said, it freezes up before I get chance to choose a user in safe mode and although it's running in normal desktop mode, just can't do anything at all??

Thanks again for your help

Hey defgimp,
just wondering if you got your issue sorted out...

[defgimp]

Hello

Yes and no, is the short answer.

Still can't find out how to get rid of or disable avast to at least try and get back into my system to get something done, just don't have the know how to do it and can't seem to find an answer online, but I'm probably asking the wrong questions

Had a spare hard disk so I've done a clean install on that and am in the process of dragging everything that was of use off my original drive onto this new one.
Not the best of solutions but I'd spent an age trying to sort out a problem and decided I might as well spend time setting up a new one instead of getting another few days into it only to find I had to set up a new one anyway

Do have a hard disk docking station and did try removing Avast from that and then putting it back in, but that just caused it to crash and give me a nice blue screen to look at!

At least I'm back online on my desktop, even if it isn't quite right yet 

[aztony]

At least I'm back online on my desktop, even if it isn't quite right yet

Well I am glad that you can access your desktop. The issue has me stumped too,  particularly your not being able to get into safe mode. With regard to not being able to disable the av, was 'enable avast! self defense module' checked under Settings, Troubleshooting?

[Decker]

Did you try deleting the Page file? 

Boot off your spare hard disk, then look at the old hard disk and delete the "pagefile.sys"
I recall starting Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and going to "More Tools" and running "File Assassin" to delete that file...

Whoops, I got ahead of myself.  I'll start back at the beginning.
I had the exact same problem as defgimp.  And I of thinking it was a virus or a bad download/update by Avast?
So I hooked up a spare HDD (2nd drive) w/fresh Install of WinXP Pro SP3.
And I scanned the heck out of the 1st drive.  Except for a few spyware cookies nothing was found.
But one of the scanners was Suspicious there could be a  "Win32:Zlob-RF [Trj]" in the "pagefile.sys"

So I deleted that file, finding nothing else after a week, I un-hooked the spare HDD and booted the old HDD into safe mode.  Sorry, I didn't try normal mode, I didn't really care to tinker much more...
So in safe mode I uninstalled Avast, and Malwarebytes, and an Ancient version of SUPERAntiSpyware.
  (SUPERAntiSpyware only updates itself if you buy it...  so I'm no longer using that product, seems unsafe somehow.)

Anywho, I rebooted into safe mode again, reinstalled Avast, then manually updated it.  After that I installed Malwarebytes, then manually updated it.  Rebooted and I was back at my old desktop.  I had Avast boot scan, then scan everything on the highest (which is also the slowest) possible settings, then Malwarebytes, then spybot, etc.
Nothing was found inside that copy of Windows so... I'm using it again today.

A long winded solution, but that's what solved my freeze up for the same problem defgimp described.
Hopefully it works for you defgimp.
Best of luck!   

[mchain]

Posted by: defgimp
« on: April 25, 2012, 09:57:53 AM

Updated my AVG (well it did, I didn't know I was) and it started playing up so removed it.

Managed to get back into pc and then couldn't connect to the internet, windows firewall set to high was blocking that.

Sorted that out and then wanted some antivirus before spending much time online so did a search and found avast, twice as many downloads as AVG so thought it worth a try.

Downloaded no problem, installation seemed to be no problem.

Pretty sure it had done as the next time I started the PC, my windows firewall kept popping up, blocking stuff?
It kept telling me that chrome,IE and firefox were viruses and blocked them?

Does it look as if the system was already infected before Avast! was installed?  Reason I say that is because:

• Avast! was downloaded when the system had no active resident antivirus protection.  (AVG was removed).
• Windows Firewall is reporting browsers were viruses.  Firewalls block or allow internet connections, antivirus resident scanners scan incoming traffic for malicious data.  The fact is that a XP Windows Firewall is only good as a one-way firewall, so any malicious file on the system is free to go out on the internet without any detection of any kind whatsoever.  XP Windows Firewall gives inbound protection only.

Replace the XP Windows Firewall with a good two-way firewall for inbound and outbound protection.
Clearing the page file is a good idea, but will only work if the malicious file is resident in that area.

Better idea is to maybe download what you need first, then remove and install what you want to run off-line. Take the time to make sure your security programs are working as they should before going back online.