I have a problem loading windows: It will load to the desktop just fine but as it loads my startup programs it freezes before I can use anything (I know I have too much stuff happening because it takes forever to load everything). When I try to boot from a startup disk it does not recognize my hard drives and for some reason I don't have the option to boot in safe mode when i hold down control (I have changed to EASYBIOS) - however when I do this it tells me that i have a boot sector virus and my only option is to reboot... I can't scan for viruses because NAV doesn't seem to work in DOS. I have not tried fdisk /mbr or sys commands because my c: drive is not recognized - does this matter? Oh, my hard drives are recognized in BIOS... Any suggestions before I try reformatting? I am also getting a new computer in the next week or so and I am thinking I can maybe try a virus scan through it or at least try to ID the problem... Any help would be greatly appreciated - Cheers

F-prot has a free virus scanner that runs in DOS. www.f-prot.com See if this is any help. When you download this file, it comes as a .zip file. Inside there are 15 or more files. You may be able to delete some to make it small enough to fit onto a floppy and run it from there. You may have to do a separate scan for the different bugs it looks for (depending upon what you delete).

Try another bootable floppy. www.bootdisk.com

Easybios/EZbios is a drive overlay. If you boot from a floppy without the overlay loading, the OS sees the partition as non-dos and you won't be able to perform any OS functions on it. To make sure the overlay loads, don't put in the floppy bootdisk until you get the screen option to boot from the floppy drive. Then put the boodisk in and hit CTRL (or whatever key it states) to get it going. Since CTRL is usually the key the overlay recognizes to boot from a floppy, it'd be better to use the F8 key to access the boot menu. Just start tapping it after you turn the computer on. This assumes you're not booting from a bootdisk as there's no reason for the menu then.

EZbios also alters you master boot record, of at least the first hard drive, and this can be detected by an unaware (dumb, stupid) anti-virus utility or bios activated anti-virus as a boot sector virus - this is a false warning. This false message is much more likely to be the case than you having a boot sector virus. ......... If you use fdisk /mbr you will destroy the EZbios altered master boot record - your data will still be there, but you will need your EZbios install floppy to restore it. DO NOT use fdisk /mbr except as a last resort - you can find out if you really have a boot sector virus other ways (see below). ........... The following info is in the printed MANUAL that comes with the retail boxed NAV (or System Works). If you downloaded NAV from the web, there is also information in the docs that come with it, but may not be as extensive - if so you can get more info on the Symantec website. NAV (or System Works) CD can be used to boot the computer if your bios is set to boot the CDRom drive, or if you can set it to this boot order - CD, A, C. The Dos version of NAV will scan your computer. When you are finished, set your bios to boot the way it was before (usually A, C), or if you can set it to this boot order - CD, A, C then you can leave it as is, and just remove the CD. Lots more info in the MANUAL. ........ If NAV detects the EZbios altered master boot record as a boot sector virus, this is probably false. The only way you can find out for sure whether you have a boot sector virus, ONLY if NAV detects it, is to restore the master boot record to the default for your operating system, then scan using the booted NAV cd, then restore the EZbios masterboot record. This may be complicated to do, but you won't lose any data on the hard drive. You will need your EZbios install floppy. If you have a setting in the bios for anti-virus protection for your bios, turn it OFF if you are using EZ bios - most of these detect only boot sector alterations anyway, and many will detect EZbios the altered master boot record as a boot sector virus falsely. ......... You probably have some sort of software conflict going on, and that was probably caused by software you added recently, and often by Startup programs loaded when Windows loads. Start your computer in Safe mode - if it loads properly, a software problem is certain, and you do not need to be concerned with any possible boot sector virus. You may be loading too many programs that start up when windows is loaded (very common). - and/or A program that loads when you start your computer may be interfering with something else. Start - Run - type: msconfig - look under Startup tab. Some are default Windows ones - ScanRegistry, System Tray, TaskMonitor, LoadPowerProfile, SchedulingAgent - they are supposed to run all the time, and are necessary for the normal operation of windows - normally they can be left as is. There will also be at least one entry for something to do with your video display adapter, usually identifiable by something indicating a brand or model name of the adapter (e.g. ATI....). If you use a software firewall, there will be at least one entry for that. There will be at least one entry for your anti-virus program (e.g. Norton Anti Virus - name usually starts with NAV). Everything else other than these entries can be disabled by clicking on the box to the left to remove the checkmark. Try disabling everything not necessary and see if your problem goes away. If it does, re-enable half, check again, etc. Eventually you may narrow it down to what causes the problem. A lot of programs install a startup program that only help the main program load a few seconds faster - you don't need them to use the program. e.g. if you don't use MS Messenger all the time, unload (uncheck) MsnMsgr from the Startup programs.

Thanks for all the feedback... I'm pretty sure now that it's not a virus because I have got it to start in safe mode - no viruses detected with a scan (though my definitions are about 3 weeks old...). I will try uninstalling some programs and a new HP all-in-one printer that was giving me problems before, as well as disabling startup programs - hopefully this solves it. Cheers y'all

Update your virus definitions. MyDoom worm and its variants, some trojans since you last updated.