<u>Short version</u> My computer sometimes gets slow and requires a restart (FireFox doesn't always shut down all the way, which is a pretty common problem), but when I restarted it this time for that reason, it wouldn't load. I get a choice between XP or recovery console and then a blank screen, safe mode also gets a blank screen after visibly loading drivers. I tried restoring the MBR but that did not change anything. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT because it is not my computer, I am a geek, I have no other way to talk to my boyfriend, and I will be blamed for this problem (by a person who asked if Google was installed when I told him it wouldn't load =\) and never allowed to use the computer again if I cannot fix this problem without reformatting. I desperately need your help so thank you in advance to any attempts. <u>Long version</u> My computer sometimes gets slow and requires a restart (FireFox doesn't always shut down all the way, which is a pretty common problem), but when I restarted it this time for that reason, it wouldn't load. I get a choice between XP or recovery console and then a blank screen, safe mode also gets a blank screen after visibly loading drivers. I uninstalled some programs before last restart, including a codec which a software I was using said was required but still popped up the same dialog after installing the codec, however, the site I got it from was legitimate (though I don't have a link, it was obvioulsy legitimate and the codec even had a logo), I just don't know what a codec is so I probablay installed the wrong one and I don't know where it installed to to fill in the dialog prompt. Every software I uninstalled, however, was installed the day before. I did not install anything other then t@b S4 video editor, which is a program known not to be a virus. It is also not the type of commercial, ad-heavy, error-causing software, such as Adobe, Windows, McAfee and AIM, that people tend to want to stay away from. My system does seem to have a virus of some sort on it. Google.com does not load (hosts file is fine), system is slower then it was last time I was at this house, a dll error for a dll that Google doesn't know about usually shows up at restart, and opendns.com loads, but not properly, and one particular webpage (that hads nothing to do with yahoo) kept redirecting me to yahoo for no reason. This virus, if that's what it is, has been present the entire 2 months I've been here, and I have restarted the computer plenty of times. I recently started to wonder if the virus had something to do with about.com, when many of the links I clicked in Yahoo! search seemed to be related to about.com, which usually tends to have articles I wouldn't click on, and when I saw an ad for about.com at the top of a page on sourceforge.net with ann option to "close this frame," I realiazed that might be what the virus was. So I did a Yahoo! search on that (I am unaware of any alternative to Google) but had not yet navigated to that tab when I restarted ("save session"). Spybot did not cath this virus, and I have sucessfully restarted the computer once since that scan was done. I am not asking for help with the virus but rather with the fact that my computer will not load Windows anymore. This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT because it is not my computer, I am a geek, I have no other way to talk to my boyfriend, and I will be blamed for this problem (by a person who asked if Google was <u>installed</u> when I told him it wouldn't load =\) and never allowed to use the computer again if I cannot fix this problem without reformatting. The only suggested solution I have found so far is to try restoring the MBR table. I did this (it did not require a disc, as the person said that it did), and no different results have come from it. The Recovery Console asked me which installation I want to repair; D:/MiniNT, D:/I386, or C:/WINDOWS. C:/Windows was the third option, and I do not know what MiniNT is. I am also unsure why i386 was listed, since I believe the syatem should recognize what that is. I desperately need your help so thank you in advance to any attempts.

The D:/I386 is some sort of recovery partition or folder I'm guessing. What you want to do is put in the XP disk like you are going to reinstall the operating system. Let it load, you will come to the blue screen where is say to set up windows or repair with recovery console. Press enter, do not press r for the recovery console. Then it will go to the next screen, press f8 to agree to license agreement. Then the next screen is where it asks again to repair or do a fresh install. Press r for repair. This will reload the operating system without deleting all the other files that may need saving. This should get you up and running again if your problem is a software problem and not a hardware problem. Obviously you need some sort of guidance about virus' and such. You also should tell the person who's computer it is so that they have the chance to save the files that are important to them and completely wipe and restore this system.

[quote]The D:/I386 is some sort of recovery partition or folder I'm guessing. [/quote] Uh no it's an i386 folder. And I don't have a disk, and repair won't wipe out any files, anf if it did, then it doesn't help the problem which specifically sayd "need to save the following"...

Oh, and I wonder how I "obviously" need education about viruses when any viruses that may be contracted on this computer had nothing to do with me?

Ok, I guess I need to explain this better. When you say you are a geek I thought that meant you knew a lot about computers. Sorry. Usually a folder that has the name of I386 contains all the files necessary to install windows. I don't know that to be true about vista because I don't have it but if you look at a xp cd it will have an I386 folder. The setup program uses the files in that folder to install windows. If there is a drive (D:\) that has I386 folder I'm guessing that someone put that folder there on purpose to recover windows. Yes, you are right the repair option will not wipe any files someone wants to keep. Like pictures mp3 video documents. Thats what I said. That way the owner of the computer would have a chance to recover such files he or she had on there. Then they could fix the system by doing a full install after they save the stuff they wanted saved. That I also said. At this point you are lucky that a person trusted you to use their computer. You owe it to them to tell them what happened so they have the opportunity to fix it. If they don't let you use it anymore maybe you should buy your own. Maybe you should read the whole post of someone trying to help you before you take everything as an insult. This is the first time in months that I have had the time to come to this website and try to help someone out. I picked a post that no one else would give the time of day. I think that this will be my last, if that is the way people are on here.