Allright, I got this virus from the internet... where from? i dunno... no possiblility. but it really screwed my comp... I am pretty sure its a BIOS virus however...

Ok, I have been working on this virus for the past 2 weeks.... I wrote zeroes on the hard drive to get that true cleanlyness, from westerndigatals program cause my harddrive is a raptor, anyways I try to install windows and and random percentages mainly between 7% - 15% it comes up with a error saying that it could not be copied correctly...
this is of course after i partitioned and formated it with my XP cd. and this is a Valid XP cd, not some download off Kazaa or something, its the real deal strait from microsoft...
I then went into CMOS and turned on the antivirus.... and when i went to install xp agian for like 6th time... it came up with a antivirus message that said "boot sector write" continue yes or no?" so then I wrote zeroes to the hard drive and then disconnected it completly... turned off comp, turned it back on with ASUS motherboard CD in it and hit alt + f2 to flash the bios... and flashed the bios.
then connected back the hard drive and turned the comp on and went to install XP and same thing happened.... but its random times between 7% - 15%... I even tried A friends XP cd and id does the same thing.... so i know its not a bad CD.

I am guessing that its a BIOS Virus, and when i flash the virus it possible gets saved in RAM???!??? then writes back on the the BIOS after the flash... I dunno... I looked at reviews and they said the best way is antivirus program... but i can't install XP to get to the antivirus installed....

Whats the best advice.... any advice helps! Ideas? websites for freeware antivirus BIOS software, that works right on start up rather then need a operating system to work on....

Thanks to all that helps!

and sorry such a long explaination.....

I think your problem might be as simple as a faulty hard disk drive or a bad/intermittant controller and/or associated cabling! Do you have another drive to try?

Robert Pectol
http://rob.pectol.com/

Yeah, I went to the store and bought another brand new raptor and it did the same thing.... i checked the physical connection and it looks good... this is a brand spanking new comp... and i also forgot to mention that I was able to install XP and had my comp running for a day then i got the virus and tried to reformate to start over....

When you enter the bios setup screens, do they function as expected?  Also, did your hard disk come with a bootable diagnostics program CD?  If so, boot to that and run the diagnostics.  I agree now that your drive is probably not the culprit since you purchased a new one and it does the same thing.  However, by running the drive diagnostics, you can sometimes discover intermittant problems in the controller and associated hardware connections.  Good luck!

Robert Pectol
http://rob.pectol.com/

Yeah i got a diagnostics cd, but it says all is good, i mainly use it to write zeroes to the harddrive, both sectors and the harddrive itself...
The bios runs as expected... i can change whatever....

Aside from having you verify that all devices are properly seated and that the PSU is functioning properly and not under rated for the system, I don't know what else to suggest! You might need to contact the manufacturer of your MoBo if you do decide that your bios is somehow harboring a nasty! Maybe they can suggest something in that case. If so, it might be in the form of some nonstandard software utility to re-flash the bios. Good luck with it. I hope you figure it out!

Robert Pectol
http://rob.pectol.com/

Hi,

It could be bad ram or motherboard. I've had the same issue with each. Try using different ram and see if that corrects the problem.

tony

AMD Athlonxp 3200+ OC
Asus A7N8x-deluxe-E
ATI AIW 9600pro
2x WD SATA raptors/raid0
Corsair XMS3200
16x Lite-on DVD
12x DVD-R
48x Lite-on CDRW
Aspire Super Alien Case

Its all brand new stuff, and I did have my computer running with XP PRO for like a day, then I got a virus... I know for sure its a virus... because I installed XP before, and now I can't.

I've seen perfectly working memory go bad whether it's brand new or not has no bearing on the fact that certain hardware items can malfunction. I've also seen a perfectly good working motherboard that worked initially only to give problems that you express. I seriously doubt it's a virus that attacked your BIOS.

AMD Athlonxp 3200+ OC
Asus A7N8x-deluxe-E
ATI AIW 9600pro
2x WD SATA raptors/raid0
Corsair XMS3200
16x Lite-on DVD
12x DVD-R
48x Lite-on CDRW
Aspire Super Alien Case

"I know for sure its a virus..."

Based on your years of extensive computer experience?

Pretty much the only way to tell if you have an actual virus is for it to be detected by AV software or otherwise identified as a suspicious process (unless you truly are a computer scientist)

Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid. -John Wayne

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If you check in your motherboard manual you will see that "enabling" your Anti-Virus protection in bios will prohibit installing any operating system. You need to have it "disabled" while writing to the boot sector, changing partition data or installing operating systems. Once install you can re-enable it again.

One of the main reasons XP will not install, is ram incomapibility. New or not it could be bad ram, and it could be incompatible. I have seen incompatible ram work in a pc for 2 years before suddenly on stick just refused to do so any more.

Doc memory tester

Run it overnight. Any failures at all are not acceptable.

I too doubt very much that it's a bios virus.

well the reason I am stuck on it being a Virus, is because i got a virus on my comp when i had xp running... I noticed the problem then went to get antivirus program and the virus would not let me get rid of the virus.... so then i tried to reformat the harddrive even with the cmos anti-virus off... and thats when i started to notice the problem.... that it would only install up to 7%-15%.... But There is other signs that make me think its a virus.... when ever i try to do anything anti-virus in dos and such then the computer does a cold shutdown! but if i go play dos games or do other things the computer will stay on all day....

So i wrote zeroes to the harddrive, disconnected it... flashed the MB with the MB cd.. my MB has a flash program that works before the computer boots... more or less... then connected the harddrive back to the computer...

also when i use XP cd and us repair... things such as bootcfg /scan does not work.
I highly doubt its a hardware problem... to much evidence that the hardware is just fine.. Thats what all my friends say that have scoped my comp out also.

More or less, my theory is that there is a bios virus that keeps writing the MBR on the Harddrive, so then when i go to install windows it does not work.... it will get to certian important files while uploading windows and say they can not copy correct, i can skip that file and it will upload a few files after but then get the same message with another file... untill my computer will get the "blue screen of death" saying random things like pag_in_fault..
more or less, what i am looking for is advice on how to get rid of a bios virus, since all that i can do is flash the bios... but i think i need a bios antivirus boot up disk or something... is this possible?

First of all, I find it hard to believe you spent all this money building a pc, and never protected it even with a free AV program?
In recent years I haven't seen a place to turn on or off any boot sector antivirus.
If you have one of those and cannot scan with any AV rescue disk, change the hard drive or put in a 98 boot disk and boot up to it and change the mbr with "fdisk /mbr" and that replaces what you had.
I never heard of a bios virus, but flashing the bios removes the old copy and replaces it with a new one.How else do you think "newbies" hose their systems all the time doing one.
And when you get done with all this silliness, why not replace the ram, which is obviously the more likely solution to all the symptoms anyway.
Humor us, replace it!!!!

LOL
I love how you all think its a RAM problem when I try to use antivirus and my comp shuts down :P. must be a ram problem though right>?... or not...
There is such thing as BIOS Virus.. I am guessing that when i flash the bios that the virus is getting re-written on the bios somehow..
I do agree that it was stupid for me to put anti-virus on my comp right away... and when i went to do so it was to late. so that sucks...

Its not a RAM problem.... My ram is supported according to the MB website, and my comp runs just fine untill i do the following:
install windows XP
Try to use anti-virus

I have changed the MBR and the BOOT record with the XP cd.
I have not tried to use windows 98 boot up disk with Fdisk.
I will try that now, since i am desperate.
but zeroeing the hard drive turns the hard-drive as if it was brand spanking new because it turns all switches from 1 to 0 (Binary)

"Its not a RAM problem.... My ram is supported according to the MB website, and my comp runs just fine untill i do the following:
install windows XP"

Ok use it without an OS. I mean if it runs just fine, maybe you don't need one?

And again as been written on here many times, XP setup and install is most sensitive to ram incompatibility issues.
But you are positive the problem is not ram.
Let me ask you a question. Would it physically or mentally harm you to take ram out of whatever you are typing your "defiance" with on this forum, to change out the ram and see for sure?
Every one of us has seen hard drives pass their utility tests and still not work. We have all also seen ram pass every test available, and still be defective. And your problem appears to be a "textbook" case of bad ram, yet you want to chase unlikely windmills like Don Quijote thorugh the computing countryside! God Bless a difference of opinion!

Hi,

Whether your computer supports the RAM module or not, the stick could STILL be bad. DOS utilizes less memory than what is required for XP that is why you are able to use your old DOS games.

I would test the memory first, in fact, If I had your computer, I would have tried it long ago.

If the memory checks out, my next inclination would be the board, and if it is a bad BIOS return it.

AMD Athlonxp 3200+ OC
Asus A7N8x-deluxe-E
ATI AIW 9600pro
2x WD SATA raptors/raid0
Corsair XMS3200
16x Lite-on DVD
12x DVD-R
48x Lite-on CDRW
Aspire Super Alien Case

Everyone thinks its RAM...
So I tried my friends ram and it does the same thing.....
as i figured it would....
Here is the thing, I had windows installed and working for about a day. then i got a virus on my computer that i never got rid of.... I wrote zereos on the hard drive, flashed the bios... and that did not work. so I then got a new hard drive... that did not work either, so I got a different XP cd... that did not work either, same problem... then i got a million posts to try new RAM, so I tried my friends DDR 2 533 RAM from his computer, and windows did the same thing... It feels like something knows when i am trying to install windows then corupts everything.. The Ram i tried worked fine on his comp after we tried it on mine just for a side note.

From what i understand it could only be BIOS, Hard drive, or RAM.. to be honest i am completly stumped... I am going to flash the BIOS with a different version of the bios for the motherboard to see if that works... but if not, I think i will just have to return the board....
does anybody have any other possible answers?
Please dont complian like little school girls about the RAM either, cuz i tried that. and it does not work. :P
Thanks to all that helped...
hopefully somthing works....

You flashed the BIOS?

Good chance you've hosed your computer.

What probably started out as a ram problem has now escalated.

Goodness gracious.

Trust me when I say this:

It is NOT a "BIOS virus". Do a little looking.

Even if there were "BIOS viruses", they don't magically hide in your computer and come out when the lights get turned off. You say you flashed your BIOS and wrote zeros to your hard drive. Where did the "BIOS virus" hide during these destructive processes? In the power supply? Maybe the processor? You do know there is memory inside the actual processor chip, right? Perhaps you should write zeros to your processor.

I wouldn't be a jerk, but you've been ignoring everyone here, seemingly assured of your superior knowlege. Trust them when they say it's most likely a hardware problem. Maybe the IDE controller on your motherboard is failing causing installation problems when XP tries to write to specific sectors on the drive?

Finding and fixing hardware problems can be a pain, but once again, it is NOT a virus that's causing these problems. A few things:

I then went into CMOS and turned on the antivirus.... and when i went to install xp agian for like 6th time... it came up with a antivirus message that said "boot sector write" continue yes or no?"

That would be the definition of a motherboard anti-virus tool. You realize that XP needs to write the bootsector in order to install, right? In reality, this form of anti-virus is pretty much worthless.

I am guessing that its a BIOS Virus, and when i flash the virus it possible gets saved in RAM???!???

Um, no. RAM is volatile memory and is wiped when the power goes out. Gone. Kaput. Nothing can hide there when the power's off.

websites for freeware antivirus BIOS software

Doesn't exist.

also when i use XP cd and us repair... things such as bootcfg /scan does not work

You realize that bootcfg doesn't have a /scan switch? Besides, didn't you say you just wrote zeros to the drive? What would there be to scan besides a whole bunch of zeros?

untill my computer will get the "blue screen of death" saying random things like pag_in_fault

The PAGE_FAULT and PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA blue screen STOP errors are both related to memory problems. Just because you tried different memory does NOT mean you are free of memory problems. Perhaps your motherboard's RAM slots are defective. Perhaps the northbridge is faulty. Who knows? Did you try the memory testing program linked to above?

There is such thing as BIOS Virus..

Thankfully, there isn't except in a very few cases. There have been a few specific motherboards who can have their CMOS flashed by a virus while in Windows, but that's the extent to them. They don't stay resident, they just trash the CMOS so the motherboard is non-functional.

I am guessing that when i flash the bios that the virus is getting re-written on the bios somehow..

It's that old black magic...

I have changed the MBR and the BOOT record with the XP cd.

Um, alright. Helpful.

but zeroeing the hard drive turns the hard-drive as if it was brand spanking new because it turns all switches from 1 to 0 (Binary)

Thanks for the clarification of "zeroing".

but if not, I think i will just have to return the board....

That's probably the best idea you've had yet from what I can see.

Alright, that's enough. Long post, but here's the thing: What's the point of asking people for help when you're just going to discount all their suggestions? If you already know the answers, why bother asking?

Anyway, I do hope you get your system up and running. I can certainly understand the frustration of a misbehaving computer.

wow, how long did that post take you?
More or less, it is frustrating!!! Brand new comp and works for half a day then dies!
I am returning the board and actually buying a different one.
hopefully this will fix the issue.
Thanks to all people that helped! and thank you to the "jerk(s)" who like to write big long posts on what i have to say. :)
Dr. Nick = Computer nerded Dr. Phil? :S...

Some VB FUN! :)
If Computer = Bad Then
Shotgun + computerUser = ComputerDestroyed
ElseIf Computer = Good Then
ComputerUser + Snacks = GoodDay
EndIf

wow, how long did that post take you?

Actually not too long. Maybe 5 minutes or so.

I am returning the board and actually buying a different one.
hopefully this will fix the issue.

Good luck.

Dr. Nick = Computer nerded Dr. Phil?

Dr. Phil? *shudders* :)

I actually had the same problem installing Windows XPsp2 on my computer. It would say can't copy files, this would happen a random times. It would install Windows XPsp1 but not XPsp2. As weird as it sounds I used a different cd drive and it installed flawlessly. The cd drive that would not let it install, works for everything else I've ever needed it for except for this one thing.

Well that just beats everything and I actually had the same experience on an old Compaq 5000 series about 6 months ago.Switched to the cdrw and install went fine. Cd rom never failed on anything else.