XP Welcome Screen: Weird prompt

[skybl8zr]

Hi,

A person I know has been infected by some kind of worm or virus which her Norton Anti-virus protection apparently couldn't cure. I don't think she prepared any Rescue Discs. Now she can't boot into Windows XP Home at all and she doesn't use a login. It just stops at the Welcome Screen with a weird 'Yes' or 'No' prompt in the foreground, I've never seen before. Whatever she choose it just reappear.

It wasn't even possible to boot into Safe Mode. Here the comp just shuts down with a BSOD. Also, 'Load last good configuation' doesn't fix the problem. I suppose her boot sector is messed up somehow.

Does anyone recognize the attached 'Yes/No' prompt or maybe know how to bypass it, get rid of it or whatever? Sorry for the bad pic quality because it was taken with a cell phone and send to me via MMS.

Thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

[Leo 69]

The best you can do in this situation is to use some bootable rescue CD. I recommend you (...). There are 2 antivirus scanners working
from DOS included and a lot of other useful stuff which might help. So, you may check it out, it's located (...).

edit mod: removed links, package contained cracked software.

[buzzqw]

i would run HijackThis

take a look at http://merijn.org/index.html

BHH

[Doom9]

get rid of it format and reinstall.. it always works

[DigitAl56K]

Check for bad ram. While that could be malware, it could also be an error box where the system hasn't been able to allocate the resources for all of the controls.

[MrTroy]

i would run HijackThis

take a look at http://merijn.org/index.html

BHH
It might prove difficult to run HijackThis if you can't get into the shell...

Doesn't Windows XP make 'images' of it's settings? I think I read somewhere about 'restoring previous settings' with a command-line option.
I'm sorry I can't be more specific, usually I know much about fixing computers, but for some reason I have never used a 'restore to previous configuration'. :o

[buzzqw]

usually on boot there is the option to boot in safe mode or "last good one" , press F8 on booting

BHH

[Shinigami-Sama]

Well he said he couldn't even get into safe mode, so...
it looks like a format is in order, I agree with doom9

[MACC]

I would have to agree with Doom9. Its always the most sure fire way to get rid of unknown software problems. If its viral or
just stupid and unknown. I did run into something like this at one time. Some sites that are visited sometimes pop up a dialog that wants you to install something and gives you a yes or no choice. If you say yes it installs spyware, malware or uselessware.
Then the one that I came across if you hit no it asks a couple of times but install some stuff anyway. I tried several different ways to try and figure this out and get rid of the problem but there was no way to get it to the desktop. When you see the login for XP you get the yes no choice. Whatever you push it will keep giving you a choice while the actual system is being pushed to the limits by tiny apps that are being launched and installed all over the system. Cloging it up and using the resources at 100%. Preventing the desktop or at least making it very hard to even get to.
If it is the same as this it is the only choice to reinstall. Even system restore will not take care of it. If it is even the same one that I mentioned.

[MACC]

Forgot to note about the study of this. This thing can also be found through downloading at some p2p places.

You may be able to get to the desktop by using the ctrl-alt-delete and going to the task manager to see this thing running. You may have to use end task a whole lot of times. It may get you to the desktop and then you can see all the files that it is placing inside of your folders. But it will do the same thing next time you boot.