Virus infection on a T60 ==> how best to reinstall WindowsXP? Can I safely still use the special Windows installation partition?
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From: ship on 19 Jan 2010 18:19 P.S. For clarification my computer is a T60 laptop from Lenovo. (about 3 years old) With thanks Ship Shiperton Henethe
From: ship on 20 Jan 2010 05:49 On Jan 20, 6:58 am, "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABear...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > HOW TO do a clean install of WinXP: Seehttp://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html#stepsand/or Method 1 inhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/978307 > > After the clean install, you'll have the equivalent of a "new computer" so > take care of everything on the following page before otherwise connecting > the machine to the internet or a network and before using a flash drive or > SDCard that isn't brand-new or hasn't been freshly formatted: > > 4 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online > http://www.microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspx > > Other helpful references include: > > HOW TO get a computer running WinXP Gold (no Service Packs) fully patched > (after a clean install)http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsupdate/msg/3f5... > > HOW TO get a computer running WinXP SP1(a) or SP2 fully patched (after a > clean install)http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg... > > Tip: After getting the computer fully-patched, download/install KB971029 > manually:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029 > > NB: Any Norton or McAfee free-trial that came preinstalled on the computer > when you bought it will be reinstalled (but invalid) when Windows is > reinstalled. You MUST uninstall the free-trial and download/run the > appropriate removal tool before installing any updates, Windows Service > Packs or IE upgrades and before installing your new anti-virus application > (which will require WinXP SP3 to be installed). > > Norton Removal Tool > ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_... > > McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool > http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCP... > > Also see: > > Steps To Help Prevent Spywarehttp://www.microsoft.com/security/spyware/prevent.aspx > > Steps to Help Prevent Computer Wormshttp://www.microsoft.com/security/worms/prevent.aspx > > Avoid Rogue Security Software!http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx > -- > ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) > MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002www.banthecheck.com > > > > ship wrote: > > Hi > > > My T60 (WindowsXP Pro) has been infected with several viruses. > > > Is it safe to re-install from the WindowsXP partition? > > > Or should I kill absolutely everything on the disk (eg. by running > > KillDisk off a CD)? > > > And if I do the latter, how on earth to I register it with Microsoft > > because the laptop did not come with any CDs. > > (I can borrow a Windows XP Pro CD from work - but I presume that there > > will be problems with the Product Key and License number etc) > > > Any thoughts? > > > With thanks > > > Ship- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - All helpful suggestions, but nobody seems to have answered my central questions: A). Do I need to delete the special WindowXP installation partition? i.e. is it theoretically possible for a virus to get into it? And B). How am I supposed to reinstall WindowsXP correctly without it? With thanks Ship Shiperton Henethe
From: Jose on 20 Jan 2010 07:12 On Jan 19, 6:16 pm, ship <ship...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi > > My T60 (WindowsXP Pro) has been infected with several viruses. > > Is it safe to re-install from the WindowsXP partition? > > Or should I kill absolutely everything on the disk (eg. by running > KillDisk off a CD)? > > And if I do the latter, how on earth to I register it with Microsoft > because the laptop did not come with any CDs. > (I can borrow a Windows XP Pro CD from work - but I presume that there > will be problems with the Product Key and License number etc) > > Any thoughts? > > With thanks > > Ship If you think it is best to start from scorched earth, I would delete everything - even the special Windows installation partition. You do not know the status/health of it with 100% certainty. Even if you could use it, if something goes wrong later, you will always wonder if it was really part of the problem or not. Eliminate the possibility of that question ever coming up - whack it. You can certainly make a copy of a genuine bootable XP installation CD to keep with your computer. Don't borrow it, make a copy for you. It is not unethical to make a copy of a Windows CD. It is unethical to apply the same license key to different computers. Be sure it is of the same version you have now (Home, Pro, etc). If you don't need it now, you will be glad you have it some other day. Before you reinstall, you should determine the currently installed licensing information on your current system (if it runs) and use that when reinstalling. It may be on a sticker on your PC that is unreadable, lost or missing. You need to figure out what Windows thinks, not what some sticker says. The information is already on your system of course, you just need to find it and write it down for later. You can use one of several free tools, or use them all and see which one you like best: Magic Jelly Bean: http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/ SIW: http://www.gtopala.com/ Belarc: http://belarc.com/free_download.html It would be more fun to just fix your current unspecified problem and not reinstall, but you can/should certainly find out the licensing information and get a copy of a genuine bootable XP installation CD of your own and keep it in a safe place for the future - or the present...
From: PA Bear [MS MVP] on 20 Jan 2010 13:18 ship wrote: >> HOW TO do a clean install of WinXP: >> Seehttp://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html#stepsand/or Method 1 >> inhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/978307 >> >> After the clean install, you'll have the equivalent of a "new computer" >> so >> take care of everything on the following page before otherwise connecting >> the machine to the internet or a network and before using a flash drive >> or >> SDCard that isn't brand-new or hasn't been freshly formatted: >> >> 4 steps to help protect your new computer before you go online >> http://www.microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspx >> >> Other helpful references include: >> >> HOW TO get a computer running WinXP Gold (no Service Packs) fully patched >> (after a clean >> install)http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsupdate/msg/3f5... >> >> HOW TO get a computer running WinXP SP1(a) or SP2 fully patched (after a >> clean >> install)http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/msg... >> >> Tip: After getting the computer fully-patched, download/install KB971029 >> manually:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029 >> >> NB: Any Norton or McAfee free-trial that came preinstalled on the >> computer >> when you bought it will be reinstalled (but invalid) when Windows is >> reinstalled. You MUST uninstall the free-trial and download/run the >> appropriate removal tool before installing any updates, Windows Service >> Packs or IE upgrades and before installing your new anti-virus >> application >> (which will require WinXP SP3 to be installed). >> >> Norton Removal Tool >> ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_... >> >> McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool >> http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCP... >> >> Also see: >> >> Steps To Help Prevent >> Spywarehttp://www.microsoft.com/security/spyware/prevent.aspx >> >> Steps to Help Prevent Computer >> Wormshttp://www.microsoft.com/security/worms/prevent.aspx >> >> Avoid Rogue Security >> Software!http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx -- >> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) >> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002www.banthecheck.com >> >> >> >> ship wrote: >>> Hi >> >>> My T60 (WindowsXP Pro) has been infected with several viruses. >> >>> Is it safe to re-install from the WindowsXP partition? >> >>> Or should I kill absolutely everything on the disk (eg. by running >>> KillDisk off a CD)? >> >>> And if I do the latter, how on earth to I register it with Microsoft >>> because the laptop did not come with any CDs. >>> (I can borrow a Windows XP Pro CD from work - but I presume that there >>> will be problems with the Product Key and License number etc) >> > > All helpful suggestions, but nobody seems to have answered my central > questions: > A). Do I need to delete the special WindowXP installation partition? > i.e. is it theoretically possible for a virus to get into it? Assuming you're referring to the hidden Recovery partition: No & it's a very, very remote possibility
From: ship on 20 Jan 2010 15:46
Well I spoke to Lenovo and they want to sting me for GBP 40.00 for an installation disk. I refuse point blank to do this partly as a matter of principle and partly because it will proably take a while for the CD to arrive by post. I have dug out the number from Control Panel > System > General Tab which looks like this 99999-OEM-9999999-99999 (except with actual numbers instead of "9"s) I also spoke to Microsoft who were extremely insistant that using a different CD would definitely fail to work (I suspect that they are probably fibbing). Apparently I will to give them an "Installation ID" (9 groups of 6 digits), and they will then need to give me a "Confirmation ID" I've not followed any of the links above yet - will they be able to generate a "Product Key" or "Confirmation ID" ? I am slightly hazy about what all these "IDs" and "Keys" are and where and when they are required by WindowsXP. The spare CD I have comes from my old PC. It is definitely a genuine Windows XP Professional CD, and I have the product key for *it* (but I presume that it wont work...) Wait a minute - *yes* on the back of the Lenovo Laptop is indeed a "product key", and with 5 groups of 5 characters. Looks promising :) Is there anything else that I need to do ? i.e. do I still need the likes of http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/ or do I now have the information that I need? * * * But as some of you imply, MAYBE there is not need to format the Windows installation parition. But just how hard can it be for a virus to write to a hidden partition? NOT hard I would imagine. If I was writing a virus that is exactly the sort of thing I would get it to do to ensure that it survived a re-formatting of the C: drive... but what do I know? Ship (OP) |