Cannot Exit Windows XP Setup

[tox0tes]

I have a laptop that got infected with a virus that deleted some of the windows xp system files, so I decided to use my windows xp full version cd to repair the OS and hopefully reinstall those deleted files.

So I start the repair thing from the win xp disc, and it gets completed, but then somehow I get taken into the full version installataion setup, and windows xp starts to install on my system....but I don't need that to happen, since I already have it installed! Too late! Now I am stuck.

WHen there are 34 minutes left of installation time,The setup seems to freeze and reamains at the 34 minute mark. I shut down the computer and tried again, and it does the same thing. Then, I removed the disc and shut down the computer, restarted it, but I CANNOT EXIT WINDOWS XP SETUP! I have tried everything from messing around in the bios, to pressing different combinations of keys on startup, but every time I boot the computer, it wants to install windows xp. If I have the disc already in, it continues with setup, but if i dont have it in, it asks me to insert it.

I think the disc thinks that I don't already have XP installed (since this is the full version install), so it automatically assumes that my computer is vacant (in terms of OS), hence, it does not let me escape setup.

There are two possible ways of dealing with this problem:

1. fix the windows xp setup so that it doesnt stop responding at the 34 minute mark.

2. exit windows xp setup so that I can find another way to repair the deleted files.

Right now, my laptop is not functional because it is STUCK in windows xp setup, I cannot escape it. I realize that I coudl always just erase the hard drive and start fresh, but I have way too much data on it, and I cannot lose it.

[Paleo Pete]

I realize that I coudl always just erase the hard drive and start fresh, but I have way too much data on it, and I cannot lose it.

That's likely to be the only way to deal with this problem. When a virus is involved is the only time I think a full format and reinstall is recommended early on, without trying a dozen other things first, especially when system files are corrupted or deleted.

Some system files, like one of the vxd files, can't simply be copied, but must be compiled specifically for the computer during the OS installation. Copying them often results in a flaky system even if it does work.

Also, I wouldn't trust any data on a hard drive that had a virus, it's too easy for it to come back to haunt you later. The freezing during the installation I think is likely to force a full format and install though, that may be the only way to get around it. It's also probably safest.

[Paul Komski]

I wouldn't give up on things just yet.

You state that "If I have the disc already in, it continues with setup, but if i dont have it in, it asks me to insert it". You need to actually boot to the CD and not to the setup routine. It is not doing this for one of a couple of reasons.
(a)You must have the BIOS setup set so that you are booting to the CDROM.
(b)You must have the CD in situ AND depress a key during setup when a prompt to "depress any key to boot from the CD" should appear on the screen. If you miss this key (easily done) it will carry on with its HDD setup routine. If you are missing it then keep tapping a key during boot-up in order that the key press is "caught" by the boot process.
(c)If you miss this routine you will only get a fleeting glimpse (if at all) of the boot menu screen produced by boot.ini in which the time-out is set to 1sec during setup. You won't see it at all if there is only one option on it but sometimes during an "upgrade"/"repair" a second temporary installation is chosen. The way to hit this is also to keep tapping a key - in this case the down arrow but that will only get it if there is more than one entry in the file.

There are ways of going in and editing such a file or files but that can only be done if either you have a fat partition and then boot to a dos startup diskette or if you can boot to the winxp install CD and repair things from there using either the recovery console or repairing an existing installation.

If we can get you to boot into the install CD you should choose new installation - ignore repairing using the recovery console (for now anyays) - let the installation files get copied to the drive and then if prompted to repair an existing partition either say yes (and let the computer reboot and complete the process) or just install a second installation into a newly named windows directory (call it something like winxp2). This second option, a parallel or second "clean" installation of WinXP, onto the same parition should allow you to access all your original files.

It would then be up to you to check for viruses etc, backup etc, etc.

If all else fails you should still be able to get your data back with any of the DIY recovery programs such as GDB from www.runtime.org or by slaving the drive to another pc before clean reinstalling. There is no reason to suppose that the file system is corrupt - just some of the essential files on the drive.