Member Avatar for jett

My computer cannot get into windows. I get as far as the when the Windows logo background comes on the screen but then my computer gives me the error message and the BLUE screen.
The problem may have to do with a virus. I loaded an old diskette and I instantly got a message from my virus scanner that I had acquired a virus. I thought I had removed but I still continued to get this message each time I logged onto my computer. This continued for a few weeks and then my computer stalled and I got the error message.
I am running Windows 98; Award BIOS; my computer is a Packard-Bell 951 vintage 1998.

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Short summary and a safe sequence to try (data first)

As suggested, back up the drive before doing anything risky. Because gets to the Windows logo before the blue screen, the BIOS and bootloader are working — the fault is most likely inside Windows (corrupted system files, registry, drivers or active malware). Safe Mode failing means you need an external boot environment to recover files and run repairs.

How to get your files off

  • Boot from a Windows 98 startup floppy or a rescue CD and choose "Command prompt only" (or use a Linux/Live CD if the machine can boot from CD). Copy personal folders to another drive, a network share, or burn them to CD.
  • If you cannot boot any media, remove the hard drive and connect it to another PC (use an IDE/PATA cable or an external USB-to-IDE adapter/enclosure). Take anti-static precautions and set jumpers correctly on older drives.

Repair steps to try once data is safe

  • From a clean boot disk, run scandisk to repair filesystem errors.
  • Run scanreg /restore to roll the registry back to a known-good copy (Windows 98 keeps registry backups).
  • Use a known-clean, bootable antivirus/rescue disk to scan and remove infections before attempting to boot again. Note any filenames or drivers named on the blue screen and remove/rename them from the command prompt if appropriate.

If repairs fail

  • Consider a repair/reinstall from the Windows 98 CD (after a full backup). If data is critical or the disk has physical issues, professional recovery is safer.
  • Do not reuse the infected floppy; keep the machine offline until it is fully cleaned and antivirus definitions are updated on clean media.

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Member Avatar for markdean

Also, have you tried booting to Safe Mode [F8]? I'd first pull my data off the system before going much further by either copying to another hard drive or network share. You also can try a system state restore (assuming you are running backups that capture system state info).

had to edit-missed the Win9x OS reference.

Member Avatar for jett

I've tried choosing F8 button at the startup and getting into the safe mode from the list given but I get the same resulting Error message/Blue screen. I can't get past this section. I have done a backup recently so if I can get into my system and restore it I think I will be ok. :-|

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