Can't restart system restore. Help!

[stinka]

I am running Windows XP home edition. I recently found some viruses on the computer and a trojan horse thingy. The viruses were easily removed but the trojan horse was quite illusive. It lodged itself within restore points.

A help page told me that turning off the system restore would remove the old system restore points and with it said trojan.

At the same time, I downloaded avast! antivirus which helped me remove the trojan.... and also some restore points.

Funnily enough, the system would not restart in normal mode. I can start in safe mode (that's why I'm here!!) but now I can't turn on the system restore and I'm at a total loss as for what to do.

I'm sure that to most of you in here, I must seem like one of those people that should repackage the computer, take it back to the shop and never interfere with one again. However, I'd really appreciate any help you could give me here!

thanks
Matt

[sirace1]

how to exit safe mode in windows xp

exit Safe Mode, click the Start button, click Turn Off Computer, click Restart.

[stinka]

Not quite what I meant! I mean that when I restart the computer the system will not boot up properly in normal mode - it just freezes after clicking my login icon.

I can work on the computer in safe mode but I can't get it to work in normal mode.

What I want to know is, can I turn my system restore back on from normal mode as the computer will not let me do that. I've tried from the command prompt but the same message appears.

OR

Is there something different I can do?

Please help!

thanks
Matt

[vidster]

Press f5 or f8 on startup, select 'Start using last known good settings' (or whatever it says).

[stinka]

OK....

Now I've tried all the really obvious things like restarting and I've used f8 to get into safe mode - I don't know how else you thought I got there!

You see, as mentioned in my previous thread, I CANNOT start the computer in normal mode because it freezes after I use any of the user logins.

I CAN get in using any of the safe mode options.

The 'last good configuration' option does not work. In fact none of the other options work. So, you see, I need to find a solution that can either be found from a command prompt or within safe mode.

I hope this has clarified the problem for you all.

Thankyou for your help
Matt

[braindead]

Sounds like that Trojan was inbedded in a system folder and corrupted some needed filed that got removed with the trojan. I do not believe that you can turn on restore in safe mode but I may be wrong, but why would you if it's messed up.
Hopefully you have a XP disk and not one of those funny ones from Companies that sell their own brand computers. If you do you can do a repair by re-installing XP. Install as you were doing a new install and after about the 4th window it'll ask if you want to install or repair and tell it repair. Make sure you have the original XP disk and the key number or it won't work. Hope this helps.