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Check this out, Windows repair...

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djtroy

Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Location
Stamford, Connecticut, USA
I have a Dell laptop and it came with Windows XP Home. I recently got infected with spyware and virus' and I decided to repair windows and see if I could fix the infected OS.
I dug up a copy of Windows XP Home (not the one that came with it) I rebooted to the cd and proceeded to repair windows. When it was all said and done it asked me to authenticate windows right at the boot up. Since I did not install it with the original CD I was not able to validate that version. Now I can not get into my HD unless I boot to safe mode. Can you guy help me get past that authenication screen right before it goes to the desktop?
I guess I should have repaired with the Dell CD but I CANT FIND IT.
 
eaglescouter said:
You have a repair partition on your dell hard drive. Press F11 (or is it F12) at the boot screen and it will take you into the dell repair/restore partition.


Will this delete the files on my c drive?
 
a "repair" install wont, a full install will. you shoudl have the option

do you have system restore on?

did you have any anti virus or spyware protection installed?
 
Did you use the key from the cd or the key printed on the sticker on the laptop? If you used the key on the laptop (im not sure if a non OEM to the computer copy would have even taken it) you can call microslob and tell them your laptop crapped out and you had to reinstall, XP wants you to validate even if you use a key you own that has already been validated. If you didn't try it, you could try installing with the laptops key and then call MS to validate, they should have no problem validating it if you can use that key that is on the laptop itself.
 
Big Mike said:
Did you use the key from the cd or the key printed on the sticker on the laptop? If you used the key on the laptop (im not sure if a non OEM to the computer copy would have even taken it) you can call microslob and tell them your laptop crapped out and you had to reinstall, XP wants you to validate even if you use a key you own that has already been validated. If you didn't try it, you could try installing with the laptops key and then call MS to validate, they should have no problem validating it if you can use that key that is on the laptop itself.


I called them and dell. Didin't work this time. Usually it does.
I will try the repair partition.
 
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