Due to a momentary (and incredibly stupid) lapse in judgment, my computer is now dead in the water. It doesn't boot, not even in safe mode. I'm downloading Avira's boot disc. Hopefully, that'll sort everything thing out (strong emphasis on hope).
No, it takes me back to the login page after it throws me a dialog box that says Windows has detected an unauthorized change to the system. Then it hangs on a black screen.
Here's what Avira told me; there were no suspicious files, no viruses detected, but it appears as though there is a problem with the master boot sector. This is what it spewed out at me... WARNING:[IO error on file] Master boot sector {disk /dev/hda} Master boot sector {disk /dev/sda} Boot sector {/dev/sda1} Boot sector {/dev/sda2}
Dual booting Linux? That's what it looks like, and yes the master boot record must have gotten screwed up somehow. I wasn't even dual booting Linux on my external drive and got [approximately] this same error. I couldn't do a thing to save it, but I was able to get all my files off the old install before I put a new copy of Linux on the drive. I hate this kind of stuff. Pisses me off.
Sounds like a boot sector virus, I've seen this tons of times in the past few months. Did you try fixing the MBR using a recovery disc?
Yes I did. It's fixed, but now it boots up about half the time and it takes a bit longer to do so. I could live with that.
