Can't get past the welcome screen

[spica2501]

Whenever I try to start up my computer I get a flash of my wallpaper and then get taken to the welcome screen. When I try to log on to my profile (the only one on the computer) it say its loading my settings, and then immediatly says that it is logging off and saving my settings, at which point I am taken back to the welcome screen (which, in truth, I never really left). I tryed starting my computer up on safe mode, but I get the same results.

The only thing that I can think of that may have caused this problem is that I uninstalled some spyware from my computer (using my spyware scanner) just before my computer stoped working. The only piece of spyware that really stood out was one called HellzLittleSpy, the rest sounded like your run of the mill tracker cookies, so I can't remember what they were called.

My computer is a four year old Dell (an upgraded version of the basic one they sold back then, I can't remember what it was called) running Windows XP home edition.

Please Help.

Thank you.

 

[raybay]

How old is the hard drive? This can also be a symptom of a failed or failing hard drive.

 

[LookinAround]

After you boot and get to the Welcome screen, hit Ctl-Alt-Del which then also display the Administrator login account. Try logging in as Administrator to determine if the problem is system or account related.

 

[spica2501]

The hardrive is only 4 years old, it came with the computer.

I tryed Ctl-Alt-Del, I assumed there was no Admin Password because I hadn't put one on the computer, but I could be wrong. Anyways, when I tryed to log in this way as the Admin I was just shunted back to the welcome screen.

 

[spica2501]

I had talked to a friend of mine yesterday night about the problem, and he thought that one of the pieces of spyware I had uninstalled had inserted itself into the login sequence, and since it had been removed (and had left a hole) the computer was unable to complete the login procedure.

 

[LookinAround]

hmm... next things i would think
1. Boot from CD and run chkdisk from the Recovery Console
2. Try a repair Install

 

[spica2501]

Ok I tried running the CHKDSK and it told me I had some errors on my drive. It did not repair them. I then ran a windows install repair and it copied the windows files over just fine but then when Windows was actually installing a blue screen popped up that said Windows was canceling the installation in order to protect the computer from damage. It said this was due to a "Bad_Pool_caller"

Here is the "Technical Information":

***STOP: 0x000000C2 (0x00000007, 0x00000CD4, 0x00340045, 0xE2127DEC)

What now?

 

[LookinAround]

hi

just back online since my last post and seeing yours.

Sorry there was confusion in my post but the list of things to try meant

• Run chkdsk. If it didn't report anything or after you fixed anything it reported then
• Do the repair install

Is not good to install anything on top of a corrupted file system. Will have to do some investigation to see how best proceed from here (or maybe someone will post an idea)

 

[raybay]

Bad Pool Caller is a serious error...
Since you already have run Chkdsk, and ignored it... You are stuck

You have either a bad driver for some unknown, but important, device.

One or more bad memory modules

or a bad hard drive.

In our experience, it is usually not a bad driver, but one of the other two.

You will need to track them down one at a time.

Use MemTest86 to test the memory modules, hopefully in another machine, as a full test takes four hours or seven passes to be sure.

Use your hard drive manufacturer's drive fitness test, and run the long form which takes 1 to 2 hours to thoroughly test your hard drive... Then replace everything that tests bad.

Sorry for the bad news.

A repair install will not help, since you have already done the ChkDsk, and got the errors there... you have been told it is serious. Now replace the existing bad stuff... and get back to normal use.

 

[nickc]

the Repair install is with the Windows CD and all is does is to repair any files in windows that are a miss normally it will not mess with any drivers or software on the computer, but only fixes windows. that is the easiest way to fix any corrupted system file, although u will have to apply all updates again.

raybay, I was typing while u were posting and I apologize, as I think u are probably right.

 

[LookinAround]

repair install will fix corrupted (e.g. damaged) files but does not fix corrupted file systems (which are all the internal structures that logically layout the pieces of the disk and the windows and user files reside on top of

 

[raybay]

Except that a Repair Install will quit if you have a bad hard drive or a bad memory module detected. Repair installs fix the software, not the hard ware. His Chkdsk has already posted the errors... but he neglected to write them down or pay attenction to them, so we can assume, based on the "Bad_Pool_Caller" that he or she has at least a bad driver, or bad hardware that will stop the Repair Install... even making it worse.