4 MAXIMUMPC NOVEMBER 2007
refuses to load. At fi rst you’re in denial, and
then panic sets in as you realize that no
amount of hard resetting is going to bring
about the desired result. To add insult to
injury, Windows may taunt you with the
dreaded “NTLDR is missing” error mes-
sage. It’s likely that a virus corrupted either
your boot sector or master boot record, but
there’s an easy fi x.
Grab your Windows CD and boot from
it, just as you would if you were installing
Windows from scratch. But instead of per-
forming a fresh install, XP owners will hit
R to bring up the recovery console. At the
prompt, type fi xboot and hit Enter; then try
rebooting your system. If Windows still won’t
load, go back into the recovery console and
type fi xmbr. Vista owners needn’t fuss with
any commands—simply boot from the install
DVD, select Repair, and follow the prompts.
Vista will automatically fi x boot errors and
may restart several times before it fi nishes.3: REINVIGORATE WITH RESTORE
Earlier, we promised we wouldn’t throw in
the towel, and we meant it. Instead, we’ll
try heroic measures to return Windows to a
state that predates any damage caused by
malware infestation.
The fi rst method uses Windows’s built-
in System Restore utility, which works best
when run from within safe mode. If you’re
running XP with Service Pack 2 installed,
make sure your Windows install CD has
SP2 already integrated onto the disk. If it
doesn’t, you’ll need to fi rst create a slip-streamed copy; you can do this by follow-
ing the steps at http://tinyurl.com/4n7y.
Restore is like having a virtual time
machine, without all that expensive fl ux
capacitor upkeep. Best of all, using System
Restore won’t cause you to lose any saved
documents or emails. How’s that possible?
System Restore takes snapshots of key parts
of your system at various times—for example,
just before installing unsigned drivers or soft-
ware—allowing you to undo changes that
may have caused your PC to malfunction.
To roll back your installation, navigate to the
Start menu > All Programs > Accessories >
System Tools and select System Restore.
Follow the prompts, and be sure to go back
to the last time your PC operated correctly.
If you disabled System Restore or
don’t have a snapshot that represents a
healthy system, you still have one moreoption at your disposal: a repair install. A
repair install does just what it says; it fi xes
Windows by restoring critical system fi les
from the install DVD, but it won’t overwrite
your installed programs, saved data, or
system settings.
To initiate a repair install, boot from
your Windows CD. Do NOT choose the
option to repair from within the recov-
ery console; instead hit Enter to install
XP. After accepting the user agreement,
you’ll be asked to select the installation of
Windows you wish to repair (you’ll only see
one unless you’re dual-booting). Select
the install you need to repair, and then sit
back and let the CD work its mojo. When
it’s fi nished, you should have a function-
ing copy of Windows, albeit an unpatched
one. Head over to Windows Update and
plug up all those security holes again, justTop 5 Virus Hoaxes and Pranks
Viruses are no laughing matter, but some of the hoaxes and pranks making the rounds are good for a giggle
1
GOOD TIMES Users were warned
that simply opening an email with
Good Times in the subject line would
erase their hard drive, destroy their
processor, demagnetize any nearby electronics,
and kill their dog.2
48 HOURS This relatively recent
hoax claimed that hovering your
mouse cursor over the infected email
was enough to activate it, wiping out
not just your hard drive, but your rig’s BIOS too.3
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL Emails
circulated warning of a PowerPoint
presentation called Life is Beautiful
that, if clicked, would erase your
hard drive and give the sender your username,
email, and password.4
HONOR SYSTEM This email
contained no payload, instead ask-
ing recipients to manually delete
all files on their hard drive and to
forward the message to everyone in theircontact lists. Participation, of course, was
completely voluntary.5
LION’S DEN Aptly named, Lion’s
Den originated from a porn site
looking to draw hits. The email
warned of a new deadly virus, pro-
viding a link for more information. Instead,
recipients got an eyeful.HEAL & INOCULATE
Have you forgotten all those DOS commands you haven’t used in decades? Head over
to http://tinyurl.com/hs5m8 for a quick refresher!