XP PRO sp2 - Safe Mode Does Not Work, etc

[allanc]

One of my clients has taken over a one-person office from a competitor.
Her computer is running XP Home sp2.
She is having some interesting and weird event occuring:
1. Safe Mode appears after pressing 'F8' but computer does not display any progress at all and hangs. If we then reboot, the screen pops up that Windows was not shut down properly. If 'Safe Mode' is chosen at that point, everything progresses as expected.
2. The 'RUN' box displays as expected but a command like 'ipconfig /all' causes all output to be scrolled quickly off a maximized screen.
Does this sound like a likely candidate for 'Dial-A-Fix'?

 

[ATTech]

2. The 'RUN' box displays as expected but a command like 'ipconfig /all' causes all output to be scrolled quickly off a maximized screen.

Any command line (such as ipconfig) entered into the 'Run' box will always close the console after exiting, so it's supposed to only flash on quickly. If you want to view the information, you'll need to open a console and type the command. I'd have to see what this maximized screen looks like to really understand what you mean by it.

 

[Alan22]

For the Safe Mode issue, have you checked the hard drive or file system for errors?

For the Run issue, ATTech is correct. You need to open a command prompt then type the command. I'd imagine that when starting the command prompt it will appear in a maximized window. Clicking the maximize/restore button will most likely change it's appearance, or it could be that someone changed the layout properties.

 

[allanc]

Any command line (such as ipconfig) entered into the 'Run' box will always close the console after exiting, so it's supposed to only flash on quickly. If you want to view the information, you'll need to open a console and type the command. I'd have to see what this maximized screen looks like to really understand what you mean by it.

I skipped the part 9in this thread) about opening the command window.
Sorry about that.

 

[allanc]

For the Safe Mode issue, have you checked the hard drive or file system for errors?

Not yet.
The client is on a very tight budget with no funds (for IT) until August .
The reason that I mentioned 'Dial-A-Fix' is that I remembered reading somewhere that a virus can affect the ability to boot in safe mode.

 

[Alan22]

Not yet.
The client is on a very tight budget with no funds (for IT) until August .
The reason that I mentioned 'Dial-A-Fix' is that I remembered reading somewhere that a virus can affect the ability to boot in safe mode.

So, if you have the time, fix it and build some good will, unless you think this is a one time deal.

I just want to tell this little story:

Back in 2006 I had a client that was behind on paying bills due to the hurricane we had in South Florida (Oct '05) and the economy falling into the crapper in 2006. I never turned my back to him. When he needed me I was there. It would take 60-90 days to get paid, but so what. During that time he told me that people he did business with for 25 years were turning away from him. Once he got all his financial issues behind him he replaced every single vendor & supplier that gave him a hard time, but I'm still around.

Today I net roughly $15K-$20K/yr. from this one client. When he needed me to extend some credit I did. Not only did we form a solid business relationship, we built a very good friendship during the time it was needed most. You can't put a price on something like that.

 

[allanc]

So, if you have the time, fix it and build some good will, unless you think this is a one time deal.

I just want to tell this little story:

Back in 2006 I had a client that was behind on paying bills due to the hurricane we had in South Florida (Oct '05) and the economy falling into the crapper in 2006. I never turned my back to him. When he needed me I was there. It would take 60-90 days to get paid, but so what. During that time he told me that people he did business with for 25 years were turning away from him. Once he got all his financial issues behind him he replaced every single vendor & supplier that gave him a hard time, but I'm still around.

Today I net roughly $15K-$20K/yr. from this one client. When he needed me to extend some credit I did. Not only did we form a solid business relationship, we built a very good friendship during the time it was needed most. You can't put a price on something like that.

Yes, very true.
One of my clients who has been with us for more than 20 years has really been suffering cash flow problems for the past 3-4 years.
At the best of times, he is about 2 months late. And, at the worst of times, maybe 8 months late (and this lasts for about 6 months at a time).
Yet, I still provide services promptly, etc.

In terms of this particular client:
The best way to describe the scenario is that they are part of a 'franchise'.
Extending the terms could go one of three ways....
1. The other franchisees will think that I am bending over backwards, will respect me for it and never 'take advantage' in regards to extending *their* terms.
2. Others will ask for extended terms (which will probably get longer and longer) even if they do not need the extension.
3. There will be no good or bad side effects.
I am obviously concerned about #2 above.

 

[B Trevathan]

I remembered reading somewhere that a virus can affect the ability to boot in safe mode.

Yes you are right malware can block safe mode from running and/or delete the safe mode keys from the registry, but you said you can boot into safe mode so malware doesn't seem to be stopping you, if you want to check for malware run Process Explorer or if you have more time run MBAM and SAS. What AV is installed and is it up to date?

Have you checked the Event Viewer for any errors? You should check the hard drive for errors as soon as you can? After scanning for malware and checking the hard drive you may want to update to SP3 it may fix some problems or at least run System File Checker.

What information does ipconfig /all show different than what it normal does or is it just large text on a maximized screen?
Sample XP ipconfig /all pic:
http://tweakhound.com/linux/samba/ipconfigall.gif

 

[allanc]

Yes you are right malware can block safe mode from running and/or delete the safe mode keys from the registry, but you said you can boot into safe mode so malware doesn't seem to be stopping you, if you want to check for malware run Process Explorer or if you have more time run MBAM and SAS. What AV is installed and is it up to date?

Have you checked the Event Viewer for any errors? You should check the hard drive for errors as soon as you can? After scanning for malware and checking the hard drive you may want to update to SP3 it may fix some problems or at least run System File Checker.

What information does ipconfig /all show different than what it normal does or is it just large text on a maximized screen?
Sample XP ipconfig /all pic:
http://tweakhound.com/linux/samba/ipconfigall.gif

As mentioned earlier, the client is putting a 'hold' on further diagnosis.
Process Explorer looked OK. Avira is up to date.
The 'Command / Run' seem to function fine when I was on-site. I assume that this issue was 'user error'.