Computer keeps rebooting!! (svchost.exe error??)

[Mav]

Ok, so long story short, my desktop isn't working and I need some help.

Long story:
I was eating dinner last night, when I heard a noise that sounded like my computer decided to just reboot itself. When I looked through the doorway to my room, sure enough the thing decided to reboot itself. I thought, huh... odd, oh well, I'll go type my password in but NOOO, thats not how it works.

It got to the log-in screen and a window popped up mentioning some error with svchost.exe, and after I typed in my password my computer just rebooted itself again. Now it is in this perpetual cycle of getting to the Windows XP loading screen and rebooting itself, someitmes it will get to the log-in screen, but more often then not it will just reboot itself. Sometimes it gives me the options Safe Mode; Safe Mode with Networking; Safe Mode with COmmand Prompt; Last Known Good Configuration and Start Normally. None of those options seem to work. I got into Safe Mode once and attempted a system restore with no success, and now I can't even get into safe mode.

I'm assuming that some of the Windows registry files got messed up somehow, either by virus or something else, but I'm not sure, I'm far from a computer whiz. I don't understand how I would get a virus on that computer though, I don't have a P2P program, haven't downloaded anything in at least the last few days, haven't had an e-mails with attachments. The only thing I can think of is if one of the Counterstrike files that Steam downloaded was the culprit, but I haven't played CS in at least a week or so.

Right now, I've run out of ideas on what to do, except to go borrow a Windows XP boot disc from my school and try to fix things that way. Any help would be greatly appreciated though, I'd hate to lose all the files on my computer. Thanks in advance.

Mav

Edit: Also it wasn't just svchost.exe after countless reboots, more countless errors popped up.

[MTV2]

get a boot disk and reinstall windows...thats all i can think of, or if you can, format your drive.

and you know svchost.exe is a trojan that allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data

[Darth333]

Time to try the new tech forum Moving (you get the honor of having the first thread there )

and you know svchost.exe is a trojan that allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data

Not necessarily, it can also be a windows essential component: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314056

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Darth333

Time to try the new tech forum Moving (you get the honor of having the first thread there )

Sorry DTrips, didn't know where else to put it, now I know better... I'm honored to be the first, though, I'm not happy about it considering the circumstances

[matt--]

Sounds like you've got a complicated problem and reinstalling is probably easiest, as per MTV2's suggestion.

Originally Posted by MTV2

get a boot disk and reinstall windows...thats all i can think of, or if you can, format your drive.

and you know svchost.exe is a trojan that allows attackers to access your computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking and personal data

However, svchost.exe is not necessarily a trojan. It is a popular name for trojans because it is a necessary and omnipresent process on all Windows XP/2000/NT systems. So don't just go killing off svchost.exe without a good reason (like it's not running from a system directory, or an antivirus product flags it).

Matt

[T7nowhere]

@ maverick187 , If you can't get into SafeMode then my only suggestion would be to repair the OS, If you have your windows XP CD you can use it to repair the OS.

To do this you need to go into your CMOS and change the boot order so that your Master Optical drive boots first. With the XP CD in your primary CD/DVD drive, CMOS will try to boot the system from the cd( you will see a screen that says hit any key to boot from CD) if you leave the keyboard alone it will continue to try and boot the OS.

When you hit the "any key" just sit back until you see a screen with 3 options, 1 is to hit Enter to go into the windows XP set up, next the standard licensing agreement will be on the next screen so hit F8 to continue, Now there should be a screen with 2 options 1) to repair the selected windows XP and 2) wil be to install a fresh copy of Windows XP. The option you want to choose is to repair the selected windows XP. Doing this will copy and overwrite all the Windows XP system files, its basically reinstalling XP but without reformatting the drive and losing all your data.

Now I would consider doing this a temperary solution as your systems registry will be reset, but it should give you the opportunity to perform a virus scan to find out if your system is infected( you may need to reintall your AnitVirus sofware). But it will also allow you to back up your data onto CD-R/DVD-R(if you have a CD/DVD writer) if you don't, I hope you have a second HDD so you can store your data until your system is back up and running.

If you have zero means of backing up your data then I'm sorry, because there wouldn't be much point in repairing the OS AS it would be far more efficient to Reformatt your HDD and install a Fresh copy of XP.

EDIT: Of you want to try and enter into Safe Mode Hold down the F5 key before your post screen completes.

[MTV2]

Originally Posted by Darth333

Not necessarily, it can also be a windows essential component: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314056

ya, my dad just told me it was part of Windows XP, but i googled scvhost.exe and got this:
http://www.liutilities.com/products/...brary/svchost/

[matt--]

Originally Posted by MTV2

ya, my dad just told me it was part of Windows XP, but i googled scvhost.exe and got this:
http://www.liutilities.com/products/...brary/svchost/

scvhost != svchost

Made the same mistake myself once or twice.

[Mav]

thanks for all the help and suggestions everybody, and thanks for the detailed help T7, this is about the 32nd time you've helped me out with something, only this time it's not mod related I'll try repairing it when I get a boot disc from school, hopefully I wont lose too much, I have a lot of data backed-up on a external HD though, so it wouldn't be too horrible I guess. And I know about the whole svchost.exe and scvhost.exe, it confused me a little bit too. Again thanks for all the help everyone.

[Char Ell]

So any chance that the failure is hardware related? Maybe your HDD has some sectors that have gone bad or something along those lines.

[Mav]

well, I built the PC myself, and everything in it is less than a year old, it is about 1/2 a year old, the only thing I can think of as a possibility for physically damage, would be if something got fried by the power being cut off abruptly. The power went out over here a few weeks ago, but everything is plugged into a surge protector so it is somewhat protected. I did take a look at the insides and there was no visible burns or signs of a short-out on the motherboard. However, I'm no expert

[Negative Sun]

Computers...Even if you decide to do a backup every 6 months or so, you're guaranteed a fatal crash after 5 and a half months of your last backup, it's so messed up it's not even funny...
Anyways, good luck maverick!

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by Negative_Sun

Computers...Even if you decide to do a backup every 6 months or so, you're guaranteed a fatal crash after 5 and a half months of your last backup, it's so messed up it's not even funny...
Anyways, good luck maverick!

This is why I recommend making a 'ghost' image of a fresh install + fave lite apps, and keep all your games etc on a secondary or external drive. Then if your system drive dies, install becomes corrupted, its easy to restore to a fresh install, rather than the messy system restore in windows which merely clogs up your drive with reams of system and log files most people will never use(or know how to find!!)

Windows is a temperemental bugger, especially if you like tinkering

ghost is an awesome app, taken over by evil empire symantec. Last years version was called Ghost 10, but it is now called 'save and restore' It's reasobaly cheap and remarkably useful. Many of the 'system recovery' CDs that come with new 'off the shelf' computers use the same software.

and, if you have important stuff - back it up!

mtfbwya

[Mav]

thanks for the tips Astro, I too tend to have most of my important files on an external, I still haven't been able to get a boot disc from school, but when I do hopefully it will work