OK this is too weird and pretty damn irritating but here goes. I was trying to clean some ad-ware from my computer. The instructions on Norton's page suggested that on an xp machine, you should go to the start menu, and type "msconfig' and select the safe mode and re-boot. You can then remove the ad-ware.

The problem is that once I did this, I rendered all extra drivers etc. inoperative. This includes my wireless keyboard and mouse! So now I'm staring at the windows intro screen, and cannot select my user profile to log in! My first thought was to get out an old corded mouse, and hook that up, but the motherboard in this computer has NO legacy ports, so I'd need a USB mouse (which I don't have)! Second thougt was to enter F8 to select "start windows normally" but with no keyboard this is not available either! I tried turning off he computer at the rear power switch, and left it off for several minutes, still the same! Anybody got any ideas?

 

Hmm, have you tried going back to that boot menu and then selecting "Last Known Configuration..." Can't remember off hand what it said exactly. But it'll bootup your last settings that worked properly. It may fix things.

If it doesn't, I would suggest borrowing a friend's usb mouse and try getting things to work from there.

In worse case, you can do a format and reinstallation of windows. But I don't think it would be necessary as long as you can get a hold of a corded keyboard/mouse to change the settings back to normal.

 

The computer runs all the way thought the "dos stuff" and only stops at the choose your profile section. by the time it gets here it's already running in safe mode. I created a boot disc on our second machine (the one I'm typing from) and it gets me to the A: prompt, but I cannot initiate a 'normal boot" from there. This sucks huh?

 

I'm BACK ON MY COMPUTER! I had a USB keyboard that Bart (cat) spilled some coffee on. I cleaned it up, but only 50% of the keys work. It was on it's way to the garbage but never quite got there ....yet. (let's hear it for packrats) Fortunately, the "tab" and "enter" are two that work. I managed to get to a screen that allowed me to choose an earlier boot configuration, and it worked.

This was a pretty damn unusual thing don't you think? And such a fun way to spend an hour..........