Searched the support but nothing has worked yet. A phony malicous softwear tool installed itself on my windows xp. i couldn't get rid of the program through the usual means. i turned off my pc and went to bed. Big mistake. Now i'm in this endless rebboot. Safe mode all all the other options don't work. Disable reboot system failure option is not listed. it was listed originally, but now it's gone. tried usin the XP upgrade disc and that doesn't work either. the files get installed, but the booting problems never goes away. Would like to restore my pc to it's old state and not have to totally reinstall windows. Thanks.1 person needs an answerI do too

What is your system make and model?What is your XP Version and Service Pack?Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation: McAfee, Symantec, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Panda, Trend Micro, CA, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.Was the issue preceded by a power interruption, aborted restart, or improper shutdown? (this includes plug pulling, power buttons, removing the battery, etc.)Does the afflicted system have a working CD/DVD drive?Do you have a genuine bootable XP installation CD (this is not the same as any Recovery CDs that came with your system)?Fill in the blank: My system was working fine until: _________________________________________.If there is a problem booting, XP is configured to automatically try to boot again and you can get stuck in a loop of just being unable to get past the boot options screen or none of the boot options you choose will work.Sometimes when XP has a problem starting or crashes and tries to start again, it will give you a "short" menu of boot options and none of them will seem to be the right ones to get your system going again. You've tried them all!The options resemble the XP Advanced Boot Options menu, but the one option you need (Disable automatic restart on system failure) is not offered because XP has gone too far along in the boot process and offers you a limited number of boot options.If that is the case, you must invoke the Advanced Boot Options menu yourself until you do see the option:Disable automatic restart on system failureWhen you do get to the correct XP Advanced Options Boot menu you want to see, it has options on it like these:Safe ModeSafe Mode with NetworkingSafe Mode with Command PromptEnable Boot LoggingEnable VGA modeLast Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)Debugging ModeDisable automatic restart on system failure Start Windows NormallyRebootReturn to OS Choices MenuWhat you need to choose from that menu is the option:Disable automatic restart on system failureThen if XP fails to boot normally, you will see an error screen with information and clues regarding the problem and then you can decide what to do next.If you do not see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option, you need to reset your system and start tapping the F8 key on the keyboard until you do see the Disable automatic restart on system failure option. If you miss the F8 window of opportunity, you need to try again and start tapping the F8 key with more urgency (sooner and more frequently) until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure, then select it.You need to keep trying the F8 menu until you do see Disable automatic restart on system failure option, and select it. If your system is experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD, we need to know what the screen says:Here is a BSOD example showing information you need to provide:http://techrepublic.com.com/i/tr/downloads/images/bsod_a.jpgSend the information pointed to with the red arrows (3-4 lines total). Send the entire *** STOP message line since there are clues in the 4 parameters.Skip the boring text unless it looks important to you. We know what a BSOD looks like, we need to know what your BSOD looks like.Respond to the queries and report back the results from the Disable automatic restart on system failure screen and you can decide what to do next.Do, or do not. There is no try.I need YOUR votes and points for helpful replies and Propose as Answers. I am saving up for a pony!

i'm on a gateway Select K7-950. it's an old pc. using Windows sercive pack 3. I'm using Norton's. There was no power failure of any kind and i do have a working CD drive. I do have the xp upgrade Cd. my original OS was windows ME.my system was working fine till antimalware doctor installed itself on my pc. i turned my pc off and got in the reboot loop.I followed the suggestions mentioned above, i.e, Disable automatic restart on system failure.. that worked intially, but i didn't know what to do after that. after some more tinkering, i no longer had the option of Disabling automatic startup on system failure.

You said you did "some more tinkering." What exactly did you do? Does your system still constantly reboot or has that been stopped?Here is the proper way to remove your malware:http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-antimalware-doctorIgnore the ads and scroll down to the Removal Guide.

By some tinkering, i meant, i followed some of the advice i found on this forum regarding not being able to stop my rebooting loop, and i tried to get windows to launch in debugging mode also. Nothing worked.

Does your system still constantly reboot or has that been stopped?Here is the proper way to remove your malware:http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/remove-antimalware-doctorIgnore the ads and scroll down to the Removal Guide.