Problem:
Cannot boot WinXP Pro in Safe Mode with Networking; I suspect
that either Symantec BootMagic 8.0 (bundled with PartitionMagic
8.0) is interfering or Trojan-Dropper.Nettool is.
Background:
WinXP Pro (sda) was infested with Trojan-Dropper.Nettool virus.
Somehow the virus hid after PC Tools antivirus “found” and isolated
it. The virus is still in WinXP Pro…I contacted Microsoft and PC
Tools. Both said to boot in Safe Mode with Networking and do this,
this and this. Symantec is NOT very helpful. SuSE (sdb) seems to
be okay.
You could mount the infected partition in Suse 10.0 in read-write mode and run a Linux virus scanner over it like Clamav or AVG. But the Linux virus scanners simply may not be interested in tracking windows viruses.
You could install windows temporarily as a third O/S to multiboot with the other two. Don’t bother to activate it. Install another scanner in it different from Symantec/PCtools that you already used. Maybe a superior one like AVG free for windows. Scan/clean the infected drive from the new installation. Then delete the new installation and restart the first windows.
You could use Suse to rescue the data on the windows partition and delete windows entirely.
You could use Suse to backup the windows data, format the windows partition, reinstall windows, restore the windows data.