Cannot Type Password To Start Windows XP

[whazzzdat]

My operating system is windows XP sp1 and I have all microsoft updates except sp 2. My motherboard is an Intel brand with a P4 2.26 ghz cpu. My antivirus is AVG free version currently updated.

I have my computer password protected. I always turn my computer off when I am not using it.

Now when I turn it on it starts to run scan disc then stops running scan disc then goes to the password screen but when I click on my only user name and try to type my password no dots appear and I cannot get my computer to start.

Pressing the F1 key when my computer starts used to bring up my bios but now it does not bring up the bios. However after I keep pressing F1 as my computer starts and get to the log in screen then for some reason I can enter my user and start my computer.

I have tried to use system restore to go back to a date before I had this problem but it fails to go back to a restore point every time.

What do you think is going on?

A friend says it is a "network virus" but I don't see on the internet where anyone else is getting this kind of a virus.

[Ob1]

at the login screen, use ctrl+alt+del (taping the delete key twice) it should then bypass the welcome screen and bring you two a classic windows login screen, use the administrator account and password and login to reset your password, then restart and see if you can log back in, i would also recommend scanning for viruses, spyware and highly recommend installing service pack 2. personally for me, i dont use system restore as i have seen to many viruses hide out in there and if you have one hiding in there and you restore to an earlier date, you have now put a virus back on your pc, i recommend people to not use system restore, instead make an image of you pc with ghost or acronis, or use a limited account and only use an admin acct when necessary, but thats just my opinion,

also, if you can get back in i would recommend runing a chkdsk on your harddrive.

and scandisk - you will need your windows cd for this
The main reason for using this utility is when you suspect there may be a problem with a Windows XP system file.

Perhaps you get a dialog box appear informing you of a problem with a .dll file, or your program will just not load! It is therefore worth checking to see if there are any corrupt system files using scannow sfc.

To do this simply go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in:

sfc /scannow

This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem.

The following should appear to give an indication of how long the process is taking.

[whazzzdat]

Thanks for the advice Ob1. I used Ctrl, Alt, Del to get to the classic windows log on screen but I still could not type any password at all there either.

I was able to run chkdisk but it did not help.

I ran sfc /scannow with my restore disk but that did not help either.

Then I booted the restore disk and pressed R for recovery where it said “To repair windows XP installation using recovery console press R” but it would not do anything by pressing R.

Still the only way I can type my password to start my computer is to keep pressing F3 as my computer boots up. Only then can I type my password.

Could this be some devious virus that shuts off my keyboard when it wants to?

[Ob1]

wouldnt hurt to scan for viruses and spyware, scan for them in safe mode, also last ditch effort would be to run a windows repair from the cd, NOT THE RECOVERY CONSOLE


XP Repair install

1. Boot the computer using the XP CD. You may need to change the boot order in the system BIOS so the CD boots before the hard drive. Check your system documentation for steps to access the BIOS and change the boot order.
2. When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
3. Press Enter to start the Windows Setup.

To setup Windows XP now and Repair Install , press ENTER. do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat, do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R".
4. Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
5. Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair. If Repair is not one of the options, END setup.
6. Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

[glc]

Have you tried a different keyboard?

[whazzzdat]

glc, you are amazing. The keyboard was the cause of all the problems. I was just about to wipe out my hard drive and start over. With a different keyboard I can enter my password without having to keep pressing the F1 key and if I do press the F1 key at start up it brings up the BIOS like it is supposed to.

I can't figure out how the keyboard would work perfectly all the time except when entering my password at start up but that was what was causing the problem.