VERY bad problem-lost files

[Briab Guy]

First- I just found out that I am going to have to get a stent or angioplasty or more. So my head is up my...

Last night I switch over to the HD that W7 is on. It has windows updates ready to install. I have it set to notify. I clk OK and walk away. BIG mistake.
I check it and there is a screen, not a window, the whole screen is black and running through commands of DEL.... I didn't write the whole line down. Just didn't know what to do. I couldn't get out of the screen. I hit restart. I didn't know what I had on my hands. A virus? It starts up fine (W7). But I get a message that chk dsk and so-so didn't finish. So I figure if its a virus I have to format anyway. I let it go through the motions. It deleted some files, it recovered some files, and in the end gave a screen with all the data about what it did, just like chk dsk and error chking does. Looked real.
W7 loads fine so I figure it was OK.
Today I start up the other HD with XP on it and I get two reeor messages saying that it can't find a couple .DLL's. ODBC32.DLL and MSGINA.DLL.
I figure I can down load these and stick them back in. I start up W7 and can see the drive that XP is on, go to the system folder and there is no files in it.
I'm pretty sure that a system folder that is empty is going to be a problem

And that was the only thing I did when I started W7.
And that is about where I am at right now. Sorry so long of a post.
ANY ideas of what happened? Or what to do?

Thanks

[Briab Guy]

I just re-read that. XP will not start. I am sure you all figured that by the empty system folder. But thought I should make it clear.

[glc]

You are going to have to reinstall XP.

[Briab Guy]

Any idea of what the heck happened? I've hit that OK button on the update pop up a lot of times and this was no different (until the screen said it was wiping out files).

thanks

[Nuclear Krusader]

This is why I keep recommending people to do the updating manually. Heck, right now that's what I'm doing: I'm sitting in front of my workstation upgrading (installing Windows 7 SP1 as I type) using the administrator account. Nothing but the updater is running, no IRC windows, no MSN Live Messengers, no... you get the drift. And I'm sitting here reading a book, browsing the forums on my laptop and watching all the time that status bar and ready to respond to any dialog box, pop up or what have you.

Not flabbergasting you (point in fact, most of this is not aimed at you since you've updates set to notify first, but to other readers), but just saying that when you set things to automatic you're most likely not going to be there should human input be needed. Whether this was a virus (probably), a background-running program, or a Windows Updates' major boo-boo, it's nigh impossible to tell now.

For the record, I can't recall seeing any Windows updates that open command lines, or that delete files without previous confirmation by the user. This was most likely a virus.

PS: Besta luck in your medical procedure. God's speed.

[renowilliams]

This is something you can try if nothing else works. Read carefully before starting and maybe print it off so you can follow instructions. If you can get the xp drive to the desktop (did you try and get it up in safe mode?), put windows xp install cd in cd/dvd drive and type sfc /scannow in the run box.

How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

[Briab Guy]

I will try the recovery con. But glc is usually correct and I don't doubt it this time. When I saw it my first thought was (no, I can't say that here)
One of my thoughts was I am going to be formatting this drive.

Nuclear Krusader
thanks for the good word, and I think you pretty much hit it with what happened.
The scary part is that I don't know where the virus came from. I don't willy-nilly open stuff. I don't even open the couple jokes ppl send me in the mail anymore. No chat stuff.... go figure.
I used to use a sandbox for anything that looked the least bit suspicious. But that gets old.

Again, Thanks for the help