Hey, Guys... here's the deal:

I installed Windows XP, and then installed fedora immediately afterwards...
I accidentally allowed windows to connect to the internet before I was able to get my firewall up, and now it's infected with spyware... and it's not removable by any means, other than reformat (http://havefun.atspace.com)...

So what i'm going to do:
1st - try ASR (Automated System Recovery - NOT system restore) - to restore windows to it's PRIME state (IMMEDIATELY AFTER INSTALL), so that I can get my firewall up and running on it before it gets some spyware, this time

2nd - if 1st doesn't work, then reformat my windows partition and reinstall it ~again~ *sigh*

Anyways... the question I have is this: Since windows likes to take over the bootloader and not display the linux operating systems... How can I reinstall windows, and get Grub back onto the MBR (where it is currently) so that I can boot to fedora 3 again (and set it as default) without any problems...

The reason i'm doing this is for Half-Life 2: I have yet to figure out how to get it running on Linux... it's almost the only reason that I am using windows - but right now, with the spyware issue (that also happens to be interfering, i think, with the firewall, somehow, because the firewall doesn't activate until AFTER the atspace.com IE window opens up, upon boot to XP) my firewall won't let steam connect to the internet, and it also won't let me open up my firewall settings to enable steam's access to the intarw3b...

Please help!

Quick summary of what I want to do (and please all steps for what I need to do to get grub installed again on the MBR after installing windows! (including what I need to download and from where, if possible))

1) Make a Linux boot disk, so that I /can/ install Grub again (preferably on a cd, but a floppy would be ok, too - I'd just have to get the floppy cable from my wife's computers)
2) ASR for WinXP
*3) (if 2 doesn't work) reformat and reinstall WinXP partition ONLY!
4) Make grub the bootloader again, so I can boot to fedora (as default boot, nonetheless)
5) Return to my regular life of being happy and enjoying the benefits of linux, as well as access to HL2 via steam on windows!



TIA, everyone!

well just make sure you have a working boot disk for linux. just try booting to it, and if you can get into linux via the disk now, then you will be able to do just the same when XP is back on again. then just re-run your bootloader install and you'll be back to where you were before.

*ahem* maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.....


/how/ do you make a linux boot disk???? (preferably a linux boot cd - since my floppy drive has no cable)

Nalorin:

I'm not a Fedora user, but in most cases, the first CD in the distro will be bootable if your hardware supports booting from CD. Many distros have an option menu when you boot from the original CD. You can often select what you need from the boot menu.

Did you get any documentation with FC? Is there any available from Red Hat? That might let you know what you need to do. Other than that, perhaps someone who does use FC3 can respond more fully than I have.

Frank.

Connecting to the internet with windows does not automatically produce spyware. You have to actively gone out and done something to get it. I know this because I own a computer shop where I performe a good number of services centered around removing spyware/adware and viruses.

Cleaning up a newly infected machine is actually quite easy under windows. You just need to have the tools to do so and they are widely available.

A common way to get viruses and adware is by not upgrading your system by applying the patches. This is no different than doing it in linux. You just need to be diligent and you can keep your system relatively virus and adware/spyware free and still use IE.

The vast majority of my computers are Linux based. The only machine I have is the machine where I do my books for the company. It is protected and connected to the internet.

I am not anti-linux. I am not anti-windows. I am anti-microsoft tho as they have used illegal means to gain their position. I love the flexibility of linux but I know what it means to be a realistic person when it come to computers.

When you download the ISOs from the various mirrors providing you with the Fedora Core distro the first CD is bootable. You just stick it in the drive, ensure your bios is set to boot from the CD, and reboot. When it loads to the Fedora Core screen just hit enter.

Grub will become the bootloader again. Once you get there you can query this site and the rest of the internet for the other minor issues you'll experience once that's done.

Ok, Thanks!

uh huh... tell that to someone who didn't open internet explorer or anything, and POP! there goes spyware - it doesn't AUTOMATICALLY get infected - of course not! - HOWEVER.... it still CAN get infected, if it has NO protection from the internet.

If I could send the http://havefun.atspace.com spyware to your computer, then i'd do so, and let you see if you still say this.

*keels over in his grave* oh Goodness!!! IE is 75% of the problem for windows (in regards to spyware and viruses, etc).
And that's just the thing - I DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO PATCH MY SYSTEM because it connected to the internet immediately!

~Realistic~... *cough* yeah *cough*... well... while you're saying that, i'm just gonna slip into the other room here, and......

If you installed XP SP1 or before, it already infected w/ spyware that adware usually pick up. But the differences from XP cd w/ SP2, they seemed either remove the spyware as we usually see on SP1 or before, or they fixed it or they hide it deeper that adware could not find. I forgot the name of that spyware, I think its advest or something. Anyway, Is there halflife 2 for linux? I thought so since theres Doom3 for linux? that way you could scrap window xp out

Buzzz. Incorrect.
Unless the installation has current updates and possibly some other wise steps taken a Windows install can be compromised before it can be updated.
http://www.securitydocs.com/library/1154

*sings praises* hallelujah!!!
I'm Glad someone agrees...

And just to add to that - windows being compromised before it can be updated is an understatement - as you can see in my case - it can be compromised within seconds, if it hasn't been updated...

Luckily for me, my friend sent me the sp2 network installer (the offline sp2 installation file), and I was able to install sp2 before I connected to the internet, providing me with firewall protection! *whew*