XP netbook: C:\windows\system32\command.com

Savvy_Sue

C:\WINDOWS\system32\command.com

The parameter is incorrect

That's the message when I try to login to the user account on one of the work netbooks.

Yesterday I was running Spybot to get rid of Babylon, which it said it was doing but it still seemed to be there.

It got late, I switched off and went home, oh happy day when I switched it on this morning.

Any suggestions?

Toxteth_OGrady

Can you not get your work IT dept to look at it?

Savvy_Sue

Toxteth_OGrady wrote: »

Can you not get your work IT dept to look at it?

That would be me ... small charity!

I do have some external techie support, but if there's something obvious I can do, I like to do it before calling in the cavalry at £40 per hour.

John_Gray

Does this message actually prevent you from logging on, or is it just an annoyance?

I would guess that something in Startup is wrong; are you familiar with MSCONFIG or AUTORUNS?

aerostar

When removing Babylon did you try the uninstall first before spybot ? If you used Spybot to remove, then that could have been the cause of the problem as it probably just deleted files without unhooking the start process, which could well use the command.com, and something is still pointing at it.

Does the computer boot into a useable mode ?

santer_2

Another option, have a look at post 4

http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=31907

Savvy_Sue

John_Gray wrote: »

Does this message actually prevent you from logging on, or is it just an annoyance?

It is more than an annoyance, see below ...

John_Gray wrote: »

I would guess that something in Startup is wrong; are you familiar with MSCONFIG or AUTORUNS?

I have followed instructions to type things into msconfig in the past, but I am not sure I can get to it now.

aerostar wrote: »

When removing Babylon did you try the uninstall first before spybot ?

Yes, but it was still there. Actually it was still there after using spybot, but it wasn't there to uninstall any more!

aerostar wrote: »

Does the computer boot into a useable mode ?

Not sure. I click on the username, it says 'loading your personal settings', and then I get that message. I click on OK, a black window flashes up in the background too fast for me to see what it is, and then there's that message again.

If I run the Windows Task Manager I can 'get rid' of the message by clicking on 'End Task', but then I'm left with a screen with no icons on!

Via the Users tab I can log off or disconnect, but that doesn't seem to get me any further forward.

There's no password set, and there's no other user, btw.

santer wrote: »

Another option, have a look at post 4

http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=31907

Next challenge: log in in Safe Mode ...

santer_2

Do you not get the option if you tap the F8 (possibly F5) key just after you switch it on?

Savvy_Sue

Thanks all.

I'm not going to try anything else today, and I don't work Thursdays, so I'll give it all another go on Friday. Actually I think we have a friendly techie in the building then so I may leave it until he can give an opinion.

Savvy_Sue

Friendly techie sorted it, justlikethat, but I didn't catch what he said he'd done.

Didn't get a chance to fire it up and see if I've still got Babylon, but he's coming back soon to do a half day's trouble shooting of machines which randomly re-boot etc.