XP alert

System: Windows XP

Symptoms: After applying some security updates and rebooting, windows cannot restart. It stops at the blue screen (BSOD) with the following message: 'A problem has been detected and Windows has been shutdown to prevent damage to your computer.' Reports also indicate the message could be 'PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA'. Systems experiencing a BSoD may hang in Safe Mode when loading the system driver “mups.sys”.

Cause:
Supposedly a recent update causes a BSOD. The problem supposedly only occurs on computers that have been compromised by exploit code.

Fix:
There are 11 possible updates that can cause this problem. KB977165 seems to be the most likely candidate. Try this one first.

1. Boot from your Windows XP CD or DVD and start the recovery console.
2. Once you are in the Repair Screen: CHDIR $NtUninstallKB977165
   $\spuninst
3. Type: BATCH spuninst.txt
4. Type this command: systemroot
5. When complete, type this command: exit