So, I started up my computer yesterday and it blue screened and rebooted.
Then, it asked me to run some utility which told me I needed to restore windows, I chose not to.
The only thing it will do is boot up to where the windows logo should show up and reboot again, this process repeats.

So, I'm currently reinstalling ubuntu studio, I messed up the first install, and I've actually been wanting to use it for awhile so that's why I'm just not using regular ubuntu.

2 questions:
1. Will a restore fix my problem? (I'm using Linux to back up all my important files)
2. Where are my gateway recovery disks? They are supposed on my hard drive somewhere, because apartmental that makes more sense than putting them on DVD's and shipping them in the box.

Gateway LX6810-01
Vista home premium 64-bit

Edit:
If it helps any there is a 15.7 GB partition on my main hard drive that I know to be my recovery disks. How do I get to these using ubuntu? I tried copying them to my drive that is easy to remove, but the partitioner didn't support NTSF? so I couldn't do it that way.

Restoring will help if your restore points are before the virus. Yah, I know that's really helpful - but it's the best I can tell you. You can probably get to the Dell Restore stuff with a boot option. Laptops sometimes have a special button, otherwise it's F1, F2, F8, F12 or something when you turn it on. Do any of those bring up another menu?

I think F2 goes to the BIOS options and F10 goes to the boot options which only lists my storage devices, not a 'safe mode' or anything like that

Additional info:
Microsoft's website told me to press F8 to enter safe mode.
So, I press F8 after GRUB loads and launch vista. Something that would look like safe mode launches, but it's gateway's recovery utility.
It gives me 2 option:
Restore windows to when it came out of the factory (not exact wording)
Exit

The first option is greyed out...

Keep Ubuntu.

You could reinstall Vista from any OEM disk, use your license key, and start the driver hunt. Note that this may include network drivers...

MMM, thumbdrives.

I just wiped the hard drive and got Windows 7.

I've been wanting to upgrade for some time, and now seemed like a good time.

Does it seem to run better? I know 7 runs well on my laptop, which doesn't have the guts to run Vista.

Posted by wannabeotaku Does it seem to run better? I know 7 runs well on my laptop, which doesn't have the guts to run Vista.

It's been running great so far, but I've only had it installed for about 5 hrs, and I've spent most of that time downloading & installing software.

But, the transfer went great. Everything still works the way it did before.
The only driver I had to download was for my GFX card.

I only had trouble installing iTunes, but it was the same problem that I had with a lot of Sony software in Vista, and I had to clear out the "user/AppData/local/temp" folder & it worked after that.

Posted by wannabeotaku Does it seem to run better? I know 7 runs well on my laptop, which doesn't have the guts to run Vista.

i updated my windows install to win7 x64 a couple of weeks ago now. pretty happy with it so far.

vista made me want to stab people in the neck.

late to the game, i know -- but another thought in the case this happens to you again; you could install ClamAV + ClamTK under linux and scan your drives that way.

~ $ sudo aptitude install clamav clamtk

... should do the trick. then just fire up ClamTK GUI from the menu, or take a look at the man page for the 'clamscan' command.