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Solve : Need some help with a HP computer? |
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Answer» My daughter was given a HP computer this weekend, model a345w with known, existing problems. It is running Windows XP. I ran the disk cleanup and the defragmenter firstoff, from the looks of things it had never been done, it was full of uneeded files. I could find no scan disk, I guess XP does not have it. I have Windows ME so I am not real familiar with XP's functions. I removed some games that were stored on it, and many other junk files (home shopping sites, online card games, etc) that probably has it full of spyware. Anyway, when trying to open programs from say, windows, some programs will not open at all and some will flash for just a second then shut back off. The hour glass shows for just a second then its gone. You try and go online and it will shut back down in less than the time needed to load the internet explorer page. Then it counts down backwards from 60 seconds ( I think ) and says it will re-boot which it does. It will stay on fine when offline but not much will work. When defragging, it had two options to defrag, HP recovery D: file system, Fat 32, capacity 5.55GB with only 632 MB of free space left, which shown in the end column as being only 11% free space left, and HP Pavilion C: which defragged fine (had 80 some % free space after defragging). The HP recovery D: says its too full to even defrag. It says it needs 15% free space to defrag. When the computer shuts down after trying to go online it gives this information. C:\ windows \ System 32 \ lsass.exe caused the termination of the internet connection. Is this system 32 related to the full, Fat 32, file system, when trying to defrag? What can I clean up to get that number higher than only 11% free space left? I can't open the antivirus (it shows a Norton Firewall icon on Windows) on it to try and run it. I had an old version of Spybot on a disk, I got it loaded into the computer and have an icon on windows, but it would only flash on for a brief second then shut back off. Is this a home fixer?? I did not know if the computer needs wiped out totally and XP reloaded. I have never done this but sure I could with a little guidance. Sorry for the book, but trying to include as much info as possible. Thanks, Any help would be great, __________________ FordtruckmaniacDo yourself a favour mate, wipe it & start again.The symptoms you describe indicate you have the sasser virus. You might want to start by downloading stinger from McAfee on another computer, saving it to floppy and running it on this HP. http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/ The you would need to get all the windows updates and apply them. Of course, IMHO, it would be easier to wipe the drive and start with a fresh, clean install of XP. Thanks for the replies. As I said, I have never wiped a hard drive before, but I am sure I could do it with some guidance to get started. Is it a big deal to clean one out? I figure its probably one of those things that sounds worse than it REALLY is. Thanks,Fordtruckmaniac.....Well for a start , I would do as "gussery" suggests and using another pc ......D/L STINGER and save it to a floppy ....then with the " new pc off- line " ( in fact I would reboot it into safe mode ) repeatedly tap the F8 key at reboot and then select SAFE mode .......then run STINGER ...... delete anything it finds ......Then I would try and open Norton ( still in safe mode and see if the subscription is still current )if it is then run a scan and see what it finds ........If its not the either renew the subscription or unload it . Now ......reboot back into normal mode .........and see if you can get on line .........if you can go to ...... http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx and D/L Antispyware Beta ....... Go back off line and run Antispyware and delete anything it finds. ( Antispyware is a very good program) Now if you havent got a current antivirus installed ( one thats up to date ) go to http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1 and D/L the free edition ( not the BETA with firewall). Now go off line again and run a full scan ........when its clean ...go back online and go to .......... http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/default.aspx?ln=en-us ....... Once its scanned the system , click express install..... install all critical updates it offers you . ( make sure you have auto updates turned on .) As previously suggested by FED and gussery a format and clean install would be a better option ....but doing it this way will give you a better insight into XP ..... Let us know how you make out dl65 I picked up the tower from my daughter this past evening and brought it home to mess with. I will give this a try to clean it up with the directions I have recieved here. It would be a good way to learn more about the operating system. Though I will admit to being a little intimidated by the thought of doing this . But its already messed up . So on my computer that works, I will go and download the "stinger program" on a floppy. This would just be a standard floppy disk? I will grab me a floppy right now and see about loading this program. I will be in contact, probably screaming for help Thanks,Yep, it will fit on a floppy. PS: Good to see you're a thrill seeker, it's the perfect opportunity to get right into it without fear. I stumbled on to this web-site last night doing a Google search on wiping a hard drive. Looks like I will be hanging around too. I like what I see here. I am always up for learning new things. I like to know what makes things tick. This looks like a good place to learn. Funny thing, 3-4 years ago I had to have my KIDS turn on the computer for me . I'm 48 years old. Now they make fun of me for being on it all the time. If they ask a question or curious about a topic, that none of us can figure out an answer for, I'll find the answer for them. I got my 78 year old Dad interested in surfing the web even. My oldest daughter gave him her old (antique by today's standards) Gateway, and he pecks around on it. It keeps his mind active. My "stinger" download just finished. I'll take this up later today. Thanks .Whatever you do, keep this computer off the network until you have eliminated all viruses, worms, trojans, etc. As soon as you connect it, it keeps trying to infect others. Your ISP will cut you off if it continues. When I acquire a machine such as yours, I usually wipe it clean and start over. It's less work in the long run.http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/oem/hppavilion/hp_pavilion_xppc.htm disconnect from the next while installing.?Well, I got it going, running the Stinger program in safe mode that I loaded on a floppy as instructed to do. It was ate up with a what it LISTED as a Bagle t and Bagle mm virus (but I seen on Avast AV it was spelled Beagle??? ) and a sasser worm. I was able to run the old Spybot program that I had loaded into it from a disk afterward. I kept doing both until nothing was showing up. I was able to reboot to normal XP and get online and stay on, to then load some fresh spyware protection and Antivirus protection. Installed new Spybot, Adaware, EMCO malware bouncer and Avast AV. I would get a fresh program and install the current downloads then go off-line and run them. I had 1012 "critical issues" after the first running of the "deep scan" on Adaware. The Norton AV that came with the original XP installation actually came on after cleaning it up. It had never even been setup by the sister-inlaw. This computer had not been taken care of at all. Merlin_2, I am glad to see the post above as my daughters, sister-inlaw who gave her the computer, claimed it came with no startup disks of any kind ( I was totally puzzled, she told my daughter she just went to HP and downloaded it ). I was going to re-post on here and ask about that. The "Stinger program" had to totally delete several of the files to get rid of the virus. And a few times a screen came on telling me to install the XP Home disk to RESTORE some needed files or the OE system could be unstable. It seems to work good. But I will follow this post above to see if I can re-claim some of the lost files. Also what do you mean by " disconnect from the next while installing"? Do you mean the Net? Like go offline? So am I understanding this right. This will reload the needed files or can a person totally reinstall XP Home from here? One of the glitchs the file deletions caused was not being able to delete some of the junk out the installed programs and the now outdated and never set up Norton AV. Thats one of the places where it will tell me it needs restored. I can't get into the registry at all either. I will type in the "regedit" into the "run" search bar and nothing happens at all. Thank you all so much for the help. Fordtruckmaniac.... Several things...... First ......the Norton AV which came with the pc is a trial version only and was good for 90 days , I believe....... So I would remove it completely ........ If you go into control panel ..... ADD/REMOVE Software ...when the list populates find Norton AV and click on remove ........ You should only use one Anti virus program , quite often they don't get along . Have you been able to get the updates from M/S ? Let us know dl65 All pc come with restore disks??.......thats msofts next trick to download their software from the net to stop piratcy.....have you tried re-booting pc and hold the f8 key.......chose last good config.......un plug from the net.....then run a trend online scan.......or visit majorgeeks.com for anti-virus. personal edition......i use norton anti-virus disks.....2002/3/4 as coasters??[ just joking] for the nav users out there......I went over to my daughters this past evening and did the Windows re-install. It went smoothly it seemed. I had to leave right after though. She had to re-install her Joink dial-up internet connection after her mother and I left. So I don't know if she could get online again or not. As far as trying to delete programs, thats where I went, to the control panel to add and delete programs, it would not allow me to delete the Norton system and some other junk. A window opened and said Microsoft files were missing to allow the removal of the programs. This was before the Windows re-install though. I did not get to try anything with it after this. And this past weekend when I worked on it, before the re-install, to load the "critical updates" and such. Could not get all of them either because , it was saying missing files. I used the re-install method for not being in safe mode. So I will try these things again when I get back to her house. Thanks,you should just used system restore in the acc. tools tab and it would roll comp back to day 1 then run the remove tols would been quicker |
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