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So, I "fixed" a minor bug in my computer, that gave me back sound and usb capabilities, etc.. because I accidentally deleted a svchost a while back.

Now that I have everything back, one of my crutial svchost.exe's is TAKING up around 99% of my system processes at all times, lagging everything on my computer, and is generally annoying me with all the extra noise.

I've tried SOLO virus scanner, I haven't found anything new that's related in Hijackthis, and I've tried AVG Free Scan..
NOTHING seems to fix this problem, and ending the processes automaticly restarts my computer within fifty seconds...

Anyone got any ideas that could help me out a little bit?
I'm currently running Windows XP Home EDITION, Compaq based computer..

Thanks.A DESCRIPTION of Svchost.exe in Windows XP

Find out what services are running under svchost to see if it belongs there or not.ProcExp from http://www.sysinternals.com is good if you aren't good with the command line.Also, one of these articles might help diagnose the cause of the system resource drain:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-51,GGLD:en&q=%22svchost%2Eexe%22+%22system+resources%22+site%3Amicrosoft%2Ecom
Doc

The CALENDAR function  of my installed "Outlook" now will not acceptnew entries ... the program then announces NEED to shutdown, and closes "Outlook." When trying to synch "Outlook" with my PDA, I find the error MESSAGE of "unresolved calendar ISSUES" and error 80010105.

QUENTIN

We loaded 2 programs into our PC, SPYSPOTTER and DEFENDER PRO ANTISPY to eliminate pop-ups and spyware stuff. Anyways, when we ran the programs, we have to purchase them before it will eliminate the spyware. I tried to delete the programs, it SAYS that there is no INSTALL.LOG file.

What can I use to get rid of these?detel.....Well.......the first thing I would do ..is have a look in the control panel.....add/remove programs and see if they are listed there .......if they are , I would reboot into safe mode ........then make sure that they are shut down ........then go to control panel and hilite them one at a time and click on remove .........If for some reason they will not remove , exit the control panel and go to My Computer ....C: drive .......programs folder open it and LOCATE the folders CONTAINING the apps you want gone . See if you can delete the folder containing that app only ......then do the same with the other one.
Then go into the registry and use the search feature and remove any entries relating to either of those apps.........
A word of caution ....BACK up the registry before making any changes in the registry ......
BTW , which o?s are you using ?

dl65  Go download Microsoft anti-spyware

its great and will clear your pc up.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

only if you are on XP though

R0SSThanks ROSS but I am trying to get rid of the spyware programs that I have in my PC.

dl65, My OS is a WinXP Pro Quote

We loaded 2 programs into our PC, SPYSPOTTER and DEFENDER PRO ANTISPY to eliminate pop-ups and spyware stuff. Anyways, when we ran the programs, we have to purchase them before it will eliminate the spyware. I tried to delete the programs, it says that there is no INSTALL.LOG file.
 
What can I use to get rid of these?

First off realize that any time you download this kind of stuff off the net this is a possibility.

If for some reason they will not remove , exit the control panel and go to My Computer ....C: drive .......programs folder open it and locate the folders containing the apps you want gone . See if you can delete the folder containing that app only ......then do the same with the other one.
Then go into the registry and use the search feature and remove any entries relating to either of those apps.........
A word of caution ....back up the registry before making any changes in the registry ......

detel.....Well.......the first thing I would do ..is have a look in the control panel.....add/remove programs and see if they are listed there .......if they are , I would reboot into safe mode ........then make sure that they are shut down ........then go to control panel and hilite them one at a time and click on remove .........If for some reason they will not remove , exit the control panel and go to My Computer ....C: drive .......programs folder open it and locate the folders containing the apps you want gone . See if you can delete the folder containing that app only ......then do the same with the other one.
Then go into the registry and use the search feature and remove any entries relating to either of those apps.........
A word of caution ....back up the registry before making any changes in the registry ......
BTW , which o?s are you using ?

dl65  

dl65, this question may be better suited for another thread - I don't want to be accused of hijacking this one. How do you know what to type in as a search of the registry, to ensure you're removing just the entries relating to the program in question? And if you delete the folders under program files, would a registry cleaner effectively remove the registry entries that are left behind?

every one sez my problom with msmouse.vxd will be fixed if i delete the enum file and let DOS reset the drives and hardwhere SETINGS but how do i delete it know one seems to know  and hay where is it i can not even find it to do any thing with it? plz helpIts not a file, its a registry entry. Why not explain the problem you are having and see if we can solve it.the problum is that the systum will not boot it fails at the msmouse.vxd on a step by step set up with a message about insuficant memory to run windows but the bios see 2 gigs and it tests good i tryed to reflash the bios still the same tryed to reformat still same tryed 3 diffrant copys of windows 98, xp ,and xp SP2 all the same the systum will not boot in safemode with or with out cd support all the posts on this foum and 2 others sed to delete the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Enum to fix but i am stuckok small update i talk to asus withch has no idea what thay r doing big suprise thay want me to pay them to fix the bourd i took out of the box yesterday when i try to up date the bios it sez wright protect error on loading the update but it backs up the cruent bios to the same disk 2 secs after so right now i am stuck with that fix too cus it will not update the bios and asus will not tell me how to FLUSH the bios thay just say it is in the book for the bourd and i looked in that long befor i called

I need to install a program on an old computer, which has Windows 98 installed on it.  The program must run under Dos and there can be no more than 32 mg of memory available plus no windows in order for it to run correctly.  How in the world do I ACCOMPLISH this?

Other requirements of the software are COM2 needs to be disabled, nothing can be using IRQ3 or DMA1, VGA Mode number in edscfg has to be 106.
It is vital, as it runs the machines in our business.  I appreciate any help I can getIf you boot to DOS (TAP F8 on powerup), 640MB is all that is available.  COM ports, IRQ's, etc. are not available EXCEPT through the program you are installing.There are some virtual softwares, can recapitulate the exact name.

They will GIVE you the exact ENV. like dos on your windows machine.

Is there anyway to limit file sizes or does anyone know of a program that will do it?  Thanks!What do you mean limit a file size? DO you mena is there a way to create a huge file to become a certain size? The ANSWER to that is no. You can not create a huge file to be a certain size. But you can COMPRESS it. Using Winzip or Winrar can compress your file size to be slightly smaller.I meant Folder Size, not file.  Sorry.Limiting a Folder size... There aren't any programs out there. WELL that I know of to limit a folder size... Unless you compress all the Files in the Folder I suppose.. What excatly do you WANT to do with that folder?Each USER has their own user folder on the network drive.  I'm trying to find a way to limit their amount of space they can use only in their user folder.

I followed these INSTRUCTIONS from Microsoft.com, and it was all fine up until step 5 when it says to press R to repair Windows XP. None of the options on my screen are to press R, and when I do, nothing happens. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong? Does this mean that no Repairs are needed?

One more QUESTION. If I select to Set up Windows XP on the selected item, will that delete everything I already have on my Windows XP (i.e music, files, installed programs)?

Any HELP is appreciated. Quote

I followed these instructions from Microsoft.com, and it was all fine up until step 5 when it says to press R to repair Windows XP. None of the options on my screen are to press R, and when I do, nothing happens. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong? Does this mean that no Repairs are needed?

One more question. If I select to Set up Windows XP on the selected item, will that delete everything I already have on my Windows XP (i.e music, files, installed programs)?

Any help is appreciated.

Nah I'm not. Yeah it's fine I just don't know why the msconfig settings won't stay. I get a message which makes no sense and I have no OPTION but to agree to it and that's what resets the settings. Can't remember what it says though....I would SAY that the best thing to do is to re-partition and FULL format the drive then re-install everything as it should be. When all is done make a drive image to restore with and then, barring hardware FAILURE, you can't go wrong.Woaft, that sounds LIKE a lot of hassle just to get some silly error messages away. It does bug the *censored* out of me everytime I start-up though so it will probably be worth it. If that's my only option then I guess it has to be done.

Thanks.7 minutes was very fast to carry out 2 online scans.

Quote

Yeah it's fine

Hi,

I have heard so many spywares but yesterday was a shining DAY for me.
I met with Internet Optimizer and finally GOT rid of it to.

It was a PAGE hizacker.One small help needed:

Can somebody GIVE me a GOOD link to understand the differences between virus, trojans, spywares, worms, etc.

I am pretty confused between the above.Viruses, Trojans and Worms

Viruses, Trojans and Worms

Spyware

SpywareThanks

Hello all,
Does ANYBODY know where the maximum USER defined path length is set in Windows XP PROFESSIONAL. As I understand the situation 255 characters is the default VALUE, with the actual maximum being 511.

Best Regards,
nosbmhttp://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=169888merlin_2,
Thank you for your response and for the link to the Microsoft article.

There is a further Microsoft article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/180410/EN-US/

The difficulty that I have with both of these articles is that they do not indicate how or where the maximum path length is set. There must SURELY be a registry key somewhere that holds the value of the maximum path length.

I would like to check what the value is currently set at and increase to the maximum if neccessary.

Best regards,
nosbm

Because it frequently COMES up, if someone needs a Linux LiveCD, I will send you a Knoppix for the PRICE of ...FREE.

Of course if you want to COVER my costs with a few bucks that would be appreciated.

It just seems to come up a lot that this would be a perfect tool for someone having problems, and they may not be savvy enough to download and burn their own ISO, or be on dialup.  If their system hardware is very low, I may OPT for another distribution as well.

The idea is to get a tool in the hand of a ........... person who needs it.

Anyway that's my offer until you hear otherwise.You're the MAN!  
No one could complain about the price.  Whats the latest version?Your Quote is getting better day by day Raptor.  

Can it be shipped to India.   Quote

Whats the latest version?

Your Quote is getting better day by day Raptor.  

Can it be shipped to India.  

Well because of the 30 days of activation is over for my windows xp and now that  my computer won't let me log in I decided to take everything off it and start again.  For some reason my c drive is only 4 MB Fdisk looks like this:
partition
        1            EXTENDED  DOS                     2047 mb     useage    100%
C:      2     Status(A)   PRIMARY DOS        4mb             useage

It won't let me delete extended and I think I did delete primary after formatting drive C:   I tried deleting drive D: which I think my operating system is on but won't let me.  I tried making this my active partition but it won't let me.   Can anyone HELP me as I think I deleted the WRONG partition   I am trying to install win98 but it is saying it needs so many mb's and my drive c isn't big enough!!!  It won't read my drive D: so I do not know what I can do.......FDISK SIMULATIONWin98 only takes 300 megabytes or so, so let US know how big the hard drive is total and what your final goal is - 2 separate partitions - one for each operating system, just one, with a data drive so if you have to reload all your data is safe, etc. We can advise from there.If you reformatted your HDD as NTFS, Fdisk can not read it. You are going to have to reformat them using Windows XP setup and abort before it attempts to install it self.

It can only probably read the 4MB drive space which is created during Windows XP partitioning.Raptor that does make sense as when I installed xp I did make it a ntfs but for some reason it is on drive d: an extended partition as my drive c: is a primary partition and active.  Now you say to setup windows xp and then abort.  Can I do this with a burnt cd?I also forgot that when I am in partition info it doesn't show drive d it just shows
 partition         1         extented dos part.
                    c: 2         primary dos part      etc.

How can I delete partition 1 as it keeps telling me I can't and if I have the operating system windows xp which won't let me log on.  Have I got you confused as I sure am.
Nancy:

It looks like whoever set up your computer installed the old text-only disk operating system (DOS) on the primary partition (C:), then installed Windows XP on (D:).  You may be booting to the DOS operating system on (C:) so you are unable to delete (C:) while you are there.  

Use a Windows 98 boot disk to start your computer, instead.  If you don't have one, download it and install it on a floppy disk from here:

http://bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

At the A:\> prompt, type FDISK
When FDISK starts, (1) delete the logical drive on (D:) and then (2) delete partition (D:) and then (3) delete partition (C:) and then (4) create one partition that uses 100% of the space available on the hard drive.  (Do every thing in the order given).

Then, press Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys together to restart your computer with the boot disk still in the floppy drive and reformat the partition in FAT32.

At the A:\> prompt, type FORMAT C: and press Enter.  When asked if you want to enable large disk support, answer Y for yes and press Enter.  

After the formatting of the hard drive is finished, put the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive and press Ctrl, Alt, Del to restart the compuer.  If you see a message on the monitor that says something like "Press XX to boot to the CD..." press the key indicated in the message.  The Windows 98 installation should start.

Regards,
Doc
Quote

Raptor that does make sense as when I installed xp I did make it a ntfs but for some reason it is on drive d: an extended partition as my drive c: is a primary partition and active.  Now you say to setup windows xp and then abort.  Can I do this with a burnt cd?

Use a Windows 98 boot disk to start your computer, instead.  If you don't have one, download it and install it on a floppy disk from here:

Hey, i just a new computer from my school, and it already has a NETWORK on from when the school used it, how do i remove the netowrk, and how can i upgrade it?What do you mean by "remove the network"?McGee:

If you mean "How do you remove the network protocols" here is how:

1. Right-CLICK on My Network Places (or on Network Neighborhood in WINDOWS 98) and select Properties
2. Right-click on the network connection you wish to remove.
3. If Delete is not available from the context menu, choose Properties
4. In Network Properties, select the General tab.
5. Select each property one at a time and click the UNINSTALL button until all are removed.
6. Select OK to close the dialog box.
7. Close the Network CONNECTIONS window.

Best regards,
DocWhat's the OS.

...to have it so that i dont have to log on to my COMPUTER and it goes STRAIGHT to my desktop?

I am the only user and have xp proDownload TweakUI Control PANEL utility, free from Microsoft.Lots of other POWERTOYS are available for English versions of XP.

Click the link below.thanks both of you, worked a treat.Wish I had known just how easy it was with TweakUI. Funny thing is that it doesn't work on the French installation but somehow it changed all by itself.

Computer probably possessed again.

Probably needs an Extortionist or an Exorcist or WHATEVER you call these 'religious' people.

(ONE for pcdoc4christ I suppose!)

Hi,

My 1 year old Dell Inspiron 8600 won't BOOT and I get what appear to be color lines all over my screen! When I try to boot, the devices (CD-ROM, Harddrive etc.) seem to go 'crazy' but Windows never starts!

Any ideas what could be causing this or where I should look?

ThanksWhat has caused this to happen?As far as I know - nothing! Could it be a virus? or faulty hardware?Have you dropped it..? Quote

As far as I know - nothing! Could it be a virus? or faulty hardware?

As far as I know - nothing! Could it be a virus? or faulty hardware?

Have you answered your own question:?


               (carrollf101)
The only recent change was flash BIOS upgrade to A14.

Hi,

When i restart one of my friends computer, the drives are alwasy shared.

He is in a LAN.
What i do is make them UNSHARED, but on restarting again they BECOME unshared.

How can i OVERCOME it.Forgot to say its

Win NT 4.0 SP 6

Hi, there

I was wondering if there is a feature LIKE snapshot on windows XP so that i can retrieve BACK a copy of my document.

I had a situation in which i accidentally overwrote an excel document. I opened up an excel document and made some changes and was then supposed to save it as a different document but by accident, clicked on save button. As a result of that, i lost the original doc. pretty frustrated at a TIME. So i don't want something like this to happen again in the future.

I'm sure that UNIX does PROVIDE snapshot capabilities but don't know with windows.

Thank you in advance and look forward to hearing from youAssoc:

I believe there is a setting in some versions of Microsoft Excel to always make a backup copy automatically.  

BEST regards,
DocIf I had a nickel for every time I did that...

Try this, and good luck.

http://www.amset.info/tips/office-recovery.aspIf you are using the Excel Backup Assistant it should have made a backup copy automatically. Look for the file extension .XLK

Ok this is REALLY weird.  I have a compaq presario 6000 and I had it networked to my mom's aspire labtop or w/e its called and the net work wouldn't work sayin that there was something stoppin the connection flow like admin rights. soo I unplugged them and restarted my computer because it had been on for awhile and when it came back on it had deleted all my desktop icons except SHORTCUTS to prince of persia and command and conquer generals and my recycle bin, my documents are all gone and back to how they originally appear when u get a new PC, and all my hardware and power settings and so forth are all turned back on to there defaults.  IDK if the ethernet connecting to my mom's computer had anything to do with this but I wanna know just incase I might have a virus or somethin to where it might have effected my mopm's computer too because her computer means ALOt more then mine.  I REALLY NEED help on this though just incase I can get those document back cuz I miss them lol because several of them were very improtant too.  Thanx for any help and PLEASE PLEASE respond to this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote

I have a Compaq Presario 6000 and I had it networked to an ACER Aspire laptop.

The network wouldn't work saying that there was something stopping the connection flow, such as the administration rights.

I unplugged them both and restarted my computer because it had been on for a while, and when it came back on it had deleted all my desktop icons except shortcuts to Prince of Persia, Command and Conquer  Generals, and my recycle bin.

My documents are all gone and back to how they originally appear when you get a new PC, and all my hardware and power settings and so forth are all back to their defaults.

I don't know if the ethernet connection to the other computer had anything to do with this, but I would like to know just in case I might have a virus which may have effected the Acer computer and because this computer means a lot more than mine.

I would like to ask for some help on this to see if I can get those documents back and because several of them are very important.

Thanks for any help.

if i try and play music either from cd or audio file with wmp10 im getting no sound even tho the track is playing,same problem if i try and play a dvd or video file,i get picture but no sound.if i try and play either of the above with another media player theres no problem and also theres no problem with any other of the accounts set up on the computer.so that shows drivers,soundcard and codecs ok.this has happned basically overnite! 2 days ago no problem,now this! checked all volume controls in the media player and the one in the taskbar,none are muted or TURNED off or turned down.Tried system restore to an earlier time when it was working,still no difference ! Uninstalled wmp10 and reinstalled it,no different.Rolled back to wmp9 still the same.I know its gotta be something simple im missing,i just cant see it! any ideas anyone? dont want anymore late nites trying to suss it out.cheers  could it be as simple as making sure its not muted?

If its not muted then i recomend using another player. Like Winamp.

http://www.winamp.com

R0SS
nope fraid not that easy,nothings muted double checked the lot.dont wanna change players.just wanna get this solved.its buggin the *censored* outta me!!!I don't think there much hope for you mate.

I mean you removed it then re-installed it and it didn't fix, Which means its not a settings prob.

I'm stumped

R0SS
Update audio codecswill try that.but surely if audio codecs are not right, wmp wouldnt work on the other accounts that are on the computer? coz compared the codecs on the accounts and they are the same.you reckon it would be worth removing all the audio codecs and then reinstalling them?SCAN for viruses.You must be tearing your hair out.  
It has to be a user PREFERENCE setting that has been changed somewhere, somehow.

Free online virus scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan.htm
Free online spyware scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/spyxposer/com/spyxposer_principal.htm

Just to eliminate the possibility.Try WPM>Tools>Options>Devicesive already bin there and done it all im afraid.ive GOT symantec corperate edition  which ive scanned with,microsoft antispyware,spybot and adaware theyve all come up clean.done wmp>tools>options>devices and all fine,nothing out of sorts. any more ideas?Do you get sounds in other applications? Just WMP fails (imagine that!) If you do not get sounds elsewhere, try booting with a Linux Live CD and see if you get sounds there to let you know if it's hardware or software. That's always a good piece of information to have.are your speakers plugged in properly/in the right place?  it could be as simple as that?  wait...did you say you tried that?  WELL, anyway....  If you tried sys/res .......the audio codecs are gone.....Try deleting the profile of that user, and then relogin so that it gets recreated.got sounds in all other applications,and from wmp in all other accounts.system restore makes no difference no matter how far i take it back.doin a little sideways thinkin tho ive created another account,put all my music,video files,programme files etc off my account onto a disc.gonna transfer them on to the new account and then delete the original faulty account.iknow it wont fix the original problem really but just work around it.dont see any other way really.

When I put my computer on standby, the whole computer shuts down - and abviously that's not what's supposed to happen.

Do I NEED to change something within Windows or in the BIOS, if so: what exactly?

Thanks in advance.Check the power options........control panel........ Quote

Check the power options........control panel........

That what standby does......shuts the pc off.....to safe power........move the mouse or touch the keyboard to start it.....

Hey, I just have a small problem with the USB ports in my computer.
I have four USB ports in my PC, all of which work to my knowledge. I'm PRETTY sure they all work, because I have used them numerous times in the past. But recently, (not sure how long ago) when ever any USB device is plugged in to the computer, it freezes the computer, and I am forced to restart the computer.
I tried booting up the computer with my MP3 player already plugged in to the port, but upon booting up the computer I find that the computer hasn't recognized the device.
I need help. Please.
Thanks,
S. JohnsonTry removing the USB port drivers from the device manager.System info is.......operating system is.

do you have the right drivers.......I think XP and above have inbuilt USB drivers.

Can we uninstall them Raptor. Quote

I think XP and above have inbuilt USB drivers.

Can we uninstall them Raptor.

Okay,

Right clicked "My Computer"

Went to Hardware and got Device manager.
The last one is Unicersal Serial Bus controllers

Now if i uninstall it, how will i install it again.

To all who have answers!
Please! My COMPUTER has suddenly stopped "seeing " the DVD and CD Drives!
What gives? More information needed.When i look at the My Computer window, both the E and D drives are missing. Neither the CD Rom or the DVD are there, they open and close but when i place a CD in the tray, it does not boot. I have tried the hardware troubleshooting route, with no luck.
I purchased a NEW CD drive but the computer does not "see" this one either.Scan for Viruses, Trojan Horses and Spyware.

Do you recall what happened proir to this problem occuring?

Does the device manager detect the devices?

Virus scanners
AVG Free
-- Anti virus scanner
Trend Micro Housecall
-- Online anti virus scanner.

Anti spy/malware
Microsoft Antispyware
-- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only.
Spybot Search & Destroy
-- Anti spyware scanner
Adaware SE Personal
-- Anti spyware scanner

Firewalls
Use both a hardware and software firewall.
Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems

ZoneAlarm Free
-- Free firewall - more user friendly
Sygate Personal
-- Free firewall - more configuration options

Removal tools
The following files are not substitutes for the ones described above.
They are either diagnostic tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind

HijackThis
-- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested!
McAfee Stinger
-- Virus removal tool. No SUBSTITUTE for a fully functional virus scanner!
CWshredder
-- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.I have downloaded  and run the AVG virus software. It fornd 8 viruses. The device manager does see the the drives but they have the yellow circle with the exclamation mark. I have tried to update the drivers but no luck. After putting the new CD/DVD burner in the device manager does not see it at all.Is this the old winxp system......you may need the reg patch cdgone>read more>http://aumha.org/regfiles.htmIf you just added a second drive it's possible the jumpers are not set properly...
I would suggest the Burner set as Master and connected to the END of the cable on IDE2 with the CDRom set as Slave on the middle connector of the same cable.

patio. Quote

I have downloaded  and run the AVG virus software. It fornd 8 viruses. The device manager does see the the drives but they have the yellow circle with the exclamation mark. I have tried to update the drivers but no luck. After putting the new CD/DVD burner in the device manager does not see it at all.

I got a message saying that I had a "pest" embedded in my computer and do reboot my computer and start it in safe mode and do this command to delete it:
C:ppcleandeleteatreboot.bat

Has anyone ever heard of this? Has anyone ever done this? I'm afraid to do it. My spyware/adware found it. it also left a website http://research/pestpatrol.com/howto/safemodeppclean.asp

I still don't trust it. HELP HELP HELP! Well, first off, I would never go to that website. Then I woulld use your antivirus/spyware remover to get rid of it. You might want to try trendmicro.com and use their online scanner and remover if this does not work.Yup,

Try scanning it.
You can also try to edit that batch file and see its contents.  

Be AWARE, don't double click it.  It could be as inoccuous as a sales pitch for Pest Patrol, or something to load you down with some pests.

Danger Will Robinson, danger.If you have Pest Patrol on your system then you should do as the message asks.

I see that the link given gets a 404 not found error message.

Try this and see what it comes up with.

Pest Patrol On-Line ScanVirus scanners
AVG Free
-- Anti virus scanner
Trend Micro Housecall
-- Online anti virus scanner.

Anti spy/malware
Microsoft Antispyware
-- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only.
Spybot Search & Destroy
-- Anti spyware scanner
Adaware SE Personal
-- Anti spyware scanner

Firewalls
Use both a hardware and software FIREWALL.
Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems

ZoneAlarm Free
-- Free firewall - more user friendly
Sygate Personal
-- Free firewall - more configuration options

Removal tools
The following files are not substitutes for the ONES described above.
They are EITHER DIAGNOSTIC tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind

HijackThis
-- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested!
McAfee Stinger
-- Virus removal tool. No substitute for a fully functional virus scanner!
CWshredder
-- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.

Hi,

What are Codecs, i have heard this many times related to music files.

Thanksvibhor_agarwalin.....
CODEC stands for Coder-Decoder (some say Compressor-Decompressor) and is used to describe anything which turns data into ANOTHER form for storage or transmission, then changes it back for use.


dl65  

ThanksI was just GOOGLING for it and got this:

Normal MP3 encoding is done at 128kbps

Now what does this mean.  http://www.howstuffworks.comThat's Raptor at his Best!  

Great link.Bookmark that website, it's very useful.Too late.

I have ALREADY done that.

how do i change my internet SETTINGS so that my background WONT be all white and i can see the colors PROVIDED by the website?What makes you THINK there is such a setting?
cause ive done it before but forgotYou're not being very clear.Tools/internet options............the bottom of the screen ....displays buttons for colour/fonts etcWhat do you want EXACTLY.

My son's notebook recently started freezing for periods of time. Looking at it, I see explorer.exe running at 99% cpu usage constantly. I ran ad-aware and removed some malware, cleaned up the DISK so there is plenty of space (it had been down to 450M), made sure norton was up to date and ran a scan, used system restore to set everything back a few weeks (and then redid all the stuff above), etc.

None of that made much difference. After I reboot the machine, THINGS are OK for some period of time, but then (within minutes) explorer goes back to 99%.

If I can find the disks for his machine I will PROBABLY reinstall the OS soon, but that will be a real pain.

Anyone have any suggestions?Try turning off System Restore, then running your virus and spyware scans again.Yep, you've got a critter there.

I would clean off some more space as well, or disable the trash can, or both just to be sure.Try ending it.

Things will go BLANK for sometime, but after some seconds they will appear.
99% things will be okay now.

I was just WONDERING, I have a computer that I bought in the United STATES. On my internal harddrive I have windows XP English version. I live in China and recently bought an external harddrive. I also bought a Chinese version of Windows XP. Would I be able to have 2 versions of Windows XP on my computer?YES.

See this article.Also yes. I have US English XP Professional on DRIVE partition C: and French XP Professional on drive partition D: both on the same - internal - drive.

This is the boot.ini file so that you knwo what to look for...

[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating SYSTEMS]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professionnel" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
As an afterthought. Does your English XP happen to be the US English XP Professional version which comes with the Multilingual User Interface (MUI) just in case you have overlooked the presence of the five language CDs?

I have an eMachines 333i computer (yes I know how bad it is, but it was all I could afford) that uses Windows 98 and recently in the last year I have develped some problems using the computer.

I had to do a complete re-INSTALL of windows, but since it was an emachine and I did not have a working floppy drive to boot from, nor a windows 98 CD (the copy is on the hard drive I would need to format) I probly didn't do a clean install.  ANd since I have been having trouble finding work I really cannot afford to take it into a shop and get it fixed, so I hae been using other peoples computers to get information, and figure out how to fix the problems.

I was able to get it hooked up to the internet (I use a ethernet card to hook up to my cable modem, which my parents pay for) but I am left using Intertnet explorer 4.0  When I load up a page with lots of java or scripts (like msn.com) the page stops loading and a error window pops up saying "there was an error running script.. do you want to continue using scripts on this page (y/n)" the formatting of the page gets skewed, and I can no longer access my hotmail because of al lthe page errors. for some internet sites Internet explorer will just crash, and end up restarting windows explorer

I tried using the windows update, but I get the microsoft page in IE that says it was an invalid address

I was able to downlaod the IE6setup.exe but when I run it it says there are programs on the computer waiting for a reboot to finish installing and wont install IE6

I even downloaded the latest install program for firefox and after it unpacks to 100% and was "Verifying achive integrity" it quits and it was as if nothing happened.. tho I found some files in my temprary folder related to firefox.

Please someone help me narrow down this problem.  I think I am fairly savvy enough with computers to find out information, but there are some technical aspects I do not understand nor do I have an idea to properly solve this problem.

The FTP program I use on the computer works jsut fine, so i can download programs or files if needed with that.

any help is appriciatedUse CCLeaner to clean up the drive first of all and if you can, make a drive image to restore with in case anything goes wrong.

Then download IEradicator to a folder and then go through this procedure so that you get a full download of IE6 to install instead of using the small ie6setup.exe

HOW TO DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL IE6 SP1 FULL PROGRAM SYSTEM/LANGUAGE VARIANTS

NOTE: The file ie6setup.exe is specific to the operating system AND is ... ALSO ... language specific.

You START by downloading ie6setup.exe for YOUR operating system & LANGUAGE into a C:\Download folder.

(You can do this for other Operating SYSTEMS on other computers if you burn the entire download to a CD-R or CD-RW.)

The C:\Download folder HAS to be opened to FULL screen before pasting the download command into the Run window.

1./ Download the IE6 SP1 Installer from the MAIN WINDOWS DOWNLOAD site IE6 SP1 DOWNLOAD[/url]

2./ Choose the language which you require at the right side of the page.

3./ Download the installer (Approx. 480+Kb) into the C:\Download folder, and open the folder to FULL window.

4./ Go to Start> Run> and cut & paste this line into the Run window, then press OK

      C:\Download\ie6setup.exe /c:"ie6wzd.exe /d /s:""#E"""

NOTE: Copy and paste the above line. Otherwise you can get the syntax wrong.

5./ In the download window which appears, choose the operating system which you want to put IE6 SP1 onto and chose the C:\DOWNLOAD path, in the top window, then press enter.

The IE6 SP1 cabinet files will now download into this folder and you can then either install, or burn to CD.

To install IE6 SP1 first do this...

6./ Remove your old IE completely from your system  using IEradicator for a clean install of IE6 SP1

7./ Run scandisk and defrag.

8./ Run ie6setup.exe to install IE6 SP1 to your system.

9./ Now update your system at the Windows Update site for ALL system-critical and security up-dates.

10./ In IE, Tools, IE Options, Advanced, & under "Navigation" Uncheck:

"Activate install on demand" [Other] , and, "Activate install on demand" [Internet Explorer]

In IE6 Tools, Options, General, set the History to the number you require, then open Settings and set the Temporary Internet Files cache to 20Mb or LESS.

Recently, I whole bunch of junk downloaded onto my computer [home search assistent, porn in my bookmarks, quickwebsearch, etc.]. I don't know how it got on my computer since I usually use Mozilla Firefox. I tried FIXING it manually but its just too much. Therefore, I'm just going to do a system recovery to wipe out everything. Now, I put everything I need in one folder and tried to compress it with WINRAR so I could upload it somewhere and then get it back once the system recovery is finished. Unfortunately, the folder is over 3gb's of items. What should I do? I don't have a DVD burner so that wouldn't work. My webhoster only allows 10 mb's of material to upload. Please put your input on what I should do!Virus scanners
AVG Free
-- Anti virus scanner
Trend Micro Housecall
-- Online anti virus scanner.

Anti spy/malware
Microsoft Antispyware
-- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only.
Spybot Search & Destroy
-- Anti spyware scanner
Adaware SE Personal
-- Anti spyware scanner

Firewalls
Use both a hardware and software firewall.
Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems

ZoneAlarm Free
-- Free firewall - more user friendly
Sygate Personal
-- Free firewall - more configuration options

Removal tools
The following files are not substitutes for the ones described above.
They are either diagnostic tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind

HijackThis
-- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested!
McAfee Stinger
-- Virus removal tool. No substitute for a fully functional virus scanner!
CWshredder
-- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.Tracy:

Have a techie friend purchase a used 4 GB hard DRIVE and install it in your computer as a slave hard drive.  Save your backup to there.  

You may even purchase a USB hard drive enclosure case for about $60.00 (USD) and connect the used hard drive to your computer through the USB port on your computer.  You may be able to do this yourself without asking someone for help.

Alternately, for a few more bucks, you may just purchase an EXTERNAL hard drive and connect it to your computer's USB port and save your backup there.  

Best regards,
Doc Quote

Recently, I whole bunch of junk downloaded onto my computer [home search assistent, porn in my bookmarks, quickwebsearch, etc.]. I don't know how it got on my computer

Recently, a whole bunch of junk downloaded onto my computer [home search assistent, porn in my bookmarks, quickwebsearch, etc.].

I don't know how it got on my computer since I usually use Mozilla Firefox. I tried fixing it manually but it's just too much. Therefore, I'm just going to do a system recovery to wipe out everything.

Now, I put everything I need in one folder and tried to compress it with WinRAR so I could upload it somewhere and then get it back once the system recovery is finished.

Unfortunately, the folder is over 3gb's of items. What should I do? I don't have a DVD burner so that wouldn't work. My webhoster only allows 10 mb's of material to upload. Please put your input on what I should do!

It will probably be easier if I go through this like a story, so here GOES.

I recently discovered a lot of spyware on my computer. It's always been up to date (Win XP SP2) regular spyware checks, etc. AdAware reported 93 critical files, which I cleared, I ran AA again the following day, and it was up to 263 critical files. Anyway, I ran AdAware, Spybot S&D and Microsoft Anti-spyware. I also cleared a few obvious things with Hijack This. (ie. p2pnetworking.exe)

After clearing it all, or so I thought, I rebooted the computer.. however, I was now unable to access the internet. Both my wireless network and ethernet reported "limited or no connectivity" despite my other computer (this one) being online with no problems. I searched it up and ran what I thought would help - WinsockxpFix. It didn't, and after restarting I had yet another error pop up on the screen -

"The network location from which the file should be copied, C:\windows\service
pack files\:386/controls.man, is not available."

It told me to insert my SP2 CD, which I don't have since I downloaded it through Windows Update, and after doing a thorough search of my computer for the file, there was still no luck. I attempted to solve this problem by uninstalling Service Pack 2, which, while it got rid of the message, it didn't really help anything.

Trying to run cmd crashed the it, it looks for "cmd.com" and I have to go to the system32 folder and find cmd.exe to get to it. This is the same for regedit. (there's a regedit.com file which is hidden in system32)

At some point during this, after restarting, my .exe's all duplicated. By that, I mean, in EVERY folder with an .exe file I have filename.exe and filename.exe(2) and uninstall.exe, uninstall.exe (2) My control panel list has doubled. I don't undestand this at all.

I've tried to partition the drive, I have 25GB free on there, yet when I go to partition it shows that the drive is full. I took this in to DOS which, also, said there were 0 Bytes free. I know this is not true.

It's at this point I'm thinking of buying a new HARD drive (I don't want to lose any data on the current one) Am I looking at DAMAGE control here or what? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Quote

It's at this point I'm thinking of buying a new hard drive (I don't want to lose any data on the current one) Am I looking at damage control here or what? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mac - I had Kaspersky anti-virus, but it would no longer let me update my definitions because my key was a year old and needed renewing. I'm not at college anymore so I had to pay for that.. I think I've learned my lesson.

I'm having a bit of trouble with my computer, i'm pretty sure I started it but I don't know exactly how:

I pressed a load of keys on my keyboard, In no particular order, and a menu came up i've never seen before. It had BASICALLY three options
Normal (then a caption of writing)
something beginning with D (i can't rememeber)
and another one, which I can't REMEMBER either  
Sorry to be vague but this is all I remember.
So I selected the one BEGGINING with D and it was loading for a second, than it went away and evething was fine. Today, i started my computer up again and it was all different. Instead of being a blue taskbar, it was plain grey. It said the printer was uninstalled and won't let me install it again because "the print spool service is not running".

I have no idea of how to fix this. I thought it would be the desktop theme but it won't let me change that, either, and I really would like it to go back to normal.

Any advice appreciated, thanksRe-boot and when the computer is STARTING up keep on tapping the F8 key until you see the choice screen.

Choose 'Last known good configuration' and highlight it using the up/down arrow keys. Press Enter.

Tell us if it goes back to 'Normal' when it re-boots.There ISNT the "last known good configuration" option.Just remembered something. Is your computer fully updated?

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-043  Vulnerability in Print Spooler Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (896423)

Is you anti-virus up to date and have you run a full scan?

What are you using in the way of anti-adware/malware/trojan programs?

I thought i was cleaning out programs that added theirselves to our desk TOP...in the add/remove programs section...one item called 'sidebar' i removed it and EVERYTHING went with it...now i cant LOG back on because it wants our windows 98 id number!!!!  We cant find that ANYMORE!!!  Is there anything  I can do...like resetting the computer back a day before i did this???OMG please help!!!  my kids need it for school work!  thank you in advance.Deb:

What exactly "wants the windows 98 id number"?  Please leave a reply, here, and type the message exactly as it appears on your computer monitor.

Best regards,
Docafter i turn the puter back on ...it goes into windows 98 setup wizard....after i click on agree then goes to asking for windows 98 product key # that supposedly came with the computer....as i said...i no LONGER have this!!!  ACK im going to slap myself silly for just pushing buttons!If you have a '98 bootdisk or can get to the C:\> prompt what do you see when you type - DIR /p - ?On a Win98 machine, you can do a scanreg/restore I believeDid you ever notice how many people do not have or have lost their Win98 install media or license keys or BOTH?to login to windows.....click the ok button...... Quote

Did you ever notice how many people do not have or have lost their Win98 install media or license keys or BOTH?

hi just updated my xp, as SOON as i did this (after it restarted) all my icons have gone big.. its like my screen has blown up.. any one got any ideas?
this HAPPENS every time i try to update, the last 2 time i did it it happen so i used system restore but i might need the updates...What is your resolution set to?

Did you enable large icons?no i didnt do anything i just let the updates run..hey!! Mac do u actully know anything? Quote

no i didnt do anything i just let the updates run..

• What is the resolution set to?
  
• Are large icons enabled?
  
• What DPI is the text set to?
  

sorry Raptor i do not mean to wind u up but i dont know what a resoultion or a DPI is???

hi raptor DPI normal (96) and Recolution 800 by 600 pixels ..

You may (or may not) remember the topic I made a month or so ago. I was venting my frustration with my LAN continually "crapping out." I've determined that the peer to peer program I was using was not the problem, based on the following: there's a program I use called "GameSpy Arcade." It's used to gather servers from a game I play online called "Battlefield 2." When I do a GLOBAL server update, it checks the status of over 1,000 servers...returning the settings of that server, along with the ping between it and my computer.

If I re-update the server list, my LAN crashes, almost every TIME. I'm convinced that my Belkin router, a few years old now, just is flat-out not capable of handling three computers on a network.

I'm going to BUY a new router and see if this fixes the problem. What brand would you recommend? How is DLink? Anyone have personal experience with them? There's a DLink router at a local pawn shopping selling for $20 that I'd LIKE to pick up; I'm familiar with them, as I used them in school and we seemed to have success...

This is really frustrating me. I think I'll try out that DLink, barring someone has a better suggestion?I suggest Netgear. They have some of the best routers available. If not Netgear, I would say Linksys.

[glb]Flame[/glb]Have you tried to COMPLETELY rebuild your network first.

Make use of the DHCP server function on your router (Or assign fixed IP adresses), reinstall NIC drivers, update Router firmware, etc, etc.

I turn on the computer and it gives me a dos screen saying start in safe mode, start WINDOWS to the last time you exited and restart windows normally i try all of these but it comes back to the same screen   what do i doWhat is the windows operating system.

type win at the dos  promptHave you TRIED using the Recovery COnsole on your XP CD? Quote

I turn on the computer and it gives me a dos screen saying start in safe mode, start windows to the last time you exited and restart windows normally i try all of these but it comes back to the same screen   what do i do

i HAVE TAKEN MY OLD HARD DRIVE FROM MY OLD COMPAQ PRESARIO PENTIUM II AND ADDED IT TO MY HP PAVILION PENTIUM III AS A SLAVE WITH THE HP DRIVE AS MASTER.  THE HP RUNS XP PRO. THE COMPAQ RAN XP HOME.
THE HP RECOGNIZES THE OLD DRIVE (CALLS IT DRIVE G AS WELL AS JUST INCREASING THE SIZE OF DRIVE C, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU ASK IT), BUT CALLS UP ONLY SHORTCUTS AND DIRECTORIES.  XP WILL NOT ACCESS THE PROGRAMS OR DATA FILES (SUCH AS THE EMAILS AND PHOTOS THAT I WANT TO COPY INTO MY CURRENT FILES).  MY AIM IS TO HAVE A SECOND DRIVE AS A BACKUP AFTER COMBINING THE FILES.
HOW CAN I GET XP TO GO TO G: AND ACCESS (AND COPY) THE FILES THERE?
APPRECIATE THE HELP!
THANKS, BILLFirst off lose the ALL CAPS thing.

You will not be able to run the programs installed on the slave drive. The critical components to make it run as well as the registration have never been loaded on the PIII.

You can use Explorer or My omputer to manually copy the files you want to any destination you want.

On my desktop, WINXP, I have three WINXP accounts.

I use Outlook Express 6.0 for my e-mails in all accounts.
In my personal WINXP account, I have customized Outlook Express’ window with the layout I need and I use it to access all five e-mail accounts, my four and my WIFE’s

In my wife’s account, as she is not quite adept at PC usage, I have created a scenario such that AIM + Skype + Outlook Express start automatically when she logs onto the PC in her account. The Outlook Express window that opens, shows the list of folders upper left, contacts LOWER left, incoming e-mails on the right and a preview PANE lower right.

This has worked exceedingly well for months.  But in the last week, the “Contacts pane” never appears on start up in my wife’s WINXP account only.  And I must follow the process shown below.

I go to Outlook Express >> View >> Layout and I click on [ ] Contacts to activate it.  Next I click on Apply >> OK.  Voila!  The contacts pane opens and all is well.

If I log out from my wife’s WINXP account or I log off the PC, and then reenter my wife’s WINXP account, the “Contacts” pane is missing again.  I can repeat the above sequence, but upon exit and reentry the “contacts pane” is missing.

But wait, this anomaly does not occur in my WINXP account with my account’s invocation of Outlook Express regardless of the e-mail account that I employ.

And, I have not made any major changes in the PC with the exception of a FireFox update for extensions a week ago, but not that affect e-mail.  And, I loaded the newest version of Skype.

And, if I go to View >> Current View and move “Contacts” to the toolbar.  The Icon appears with a rectangle around it.  Yes, the Contacts pane appears as well.  But, if I click on the “Contacts” icon the rectangle disappears and the contacts pane disappears.  The Contacts pane and the rectangle reappear when I click on the “Contacts” icon.  HOWEVER, the Contacts icon is lost if I leave my wife’s account and reenter the account, thereby reinvoking Outlook Express.

Somehow in my wife’s WINXP account this preference is not preserved from one invocation to the other.

A search of the Microsoft knowledge base does not yield any relevant articles or any clues.

Likewise a search of the Internet does not produce any meaningful solution paths.

Any thoughts?

Have you TRIED simply right-clicking the Toolbar and choosing "Customise..." then in the Customise Toolbar window selecting the Contacts icon and adding it with the Add-> button then clicking on 'Close'?Use Mozilla Thunderbird.Folks,

I solved the problem.

Because of my wife’s difficulties I always leave the Outlook Express window open in her WINXP user account.  When I made the changes as described in my original submission, I never clicked on the

• in the upper right corner such that WINXP would preserve the changes in the registry.
  
  In this case I overlooked a simple process step.
  
  
  
  
  

I will delete replies to posts that need to go........Just curious, Merl... Why?When reviewing the answers,i give the info given ,seems SILLY......I can RELATE to that !  I've even done it myself once or TWICE. But a post doesn't have to be a revelation to be useful, and I don't THINK you need to delete too much judging from what I've read. Just my opinion.   Quote

i give the info given ,seems silly...

When reviewing the answers,i give the info given ,seems silly

We had a power outage and now when you tutn on the PC
it gets as far as the XP screen, then quits and starts again.
This will happen forever. I pout in the restore CD but
when it says hit 1 or 2, regardless which I hit it GIVES me
and A: prompt and says Bad Command.
What next?? THANKS!
Try removing the diskette from the floppy drive.Hello--do you mean remove the restore CD?
Better have the make and model of the computer in question. What sort of restore system does it employ?

Is there a floppy in the A: drive or is there a floppy which needs to be used in conjunction with the restore CD?
Installing and Using Recovery Console

Perform a Repair Installation

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XPI was able to get to the BIOS screen, and then when i hit EXIT> with the XP Restore disk in it allowed me to use the restore disk this time. So everything is working now! i just have to reinstall all the software (luckily no files to worry about--it's my daughter's computer).
THANK YOU!!I hope you do regular data backups for important files, as we all do.Yes--thank you--on my own computer I regularly back up--and just this morning I WENT to Staples and got two UPS units made by APC, one for her computer and one for mine.
Hopefully this will prevent my having to restore the hard drive the next time the power GOES out.Never known a  winxp to display such an error......a:\>I sure hope I don't see it again!

Does anyone have a site where I can have the VOICE of Microsoft SAM REPLACED by another voice for my Text to SPEECH?
TIAhttp://www.bytecool.com/voices.htmi like Sam, He says crazy crazy things  

R0SS

cannot read photoo cd on MAC OSX I created on windows xpAnd why do you THINK that is?USE a SEARCH engine....for a crossplatform program.....

======


i HAVE 2.1 gb h DISK

WITH

C: drive = 1000 mb
d: drive = 1000 mb


Now i have some important data about 300 mb in drive d: which i can not
delete.

Now i want to increase the size of c: to 1400 MB and decrease the size of
d: to 600 mb.

I went to fdisk

and it said "you can not delete primary partition when extended partition
exists."

I moved the 300 mb important data to C:

and if i now delete d:, then its ok.

but i can't delete C: now to resize it because c: contains the important data

but how to make the resizing? as described earlier.

Hello!

I have windows XP.
I found a while ago that my screen saver can be a "slideshow" of the pictures I have TAKEN with my digital CAMERA, which is very fun!  My questions is - I add new pictures all the time to my computer but the new pictures never come up in the slide show, it is like it is stuck on the pictures from the first day I choose this option.  I tried choosing another option and rechoosing my picture slide show as to "refresh" it but that didn't work, any suggestions?  Thanks!Make certain that the new photos are in the same folder as the old photos.Thanks, yes they are automatically saved to the same folder.Try selecting a different path, then press Apply. Once done, SWITCH back to the previous path and click Apply to see if it now does pick up the new photos.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PATH?Select a different folder.

And don't use caps locks.Do you want to use the - screensaver - as a slideshow or do you simply want a slideshow?

If you save your pictures on CDS you MIGHT be interested in some of the Powertoys available from MS.

Click the link below.

I've been having a lot of trouble with my notebook.  I think I have a virus of some sort.  I have Windows XP.  I started getting a blue screen that says Windows has been shut down to prevent further damage.  A FRIEND of mine suggested I use my Windows start up CD to reinstall Windows.  I did that and it worked!  I could access my COMPUTER programs and files.  I used it a few times before I got the error message again.  I repeated what I had DONE before and it worked the second time.  Again, it worked a few times, and now I am getting the error message again.  However, when I try to reinstall Windows, it says there are three partitions, and if I format, I will loose the files that are on my computer.  Is there any way to recover my computer without losing saved information?Libby Brown.....Have you run your anti virus program......?

let us know

dl65  Virus scanners
AVG Free
-- Anti virus scanner
Trend Micro Housecall
-- Online anti virus scanner.

Anti spy/malware
Microsoft Antispyware
-- Anti spyware scanner. Windows XP Home and Professional only.
Spybot Search & Destroy
-- Anti spyware scanner
Adaware SE Personal
-- Anti spyware scanner

Firewalls
Use both a hardware and software firewall.
Be advised as dual software firewalls may cause problems

ZoneAlarm Free
-- Free firewall - more user friendly
Sygate Personal
-- Free firewall - more configuration options

Removal tools
The following files are not substitutes for the ones described above.
They are either diagnostic tools or removal tools for malware of a certain kind

HijackThis
-- Manual malware remover. Post the HijackThis log generated only if requested!
McAfee Stinger
-- Virus removal tool. No substitute for a fully functional virus scanner!
CWshredder
-- CoolWebSearch removal tool. Widely known and persistant Hijacker.Libby:

Does the stop error display give a stop error code that begins with a 0x and ends with eight letters and/or numbers?  If so, write it down and leave a reply so we may look it up and tell you what the cause of the problem likely is.

Regards,
DocSee if re-seating the RAM module(s) helps at all.Looks like another post-n-run.

 I guess that computer really was broken !  "Windows has been shut down to prevent further damage"

First time I ever saw that error message was when I mixed two types of RAM, and most times I find that it relates to RAM or data corruption.

Simply re-seating the RAM often makes the difference.

Good post just yesterday, where a poorly performing computer was immediately improved by re-seating the old module adding more RAM and changing the flat 40 wire IDE cables for 80 wire, cross-talk-screened, cables.

So what other things can be done to improve basic performance? (Not so much the processing speed but the general capability of the machine, without changing the mainboard and processor.)

A faster drive with a bigger drive buffer is one. The higher speed INCREASES paging file performance and the bigger drive buffer can increase the speed of defrag four-fold (very noticeable with Windows ME) simply by changing from a drive with a 2 MB buffer to one with an 8 MB buffer.

I would love to see the change in defrag speed between a drive with a 2 MB buffer and one with a 16 MB buffer!

TWEAKUI can speed up menu opening times and response to the mouse pointer and setting the right screen refresh rate makes a perceptible difference too.

Anything which says System Works and has a lot of gadgetry starting up when Windows starts certainly does slow things down in my experience, and are better avoided.

I've re-installed System Works or Utility programs on many occasions so that NOT everything started up with Windows, just those parts of the program which are essential. Quote

I guess that computer really was broken !  

Hi All  

While installing an old copy of Corel Word, it also installed an Inbox on my desktop.   I think this is Microsoft Messenger.

Can ANYONE tell me how to get rid of it. It doesn't show up in msconfig's startup listing and I can't find the "exe" file which launches it. Clicking on "properties" only launches it.

OS = Windows 98 SE

Thanks in ANTICIPATION ....Hiya,

I can't see any inbos at my desktop. what's the reason? Hi  

1. There is no "delete" AVAILABLE when right-clicking on the icon
2. It can't be dragged to the Recycle Bin (just pops BACK to where it was)
3. There is nothing in the ADD/REMOVE listings
4. A search of my HD only shows my Outlook Express Inbox

(sigh) reboot-pc and try to delete it again. Quote

Hiya,

I can't see any inbos at my desktop. what's the reason?

reboot-pc and try to delete it again.

I need to create a search field for my work spread sheet.

Spread sheet one i have a few different fields that if you type in 010 (a store #) or Door (the product) all info in SPREADSHEET 2 (info i have put in) will show up in spreadsheet 1.  anyone know what im TALKING about or how to do this.

PLEASE HELP!!I know exactly what you mean. I had to do this myself not too long ago, but I forgot how. Let me look it up.

You need to start the formula with the name of the spreadsheet you want to copy from.

For EXAMPLE: =Tab2!G17:I17.

Where Tab2 is the name of the spreadsheet (Assuming you are working in a spreadsheet called something else than Tab2) and G17:I17 are self explanatory.

Does this make sense?

Awesome!and then how do i link it to the specifc data Quote

For example: =Tab2!G17:I17.  

=Tab2 this is the spreadsheet you want to link to

!G17:I17 this is the info you want to link to

Can you start in safe mode?
Do you see a post screen at start up?
Have you been fooling around in bios?
i dont know what a post screen is.....safe mode does the same thingCan we please wrap all your problems to one post robert...... like my pc (a the old ibm has a PROBLEM) or (B) my old dell/hp......self build has this problem.....so i dont END up a skeleton sitting in a chair trying to help you......get the drift......as you have posts dotted all over the place.....When you first PUSH the computer button do you ever see anything on the screen at all?
White text on a black background?SOLUTION:

Take your hard drive put it into another pc with XP on it scan it for bad sectors; should fix the bad sectors on your drive. Go BACK and put your disk on your computer and walla... Quote

SOLUTION:

Take your hard drive put it into another pc with XP on it scan it for bad sectors; should fix the bad sectors on your drive. Go back and put your disk on your computer and walla...

I've just bought a 2005 emachines computer from Gateway and whenever I play a CD on WMP, the fan STARTS up and stays on for a very long time even if I eject the disk. Is this normal?Sounds like corrupted data.  Turning the power off without shutting down properly may cause this.

Try using the Windows disk checker to find and fix errors:

1. Open My Computer
2. Right-click Local Disk (C:) and choose Properties from the menu.
3.  In Local Disk (C:) Properties, click the Tools tab.
4.  Click the button to begin checking for errors (not the button to defragment the drive).
5. In the Check Disk dialog box, check Automatically Fix File System Errors and check Scan For and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors.

Let us know if Check Disk finds any bad sectors, and how many it finds.

Regards,
Doc

That's actually hilarious because I just bought the thing yesterday. Corrupted data? From WHAT? ...Lol... Quote

That's actually hilarious because I just bought the thing yesterday. Corrupted data? From WHAT? ...Lol...

That's actually hilarious because I just bought the thing yesterday. Corrupted data? From WHAT? ...Lol...

I've just bought a 2005 emachines computer from Gateway and whenever I play a CD on WMP, the fan starts up and stays on for a very long time even if I eject the disk. Is this normal?

That's actually hilarious because I just bought the thing yesterday. Corrupted data? From WHAT? ...Lol...

Does the NRA have any plans for Penguin shooting trips for hunters?

Does anyone know what the CPY file extension mean? I continue to GET this as an unwanted object after running adaware but can not delete nor EVEN see DIRECTORY UNLESS I revert to msdos commandsTry this http://filext.com/detaillist.php?extdetail=cpy&Submit3=Go%21

Did you run AdAware in Safe mode?

Located on my UBS/Thumb drive are unidentified files I cannot delete.  The files do not have any extensions and the file names are caricatures and symbols.

When I click on the "Properties" there is not information about the file.  The memory space is "0KB".  

When I try to delete I get a "...cannot identify the source..." error message.

Anyone encounter this type of error before?

Thank you for your time & help.


You can always format it. If they are still there, they are meant to be.Try to Refresh it a couple of times.Sounds like corrupted data.    

Try USING the Windows disk checker to find and fix errors:  
 
1. Open My Computer  
2. Right-click your thumb drive and choose Properties from the MENU.  
3.  In the thumb drive Properties window, click the Tools tab.  
4.  Click the button to begin checking for errors (not the button to defragment the drive).  
5. In the CHECK Disk dialog box, check Automatically Fix File System Errors and check Scan For and Attempt Recovery of Bad Sectors.  
 
Let US know if Check Disk finds any bad sectors, and how many it finds.  
 
Regards,  
Doc