What happens when you shotgun a computer ??
I am about to do it.
Please help me !!
This is a hard one to describe, but I'll try.
1) starting yesterday, Internet Explorer would load and bring the screen up for about 5 seconds - then go blank.
2) when that would happen, the task bar at the bottom of the page would go blank and the "waiting" hourglass would come on - just in the area where the taskbar should be. Moving the cursor above the taskbar area would change the hourglass back to a normal arrowhead cursor. The hourglass would never return to normal.
3) The "START" tab would be blank & I wouldn't have access to the program list
4) Firefox would load OK, but the taskbar still was gone
5) I did all the normal stuff - got rid if the cookies, ran my 2 week old McAfee Internet Security Suite, ran disk clean up and defrag. shut the computer down manually, turned off the DSL box, and rebooted a couple of times.
6) At this moment, the lower taskbar is blank, with the hourglass on it.
I wouldn't care about Internet Explorer being gone, but my wife uses it - she won't use Firefox.
None of us has downloaded anything for a few days. The hardware is a 1 year old HP(Compaq) Multi-Media box with an AMD Athlon 64, with 1GB Ram, running under XP Media Center Edition 2005.
The box was running fine until yesterday afternoon.
Anyone out there have any way to help this stoopid, old, cripple?? (he said, inspiring pity among the forum members)
Thank you,
Doug
Please help me !!
This is a hard one to describe, but I'll try.
1) starting yesterday, Internet Explorer would load and bring the screen up for about 5 seconds - then go blank.
2) when that would happen, the task bar at the bottom of the page would go blank and the "waiting" hourglass would come on - just in the area where the taskbar should be. Moving the cursor above the taskbar area would change the hourglass back to a normal arrowhead cursor. The hourglass would never return to normal.
3) The "START" tab would be blank & I wouldn't have access to the program list
4) Firefox would load OK, but the taskbar still was gone
5) I did all the normal stuff - got rid if the cookies, ran my 2 week old McAfee Internet Security Suite, ran disk clean up and defrag. shut the computer down manually, turned off the DSL box, and rebooted a couple of times.
6) At this moment, the lower taskbar is blank, with the hourglass on it.
I wouldn't care about Internet Explorer being gone, but my wife uses it - she won't use Firefox.
None of us has downloaded anything for a few days. The hardware is a 1 year old HP(Compaq) Multi-Media box with an AMD Athlon 64, with 1GB Ram, running under XP Media Center Edition 2005.
The box was running fine until yesterday afternoon.
Anyone out there have any way to help this stoopid, old, cripple?? (he said, inspiring pity among the forum members)
Thank you,
Doug
0
-
Download and run Ad-aware and spybot. Then download HiJackThis. Be very very very careful with the last one. Run it and post the results here. 0 -
Doug, on a 870 the shell feeds in from the bottom,rack the forearm back load said round,stand back 10 ft,now safety first ,glasses-check hearing protection-check everyone clear-check,safety off and squeeeeeze,[}:)][}:)][^][sorry i'm computer ignorant] i would have done the exact same thing you done,then came here for help, good luck,Loko[8D] 0 -
Did you try a system restore? 0 -
You can click "ctrl-alt-del" to bring up task manager, then click the "processes" tab. See if "explorer.exe" is running (NOT iexplore.exe). If so, stop it.
Then click "file" and "new task (run)".
On the open line, type "explorer". This will restart the desktop manager and you should get your icons/start menu back.0 -
yep, make sure you wear some Personal Protecive Equipment. be aware of the background beyond your target. 0 -
ctrl-alt-delete has no effect.
can't access task manager.
can't access system restore - the start button is inoperable.
If I go to shrink a program to put it on the taskbar it just disappears. I can restart the program, but I'd like o know what the heck happened to the one I shrank.0 -
The clock in the lower right corner says it's 1:07 PM. My watch says 3:36PM.
What the heck ??
Doug0 -
M a c
[:D]0 -
can you get in to control panel? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
can you get in to control panel?
Bye Doug. Come visit us again.[:D]0 -
if you can get into control panel you can use scheduled task to do a system restore, if not your only other option is to put in your original disc and re install windows, you can do this with out reformatting, and loosing all your data, it sounds like you may have a virus,{doesn't matter when you got it}, or some serious cpu issues, virus would be the better of the two, i have seen cpus do this as well, when they start screwing up they start putting files away wrong, improper, and sometimes loose them 0 -
Start up in safe mode:
As your computer starts but before Windows launches, press F8.
On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press F8 when the boot menu appears.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate safe mode option, and then press ENTER.
If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.
In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers (mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system services, and no network connections). You can choose the Safe Mode with Networking option, which loads all of the above files and drivers and the essential services and drivers to start networking, or you can choose the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option, which is exactly the same as safe mode except that a command prompt is started instead of the graphical user interface. You can also choose Last Known Good Configuration, which starts your computer using the registry information that was saved at the last shutdown.
Safe mode helps you diagnose problems. If a symptom does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device or reverse the change.
There are circumstances where safe mode will not be able to help you, such as when Windows system files that are required to start the system are corrupted or damaged. In this case, the Recovery Console may help you.
NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.0 -
+1, try Safe Mode. 0 -
Edit -
I see you can't boot it at all and get a usable OS to backup.
Download the ubuntu live cd - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download and boot off of that. You can then resize your existing drive (or if you have 2 cdrom drives) and install it, and hten burn CD or DVD backups (assuming your drive is a burner), then reformat and reinstall windows... or keep Ubuntu
It does what just about all home users do with a computer, just with different applications (that are Free and free and adhere to standards and .....)
Backup the data you care about, download service pack 2 (go to ms website, look under downloads and find sp2 for network admin type people to install many times), and just reformat and reinstall windows. It honestly needs it every 6 months to one year.0 -
This my attempt at a document that explains how to manually find and
remove those pesky adwares, spywares and such in Windoz. The following is my first attempt to actually put this on paper, but if you are a little worried about performing these steps yourself, you can always email me and I'll return with my phone number so that you can call me and I'll walk you through it. Be prepared for an hour or more on the phone.
These directions will work in win200 and xp.
First off, let me explain that adware, spyware, hijackers, trojans, etc., are not viruses. They will not be detected by most antivirus software.
There are some pests that can be detected/removed by free anti pest software programs.
But, in fact, some of them use random character generated program names so that even the antipest software cannot detect them. I personally use Pest Patrol, licensed version.
Another observation from many of the systems that I have fixed is that most of these pests are brought into your system by using any of the following programs:
Internet Explorer (Use a different browser such as Netscape or Mozilla (Firefox), they are free)
Windoz Messenger
AOL
AIM
Any music sharing website (Kazaa is the worst I've seen)
Many porn sites
Many game websites
________________________________________________________________________________
_________
The best way to start this is by booting up the system in "Safe Mode". The reason is that some of these pests will load automatically when you boot your system into the normal mode and then they it is more complicated to remove them.
I'm going to try and keep this as simple as possible.
To boot up into "Safe Mode" you gotta start up your computer and start tapping the "F8" key every second or so because you have to catch it just right between the end of the BIOS start up and Windoz start up.
Once you catch it right a screen will appear, usually white characters on a black screen. It will ask you to scroll up or down to select the way you want the system to boot. Select "Safe Mode" and hit enter. Do not select Safe Mode with networking, etc.
There are 4 main places on your system that are read by Windoz and load the programs that are listed when you boot.
They are:
1) "Start up"
2) "Services"
3) "Hkey_Current_User" (in the registry)
4) "Hkey_Local_Machine" (in the registry)
In the following sections, when I say click, try a single click, if nothing happens other than the item being highlighted, then double click. Some machines are set up for a single click to act like a double click in some instances.
1) ----Start up
This is not the normal start up that is under START, PROGRAMS.
To get to this Start up you will need a copy of MSCONFIG.EXE. If you don't have
it in your system, you can download one from here:
http://www.techadvice.com/win2000/m/msconfig_w2k.htm or email me and I'll send a
copy to you.
Click on START, RUN and then type "msconfig" (without the quotes) into the white window that opens up, then click OK.
The "System Configuration Utility" will pop up. Click on the Startup tab.
You will see a list of programs that will automatically start up when you boot.
Each has a little box to it's left. If the block has a checkmark in it, the program will load. If you click on the checkmark in the box it will disappear and the program will not load on boot.
Examine all of the programs on the list. You may recognize many of the program names and some you will not know anything about. Some are system programs that need to run and some will be your anitvirus/printer, etc. programs. Some may/will be programs that were put into your system by pests and some from websites that you have visited and clicked on something.
Any suspect program can be checked out by doing a search for the program name in
Google. Just enter the program.ext name into the search box and hit enter. You
will get information about the file if its a system/printer/video, etc. file.
You will also get info if its a pest. You may get no info at all, that may mean
that it is a new or random filename pest that has not been yet listed.
You can turn off any suspect program and if you later find that you really need
it, you can always turn it back on later. By removing the checkmark you are
only stopping the program from loading on boot, you are not removing the program
from the system. But the program cannot run unless its executed either by
booting or by the user or another program starting it.
If you are unsure about a program, do a google search on it to see what it is.
________________________________________________________________________________
2)
Services
Click on START, ALL PROGRAMS, ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS, COMPUTER MANAGEMENT,
then double click SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS, then double click services.
You will see a list of things that are running when you boot or can be run manually.
Click on the Startup type column heading to sort the services by what type of startup
they use.
All of the services that marked as automatic, will start evertime you boot.
Go through these and right click any suspects and click on properties.
Then change the startup type to manual or disabled.
you can always go back and change them at a later date.
If you are not sure about a service, do a google search on it to see what it is.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The next 2 steps are in the system's registry. Mistakes in here can cause the
OS to need to be reloaded/rebuilt. If you follow the steps exactly, you'll be
OK. Don't drink and work in the registry.
In the following steps I'll be using 2 terms, open and highlight. Open means
clicking on the little + sign to the left of the key. Click or Highlight means
clicking on the item if its not already hightlighted.
________________________________________________________________________________
3)
Hkey_Current_User
Click on START, RUN and then type "regedit" (without the quotes) into the white
window that opens up, then click OK.
On the left side of the screen you will see the main "keys" of the registry.
Open the HKEY_Current_User key.
Then Open - Software
Then Open - Microsoft
Then Open - Windows (not the other ones that say windows and something else)
Then Open - CurrentVersion
Then click on Run
On the right side of the screen is a list of programs that will load and run
when Windoz starts normally.
CAUTION!! Anything deleted here will not go into the recycle bin. it will be
permantly deleted. The entry can be re-entered, but it must be typed in EXACTLY
like it was.
Examine the programs and remove/delete any of them that do not belong there.
Use the same methodology as in the Startup section above.
You can delete the program on the right side of the screen by click on it, then
hit the delete key on the keyboard, then click on Yes in the confirmation box.
I have a lot of programs running in this system and I have no entries in this
key.
________________________________________________________________________________
4)
Hkey_Local_Machine
If you did not exit from the above step, then skip the next 2 lines.
Click on START, RUN and then type "regedit" (without the quotes) into the white
window that opens up, then click OK.
On the left side of the screen you will see the main "keys" of the registry.
Open the HKEY_Current_User key.
Then Open - Software
Then Open - Microsoft
Then Open - Windows (not the other ones that say windows and something else)
Then Open - CurrentVersion
Then click on Run
On the right side of the screen is a list of programs that will load and run
when Windoz starts normally.
CAUTION!! Anything deleted here will not go into the recycle bin. it will be
permantly deleted. The entry can be re-entered, but it must be typed in EXACTLY
like it was.
Examine the programs and remove/delete any of them that do not belong there.
Use the same methodology as in the Startup section above. There are
normally many normal entries in this key, they contain system programs as well
as mouse/anitvirus, etc. programs that you want to keep here. There are/maybe
entries that do not belong here that are pests.
You can delete the program on the right side of the screen by click on it, then
hit the delete key on the keyboard, then click on Yes in the confirmation box.
When finished with the Run key, do the same with the RunOnce and RunOnceEx and
RunServices if they exist. These will be just below the Run key. There are
seldom any entries in these keys except pests.
________________________________________________________________________________
_________
When finished, exit out of the registry editor and reboot the machine normally.
The machine should now boot up much, much better. If you unchecked any programs
in the startup section, you will get a window during boot up that says you are
not booting in normal mode. That's right because you modified the normal mode
by unchecking the pest. Just click on the "don't show this again" and then OK.
Congratulations.
________________________________________________________________________________
Then do it all again in regular windows mode
________________________________________________________________________________
If you find that you have identified pests and removed thier load up entries in
the above steps, you should remove the actual programs from either the START,
SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS or by manually deleting the program
directories/folders using Windows Explorer.
Like I said earlier, if you have any problems or don't understand something, or
I made a typo, even though I proof read this several times , please email me and
I'll send you my phone number so we can work on this together.
NOTE: If you had pests, there are no doubt some residual files in your system
but they cannot be executed because you removed the main program files. The
only good way to really clean them out is with a good anti pest program that is
licensed. The free anti pest programs are so-so and some of them even put adware
INTO your system. Remember, You get nuttin for nuttin.
I use the licensed version of Pest Patrol, netscape/mozilla firefox and refuse
to use IM, messenger or any AOL program.0 -
Shooter4, and everyone helping me out -
THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!
I was able to run Spy Sweeper, and it has allowed me to get the start button and taskbar back. IE now opens, so that will make Audrey happy. I have been trying to get out from under Microsoft for years, but have a brainwashed spouse.
I downloaded adaware, but I can't see any way to make it start up and run. Any help ??
Shooter4, I am going to follow your instructions tomorrow, cause I'm pretty burned out on computer right now.
Thanks a lot, guys !!
Doug0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
16 comments