this will have to do, posting in here this way I mean......
MY computer is having serious isssues here.... My puter is actin all 1950's on me.... It's weird to describe....
OK, sometimes when I try to restart the puter it tells me that there is a windows protection something or other, and then tells me to restart, well the only way to do that is to totally unplug everything and then plug it back in.....NO, I don't unplug anything, just turn the master switch off on the plug pack....
Then sometimes i get this screen that tells me that I should boot in safe mode, but I get a choice and then I boot in normal mode.
now here is the problem, i had a couple of trojans but AVG tells me that it got rid of them...ok.... my computer is still actin all 1950's on me.... Everything is pic of a shortcut is all larger, and my desktop cannot display all the colors my puter is suppose to be able to handle... When I pulled up this window to type everything, the window its self is smaller and when I click the view tool I then proceed to text size and everything is where it is suppose to be.......
it is soooooo weird seeing this, There are -------------- those kind lines all around my bottom toolbar, where start, and various files, and windows I have opened, plus the window I have opened now has the slash lines all around this...... Did my hard drive crasH? What can I do? PLEASE HELP ME, I love my internet dammit! effin hackers, I swear someday I wanna hack them right back.......
IP: Logged
01:56 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Is there any place I can go to to get real time help without having to pay for it? I'm gonna go to AVG's site and look over there, on how to get rid of trojans, cuz now I think the bastard just effin messed everything up.........
IP: Logged
02:04 AM
Falcon4 Member
Posts: 1189 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Oct 2006
Protection something-or-other generally means windows detected either a badly corrupted file or a hardware failure (HDD dying, RAM contacts dirty, etc). In this case I think it's a corrupted file.
It should be noted that viruses can NEVER BE REPAIRED. Viruses are all but defunct today but what they used to do is inject themselves in parts of files, and overwriting parts of the program. Since it overwrote part of the program, there's nothing that can be done to fix it, but to restore a good copy of that file. Nowdays with Windows File Protection in Win2K and XP, there's no way for viruses to get into critical system files, so they just sit aside and run themselves from afar. That's why viruses are no longer a big concern with PCs. The big concern today is spyware and adware, aka "malware", actually written by dirty companies trying to collect and sell random data from random people, or display random ads and get paid by ad companies. They spread and operate just like viruses used to, hiding themselves and being nearly impossible to remove.
As for your problem, chances are it's going to need to be wiped and reinstalled. You need to back up your data, preferably by yanking your hard drive out of your computer, taking it to another computer, plugging it in, and writing your data to that computer, or off to DVDRs (common locations are found in \Documents and Settings\Username). Then grab your Windows disc, bring it up to speed and down in bloat using nLite, and reformat your HDD while installing Windows. Not only will your computer be fixed, but it'll be faster than brand new as well. Then you can either yank your hard drive again and restore the data, or restore directly from your DVDR backups.
Otherwise you're just dealing with a dirty system, which you now have on your hands... and if your installation is more than a year old, it could use it anyway!
------------------
'87 Fiero GT, Automatic, 153k miles, stock everything, just trying to make it all work again. Shameless self promotion: tired of Problematic Image Poster? Check out http://hostfile.org!
IP: Logged
03:11 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
wish to godddd I knew what you just wrote....lol..... I am gonna just call my uncle tomorrow and see if he'll come over and help me out....... THANX FOR THE REPLY!!!!!!!!!
IP: Logged
03:25 AM
Falcon4 Member
Posts: 1189 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Oct 2006
Hmm. Okay, take a piece of paper... a piece of homework or tax papers or your Fiero's pink slip... or something. A dog pees on it. The dog is the virus. Your piece of paper is wet, stinky, and bleeding/blurry now. That's being infected with a virus. Take a hairdryer and dry it off. That's having AVG repair your file. Now try and read it... the virus is gone, but the paper's now unreadable. You need a new copy of the file, somehow.
Files drive the whole computer - everything is a file. There are files that run your programs, store your data, and many files (like the Windows registry, which is your settings database) that have huge amounts of information in them. Some files, like those that have settings and information in them, can't be detected as "bad" by Windows, so it doesn't know how to fix it. Most Windows problems will never be solvable by itself. It has to have you tell it what to do to fix it.
A computer only does what the software tells it to do. Computers don't "get old" or "wear out" - the software does. In your case, the software that runs your computer (Windows) is getting messed up and needs to be rebuilt. The hard drive contains everything about your computer that changes - in the same way as your house never changes but the stuff in your house does. If you use your kitchen every day and never clean it, how long would you be able to work in there before it becomes a total mess? The house is still very much usable, but there's so much of a mess everywhere, you can't work anymore! Let's just say your kitchen became infested with bugs. That's where you're at now. You've got to rescue what you can out of the kitchen (dishes, food, etc) and completely clean the whole place.
Fortunately with computers, the process is a lot easier than opening every cabinet and cleaning it. There's one thing that can just erase the whole thing and start you over from scratch. But when you erase your hard drive - to start from scratch - we're talking about a dirt lot, no foundation, no house, no nothing. Nowhere to live, and your computer won't start up at all. Here, you have to be careful. The process is "reinstalling Windows". It will reformat your hard drive (erase it, down to dirt), then rebuild Windows (your house) to give you a clean start. Then you can "move back in", taking all the files you backed up and putting them back into your computer. It'll be just like a new computer.
Since I have a general idea of your technical knowledge now (heh), I can rule out the complicated nLite option. A full rebuild would be slightly slower, but much less complicated to do. If you have "restore discs" for your computer, you can really simplify the whole process by using those instead. There should be instructions with them. If you have someone else "fix" your computer, first back up what you can of your data, because chances are, they'll do the same thing and you won't get a chance to save your stuff (sometimes). If they don't reinstall or "restore", chances are you'll have the same problem over and over... or just come back with a much slower computer
Good luck though - I can't stand to see someone living with a broken computer!
IP: Logged
03:43 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
OK, get this! I went to the desktop and right clicked, went into properties and looked around in there......OHHHH!!! Settings looks interesting...hehe.... I tried to make my settings to the maximum it allowed and then I had to restart the computer for everything to work..... NOT only did it start back up with no protection windows something or other, everything booted up as normal as it used to be.......
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
05:14 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
It sounds like a video driver problem to me. If it dropped down to 16 colors and 340 x 480 resolution, you probably had an IRQ conflict with your video driver and it was unable to load it. By changing your resolution and your colors back to normal then restarting, the restarting of the computer actually resolved the conflict and then you were able to function properly.
IP: Logged
08:16 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Funny you should mention that!! When trying to reboot from a restart I got a window that one of my drivers wasn't working properly..... I tried to look for an update for windows, as it was a windows driver....... When I fiddled with the settings, all I did was put it on 256 colors and the max for pixel whatever....
Now the setting is on high color (16 bit) at 800x600 pixels.....Which is normal for this goin on 8 yr old puter.......lol...... What do you think may have caused the problem?
edit: It is funny though now that I've thought about it, I mean I tried the settings thing before and restarted it with the same problem I still had...... Then I went and ran defrag, updated spybot, and adaware, ran them, ran a scandisk, and my avg free anti-virus........ Then I tried the settings thing again, and it worked..... Forgot to add that when it would boot up, it would boot in normal mode, but a trouble shooting mode?
[This message has been edited by pavo_roddy (edited 12-03-2006).]
IP: Logged
08:24 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Hmm. Okay, take a piece of paper... a piece of homework or tax papers or your Fiero's pink slip... or something. A dog pees on it. The dog is the virus. Your piece of paper is wet, stinky, and bleeding/blurry now. That's being infected with a virus. Take a hairdryer and dry it off. That's having AVG repair your file. Now try and read it... the virus is gone, but the paper's now unreadable. You need a new copy of the file, somehow.
Files drive the whole computer - everything is a file. There are files that run your programs, store your data, and many files (like the Windows registry, which is your settings database) that have huge amounts of information in them. Some files, like those that have settings and information in them, can't be detected as "bad" by Windows, so it doesn't know how to fix it. Most Windows problems will never be solvable by itself. It has to have you tell it what to do to fix it.
A computer only does what the software tells it to do. Computers don't "get old" or "wear out" - the software does. In your case, the software that runs your computer (Windows) is getting messed up and needs to be rebuilt. The hard drive contains everything about your computer that changes - in the same way as your house never changes but the stuff in your house does. If you use your kitchen every day and never clean it, how long would you be able to work in there before it becomes a total mess? The house is still very much usable, but there's so much of a mess everywhere, you can't work anymore! Let's just say your kitchen became infested with bugs. That's where you're at now. You've got to rescue what you can out of the kitchen (dishes, food, etc) and completely clean the whole place.
Fortunately with computers, the process is a lot easier than opening every cabinet and cleaning it. There's one thing that can just erase the whole thing and start you over from scratch. But when you erase your hard drive - to start from scratch - we're talking about a dirt lot, no foundation, no house, no nothing. Nowhere to live, and your computer won't start up at all. Here, you have to be careful. The process is "reinstalling Windows". It will reformat your hard drive (erase it, down to dirt), then rebuild Windows (your house) to give you a clean start. Then you can "move back in", taking all the files you backed up and putting them back into your computer. It'll be just like a new computer.
Since I have a general idea of your technical knowledge now (heh), I can rule out the complicated nLite option. A full rebuild would be slightly slower, but much less complicated to do. If you have "restore discs" for your computer, you can really simplify the whole process by using those instead. There should be instructions with them. If you have someone else "fix" your computer, first back up what you can of your data, because chances are, they'll do the same thing and you won't get a chance to save your stuff (sometimes). If they don't reinstall or "restore", chances are you'll have the same problem over and over... or just come back with a much slower computer
Good luck though - I can't stand to see someone living with a broken computer!
HI all,
I have all the program discs that came with the puter when it was bought, so I back up the files I want saved, how do you wipe the system? And then just reload everything in the order the discs are #ed?
edit: Wait a minute, do I just do a system restore?? Like reseting the computer back to a certain date?
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
[This message has been edited by pavo_roddy (edited 12-03-2006).]
IP: Logged
08:54 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
I have all the program discs that came with the puter when it was bought, so I back up the files I want saved, how do you wipe the system? And then just reload everything in the order the discs are #ed?
edit: Wait a minute, do I just do a system restore?? Like reseting the computer back to a certain date?
I don't believe you have said which version of Windows you are running?
Disc format and reinstall are slightly different between certain versions. With 9x you do a format from DOS (best way IMHO) and with XP you get an option during installation to reformat.
IP: Logged
09:25 AM
PFF
System Bot
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
My bad! I am running with windows ME ..... My mother just recently bought a new computer, well new to her anyways, she is running XP and I thought that maybe if I have the system wiped I would just upgrade with her software, maybe.... I still dunno yet, cuz of liscensing issues.....
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
09:43 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
Make sure your system discs actually contain an ISO image of Windows.
For Windows ME:
Be sure to have your CD key handy, don't start without it!
Insert Windows disc.
Choose "boot from CD"
Choose "Start Windows setup from CD" or some such thing (your actual option language may vary).
When you reach the blue screen hit F3 twice and drop to DOS.
At the command prompt type:
format c:
When asked to continue select
y for yes
The disk will format.
Hit enter for no name on disk when asked.
Reboot with Windows disc in CD drive.
Go through the process to reach the blue screen and select "install Windows"
It's pretty simple really, just pay attention and follow the computer along. It will let you know what it needs and when.
Follow the system through setup and there you go................
A clean copy of ME. Reload programs and drivers as needed and expect to do this, oh about every year or two to keep the ME system working right (it's the worst of the Windows systems).
You will not be able to use her copy of XP with her Key Code because of live activation, sorry. There are ways around it but don't get caught.
EDIT: Your system will need to be set to boot from CD. This is done in BIOS which varies from machine to machine. Hopefully it is already set that way.
If you do not have a Windows ME ISO image/disc PM me and I will tell you how to get one
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 12-03-2006).]
IP: Logged
09:51 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Be sure to have your CD key handy, don't start without it!
Insert Windows disc.
Choose "boot from CD"
Choose "Start Windows setup from CD" or some such thing (your actual option language may vary).
When you reach the blue screen hit F3 twice and drop to DOS.
At the command prompt type:
format c:
When asked to continue select
y for yes
The disk will format.
Hit enter for no name on disk when asked.
Reboot with Windows disc in CD drive.
Go through the process to reach the blue screen and select "install Windows"
It's pretty simple really, just pay attention and follow the computer along. It will let you know what it needs and when.
Follow the system through setup and there you go................
A clean copy of ME. Reload programs and drivers as needed and expect to do this, oh about every year or two to keep the ME system working right (it's the worst of the Windows systems).
You will not be able to use her copy of XP with her Key Code because of live activation, sorry. There are ways around it but don't get caught.
EDIT: Your system will need to be set to boot from CD. This is done in BIOS which varies from machine to machine. Hopefully it is already set that way.
Hi all,
What is a cd key? And all of this will restore the operating speed of the system?
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
10:13 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
What is a cd key? And all of this will restore the operating speed of the system?
A series of numbers and letters either on the literature that came with the system or on a sticker attached directly to the computer. It would look something like this:
HJJDL-LO89D-KKLI8-HJDD0-LLK68 (fake key BTW)
Simply stated it is an algorythm that allows installation of the operating system. You will be prompted to enter the key during installation. Without it you cannot install Windows
You can discover your current key with a free CDKEY finder, just Google around to find one and install. It would pull up the key which you then write down (if you cannot find your key on the computer or literature).
A fresh install will be nice and fast (for awhile).
Make sure your system discs actually contain an ISO image of Windows. If you do not have a CD or ISO image of Windows ME then PM me and I will tell you how to get one
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 12-03-2006).]
IP: Logged
10:17 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Ok my bad again! I have a gateway, windows ME, and I was wondering what years those came out in, windows ME?..... I found 2 books containing discs, and since my puter was a hand me down, lol, both books contain a "System Restoration" disc or discs....... Should I load these instead, or will I need the cd key?
How else can I keep the system operating at peak level?
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
10:29 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
Ok my bad again! I have a gateway, windows ME, and I was wondering what years those came out in, windows ME?..... I found 2 books containing discs, and since my puter was a hand me down, lol, both books contain a "System Restoration" disc or discs....... Should I load these instead, or will I need the cd key?
How else can I keep the system operating at peak level?
Ah, an old Gateway. Got a couple of them myself.
Windows ME I believe came out toward the end of 1999 and through 2000. 2001 saw the introduction of Windows XP.
Usually the "cow spotted" disc is just drivers and no installation media. There should be a disc labeled "Windows ME."
To do a complete reinstall you need the Windows CD and CD key. To keep an ME system running well I would suggets an old copy of Norton Utilities 2000/2001 (usually available on eBay).
If you lived closer I would say just bring the PC over and we'll get you all fixed up in a jiffy.
Matter of fact I am reinstalling ME on a friends virus corrupted system this morning.
[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 12-03-2006).]
IP: Logged
10:36 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
Ok, I am done with breakfast and can devote much more time to this.....SOrry about the time frame of all this..... Also found the key code!
I ahve 3 system restoration kit cd's
disc 1: version 16.1: hardware drivers, partial backup of applications, NT 4.0 driver locator utility disc 2: version Me rev 1.1: operating system, restoration program disc 3: version 3.4: backup of applications.....
But no Windows ME disc....... Can I use the above discs to reinstall?
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
10:55 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
Ok, I am done with breakfast and can devote much more time to this.....SOrry about the time frame of all this..... Also found the key code!
I ahve 3 system restoration kit cd's
disc 1: version 16.1: hardware drivers, partial backup of applications, NT 4.0 driver locator utility disc 2: version Me rev 1.1: operating system, restoration program disc 3: version 3.4: backup of applications.....
But no Windows ME disc....... Can I use the above discs to reinstall?
Sounds like disc 2 is your boy.......operating system. That should be Windows ME.
IP: Logged
10:57 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
Are you sure, I had a gateway back then and had two system restore disks. Gateway never gave me a windows disk. I believe the restore disks are bootable and contain the operating system. So if that's the case he wouldn't need the key. Or at least shouldn't need the key. LOL. It's kind of a crap shoot, that is about the time when everyone started going to restore CD's and away from actual install media. Some restore media still required the CD Key which was on a separate piece of cardboard with a bar code on it. And some had the CD Key hard coded in the restore.
IP: Logged
10:59 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
Are you sure, I had a gateway back then and had two system restore disks. Gateway never gave me a windows disk. I believe the restore disks are bootable and contain the operating system. So if that's the case he wouldn't need the key. Or at least shouldn't need the key. LOL. It's kind of a crap shoot, that is about the time when everyone started going to restore CD's and away from actual install media. Some restore media still required the CD Key which was on a separate piece of cardboard with a bar code on it. And some had the CD Key hard coded in the restore.
Right, but it sounds like disc 2 is an actual ISO of Windows. He could restore Windows without a key code but it would not be a clean install, for that he needs to re-format the drive. There are ways of getting Windows ISO images on the web. The media disc itself is not as strongly protected by copyright as the licence and since the disc is useless without a key code the media is usually widely available.
IP: Logged
11:02 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
LOL!!! Yeah, I have 3 discs, all system restoration..... Funny thing is, my key code isn't a disc at all, in fact it is just a sticker of authenticity....... While it is labeled Microsoft, it is also labeled mircrosoft works suite....... Would this be the right key?
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
IP: Logged
11:03 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
LOL!!! Yeah, I have 3 discs, all system restoration..... Funny thing is, my key code isn't a disc at all, in fact it is just a sticker of authenticity....... While it is labeled Microsoft, it is also labeled mircrosoft works suite....... Would this be the right key?
If it is a key for Works then no, that is not the operating system key
Look over the computer case for a sticker directly attached to the machine or a booklet with a CD key label that says Windows ME.
IP: Logged
11:06 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
I actually have a valid Windows Me key somewhere that I don't have installed on any computers anywhere. It should be legal for me to give him this key correct. I will never install Me on anything else, so in a sense it's not pirating correct?
IP: Logged
11:07 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
will I be able to reformat the drive, without the key code? Why would I need to reformat the drive anyways, asking out of shits and giggles..... UMMMM, will i still need to back up everything I want saved inorder to do the reinstall?
IP: Logged
11:07 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
I actually have a valid Windows Me key somewhere that I don't have installed on any computers anywhere. It should be legal for me to give him this key correct. I will never install Me on anything else, so in a sense it's not pirating correct?
As long as you give up all rights to the key you may transfer your license.
IP: Logged
11:08 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
will I be able to reformat the drive, without the key code? Why would I need to reformat the drive anyways, asking out of shits and giggles..... UMMMM, will i still need to back up everything I want saved inorder to do the reinstall?
No, you must have the code to reinstall once the drive is formatted.
Formatting will remove any nasty stuff hiding in the current OS.
Yes, back up anything you want to keep.
IP: Logged
11:10 AM
PFF
System Bot
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
will I have to use all 3 discs to reinstall everything I need?
After the OS install the other discs will have your drivers and programs on them. Run them to reinstall the items you need (modem drivers, ethernet drivers, vid drivers, etc.).
IP: Logged
11:13 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
Originally posted by tutnkmn: After the OS install the other discs will have your drivers and programs on them. Run them to reinstall the items you need (modem drivers, ethernet drivers, vid drivers, etc.).
If I am reading you right then I should start with disc 2? The operating systems restoration program disc.......
IP: Logged
11:15 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
I just thought of something. I remember back with Win98 that the actual key code was printer on the general tab of my computer properties. It wasn't encoded like it is in XP. I think XP is the first edition to encode the key code.You should be able to just right click on my computer go to Properties and there should be a 25 digit code there.
IP: Logged
11:16 AM
pavo_roddy Member
Posts: 4351 From: State with a city named Gotham Registered: Apr 2004
LOL!! How on earth do you think and then retype without having to confront the floodgate control mechanishm tut..........
OH!! Both of you guyz got a + from me for this!! Too bad you can only give one..... Or can you negoitiate it by giving a person a + then a neutral than another + ?? lol.....
IP: Logged
11:18 AM
tutnkmn Member
Posts: 3426 From: York, England, U.K. Living in Ohio Registered: May 2006
I just thought of something. I remember back with Win98 that the actual key code was printer on the general tab of my computer properties. It wasn't encoded like it is in XP. I think XP is the first edition to encode the key code.You should be able to just right click on my computer go to Properties and there should be a 25 digit code there.
ME was the first to hide the code in registry. You'll find an OEM code in My Computer properties which is not the key code.
IP: Logged
11:18 AM
fieroluv Member
Posts: 1951 From: Ft Wayne, IN USA Registered: Jul 2002
If you can't find it let me know and I'll PM you the code. If you want I can even ship you the media. I don't ever plan on installing it on anything. I'm just a pack rat and never throw anything away.
