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Post by Girl on Mar 13, 2005 21:26:21 GMT -5
*sigh* new HD, computer's already starting to freeze... maybe it's the weather. Anyone know why this is happening, is it a registry problem and if so, how do I fix it?? Thanks.  |
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Post by xpt626 on Mar 13, 2005 22:16:46 GMT -5
ohhhhhh nooooooo.  unfortunately, the only things I know to do are virus and parasite scans. [img src="http://galeon.hispavista.com/akostuff/img/Dunno2[1].gif"] Hopefully someone will be along who knows more, and can help you...JoJo?? |
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Post by JoJo on Mar 13, 2005 22:24:58 GMT -5
I was having the same problem, it was freezing when I was processing video, something I do a lot of, so I tried many remedies. The key is being observant under what conditions this happens, are you running programs that may be more demanding when it happens. The number one cause of occasional freezes like this is a faulty power supply, because what happens is that they tend to die slowly, they just don't up and die right iff. What can also happen is memory chips go bad, or other hardware. I tried everything, up to reformatting, a drastic measure, but what I found was I still had problems. Verdict: a hardware issue. Oh well, it was time for a new CPU anyway.. Having said that, you could try spyware removal programs, many are free, and you can Google that. Obviously have an up to date virus program. Have you installed any new programs recently? If you run Windows XP, you can run system restore to roll back to a previous known good state. Good luck!  |
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Post by revolver on Mar 13, 2005 23:05:53 GMT -5
Before you try anything drastic, try adding more memory. If the freezes are accompanied by an hourglass and a lot of disk activity, that might mean that it's swapping virtual memory to disk a lot. Windows XP should have at least 386M to 512M to run smoothly. Many new computers come with just 128M.
If it's a complete lock up where even the mouse cursor doesn't move, then that usually means a hardware conflict. What OS are you running?
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Post by eyesbleed on Mar 14, 2005 8:07:11 GMT -5
The number one cause of occasional freezes like this is a faulty power supply, This turned out to be one of the problems with the first computer I had built. I had lots of problems with freez-ups etc & It went in the shop way too often. Meanwhile.... I had given the young'un what I thought was an inferior machine for her house & she had zero problems. When they were building my new tower, they said if the source of the problem was my power supply, a new tower wasn't gonna help & suggested I spend another $100 on a "universal power supply"..... which I did.... & I've had zero problems since. This big black box keeps a nice steady power source going to yer machine dispite any power surges or dips, & in the case of a total power outage, you've still got 15minutes to shut things down. Sounds like you really might wanna consider getting a UPS to plug into. |
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Post by Girl on Mar 14, 2005 11:08:29 GMT -5
Hey, thanks for the help, everyone... Most of what I know about computers is self-taught...  so let's just say there are a few blanks to be filled in... hehe This is the second time I'm trying to post this, at first the freeze seemed to coincide with opening MSN, but this was not the case. It froze anyway. I'm running XP pro on 128M, so this could be a problem. I ran AVG and Ad-aware, nothing... only thing I get are these pesky popups from someone claiming to be "Messenger Service" telling me how "infected" I am. Looks like my computer guy wants to assure himself plenty of repeat business... he should have known I need more memory? Well, time to hit the magic button and see if it accepts... |
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Post by JoJo on Mar 14, 2005 12:51:47 GMT -5
I'm running XP pro on 128M, so this could be a problem. Yikes!  Revolver is right, that is waayy too little. And yes it sounds like he wants more business, although snapping in a ram chip is not as bad as it sounds, if you want to try it yourself. I'm sure your guy will charge a hefty price for what is essentially 30 seconds work. |
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Post by eyesbleed on Mar 14, 2005 21:20:39 GMT -5
Looks like my computer guy wants to assure himself plenty of repeat business... he should have known I need more memory? Uhhh... ya! Maybe you should check around & see if anybody ya know has a good computer guy to refer. Any good computer repair shop SHOULD point out problems like that. It sounds like you definately need a better computer person. With my first machine... I finally wised up & always composed posts on my notepad first.... save it, then paste it & post it.! Coz if it wasn't my machine freezing up & loosing all that work, then AOL would bump me, & I'd loose it that way. My internet experience got off to a rough start.... to say the least! |
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Post by revolver on Mar 14, 2005 22:22:25 GMT -5
Hey, thanks for the help, everyone... I ran AVG and Ad-aware, nothing... only thing I get are these pesky popups from someone claiming to be "Messenger Service" telling me how "infected" I am. FYI, you can stop those Messenger popups by disabling the Windows Messenger service. Open Run and type in services.msc Then find the the Messenger service and disable it. You have to be an administrator to do it. |
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Post by Girl on Mar 16, 2005 21:44:04 GMT -5
Thanks again... seem to have a little more "juice" today... I doubled the size of my "paging" file, didn't seem to help at first, but here I am... thought I'd disabled that messenger thing, but here they are again... I'm SUPPOSED to be an administrator... lol just trying to hang in there till I can confront my computer guy... but the problem is serious enough, for example I lost all my bookmarks and history, and I can't open more than one window at once...
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Post by xpt626 on Mar 16, 2005 23:06:50 GMT -5
hang in there, Girl...I hope it's straightened out soon.  |
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Post by Girl on Apr 24, 2005 10:37:20 GMT -5
K, guys, this is getting very serious here... time to consult my trusted computer gurus... ;D
I've noticed something very weird lately...
is it possible my computer is being hijacked??
It seems I can't sign out of anything... and last night, on MSN, 6.2, I was open on two accounts at the same time... everything is starting automatically, even here I can't seem to log out... there is a file or program called m1RC & mIRC that I can neither find nor delete... and my anti-virus program won't even open up...
Within minutes, my status shows sent, 300,000,000 bytes and stuff like that...
what's going on?
Sigh. I wish I knew more about this stuff...
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Post by revolver on Apr 28, 2005 20:14:33 GMT -5
These things are hard to diagnose remotely. But it sounds as if there's spyware and/or a virus/malware of some kind, possibly more than one. In extreme cases, the only option is to backup your data, reformat the drive and reinstall everything. I've had good luck with PestPatrol for spyware. You could try their free scan and see what it finds. You do have to pay for it ($29.95) to actually remove anything. Another one I use is SpySweeper. They also have a free scan, but a pay version to remove ($29.95). The free ones aren't as effective IMO. Good Luck! EDIT: It's also wise to have all the latest Microsoft XP security updates (SP2+) and make sure System Restore is turned on. It allows you to revert back to a previous configuration if something harmful gets installed. |
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Post by Girl on May 16, 2005 16:24:19 GMT -5
Thanks... now my monitor is blowing up... only have few seconds here.... firecrackers going off inside... #*(@&$
be back one day... (sigh)
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Post by Girl on May 24, 2005 9:05:18 GMT -5
Hello! I can see again! It's a miracle!
Now to see about cleaning this thing out again...
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Post by revolver on May 25, 2005 17:53:59 GMT -5
For really stubborn computer problems, I recommend installing and running this program, the Computer Coercion Tool. You'll be glad you did! (Hit Esc to exit the program.) EDIT: I fixed the link. The new board requires a www. in front of URL links. |
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Post by Girl on Jun 10, 2005 14:25:03 GMT -5
Thanks again, my friend! Oh, btw, the link doesn't work... Anyhow, I spoke too soon, not only did my "new" monitor bite the dust, my computer's fini... So, I only have access a few minutes a day on a friend's, just to check emails n' stuff, God knows when I'll be back... miss u guys... will see you all again asap P.S.... is there any kind of virus that can FRY your monitor?  LOL something VERY strange going on there... |
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Post by eyesbleed on Jun 10, 2005 14:34:30 GMT -5
P.S.... is there any kind of virus that can FRY your monitor? LOL something VERY strange going on there... I still think you should consider the possibility that power surges & drops could be contributing to the problem.... if not causing it. A UPS costs about $100, but I think it's well worth it to have a guaranteed constant & steady power supply. |
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Post by JoJo on Jun 10, 2005 18:18:28 GMT -5
I have to agree with Eyesbleed, this does sound like a power problem. I've had a monitor go dead on me once, and a keyboard after a thunderstorm. (why the keyboard, I have no idea) We miss ya Girl, hope you can get back online soon! |
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so let's just say there are a few blanks to be filled in... hehe
Revolver is right, that is waayy too little. 
LOL something VERY strange going on there...