Because there are so many professional computer people here, along with a lot of talented amateurs, I thought I would ask this here.
This past Sunday, I was using my laptop at work. Everything was working just fine, when it locked up solid. Nothing worked, nothing responded at all to anything. I left it alone for about 20 minutes, just in case it was a Microsoft thing. It is a compaq unit, about 4 years old. I run XP, on keep it updated regularly. I use Symantec anti virus, and Defender with a couple other anti spy programs. They are kept updated and run regularly also. I wound up presing the off key until it turned itself off. It refuses to re-boot now. It acts like it wants to start up, then the dreaded screen pops up and wished me to choose from Safe mode, safe with command, last known good configuration, or regular. It just cycles to a start screen and back to this screen, to the start and back to the choice. I let it do this for over an hour on Monday just to see if it would kick in on its own finally. It is still dead, doing the same repeat.
Sunday afternoon when I got home with the dead laptop, I got onto my deskyp and was surfing my regular sites and reading. The Desktop suddenly locked up for no reason. After sitting for about 20 minutes, I wound up doing a hot boot and after about an hour it finally started working and has done fine until Wed night. I was again reading here (No, I don't blame this site) when the Windows stopped responding totally. I got the Manager to come up and it showed 1 to 2 % of the processor in use, Windows finally closed and the whole unit then locked up and refused to do anything. I again tried a hot boot and after 10 minutes, I was still on the first screen with nothing happening. Scotty and I put this desktop together, so I don't get the gibberish from a packed package unit. I again use XP, with the same stipulations as the laptop. I did a second hot boot and walked away, keeping my eyes on it now and then. It took over an hour, but it finally worked through everything and is now back on and let me get here.
My question is this. Have you heard of a recent update from Zone Alarm, or Windows that may be causing this? I remember one from Zone alarm last year that refused to work with most of the modems and people could not get on line for a few days till they fixed it.
As soon as I get my hands on my XP install disc, I intend to try to load it on the laptop and see if I can get it to do anything. My personal feeling from the way they are acting is that Windoze has gone South and needs a fresh kick in the butt.
I have a very nice Dell unit without a hard drive sitting here that was given to me. I think I might try Linux on it and play with it once I get a spare hard drive installed. Unfortunately, I don't think I have ever even seen a unit running Linux (at least knowingly), and don't have the faintest idea of it.
Comments
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After the desktop acted up on Sunday, I ran the windoze error check and defragged it. It had been about three weeks since I ran an error check, and a couple of months for a defrag.
Likely you are correct
and windows simply needs to be reloaded. If you aren't even a bit technically minded, I really don't recommend trying a linux load. It is still a geek OS.
It could be a hardware problem but it sounds like software to me. Be aware that you stand a very good chance of losing any data you may have saved.
If you know someone who has a clue, please have them look at it for you.
Without more detail on the units involved, it is really hard to say more than that.
Hope it helps.
Windows Next Round of Changes is on Tuesday
What you describe with your desktop sure sounds like a driver conflict. Windows security updates are the 2nd Tuesday of every month; so, Windows probably isn't your issue (as it's been nearly a month since the last updates). I don't know about ZoneAlarm. I suggest you look at the user forums on the ZA site. You'll find out if there's an issue quickly there.
With both computers giving you problems, it's possible that you have some sort of malware. You should try the Malwarebytes support forum for help. Read the "I'm infected - What do I do now?" post pinned near the top of the forum. They will help you from there. They are very good, and everything is free. You do need to be able to follow directions and be a bit patient.
Edited 10/8/09 3:05 PM CDT - Simplified HTML link display. Thanks to Puddintane for the how to.
Besides the driver error
Besides the driver error (you can test this with "last known good configuration", sometimes), _both_ issues could be virus related.
Many of my customers have been hit with trojans downloaded through Adobe Acrobat Reader Plugin for web browsers - it affects _all_ versions of acrobat reader except the most recently updated ones. (I recommend just removing it, and installing FoxIt PDF reader - it's much more compact)
Unfortunately, there are two types of the virus that I've removed. One is the easier to deal with - it's a MBR infector. You boot from the XP cd, enter the recovery console, and type 'fixmbr'. it'll say that the MBR looks odd, and you tell it to replace it. (then you run Combofix, as mentioned below)
The second type is the harder to deal with - I generally have to boot off of a PE disk, or a linux disk, and hand delete the bulk of the viral files, then reboot into safe mode, and run ComboFix (from bleepingcomputers.com, NOT combofix.org) to clean up the remainder.
if you contact me through PM, I'll pass on my phone number, and can try to walk you through some troubleshooting steps to see which it might be.
Oh - I'd wondered when someone would figure it out, and they did it about six to ten months ago. Some of the viruses -WILL- infect flash drives, just like the old Stoned.Monkey.B would infect floppies and hard drives. That will turn your flash drive into a bootable viral vector.
BW
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Could be a HDD failure.
The issue with the notebook could be a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) starting to fail. Depending on the year your compaq was manufactured you should be able to access the BIOS using either the F10 or F11 key at power on (tap repeatedly after pressing the power button). When BIOS loads use the right or left arrow key to select the diagnostic tab. Use the down arrow to select primary HDD test then hit the return/enter key twice to kick the test off.
If the test fails then you will need to replace the HDD and reload the OS. You should be able to order a set of recovery media from HP for about $15 plus tax (standard postal delivery). If you need it shipped faster the shipping cost will bring the total cost up to roughly $22 - $29 (Fedex 1 or 2 day shipping). Of course there could be tons of other causes but you could always give it a try.
I hope you get everything worked out quickly and are able to get up and running with minimal frustration.
V/r Jeff B.
Reinstalling Windows
I haven't done this since the days of Windows 98, but back then it was possible to reinstall Windows on top of itself. This refreshed all Windows system files, while keeping most of your settings intact.
But before you go that far, see if you can boot up in Safe Mode. That laods with only the generic set of drivers and virtually no startup programs, so you can see if it's a configuration issue or if Windows itself is borked.
-oOo-
As for Linux, there are lots of different distributions around, and many of them are almost as easy to use as Windows. There are quirks and oddities, and for advanced stuff you may need to dip into a Terminal (as the command prompt is called), but generally speaking it's quite reliable, and the built-in updators will also update the majority of software on the computer, as opposed to just Windows itself.
Ubuntu is generally regarded as one of the easiest distros to use, but it's not the only choice. You can either get hold of them from a Linux magazine CD or (if you get Windows functional again) download from the web. Most distros offer what's called a "Live" CD. This is really good for testing, as they boot directly into Linux from the CD. Admittedly it will be much slower than from the hard drive, but it gives you a chance to play around, see which hardware you have is supported directly (without additional downloads) and experiment with the layout / user interface. When you find one you're happy with, there'll be an icon somewhere to install it to your computer.
I've been using Mandriva for about 18 months now, but then again I am an IT professional...
If you're brave enough to try Linux, feel free to ask any questions, and I'll attempt to answer :)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
computer problems
I had zone alarm do that me one time also. But it was because of a virus designed to attack zone alarm. You will need to reinstall windows. I recommend deleting the programs and windows directories if you can boot the system from a boot disk before you reinstall. If you are planning on trying Linux then try ubuntuu linux which is available in most bookstores. Another alternative is install linux on a flash drive to try out and you get it from this website http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ . The linux distrubution on these sites are pretty much fully functional they just need configuring for the individual machines but they have browsers, office suites, graphic tools and games included.
Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.
If you reinstall Windows
...remember that the version you will load will have almost no patches applied, and will therefore be exceedingly vulnerable once you connect it to the Internet. This means that you must do it from behind a good-quality firewall. I've been reading recently that some home modem/router/firewall boxes have less than adequate security (for various reasons), this means that someone might have tampered with your router and that allows them access to all the goodies behind it.
On Linux, the standard response these days is to recommend Ubuntu. If you get a "Live CD" you can boot it up without touching your hard disks - in fact, a Live CD is a very useful way of fixing problems with a machine you can't otherwise boot up, assuming you know what you're doing.
Personally I use Mandriva for most of my boxes, which is almost as good but allows you a little more control than Ubuntu does. My firewall/router is hand-built (including the box!) and runs dedicated firewall software (pfSense). But then I do know what I'm doing.
Hope this helps,
Penny
XP Does Have a Repair Install
XP does have a repair install option. You generally need a retail XP disc to have that capability though. The repair install leaves all the third party applications and data files intact, but does install whatever version of Windows is on the disc requiring the installation of many security patches after the repair install is completed. The repair install wouldn't get rid of viruses/malware (if that's the problem). Only a reformat and complete reinstall will do that.
I really recommend Malwarebytes.org. They are very good at leading non-technical people through difficult issues. I'd try them before doing a reinstall.
First thing I do
with anything electrical or electronic is a 3-pin reset (TPR in the computer business I was in).
This involves taking out the power and the battery (if fitted). Leave overnight for the RAM to drain and then try again the next day.
It seems to cure most things, apart from really stubborn, and has fixed anything from a PC to a washing machine - really! The washer had got it's programme in a loop and just kept spinning.
It's not a cure-all, but maybe worth a try.
Susie
Battery reboot
I'd echo that.
With any notebook or netbook, when there are major problemms preventing boot up (or shutdown) the solution is to 1st remove the power and then remove the battery (usually unclips). County to 10 then re-assemble, boot up on battery only.
If still a problem, go into BIOS on bootup (choose a key, they vary too much - ESC, F1, F2, INS, DEL etc) and select 'load defaults'. Then reboot.
Having a desktop go down with similar symptoms is worrying. Unless it is a complete co-incidence (rare) then it reeks of malware. If a software update was the issue then I'd expect both the laptop and desktop to check for updates at boot time so unless the desktop was off for the whole time between the failure of the laptop and the desktop ??
There are known major security issues with IE. Whilst IE8 is 'better' than IE7, it is still full of holes.
Otherwise, I am going to be making a set of memory stick boot 'drives' preloaded with a linux spin and a set of tools for fixing windows systems.
Topsy
Topsy
Mostly Harmless
Well, I got my copy of Xp
back when the mail ran about 11AM. I tried booting up the lappy with no luck, even after having left the battery out overnight. The lappy came with XP Media version installed, and my copy is XP Professional I think. So it would not just load over the top, it had to format the drive for a clean install darn it. I worked throu until 3AM downloading drivers, and installing stuff back to what I considered usable status. Of course I lost all my bookmarks and everything else, I'll never get those back the way I had them. Media edition had a great screen saver of a view of the earth from the space station with an astronaut flying around, and the cursor was the space shuttle...the moon was the recycle bin. This is not in the pro version so I lost it. That was the best thing in media version. I am having trouble finding my Nero 6 disc to put on it, and I don't really like the Roxio 9 I have, I got a couple of free burners, so one or two of them may work, if I ever really need to use the CD burner in it. Geeze, I really hate doing this.
On to the desktop, after it finally came back, it appears to be fine. Error check is clean, defrag is fine, Symantec is clear, a stinger from McAfee runs clean, Yahoo security center scan is clean, and 4 anti spy programs all run clean. I hate electronics. If this desktop ever quits, I may just vanish into history instead of trying to put it back in order. Instead of a long day, I feel sure with all thats on the desktop, it will take a week of work to return to no where close on this one.