November 22, 2005

• a few ideas: reboot in safe mode check the system event log (administrative tools - event viewer) to see if you can identify the cause of the rebooting there's a rollback option in xp that should be on by default. this should let you load a "last known good configuration" without losing any files.
• sorry, rollback is called "system restore". there should be a weekly restore point saved on your system.
• Thank you roryk. Gonna try that now. *crosses fingers*
• my guess for computer troubles is always spyware. Take a look at this guide to spyware.
• Start-->Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools-->System Restore. Select a date before the trouble began.
• Start --> Run --> type "cmd" --> type "netstat -an" in the resulting DOS prompt. This should give you a list of what internet connections your computer is making. This list should be pretty short - one screen or less. If this screen is long, scrolls, and shows lots and lots of connections you're stuck with some crazy spyware that is eating your processor cycles and bandwidth. There are a couple of IRC server bots that are cycling through the Internets now, any of them will set up a back-door server on your machine. Most of them also steal passwords and personal info - so change your passwords ASAP, and for cripe's sake if you haven't logged in as Administrator and set a password do so. Administrator doesn't show up on the friendly log-in page with the user names and pictures, but you can force it to log in this way by pressing [ctrl]-[alt]-[del] twice at the Windows welcome login screen. You'll get an old-school WinNT stye login box where you can type "Administrator" as the user name, login, set a password, and log out. (Keep this account clean as an emergency backup!) [ctrl]-[alt]-[del] once in Windows will open the task manager. Look for anything you don't recognize running on your system. Google the name of the file - if it is identified as spyware, right click on the name and choose "end process tree". Note that doing this to a critical Windows process can crash your system... Troubleshooting startup files: Start --> Run --> type "msinfo" to open the startup manager. Go through the tabs, look at what is set to start up, disable anything suspicious. Reboot and see if things are better. (The MSINFO program will automatically pop up again on reboot to warn you that you have disabled some startup options.) I've successfully used this to isolate a specific software driver that was crashing my Acer. Once you find the culprit, delete the bastard. And FWIW Windows AntiSpyware is a really good product - download, install, run in background. I use Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy as back-ups for removing things the Windows one misses (each program seems to miss some things here and there, by running all three I get most of the gunk).
• No! Type: 10 Print "Shut up quidnunc" 20 Goto 10 RUN
• No! Type 10 Print "Shut up quidnunc "; 20 Goto 10 RUN That semi-colon and space makes all the difference. That semi-colon and space makes all the difference. That semi-colon and space makes all the difference. That semi-colon and space makes all the difference. That semi-colon and space makes all the difference. That semi-colon and space makes all the difference.
• nonbinary, I'm in two value-states about you.
• no type rm -fr /* tracicle's note: do not try the above at home. Your arms will fall off, or your computer will figuratively fall apart. Or both. Love from tracicle, who cares about the welfare of your computer.
• Wow, Caution Live Frogs, I did not know the netstat command. I knew I had some really stubborn spyware and have planned a total system wipe this week(end) but this just cements the deal. (And I've been running all those anti-spywares in safe mode.) Thanks. My one addition is that the last time my computer did weird hangs and restarts, the RAM was literally falling out of the motherboard. It had gotten jostled a little too much one year in a move.
• techsmith, that did the trick, thanks! +Helpful
• In my experience, the general Spyware programs will remove a lot of stuff, and you will get all excited for about 4 seconds until you realize you still have spyware it missed. If you can find the name of the specific spyware, google for a specific solution from a reputable source. the last one I had was dumb enough to put the name of their sleazy company right in the title of the incessant pop-up windows.
• Agree, seems like spyware but could be a worm virus, some cause this sort of effect. Suggest a clean out of temp/tmp files and folders. Occasionally one may find a worm virus lurking there which has not been "seen" by anti-v software. They will also lurk in Sys' Restore files. You could also try using something like 'Startup Inspector' to modify start up options. For worm-v removal and definitions try here: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/small_business/tools.list.html
• The thread title makes it clear that this is a case for Tracicle herself to deal with. Now step back, all you would-be admins, and let her do her job.
• I love teach!
• cobaltnine - Bonus is that netstat works in Linux. At least in my slackware 10 box, anyway. (One less darn command to remember between systems.) Not that Lunix is prone to spyware, but it sure helps to monitor network traffic anyway.
• Same as cobaltnine, I suspect hardware. You describe a scenario wherein the more work your computer has to do - e.g. to render an Exchange portal page vs plain old Google - the more likely it is to crap out. That makes me think that one or more of the RAM sticks may be loose or bad. Get a small philips-head screwdriver, a good desk light, and some calm time alone. Unscrew the case, open 'er up, and firmly push everything back into its slot. A loose video card can cause more problems than you'd imagine, so just re-seat everything. Next I'd try switching out the RAM chips, and see if that makes a difference. If it's a new(ish) computer, it's not unusual for these to be bad from the factory. Depending on how many you have, and how big they are (if you only have 2 sticks of 64MB each, you might want to skip this step...) you could try pulling one stick at a time and rebooting to see if that makes a difference. Is it under any kind of warranty? If so, you could take it back where you bought it and ask them to check out the hardware. If not, we can help you with the process if you want to get under the hood. Your third option would be to find a computer-savvy friend who's willing to help out. This is an obvious question, but could it be overheating? Heat would do that, too. Be sure that there's plenty of room for air circulation around the back of the computer, and that the fans aren't being blocked by anything.
• Now for this ubiquitous phrase: HACK TEH GIBSON!
• Thanks guys! I tried roryk and bees' suggestions first, and while the rebooting seems to have stopped, I still can't get online. I've already checked through the processes that are running - that's usually one of the first places I start looking when my PCs start acting up. Nothing unusual, except for one exe file that's called "SERVIC~1" or somesuch. And CPU usage hovers between 3% to 6%. I was suspecting hardware problems as well, but would like to try eliminating any possible software problems first. I'll check it out again tonight, hopefully when my dad's around as well, because he's way better at looking at hardware than I am. Thanks again, monkeys!
• Caution Live Frogs: Stop reading my mind! How did you know I was wiping from WinXP Pro to Ubuntu (with a dual boot for Warcraft uses only)? Spooky.
• The thread title makes it clear that this is a case for Tracicle herself to deal with. Now step back, all you would-be admins, and let her do her job. Uhhh, is your mouse plugged in? You should totally try that. And maybe get a Mac. Yeah. Totally.
• *cough* get a mac
• get a mac I wish I could afford one. I love playing with Macs. Had so much fun with the ones in the lab back in Loughborough. I found the problem. It was a faulty USB extension cable that I used so my wireless receiver could be hooked at the back of my door. I replaced that, and now PC's working fine. Phew. Once again, thank you monkeys!
• I wish I could afford one. trust me, the hours (and hours and hours and hours and hours) you save on hardware/software compatibility issues alone are enough to more than make up for any additional cost...when i owned a pc i would spend more time EVERY WEEK, just trying to get the thing to work, than i have had to spend in 6 YEARS of mac ownership...more than worth it.
• Hey, me too! Except in my case it's because I married a computer geek. :P
• I bought a mac and he never works - just sits on the sofa with nothing worn under his kilt, playing with his bag and pipe. I'm all like "MacDougall! Will ye nae do the fucking vacuuming, man?" - but no, he won't lift a finger. Next time I'm getting a "PC" roommate like a Nigerian or something.
• Speaking of which, quidders: WHERE'S YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS?? DON'T MAKE ME STALK YOU!
• *applauds*
• Let me raise another PC question now that Alnedra's has been happily resolved. My friend has a laptop about 6 months old which has in the last couple months gotten ridiculously slow...I mean like taking 5-10 minutes to boot up, maybe 30 seconds just to open up "My computer", etc. I've checked the following things: ran virus scans and spyware scans, nothing there; checked processes running and looked at CPU and memory usage, it appears about the same as on my healthy computer, although the CPU usage perhaps tends slightly higher (such as it will briefly jump to around 50% on opening My computer); can't find anything too suspicious among the processes. Also tried some of the suggestions in this thread (msinfo, netstat -an), and didn't see anything noteworthy. These couple things are about the limit of my meager computer troubleshooting expertise, though, so I wonder if there are any further suggestions here for things we could try before the last resort of calling tech support? Many, many thanks!