Computer HELP please!!

[Petrograde]

Last week I decided to re-format my hard drive. I had a lot of bugs creeping in, and got tired of how slow my computer (AMD 1.4GhZ, 1 Gig DR Ram, 128 MB Nvidia video card) had become.

Well, now my computer is acting worse!


My computer now reboots every 10-30 minutes. :mad2:
My internet connection resets at about the same interval. It doesn't matter if I'm on AOL or using Internet Explorer.


Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks

[FiveO]

I had a Dell a year ago that would reboot on its own...when I was surfing!

Turned out to be bad RAM.

Dell replaced the motherboard, power supply, hard drive, video card, sound card....few other things...but they didn't replace the RAM!

Kept happening. They finally replaced the whole dang computer.

Are you getting blue screens? Even for a split second before the reboot?

[SouLRioT]

What was happening befor the reformat? And did you change any of the hardware?

[Petrograde]

What was happening befor the reformat? And did you change any of the hardware?

I replaced the HD, but have put the original back,... that solved a few probs,.. like no sound.

No blue screens or shut down screens,... just black,.. then it reboots.

Its done it to me TWICE while typing this!!! :fire:

[Butch]

Make sure you have the latest virus software installed, and ALL of the Microsoft software updates installed. There are two internet viruses that cause the exact symptoms that you are having.

Start with downloading the file "stinger.exe" from here:
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

Run stinger.exe as quickly as you can, before the next reboot. It may take a few times to get it to completly run, but it will usually find and destroy the virus that causes your reboots. Then you can get the updates from Microsoft without the reboots happening.

Hope this helps.

[SouLRioT]

If its not a virus. It might be a bad graphics card that causing most of your problems and for the sound you might have to install sound card drivers. Hope that helps.

[BillyGman]

What Five0 and Butch siad sounds important. In addition to that, I'd say that you should make sure that the OS software that you used to format the harddrive was the complete version, and not the version that came w/your PC when you bought it.


For instance, when you buy Windows software at your local PC place, it's avaiilable in two versions. The version for a "New Install" and the version for an "Upgrade". if you want to format the disc (drive C:) then you need to purchase the version for a "New Installation" since the software that comes w/your PC when you buy it is merely the "Upgrade' version and cannot be used to completely format the disk (harddrive).

Ofcourse the new Install Windows version software costs more. I payed over $200 for the Windows XP professional new installation version. And that was on sale. I've seen it for as much as $300.

And then when you're using the new install version, there are two ways it can be installed. As an "upgrade", or as a "New Install", and the only way that it will format your disk to remove everything from it is w/the "New Install" method. It will ask you this after you place the disk in your PC.

If you click on "Upgrade" then your hardrive will NOT be completely formatted and therefore will NOT get rid of all viruses. Read the instruction booklet that came w/your software to do that properly.

Also, once that's done, you'll need to use all of the drivers software that came w/your PC to re-install the drivers again such as for the sound card, as well as the video drivers too.

[TooManyFords]

If it is an AMD, check to make sure the chip cooling fan is functioning. AMD's are known for running hot and then rebooting. Replace the cooling fan and make sure you get enough dialectric grease between the chip and the heat sink.

Hope this helps ya!

John

[BillyGman]

make sure you get enough dialectric grease between the chip and the heat sink.

Hope this helps ya!

John
The "heat sink"???Wow, some of you PC experts talk way over my head. That's for sure. You lost me w/that one. It sounds like you're talking about a nuclear reactor. :D I'm sure that many people here know exactly what you're talking about though. Don't mind me. :burnout:

[Petrograde]

Well,.. I've ruled out a heat issue. The CPU temp has stayed below 30 degrees C. (I have the sides of the case right now)

I installed Windows XP Home from the Full Version I bought last year, after I downloaded all the updates, I reinstalled my virus software and updated that too. I don't think it's that.

I'm thinking SoulRiot might be on the right track. My video card is acting a little weird with it's new drivers. It's almost 2 years old, maybe it's going bad.

...and now,... my CD-ROM and my Burner won't work. :mad2: the Device Manager says they are working fine, they show up when I click on My Computer, but when I click on them ... they don't do anything. :confused: Also, everything looks right in the Bios.

sigh..... well, I built this computer about 3 years ago and I have upgraded some parts along the way. Maybe it's time I built another one.

Thanks for the replies y'all. :up:

[Dr Caleb]

I installed Windows XP Home from the Full Version I bought last year, after I downloaded all the updates, I reinstalled my virus software and updated that too. I don't think it's that.


I might be a little late here Petro, but if you have high speed interweb and install XP while connected to the net - you will get viruses within 15 seconds of your finishing the install. No word of a lie - I've timed it.

Download XP SP-1 and as many patches as you can and install them and personal firewalls/antivirus before connecting to the internet for the first time.

It's a wobbly world out here ;)

[MERCMAN]

I am a little late here as well, if you are running '98, try booting up in safe mode, then load your drivers one at a time to see if any of them are causing your problem. It does sound like a virus to me though

[Jeff]

Might be time to upgrade to Linux.

[BillyGman]

As far as I know, if it's a virus, then that can be totally wipd from his system IF he actually formatted the harddrive completely. that's why i brought up the fact before that there are two versions of most operating system software (the "upgrade", and the "New Installation" versions) and even if you're using the "New Installation" version of Windows, it gives you two different ways to load it. And unless you click on "New Installation" before it begins to load into your PC, then it will NOT formatt the disc entirely, which will leave the virus intact.


if it's a virus, and you've performed a "New Installation" of the complete version of the Windows software, then it will remove everything from your PC including all the files, along w/all the viruses as well.

[SouLRioT]

I might be a little late here Petro, but if you have high speed interweb and install XP while connected to the net - you will get viruses within 15 seconds of your finishing the install. No word of a lie - I've timed it.

Download XP SP-1 and as many patches as you can and install them and personal firewalls/antivirus before connecting to the internet for the first time.

It's a wobbly world out here ;)

No flame intended, but how do you get viruses just beeing conected to the web? Also how do you get SP-1 and the other patches? I do think that there is a CD for SP-1 from MS that you can buy and have shipped to you. I do agree you dont want to do anything else untill you get the updates and patches.

[Jeff]

They call such times as this a "Microsoft Moment". :lol:

[MERCMAN]

viruses come in many forms, worm, trojans, attachments,. If you do not have a firewall or a router, any hacker can enter your computer without your knowledge. Also some spyware has a virus attached to it. I am by no means anyones idea of an expert, but I have had similar problems in the past. I had someone hack through Nortons firewall 3 times in 2 days, I switched to zone alarm and started using Antivir for virus protectection. No problems since. BTW antivir picked up stuff that Norton Antivirus missed. Antivir is free and so are the updates.

[BillyGman]

I have Zonealarm also. The free version. It can be downloaded onto your PC from their website for free.

[Dr Caleb]

No flame intended, but how do you get viruses just beeing conected to the web? Also how do you get SP-1 and the other patches? I do think that there is a CD for SP-1 from MS that you can buy and have shipped to you. I do agree you dont want to do anything else untill you get the updates and patches.

No flame taken.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/downloads/winxp.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=83e4e879-fa3a-48bf-ade5-023443e29d78&DisplayLang=en

You can go to one of these sites, download the update and put it on CD for later use. Windows update has one critical problem - you have to be connected to the internet to use it (more later). They always supply a full download for deployment on corporate networks where it may not be advisable to have all computers connected to the internet. These can be saved on CD for deployment locally.

Most viruses/trojans etc propogate by trying to infect other PC's. Many propogate without any user intervention whatsoever. All you have to do is have an unpatched system, and be connected to the internet. They try constantally (eating up your bandwidth) and some are designed to try known IP ranges of high speed providers (Comcast, Shaw, Roadrunner, AOL etc) so they are most prevelant on these networks. By rebuilding your PC, then having to get updates afterward, you expose yourself to viruses/trojans that the updates are trying to prevent you from getting.

Code Red is a perfect example. It uses a flaw in Internet Information Server (standard install on 98/2k) and you can get it just by being on the interent and unpatched Win 98/2000/XP. Once you get it, it sends itself to every one in your address book, and then randomly tries everyone on the internet. The patch has been out for 4 years, but I still see attempts to infect me daily.

You can prevent this with a personal software/hardware firewall. Hardware is better. Firewalls prevent any incoming data that has not been requested by the PC. Attempts at virus/trojan infection are blocked before they have a chance to infect you.

There's a whole other class of nasties that you can get through Interent Exploder. All you have to do is move your mouse over an image. You don't have to click it, or anything else - just move your mouse across it. Weatherbug, so called 'pop up blockers' etc are all like this.

[SouLRioT]

Doc, thanks for those links.

Petro, good luck in getting your PC up and running. Hopefully you dont have to spend too much to get your PC going, insted of your MM going faster.

[Dr Caleb]

Anytime bud.

Two things I forgot to mention: If you get a hardware firewall, change the default password immediately (in the setup instructions) and secondly; don't rely on Windows XP's built in firewall. For some moronic reason, it it the last thing to load whan the computer starts up, but internet connection or networking is one of the first. The time inbetween, you are open to attack . . .

If it weren't for Microsoft's blundering, I wouldn't have a job :)