posted on June 2, 2004 01:33:31 PM
Please help!
I am so fed up with Windows XP I could kick this computer down the staircase and not care less...
My home page keeps re-setting itself-
Clock keeps jumping out of time-
Cant list from ebay because of "Input Error"
Text will not load at ESPN-
Error box dialog box when I need to sign in at any sight including at Vendio-
Cant open email after a few hours of inactivity because "Incorrect installation", must shut down and re-boot, which has become a violent ripping of the plug from the wall in my case (I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I need to dump XP, what should I re-install??
Thanks
posted on June 2, 2004 01:48:56 PM
I think there is a possibility that you have a hidden virus. I really don't think it is your Win/XP. I have never heard of anyone with these kinds of problems..I suggest you get an expert to look at your PC. I was having problems 2 weeks ago & had a local guru look pver my PC found 2 viruses that Norton din't find. He uses a very expensive AV that is the last word in AV. Now everything is working great!
posted on June 2, 2004 02:18:25 PM
Concur with sanmar on the virus possibility.
This is what I think you should do, and I am quite serious.
1) Do all the anti-virus stuff you need to (you know, download security updates from Microsoft, etc.)
2) MAKE SURE you have XP's firewall turned on. If you need help doing this, let us know.
3) Once your computer is behaving itself again:
3a) Buy an inexpensive used iMac, about $300.
3b) Buy a firewall (physical device) that will allow you to do virtual addresses.
3c) Put the iMac on your network, install Eudora, and use that for your email. NEVER NEVER EVER READ EMAIL ON YOUR PC AGAIN! Use the PC for everything else.
This will ensure you a trouble-free future. People who do everything with one PC are just asking for problems.
posted on June 2, 2004 02:33:33 PM
Fluffy, thanks
Its so bad I cant even do the Microsoft updates because of some stupid god@$& error, I have tried repeatedly. My Norton updates/status tells me I am up to date and error free....far from it....I might just print your steps and advice, spend the money and have this done.....
There is one section just for computer problems but I'd probably post in the Malware section first. With your home page resetting itself that means there is a problem somewhere. It's not XP.
Worst scenerio is that you could format & reload your computer. I've done it. First you moan and groan about all the stuff you lost and then you get over it and have a cleaned up computer with lots of space.
posted on June 2, 2004 10:17:35 PM
I don't think that you should have to lose all of your info. I don't know where you live, but see if there is a reputable person who makes house calls. My guy came out & in less than an hour had me up & running for $75.00. As far as I'm concerned it was a bargain. I repeat, Get an Expert!!
posted on June 2, 2004 10:24:02 PM
Dear Fluff, Too bad we aren't in the good ole days when Macs were immune from those nasty critters but alas with the newer viruses that have come out, I am seeing more and more MACS at work being infected.
micmic66, what version of XP do you have ? Pro or home? Are there any error messages that come up when you boot up the computer? Where and when does the first error appear and what are you doing when it happens?
posted on June 2, 2004 10:34:58 PMDear Fluff, Too bad we aren't in the good ole days when Macs were immune from those nasty critters but alas with the newer viruses that have come out, I am seeing more and more MACS at work being infected.
It's still the good ole days for the most part, Paloma. Just exactly what is it you're seeing Macs infected with? I have three Macs, a windblows machine and a linux box running here on the ranch, and the only one that gets routinely sick is the microsoft machine. I'd be real curious to hear about these Mac infections. My guess would be, if anything, it's maybe on machines that are using some lame micosloth email program. There have been a couple of worms or some such intentionally lab created to exploit weakness in Mac OS X security, but none have been released. They've only been reported with a great deal of hoopla. While no OS is invulnerable, the Mac platform remains infinitely more secure than Windoze.
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on June 2, 2004 10:36:44 PM
p.s. micmic: If you follow fluffy's advice, slowly but surely you'll find there's precious little you'd rather do on your M$ machine than on your iMac....
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on June 2, 2004 11:10:22 PM
Profe51...What flavor of Linux are you using? I've been toying with the idea of taking the plunge. Would appreciate any comments pro & con.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on June 3, 2004 12:56:51 AM
sounds more like spyware than virus etc.
although it never hurts to have a decent anti virus program.
also, make sure you update your WinXP as older version are ridiculous in terms of security and loop holes.
d/l SpyBot Search and Destroy or Adware. I'll recommend spybot, its easy to use.
spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/
and give windows an update
www.windowsupdate.com
d/l and install all the critical updates.
dont forget to delete the temporary inteernet files in IE (if thats what you're using to browse, right click on IE icon and click on properties) if you haven't click on that button for a long time or ever.. it may seem like its frozen as its trying to delete the many thousand files you have d/led in the past years. click on settings next to it and set the amount of space for temporary to a smaller size.. so you wont have to empty it so much.
also what are u using to access your email? Outlook Express? or?
If you want to experiment with Linux you should download Mandrake Move first and check it out. What you do is set your bios to boot from cd-rom and put the disc in the drive then reboot and voila- you got Linux. It will run off of the disc and when you shut it down take the disc out and reboot you'll have windows back again. Suse also makes a live distro called Suse Live that works the same way. Its a great way to try Linux. If you like it you can download Mandrake 10 for free. I do just about all of my auction stuff from my Linux box.
posted on June 3, 2004 05:42:48 AM
sparkz..I have an older Mac running YDL, Yellow Dog Linux. It's the only Linux I've messed with, so I can't really give you a pro/con rating. I can tell you however, that I once put Red Hat linux on the Dell, and it was pretty much a nightmare install. I gave up finally because it wasn't fun anymore... YDL went onto the Mac as easy as pie.
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on June 3, 2004 05:58:18 AM
You definitely have a virus/spyware/etc. and need to take your machine to a technician. XP is not the problem; XP is Microsoft's best OS in a long time.
posted on June 3, 2004 06:43:13 AM
Mandrake Linux 10 is as easy if not easier to install than win xp. You can have both linux and windows on the same machine, just make sure you install windows first.
