Hi Folks,
Having computer troubles. When my background screen comes up the Icons I have only show what looks like a piece of paper with the upper left corner folded over and a square with a blue bar across the top with a red, blue, and green icons in the square. Below the square it says what it is.

When we click on any of these nothing happens. We've been trying to fix this but no luck. Any help would be appreciated. My wife is the computer pro here. If this doesn't work it's off to a computer store. Randy.

P.S. We are on AOL. When we try to download AOL Computer Check Up it won't let us. We type in our screen name and password then it stops there. A box comes up with a message saying unable to recieve or we don't have permission to recieve device. Randy.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there is a probability here that you may have picked up a malicious script from a web site that has affected your computer. Without knowing what operating system you are using, it's kind of hard to say, but if you are running Windows XP, you can reboot the computer using a known good configuration from a few days ago, or from the last time the computer did a save on shutdown. This is done by pressing the F8 key as the computer is booting from a cold boot and selecting "last known good configuration from the menu". This may help, if not then you may wish to try running a good anti-spyware program like Webroot's Spy Sweeper or PC Tools Spyware Doctor and see what they pick up. Do this in additon to a virus scan.

There are several really nasty Win32 variants (both trojan virus and spyware) floating around out there now that will do just what you are experiencing. It's always a good idea to keep a virus program and spyware program running in the background to block out these scripts which can be imbedded in any website, either by the devoloper or a hacker.

If running these doesn't solve the problem, then you may have to reformat the drive and reload the operating system AFTER you try to save what files you need from the computer. But make sure any files you save are scanned with a virus scanner before reloading them. A good computer shop will do this for you for less than the cost of a new computer, unless you just want to buy a new computer just for the heck of it.

Mike R

Thanks Mike,

We are running Windows XP. Our internet service is with AOL and we have Spyware and Mcafee Virus scan running. But since the problem occured I think that the spyware and Mcafee viros scan isn't running anymore.

When I try to do an AOL computer checkup it won't do it. But we will try your advice, Thank you, Randy.

Randy,, I had similar issues with my windows XP, I had somehow been hit with malware.. took 3 different anit virus programs to kill it.. Unless someone come in here with a better idea.. head to the local puter guru and have em fix it.. The worm I got hit with wasn't even known at the time.. Not a guru myself but it sounds to me like you are getting shut out of your system.. much like mine did .. Just a thought.
Chris

Sounds like Windows Explorer and/or the registry is corrupted, If you have the XP install CD, put it in the CD drive and restart your machine and try to boot off the CD. If it does not give you the option of booting from the CD you will have to get into the system Setup program (the BIOS in geek speak) and change the boot options so it will try to boot from the CD drive before it tries to boot from the hard disk. The Setup program is accessed by pressing a key like F1, F2, or Del when you first turn on your PC. There is usually a message on the screen that says something like "Press Del to enter Setup."

Once you get the computer to boot from the XP CD, try to do a REPAIR installation of XP. Do not select any of the other install options as they may overwrite everything currently on your hard disk and you'll lose your data. If a REPAIR install does not fix the problem, you'll have to find a computer technician who can fix it for you.

Unless some event triggered this, like a sudden power loss or a virus, the most likely cause of a problem like this is a hard disk that's starting to go bad. You may be able to confirm this by looking for hard disk error message in the Windows event log. If the hard disk and BIOS were setup for S.M.A.R.T. then hard disk errors are logged. If the hard disk is going bad then reformatting and reinstalling Windows will just defer the inevitable.

Fortunately, hard disks and PC hardware is very cheap these days for regular commodity stuff (non gaming). If the PC is older, and if all of the peripherals are in good shape, and if you have the installation media for everything you need to run, you may be better off buying a whole bargain basement PC from newegg.com or someone similar instead of a new $100 disk.

Thanks for all of the help folks,
We can't locate the XP Disc, the wife is trying to find it as I type. If she does find it we'll try your advice AFX TOO, but it looks like we will be taking it to a computer tech. Randy.

Yes, it does sound like your registry may be corrupted.
Use a registry cleaner like RegClean, see link below.
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?tg=dl-20&qt=regclean&tag=srch
Also download Adaware & Spybot, two of the beat freeware malware programs.
Run these to clean out any nasties.
If your using AOL dial-up, downloading anything is going to be an arduous task.

I'll be away for a time. I'm taking this PC to the doctor. Time to let the experts work their magic. Thanks for all of the advice and help. Randy.

I'm back,
The computer doc said we had a virus and needed a complete format reinstall. We lost some pictures and minor stuff. But nothing major. Randy.

Welcome back. I am lucky. I have a Kieth. Kinda like my own personal geek squad. He makes house calls and works for Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos.

Go to www.cnet.com and click on the downloads link. Get the free version of AVG AntiVirus software and you may avoid this problem in the future.

needed a complete format reinstall

A reformat and reinstall will "solve" many problems. Unfortunately, once you've done that any evidence of what really caused the problem is long gone. I'm always dubious of "virus" prognosis from computer technicians unless they provide evidence of exactly which virus you received.

One thing you can do going forward is to maintain a good backup of your system. I highly recommend getting an external USB 2.0 or Firewire hard drive if you have one of those ports on you computer and an automatic imaging and backup program to make sure you can restore your entire system or individual files in the case of a failure. I've seen external 300+ GB hard drives for around $100 at Sams Club, MicroCenter, NewEgg,com, etc. If you have a 3.5" or 1.8" inch hard drive laying around you can just buy the external case and cable for $20 or less. I have had great success with Acronis True Image for making automatic, full fidelity images of hard drives so you can restore your entire system or individual files in case of a failure, or if you want to move everything to a new hard disk.

The expensive big name "internet security suites" like Norton and McAfee are comparable and fairly effective but tend to suck up a lot of your computer's CPU capacity and the ongoing subscription fees are like a tax. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do for FREE that will improve your situation greatly:

1) Make backups of everything you can't afford to lose. This includes all of your digital pictures and media files, documents, work files, etc. Just burning them to a writable CD or DVD is better than only having them on your one hard disk. If you have program files, like Word or OpenOffice on a CD/DVD or available from a download site you don't have to back these up. But definitely back up your stuff.

2) If you are using XP, make sure it's Service Pack 2 or later.

3) Turn on the XP firewall unless you are using a third party firewall like ZoneAlarm or Comodo.

4) Run Windows Update at least every week. Microsoft tends to release patches on Tuesdays, so getting into the habit of checking for updates on Wednesday morning would be helpful. With XP SP2 and Vista you can have it automatically download and optionally install all security related updates for you.

5) Run a real time anti-virus scanner. There are several free ones available. ***

6) Periodically run an anti-spyware scanner. There are several free ones available. ***

7) If you are running Windows XP or Windows 2000, create regular non-administrator user accounts for everyone that uses your computer. Only run as an administrator when you have to, like when installing new applications.

*** This site is particularly good for identifying the source of high quality free software: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm

If you get sick of the constant issues with Windows PCs, and if you don't have a hard dependency on using Windows, there are excellent (and some totally free) alternatives out there that can save you a lot of hassles and headaches.

I'm back,
The computer doc said we had a virus and needed a complete format reinstall. We lost some pictures and minor stuff. But nothing major. Randy.

Just wanted to bump what AfxToo said as well as add a few...

Get a router if you don't have one. Number one Firewall out there. I disagree with Windows Firewall, but that's a personal thing.

Get Windows Defender. Free and works well and seamlessly with XP.

Turn on Windows Automatic Updates. Also, go into Control Panel and click the Windows Update link. Update til your eyes bleed, then click it one more time.

Real time virus protection... either go realtime or don't even bother with virus protection. Infact, I don't bother with either and I go to sites you sure as hell don't want your kids going to.

Also, 2 drives. External or internal, doesn't matter. Pictures, financial info, items that are not installed (documents, etc) all on the 2nd drive. This drive can be moved anytime to another computer and 99.9% of the time is not affected by a virus attack. Also, it won't be affected by a re-install.

Biggest thing is knowing where you go in the internet and who you open mail from.

Guys,
Here's the simple steps I take to avoid a virus ever hurting me.

1. Get a PC that you dedicate to the internet and can afford to have get corrupted. Unless you do CPU intensive stuff on the web, you can use an old computer. Old computers can be picked up for next to nothing (you could probably pull one out of the recycling center). I am still on dial-up and use a PII 350MHz machine. If this machine gets corrupted beyond repair, I can simply reload it. Since you don't really have to protect the machine, you don't have to run anti-virus software that sucks up the CPU.

2. Partition your hard drive into at least a C and D drive. Put all you data files on the D (or subsequent) drive(s). If you PC ever gets corrupted where you have to reload, just format and reload the C drive with the operating system and your add-on software. All your data remains intact on the D drive.

3. Do not copy files from the internet PC to another machine unless you are 100% sure the file is clean.

There are software packages that can take a snapshot of your hard drive. If you think you may have to reload multiple times (because you visit those naughty sites), you can take a snapshot once you have loaded the C drive with all your software. Then, if the machine gets corrupted, you just lay this image back on the C drive. Your D drive still contains all your current data files.

Joe

Guys,
Here's the simple steps I take to avoid a virus ever hurting me.

1. Get a PC that you dedicate to the internet and can afford to have get corrupted. Unless you do CPU intensive stuff on the web, you can use an old computer. Old computers can be picked up for next to nothing (you could probably pull one out of the recycling center). I am still on dial-up and use a PII 350MHz machine. If this machine gets corrupted beyond repair, I can simply reload it. Since you don't really have to protect the machine, you don't have to run anti-virus software that sucks up the CPU.

2. Partition your hard drive into at least a C and D drive. Put all you data files on the D (or subsequent) drive(s). If you PC ever gets corrupted where you have to reload, just format and reload the C drive with the operating system and your add-on software. All your data remains intact on the D drive.

3. Do not copy files from the internet PC to another machine unless you are 100% sure the file is clean.

There are software packages that can take a snapshot of your hard drive. If you think you may have to reload multiple times (because you visit those naughty sites), you can take a snapshot once you have loaded the C drive with all your software. Then, if the machine gets corrupted, you just lay this image back on the C drive. Your D drive still contains all your current data files.

Joe

Good info if on dial-up but a broadband connection will be severely limited by a PII or PIII. With as much information and the images posted on the web these days, that can stall a PC rather hard.

Case in point: I just mashed together 3 PC's into 1 for a coworker and he was surprised at how his internet speeds jacked up from a PII to a P4. Especially when broadband speeds are in excess of 15 Mb/s these days.

If you really want to have a dedicated computer for web surfing, office apps, reading this site, email, etc., don't bother messing with Windows at all. Just download the latest version of Ubuntu or Kbuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu) and do all of your web related stuff on a PC running that OS. After I installed Ubuntu on my wife's PC my admin time for managing her PC dropped to zero. It's a single CD install that has everything you'll need for regular computing stuff. This is the first desktop Linux distro that I'm comfortable recommending for computer phobics. It will run completely off the bootable install CD so you can test drive it before you commit to installing it. Cost: Free. You can download an iso image or they will send you a CD for free, although the shipping time makes it sound like they tape the CD to the back of a tortoise for delivery.

The Kbuntu version of Ubuntu has a slicker look and feel and is more Windows like, but otherwise shares all the same bits with the Ubuntu variant.

If you have a decently fast and well equipped with memory and hard disk space Windows or Linux PC (> 1 GHz processor, > 1 GB of RAM, and > 20 GB available hard disk space) you can also use the free VMware Player http://www.vmware.com/products/player/ (or Microsoft's free Virtual PC) to run a virtual machine (VM) inside your current OS. Contrary to conventional wisdom, VWware works very well, especially on newer Core2 machines (PC and Mac) that have virtualization enhancing logic built into the processors. I've been using VMWare for several years and it totally lives up to its billing. The free "player" version does not allow you to build virtual machines but there are freeware utilities out there for doing this and you can download plenty of pre built VMs. The cool thing about a VM is that the entire machine is in a file. You save one copy of the VM file in a safe place and run another copy on your host operating system. If the running VM gets trashed, no problem, delete the corrupt file and copy a fresh one on to the host OS. I use VMs on a daily basis for testing software on different operating systems and for setting up multiple machine client-server environments inside a single machine because it creates a virtual network too. It's a huge productivity enhancer. I've used MS's product too, and it works fine but is not quite as sophisticated as VMWare. If you have a Mac, the VMWare Fusion product is an amazing piece of work, but it's not free.

The advice about the router is good, but it goes far beyond the hardware firewall. Once you connect a router, every computer in your house (and possibly your neighbor's house if you don't secure the wireless access point in the router) has an Internet connection, not to mention file, media, printer, etc., sharing amongst the computers in your house. I would not even consider having broadband connectivity without using a router, preferably one with a wireless access point and switched ports. By the way, many routers (like the popular Linksys WRT54G) are running versions of Linux, the same operating that Ubuntu/Kbuntu use.

Thanks for the addtional information. We'll give this a try. This computer is still not up to speed. We were going to buy a new one but now the wife said she'd like to keep the money in the bank. She's been working 4 days a week for the last 2 to 3 months.

One of the accounts laid off 600 people and they cancelled all of their orders last week. Thanks, Randy.

Thanks for the addtional information. We'll give this a try. This computer is still not up to speed. We were going to buy a new one but now the wife said she'd like to keep the money in the bank. She's been working 4 days a week for the last 2 to 3 months.

One of the accounts laid off 600 people and they cancelled all of their orders last week. Thanks, Randy.

A fresh install should restore everything to basic status, and in most cases is the fastest the PC is ever going to be (when I fresh install XP on mine, I never see the WELCOME screen. Now it's there for about 4 seconds cuz I am bloated), short of overclocking or tweak software. Think of it like a chassis, when you add more (software or body), you slow down.

What OS and specs?

Download this program if you don't mind and run it...

http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php

It'll tell you everything about every aspect of your machine, including serial numbers. Very useful in offering suggestions for upgrading or seeing bottlenecks.

I, for one, am curious as to your OS, CPU and RAM. I have a bit of DDR RAM just hanging out I am not using...

Also, if you still want a safe and comfy Windows PC, Dell is ALWAYS running specials like Dual Core or Core 2 Duo and 19" monitors for $399 or $449. For that price, it's very hard to beat or build.

To show it's safe and how it works, my work PC summary is attached:

I low level format reinstall everything on my compuker at least 3 times a year. It's almost a requirement these days with all the crap on the net.

I low level format reinstall everything on my compuker at least 3 times a year. It's almost a requirement these days with all the crap on the net.

No, that's paranoia :)

Clean if you notice slowdowns or abnormal behavior on files and load times. But there is really no reason to reinstall that much.

Once a year or every two, tops.

If you do the things talked about in this thread, you're sufficiently protected. Wielding common sense is another key. Don't open emails from Bengali The banker in Madrid, or the XXX Sex Cam attachments nor the YOU'VE WON AN iPOD!!! You don't believe this stuff in person, why would you on the internet?

If you're sufficiently versed to be able to reinstall/reformat, then you should be able to easily enact the above advice and have a nice layer of protection.

No, that's paranoia

I agree, reformatting and FDisk are not needed, a total flashback to 1980s.

Keep in mind that you could have a hardware problem that is slowing your computer down.

A/FX Nut, download a CD image of Ubuntu or Kbuntu and run it from the CD for a while just to get a sense of what it is like. It won't touch your Windows installation, so when you're done and ready to return to dedicate 95% of your computer's capability to non productive processing all you have to do is pop out the CD and reboot your machine into Windows.

I have two laptops sitting on my desk at home. One is a recent vintage Pentium M 2.13 GHz (which is roughly as fast as a 3.2 GHz P4), 2 GB RAM, 100 GB disk, 256 MB discrete video (Aero capable), running Vista Ultimate. The other is an ancient 1 GHz PIII with 512 MB RAM, running Kbuntu 7.04. When I pop a DVD into the bloated Vista machine it plays okay but is a bit sluggish when I drag the slider ahead or back, sometimes pausing for quite a while, appearing hung. On the Kbuntu machine the same DVD plays much better, even just using whatever player came with the distribution. The user experience and responsiveness on the far less capable machine with Kbuntu is much better. What the heck, it just works and no phone calls or nagging.

Unless you're wondering, I am not one of those nutty Linux zealots (or MS haters). I have two other desktop machines running XP and Server 2003 and I have many years of very deep experience on the entire line of Windows operating systems, languages, technologies, etc. I love working with their technology but there are just times when I need a system that "just works" without me having to monkey around with it or troubleshoot the myriad of issues that seem to plague Windows (yes, even XP). When I need a computer that's going to be used by someone who only cares about getting work done with it, I prescribe Ubuntu.

My next machine purchase will be a Mac.

Yeah, check Techbargains.com and NewEgg.com for special lowball PC hardware deals. Keep in mind that a dual core machine with a gig of RAM and decent video card will absolutely fly with Unbuntu. I'm very intrigued by the latest Shuttle barebones systems like the KPC (little cube with all the needed legacy ports) which could be setup for running TrackMate on W2K or XP. Too bad there is no TrackMate for Linux.

Cobbling together old systems is only worth it if you don't have to buy anything. Once you start upgrading hardware on an old system you would almost always be better off buying a new budget system. There's also a lot of older PC hardware from the late 90s and early 2Ks out there with substandard electrolytic capacitors waiting to suddenly fail.

The other is an ancient 1 GHz PIII with 512 MB RAM...

LOL!!!
Ancient? You think that's ancient? I still have a couple 386 machines cranking around; though they are top of the line 33 Mhz. :p

Joe

a couple 386 machines

Those are prehistoric.:)

Speaking of computing on the edge of the primordial ooze, I finally broke down and carted my old Leading Edge Model D (4.77 Mhz 8088, 640 K RAM, 30 MB hard drive, DOS 5.0, Hercules Graphics) off to the scrap yard last year. That's 30 megabytes of storage my friends. I could fit 2 or 3 high bitrate MP3 songs on that hard disk.

Those are prehistoric.:)

Speaking of computing on the edge of the primordial ooze, I finally broke down and carted my old Leading Edge Model D (4.77 Mhz 8088, 640 K RAM, 30 MB hard drive, DOS 5.0, Hercules Graphics) off to the scrap yard last year. That's 30 megabytes of storage my friends. I could fit 2 or 3 high bitrate MP3 songs on that hard disk.

Yeah, computers aren't like cars. They don't become classics so fast :)

Slowest we have is an Athlon 3500+. Fastest is the e4300 at 3.4GHz. I'm an impatient one. Waiting is not fun.

Those are prehistoric.:)

Yeah, they are. But they still work with no problems.

I got my first machine in 1992, a 486DX/66 EISA machine with 8 meg of memory, running DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1. That machine, now running DOS 6.20 and Windows 3.1 (but with an overkill of 32 meg and a 2x CDROM) is still the primary machine for all the documents I do. With the Win 3.1 version of Office, it really does have all the functionality I need. All the later versions of Office and other software have added so many useless options (and CPU sucking features) that it is really nice to have some of the older stuff from when software was simple enough to just do what you needed done.

Also, and here's the biggie - the machine has not been reloaded since 1993 and I use it all the time.

And something even more amazing? I use an old DOS backup software package and back up to 5.25" floppies (yup, still have them too!). Files, on the older software, are small enough that those old disks actually hold quite a few files. The backups, because it only does files that change, only takes minutes.

Joe

Hey if they work for you, that's simply awesome. Saving all that upgrade money thru the years and potential Geek Squad fees. That's like saying your '69 Mustang still runs perfectly (tho the computer is a LOT LOT LOT less cool :) ).

Playing new release games in the level of graphics I like requires a bit more robust machine, and it costs. But what doesn't for better/faster/newer?

Btw, first machine was a 486sx25 from Sam's Club back in the day. 4 meg RAM, 170meg HDD. I remember being afraid to open the cover, but once I did... wallet is just left open :)

Btw, first machine was a 486sx25 from Sam's Club back in the day. 4 meg RAM, 170meg HDD. I remember being afraid to open the cover, but once I did... wallet is just left open :)

Shoot you are a Computer Baby. My first was a Timex then I upgraded to a Comodore 64. :)

Roger Corrie

Shoot you are a Computer Baby. My first was a Timex then I upgraded to a Comodore 64. :)

Roger Corrie

Oh no! You're including C64 even? My first was C128 with dual 1540 drives (buddy sold his C64 so I took a drive) using Bullseye copier to make copies. GEOS writing software, first true WYSIWYG if I recall. Then a friend had an Amiga and I was blown away. I've been a PC gamer ever since and never looked back. It's amazing the pros and cons of technological advancement as a civilization.

LOAD "*",8,1 come get it!

Yeah, they are. But they still work with no problems.

If I was Amish I'd be impressed. Old computers are ... just old computers.

Playing new release games in the level of graphics I like requires a bit more robust machine, and it costs. But what doesn't for better/faster/newer?


Without question, the graphics on games has gotten amazing. I was really hooked on PCs back in the early 90s (before my slot addiction resurfaced), and stockpiled a LOT of games from the 386 and 486 era; most of which have never been opened. I figure during the winter when there's a lot of indoor time, I will get around to opening some of those old games and playing them for the first time on those old 386 and 486 machines. And with all the spare parts I've got, they are going to last a lot longer than I will.

Joe

Yell if you need a copy of Windows 98SE, for any reason.

I love the old C64 translations, like Mars Saga (old Mines of Titan) and the D&D Pools of Radiance, etc.

But honestly, there is no reason not to have a P4 level machine. For the price of ONE of the cars you all pimp out, you can have a nice PC that's matched nicely with the broadband speeds and allow much greater application and game choices.

But again, up to you. Glad you're at least on the web and talking with the fellow slot car addicts :)