Hi Everyone:

Several days ago I went to start the machine and I got a message saying:" Operating System Not Found" I rebooted the system, press F5 and enter. Had to do this 2-3 time and finally started normally. For a couple of days it did this then day before yesterday and yesterday it started normal without doing that. I have cleaned it with the antivirus as best as I have been able to. I contacted HP.com thinking that it might be the battery but was told that my machine is obsolete. I can't afford to buy a PC right this moment. I will plan that early next year. Do you guys think that it might be a virus? It's very slow and it doesn't seem to have forgotten any other functions. Is it the battery failing? It's been 5 years since I bought it. I was told they do not have the battery for Pavilion 503N. What can I do any suggestions? I desperately wait for your help, and as always thank you so much for your kindness. Take care and have a good day!

You still should be able to get the battery from elsewhere on the net somewhere...just need to look around. But before that i would want to be sure that it is the battery that is going. Otherwise you might just end up wasting your money on a battery that was already working fine. As it is if its the performance of PC which is affected than the battery would have nothing to do with it as in battery's case the laptop would just switch off by itself than loosing the performance. Have you seearched for any malware, spyware etc for any infections. Juss anti virus is not enough, you would have to check for adwares, trojans etc to be sure. There are a lot of programs listed in Virus, malware section of Daniweb. Try a few and see how it goes. Also i d recommend running Hijack this and posting the findings in there for us to see what is goin on with ur machine. If you do that we might juss save u a lot of trouble.

Regards
Raj

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I just hope is this and not some major problem. Here is the log for hijackthis please let me know if you see anything and what to do next, thank you very much.
Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 9:00:35 PM, on 12/13/2007
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\guard.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SOUNDMAN.EXE
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\avgas.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgemc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\LTMSG.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb10.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe
C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe
C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DevDtct2.exe
C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DM1Service.exe
C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe
C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\ymsgr_tray.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgfwsrv.exe
C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\comp\hptskmgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG7\avgwb.dat
C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\hijackthis\HiJackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.trafficswarm.com/cgi-bin/...2d369044ed8029
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Yahoo! Toolbar Helper - {02478D38-C3F9-4EFB-9B51-7695ECA05670} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O3 - Toolbar: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IgfxTray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HotKeysCmds] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [!AVG Anti-Spyware] "C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\avgas.exe" /minimized
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [InCD] C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCD.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NeroCheck] C:\WINDOWS\system32\\NeroCheck.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LTMSG] LTMSG.exe 7
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPDJ Taskbar Utility] C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb10.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] "C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Component Manager] "C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Yahoo! Pager] "C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\YahooMessenger.exe" -quiet
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'Default user')
O4 - Global Startup: Device Detector 2.lnk = C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DevDtct2.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.EXE
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {05CA9FB0-3E3E-4B36-BF41-0E3A5CAA8CD8} (Office Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=58813
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99f7-4bb4-88d8-fa1d4f56a2ab} (YInstStarter Class) - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\yinsthelper.dll
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/wind...?1189788427000
O16 - DPF: {AB86CE53-AC9F-449F-9399-D8ABCA09EC09} (Get_ActiveX Control) - https://h17000.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAV...oadManager.ocx
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{BBC21C5F-73C2-4957-A444-14EBD6D9C61A}: NameServer = 216.67.192.3 66.133.189.215
O20 - Winlogon Notify: avgwlntf - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\avgwlntf.dll
O23 - Service: Ad-Aware 2007 Service (aawservice) - Lavasoft AB - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Anti-Spyware Guard - GRISOFT s.r.o. - C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\guard.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Alert Manager Server (Avg7Alrt) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Update Service (Avg7UpdSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Resident Shield Service (AvgCoreSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG E-mail Scanner (AVGEMS) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgemc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Firewall (AVGFwSrv) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgfwsrv.exe
O23 - Service: DM1Service - OLYMPUS Corporation - C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DM1Service.exe
O23 - Service: InCD File System Service (InCDsrv) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe

--
End of file - 6423 bytes

You should be able to find a replacement battery with Google.
Try here, for instance:
http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/
"Operating system not found" means the HD has not been properly initialized. Do you get this error with the battery removed?
This could be a HD problem, or a lack of sufficient power at boot.

I dont really see anything suspicious on the log there. As Huhg says it could be a HD problem. Have you been able to run some of the anti spyware from the spyware forums???

ALso for the battery you could always give ebay a shot as you might be able to get hold of spares on there but obviously you have to be careful. Hope the anti spywares softwares solve your problem without having you spending extra.

Raj

I'm not so sure it is a problem with the battery. There are a few things you can do now. Check for events related to the HD in the event viewer.

Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Event Viewer check for entries in the system and application logs related to the C: drive.

Next if you can backup any data that is important to you.

Next run the Check Disk utility on the C: drive. You can find information on the Windows check disk utility here http://ict.cas.psu.edu/Training/HowT...disk_check.htm

Double click on my computer - Highlight the C drive and right click. From the drop down menu select properties. In the tools tab click on check disk now. In the Check Disk Options window place a check mark on Automatically fix file system errors and scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Click start. A message will appear stating that certain windows files can not be accessed - Do you want to schedule scan to run at startup. Select yes and reboot the system. This will check for errors on the HD and try to recover any bad sectors that may have been marked as damaged.

When you reboot the machine it will start checking the file system on the C: drive. Dependig on the size of your C: drive this process can take a bit of time. After the check disk operations are complete windows will re-boot.

Depending on severity of any errors and or damaged files that check disk finds or can not recover you may have to re-install windows and / or buy a new HD. This is why it is important that you back up anything you absolutely need to have prior to running check disk.

I would also recommend running Disk CLeanup - Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk CleanUp. Select option to remove all temporary files. Once this is completed - you should run the disk defragment utility on the C: drive.

Check your Boot.CFG file. Sometimes that can be edited which makes it a litle pesky to deal with.

Hi everyone:

I think it's viruses I have had that caused that. I bought the spywareremover of course they have not given a very good service. I think I will have to reinstall it but it looks like it has cleaned a lot of nasty critters I had there. I don't think it's the battery because now it starts fine after the thorough cleaning. Would a trojan cause that too? I will keep checking and follow your suggestions, thank you so much for your feedback and kindness. I want to wish you all very happy holidays! I will let you know once I settle this problem, thanks again.

Annamarie

I would HIGHLY recommend you get yourself an external drive of some sort. Either a USB hard drive or a thumb drive of some sort. BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!!!

My first thought was possible hard drive failure or corruption. I hope it was just that infection that you removed. Back up your stuff and keep an eye on it. Actually, keep an ear on it since the hard drive should start letting you know if it's having trouble. Any unusual noises coming from it are almost always a bad sign.

I do hope your problem is solved. There's just no point in taking chances.

Hi Everyone:

Thank you for your help. After all the cleaning, I'm still having problems. Today I had to Alt+ctrl+del 6 times twice to be able to get on. The machine was giving the same message of operating system not found. I'm just wondering when this happens will putting into the CD Rom the Windows XP Disk and using System File Checker would it help me? If I do that, will I be wiping any information I need including my Outlook Express? Here is my log can you tell me if I have anything bad that is causing this? Please tell me what to do if there's a nasty critter in here. I don't here any noises that would suggest something going bad. Thank you so much for your kindness. I am so grateful. You folks are very nice! Have a very nice day!

P.S. I noticed in my log a mention of an adware alert. I saw in your site a suggestion of the adware, I tried but it did not work out for me, and now I can't get rid of it. Could that be causing a conflict?

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 9:06:29 PM, on 1/2/2008
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\guard.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgemc.exe
C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DM1Service.exe
C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgfwsrv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SOUNDMAN.EXE
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\avgas.exe
C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCD.exe
C:\WINDOWS\LTMSG.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb10.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe
C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe
C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DevDtct2.exe
C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG7\avgwb.dat
C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\ymsgr_tray.exe
C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\comp\hptskmgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\hijackthis\HiJackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.trafficswarm.com/cgi-bin/...2d369044ed8029
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Yahoo! Toolbar Helper - {02478D38-C3F9-4EFB-9B51-7695ECA05670} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O3 - Toolbar: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IgfxTray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HotKeysCmds] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SoundMan] SOUNDMAN.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [!AVG Anti-Spyware] "C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\avgas.exe" /minimized
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [InCD] C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCD.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NeroCheck] C:\WINDOWS\system32\\NeroCheck.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LTMSG] LTMSG.exe 7
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPDJ Taskbar Utility] C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb10.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] "C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Component Manager] "C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgcc.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Yahoo! Pager] "C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\YahooMessenger.exe" -quiet
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [AdwareAlert] C:\Program Files\AdwareAlert\AdwareAlert.exe -boot
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-19\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'LOCAL SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-20\..\Run: [AVG7_Run] C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgw.exe /RUNONCE (User 'NETWORK SERVICE')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [MySpaceIM] C:\Program Files\MySpace\IM\MySpaceIM.exe (User 'Default user')
O4 - Global Startup: Device Detector 2.lnk = C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DevDtct2.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.EXE
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {05CA9FB0-3E3E-4B36-BF41-0E3A5CAA8CD8} (Office Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=58813
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99f7-4bb4-88d8-fa1d4f56a2ab} (YInstStarter Class) - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Common\yinsthelper.dll
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/wind...?1189788427000
O16 - DPF: {AB86CE53-AC9F-449F-9399-D8ABCA09EC09} (Get_ActiveX Control) - https://h17000.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAV...oadManager.ocx
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{BBC21C5F-73C2-4957-A444-14EBD6D9C61A}: NameServer = 216.67.192.3 66.133.189.215
O20 - Winlogon Notify: avgwlntf - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\avgwlntf.dll
O23 - Service: AVG Anti-Spyware Guard - GRISOFT s.r.o. - C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\guard.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Alert Manager Server (Avg7Alrt) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgamsvr.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Update Service (Avg7UpdSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgupsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG7 Resident Shield Service (AvgCoreSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgrssvc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG E-mail Scanner (AVGEMS) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgemc.exe
O23 - Service: AVG Firewall (AVGFwSrv) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVG7\avgfwsrv.exe
O23 - Service: DM1Service - OLYMPUS Corporation - C:\Program Files\Olympus\DeviceDetector\DM1Service.exe
O23 - Service: InCD File System Service (InCDsrv) - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Ahead\InCD\InCDsrv.exe

--
End of file - 6316 bytes