Posts by DMR

Hello maybe you should get back to the problem and don't talk about what browser you guys use.
Help Bill_Lumberg instead ^^

Um... right.

Let's see- For your first post here, you decided to dig up a thread that is over 1 year old, and then proceed to post an admonishment to other members in that thread.

[img]http://www.stevewolfonline.com/Downloads/DMR/Visuals/nono.gif[/img]

- Has this been happening ever since you built the computer, or did the problem start occuring at some later point?

- Are you directly connected to the modem, or is there a broadband router in the equation?

- Are you absolutely sure the firewall software was completely disabled? I've had a couple of instances where just choosing the "disable" option in some firewall software doesn't totally do the trick; I've had to choose not to have the program run at startup and then reboot.

- You said you can ping DNS servers; can you ping web sites by URL? For that matter, can you reach web sites through your browser if you do it by IP instead of URL? Try to hit Google by putting its IP in your browser's location bar:

http://64.233.167.99

Could you describe the "bunch of words" a bit more clearly, or perhaps post a screenshot that depicts the problem for us?

Also- does this happen only on specific pages, or is it more of a random thing?

In my computer I have Win98 and Win2000. When I use Win2000, I can use the mouse, however, when I use Win98, there's no movement or any sign regarding the mouse.

- Is it a serial mouse or a USB mouse?

- Does the mouse work if you boot Win 98 in to Safe Mode?

I try to re-install Win98, but without a mouse it is almost impossible.

Yikes- Are you saying that the mouse now doesn't work even when you're booted from the installation CD?

...in Win98, the SCANDISK or DEFRAG is not working properly. It takes forever to run, but still without any result.

Well... there's some result, even if it isn't the right result. ;)
Do the programs ever finish running, or do they seem to just keep "spinning their wheels"? Some programs or processes which monitor or write to the hard disk can interfere with Scandisk and defrag; try shutting down all non-critical programs before doing your scans.

Get Firefox :cheesy:

Yeah, well... that too. :mrgreen:

Unfortunately though, you still need to use IE to use the Windows Update function; it doesn't work with any other browser. :(

Hey, everytime I close it IE, a damn error pops up saying it has to close the program.. but I just closed it!

When you close IE, the visual/graphical component will close first, but other non-visible components of IE take a bit longer to finish closing after that, hence the delay in the error display. (It also takes a moment or two for the system to log the error and generate the error window.)

The fault error message isn't identifying a faulting module, which makes it difficult to say specifically where the problem lies. Try some general recommendations and see if they help to clear things up:

- Delete all of your cookies and Temporary Internet Files (including "Offline Content"), and clear your History. You can do this through your Internet Options control panel. Empty your Recycle Bin afterward.

- Go to Microsoft's Windows Update site (you will need to use Internet Explorer to do this); download and install any critical fixes which are available for your versions of Windows and IE.

- Do a full system scan for viruses and spyware; those malicious programs can cause all kinds of problems with IE. If you currently have an anti-virus program installed, make sure you have downloaded the absolutely most current virus definition updates for it. If you do not have an anti-virus program installed at the moment, you can get a free online scan at the following site:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

To find out …

Your description is very clear, and yes- you should be able to do what you're asking about.

I don't have time to elaborate right now (dinner time on my end of the world), but hopefully some of these links can help:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22internet+connection+sharing%22+%22windows+XP%22&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22internet+connection+sharing%22+wireless+nic+hub+router&btnG=Search

Read through some of the tutorials and suggestions in those links and repost with any questions you might have.

1.

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7

Your version of HijackThis is out of date; please download the latest version (1.98.2).

2.

C:\Documents and Settings\user\Desktop\HijackThis.exe

You are currently running HijackThis directly from your desktop; this isn't advised. HJT creates backup files each time you run it, and if you run HJT from your desktop folder the backup files will be scattered all over that folder and possibly deleted accidentally. Instead, you should create a separate folder for HJT (such as C:\HijackThis or C:\spyware tools\HijackThis) so that the backup files are stored in a single, safe location.

3.

C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe

The above indicates that you still had an instance of Internet Explorer running when you ran HJT. HJT cannot perform all of its fixes with Internet Explorer running/open; you need to make sure that no instances of IE running before running HijackThis.

Take care of the above problems before posting a new log.

C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe

The above would seem to indicate that you still had one instance of Internet Explorer running when you ran the HJT scan. HJT can't perform all of its fixes when IE is open/running, so it's advised that you verify that all instances of IE are closed before asking HJT to fix things.

Other than that though, the log is clean. Let us know if more problems crop up.

The following thread has info and links concerning ways that you can keep yourself protected in the future:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html

After you get it all fixed and things are working good ,Download and install these two programs to help stop Spyware...

Yes, and make sure to keep all of your anti-spyware and anti-virus programs as up-to-date as possible; new updates for many of these programs can be released quite frequently. Also- use Windows' Automatic Update function to keep current on all critical fixes/patches from Microsoft.

log looks ok to me...

Agreed- log looks clean.

However, HJT isn't the definitive detection/removal tool for all possible problems you might be having; you might have issues which need to be addressed with utilities other than HJT.

Thanks Geoff.

Oh, and BTW:

PS A Wombat would have to be an Aussie as am I.

Sorry- that was a previous incarnation; I got over it this time 'round... ;)

how do I know that I am getting expert advice or instructions from one of your tech people , not some one else who is just a visitor to the site ?

As caperjack said, a member's post count is a good indicator of their reliability (as is their length of stay here).

In terms of our members who respond to security-related questions such as yours: caperjack, dlh6213, and crunchie are three of our most active, trusted, and competent responders; they won't lead you astray.

Hi GeoffC,

First of all- welcome to TechTalk!

We ask that members not tag their questions on to a thread previously started by another member (regardless of how similar your problem might seem). Not only does it divert the focus of the thread away from the original poster's problem, but it also makes it less likely that you yourself will get the individual attention that you need.

Please start your own thread and post your question there. When you do, please try to give us as much specific info as possible regarding the problem (exact error messages, system specs, etc.).

For a full description of our posting guidelines and general rules of conduct, please see this page:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/faq.php?faq=daniweb_faq#faq_rules

Thanks for understanding.

You know, I think I got a big empty floppy for you to use .Its on top of me head !!

Yeah... I know it wasn't the most helpful of posts, but hey- even we mods need moments or two of silliness. Couldn't really be in this business woithout a bit of that, now could we? :p

Thanks again!

And again- you're welcome. Glad we could be of help and shed some light on the subject.

It almost takes an inhouse computer guru to workPCs these days.

That's one of those eternal "what comes around, goes around" issues when it comes to computers. Remember that users of early computers, among other cryptic and arcane procedures, had to be taught how to enter their information via punch-cards (and yes, I remember that). :mrgreen:

get a blank floppy disk ,put in the a: drive and go to Start,settings control panel,add and remove programs ,and click on create bootdisk. or download one ,and copy it to the floppy.
http://www.mirrors.org/archived_software/www.bootdisk.com/winfiles1/boot98se.exe]

Umm... but da computer she'a no boot; how'sa catladi gonna do dat? :mrgreen:

you need to switch simple file sharing OFF...

Unfortunately, simple file sharing can't be turned off in XP Home; you only have that option in XP Pro. :(

Hi marcusw90,

First of all- welcome to TechTalk!

We ask that members not tag their questions on to a thread previously started by another member (regardless of how similar your problem might seem). Not only does it divert the focus of the thread away from the original poster's problem, but it also makes it less likely that you yourself will get the individual attention that you need.

Please start your own thread and post your question there. When you do, please try to give us as much specific info as possible regarding the problem (exact error messages, system specs, etc.).

For a full description of our posting guidelines and general rules of conduct, please see this page:

http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/faq.php?faq=daniweb_faq#faq_rules

Thanks for understanding.

You're welcome; glad we could help. :)

What is this "hosts" file? Any idea how this site got on it?

Here's an explanation I posted in answer to a similar question an earlier thread:

The entries in the "hosts" file are mappings of host names/URLs to their respective IP addresses. This is essentially like having a small DNS server on your own computer, in that when you type a URL into your browser (or click on a link to a URL on a web page), Windows will look in the hosts file to see if the URL you typed/clicked has a matching IP address there. If so, Windows will direct your browser to that IP address; if not, Windows will then look to your DNS servers to match the URL with an actual IP address. (The use of hosts files was how hostname-to-IP address mapping/resolution was done before DNS was invented.)

The problem with this method is that:

A) By default, Windows will consult the local hosts file before consulting any DNS servers on your network or on the Internet.

B) There is no error checking at all concerning validity of the mappings in your hosts file. You (or someone else) can put any hostname-to-IP mapping entry you want into the hosts file; when your browser encounters that hostname, it will automatically ty to go to the associated IP address listed in hosts.

Just for grins, you can test this yourself.

1. Put the …

You're welcome :)

The desktop icon sizing sounds like it could be a separate (non-spyware issue); is it the entire sceen resolution which has changed, or just the size of the icons themselves?

Go to control panel and add and remove programs and uninstall P2P networking and WildTangents .for starters .

"For starters" being the key here- you have spyware infections (WildTangent probably only being one of many), and from the symptoms you've described it sounds like those infections might very well be at the root of your problems.

As I posted earlier:

- Have you checked you system for viruses, spyware, and the like yet? If not, do so; read through the threads in our Security forum as caperjack suggested for more info on that.

WoW those Computing.net threads are Hard on the Head !!!

I feel your pain brother.

I used to hang out there years ago when the site was much smaller, and it was pretty chaotic even then (and yes- the graphical presentaion was as "eye-pleasing" as it is now). With the membership and traffic they have now, being there feels sort of like standing in the intersection of eight herds of migrating Moose during rutting season....

are there places in Windows that I should check to see if these sites are on an excluded list?

1. In your Internet Options control panel, check the Restricted Sites section under the Security tab.

2. Open your "hosts" file in Windows Notepad. In XP the file resides in the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ folder; in Win 2000 it resides in c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\. Aside from some comment lines (lines beginning with the "#" sign) at the beginning of the file, it should usually contain only the following line:

127.0.0.1 localhost

If it contains other lines, especially those which refere to the URLs you can't reach, delete those lines and save the newly-modified file.

Somewhat along the lines of what caperjack is alluding to:

Open Task Manager and see if you can identify which running processes are eating up your system resources. If Task Manager shows certain programs or processes to be using what seems like an inordinately large amount of memory, tell us what those processes are.

Also- a bit more history on the problem would help:

- How long has this been happening?

- Did you make any changes to the system around the time you first started experiencing the problem (think carefully...)?

- Has the problem become more frequent/severe over time?

- Have you checked you system for viruses, spyware, and the like yet? If not, do so; read through the threads in our Security forum as caperjack suggested for more info on that.

Interesting tidbit Alistair- thanks for the linkage!

OK- keep us posted :)

1.Get rid of SurfMonkey. Why? Because it's a bogus program.

2. Can you tell us what exact problems you're still having (if any)? Aside from the SurfMonkey stuff, you're log looks clean.

Oh, OK-

if you just want to do a full reinstall of XP, you should be able to do that by booting from the XP install disk and starting the install process.

If it detects your current (although "broken") XP install, you should have at least 2 options: you can either choose to have the installer automatically try to repair your current installation on the hard drive, or have it do a fresh/clean install. The later will erase what data you currently have, but you've already said that's not really an issue..

Since this is a Mac-specific question, I'm moving it to the Mac forum.

Also- be aware that we don't know that your need for the password removal is legit, and due to possible legal ramifications for us, threads here involving password removal/retrieval/cracking are highly discouraged and are subject to closure at our discretion.

What are the exact problems your friend is experiencing?

1. Get rid of SpywareStormer and SpyBlocs; they're bogus: http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm.
Personally, I'd ditch ErrorGuard as well; my intuition tells me it's bogus too.

Many trusted, legit, and free anti-spyware/popup/etc. programs can be found here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html

2. Do the following to clean some of the nasties out of the system:

A) Run a full anti-virus scan, making sure that your anti-virus program is using the most current virus definition updates.

B) Download and run Ad Aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy (links are in my sig below).

Follow these directions for configuring Ad Aware (directions courtesy of our member "crunchie"):

1. Download and Install Ad-Aware SE, keeping the default options. However, some of the settings will need to be changed before your first scan

2.Close ALL windows except Ad-Aware SE

3. Click on the‘world’ icon at the top right of the Ad-Aware SE window and let AdAware SE update the reference list for the adware and malware.

4. Once the update is finished click on the ‘Gear’ icon (second from the left at the top of the window) to access the preferences/settings window

1) In the ‘General’ window make sure the following are selected in green:
*Automatically save log-file
*Automatically quarantine objects prior to removal
*Safe Mode (always request confirmation)

Under Definitions:
*Prompt to udate outdated definitions …

Does sfc.exe exist on your system, or is missing as well?

If it does exist, try double-clicking on its icon in Explorer to run it, or type the full path to sfc in the Run dialog:

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SFC.EXE

That file is a component of Norton Anti-virus, but it seems to be missing or corrupted.

You won't find it on your Windows CD, and unless you did a full/fresh reinstallation of Windows, you will still get the error. Uninstalling and reinstalling Norton should fix the problem.

In addition to the above:

1. If you installed any programs right around the time you started experiencing the problem, I'd look at those as your first suspects. As yobobyo said, see if disabling non-critical services and start-up progrmas (one at a time) helps narrow things down.

2. Open Task Manager and monitor the resource usage of your running processes. Can you spot one that "spikes" in CPU/memory usage at the times the delays happen?

3. Have you thoroughly scanned your system thoroughly for viruses and "spyware"? An unprotected computer can become infected in only hours (or even minutes) of Internet usage, and these malicious programs can definitely cause the sort of problem you describe.

1. Can you give us any history concerning the problem? That is, did you add/remove software or hardware, or make any other changes to the system around the time the problem started to happen?

2. Can you boot into Safe Mode or perhaps "last known good configuration?

one of my WinXP Professional PC not getting an IP Address Automatically from my ADSL Router as it has a built in DHCP Service.

Which exact service? Obvious question, but can't you simply disable the conflicting service?

Also when I open Internet exploror it closes as soon as its open.

That behaviour could be due to a few different things; things possibly not related to your other issues at all (viruses and spyware, for example, can do this to IE).

When I specify an IP address manually and set the Router's IP Address as a gateway it starts pinging the IP address of the website but we cannot ping the host name like www.yahoo.com

Sorry for another obvious question, but you did manually specify valid DNS server IPs when you manually set the machine and gateway IPs, yes?

What does ipconfig /all have to report about the machine's IP settings?

... iv tried all of them but then the pc just starts

It does start? That seems to be what you're trying to say; can you be more clear/specific?

it got a quater of the way of deleting my stuff then stoped

Uh-oh. Sounds like an aborted installation, which is not a Good Thing. Do you have data on the drive that you want to save? If so, you might want to get that data off the drive before going any further- if you end up having to reformat the drive you're going to loose that data. If possible, install the drive as a slave drive in another computer and see if you can at least access that way.

now it just says..INVALID SYSTEM DISC, REPLACE DISC THEN PRESS ANY KEY..but it hasnt got a disc in then when i press any key it just says the same..PLEASE HELP ME!

The "disc" the error is refering to is the hard drive- the system isn't recognising the hard drive as a bootable device any more (probably due to the aborted reinstallation attempt).

Question- Since you mentioned using a "Windows 98 reload" disk, why have you posted this question in the Win 2000/XP forum? If you had 2000 or XP on the system originally, and then tried some sort of repair/reinstall with the 98 disk, you've probably caused more problems than you originally had.

I am getting this error... Any help will be greatly appreciated

Um... any information you could give us is what will help; we're a bit lacking in specifics here. :mrgreen:

Seriously- give us the details of your server setup, the installed/attached hardware, etc. At first glance, the error seems related to timing issues with Compaq fibrechannel hardware, but knowing more about your situation would make it easier for us to say for sure.

The entries in the Add/Remove Programs control panel are stored in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

If you do not see any entries for your installed programs under that registry key, the registry has been corrupted. Depending on how long ago the problem occurred, you may be able to restore the registry from one of automatic backup copies that ME creates. Instructions for doing so are here:

http://www.pcanswers.co.uk/tips/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=17829&subsectionid=616&subsubsectionid=0

Glad we could help you get it sorted. :)

Also- thanks for letting us know what worked for you; I'm sure the info will be useful to other people in the future.

*Groan* - what you're asking about is called "bandwith shaping"; easily and cheaply done in a Linux environment, but not in a Windows network such as you describe (peer-to-peer).

Some solutions are discussed here; what works for you will depend on your exact needs (and budget):

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=+%22bandwidth+shaping%22+windows&btnG=Search

what i will try to do is remove the spyware on his system first and see what i can do from there..i did notice he has the wintools trojan. So i'll remove everything..have a feeling spyware might be part of the problem. Think it could be the Winsock?

Some malicious programs can definitely alter or break your TCP/IP connectivity. If you already know that the system has infections, you should get rid of those before going ahead with other troubleshooting measures.

Read through the threads in our Security forum for information on detecting and fixing the infections, and if you have any questions that relate specifically to spyware/viruses/etc., please post those questions in a new thread in the Security forum; that's where we deal with those sorts of issues.

My service provider is AOL.

Hmm... that is a pretty serious problem; I think you should reformat. :mrgreen:

Seriously though, here are some links which discuss some of the possible causes of (and solutions to) the 0x81000301 error:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22msn+messenger%22+error+0x81000301&btnG=Google+Search

Also- if the particular computer on which you are having problems has any firewall software (Nortons Internet Security, for example), completely disable the firewall and see if you can then connect. If so, you're obviously going to have to adjust the firewall settings to allow Messanger to communicate.

What is the exact model of Netgear router? Please post that information.

If the router is a combination wireless/wired router, connect a computer to one of the router's wired Ethernet ports and see if you can access the Internet that way. That will give us a better idea of exactly where the problem lies.

Also-

1. Do the status lights on both the DSL modem and the router indicate that they are communicating with each other?

2. Are the computers receiving correct IP information from the router? Netgear routers usually assigns IP addresses from the 192.168.0 range to the computers they are connected to,and usually assign themselves the IP address of 192.168.0.1. On each computer, do the following:

- Click on the "Run..." option under your Start button menu.

- In the resulting dialog box, type "cmd" (omit the quotes) in the "Open:" box and then hit enter. This will open a DOS window.

- At the DOS prompt, type the following command and tell us what it reports:

ipconfig /all

You should get something very similar to:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : TEST
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Although the log is not totally clean, it doesn't look like there's much in it to indicate that "spyware" is the cause here; you might want to post the question (without including a HJT log) in the XP/2000 forum.

This:

It's a Compaq Presario 5340... now exchanged it for 160 gb but can only use about 30 gb

Also indicates that there are problems related more to the age of the machine than anything else. What you've said about the ~ 32G drive-size issue is common for machines of that era as well; the BIOS/IDE controller on older motherboards just can't deal with drives as large as 160G.

I've read a lot of the different posts and have tried many of the suggestions

Can you please tell us exactly what you have tried/done already? You're pretty heavily infested (with a lot more than the about:blank problem), and many of the commonly-suggested removal programs/instructions that you should have run across in different posts should have eliminated some of infections you have (HijackThis alone will not do the trick in your case).

First of all, let's do some initial and general cleanup:

A) Run a full anti-virus scan, making sure that your anti-virus program is using the most current virus definition updates.

B) Download and run Ad Aware and SpyBot Search & Destroy .

Follow these directions for configuring Ad Aware (directions courtesy of our member "crunchie"):

1. Download and Install Ad-Aware SE , keeping the default options. However, some of the settings will need to be changed before your first scan

2.Close ALL windows except Ad-Aware SE

3. Click on the‘world’ icon at the top right of the Ad-Aware SE window and let AdAware SE update the reference list for the adware and malware.

4. Once the update is finished click on the ‘Gear’ icon (second from the left at the top of the window) to access the preferences/settings window

1) In the ‘General’ window make sure the following are selected in green:
*Automatically save log-file
*Automatically …

I do have an anti-virus program loaded
and running. It is Norton Anti-Virus and I have Real-time protection enabled.
I'm not sure why that didn't present in the hijack log.

Sorry, that was my mistake- I missed the "NavNT" entries in your log; those are the Norton components.

....they keep reverting to Read-only. This is keeping me from deleting the Content.IE5 directory contents.

It may sound odd, but the read-only attribute won't stop you from deleting the contents of the folders I mentioned. Make sure that you're trying the directions I gave while logged in under the Administrator account or an account with administrator permissions.

-> While still in safe mode,, you should also delete the AWS, WildTangent, and CLockSync folders under C:\Program Files.

I don't have time to go through your entire log right now. I'll try to get back to it later today if no one else helps out first.

You have a lot to fix there, but there is a notice at the top of this forum requesting that all HijackThis logs be posted in the Security forum. You can either repost it or wait for one of the moderators to move it for you.

Moving there now, buckle up...

Can i change back to windows xp easily...

As mikeandike22 mentioned- yes. Linux can be installed along side Windows, and afterwards will offer you the choice of booting into either OS when you start your computer.

I saw a demo of a commercial version of linux the other day, where it came with an instant messaging program...

You're probably thinking of Gaim, and yes- it's free.

Do programs such as fireworks, dreamweaver, microsoft office work in linux.

Versions of programs which are originally written for one operating system will not work on another OS without being ported (rewritten/converted). Given that, these are the basic possibilities:

1. The company who sells program "X" for Windows may also have a Linux version.

2. The Windows version of program "X" may run under Linux using "windows emulation" software such as Wine (no cost) or VMWare (costs $$).

3. There is a Linux program (most likely free) which is basically equivalent to the Windows program you now use, and the Linux program can work with the file formats that your Windows application uses.

4. Um... you're out of luck.

What is so good about linux that so many people would rather have it instead of windows?

That question starts Holy Wars; never ask it again! :mrgreen:

Is linux as secure against hackers ect that windows?

Another possible Holy War question, but the true answer isn't a simple one. Any operating system, especially a network operating system, is only …

...running the sr.inf:install solved the problem. Had to browse around, a bit, to find the various files it wanted, including some on the WinXP install disk. Thank you all, very much, for the quick response, and (especailly) for the resolution.

Glad we could help, and good job on getting yourself through the process! :)