Posts by TallCool1

OH MY GOD I HATE MY COMPUTER!!!! so i ran CWShredder and spyware and adaware and spyware blaster and hijack and my computer has been crazier than ever... things popping up all over the place... i tried to delete the microsoft java vm, i read thats where all this crap is coming from, and i dont know how to delete all the files.

how do i delete the backup files that all of these spyware programs create?

Dont' blame the Microsoft JVM. It's broken, crappy, and all that, but it's not the source of your problems--ActiveX is. Actually, that's what SpywareBlaster does--it blocks the ActiveX downloading of known adware/spyware, and it seems to work well. I'd keep it.

The anti-spyware log-files are usually in the same directory as the program itself.

Start by removing the following keys:

R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Dsi] C:\WINDOWS\System32\dp-k13w13.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AutoUpdater] "C:\Program Files\AutoUpdate\AutoUpdate.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [43AQKQ#33P9J6M] C:\WINDOWS\System32\Qdxc4jKR.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Pcsv] C:\WINDOWS\system32\pcs\pcsvc.exe

Go to safe mode and find and delete these folders:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Dpi

C:\Program Files\AutoUpdate

then delete these files:

C:\WINDOWS\System32\dp-k13w13.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\Qdxc4jKR.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\pcs\pcsvc.exe

then post another log when you're done.

You might also want to install the Sun Java Runtime Engine, as well.

Hi guyz,

Well to make a long story short, I've been having this dialog box poppin up evry 10 mns sayin cannot open file c://WINDOWS/dlm.html ....

I ran about 10 different virus scna and nothin is found ..I know there are some registry key and other touchy files i should whip out but i would like to ask xperts first.

It looks like your main problem is a dialer. Remove the following keys:

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - _{08C06D61-F1F3-4799-86F8-BE1A89362C85} - (no file)

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {CD4C3CF0-4B15-11D1-ABED-709549C10000} - C:\Program Files\Go!Zilla\GoIEHlp.dll (file missing)

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MessengerPlus2] "C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 2\MsgPlus.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Dial32] C:\WINDOWS\dl.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Dial33] C:\WINDOWS\dlm.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Upgrade Service] C:\WINDOWS\sxchost.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [meow htm] C:\PROGRA~1\GREYGL~1\chinplatform.exe

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MessengerPlus2] "C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 2\MsgPlus.exe" /WinStart

O8 - Extra context menu item: Download with Go!Zilla - file://C:\Program Files\Go!Zilla\download-with-gozilla.html

O16 - DPF: {D1B80EBF-1A26-4FEC-B0B9-DCB934C6507E} - http://dialup.carpediem.fr/CABS/1,0...AccesMembre.cab

O16 - DPF: {F5192746-22D6-41BD-9D2D-1E75D14FBD3C} (ddm_download.ddm_control) - http://download.rfwnad.com/cab/crack.CAB

After this part, reboot. Where a path and a filename are shown in these keys, track the files down and delete them--for example, C:\WINDOWS\dl.exe. The same is true for the rest, as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Removal of the following are optional, but recommended:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_03\bin\jusched.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft …

I currently have two Hard discs on the same IDE channel thingy. One's 120GB, which I use for my current OS. On the Slave, I have a 40GB harddisc, which i don't really use at all.

It seems logical to me to move the Swap over to the 40GB one, especially as my Computer seems to have gotten very slow recently (would buy new RAM, but i'm looking for a cheapass solution here ;) ). Are there any disadvantages to that?

Actually there are multiple advantages. Consider this: putting the swap on a separate physical hard drive means that the program/data file system and virtual-memory filesystem are kept apart, for the most part. Especially with 256 MB or less, this reduces "thrashing"--excess head movement caused by system contention for the same physical drive. Not only that, it keeps the program/data and virtual-memory queues separated, as well--all of which can lead to improved overall system performance.

I would like to separate the components in my computer. I want have all the components normally accessed from the front of the computer (DVD drives, Floppy Drives, SD/MMC, memory cards, Power Button) in a box above my desk for easy access. I would like to have all of the items that are accessed from the back of the computer to be below my desk.

What you are asking can be done, but will be relatively expensive. The case "above" the desk could be more like a rack, containing external drives that can be connected by long cables, such as SCSI, USB, and FireWire interfaces. Another possibility would be to stack the external drives with Velcro. This type of drive can often cost as much as twice as much as an internal drive--and it's sometimes tricky to boot from a USB floppy, though USB card-readers are pretty cheap. I don't have any experience as to how well a FireWire DVD drive handles video.

There is no beep & the monitor light just blinks. I tested my monitor in other system & it works well.

"No beep" almost 100% indicates a hardware problem with the computer. The mionitor is going to sleep because it's not gettting a signal. How old is the computer? Do the fans spin up? The hard drives? How about the front paned LEDs? The CD-ROM LED? There are many things that could cause this sort of problem.

I recently moved into a new house where the owner has a high-speed internet connection through Comcast. I installed a wireless-B adapter (made by Linksys) so I could tune in to his signal. After a few days, my computer reverted back to its old dial-up habits. It still takes a long time to connect to pages, and even when I try to get on Google or Yahoo, I sometimes get a page saying "Page not found".

My signal strength with the adapter is "excellant". I have installed a firewall and had a computer-literate friend of mine clean out all the garbage and unnecessary programs that are running and taking up space. I have 256 MB of memory which I am told is standard. (Someone suggested getting more would speed up my computer).

I hate the idea of paying for high-speed and having to deal with all the inconveniences of dial-up performance. Any suggestions as to what else I can check for?

Have you tried something like TweakTest?

It can tell you quite a bit about your setup, and the tools are available on the same site. MTU (maximum transfer unit) settings can make a big difference in broadband performance, and the default values are very often incorrect.

Card blew out from what creative thinks was a static charge. This was caused by plugging in a mixer to the card located in the back of the pc and not the bay in the front.

Card has been sent back into Creative 3 times. Each time they send me back a card that is "new" or "like new/refurbished" Every Time I try to reinstall the card since the original problem the computer freezes during the install at 97% when windows is updating the drivers.

You could try Knoppix as a test (see link in my sig). Since it's a CD-bootable Linux (and doesn't muck about with your Windows install), it should be a good hardware test. This should help separate hardware issues from software issues.

I've done default I've done delete files. I tried to do every thing I have found regaurding won't open links or windows that I could find searching through the fourm. I have DSL so my connection speed is better than adverage. Remember I had no problems untill blaze took over my home page and installed their tool bar and unistalled my google search bar and my yahoo search bar. had to reinstall these.

You may have a problem connecting because one of your bits of malware replaced part of your Winsock chain with its own stuff. When you removed it, it may have "broken the chain". Here is the link to LSPFix, which should help.

musemaker then responded with: It worked! And here's the process order:

* Run LSPfix.
* Delete all Dial-up adapters and network protcols.
* Delete all Winsock and Winsock2 registry keys.
* Under Add/Remove programs uncheck all of the listings under Communications.
* Reboot and then add back ALL the Communications items (although netmeeting and chat weren't necessary). It didn't work for me the first time as I have no need for a dial-up adapter, but it is the only way to get Windows to add back winsock2.
* Reinstall network protocol settings.

You may also still have some detritus left over from the removal process, as well. You might try to download and run HijackThis. Note: read the instructions on the …

On the bill gates biography it says "Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer" but did he use this language to make windows?

The two have no relationship to each other. Billy "programmed" BASIC for the Altair 8800 in 1976 (actually, according to the evidence, he dumpster-dived Digital BASIC), the first version of Windows wasn't started until about 6 years later--by which time Gates was no longer a "programmer".

As was pointed out earlier, Windows is a mixture of C and machine language.

Here is the new log.

You still have some problems. Remove the following:

N1 - Netscape 4: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.worldusa.com"); (C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\sproston\prefs.js)

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ngbcdlg] "C:\WINDOWS\System32\ngbcdlg.exe"

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WTSS] C:\WINDOWS\System32\wapitr.exe

O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.tiny.com/uk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Removing these is optional, but highly recommended:

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.EXE

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot

O16 - DPF: {56336BCB-3D8A-11D6-A00B-0050DA18DE71} (RdxIE Class) - http://software-dl.real.com/27d13de...ip/RdxIE601.cab

sry im not sure if this should go somewhere else, but i was wondering where you would edit your sound information. whenever my speakers play a sound the sound echos a lot and makes certain sounds very fuzzy. im not sure if their set to echo or what but where would i check this out. i have XP

There are many possibilities, depending upon the sound card you have and what level of software that you have installed. On-board sound (AC '97), for example, varies widely. A $15 sound card comes with minimal software. A SoundBlaster Live! Value Edition OEM will have a vastly different software bundle than a full-package Audigy 2. For this reason we need to know more details on your system overall, as well as which sound card and supporting software that you have on your system.

Is that temp folder cleaner 2 posts up that also cleans history and cookies and stuff safe? like its not gonna delete important files or things i have saved in my documents will it?

No, it's pretty configurable--it will only delete the classes of files that you select. It works well, or I would not have linked to it, or placed it on my links page. I have used it in the past, but not recently. I usually just clear stuff out manually from Linux once in a while.

is it ok if i just go into my temp internet folder and delete all the random pictures and stuff in the 4 or so folders under the IE content folder?

Yes, but that may sometimes be hard to do, as Microsoft has gone to great lengths to hide that stuff from you. See Microsoft's Really Hidden Files for more on this issue (warning: potentially offensive site-name and email address).

I suspect I have more "issues" to deal with on my 4-year-old Dell. I therefore downloaded and ran hijack this.

You have a couple of issues.

The first is a dialer. Remove this one manually with HjT, but make no other changes for now:

O16 - DPF: {841A9192-5690-11D4-A258-0040954A01BE} (DialXSCtl Object) - http://dialxs.nl/install/dialxs.ocx

Next, download Ad-aware, making sure that the data-file is up-to-date, but don't run it yet. Also download LSPFix, so you will have it if you need it (more on this later).

Another problem is New.net. While they claim that their software is not a hijacker (and have threatened legal action against some sites, read the PDFs), I just say, "If it waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck..."

The first step is to go to the Add/Remove Programs menu, and try to remove it from there. If that fails, or you can't find it, a manual removal might be necessary (this key):

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [New.net Startup] rundll32 C:\PROGRA~1\NEWDOT~1\NEWDOT~2.DLL,NewDotNetStartup

Hotbar is another. Ad-Aware should take care of that one.

You may have a problem connecting once everything is removed. if so, one of your bits of malware replaced part of your Winsock chain with its own stuff. When you removed it, it may have "broken the chain". Here is the link to LSPFix, which should help.

musemaker then responded with: It …

well I got rid of all the items you recomended and here is what is now on the log... look good??? thanks for all your help so far...

Also, I was trying to add a new theme overlay. and have had no luck getting it set up, am I doing something to make it too difficult??? maybe I should just give up the idea of making mozilla look better...

also is there a good reference manual/book that goes thru XP and is friendly to a novice... Im somewhat computer literate but have spent most of my home computer time on a MAC... I realy dont like the way MS hides everything and makes it so hard to determine what does what... so a resource that would let me "customize" XP without damaging the system...

Great job! :cheesy: It looks much cleaner. The lat suggestion I would make on your HjT log is that you download and install the latest version of the Adobe Reader--you have v5.0, current is v6.01. As with many other programs these days, older versions present a security risk. It's also a good idea to uninstall the old version before installing the new.

Mozilla themes are not hard. It's done from the drop-down View menu. The last item is Apply Theme and the selection is Get New Themes. The best source is mozdev.org and my favorites are Pinball, Wood, and SkyPilot. Be sure to get a theme appropriate to your Moz-version.

…

sorry, I'm pretty new to this. the motherboard is new, and the hard drive is from my old computer, and the cd rom is from my old computer, so I should basically erase the old hard drive? if you want, you can IM me on soullll36 on yahoo messenger

I have found, from previous experience, that the best bet in a situation like this is:

* Determine the manufacturer and model number of the hard drive.
* Go to that manufacturer's web site.
* Download the appropriate utility floppy disk image. This is a file that will create a bootable floppy with the proper utilities for your HD.
* Use the utilites to test and reformat the drive.

THe HD in question is now blank and ready for whatever you want to put on it. It might take a while to run what is often called a "recertification" test, but you may as well check it fully while you can--such a test usually destroys data. In this case, that's a good thing.

While you are on the manufacturer's web site, you might want to download the manual for your model in PDF format. This can tell you useful stuff like jumper settings and more.

I have a Western Digital 40 gig hard drive. I installed XP pro on it using the NTFS file system. Is there any way to go back FAT32? DOS will not see NTFS to my knowledge. thanks

Why, exactly, do you want DOS access if you have XP already? In my case, it's because I have a triple-boot system: Windows XP, Win98SE, and Linux. FAT 32 is trivially readable by all three.

It all depends on what you want to do with it, I suppose. provides a series of utilities that can access NTFS from DOS, including a boot floppy. Some utilities are free, some cost money. The site also has good information about the two file systems and their comparisons. In most respects, NTFS has it all over FAT32--no file-size limit, larger hard drives, and higher reliability.

You could set up a FAT32 drive partition of, say, 2 GB and use it to transfer files between OSes, if that's what you're after. Give us a better idea of your intent and we can help further.

ok, we built a computer, and keep getting ntldr missing message, I have no idea what to do, there is nothing installed on the computer, it's brand new. Could someone please help me out?

This indicates that the hard drive has a partial or corrupt installation of Windows NT, 2000, or XP. Do you consider the HD "blank?" Are you about to install a new operating system from scratch?

is there any free programs out there that wipe your temp internet folder under temp directory and your normal IE content folder?

Give this a try (iisoftware.net).

If what tallcool1 was saying works then i can I am happy to try that as the mother board provides Q Flash which allows me to upgrade the bios without going into the os.

Hi Tallcool1 - thanks for the info - I would like to trey what you suggested but the only jumper i was able to find was a password clear jumper. Do you think a bios update would have the same effect ( remove corrupt bios).
The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-8GEM667K - can anyone confirm whether it has a cmos reset jumper

Do not re-flash the BIOS until we have cleared any other problems! I am about to write a brief article on the safest ways to do this, but it is not yet necessary in this case. BIOS contents and CMOS contents, while related, are separate issues; consider the BIOS as house wiring and the CMOS contents as light switches and you will have it about right. You wouldn't start yanking house wires if you had just a bad switch, would you?

In this case, what Gigabyte calls the Clear Password jumper actually clears (resets) the CMOS. Modern motherboards can hold settings with the battery removed for up to 12 hours, which is why the jumper is provided. Try that first.

I was surfing the net and my connection cut out, my modem started beeping and then I could'nt reconnect. I realised a dialer had kicked in and unplugged my modem. It left like a folder in program files called "WebSiteViewer" which i had to delete from dos. Im pretty computer illiterate and my computer has lots of spyware on it. The main problem is I wanna get rid of it all, or as much as possible. All the registry keys i consider suss all recreate themselves everytime I delete them (such as the web home page).

First I would download and run Ad-aware. Make sure that you follow the directions for updating the data file before running the program. It will automatically remove the eZula and Gator crap on your system. Re-run HijackThis, then delete what remains of the following:

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://best-search.cc/search.php?v=6&aff=3067208
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Local Page = C:\WINDOWS\secure.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CMESys] "C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\CMEII\CMESYS.EXE"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Reg32] C:\WINDOWS\reg33.exe
This is what keeps reinstalling the weblinks.

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [eZmmod] C:\PROGRA~1\ezula\mmod.exe

O4 - Startup: GStartup.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\GMT\GMT.exe

These 4 aren't really nasty, just totally worthless resource hogs:

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] …

I have a IBM TP600E with Win98SE. I can't seem to get the internal modem (DSP) to install. I keep getting the following error message."Setup cannot load the the installer mwci.dll for the Mwave DSP hardware being installed."

It sounds like it's most likely a hardware problem, a defective modem. It can't load the installer bcause it can't find the hardware, it seems to me.

I want to write a program that will take a screenshot and save it as a jpeg thumbnail with custom compression settings.

You might learn more from SourceForge. Source in a variety of languages. Why reinvent the wheel?

Tallcool1 here is the list that Hijackthis gave me.

You need to run a newer version of HjT. Current is v1.97.7
It's much easier to read. Please re-run and re-post. There are others here that can help, as well.

Before you run HjT again, run at least Ad-aware 6.181 with the most-recent data file. It should clean up what you have.

When I click on the IE icon, nothing happens, and when I click on windows explorer or any other folder shortcuts on the desktop, all the icons and even the taskbar disappears for a couple of seconds, and then reappears.

I have a lot of work and valuable IE Bookmarks/Favourites, so I can't afford to lose the ability to browse for my files. I'm using netscape right now to type this.

Nothing is lost. Nescape/Mozilla can import favorites from Internet Explorer, and Microsoft provides favtool.exe, which works both ways.

But these are only temporary solutions. Your long-term problem is a hijacker, Trojan, or Virus that's wedged its way into your desktop. This can happen because Internet Explorer is an integrated part of Windows. I can almost guarantee that you have Active Desktop turned on, and a hijacker running.

You are going to have to download and run HijackThis. Note: read the instructions on the linked page very carefully (the main download link is broken -- use one of the mirrors). Do not actually remove anything from your startup or Registry until you have posted the log that it generates and are given explicit instructions on what to remove. You should also read my article on this subject (in my signature below) followed by this article--that I was planning to write, but Grinler beat me to it :cheesy:.

I have a little problem, I can't choose which OS I'll be using for my pc. Do you have any good experiences with any OS for personal use?

128 MB Ram
2 GB Root drive
20 GB logical drive

You need more RAM, at least 256 MB, better still 512 MB. You also need a bigger hard drive. 2 GB is too small for any modern OS. This is true no matter which OS you get.

Background - Friend has a p4 based system which had XP working fine, until he tried to reinstall windows. Problem - He got a BSOD - unmountable boot volume when trying to reinstall. Since blue screen - I am not even able to get windows xp cd to get to the menu screen.

Reset the BIOS--it's probably corrupted. Go into the BIOS setup screen and copy all settings to a sheet of paper. Go to the motherboard and move the CMOS Reset jumper (make sure that the unit is hard powered-off via a back-panel switch, power strip or unplugging). Wait about 10 minutes, then move the jumper back and turn on the unit. you should get an error along the lines of "CMOS error--use default values?" (message may vary).

Enter the desired values you noted, then reboot. You should be better. If not, there may be a hardware problem.

Is there any easier way to get the proper MS patches than download?

You can go to the Microsoft site and request a patch CD for your version of the OS. As far as I know, it's free.

You have at least one hijacker, IESearchBar. You may want to check per their "manual removal instructions" after killing things with HijackThis.

Remove the following items:

R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - _{CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497} - (no file)

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {71ED4FBA-4024-4bbe-91DC-9704C93F453E} - c:\progra~1\iesearchbar\iesearchbar.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {83DE62E0-5805-11D8-9B25-00E04C60FAF2} - C:\WINDOWS\2_0_1browserhelper2.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {9C691A33-7DDA-4C2F-BE4C-C176083F35CF} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\bridge.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {f760cb9e-c60f-4a89-890e-fae8b849493e} - C:\WINDOWS\madise.dll32\msdxm.ocx

O3 - Toolbar: IE Search Bar - {71ED4FBA-4024-4bbe-91DC-9704C93F453E} - c:\progra~1\iesearchbar\iesearchbar.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RunDLL] rundll32.exe "C:\WINDOWS\System32\bridge.dll",Load

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dhphwqkr] C:\WINDOWS\System32\wydcwtgy.exe

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE

O16 - DPF: {f760cb9e-c60f-4a89-890e-fae8b849493e} (IRDIXAObj Class) -

and you should be OK. Be aware that OSA.EXE and qttask.exe are not malicious, just worthless and wasteful.

Once you are done, reboot and delete the following:

* C:\WINDOWS\System32\wydcwtgy.exe
* C:\WINDOWS\System32\bridge.dll
* C:\Program Files\iesearchbar\iesearchbar.dll
* C:\WINDOWS\System32\wydcwtgy.exe
* C:\WINDOWS\madise.dll32\msdxm.ocx
* C:\WINDOWS\2_0_1browserhelper2.dll

i looked at your suggestion with the pcmcia card , the problem with that is if the laptop does not have a usb port more then likely it is a 16 bit base laptop and that card is 32 bit which will not work. So they will have to do a lot of research for a 16 bit card if there is such a thing.

You are incorrect. Any processor newer than a 386SX (or any OS Win95 or newer) is 32-bit, so that's not the issue. The PCMCIA standard is 32-bit, anyway.

KDS Monitor-Degaussing problem. The edges of the windows began "jiggling", acting strange and it's not the video card. The card's relatively new, and colors are fine. I'm almost sure it's the degaussing feature that's causing this problem. This morning the image on the screen turned to "swirls" and wouldn't adjust, so I've hooked up an old one and found this forum to ask for help.

The degaussing circuit has a bad solder connection, most likely. There are devices (known as thermistors) in the degauss circuit that work thermally--when the monitor is cold, just turned on, part of the inrush current (the power-on surge) is shunted through a coil around the outside edge of the picture tube (CRT). This provides a magnetic field that demagnetizes (degausses) the steel-alloy shadow mask that non-Trinitron CRTs use to keep the electron beam from landing where it shouldn't--if it's magnetized, the colors are distorted. As the devices warm up, one lowers its resistance (negative temperature coefficient--NTC), so less current goes to the coil. Another device, in series with the coil, increases its resistance (positive temperature coefficient--PTC). The net effect is that the magnetic field (flux) fades away with time and the shadow mask is left demagnetized. The NTC thermistor dissipates a fair amount of heat in some cases, so its solder connections can crystallize, especially if they are a bit "dry" (not enough solder) in the first place--or the part itself can fail. This sort of thing can happen with any …

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7
Scan saved at 8:17:24 PM, on 3/31/2004
Platform: Windows ME (Win9x 4.90.3000)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

You double-posted. I responded to the other thread, so check that out, too.

this is my hijackthis log. i need to know what to delete.

It looks like a manual fix will work OK here. Remove the following:

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer,SearchURL = http://aifind.inf/?id=54
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://best.omega-search.com/panel_search.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://best.omega-search.com/
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://best.omega-search.com/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://hdfxqd.t.muxa.cc/s.php?aid=35 (obfuscated)
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://hdfxqd.t.muxa.cc/h.php?aid=35 (obfuscated)
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://hdfxqd.t.muxa.cc/s.php?aid=35 (obfuscated)
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://hdfxqd.t.muxa.cc/s.php?aid=35 (obfuscated)
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://search.hpwis.com/
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch = http://search.ieplugin.com/search.htm
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = http://best.omega-search.com/panel_search.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL,(Default) = http://best.omega-search.com/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyOverride = localhost
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,HomeOldSP = http://hdfxqd.t.muxa.cc/h.php?aid=35 (obfuscated)
R3 - URLSearchHook: PerfectNavBHO Class - {0428FFC7-1931-45b7-95CB-3CBB919777E1} - C:\PROGRA~1\PERFEC~1\BHO\PERFEC~1.DLL (file missing)
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.171.167 auto.search.msn.com
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.171.167 sitefinder.verisign.com
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.171.167 sitefinder-idn.verisign.com
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.57.9 view.atdmt.com
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.57.9 click.atdmt.com
O1 - Hosts: 66.250.57.9 leader.linkexchange.com

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {0428FFC7-1931-45b7-95CB-3CBB919777E1} …

I have a problem with an older computer (98-99) I turn it on, and it starts to turn on, and then as soon as it starts to load a little bit it turns off, The moniter stays on though. I have Tried putting in the recovery disk but the computer turns off before I get to start formatting, does anyone know what it could be? I have tried plugging it in different outlets and nothing changes.. Is it the power supply?

It could be, but we need more information. How far does it get? What's the last message that you see before shutdown? Is it consistent?

You should also check around the back of the unit and see if the power supply fan is spinning normally (it's usually visible). If not (a common problem due to binding bearings or being clogged with dust), the PS is probably baked to death (long-term overheating) and will have to be replaced.

me have a similar problem, if im downloading stuff and leave computer 4 a while it crashs & me @ start again time, its really mashin me swede, so if u have any interesting & simple replies 2 ur problem do let me no. me running xp home.

I'm not in front of an XP machine right now, so this is from memory. What you need to do is shown here (you may want to keep the monitor on longer, but otherwise you should get the idea).

What may be a little trickier for you (but just as important) is checking the BIOS setup for power-management stuff there, too--since there may be a conflict between the BIOS stuff and Windows, especially (but not exclusively) on older machines. This looks useful.

well could you download the sandra sisoftware. i would definetly recommend greasing the cpu. and thsi is really gonna be controversial but to my understanding and ive read up on it a bit! intel p4's are more ressilient to overheating tham AMD's they also have a cutout so to cut out before damage. i cant remember where a i read this but i do believe it(sorry AMD users) but thats good for you. and how did you get on with the other video card

For your information, current AMD processors have had a thermal diode (temperature monitor) for nearly two years, and are now no more susceptible to overheating than the Intel P4 series--so it's time we laid that canard to rest :cheesy: .

I have a funny one here. Friend bought a printer/scanner/fax and installed on an older computor (6yrs old) through the USB port. All installed OK BUT.. when turning the computor on and the USB/Printer connected it won't post - if you take the cable out it works!! Any ideas - the ones I have are that the USB software may be version 1.0 and not 2.0 that the printer needs or that the printer is shorting in someway..

The USB 2.0 standard itself is backwards-compatible. What the more likely problem is that the motherboard chipset drivers need to be updated, since USB functionality is contained there. I have seen timing issues crop up when using newer USB devices under older drivers, so let's start with that.

Find out which brand and model of chipset that he has (or brand and model of motherboard or computer) and we can work back from there.

Hi, I am new here and I have read some of the posts, but I never seen anything on what msiesh is. I have the same problem, when i start my internet, a different start page pops up then my home page. It is some kind of search page. Oh and i just started getting pop-ups.

You have been hijacked. The exact hijacker: Adware.Iefeats. This is one that should be handled by either Ad-aware or Spybot - Search & Destroy. Run either of those first (Ad-aware is easier, but less powerful--make sure that the data files are up-to-date before running any program of this type), then download and run HijackThis. Note: read the instructions on the linked page very carefully (the main download link is broken--use http://www.lurkhere.com/~nicefiles/index.html). Do not actually remove anything from your startup or Registry until you have posted the log that it generates and are given explicit instructions on what to remove. You might also want to read my article on the subject, as well.

I tried searching for this topic but couldn't find anything posted about this. When I make new favorites, sometimes the site has a custom icon and is then shown in the favorites. But, they seem to disappear on me, and now I'm back to all of them being the default IE favorite icon. The last thing I did when some icons disappeared was run a virus scan, after that, all remaining custom icons were gone. Anyone have any recommendations?

Favorite icons will disappear after a while, they are not permanent (part of the History). Here's FavOrg, and an article on it: Clean Up Your Favorites.

I've tried to burn an audio cd with nero and with cd creator 5, but neither one works. When I click burn or record I get this message saying......
Nero says, "Sorry, your compilation cannot be written on this kind of disc. Please insert a disc of the correct type or modify the settings of your compilation settings to make it compatible with the current disc".

Within a drive, the actual physical mechanism differs from Rs to RWs. You might try a CD-Cleaner disc (with little brushes on it). You may even find one at a dollar store! I see them there all the time.

Failing that, you may have to replace the drive. There's not much you, as an end-user, can do beyond that, unfortunately...

After a while, it has booted up. I log on and then the computer freezes. I can't do anything. CTRL ALT DEL takes forever to come up and when it does it just freezes as well.

I assume Windows 98?

Does it freeze in Safe Mode? What were the recent changes to the system (hardware and software)? Have you tested the memory lately? How much RAM do you have? You could also try TinyResMeter and see what it reports.

I've gotten back into this and have found out that SpyBot does find every time LOOK2ME and from what I've researched on the net, this is a deviant spyware program that attaches itself to Windows. So though I've tried to delete it from the registry, it comes back every single time... have you run into this spyware program and what are your suggestions for removing it?

Here's some specific information for you: Look2me Removal Instructions and Help.

Spybot Search & Destroy has an "Immunize" function that blocks a lot of the bad stuff. You can also download SpywareBlaster, which can help, too. You should read my article, the link is in my sig below.

The use of Mozilla for the majority of your browsing will also reduce problems, since ActiveX and browser helper objects are unique to Internet Explorer. You will still have to use IE for a few sites, but the number is (thankfully) decreasing.

I think my system also need the patch, but with dial up it takes forever and usually something screws it up(like last time I fell asleep) is there an easy way to get the patch without spending 2-3 hours waiting for it to maybe download.

Spybot Search & Destroy has an "Immunize" function that blocks a lot of the bad stuff. You can also download SpywareBlaster, which can help too. Did you read my article?

The use of Mozilla for the majority of your browsing will also reduce problems, since ActiveX and browser helper objects are unique to Internet Explorer.

Which version of Windows are you running? There are other patches for Windows XP from Gibson Research.

I'm sure he just said he doesn't know!! Perhaps he yelled at it!

Nah. He came here, got good pointers (get it?) :lol: and used one to fix the problem.

I try to make sure everyone here gets good pointers...

How do you fix a broken mouse? Put the broken one touching a good one... Voila! Mouse-to-mouse resuscitation! :p

Hey Tall Cool - What if I were to delete win 98 as you say...Could I then load XP on my system instead or would there be something else I'd have to do?
thx!!!!

What I was suggesting was not deletion, but an in-place reinstall--nothing is deleted or lost, except for a couple of settings, as mentioned in my article.

Installing XP over 98 is a whole different issue. In that case, I recommend a full install from scratch. The issues that make a simple conversion From 98 to XP very difficult include (but are not limited to) FAT32 vs NTFS file systems and Registry format conversion.

I get this error message when I try accessing my floppy drive from windows xp

"A:\is not accessible. The floppy disk controller reported an error that is not recognized by the floppy disk driver"

and when I try to boot from a floppy i get
"please insert system disk" or something like that

any ideas? I have changed the floppy drive about 3 times, I put 2 different cables in. It's driving me crazy I have to reload my computer and I need the floppy. is my disk controller shot ? i have an asus p2b-f mobo

The floppy drive controller is integral to the motherboard. If it's a hardware problem, it's probably gonna be a replacement motherboard needed, unless you can find an ISA-slot floppy controller (FDC) used somewhere.

On the other hand, there is another possibility, and I have seen this--a corrupted CMOS. Check your settings for the floppy controller in your setup screen. If they appear OK, try a Reset to default. If that doesn't do the trick, remove the CMOS battery (disc-shaped, near the CPU) from its socket for about 12 hours. There is no CMOS-reset jumper on the board, so far as I can tell. If that fails to do the trick, you may have to go the FDC-card route. Good luck.

my ie 6 homepage was recently hijacked, and i got all sorts of popups.. i checked out this board and got cwshredder as well as adaware... ran them both and the homepage stopped getting hijacked, however, for some reason the majority of the time i cannot close explorer with the red x or going file-close... i have to do it manually ctrl-alt-delete style, which is quite annoying...

You still have problems. New.net still has vestiges left over. The Downloader Trojan still has hooks in your system and there are other problems.

Let's go over them:

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {4A2AACF3-ADF6-11D5-98A9-00E018981B9E} - C:\Program Files\NewDotNet\newdotnet6_10.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [New.net Startup] rundll32 C:\PROGRA~1\NEWDOT~1\NEWDOT~1.DLL,NewDotNetStartup

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {90E34F98-E3E6-4CD7-A592-E964FED8AF78} - c:\windows\system32\iexplorr26.dll

O2 - BHO: ShowSearch module - {E2DDF680-9905-4dee-8C64-0A5DE7FE133C} - C:\Documents and Settings\Logan\Application Data\winrc\mssearch.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Image] rundll32 C:\WINDOWS\image.dll,Install

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Image] rundll32 C:\WINDOWS\image.dll,Install

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Belt] C:\WINDOWS\Belt.exe

Once you remove these, reboot and remove the files that they point to, then remove the directory C:\Program Files\NewDotNet

O4 - Startup: Gangsters2Setup.lnk = ?

O10 - Hijacked Internet access by New.Net
O10 - Hijacked Internet access by New.Net
O10 - Hijacked Internet access by New.Net
O10 - Hijacked Internet access by New.Net
O10 - Hijacked Internet access by New.Net

That's the worst of it.

These are optional, but removing them is a good idea.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: …

also, it said my ISP couldn't be renewed, most likely due to the Spyware scan and deletion.

One of your likely bits of malware replaced part of your Winsock chain with its own stuff. When you removed it, you "broke the chain". Here is the link to LSPFix, which should help.

musemaker then responded with: It worked! And here's the process order:

* Run LSPfix.
* Delete all Dial-up adapters and network protcols.
* Delete all Winsock and Winsock2 registry keys.
* Under Add/Remove programs uncheck all of the listings under Communications.
* Reboot and then add back ALL the Communications items (although netmeeting and chat weren't necessary). It didn't work for me the first time as I have no need for a dial-up adapter, but it is the only way to get Windows to add back winsock2.
* Reinstall network protocol settings.

I have noticed the gamma or brightness of my monitor extremely low for some reason for a considerable period of time . I have played video cd's in windows media player and although I can see , it's dark . When I see a picture , it's dark . But when I take that picture in paint shop and manually increase the gamma , the picture is allright . I tried to increase the brightness of my monitor by using the buttons (Samsung 14 inch syncmaster 450b) with no luck . From where can I change that setting ?

Newer video cards have this function as part of the drivers. You can access this function by going to the Display menu. This can be done by either accessing the desktop right-click menu Properties->Settings->Advanced or by means of the Control Panel Display icon in the same fashion.

How do I tell what kind of Motherboard I have?
Where is it listed?

If you are running Windows, AIDA32 will identify the motherboard brand & model, BIOS version, processor speed, and more. Unfortunately, development has recently ceased on this product.

There are alternatives, though. One recommended by the AIDA32 team is EVEREST Home Edition. Another well-known one is SiSoft Sandra. Either of these will provide a great deal of system information.

My Pc keeps restarting when connecting to the internet.It has a SoftK56 Data Fax Voice CARP Modem, P4 2.4ghz proccessor, MSI motherboard.

You almost certainly need newer drivers. Which version of Windows are you using? Go to the Zoltrix site and download the apprpriate drivers based on the model number and version of Windows. I'm assuming Zoltix based on the information you have provided so far; if this is not the case, let us know.