Posts by TallCool1

I'm considering building a dedicated video caputure box for recording signals from cable and satilitte feeds. Among the hardware I'm considering is a 2.5 Ghz Celeron processor, ATI All In Wonder 9600 card with 128 MB Video memory onboard, and 512 MB of pc3200 DDR and a 400 Mhz FSB motherboard by aopen.

Are you specifically tied to an Intel platform? AMD offers considerably more bang-for-the-buck than either the badly-crippled (cache-starved) Celeron or the P4. You can use the money you save to purchase better audio/video capture hardware or fancier software.

I know this is a stupid ?, but please give me the run down on the different types of burners and how they work. Exe.
If you get a dvd burner, do you have to have a seperate dvd drive. One to read while the other burns? Same ? for the cdrw. Please help.By the way my whole goal is to be able to burn cd's,dvds,play cds and dvds. What combo am I looking for?

A DVD-burner is backwards-compatible with the earlier formats, but watch out as there is more than one DVD-writable standard. What you want is a drive that is both DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW compatible -- the price differential is minimal, and the flexibility is a good thing.

The brand I recommend most is Lite-On, as it has the best price-performance ratio out there. Clearly, Sony agrees -- their next-generation DVD-burning drives will be sourced by Lite-On.

I fully agree with Sardukar on the utility of a 2-drive setup, both for reduction-of-wear and overall flexibility. Again, the extra incremental cost is minimal for the benefit received.

nm... thank you... i found out why... its some sort of configuration in my norton internet security setup

Thanks for reporting back. Your IE is up-to-date, by the way...

Thanks I think I found just the thing.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2788373864&category=3761

Yes, something like that would work well, since it uses a standard-and-well-supported video chip.

My friend has a camcorder with rca output jacks including s-video, I was wondering if there is some software that allows you to plug the camera into the computer and record on the computer what comes out of the camera.

There are a variety of hardware/software combos that will do this, ranging from the barely-adequate to the ridiculously over-engineered. Some of your decision as to which road to take will be based on the computer hardware and software involved. If it's a newer computer with Windows XP and USB 2.0, a USB solution is suitable. If it's older, or running Windows 98, your options are more limited. USB 1.1 works, but quality and flexibility suffer.

As Roberdin pointed out, most TV-tuner cards (and some mid-line and high-end graphics cards, as well) have video-capture capabilities. Some even have separated video (a/k/a S-Video) inputs -- and come with video capture software. Win XP comes with a simple video editor, and you can also check out the video section on SourceForge for free software that might be useful to you.

I just got a email from Mail Delivery Subsystem it came with a attachment,
I did not open the attachment, I sent no emails to those addresses
this is what it said...

<snip>
----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<chstexas@aol.com>
<chstf1@aol.com>
<chstfa@aol.com>
<chstfan@aol.com>
<chstfem@aol.com>
</snip>

Actually, I'm a little worried by this pattern -- the occasional spam-bounce is to be expected, but this goes beyond that. If you are on broadband, it is possible that your machine is being used as a zombie to send out spam. About 50% of the spam I now get on my spamtrap email address is from hijacked proxies. Between SoBig and MyDoom/Novarg, this is a big problem. If you are on broadband, I would recommend that you download-and-run HijackThis from Caperjack's signature or my Malware, virus, and startup information and tools page.

i signed on hotmail & i got the message below, however i know that i'm already using IE6.0.... so what is the problem? thanks...

Web Browser Software Limitations... Your Current Software Will Limit Your Ability to Use Hotmail .

Are your patches up-to-date (SP1, etc.)? That's the only thing I can think off the top of my head. The next time you run IE, go to the Help menu, then the About Internet Explorer item. Note which version number it shows and report back with your findings.

Hi, I would like to know if a branded pc such as HP pavilion 6405 can be upgraded hard diskwise

Possibly, but not directly. It is of a vintage (and a cheapness) that probably will not support hard disks larger than 8.4 GB unless you can find a third-party BIOS upgrade or add-in a PCI IDE controller card with its own BIOS to boot from (about $30).

\The Maxtor slave is recognised by DOS on my system but it's not visible when Windows has loaded up. I tried accessing Administrative Tools in the control panel and accessed Disk Management but the Maxtor simply isn't there!

You might also try this: Data Recovery Software Tools. It's a useful site for information, as well.

...i need to get some glasses sorted as the screen hurts my eyes after a while...

You do realize that in Mozilla [Ctrl]+[+] and [Ctrl]+[-] respectively increase and decrease the font size, right? It's one reason that the seniors I teach like it. It works the same under Linux and Windows. Unlike IE, it's not limited to a range -- and Konqueror has no equivalent keyboard shortcuts.

Sardukar is at least partly right...

G, thanks?

I did not mean to insult or denigrate. I've been an electronic technician for over forty years and wanted to be as clear as possible -- and remember, I said at least partly right. I have done component-level repairs on power supplies and motherboards for over 20 years, so I have the background to speak to this.

I apologize if I offended.

K7s6a by Mainboard

While the ECS K7s6a is not known for having this problem, it's easy to check visually. See the picture below; the nine components circled in white are the CPU capacitors (caps) -- six to the left of the CPU socket in the photo, three below and to the left of the first group. This is one case where a bad part is visibly defective -- a bad cap will either have a bulged or split top or be partially lifted off the printed circuit board. There may be a black or brown goo leaking out the bottom(s) of the cap(s) as well.

Sardukar is at least partly right -- the problem could also be the power supply. Check to make sure that the exhaust fan is spinning properly and not clogged with dust. If the fan is spinning slowly (or not at all) the power supply will run hot, eventually bake. The caps will dry out, and the voltage will vary, causing lockups.

Memory tester:MemTest86.

Can anyone give me an idea of what is a good video card to buy that won't lock up my computer? I currently have an nvidia gforce mx420 and I'm begining to feel it is the culprit that is locking up my pc. I'm running winxp pro on an amd 1.4 with 512k pc133 sdram. I'm looking for something that's not to pricey.

It is probably not your video card. What brand and model is your motherboard? You likely have bad CPU capacitors (almost 100% probability, from your description).

what the hell do i do with this to make my DSL secure? if i need to do anything!!

Until you install Knoppix to a hard drive, it's in RAM, so it goes away when you power-down. That's pretty secure. I used it that way myself for quite a while before installing it.

Once you install it to HD, GuardDog is about the easiest firewall to set up. It works well for me.

My PC will not power on at all. When I turn on the switch at the power strip/surge protector, the fan on the power supply comes on this is not normal. The red LED light for the hard drive indicator is on as well as the green power light.

Try unplugging the HD's power connector first. If the problem does not clear up, your motherboard is probably at fault. Be aware that all power management is done in software on modern (read ATX) boards. It could either be the CPU or the chipset, but it is likely one or the other.

cheers weather channel
i just purchased a 40gig hd off ebay. so im gonna install on that. Forgive me but is libranet essentially knoppix i had a look at your link and saw a knoppix screenshot on there or is it an installer??
I have been looking at the info in your signature but they have gone although i have some of them bookmarked.

Knoppix is still a good choice, but you may want to wait a few weeks. Version 3.4 is due with the opening of the CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany mid-March. The new version will have a kernel 2.6 option and KDE 3.2 is likely, as well.

If you use Knoppix, Klaus just put out a maintenance release that clears up a couple of problems, especially with HDD installs. There's also a Debian-Knoppix mailing list for the really tough problems.

Nothing against Libranet, but I have personally had excellent results with my Knoppix HD installs -- and it's hard to beat the support you can find on and the mail list.

I have a dual-HD setup myself. I use GAGboot to make dual-booting easy, even with my wierd setup.

Thanks for your help, I am running windows 2000 pro. do you have a rough Idea on how much a card like that would go for?

Here is but one good-fit example (it looks like HighPoint is a better choice for you than Promise); I'm sure there are others -- you could check Price Watch. Note that this example is bootable (it has a BIOS of its own), but won't work with ATAPI devices like CD-ROMs. That's OK, you still have the other IDE channels for that purpose...

Specs:

MotherBoard: Asus P2B-F

My question is will my motherboard see a 120 or 160 gig hard drive? I think I have the latest BIOS update. My dad thinks the 60 gig hard drive is the max. Is this true or can I a 80, 120, 160 or higher into my computer?

The short answer? No.

The long answer: probably, if you use a PCI ATAPI controller like those available from Promise or HighPoint. See the manufacturers' literature for details. The other advantage is that the Intel BX chipset is limited to a 66 MHz IDE bus speed, whereas the add-in cards go up to 133 MHz.

You also make no mention of which OS you are running. If it's Windows 98, you will need to run a disk utility in order for Windows to be able to fdisk the drive. There's supposed to be a "super fdisk" out there that can do this without EZ-BIOS, but I haven't found it yet.

I have an old Soyo sy-5ema mobo with k6-III 400. It posts fine, but won't recognize the hdd (maxtor 40g - model 4d040h2). I try to use autodetect in bios and the info (cylinders, heads etc) is not correct. It will not let me enter this myself manually. When try to boot up everything looks fine and then error message "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter"..

This is a known problem with pre-2000-vintage BIOSes. They cannot recognize hard drives larger than 32 GB -- but all is not lost. 40 GB drives, Maxtor included, can be strapped via jumpers to 32 GB, thus usable in these systems. See this link on capacity limitation for more information.

I've had this problem for like the 5th time, the last 2 times being the worse. While downloading thru P2P or using Forte Agent, sometimes or should i say randomly, i will get the NT/Authorization something shutting down...u have 30 secs. After that incidence, certain programs just close down as soon as i double click on them.

Ex: regedit, after the screen pops up, it disappears...leaving me no chance to even do a find.

Another one, i try opening Norton Antivirus 2003 PE and the screen pops up telling me NA03 is not enabled...but as soon as i try to enable it, the screen closes. I uninstalled and installed, but it was a no go....i cant even get pass the SKIP reg and it shuts off.

You have a combination of a hijacker and multiple viruses. Your system is pretty well hosed, and fixing it will, no doubt, be difficult. I won't lie to you. These programs often cover their tracks by partially disabling stuff.

It sounds like the MS Blaster worm or one of its clones in action, to start with. They use the uselessly open service RPC on XP to install themselves and do their dirty deeds. You will have to take several steps to fix the problem.

Your first mistake was using P2P on an unsecured computer. Your patches are probably not up to date. To get around part of that, do the following, for starters:

1. Go to my malware page …

Thanks, that definitely helped. Speaking of the nVidia cards, I think I kind of like them too. I really liked my GeForce2 that I have. It was a PNY; are there any manufacturers, to look for or even avoid?

PNY is decent. Another safe bet is a card made by a major motherboard manufacturer like Abit, ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, Albatron, etc.

For more-detailed specs, comparisons, and ideas there are a number of news and review sites that you may find useful. The leading nVidia fan site is nVNews. The leading ATI fan site is Rage3D. Then there are the trustworthy non-aligned sites like The Guru of 3D (a good source for drivers) and PCStats. Other sites include Tom's Hardware and AnandTech... and then there's the always-amusing [H]ardOCP.

If you need more info, feel free to ask.

The RED color has not been working for a while. However I have had a phuny behaviour when the whole screen would start having red "waves" come accross. Sometimes the waves would disappear when I would tilt the LCD more, sometimes they would appear around the edge of a window that is bigger than 80% of the screen. I generally fix the RED waves coming up by tilting the screen but I have never got the RED back on the LCD as it is supposed to work. Could this be the LCD dying, not connected tigthly or simply a RAM problem. I believe the Video card is some crappy intergrated shared memory thing with no support for DirectX or OpenGL

As far as DirectX or Open GL go, those are software-based. Unless your laptop is well over 6 years old, it will support both at some level.

I'm going to quote myself here, from a couple of earlier posts:
To me, monitor repairman that I am, it sounds like bad contacts between the driver electronics and the display itself. One relatively easy test for this problem is as follows:

With the unit on, gently grasp the left and right edges of the display. Gently twist the display (no more than a few ounces of pressure) as though you are wringing out a towel. See if the display flashes, changes, etc. This may even fix the problem.

Try changing the display angle, a bit more open or …

hi all back again with yet another prob. my intel 82845 processor to I/O controller -1a30 is unable to start i dont seem to have any problems but on a recent check to see if all was ok i went through my hardware list and came across this. ive tried an uninstall and when i rebooted it re-installed and i thought all was ok but when i checked at a later date im faced with the same problem.

Have you updated your Intel chipset drivers? They are updated on a regular basis -- reinstalling usually won't fix that kind of problem. It may be a glitch in one of the files. It's certainly worth a try.

Hi, I have no experience in reparing computers but my friend said you guys might know. My keyboard in my laptop just randomly freezes?? any suggestions to fixing it

I recommend that you try an external keyboard first to see if the problem persists -- an internal and external keyboard use different controllers. If that clears the problem up, there are a couple of possibilities. The most likely cause is a loose or oxidized flex-cable.

Hello everyone,

I have a viewsonic 17" VG175 LCD that is giving me a major headache!!

When I start up my computer basically it flickers massively horizontally with hundreds of lines and kinda snows for about an hour before finally it synchs or something and then looks great.

It sounds like a hardware problem, like a thermally-intermittent driver integrated circuit that clears up when it gets warm. It may well be within economical repair.

Can any one help me with this problem when i restart windows xp os switch off the computer goes thro the process but when it gets to the "windows is shutting down" it just stays on that screen and i have to turn the computer off by the switch and then back on which probably isn't doing it much good... it doesn't do it on every restart just now and again.

This is usually linked to driver problems, especially when it's intermittent. Make sure all your drivers are up-to-date, especially if you can link the start of this problem to any changes to your system.

i've already got adaware and spy-bot but it's failed to get rid of it. Also my norton anti-virus doesn't always get rid of all the adware threats.

Is the hijacker easy to use?

Actually, it's an anti-hijacker. The page that Caperjack refers to is both a download link and a quick-start for beginners on HijackThis. I'm also writing a beginner oriented article on this subject, as well.

You do realize that you have to attempt to update the data files for both Spybot - S & D and Ad-aware before each run? If not, you may still be vunerable.

ok i got a registry cleaner and i need to know what to do. i have 242 "problems" detected of reg keys leading nowhere and i dont know if i want to delte them or what... also how do i make a backup of the registry? and can anyone give me some tips on what NOT to delete because i really dont wanna screw up my pooter

Which version of Windows are you running? Manual backup, for example, will vary with that info.

how can I run windows xp and win98 on the same computer with 2 seprate hardrives? i'm new at this stuff and need it explained in simple terms.

Do you have a version of Windows already installed? If so, which one? There are a variety of "easy" solutions that we can apply here. For example, there's no reason to reinstall Win98 if you already have one in running trim...

Normally right clicking on a website image will give the opportunity to save it with the filename it already has - e.g. image1.jpg. Until a couple of days ago, my browser (IE6) carried out this task perfectly well. Now it only gives the option of saving the image as a BMP file with a filename of 'Untitled', and this applies to any image, photo or graphic I right-click on and try to save.

Per an earlier post by caperjack: When BMP is the only choice for saving pictures from the Web also holds the answer.

I have a fairly new laptop - Intel Centrino (855 chipset) 1.4Ghz with all the toys bells and whistles. I know the silly thing works, and works well because I've had a full install of Linux running on it for over 2 months. It's time to rebuild it though, because I need to have it dual boot Windows/Linux (business reasons).

I pop in the Win2k master disk and boot. The Win2K text screen comes up, it goes through it's loading every driver under the sun routine, finishes that, and then says "Loading Windows 2000". The blue text screen is replaced by a black screen, and the CDROM spins down. That's it. That's as far as it gets.

Faranth is right; here's more detail. Windows 2000 pre-dates your video chipset, so it was probably detected incorrectly. Go to Safe Mode and install the Windows default SVGA drivers via the Device Manager then, either off your PC's driver disk or off the Internet, download and install the correct Win2k drivers.

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom.

Does it detect the NEC drive at all? What does the Device Manager say? If the drive is new, please make sure that your Master/Slave Jumpers* are set correctly. If both are set to master, it will ignore the second drive in the chain.

*This answer not approved by Los Angeles County :lol:

I find my GeForce2 32 MB PCI graphics card doesn't run my new game, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King the way I want. So, I'm thinking about getting a new card.

Does anyone have any advice on what to look for when shopping for a new one? There are so many choices!

I have an AGP 4x slot right now, but I am planning on getting a new MOBO and processor sometime in the next couple of months, it will have AGP 8x.

I'm thinking approx 100 dollars for the card, does that sound fair to get a good one that I can rely on to run games well for at least a year to come?

Bump that up to about $150 and you will future-proof your video for quite a bit longer. Think about it; an additional ~$50 investment will roughly double your overall video performance. There are several nVidia and ATI cards in that range that are a vast increment above the sub-$100 cards. The ATI 9200 series and nVidia FX5200 series just don't have the oomph for high-demand gaming. I have a slight preference for nVidia due to better Linux support and a more-robust driver model. Boards in the $150 price range include those based on the nVidia FX5600 and (newer) FX5700 series and the ATI 9600 series. 256 MB RAM is a good idea.

Most new cards are 4x/8x AGP compatible, but it doesn't hurt to check.

In your new …

Thanks for letting us know what fixed your problem!

Make sure that you uninstall any other versions of java that are installed first.

It can be directly inferred from the original post that there are no "other versions of java" to uninstall, as Windows comes with the MS JVM, which can be disabled, but not uninstalled. It doesn't hurt to check, but don't be surprised if you find nothing.

I M unable 2 OPEN MESSAGES from my MSN Hotmail.
INBOX opens with all messages displayed but cannot open a single message from INBOX.
When I HIT the cursor on any message the bottom line appears as follows :
javascript:G('/cgi-bin/getmsg?msgMSG1072618043.2&start=667466&len=10814&msgread=1&imgsafe=y
Shall appreciate solution ASAP!!!!!!!!!!

Sound like Java is broken. Go to the Sun Java Download page. Go to Download J2SE v 1.4.2_03 and click on the download link under JRE. After saying "accept" to the license agreement, Click on the "continue" button. I recommend the Windows Offline Installation version. I think installing the Sun Java JRE will fix things.

Hey, i was wondering if someone could tell me if there is a way for me to see all of the internet sites that have ever been visited using my computer. Thanks. I have windows xp.

Actually, you usually can -- unless you have manually removed the files. It's not easy, but here's the most useful information that I have yet found on this subject: Microsoft's Really Hidden Files (warning: potentially offensive email and site addresses).

...when i put a CD that someone has burned for me, it reads it as a blank CD.

Does it do this with all CD-Rs, or just this one? It may be a compatibility problem. Another possibility is dirty optics -- you could try a CD cleaner disc.

I also need to know why fedora doesn't pick up my network card, meaning that I can't use the internet.

I would try Knoppix as a simple cross-check. See my sig. If it does not work, at least you know it's not the fault of Fedora.

I am running WIN98 SE and IE 6.0.2800. I can't get Flash to install.

What are your security settings? I believe Macromedia uses ActiveX to install the Flash player, and settings can interfere with it.

Here's something else that might help: Macromedia Online Forums.

I recieved a rediculous pop-up that threatened to mess up my explorer. After I ignored it, my IE does not open new windows right. If explorer opens a new window, the window is just a tiny box on the corner of my desktop. I can maximize it, but its gettin pretty annoying.

Here's instructions on how to fix this: IE How To Maximize. This has worked for me every time, on every version of Windows. It even works for Mozilla.

You should also download and run the following utilities from Gibson Research: DCOMbob.exe, ShootTheMessenger.exe, and uPNP.exe. The first one shuts off the DCOM/RPC function that Blaster/Nachi/Welchia uses to infect the system, the second shuts off the Messenger service (which is not the same as AIM, MSN Messenger. or Yahoo! Messenger) to prevent spam pop-ups (and likely gave you your problems), and the third turns off Universal Plug-and-Play, a security risk. Some combination of these may have been used on you.

Throughout the day, I am constantly opening and closing programs (just like everyone else). Is there a good program that details the programs that are loaded into my PCs memory, and just as importantly, and will allow me to release the unneeded program(s) from memory?

Faranth, please remember that Win98/Me users are limited to 512 MB RAM. It gets allocated and sucked up fast by things like CD burner software, which don't always release it properly.

The two memory utilities that I use (together) are TinyResMeter and GoodMem. They are both freeware.

I use TinyResMeter as a monitor. It can be configured to show RAM usage and, just as importantly for a Win98/Me user, GDI, System, and User memory -- the most precious commodities of all, since each is limited to 512 K, no matter how much RAM you install. It has saved me from crashes a number of times.

GoodMem is a good program to force garbage collection (scavenging unused memory to return it to the free pool). Even with 512 MB, I still need to run it from time to time. I don't run it all the time (it tends to cause hiccups in video or games), just when TinyResMeter tells me I'm running low. It sits in the System Tray -- double-clicking on it sweeps the memory as needed. If it's really low, you might have to double-click it a few times.

My computer wasnt shut down right. it was turned off right from the button and didnt get to close anything down. now when i try to delet the history of the computer the sites wont go away. i know that when the computer is shut down wrong the sites get corrupted or something so they cant be deleted. does anyone know how i can get rid of these or if there is a free program that i can download?

The official Microsoft utility TweakUI has this functionality, I think under the Paranoia tab. For Windows XP, download it from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp -- for Windows 2000 or earlier, download it from http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp.

I was reading around and i did a memtest today on my computer and i got a lot of errors for my memory.
EEC Errors = 0
Errors = around 7420

could this be a problem which is making my comp screen go blank?
-------------------------------------
MB Temperature : 27.5C/ 81.5F
CPU Temprature: 53C/ 127F

Are these temps normal if not how can i make them normal? i'm realy crap at this. thnx for all the help so far it is greatly appreciated.

Bad RAM will absolutely cause the screen to go blank, especially if the bad RAM is in the range of the graphics buffer.

The RAM itself may not be bad, especially with that many errors. More likely, the DIMMs are poorly seated or have dirty contacts, or both. First, get a wrist grounding strap at a Radio Shack or electronics supply shop and ground yourself to the case. I would remove the DIMMs, clean the edge contacts with 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab, then reinstall the DIMMs, making sure that they are fully tipped into the socket and that the latches snap into place. Rubbing alcohol is not pure enough -- you can get nearly-pure isopropanol by going to a discount store or auto supply and buying an isopropyl-alcohol "drygas" like ISO-Heet. One way to tell if it's isopropanol is to look at the back of the bottle -- it should say. If the bottle has a skull-and-crossbones and says Poison, then …

Has anyone ever heard of a CD-ROM Destroying a CD? I Just had a teacher come to me and said that she put this CD in, 10 seconds later heard a loud POP and ejected the tray and there was nothing gut shards of a CD left. She knows that there are pieces left in the ROM.

If anyone has heard of anything like this happening, let me know. And if it has, what should I do about it (Other than replace the ROM)?

At 50x read speed, a CD can spin at well over 10,000 RPM, something it was never designed to do originally. Older or cheaply-made CDs are often not made as precisely as newer discs, so they can be out of balance. In that event, a small chip or crack can propagate quickly and shred the disc instantly. I have seen drawer fronts blasted right off the tray.

As Caperjack rightly pointed out, it's a good idea to pull the drive out for cleaning. You know how to open an unpowered drive, right? You take a straightened jumbo paper clip and push it into the small hole just below the tray. This will release the tray latch; continue to push on the clip until the drawer slides out enough to grab and pull. With the tray open and pointing down, tap the sides of the drive, gently, with the butt end of a medium-size screwdriver to dislodge the remains -- and hope that fragments of the …

The motherboard I'm looking to buy is the Intel D845 and I was wondering do you guys know if the 865GBF Chipset is compatible with it?

the 845 chipset series is older and obsolete (133 MHz front-side bus/DDR266). The 865 chipset series is newer and relatively current (up to 200 MHz front-side bus, quad-pumped "800 MHz"/DDR400). Some versions have integrated graphics, some not. The G in the chipset and motherboard name indicates integrated graphics, but neither has integrated graphics worth anything. The VIA, ATI, and SiS chipsets with integrated graphics are much better (ATI has the best integrated graphics, but their Linux support is terrible).

Is there a reason why you have chosen the 845 board?

The subject line is just part of the trouble. Let me first give the symptoms. About 10 days ago, we started having trouble accessing Hotmail via IE on my home PC which is loaded with XP. We could access it 2-3 times after a reboot, then the computer would lock up or freeze.

Start by going to the HijackThis Quick Start Page and read the instructions, then download the program. Run it, then post the log here.

One of the problems, too, might be Java. A corrupted Java Virtal Machine (JVM) can cause this sort of problem. I would download the real thing: the Sun JRE in any event. I recommend the "offline install" version -- the process is more reliable, and you have it if you need it again.

I am having problems with wupdater.exe. And understand how to delete, but before I do, I'd like to know what it is used for?

Google it. There are plenty of references out there. That should always be your first step -- knowledge is power!

Logfile of HijackThis v1.97.7
Scan saved at 10:16:27 AM, on 2/1/04
Platform: Windows 98 SE (Win9x 4.10.2222A)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

C:\PROGRA~1\INCRED~1\BHO\INCFIN~1.DLL (file missing)
R3 - URLSearchHook: IncrediFindBHO Class - {5D60FF48-95BE-4956-B4C6-6BB168A70310} -
...
http://www.netpaloffers.net/NetpalOffers/DMO1/GmV01.cab
O16 - DPF: {1D4DB7D2-6EC9-47A3-BD87-1E41684E07BB} - http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/nocache/funwebproducts/SmileyCentralInitialSetup1.0.0.6.cab

The items excerpted above seem to be your biggest problem. SmileyCentral is a big source of adware, and should be avoided. IncrediFind is a hijacker. Otherwise, besides having too much stuff running overall, you seem relatively clean. You should be able to fix these by download Spybot - Search & Destroy and/or Ad-aware (there's nothing wrong with running both, though I personally prefer Spybot - S&D). Be sure to update the data files before the first scan. You can find links to these programs and more information on scumware on my Malware, virus, and startup information and tools page. I don't see anything here that these tools couldn't remove.

I have a problem where by I open an IE page, and about 4-5 links later, IE refuses to open any more links. The pages open in the same window for the first few links, and then freezes.

This is the kind of behavior one typically sees when Windows 98 or Me run out of resources. Which OS are you running?