Posts by Catweazle

It does sound like the BIOS flash has gone awry, and that would render the PC inoperable.

Replacing a motherboard in a Compaq PC isn't really a worthwhile option. Best course of action is to get hold of another PC which is only a working system box and to use your existing mouse, keyboard, monitor etc with it.

I've moved the other topic to the Viruses and nasties section. The advice of people there is better than the advice you'll get from the 'computer guy' and from the Dell people :)

If you use a partition management tool to free up some drive space and create a FAT32 partition on it for the Windows 98 install, you can just add 98 by following the procedures described here:

http://www.pcuser.com.au/pcuser/hs2.nsf/web/E6D96526AF2C872BCA256DD700280269

Yes, you should be able to repair with your slipstreamed installation CD, and in fact it would be better to use such a CD. Effecting a repair from the original CD would remove the Service Packs.

Be careful NOT to choose the option "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R" The repair is effected by choosing "To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER".

Hi again. You have said that you were told to rename your Hosts file, but where were you told that? You also stated that you "have run all the scans for trojans, worms and spyware and they are all clean." Were those tests the ones suggested by people here?

Checking your profile and post history jere indicates that you haven't, in fact, taken this problem to our Viruses, Spyware & Nasties forum section? This certainly looks like the work of a 'nasty' which you've picked up from somewhere.

I'm moving this topic there, because we have people giving assistance in that section who are far more knowledgeable than the 'computer guy' you mentioned in an earlier topic ;)

You need to study up on the use of 'Frames', 'Fields' and 'Tables' in MS Word. A combination of these will be needed for forms you create.

'Fields' in particular are necessary for the purposes you mention.

Run msconfig and check the startup list for any of these:

SCHOST.EXE
ntspcv.exe
intspvc.exe
winsvc.exe
bazzi.exe
lshost.exe
scvhost326a.exe

All are added by various viruses or worms.

Let us know if you find any of these or any other starnge entries.

Actually, the only language usage of the tilde in English is in dictionaries, where it is called a 'swung dash'.

Where the various suffixed variations of a word are being listed, they are preceded by a tilde which is being used to represent the root word.

There are also many uses of the tilde in various branches of mathematics and science.

http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Tilde

could be that your card is incomaptible with your mobo, which would be common if your putting a dell card into a compaq motherboard.

Tommyrot!

There's no such thing as 'Dell video cards' and 'Compaq motherboards' to start with. Those components are outsourced and manufactured by other companies!

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sasser.f.worm.html#removalinstructions

Sounds very much like you may have the 'Sasser worm'. Those instructions should help you remove it if that's the case.

They were still being used in new systems around 2000/2001

Thong Inspector has a point. Sometimes when you seek assistance on message boards you simply have to wait and be patient. It's not a help-desk service where someone sits at the console, earning their salary by responding to calls as soon as they come in. People here volunteer their time and assistance. There's no guarantee either that someone is going to be able to answer every question. The people contributing do what they can.

Try the solution TI has suggested in your topic, and give feedback about whether it is successful or not :)

Check the preferences or options of the programs you have loading at startup, because it's likely that one of them will be set to automatically check for updates.

I'm pretty sure the later model Celerons also have a fsb speed which is 4 times the fsb clockspeed.

These things don't 'use' 4 bits, by the way. They transfer 4 bits per clock cycle. We're talking about the way these processors transfer data in relation to the bus clock. The Athlon XP uses what we call 'double-pumping'. The Pentium 4 series uses what we call 'quad-pumping'.

I'd have to agree with that. The system would have to be at least 2000/2001 vintage.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q270008/

If you have installed Adaptec CD burning software, get rid of it ;)

In Windows XP, right-click 'My Computer' and choose 'Manage'. Click on disk management in the left panel.

Then right-click on each partition of the drive you wish to leave free and choose 'Delete logical drive' or 'Delete partition' as appropriate. That will leave the drive as unpartitioned space.

The install routine of any reputable Linux distribution will allow you to create a partition for the installation using unpartitioned space, create it in the file format of your choice, and create the multi-boot setup for you. The procedures to follow for the installation will depend on the installation you choose, and you can get assistance with the procedure from our Linux forum section.

It's possible to remove all partitions from it and leave it for the Linux install routine to partition it with the native partition type for Linux. In fact, that's probably the best way to approach things.

I'm pretty sure that it's a toll-free number wherever you might live.

You've mentioned 'reinstalled' but people's opinion about what this means varies. Have you formatted and installed everything again fresh? If not your system may still have the bug/intruder that caused the behaviour originally.

punkyg0608, if you've accurately reported the model number of your HP Pavilion then I'm sure that's the correct BIOS update. If you look closely at the download page, across the top it says

BIOS update for A7V8X-LA motherboard

HP Pavilion a420n Desktop PC

The only thing I'm unsure about is if this update will correct your problem with the display card. HP's documentation gives no information about that aspect, and I've been unable to get any confirmation from Asus.

Reset CMOS and try powering up again.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555221

Locate and move Global templates as described in that article. If that doesn't resolve the problem for you thoroughly check the system for virus infection.

Moved to Windows Software section, by the way

errrmm..

A K6 is certainly faster than a 486 processor, which is a pre-Pentium item ;)

Moved to the hardware section, by the way, as this Introductions section is not for asking and answering technical questions.

Hi Huw, and welcome to Daniweb. Glad to have you aboard. :D

Best to get a power supply that meets requirements I feel.

Reset CMOS and try again, but it certainly sounds like the power unit has been overworked and suffered as a result.

Besides which, the BIOS update install should leave BIOS at default settings anyway.

It's usually you who catches me out rushing or napping. I'm enjoying this :D

I prefer to do that before installing a BIOS update. If settings have been altered by the user, particularly if they relate to overclocking, it can screw up the update install. Resetting before updating eliminates that possibility.

Testament to the fact that it's ALWAYS best to use standard tools before mucking about with things like HijackThis ;)

People, the codes which were offered are already gone. I'll close this topic now.

LOL.

Nah mate. You seem to be so on top of things there I assumed you'd already checked that possibility and tried it with a different RAM module. After all, that's the only way to really isolate that cause of problem. And I suppose you realise that if it's a RAM problem you'll get the relevent BIOS beep code to let you know.

But then, you haven't got that motherboard in the case with the PC speaker attached so that you can actually HEAR the beeps, so I suppose you've done all that already ;)

Kalthanis, download and use the Windows Installer cleanup utility
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

See if the uninstall works OK after that. Download it on another PC and save it to CD if necessary, and install/run it in Safe mode on yours.

If nothing is happening onscreen when you first power up the problem is that your motherboard isn't working. POST refers to Power On Self Test, which is the routine which runs at power up and checks/displays system information.

A 'dead' machine is one which will not POST.

The particular 'probe' which has been seeking out your machine is a very old one. It is the result of a 'worm' on someone's PC somewhere which is randomly probing IP addresses. It's not specifically trying to get to your site, it's trying to locate an 'opening' somewhere so that it can continue its business. If your system is up to date with patches it won't be vulnerable anyway.

The machine the attack is originating from will belong to someone who is on the net without adequate protection in place. Such things are quite common, and the reason we have antivirus and firewalls in place.

Have you got a Windows XP install CD? Have you got a Recovery CD which came with the PC?

Moving this to 'Troubleshooting dead Machines' section.

I assume you have RAM installed? You haven't stated so. If there's more than one module, and they're different, try it with only one module.

Your problem is that you need to put the motherboard in the case and correctly attach the front panel connectors. The blasted motherboard won't run without the power button and power led correctly attached.

Please don't cross post topics in different sections. Answer the questions I've asked in your Windows XP section topic. I'll close this thread because it's the second one I've seen and at first sight it seems like simply a power settings problem, not a hardware one.

I suspect the first problem we need to overcome is the fact that you haven't actually stated what your problem is.

Is Windows loaded and working? Is the problem simply that when the monitor goes on standby it will not resume?

Please state fully and clearly what is not working correctly on your system.

Open volume control and check to see if it is set to 'Mute'.

Reboot. Press the <F8> key before the Windows Logo screen displays and choose 'Safe Mode' from the menu. You might need to repeatedly tap the <F8> key from the momory check onwards to get the timing correct.

When you're in 'Safe mode' run defrag from there. When it's finished reboot as normal.

I've moved this to the Viruses and Spayware section for you, so I guess you'd best simply wait for a response. That certainly sounds like a spyware hitchhiker to me!

Agreed. You do not need to ring Microsoft Support. You only need ring the Microsoft Activation service. Begin to activate, and choose to activate via telephone instead of activate by internet.

If you've set your regional settings correctly during installation the correct telephone number should be presented to you. Have the PC running when you ring, explain the situation and you'll be given an activation code to enter into the routine.

Take out the CMOS battery and leave it out overnight. Then refit it and see if it can access Setup via the <F2> key. If so, autodetect the hard drive. Use only the 4Gb drive in that system. Do not use an 80Gb drive in such an old system.

I would agree that a more recent secondhand PC, together with the 80Gb drive is the best course of action. That PC is too old to be useful even for web surfing, really, and is now getting old enough that internal components could be breaking down.

That HP Pavilion has an Asus motherboard which is specially made for HP. There is a BIOS update available here.

I'm unsure if the update adresses the problem you are having. It will contain previous updates, but the only item mentioned is a logo problem. I was unable to determine from the Asus website if earlier revisions addressed a graphics card problem. In any case, as the BIOS for the HP system is proprietary, you can only use a BIOS update downloaded from HP.

Can't hurt to try it, but be sure to print out the instructions and follow them TO THE LETTER! A failed BIOS update could render your system inoperable.

Before you install the BIOS update, reset CMOS. Power down and remove the power cord. Open the case and locate the CLRTC jumper which is near the corner of the motherboard beside the CMOS battery. It will have 3 pins and a jumper cap attached to two of them. With the power off, use needle-nose pliers to remove the cap, and refit it to 'short' the other two pins. (e.g. if it's bridging pins 2 and 3, fit it to pins 1 and 2).

Wait several seconds, then replace it as it was before.

That process physically resets BIOS settings to factory defaults.

Hope it all helps.

It will only check at startup.

It will not improve performance for everyday computing tasks.

It will not slow down Windows.

Close Word.

Use Windows' search function to locate and delete every instance of the file normal.dot
Restart Word and see if the problem is fixed.

Hi Bella. Does this error message appear every time you use Word? What antivirus and firewall do you have installed?

This topic isn't really intended for people to ask questions in. As mentioned:

That all said, however, there are doubtless some features and procedures that aren't readily apparent on reading through the basic FAQ sections of the forum. So I'll invite experienced forum members to post short 'Guides' to using some of the more obscure (or not so obscure) facets of forum use.

But it can be difficult for newcomers to work out where to place their question on a site which covers such a wide range of topics. Taking the time to explorer the menu system and have a look at the range of categories available is worthwhile. Quite a few sections are 'nested' and don't appear on the main menu.

In raleman's instance, the correct section would be found by digging down through the 'Software Development' section. One of the options below that is 'Legacy and other languages', and below that there is a section for 'BASIC and QBASIC'.

Bingo! :D

If it's not apparent to you where to place your question after browsing through the various levels of the menu system here, you can feel free to ask for assistance in the 'Introductions' section of 'Coffee House'. That's part of the reason we have that section :)

Please don't cross post the same topic in different sections.