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Topic: Computer Won't Start

Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 09-11-2004 07:38 PM

quote: Leo Enticknap
If it tries to read from the floppy then I can't see how the CPU can be knackered. This shows that something must be asking for data from the floppy, and that something won't be the BIOS. Some weird motherboard fault would be my guess.

I only suggested that the CPU may be dead before Steve was able to get the thing to start at all.

The floppy drive activity is just a floppy drive seek, which is enabled by default in most system BIOSs.

As for the OS, definitely don't use 98 anymore. Why you would want to put up with it's instability is beyond comprehension. Additionally, ditch that ill conceived annonymizer proxy while you're at it.

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Matthew Bailey
Master Film Handler

Posts: 461
From: Port Arthur,TX
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-11-2004 08:25 PM

Sometimes according to a newspaper article, the power supply could be at fault. For example random reboots could mean the power supply is about to mess the bed.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 09-11-2004 08:49 PM

Playing with the dead one temporarily on hold while I get as much going on the new one. Questions:

1) What is this stupid "Windows Messenger" thing that keeps spamming me despite being "signed off" and despite my firewall (PFW, not XP's)?

2) K-Lite (two versions) installed but would not connect. Also installing that caused my very ancient Eudora to stop working (would open and blink closed) with no error message. This is a program so old it doesn't require installing; if the files are there it'll run. I'm running it right from the old HD which I placed in the new machine. Uninstalling KL didn't help. Had to use restore to roll back. Then of course I lost other stuff which I had to reinstall. A slightly less ancient version was unaffected but I don't like when things don't work. While not working I tried the compatibility functions to no avail. I guess I will have to set restore point carefully before installing anything.

As for K-Lite I'd like to know if that is a known issue with XP.

3) You don't like the Proxomitron? [Eek!]

NP after I told IE to bypass it for F-T.

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-11-2004 09:05 PM

I got rid of the Messenger harassment, but I can't remember how I did it... I think somebody here gave me a tip, maybe searching in Film-Yak will bring this to light.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 09-11-2004 09:21 PM

Found this in a newsgroup:

quote:
Although you can forcibly remove Windows Messenger, if you do, features like Remote Assistance, Whiteboard and Application Sharing within MSN Messenger 6.x and Windows will no longer work. As well, some applications that specifically call on Messenger (like for example Outlook Express) will appear to freeze or refuse to load as they try to start Messenger (you can however, turn off this functionality to fix this problem).

Instead, you can simply disable Windows Messenger. To do so, open it up (click Start, then Run, type "msmsgs" and click OK), click Tools, Options, Preferences tab and uncheck 'Run this Program when Windows starts' or 'Run Windows Messenger when Windows starts' (depending on version) as well as 'Allow this program to run in the background' or 'Allow Windows Messenger to run in the background' (depending on version). This won't remove Windows Messenger, so features like Remote Assistance, Whiteboard and Application Sharing will continue to work, but it will let it stay out of your way.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 09-11-2004 09:55 PM

It's NOT Windows Messenger that you are seeing. It's the "Alerter" dialogs which are triggered by the Messenger service when it receives a NET SEND command/packet.

Just disable the Messenger service in your service control panel.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/learnmore/stopspam.mspx

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-11-2004 10:03 PM

Its been a hellofalotmore stable for me than 98SE ever was. I hate the regestration part but its not that big o deal, ya can do it online. Just don't re-load your HD too many times as that may put you into a sticky position with MS. even the KY won't help you slide out of that one.....

Don't know about the others here but I've personally expereinced alot less failures and computer problems in general with Intel processors and Asus MB's. My home machine has been up for three years straight except for when I'm on long trips. I've built several athlons for friends of which several have been real pains in the you know what while the rest have been fine.

Like Adam says, set it up for the Classic look and you'll be right at home....
Mark

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 09-11-2004 10:22 PM

Thanks, Daryl.

Mark, what I hate about activation is the principle and that this is probably part of a gradual plan to force people to subscribe to, rather than purchase outright, software. Hence the K-Y because while it may be just once for now the future business model will have you paying monthly or annually. So it doesn't matter how easy they make it.

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 09-11-2004 10:31 PM

While that is certainly a possibility and is already true with some software-MMORG's are an example-I don't think that's very likely with OS's. Micorosft is king because most people don't have to pay for it, directly at least. MS has managed to maneuver their way into having their OS pre-loaded on must new computers. However, if people were required to pay for their OS on a monthly basis other OS's such as Linux would become a lot more popular.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 09-11-2004 10:32 PM

Microsoft activation, from what I figure and have heard from some Microserfs, is really just an attempt to deter the average clueless user from pirating the software.

Subscription software, especially OSes, would be suicide and Microsoft knows it. Even one of Gates' books years ago pointed out many flaws in the concept.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 09-12-2004 01:25 AM

I don't know what it is with this machine and/or XP but I am really close to throwing in the towel on it and returning it. Everything seems to corrupt something.

Earlier this evening I was online and hadn't done anything recently when a message (similar to those messenger spams which I disabled) appeared stating that some sort of error had been detected and the system was shutting down in 30 seconds, which it did. After that I could get online in the sense of the DSL connnecting but none of the internet programs could talk to the connection. After a number of reboots this "improved" to the point where if I brought up the connection (PPPoE) when I clicked to connect the system would reboot on contact (with the sound of disks winding down and restarting).

I've rolled back to a point where I can connect (I'm on the machine now) but such luxuries as task mgr or msconfig don't work. They appear but close instantly. Makes it hard to see what is going on. Guess I will be rolling back farther.

Now you might wonder what sort of evil software I have been loading that would debase the wonder that is XP. Um...well let's see...my accounting program...and...hmm...oh I guess I updated the AIM from what was already loaded. The software firewall maybe...I've forgotten where I am in rollbacks. So far I've just been surfing, IM'ing and (when it still worked) emailing. If I can't do that reliably then I have some issues with this machine although what is going on I don't know since even I don't think XP can be this flaky.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 09-12-2004 01:31 AM

Got to love companies that sell computers with way out of date OS installations. Any good company should have installed patches from at least four months ago.

In anycase...

Install this:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=354...8F3&displaylang=en

then run the removal tool is step 3 here:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/sasser.mspx

Once you've done that, run Windows Update and install all of the security patches that are relevant to your system (or install SP2 if you want).

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David Buckley
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 525
From: Oxford, N. Canterbury, New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 09-12-2004 07:30 AM

quote: Steve Kraus
... but such luxuries as task mgr or msconfig don't work. They appear but close instantly

Oh yes, you've got a virus. Trouble is, several virii (viruses?) play this trick, so one cant be sure which virus you have.

Try to browse any of the well known anti-virus vendors sites, you may find they dont work. This is 'cos severasl of these things adjust your hosts file so that these sites resolve to 127.0.0.1

So, download a current antivirus program on another computer, and install it on the bust computer by CD or network, and make it do its thing. Once you are clean, engage the "scan on use" feature to keep clean. And download and install AdAware 6, and use that too.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-12-2004 09:21 AM

Killing Messenger stone dead is an option on Autopatcher.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 09-12-2004 10:30 AM

As Spock would say, fascinating. XP for only a day or so and already hit with a virus. Sasser was not detected but there could be others. I guess I might as well do SP2.

Maybe I should pick up a real firewall.

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