Whats wrong with my computer???

[MarineGrunt]

It randomly shuts down, mostly when I am on the internet.
Also, after a while it will not connect to the internet (Cable connection). The computer thinks it's connected, but the internet is inaccessable. This started after I re-configured my system and also installed Norton Internet Security.

I thought that I could have a power source issue, but I'm wondering if these two problems are related.

Any thoughts?

 

[crowbar]

I once read in the Naval Aviation magazine "Approach"
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/media/approach/default.htm
about a Marine Harrier pilot in Desert Storm that had an airplane configuration problem after making a change in configuration, he fixed it by undoing the configuration change that he just did.
Try uninstalling Norton, it's as bad as AOL, they're both cancer to a perfectly running pc. I don't use an anti virus program, I think they're a waste of money, havn't had a virus yet. If you have anything that's important on your pc, burn it do disk, and if you do get a virus than just erase the drive with killdisk.com and reformat it and you're golden.

 

[FL000]

I had similar power problems on my laptop HP before I tossed it. The input source in the back had wiggled it's way off a contact. Most of the time it stayed in physical contact and wasn't a problem, but whenever it lifted off the circuit board, the computer would run until the battery ran out, then cut off. It was tolerable for a while, but got worse and worse 'til it didn't work at all. I've seen this happen on other brands of laptops as well.

FWIW, I use Norton/Symantec and have had zero problems with it on my desktop, but I had a bad configuration problem with McAfee on that old laptop that I was never able to resolve.

If you're using a desktop, I'm afraid I can't offer any advice. Good luck.

 

[Snakum]

Anything for a fellow grunt ... even if he is Marine and not Army ... PM me with the details and I'll do what I can. I'm a software geek and have access to a couple awesome engineering types here in cubicle land. If they can't nail it for ya ... it's probably dead.

Minh

 

[MarineGrunt]

Anything for a fellow grunt ... even if he is Marine and not Army ... PM me with the details and I'll do what I can. I'm a software geek and have access to a couple awesome engineering types here in cubicle land. If they can't nail it for ya ... it's probably dead.

Minh

I'll post it here instead of PM, in case anyone else can help...

I think that the internet problem is because of the Norton Internet Security program. I'll try un-installing it to see if that solves it.

As for the random shut-downs, it almost always happens when I am connected to the interenet. Sometimes it happens 5-6 times within an hour, sometimes it goes for days without doing it. I dont think a virus is responsible, because I have re-configured several times, and still the same problems. Power source problem, maybe?

Another problem that I forgot to mention is that some programs have difficulty installing. When trying to install MSFS2002, I consistantly get errors that say something like, "Unable to extract *** file, there may be insufficient memory, etc, etc..." I know i'ts not a memory problem, because my hard drive is 120GIG and I have 512MB ram. I probably am using only 30GIG. I have had this problem with MSFS, Elite Flight Sim, and standard Norton Anti-Virus. I know it is not the software, because I tried installing all these on my laptop and it worked fine. Crappy hard drive maybe? Motherboard? ?????

I am not to computer literate when it comes to "systems," so I have no idea how to solve this.

FYI- It is a custom desktop made from www.a-tack.com. As mentioned it is 120G, with 512MB ram, Pentium 4, 800MHz FSB

Thanks for any help. Even from army grunts...

 

[Snakum]

It's highly unlikely that the machine shutting down has anything to do with the internet. Here are the most likely causes ...

* Bad power supply (you could get a new PS for $25 to eliminate this issue)

* Virus grabs Windows shutdown command and initiates it periodically; is there any pattern to it? (run a GOOD updated virus program against the whole HDD)

* OS is trying to shut itself down (Dr. Watson program on NT and Win2000 will do this when unrecoverable errors occur)

* Bad motherboard (we can possibly narrow it down)


Questions ...

* What OS are you running?

* Have you checked the Event Viewer (Systems and Application log) within the OS following a shutdown? What does it say?

* Do you get a blue screen prior to shutdown? Any other indication before it goes down (beeps, screen locks, etc.)?

* Does the machine turn itself all the way off, or does the screen just go black? When you say it 'shut down' can you hear the power supply fan still going, or are there any lights anywhere still on?

Minh

 

[MarineGrunt]

Questions ...

* What OS are you running?

WinXP

* Have you checked the Event Viewer (Systems and Application log) within the OS following a shutdown? What does it say?

No, how do I do this?

* Do you get a blue screen prior to shutdown? Any other indication before it goes down (beeps, screen locks, etc.)?

No warning. It restarts just as if I hit the restart button.

* Does the machine turn itself all the way off, or does the screen just go black? When you say it 'shut down' can you hear the power supply fan still going, or are there any lights anywhere still on?

Again, it automatically restarts with no warning. Screen just goes black. The fan is running almost constantly.

Could it be a virus that I cannot remove from the hard-drive even after re-formating it? Ive done that a few times. I have updated scanned with Norton, but no indications of a virus.

 

[MarineGrunt]

BTW - Just uninstalled Norton and the internet is running MUCH faster.

 

[TR4A]

Check out this on BLASTER Worm

http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/blast.asp#steps

How to Tell If the Worm Is Affecting Your Computer
Some customers whose computers have been infected may not notice the presence of the worm at all, while others who are not infected may experience problems because the worm is attempting to attack their computer. Typical symptoms may include Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems rebooting every few minutes without user input, or Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 systems becoming unresponsive.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blaster.worm.html#technicaldetails

 

[MarineGrunt]

TR4A - I downloaded and installed the removal program. Does it automatically remove/disable the virus?

 

[TR4A]

From Symantec:

1. Download the FixBlast.exe file from:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/FixBlast.exe



2. Save the file to a convenient location, such as your downloads folder or the Windows Desktop (or removable media that is known to be uninfected, if possible).
3. To check the authenticity of the digital signature, refer to the section, "Digital signature."
4. Close all the running programs before running the tool.
5. If you are running Windows XP, then disable System Restore. Refer to the section, "System Restore option in Windows Me/XP," for additional details.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTION: If you are running Windows XP, we strongly recommend that you do not skip this step. The removal procedure may be unsuccessful if Windows XP System Restore is not disabled, because Windows prevents outside programs from modifying System Restore.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


6. Double-click the FixBlast.exe file to start the removal tool.
7. Click Start to begin the process, and then allow the tool to run.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: If, when running the tool, you see a message that the tool was not able to remove one or more files, run the tool in Safe mode. Shut down the computer, turn off the power, and wait 30 seconds. Restart the computer in Safe mode and then run the tool again. All the Windows 32-bit operating systems, except Windows NT, can be restarted in Safe mode. For instructions, read the document "How to start the computer in Safe Mode."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


8. Restart the computer.
9. Run the removal tool again to ensure that the system is clean.
10. If you are running Windows XP, then re-enable System Restore.
11. Run LiveUpdate to make sure that you are using the most current virus definitions.

When the tool has finished running, you will see a message indicating whether W32.Blaster.Worm infected the computer. In the case of a worm removal, the program displays the following results:
Total number of the scanned files
Number of deleted files
Number of terminated viral processes
Number of fixed registry entries

 

[MarineGrunt]

No worm detected.

Un-installed Norton, internet runs faster, but still becomes "unavailable" after about 20 min or so...

 

[D_G]

If you're running Windows XP try the system restore function,

Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\System Tools

 

[Snakum]

FYI ... some buggies can store themselves in the sectors of your hard drive that contain disk mapping info, and are not erased during a reformat. Only a low-level write scan can truly clean this portion.

If that's what you've got, I mean.

I dunno ..

Minh

 

[MarineGrunt]

low-level write scan can truly clean this portion.

How do I do this?

 

[TR4A]

Pull up Windows Task Manager by using Ctrl-Alt-Del
Select Processes Tab
Click on Image Name to alphabetize
Look for the following files listed below:

Blaster Virus
The currently identified virus filenames are:

MSBLAST.EXE (for variant A)
PENIS32.EXE (for variant B)
TEEKIDS.EXE (for variant C)
MSPATCH.EXE (for variant D)
MSLAUGH.EXE (for variant E)
ENBIEI.EXE (for variant F)

 

[MarineGrunt]

None of those show up

 

[TR4A]

Is it still rebooting on its own?

By default, XP executes an automatic restart in the event of a system failure.

Disabling the “restart on system failure” feature may permit the exact cause to be isolated: Right-click on My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab. Under “Startup & Recovery,” click Settings. Under “System Failure,” uncheck the box in front of “Automatically restart.”

 

[ibaflyer]

This seemed to help me with my computer. Use it to clean the inside of the monitor screen. Just move the cursor from side to side.

Hope it works.

http://mirrored.flabber.nl/boob.cursor/ciagnijcycka.swf

 

[414Flyer]

If you go under Control panel > System > Advanced > Startup and Recovery, settings, then Uncheck"automatically restart" under system failure.

You might be getting the blue screen of death, but windows xp can reboot before you ever actually see what is going on. At least if you uncheck it, you can have an idea what is going wrong.