()*&£@@??##// computer..

[plod]

Well yesterday, my computer kept going off and would switch itself on a few moments after. Obviously it chucked me offline too.

It then said it had come across a serios error and did I want to send an error report. i did. It came back saying that it was due to the fact that I did not have windows XP service pack 2. i think thats what it said anyway..

It directed me to where I could get SP2 but that wouldn't work because I required internet explorer 5 or later. I tried that but computer said it already had an updated version of that on my computer and though I think I downloaded something suitable from the IE website update page blahh.. i could not open it.

Then when I got in from work yesterday, found that it has suffered from a catastrophic incident. My words, not computer'

It would not even start as something was missing. The something was

c;/windows/config./sys or something very much like that. I can find out exactly what it said, if it will still show me, and if that will help. i think it also said something about reboot.

Bloody thing. I hate computers. i really really hate what hold they have on our lives and it's really pi55ed me off big time.

Has anyone any ideas? Of course I expect that i will have lost all my e mail addresses and suchlike.

Please help me

[markieboy]

I agree with you pain in the rrrs when not working.

I had the same problem and ended up buying a new pc.

This turned out to be due to a worm or something that ate the hard drive records and rendered it broke, even though I had all the boot discs it just would not start.

I took it to a well known universal computer shop and they suggested that it was not worth repairing and had i thought about a new one which would cost about 1500 quid.

Thats my wheels budget so I ended up buying a better spec cheaper one for 6oo. Still too much money on a pc just because some clever bugger can hack and do nasty things.

Hope yours doesnt go the same way as mine did, in the skip

Regards

Mark with a pc and 1/4 built cobra

[Grease Monkey]

Paul,

Speaking as someone who's worked with PCs since the IBM XT, i think you're buggered.

Could well be that your lack of XP SP2 has allowed a worm into you PC, a worm that has since wrecked your hard drive. Windows is horribly complex and the chance of diagnosing and fixing the problem without reinstalling the whole lot is minimal.

My advice, such that it is, is this:

If you have vital files that you haven't backed up, take the hard drive out of the PC and put it on a shelf. Buy a new hard drive, fit this and reinstall XP, install SP2, virus software and MS antispyware. Switch on the firewall!!

Now, and only now, can you go online and download every windows update available. When you're happy the pc is working, protected and internet capable, plug in the old hard drive and do a fill virus scan of it.

You may be able to recover some of your files at this stage.

If there are no files you need, boot XP off the CD, repartition your hard drive to totally wipe it , re format and reinstall.

(Something you might want to do, advice from an expert, make two partitions. Put programs on one, data on the other. This way if the worse happens, you can always wipe and reinstall your windows volume and leave your data safe. - Oh also you can put all of your driver files, Service Packs etc on partition 2, saves alot of swapping CDs)

[Purple AK]

Adrian. Your talking to Paul here! You probably lost him just after Line 2 Could it not be a registry thing?

[gareth08]

Paul,

Turn of pc and reboot in safe mode.
Then run a full system scan using your anti-virus software.

Failing that and you can start the pc click start, run and then type in msconfig and click ok.

This will take you in to the boot up screen where you can safe boot from here.


If you can't do any of that then you are in trouble unless you can identify and isolate the problem.

HTH

Gareth

[kayjayd]

Originally Posted by Grease Monkey

Paul,

Speaking as someone who's worked with PCs since the IBM XT, i think you're buggered.

Could well be that your lack of XP SP2 has allowed a worm into you PC, a worm that has since wrecked your hard drive. Windows is horribly complex and the chance of diagnosing and fixing the problem without reinstalling the whole lot is minimal.

My advice, such that it is, is this:

If you have vital files that you haven't backed up, take the hard drive out of the PC and put it on a shelf. Buy a new hard drive, fit this and reinstall XP, install SP2, virus software and MS antispyware. Switch on the firewall!!

Now, and only now, can you go online and download every windows update available. When you're happy the pc is working, protected and internet capable, plug in the old hard drive and do a fill virus scan of it.

You may be able to recover some of your files at this stage.

If there are no files you need, boot XP off the CD, repartition your hard drive to totally wipe it , re format and reinstall.

(Something you might want to do, advice from an expert, make two partitions. Put programs on one, data on the other. This way if the worse happens, you can always wipe and reinstall your windows volume and leave your data safe. - Oh also you can put all of your driver files, Service Packs etc on partition 2, saves alot of swapping CDs)

Totally agree with Adrian. You're definitely wormed/virused!!! You'd be very lucky indeed if you got away without a complete re-install of XP. Also after such fatal issues on your machine it would be stupid to not do a re-install. I have in the past got away with NOT formatting the drive though, but it would be best practice to follow Adrian's advice and trash the lot and start again.

Janet & John book of computing chapter 1, page 1 - "Always backup your data". I've worked in the computer industry for 15 years and these things happen to the best of us - STILL!

[kevchard]

Have you tried the system restore feature of XP? 'Start Menu', 'Programs', 'Accessories', 'System Tools', 'System Restore'. Wind your PC back a week and see if it still happens.
Good luck.
PC's are the bane of my life (and also my proffession).
Cheer

[TheUnixKid]

Did you backup your software? You may have to reinstall windows, it's not as difficult as it sounds!

[plod]

Hi,

And thanks everyone...

Next thing. Who can come and try out any of the above suggestions..?

I cannot click on the start menu as it does nto even get that far. You turn on and I think you get a brief white on black scripted load of credits. (sorry thats the best way I can describe it) and then the windowsconfiguresystem32something else comes up.

I am soooooooooooo mad. I did back up some files, but just pictures and stuff. The most annoying thing is that these 'computer experts' who work in the shops, have big specs and spotty faces wanna charge you the earth an dthen say in their technical language 'it's broken'

bunch of *(&^8290//

[Robin427]

Paul, you have PM