PC Pals Forum
Technical Help & Discussion => Windows PCs & Software: Help, News & Discussion => Topic started by: Simon on June 10, 2003, 14:03
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I've had a nightmare of a few days. First I had a suspected trojan, which was never found, but now seems to have disappeared (discussed here (http://pc-pals.com/index.php?board=27;action=display;threadid=4088)). I also have the ongoing issue of my IE Favorites problem (see here (http://pc-pals.com/index.php?board=27;action=display;threadid=4145)), which is still not resolved (that didn't work, Brian). I've tried re-installing IE in many ways, but without success. It seems there's no way to remove it as it is built in to XP. Now I have another bundle of problems:
1. I installed the latest version of Windows Messenger, but despite having no task bar (system tray) icon, it kept automatically logging me on. This was also despite unticking the auto start / auto log on boxes, and was very annoying as I didn't even know I was signed in to Messenger. In the end I found a way to uninstall Windows Messenger (from Google), by way of a registry (hack?) entry. Trillian, by the way, still works fine.
2. I went to check my e-mails this morning, and find that whenever I click the send / receive button, all I get is an error box saying 'Operation failed'. Nothing else. Great help. I find on the MS Knowledge Database that to cure this problem I must create a new profile in Outlook. Having done this, I find that all my e-mail accounts / settings / mail / address book, are locked in the 'old' profile, so I have to proceed with exporting / importing everything, with varying degrees of success. I still have to set up all my e-mail accounts again, as I can't find out where they are stored. I think the original profile may have been corrupted by Reg Cleaner removing things it shouldn't. Either that or by me fiddling, trying to re-install IE, but I fail to see the connection there.
3. On top of all this, my System Restore no longer seems to work, which might have saved me a lot of hassle if it had. You go through the process, only to be told that it hasn't worked, and none of your settings have been changed.
All in all, I'm getting pretty p**sed off, and I'm wondering whether to bite the bullet and try to do a full format / re-install of XP. Never having done this, except when the machine was brand new, I'm a little apprehensive. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I think I'm gradually getting the various problems solved, but everything feels a mess, and I don't trust my PC anymore at the moment.
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I'm one of these sad organised people who does a full clean install once every 6 months or so. It seems to speed up the PC and keeps files organised.
The problem is remembering to backup or keep copies of all data and programs that you collect over time. Its also a nightmare installing all the windows / security updates once again. It can also be a bit of a nightmare if you download lots of freeware etc and need to go and download them all again.
So if you're up for it a full clean re-install will speed up your PC etc - but remember to backup everything you need and make a list of all your programs - so you know that you can install them all again.
It'll take a while but it's worth it ;)
DJ1UK
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Simon.. going back a few months I had exactly the same probs as you mate.. Msg was in Outlook express (tickbox) unticked now ok..No system restore point, so a reinstall on top of the other one cleared all my problems and now have a regular system restore point as well.
Hookstar
Also dont forget a back up ;)
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Hi, Simon. I rarely have PC problems, which I put down to the fact that twice a year I format both my Hard Drives and start afresh. Then again, I keep my system as lean as possible, so it isn't much hassle. Being a non-gamer, reinstallation is a snip. In fact, I have two Hard Drives, my c:\ drive being just 4.3GB and in spite of having the Operating System, the whole of Office 2000, Encyclopedia Britanica Multimedia Edition, Autoroute Express, and all the essenatials such as anti-virus, firewall, winzip, mailwaher, alternative browsers etc.etc. loaded on it, I still have 2GB free. My d:\ drive is just 1.2GB and stores my documents and e-mails, plus the downloaded setup files for the essential utilities.
I don't know how much you have on your machine, Simon. That will probably be the determining factor in reaching your decision. However, whenever my relatives have had multiple problems (and having young children who hit the download button without knowing what they are downloading, they have regular problems) I have found that format and reinstall is ultimately quicker than messing about trying to solve one problem after the other.
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If you can be sure of your backups, there is no reason not to have a clean-out every now and again Simon. As the others have said, it will help maintain the speed of your PC.
The only thing stopping me re-installing my machine is that I have so much cra stuff on it that I'm not certain I can find it to back it up :-\
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Simon.. This might be of help >>XP Repair<< (http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/expertzone/tips/dougknox/doug92.asp)
Hookstar
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Thanks for all the ideas, guys. In the end I did a Run > sfc /scannow. It said there were missing files, and asked for the XP CD, so I popped it in, and off it went, but didn't seem to do much else. However, although the Import Favorites in IE is still out of sorts, everything else seems OK. I guess I'll stick with Mozilla (good browser!) until IE7 comes out.
I know I would be better off re-installing XP, but it's a bit like hard work re-installing all the programs and stuff afterwards, let alone all the MS Updates. I'll see how things go for a bit.
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@Simon
You should consider removing IE6 from your PC which will then revert to IE5.5 or IE 5; this may fix your problem with IE. You should also consider a complete clean reinstall of XP and all your other programs, I say this because any repair may be OK for now but the odds are that you will get more problems in the future.
When (If) you do reconfigure the PC you should install Norton Ghost and create a ghost image of your C: drive (must be on another drive or partition) this will enable you to reinstall XP and all the other programs that you use in about 10mins.
Brian ;D
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You should consider removing IE6 from your PC...
But how? It's not in add / remove, and Windows Components only removes the icons. There doesn't actually seem to be a way to remove IE6 from XP, unless I'm being totally stupid.
I found a registry tweak, which was supposed to make Windows think IE6 isn't installed, and in theory, this would enable an installation over the top. All that happened was it got halfway through the installation, then something happened (can't remember what now!), anyway it failed, but I'm blaming it for the subsequent corruption of Outlook, resulting in me having to create a new profile, among other problems. I'm guessing it screwed up one of the application data folders.
I think I've managed to sort out most of the other problems, and did a scan disc, which replaced some files. Windows seems to be running OK, and IE still works (apart from not being able to Import Favorites from Mozilla, or anywhere else), so I think it would be more stress and work than is currently warranted to attempt to re-install XP. It would take me days to get everything back to 'normal', so I think I'm going to stick to Mozilla until a new IE comes out, which should (technically) install OK.
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@Simon
This may or may not help simon, go to
http://support.microsoft.com/
and search for uninstall IE there are a few guidelines in there but from your post it looks as if you have already done then
"By default, Internet Explorer 6 is preinstalled in all versions of Windows XP and cannot be removed"
The only entries im my add and remove folder are to the IE service packs
Brian ;D
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Simon,if you got to Add/Remove programs in control panel there is an icon on the left that says Add/Remove Windows Components.
Click on that and it will bring a box up where you can untick IE and remove it :-*
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Mmm, thanks Brian. That's where I got the registry thing from before, which failed to work. I wonder if it's because there's no previous version to roll back to? Anyway, as it caused so much hassle last time, I don't really want to try it again.
I know... (https://www.pc-pals.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techhelpers.net%2Fe4u%2Fanimal%2F522.gif&hash=a31a3b07621868d9fb47435fb9eacce834c7fe07) ;D ;D (That's supposed to be a chicken, by the way!) ::)
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Must brush up on your bird watching skills Simon
(That's supposed to be a chicken, by the way!)
Brian lol
;D
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Well, it's not easy plucking a chicken out of thin air! ;D ;D
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Ahhhhhhhh ???
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Well, it's not easy plucking a chicken out of thin air! ;D ;D
Spelling is getting wuss Simon ;D
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Right, well as you may have guessed by my absence, I've bin and gorn and dunnit!
Didn't go quite as expected. First of all I just did an upgrade (install on top) of XP, but that didn't really sort things out, and then I couldn't get the Internet Connection Wizard to work, and the Favorites thing was still wrong.
So I went for the full new installation. Put CD in, and did all the right things (well, all that it would allow me to do), but it wouldn't let me delete C drive, before re-installing. Went ahead and installed over the top, and it said it was deleting everything, but when it was all done, I found that there was still a lot of stuff left on C drive from the original installation.
So I did it again.
And it's still the same.
Everything works OK now, except for some strange messages from Norton about possible problems with the integrity of the protection. It said, it couldn't be certain, whatever that's supposed to mean. I did a virus scan, which was clear, then I ran a trojan scan, which was also clear, so if there's still something in there, I'm buggered if I know where it is.
I still have lots of stuff from the old installation, and I'm not sure whether to delete it, or if the new installation may have used some of it already (Program Files and stuff), so I'm going to leave it for now, and see how it goes.
Still got loads of software to re-install, but that will be a job for tomorrow. At least I have my AV and Firewall up and running, and can get online, so I'll sleep sound tonight!
Night folks, and thanks for all the help!
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Simon if you have your main stuff backed up you are better off wiping the drive fully and doing a clean install.
If you go here and download the Disc wizard starter edition it has a bit that will do a "zero fill" on your drive,ie it will write a zero to each sector thereby deleting everything so there is no danger of having anything to cause problems when you reinstall XP :-*
http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/drivers/discwiz.html
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I agree with Sandra, a clean installation is best Simon.
Did you boot off the XP CD to begin the installation? There shouldn't be a problem getting the setup program to delete the C partition :-\
If it doesn't allow you to do it, use Partition Magic or even an old Windows 98 boot disk with fdisk to remove the partition before you boot the XP install disk.
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Did you boot off the XP CD to begin the installation? There shouldn't be a problem getting the setup program to delete the C partition :-\
When I tried to delete the C partition, it said this was not possible because some Windows installation files were in use as part of the new installation. :-\
I'm reluctant to start all over again now, as I've already re-installed a lot of stuff, and also I've used up all my activations. You only get three, don't you?
Sandra, that zero fill thing would take 6-8 hours on a 40Gb partition wouldn't it? I just haven't the patience for that!
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@Simon
Good morning Simon
There are no short cuts to doing this, if you did not remove the Master Boot Record, System Registry, in the boot sector then you could still have corrupt files in there, run Zap.com (it takes 1 minute) and that will return the drive to a virgin drive i.e. no partitions, no data, no boot sector and start afresh
Brian :( :(
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I'm a bit worried about the strange messages from Norton Simon :-\
Have they gone away now?
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The messages from Norton are knowm issues. It's something to do with the firewall, which I haven't installed, but was still lurking about from the old version of XP, which hasn't been fully deleted.
OK, so I need to start again. I tried Zap yesterday, and couldn't get it to work. I have just tried Sandra's DiscWizard, and when you have to put in the second floppy and press 'C', to continue, the keyboard doesn't work! I thought these things were supposed to make it easier!
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Simon (hey see the time guys :o ),I have a version that fits on one floppy I will send it you later but I am a bit pushed for time now as its SALE TIME and I have lots of shopping to do ;)
I did my 40 gig a few weeks back Simon I think it took less than an hour.
Once its going you can nip down to the pub for a drink and it will be done when you get back as you dont need to sit there watching it :-*
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Windows 98 FDISK will do the trick every time Sandra.
All he needs to do is remove the partition, not secure wipe it ::)
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@Simon
"I tried Zap yesterday, and couldn't get it to work"
Simon it must work!!! copy the unziped file to a boot floppy and at the A:> prompt type "A:\> zap 0" this will zap the first hard drive on IDE 0
@Adept
Sorry my friend he also needs to remove the MBR which is in the boot sector which can not normaly be accessed by a user, at the A:\ prompt type fdisk /mbr
Also fdisk from a Win98se floppy will not remove a NTFS partition if it contains data
Brian ;D
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Why not boot from a wi98 floppy and at the A: prompt type in FORMAT C: that will clear the C drive completely leaving it totally blank for a complete re-install.
Assuming Simon that you have a full copy of winXP and not the half baked offering you get with most new pc's. They have no setup file on them.
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Right, well, I've done it using FDISK, and I've got the cleanest installation I'm going to get, as I'm certainly not doing it again! ;D ;D
I'm currently loading all my programs back on, so won't be with you for a little while, but hope to be around tonight.
Brian, I don't know whether it's done that other thing or not, but wtf! ;) :D
The reason I couldn't get Zap to work is because I couldn't get my USB keyboard to function (didn't know USB doesn't work in DOS!) (https://www.pc-pals.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apax34.dsl.pipex.com%2Fsmileys%2Fblusher.gif&hash=a6d1e8e8306f43155e4071cde57646435585f351), then Sean told me to change to a PS2 one, which I did, but then I used FDISK - thanks anyway. Might come in handy another time, but hopefully not too soon! ;)
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Well done Simon! 8)
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Does anyone know how to get the hidden system tray icons to show? I haven't got that little arrow that opens and closes, and I can't remember how to get it.
I'm sure there will be more questions later, but I'm doing this in dribs and drabs when I get a spare minute or two. :D
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If you right click the toolbar and select properties, there should be a "Hide Inactive Icons" option. Untick it :)
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Just when I knew 1 Adept beats me to it ;D
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Soz :-[
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Am laughing my socks off here.... ;D I should really ask Mrs Beaton how to type faster :D
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Actually, keep thinking boys! ;D Perhaps I didn't word the question clearly, I want to hide the icons, but I also want to be able to see them when needed, for which I need the little arrow that slides right to left to display the icons.
Maybe it will appear when I get some more icons in there? It did appear once, then vanished again.
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Hope the picture shows you Simon ;D..
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Make your mind up! ::) ;) ;D
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While we are waiting for Simon to come back Adept.. can you see Clives 1st house on my wall paper ;D in the picture.
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OK, well it's appeared now, so no worries, but thanks anyway! ;D
I'm still busy installing stuff - just spent the last hour fiddling with Office, and setting up my e-mails, address book, etc.
It's a bloody job isn't it? Hope I don't have to do this too often! ::) :D
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Ah yes Hook. That first house brings back such fond memories. :lol:
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Right, all done. Installed everything. All the AV stuff, Firewall, Ad Aware, Spybot, Spyware Blaster, Anti Trojan Watch, the lot.
Now, there does appear to be a problem. Every now and then, the whole thing freezes for a few seconds, then my screen goes blank for another couple of seconds, then when it returns, some of the system tray icons are missing, but according to msconfig 'Services', the items are all still running.
Any ideas?
Apart from that, everything seems to be running OK.
Thanks for all the help from everyone so far -- you're not gettin' away yet! ;) ;D
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Have a look in Administrative Tools | Event Viewer Simon. See if there are any red cross icons in the Application or System logs.
It may shed some light on the problem :-\
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Hmmm... I don't really want to say this, in case it means what I think it might mean, but this cropped up a few (4 or 5) times, which is probably about the same number of times the blank screen event occurred. Hopefully it's not connected:
AMLI: ACPI BIOS is attempting to write to an illegal IO port address (0xcf8), which lies in the 0xcf8 - 0xcff protected address range. This could lead to system instability. Please contact your system vendor for technical assistance.
I clicked on the help link and it said I might need to upgrade my BIOS. :'( :'( :'(
I think I've had enough stress for one weekend! :-\ :o ::) ;D
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You have had a real outing with this Simon! I feel sorry for anyone who has to fix computers for a living. It must be very stressful. It's little wonder that Adept has to unwind with a bottle of wine each evening. ;D
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Relax Simon! ;)
I think I've seen that error message on nearly all the XP machines I've seen. Many of them brand new, with bang up-to-date BIOSes.
I don't think it's the cause of your freezing problem. Keep looking ... :D
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From the microsoft site
CAUSE
This behavior may occur if your computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) tries to write to a port in ACPI Machine Language (AML). This attempt causes Windows Server 2003 to prevent all access to that port.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, contact your computer manufacturer or the BIOS vendor for possible updates to your computer BIOS.
BUT this should only occur with Windows Server
Brian ;D
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Well, it hasn't happened again so far tonight. It seemed to occur when I was trying to do things too quickly, but it never happened before like that.
I've changed the VM setting to let Windows take care of it, rather than having the default 'manual' setting. Maybe that has helped.