RandyL

Hi doomula; After researching your error it does seem to be Vista related and not a memory issue. Since it worked fine after a format I suspect it's a program conflict or an update to a program that might not be compatable with Vista. What programs have you installed after the format? Most likely it is a conflict with your security program. Symantec was the one most often found to be at fault. What antivirus or antispyware programs do you have installed? Do you have the latest Windows updates? I did find a few other possibilites but not likely ones in your situation.

Hi doomula5000; Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Just start a new thread in the forum that best fits your problem and the team will do their very best to help you.

Pardon me for asking especially if I missed it but are all of the Windows Updates installed?

Hey Quacker; A friend of mine just emailed me stating the exact same problem with youtube after installing a new graphics card. I doubt that was the cause but he did send me this link from youtube. Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Macromedia's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player. See if anything there can help such as uninstalling flash first. One of the links might be dead but the advice might help.

In post number 29 you said you were; "dubious about deleting all system restore points". If malware was at the root of your original problems then it's highly likely that you are infected again. Trojans and viruses can be hidden in the Restore files. From there they can activate themselves again whether or not you Restore to an earlier date. If that is the case you might have to start over with the scans then delete your Restore via the method provided. It is a crucial step.

At what point is it stalled? 0%, 33%, 66%.

Sorry if I missed your version of Windows ckrono. I hadn't actually located the different set of drivers available to you. When searching for drivers the exact versions of Windows is sometimes needed. XP or XP Pro. 32 bit or 64 bit for instance. Hang in there.

You can back up files but not programs to a CD. This includes the Windows Address Book if you used the Export function. Programs have to be installed. Not just copied to a new machine. Of course if you have a lot of files like pictures or audio files you might need to use more then one CD. Backing up files like text, audio, pictures or an address book on a regular basis is always a good idea. A CD is one method and is inexpensive. An internal or external hard drive is another option. I could add more options but for now concentrate on your main issue and backup your most important files to a CD.

Hi ckrono; What version of Windows do you have?

Hi seb; You have programs that are considered spyware and quite possibly you have other infections too. These are likely the root of your problems. In order to properly clean your computer you should use add/remove programs in the control panel to uninstall everything related to MyWebSearch and any Peer To Peer programs like Kazza first. Follow our guide next then get back to us. You will probably have to do a repair after the infections are cleaned. Your computer is infected with Malware. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. It is a combination of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Required Cleanup StepsDisable the Spybot Search & Destroy TEA TIMER if enabled Run a Temporary file and cache cleaner (ATF) Run 2 Anti-Malware scanners Run an Online Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware Scanner Clear out old System Restore points If continued Malware type activity is present you may be asked to post a TrendMicro™ HijackThis™ Log file The reason to run multiple scanners is to ensure that no single scanner is missing something. The time it takes will vary depending on your system and your internet connection speed. Typically the SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes scanners will take between 10 to 90 minutes. The ESET online scan should take between 1 to 3 hours. In most cases, these scans will suffice to clean and disinfect your computer. Heavily infected systems or slower PCs can take much longer to scan and clean. For best results print the following instructions and bookmark this Web page To keep this guide printer-friendly, use your cursor to highlight the contents below. From your browser select File - Print and in the printer dialog box under "Print range" click the Selection choice to print out these instructions for removal of malware. http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/printer-selection.gif __________________________________________________ STEP 1 Disable Spybot Search & Destroys' TEA TIMER: (if installed)Run Spybot-S&D in Advanced Mode. If it is not already set to do this Go to the Mode menu select "Advanced Mode" On the left hand side, Click on Tools Then click on the Resident Icon in the List Uncheck "Resident TeaTimer" and OK any prompts. Restart your computer. __________________________________________________ STEP 2 Follow these instructions carefully. Download ATF-Cleaner from Snapfiles.com to remove un-needed temporary files from your computer that may contain malware. You can also download it from Majorgeeks.com When you run ATF-Cleaner, check the items as shown below for Main. For FireFox, be sure to click on the FireFox tab on top and check the items as shown below for FireFox NOTE: If you don't have FireFox or Opera installed then they will be grayed out and can be ignored Then click on "Empty Selected". http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner01.gif . http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner02.gif __________________________________________________ STEP 3 Install and run the free version (not the Professional version) of SUPERAntiSpyware from SUPERAntiSpyware.com Accept any prompts to allow SUPERAntiSpyware to install the latest rules and infection definition files. You do not have to send them your e-mail address, just click next. You can leave the automated check for updates on. You can uncheck "Send a diagnostic report to research center" if you don't want to send the information. DO NOT allow SUPERAntiSpyware to protect your Home Page settings. On the Top Left select the Scan your computer button. Make sure there is a CHECK MARK on all Fixed Drives. Click "Perform a Complete Scan". Click "Next" to Repair issues found and reboot the computer when prompted to do so. __________________________________________________ STEP 4 Install and run Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware from Malwarebytes - (direct download) Accept all defaults for the installer Allow the program to update the definitions Click on the Quick Scan and click Next. If any items are found allow it to clean them and then Reboot your computer. __________________________________________________ STEP 5 Run an online scan with ESET from Free Virus Scan: Use ESET's Online Antivirus Scanner You must use Internet Explorer for this online scan. FireFox, Opera, etc will not work for this scan. If your computer is running Window's Vista, then you must first start Internet Explorer as an Administrator. To do so, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Start Menu and select "Run as administrator" from the popup context menu. Accept the terms and click "Start". Once the scanner is ready, check "Remove found threats" AND "Scan unwanted applications". Click "Start" to begin the scan. When completed restart your computer __________________________________________________ Make sure your internet firewall security is enabled, and then please return to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help and tell us how the computer seems to be operating. At that time, you will receive instructions to assist you in removing malicious programs from your Add/Remove program list if warranted. If required this is the download link for TrendMicro™ HijackThis™ Unless instructed to by the Technician helping you then do not download this tool. Once you and the Technician agree that your system appears to be clean then you should delete all your System Restore points and recreate a new one. Please follow the instructions here How to turn off and turn on System Restore in Windows XP How to turn off and turn on System Restore in Windows Vista

Thanks for the updated information chajun. Please be patient until seth returns to look into this more.

On the first question it's always a good idea to backup the address book and save it somewhere besides the main drive. If you do get a new computer it will likely have Vista and Windows Mail and not Outlook Express. If you only use Outlook Express and not Outlook and if you only have one identity I would export the address book as WAB. This format will import all the data seemlessly into Windows Mail.

I think maynard is right on this. Only shareware for a limited time. It may be bundled with other software but it is not free. Likely no version is free legally.

Hi Quacker; To be honest I've seen AVG fail numerous times to detect and or clean infected computers. Do you have any reason to suspect any form of malware? Depending on your answer we can either link you to reputable free programs or supply you with our removal guide which contains the links and the instructions. Some older drives did make noise when working hard. Perhaps malware was taxing your drive. I can't say that's the case and I do doubt it but just a thought.

21 : Selected disk does not exist This error is returned if the device part of a device- or full file name refers to a disk or BIOS device that is not present or not recognized by the BIOS in the system. What repairs did you try? Did you try fixmbr?

I just checked my Vista and it looks the same.

Since the drive shows in My Computer and Device Manager shows no problems but it won't read the contents of the DVD you probably have a bad drive. They can fail especially after 5 years. You just never know. Borrow another drive and try it. That's what I would do.

Have a great birthday shrimply.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONNIE!!!!!!

You're welcome Spartan. I looked a very long time for that one but I didn't know if it would work. Thanks for letting us know.

Hi spartan; You can try this and see if it works. I make no promises. In windows live mail right click on the folder google mail. On synchronization settings, click don't synchronize.

A quick question. Why did you previously remove the drive? Was it giving you any problems?

Hi Spartan; Windows XP Comparison Guide.

No.

I take that to mean you have now set up gmail with Outlook Express and all is working as expected. If so great. If not post back. Good luck and stick around windowsvista.