RandyL

I do know most of them. I do Google. Look you are no expert. The mere fact you run those reg cleaners and think they are good and can do no harm proves my point. I'm not arguing. You can either take the advice or not but that is what you need to do.

So it's even worse then I suspected. You have been running even more so called tune up utilitities. Just so you know drivers are like software that work in conjunction with hardware. And just because you have Bitdefender and Avast running prior to now without conflict means nothing. The advice we offer is sound. Are you using download accelerators too? Reinstall Windows. Read this. Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Recommended Security products Follow the advice given.

I'm going to be brutally honest here. Do a full reinstall of XP. You will have more damage than you know. First of all never run more than one AV at a time. Never two or three. That's the easy part. What do you have, six or seven optimizer/registry cleaning programs? Some I know and wouldn't pay a penny for them. The ones I don't know scare me even more. The crap ones are gauranteed to do harm to your system files and software. The so called halfway decent ones, and I use the term lightly, will do the same unless you are an expert and/or do your homework on what they find. The fact you have so many of these leaves no doubt in my mind on the reality of this. Your system has now been corrupted more than you know. To attempt to repair Windows is pointless at this point unless you are a true PC Guru. Not what you want to hear but that is the fact of the matter.

Here are some useful links. Request backup disks in the United States. Restoring Your Computer´s Software to the Factory Settings.

Off hand I would say that your hard drive may be on its way out. I would backup all your files immediately. As for disks check to see if your computer has the option of making a set. If not you can order them from the Dell support site very cheaply. If you need to replace your drive you will need them.

Just let your firewall sit there and do its job. Rarely will they come out with a new version. It'll be fine as it is. If you want you can go to the Otpost site and check for a new version someday.

A very good play on the wordings of the English language Wolfeymole. Very funny the English language. Nice joke on your native language Wolfeymole. Like I said you will get different opinions and as Wolfeymole pointed out there are many factors such as kids to consider too.

I'm glad we could be of assistance. Let us know if you still need help. Good luck.

Your choice of programs is good. Spyware blaster is not a scanner but does block certain types of spyware. I use it myself. Check for updates for it periodically. As far as how often to scan you'll get different answers. Some will say every week. Some will say once a month. As for myself I just do it whenever I'm not doing anything else. Maybe once a month. As for myself I only scan with my AV and Superantispyware. Malwarebytes is a good scanner too. Yes only use one firewall and AV at a time. You can use a combination of antispyware programs. I'll let an Avira user advise you on how to setup a schedule. Check out Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Recommended Security products if you need any more ideas.

By any chance are you in full screen mode? Try the F11 key. Also try the Alt key. Another thing you can try is going to Folder Options in Control Panel and Restore Defaults.

Hi bobsy; First of all don't use any registry cleaners as they may do more harm than good. Some are themselves suspect as malware. Please follow our guide as we have had great success with it. If at any point you have trouble get back to us and we'll work around it. After you reply to this post I'm going to move this thread to the malware section. Your computer appears to be 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. It is in your best interest to note the following: Please disable your resident security applications (such as AVG, Spybot, WinPatrol, etc.) before performing the below procedure so that they do not interfere with the process. Perform all the steps in the order listed to avoid any conflicts. If unsure, please stop and voice your doubts. You might be required to go offline during the disinfection process. Therefore, it is recommended to print off the instructions below for ease of reference. If you stick to the above guidelines, all should go smoothly. ================================================ STEP 1 Download ATF-Cleaner by Atribune. Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click on the file to run the program. On the Main tab, check the Select All button. Next, click on the Firefox tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button. Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Firefox, then click No at the corresponding prompt. Now, click on the Opera tab (if applicable) and check the Select All button. Note: If you would like to preserve your saved passwords in Opera, then click No at the corresponding prompt. Press the Empty Selected button and click OK to acknowledge the corresponding prompt. Click on the Exit button to quit the program. ================================================ STEP 2 Please click here to download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware. Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program. At the end, make sure a check mark is placed next to: Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware [*]Click Finish. [*]The program will download and update itself if it finds the necessity to do so. Please allow this. [*]Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan. Note: Depending on your computer specifications, the scan may take some time to complete. Please wait patiently and do not interrupt the process. [*]When the scan is complete, click OK, and then Show Results to view the results. [*]Make sure that every entry is selected, and click Remove Selected. [*]Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 3 Please click here to download SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Version). Save the file to your Desktop. Double-click SUPERAntiSpyware.exe and follow the prompts to install the program. Open SUPERAntiSpyware. Under Configuration and Preferences, click the Preferences button. Click the Scanning Control tab. Under Scanner Options make sure the following fields checked: [*]Click the Close button to leave the control center screen. [*]On the main screen, under Scan for Harmful Software click Scan your computer. [*]On the left, make sure you check mark All the Fixed Drives. [*]On the right, under Complete Scan, choose Perform Complete Scan. [*]Click Next to start the scan. Please be patient while it scans your computer. [*]After the scan is complete, a Scan Summary box will appear with potentially harmful items that were detected. Click OK. [*]Make sure every entry has a check mark next to it and click Next. [*]A notification will appear that Quarantine and Removal is Complete. Click OK and then Finish to return to the main menu. [*]Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 4 Please visit the ESET Online Scanner, using Internet Explorer to initiate the scan. Note: If you are running Windows Vista, then you will need Administrative privileges to complete the latter part of the procedure. To do so, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Start Menu and select the Run As Administrator option in the shell context menu. Check mark the YES, I accept the Terms of Use box. Click the Start button. Click the Install button on the following screen. Click Start. This will will initialize and update the scanner engine. Check mark the box beside Remove found threats. Click the Scan button. This will start the scan. Please be patient while it is in progress. Restart your computer. ================================================ STEP 5 Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select System Restore. Choose the radio button marked Create a Restore Point on the first screen and click Next. Give the restore point a name then click Create. The new point will be stamped with the current date and time. Keep a note of this so you can find it easily should you need to use System Restore. Next, click on Start > Run, type Cleanmgr and click on OK. Click on the More Options tab. Click the Clean Up button in the System Restore section to remove all previous restore points except the most recent one. This will remove any infected files that have been backed up by Windows. The files in "System Restore" are protected to prevent any programs changing those files. This is the only foolproof way to ensure the deletion of those files. Note: Do not clear restore points on a regular basis as doing so will clear all previous restore points even those that you may need. System Restore is a useful tool to revert your computer back to a working condition if something goes wrong. Re-enable all your security applications and please return here and tell us how the computer seems to be operating Close browsers before scanning Scan for tracking cookies Terminate memory threats before quarantining

To quote Tootech did you Disable Automatic Restart? Also like he said this might be a bad cable or a short circuit. Have you tried a new cable? More feedback on the questions asked or trying the solutions offered would help the forum help you. That is our goal.

From Mike the owner of Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help to the staff to the members to everyone the world over. The spirit of giving is alive and well the world over. It doesn't matter where you are from or how you do it. It might be giving free PC advice. It might be donating to charity. It might be babysitting for someone in need. There are many ways that people give of themselves every single day. I'm sure we all know of what I speak. Here is just one classic example of one persons determination to make a difference. Click here to view the Komando page video One person can't change the world but one person can make a difference.

Thanks Danzil; Like you said there are costs so any help is greatly appreciated. We apprieciate help with the costs and also appreciate help with the many problems members have. So pitch in with money or advice and help keep us vibrantly alive. But fear not everyone. Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help will always be free as long as we are here. Once again thanks danzil for everything you do for us.

Hi heckler; Well it could be a failing modem even if it does say you are connected. I highly doubt it though. I've seen issues with certain firewalls and AV causing this. You need to see if this is one of those cases. Try disabling AVG and see if the problem goes away. For that matter I would uninstall AVG altogether and install one of the products we recommend. Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Recommended Security products As a side note you could try Firefox to see if it's a browser issue but once again I highly doubt it.

Hi danzil. Good to have you helping out. You bring up a good point that may well be needed. Here is the name. Rootkit.Agent/Gen-UACFake

They won't install or they won't run? If malwarebytes won't install then download and save the file mbam-setup.exe Rename the file to m.exe and try to install it. If it won't run look at this post. http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/malware-removal-av-firewalls-etc/6647-windows-firewall-3.html#post48178 SAS won't install in safemode but will run in safemode. What did ESET find?

Hi adrian; Out of curiosity can you try something for me? Once you bootup use Ctrl-Alt-Delete and bring up Task Manager. Click File then click New Task. Type "explorer.exe" without the quotes. Next click Desktop in the left pane and see if you see your shortcuts. Close Task Manager and explorer. Is your desktop still blank?

You got lucky. Your board is faulty and you need to take it to a shop. If it didn't work in the BIOS it won't work anywhere. The fact you got it to work from a Linux CD just means the fault didn't develope this particular time. No virus will run when outside of the OS whether it be Windows or Linux.

OK carry on. I was just a bit concerned as I wasn't sure is all. Free is good Dunnsdale. I agree.

STOP Nothing suggested by us needs purchased. Please slow down and explain exactly what you are doing before proceeding.

Are these from Portfolio software and do you have saved view enabled? If so what is your product?

What browser are you using furious? IE, Firefox etc. Do they open in a new window or a new tab? I'm unsure which you mean.

DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL If your getting that error when reinstalling then I agree with danzil in post 3 that you have a hard drive or memory problem. I'd put money on the drive but who knows. What is the reason you have chosen to reinstall? What problem did you have. I think it likely that you have one of those two hardware problems.

I had a combination toy that served as a rifle, sword, spear, baton, fishing pole and much much more. If it broke all I had to do was break off another branch from a tree. :p:p:p:p:p:p Seriously though I loved those clackers in high school Jelly Bean. Until they banned them from school because when they broke they went flying down the hallway at a high rate of speed knocking people in the head. But seriously. It only hurt for a little while. Kill joys. :D:D