DirtyPolo

Hey Nick, this sounds to me like an explorer.exe problem, When you start up your PC and nothing appears, can you start up task manager and check on the processes tab for a process called Explorer.exe, please tell me if it is running or not.

Thanks everyone, and a Merry Christmas to all! :)

I used to have that on my laptop too, what does it say when it crashes? What happens? That;s if wolfey hasn't solved it already :P For me, luckily it just went away after time but it went through a period where it would crash everytime I used it.

Did it display your HDD as the Master drive when it ran through the POST?

Okay, I've done my best to get a decent spec for you that will play the games you are talking about and included the things such as 1tb HDD etc, but I must warn you it's almost doubled your budget. Hopefully Dalo or somebody can find a way of knocking this down, but until then here's the spec I have found: CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, SLACR G0, S775, 2.40 GHz 1066MHz 8MB Cache, 9x Multiplier, Retail £145 OR Intel Core 2 Duo, E8400, Wolfdale Core, S775, 3.0 GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB Cache, 9x Multiplier, Retail £140 MOBO: ASUS P5QL PRO iP43 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard £64 RAM: OCZ 2GB KIt (2x1GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 Reaper Memory HPC Edition Dual Channel Kit CL5 £39 GPU: 512MB Palit HD 4850, PCI-E 2.0(x16), 1986MHz GDDR3, GPU 625MHz, 800 Cores, 2x DL DVI-I/ HDTV, HDCP £119 HDD: 1TB Samsung HD103UJ Spinpoint F1, SATA 300, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ £73 PSU: Hiper 530W Black Type M PSU - ATX v2.2, Silent/Temp Control, Active PFC, SLI/Crossfire Certified £44 SOUND CARD: Creative Labs SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI-Express x1 £35 OS: HOT SELLER Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1* 32Bit 1Pk OEM (DVD) £88 £602-£607 Unless you are thinking of overclocking it then the standard CPU fan will be fine.

Hi rloya, IApro.exe is a known virus, What antivirus programs are you using on your laptop? have you run a virus scan with them?

Okay well 300-400 is quite a tight budget. First of all, as now the topic has changed to building a PC, I shall move this thread into the appropriate place. If you look around at some of the other threads to do with building PCs, you will see the sort of budget that you will be looking at. You will have the choice between a quad core or a dual core, each has its good points and bad points, depending on how much workload you intend to put on it. I myself have a quad core and you can see my thread of when I was building my PC here. It plays all of the lastest games with full high settings with no problem at all. It may answer some questions you have. Ideally you should be looking at, -Intel Quad/Dual core processor, -Asus Motherboard - I would opt for an ATI Graphics card as you get more for your money at the moment compared with Nvidia. - In my opinion, it is wise to stick with OCZ for RAM as they are well known with very little problems ever occurring. - Look at Creative Soundblaster 5.1 for a very good sound card I shall have a quick scan around now and see how close I can keep it to your budget. are you looking to buy the FULL system, such as case, CD drive, Monitor, etc or can you keep some parts from your current PC?

Hey devlin, following these steps should result in you seeing the information about your soundcard, please post the results for us to see. Click the Start Button and then click "Programs". Next, click the "Accessories" and then "System Information". Within the "System Information" window, click the "+" symbol next to "Components". Click "Sound Device" (or "Multimedia" and then "Sound Device") and in the right-side of the window you should be able to locate complete information about the sound card. And what computer do you have?, make, model, 32bit or 64bit OS, etc.

I am a little confused as after searching around, most people with the same problem are advised to download the realtek driver from their mobo's website, yet Asus don't have a realtek'97 driver for download, only a SoundMAX driver... :S

First of all, if you are fine with checking the inside of your PC, open it up and make sure the cables to the HDD and the mobo are plugged in properly, I once had that problem and just happened to have knocked one out accidently, check that first and if it still says the same thing then might have to check if your HDD is alive or not. Once all is connected properly, and if it is still not working, please could you copy down and reply with what the POST screen of your PC shows when you boot up, thanks,

yes that is fine, step 1 is only needed if you use that program stated in the step, "Spybot Search & Destroys' TEA TIMER"

Follow those instructions given by mart above, exactly as they are written out, from top to bottom. You will need to do all of the above procedures but in the order that the instructions describe. Just follow that tutorial above and it shall clean your system.

Okay David, follow these next instrustions carefully. Your computer could 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. Required Cleanup Steps Disable the Spybot Search & Destroy TEA TIMER if you use it and if it is enabled Run a Temporary file and cache cleaner (ATF) Run 2 Anti-Malware scanners (Listed Below) Run an Online Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware Scanner (Listed Below) Clear out old System Restore points If continued Malware type activity is present you may be asked to post a TrendMicro™ HijackThis™ Log file, do not do so unless requested. 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://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/printer-selection.gif ____________________________________________ STEP 1 Disable Spybot Search & Destroys' TEA TIMER: (if installed, if not go to Step 2) 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. 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://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/atf-cleaner01.gif . http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/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

Hellow Kalpesh, First of all, we at Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help are of the general opinion that you do not use Norton as an antivirus. There is a list of recommended products for free antiviruses and firewalls etc which can be found here: Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Recommended Security products I recommend you uninstall Norton, install one of the recommended programs in that list and rescan your PC and see what it finds. It is possible that it is trying to get you to download or buy a program that would not benefit your computer in anyway possible. also have you scanned your PC since seeing this message appearing?

And is your PC still running slowly?, please can you define what you mean by slowly, examples etc.

Okay well glad to see we have solved the explorer.exe problem, hopefully. When you said before you had scanned your PC, which programs did you use to scan it?

Hey IJM, the people to best advise you on hardware issues would be Dalo or Tootech. The chances are that if you would like to upgrade your CPU, graphics card and RAM, that you will also be looking at a new motherboard aswell. The total price for upgrading depends on where you get it from and what you get. That's all the input I can put into your question myself, just didn't want to leave you standing around without any response :P

Okay, can you restart your PC again and check task manager and tell me if 2 explorer.exe's appear again or if just the one? also, do you have the Windows CD for your operating system avaliable?

Hey IJM and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help, we hope we can help you out with any problems or questions you wish to ask and post :) Enjoy your time here :D

Hmm okay, lets try another idea about this explorer.exe, Force both to close by using the task manager, then restart explorer from the correct path "c:\windows\System32\explorer.exe" (minus the quotes). To do this, goto File > New Task and fill in the location with the path provided above. Once explorer is running again, check task manager for 2 instances. Finally, search your hard drive for explorer.exe and report back the locations of any iterations of the file that you find, as well as whether or not you saw 2 explorers again after killing and restarting explorer from the System32 directory

Did you restart your PC after applying those changes? explorer.exe doesnt need a window open to run but there should only be 1 running.

well seeing as they are both general explorer.exe processes there is one more thing I would like you to try. This solution has worked in the past or many other people with the same problem as yourself: 1. Double-Click on "My Computer" 2. Click "Tools" -- "Folder Options" 3. Click the | View | tab 4. Un-check [ ] Launch Folder Windows in a separate process 5. Click [OK] let us know how you get on, you may have to restart your pc after applying these changes just to check that the second explorer.exe doesn't come back again. You can then run antivirus and antispyware/malware scans on your PC just to be safe if you wish.

Hey again David, Can you double check for me, you say there are 2 explorer.exe processes running, are they both explorer.exe or does one ahve a spae before the extention, so: explorer .exe?

Hi bejay, I'll move this thread as it is unfortunatly in the wrong section, but we'll still help you out. First of all, we at Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help are of the general opinion that you do not use Norton as an antivirus. There is a list of recommended products for free antiviruses and firewalls etc which can be found here: Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Recommended Security products I recommend you uninstall Norton, install one of the recommended programs in that list and rescan your PC and see what happens. But yes it is possible that it was just an adware trying to get you to download a program that would not benefit you in anyway possible. Please follow these steps: Your computer could 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. Required Cleanup Steps Disable the Spybot Search & Destroy TEA TIMER if you use it and if it is enabled Run a Temporary file and cache cleaner (ATF) Run 2 Anti-Malware scanners (Listed Below) Run an Online Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware Scanner (Listed Below) Clear out old System Restore points If continued Malware type activity is present you may be asked to post a TrendMicro™ HijackThis™ Log file, do not do so unless requested. 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://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/printer-selection.gif ____________________________________________ STEP 1 Disable Spybot Search & Destroys' TEA TIMER: (if installed, if not go to Step 2) 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. 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://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/atf-cleaner01.gif . http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/FPCH/Malware%20Guide/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

Hey djaj, if possible can you repeat the steps I asked for but remember to start back up in sfae mode by tapping f8 as starting up. And then navigate to that file again and copy the last few lines again please. They should be different to the ones you have just posted. Thanks. Remember you only need to start up into safemode and copy those lines after it freezes on normal shutdown