Plastic Nev

Hi Bob me old mate. As Maynard says it can be done if you can connect both drives to the computer at once, if not you will have to temporarily move them to the computer then transfer to the other drive afterwards.

Hi again, the computer would have been booting and running from that disk is my thoughts, but now you have removed the disk and because it couldn't actually install the operating system on to the hard drive, without the disk in it has nothing to boot from. However a continual tapping of F8 (or other key depending on your system) as soon as you press the power button, should get you into the BIOS I would have thought.

That could be the problem, that CD is normally only compatible with the original hard drive and will not install a new version of XP on a different drive, both size and make. Normally at this point I would advise buying a copy of XP However, the fact that you now cannot seem to get into even the BIOS is a little worrying. I can only leave this for one of our other more knowledgeable people

OK, Andy, can you tell us exactly what it says on the label of the disk that came with your PC please. Edit to add, I didn't catch your last reply, are you saying that the normal hitting F8 or other F key as it starts is doing nothing?

Hi, when you say AOL, do you mean their Netscape browser? AOL is normally a service provider. Internet Explorer or IE was based on the Netscape browser!

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Andy, Can you tell us a bit more about the new hard drive you fitted, and how did you install the operating system on it? Next is did you do anything in the BIOS?

Hi, and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. Have you tried removing the monitor plug and trying the TV then? It may be your graphics cannot run two screens at once. 'Tis only a guess as I am not that well up on these issues.

And around about now is the time to try IE7 perhaps:D

A young chap had just got his driver's license and asked his dad if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he'd make a deal with his son. "If you bring your grades up from C to B, study your Bible and get your hair cut ....then we'll talk about you borrowing the car." The son thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it. After about six weeks his father said, "Son, I'm really proud of you. You've brought your grades up and I've been watching you studying your Bible. However, I'm a bit disappointed that you haven't had your hair cut." The lad paused a moment then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair,John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there's a strong argument that Jesus had long hair too." To which his father replied, "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"

I also notice, you have the icon for windows updates available, showing in your bottom task bar. I hope you have since downloaded and installed them for your own security.

Hi joosh, I am glad the malware has been sorted and everything now is OK. Have you installed Firefox? as well as being a good browser and quicker than Internet Explorer, there are many add ons you can get for all sorts of purposes. We recommend getting the add on "McAfee Site Advisor", once installed, a small icon sits on the right of the bottom task bar, if the site is clean the icon will be green, if regarded slightly dodgy it will go orange, and will go red for dangerous.

Is the computer working correctly in all other aspects, and can you reinstall the now useless programs? If so, rather than any further messing and getting nowhere, right click on the dead icons, select delete. Then reinstall the program. Try that with the least important first to make sure it all goes OK.

Hi joosh, it looks like you have a problem with malware of some sort. Please read and follow all the steps below in the order as presented. Next, some recommendations. Once you have completed the procedure as below, keep on board and regularly update, and use, the Malwarebytes and the Superantispyware. Have a look here for our recommendations for anti-malware here- http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/malware-removal-av-firewalls-etc/3597-free-pc-help-recommended-security-products.html Also we would recommend removing that download manager you have, there are much better and less risky services available. Next, I recommend installing and using Firefox as an alternative browser to Internet explorer, and you can download and install a download manager as an add on to Firefox. It is much safer. Also be careful in your use of Facebook, there have recently been some unwanted downloads of malware from that site. The site owners do try to keep it clean however, just exercise caution on there. Here is our procedure for helping you remove any malware- 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 C:\Fixed Drive. [*] 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: Please don't use it on a regular basis as this will clear all previous restore points. The feature might be very useful to revert your computer to 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. Happy Safe Computing! http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/../images/additional-smilies/thumb.gif Close browsers before scanning Scan for tracking cookies Terminate memory threats before quarantining

Hi again, I think now we could do with knowing something about your computer, what make, model number etc. From that we can find some more details of the BIOS and how to get into it, also other helpful information such as the motherboard and its type. For now though, shut it down, then re-start it. As soon as you have pressed the power button start tapping F2. That should open the Bios page and keep it there.

Also Acronis do a free but basic home use version, the fun bit is finding it. However, after a bit of a search I found this,- Acronis True Image 8.0 Free Genuine License and Download | Megaleecher.Net it is version 8, which I believe is the 2004 release, hence it now being free. It will still do the job though and I use it myself. I used a different rout than this one, as when I got mine it was on a time limited release, this one appears not. Good luck.

Hi, Also a check of the speaker plugs, (pull the plug out and reinsert once or twice) just to rule out a poor or dirty connection. If the sound system is on a separate card rather than on board the motherboard, remove it and then replace to make sure the contacts are making a good connection.

OK Carlos, I am stumped a bit now. Just have to wait to see what Dalo or Tootech can come up with, there can be lots of reasons for random crashes as you know.

Hi again, Actually I made a small mistake and said Windows XP, when I asked which you had re-installed. can you tell us which it was, the recovery disk or the full Windows Vista complete OS. If the latter you would have probably had to re-install at least some drivers anyway is what I am thinking. If only a manufacturers recovery disk, that would not have altered any drivers, just the OS.

Hi my old friend, I hope you are doing OK in your studies. When you say in your last post you re-installed Windows, was this using the manufacturers recovery disk, or a full install from an original XP disk? The reason I ask, is because I suspect a driver issue here, and that is because you said if the sound is on, then you hear a sound repeating itself over and over, when it crashes. It may be the sound drivers, or even a different driver but it is making the system appear to go into a continuous loop, hence the sound repeating itself. My advice is check, especially the sound drivers, are up to date.

Hi Layler, did your camera come with any disks? there is usually software bundled that will do that job for you if installed. Can you tell us the make and model of your camera in case we need to look it up.

Hi Steel, welcome, and that is how I started.

Hi Mike, I have had a look at the software myself, all good stuff if you are into the stock market. However your problem may be your firewall blocking those ports rather than any other software. Let us know which firewall you are using please.

I assume the computer is freezing totally at this point? Can you use the mouse to go to "Start" "Turn Off Computer"? or is the mouse and pointer also frozen? If so actually turning off the power is not a good idea. You should use the power button at the front of the tower. That will shut it down in a safer manner. It will take a few moments to shut down but much better for the hard drive.

Ah, I see, I am afraid you are still lumbered, probably with the old Norton and provided its subscription is still in date, it will just be all the backups and updates from 2007, yes, all updates will have been included. However, earlier versions of Norton are not well liked here, or most anywhere else actually. We feel it is over bloated with extra's that are virtually useless, and not only that, has been proven to be a poor performer against other ant-virus software. We would recommend you remove it, especially if near the end of its subscription, and then install something better. Have a look here for the software we recommend- http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/malware-removal-av-firewalls-etc/3597-free-pc-help-recommended-security-products.html If you have any more questions regarding which to install or how many, do ask, we can but try to help. If you decide to remove Norton we will point you in the right place for the removal tool. It is difficult to remove otherwise.

Hi Quacker, first try the external drive as above, but if even that fails you should be able to rescue those photographs once you acquire a new machine. Simply remove the hard drive from the old machine, then with either a full caddy which will have a USB connection, or a straight USB to IDE (being an old Time machine I doubt if it will be SATA) adapter you can connect the old hard drive to the new machine as an external drive. It should then show up in "My Computer" as drive F or similar. Right click on it from there and select open, you should then be able to navigate through the files to your photographs. If you get a full caddy for the old hard drive, you can leave it connected as an external hard drive if you wish.