snow

No problem ;) Let us know if you have any more unexpected re-starts.

Considering that your programs folder appears to be missing, I think that now we should consider the possibility of a Malware infection. I notice you use AVG. Please disable or remove it, preferable by uninstalling it. If you check our recommended security products: http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/malware-removal-av-firewalls-etc/3597-free-pc-help-recommended-security-products.html You won't find AVG on that list. After you have completed the following steps I highly recommend using one of the programs there to replace AVG. 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. 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

Sorry, I forgot to tell you to press 'R' while you held down the windows key, but I'm glad you figured it out anyway. I'm fairly certain the problem with your graphics card will be unrelated to the disappearance of you start menu items. If you could please create a separate thread describing the problem in the graphics-cards section: Graphics Cards - Computer Support Forums - FreePCHelp.co.uk Then we can keep the two issues separate. If you right-click on the start button, and select 'Open all users', the folder that contains your start menu items should appear. Go into the 'Programs' folder. Do you see any of your old items in there, or is it empty?

Hi jt, welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help :) Your start menu items could simply have been deleted or moved, but there is also the possibility that malware caused this. The first thing I'd like you to check is whether or not you can run programs. Press and hold the Windows key on your keyboard, then type: mspaint in the run box that appears. This box is different from the one at the bottom of Vista's start menu. Press enter, or click ok. You should see paint start up. If you can use it to post a screenshot of the problem then please do so. Is there anything else wrong with your copy of Windows? If you try to use a shortcut on your desktop, does it work? Can you open files normally?

I have seen a loose power connector cause this on a friend's computer before. If you have any spare power connectors inside your case, try putting a different one into your secondary hard drive. Is the hard drive IDE (large, flat, wide cables) or SATA (thin, small cables)? Make sure the IDE or SATA cable is plugged in securely at both ends when you reconnect the drive. Do you have any other computers you could connect it to, to see if the problem is transferred along with it?

Hi billy and welcome to free PC help :) We need to know a few more things before we can help you; What exactly did you do to 'reset' your laptop? Did you attempt a recovery from the laptop's inbuilt recovery partition, or did you use a CD? I moved your post to a more suitable part of the forum, as we ask that technical questions are not posted in the introductions section.

If the computer is still restarting, but less often now that you have cleaned it out, then it could still be an overheating issue. Your CPU has a high clock (3.4GHz) so I'd expect it to generate allot of heat. Download a trial edition of Everest Ultimate from the link below: http://www.lavalys.com:8081/everestultimate502.zip Install it, and then run it. You should see the round Everest icon followed by a list of temperatures in your system tray at the bottom right, beside the clock. Right-click the round Everest icon, and select 'System stability test'. Click Start on the new test window that appears. Let it run for a good five minutes, but don't try to use your computer for anything else during this time, as it will use all of your computers resources. After it has ran for five minutes, take a screen shot, or make a note of the temperatures, and tell us in your next reply.

If you buy a very powerful graphics card for your computer, then judging from your computer's specs, the rest of your system could become the limiting factor, and not allow you to get the full performance out of it. You have an Intel Celeron D at 2.5GHz, which will play most games that are a few years old, but will struggle with newer games, particularly modern FPS games like Unreal 3 etc. If you just want to run older games without much requirements, then the graphics card you have listed seems just fine to me, and will let you do this without needlessly breaking the bank. It also doesn't require any extra power connecters, which may be a problem with more powerful cards, so all around it seems like a good choice.

Hi DavidCharge, Do you have XP SP3 on both of your computers, and are both fully updated via windows update? Are you using the same installation disk for Autoroute on both computers also?

Hello JTB and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. I have an idea of what the problem is, and I'll try to explain as simply as I can. Your Netgear Rangemax router can use both of the wireless standards; 802.11g and 802.11b. 'b' is an older standard that uses an inefficient method to communicate between the device and the router. It is not normally used today because of this. 'g' is newer, and much faster, as well as being more efficient than 'b'. The problem is that when a 'b' device is used on a network with 'g' devices, they all have to use the old inefficient method to talk to the router. Your PSP's are 'b' devices, so when they are connected to your network, your laptop which is probably a 'g' device, will have to use the older, slower method which will probably result in the connection timeouts you have been getting. The only easy solutions I'm afraid would be to put the laptop very close to the router, around 3m, or to not use the PSP's when you want a reliable connection.

Glad to hear that the laptop can connect again. My response is also a bit late, but I just wanted to add my thoughts on the most likely reason for what happened; I'd guess that the laptop's network card is configured with static address information. This will only allow it to only connect successfully on a single network, or a network identical to the one you have at home. If you want to check this, then do the following once the computer is connected: Go into control panel, then network connections, then find the icon for 'Local area connection'. Right click on it, and select properties. Find 'Internet protocol TCP/IP'. Select it, and then click the Properties button. In this window you should see the options 'Obtain an IP address automatically' and 'Obtain DNS server address automatically' Selected. If both of those are selected, then everything is OK. If not, then change the selection to them, ignoring whatever is in the boxes, and then disconnect and re-connect to the network. Your computer should then be able to pick up addresses form other networks.

It's strange that those two anti-virus programs aren't showing up in your add/remove programs list. What you will need to do is re-start your computer in safe mode. To do this, re-boot, and when the black screen appears listing your hard-drives etc repeatedly press F8. A menu will appear where you can choose the option 'Start Windows in Safe mode with networking' Once you are in the safe mode desktop, press Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager, and look for a process called dvpapi.exe. Right-click on it and choose 'End Task'. Open my computer, and navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Authentium Delete the whole folder. Edit: Your new log shows no sign of Pest Patrol

Hi Gaz and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. I have moved your thread to a more appropriate section, as we ask that you do not post technical issues in the introductions forum. It sounds like your laptop can't boot up from its hard disk drive. Try turning it on, then pressing F2 to enter setup when it asks. If you look through the options there until you find 'Boot order' or 'Boot sequence', do you see a hard disk listed? It might be called something like 'Hitachi' or 'Seagate' or 'Travelstar', but the name could be different. Does the laptop make any clicking sounds while it is on?

Hi Andy, Having looked at your Hijack this log, I can see the following antivirus programs running: Authentium Antivirus Pest Patrol Virgin PC Guard Before installing or running any further antivirus programs, first you need to remove these from the computer, so they don't conflict with them. You should only run one antivirus program at a time. To uninstall them, go to the control panel, then double-click on 'Add/Remove Programs'. Find each of the above, remove them, and then re-start the PC. The following steps should then insure that the computer is cleaned of any malware or unwanted programs: 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. I know from personal experience that Virgin media, your internet service provider, can throttle (slow down) their user's internet connections depending on how much traffic is used, or the time of day. Does this happen during peak times only (evening)? If another user on your network downloads large files or watches youtube, this could also cause slowdown. What speed to virgin say they give you? Close browsers before scanning Scan for tracking cookies Terminate memory threats before quarantining

In all likelihood it sounds as though the hard disk is dead. The best thing to do would be try a different drive, and obtain a Legal copy of Windows. Because you have broken forum rules 3 and 4; No further assistance can be offered. This thread is now closed.

No problem :) Before we can continue however, I need to ask where exactly you have obtained the copy of Windows XP that you are burning to disk? If the system was home built, then I suppose a retail version must have been bought and installed on it?

Hello LordRose, you're not intruding at all, welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help :) When your hard drive suddenly lost power it could have sustained damage to itself, or corrupted some of the files that are necessary for Windows to work. If the computer bleeps when you turn it on, and is re-starting itself automatically, this might indicate that the hard drive has become damaged. If you go into your system's BIOS at startup, do you see the hard drive listed there? Do you still have the original XP install disk that came with the computer? What make and model of computer is it?

Do you connect to the internet using a router, or a modem, and can you tell us what make/model it is? There should be a cable connecting the computer that is on the internet to the modem or router you use. Is there is a similar cable going from the computer upstairs to your modem or router as well?

Hi there and welcome to Free PC help. The best thing to do would be to contact AOL customer support, which you can find by clicking the following link: Contact AOL - AOL Help AOL also has a section for frequently asked questions, which you could browse through if you'd like: Internet & web browser: Your questions answered - Technical - AOL Help

I've done some more looking, and if this is your motherboard: Features and specs on MSI MBOX 661FM (SIS661) Motherboard - Motherboards - Shopping.com The you should have an AGP 8x slot which can be used for a new graphics card. I am sorry for my incorrect statement above. AGP is older technology these days, and has been largely replaced by PCI express, but you can still find graphics cards that will support it. It would be good if you could follow Tootech's advice, and find the motherboard part number, so we can be sure.

Hi benningtonjr, After looking up your current graphics card, it seems to be an 'onboard' chipset graphics adapter. What this means is that it is attached directly on to your computer's motherboard, and that it can't be upgraded or removed. If you want to play 3D games, I'm afraid you'll probably have to get a new computer, one that has a PCI express graphics card, or a PCI express slot where you could install one.

Hi there and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help. If you are very new to computers, and want to transfer files, the best thing to do would be set up windows sharing. This will let you create a folder that your other computer can see, and that you can copy files both to and from. The windows command line is definitely not the option I would recommend. To tell you how to set up sharing, I need to know which versions of Windows you have on both of your computers. By 'home edition' do you mean Windows XP Home edition, or Windows Vista home basic/premium? If you find 'My Computer' or 'Computer' in the start menu and then right-click on it, and choose properties, then a window should appear telling you which version you have.

Please refer to the following forum rules: http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/introductions/5272-rules.html This thread is now closed due to violation of the above.

Glad to hear it's all sorted :) We depend on the members to help us with feedback and to help us answer posts. So check back with the forum when you can. Maybe next time you can help a member with a problem. That's what it's all about. People helping people. Once again thanks.

Hi maynardvdm, I regularly play Supreme commander Forged alliance with several friends on our LAN as it's an excellent RTS, and probably one of the most in-depth strategies I've ever played. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who likes RTS games. It has a bit of a learning curve, but is worth sticking with for the fun you'll get out if it once you know your way around. If you want to play against each other, then the default game will do fine, but if like us you fancy taking on the computer as a team then I'd recommend the Sorian AI mod, as it improves on the stock AI hugely: sorian-ai-mod - Project Hosting on Google Code Judging by your computer's specs, you should have no problem playing Supreme commander on decent settings. It can get very CPU heavy when there are lots of units, but since it lets you set a per-player unit limit this shouldn't be too much of a problem. As for the FPS side of things, the most fun I've had playing an FPS on a LAN was with Unreal Tournament 2004. A bit dated these days, but still the best in the unreal series IMO, with literally tonnes of map packs and downloadable content. Try playing an 'invasion' game with your friends and see how long you can hold out against the monsters :) I've never played counter-strike, so I'm not sure about it. Red alert 3 was a huge disappointment for me as I loved the first and second games, but it seems they decided to strip out half the content and make it look far more cartoonish (again, just my own opinion).