Help please

[Maryport]

I am using xp pro with sp2, sp3 and all available updates installed.

 

When ive been online for around an hour, surfing the net, I am unable to sign into msn messenger.

 

The only way I can get to sign in, is to reboot the pc, but this has its problems.

 

When I reboot, i get a blue screen, which just flashes on and I cannot read what it says, I can only get the pc to boot up, if I shut it down for ten minutes and then select "last known good configuration"

 

i then get a message on the post screen saying " the previous attempt to overclock failed, press F1 to continue"

 

When I do this, I get a message saying " your computer was not shut down correctly and it gives me several options ie safe mode, last known good configuration etc

 

I have no idea how to correct this problem

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[starams5]

Hi

 

Okay, I still say your problems may be memory related. Run memtest and see if you get any errors, you can download it here.

 

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Edited May 14, 2009 by starams5

[Maryport]

Please Help

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Thats the thing that concerns me.....I havent over clocked my pc....wouldnt have a clue how to do it

[starams5]

See my previous post which has been edited.

[Tootech]

Don't worry too much about the overclock error message - it sometimes happens when a PC isn't shutdown correctly, or when you have done a hard reset - ie switched it off or pulled out the plug when it won't shut down.

[Maryport]

Hi Tootech,

 

Thank you, but I havent shut the pc down incorrectly nor have I done a hard reset. This just started happenning a couple of days ago.

[Maryport]

Hi thank you

 

Which one do I download ? I should add that I dont have a floppy drive and have no idea what to do with iso's.

[maynardvdm]

Are you refering to the memtest, if yes:

Click on Download (Pre-Build & ISO) then click on Download - Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip)

Unzip it and burn it as an ISO image to a CD.

[starams5]

Hi

 

Don't extract the files from the ISO image or it will become non-bootable.

[maynardvdm]

Sorry, my bad. I didn't think ;)

[Maryport]

Hi and again thanks, sorry for the delay in replying, but I started running Memtest yesterday and have just closed it, its been running for 29 hours 36 mins and found no errors. I closed it because I didnt know whether it had malfunctioned, does it normally run for this period of time ?

 

The info on my screen was as follows:

 

Athlon 64 X2 2412 Mhz

L1 Cache 64k 18846Mb/s

L2 Cache 1024k 4711Mb/s

L3 Cache None

 

Memory 3072M 1491 Mb/s

Chipset AMD K8 (ecc:disabled)

Settings Ram: 160 Mhz (ddr321) /cas:2.5-3-3-7

 

Does this mean anything to anyone ?

 

TIA

[starams5]

Hi Maryport

 

Generally when you get this error message "previous attempt to overclock failed" there is something going on with your hardware or a bios setting is off. I didn't see anything wrong the info you provided although I found your timing to be suspicious, I research it (160 Mhz (ddr321) /cas:2.5-3-3-7) and it appears to be okay. You may need to flash your bios if it is not current so that can be ruled out as well, the ROM may be corrupt. Please don't flash before posting back for the correct procedure on how to flash which I'll provide you. I ran across this article I would like for you to read, try all other steps mentioned before deciding to flash. See link below.

 

Error Message Detail

Edited May 17, 2009 by starams5

[Tootech]

When I reboot, i get a blue screen, which just flashes on and I cannot read what it says, I can only get the pc to boot up, if I shut it down for ten minutes and then select "last known good configuration"

The blue screen you describe will have an error message that may be useful in the fault finding process.

 

When I do this, I get a message saying " your computer was not shut down correctly and it gives me several options ie safe mode, last known good configuration etc

At this point select Disable Automatic Restart on System Failure

 

This will prevent automatic restart when you see the blue screen, and then you can make a note of the error message - post it here please. An example would be STOP 0x00000c21 IRQ Not Less Or Equal.

 

Please can you look in the Event Viewer for errors relating to the hard disk.

 

Start>Control Panel>Adminstrative Tools>Event Viewer.

 

You should now have the Event Viewer window open. Look in the left hand column and click on System. Now look in the right hand column for any errors ie that have a red cross next to them, that say something similar to this The device, \Device\Harddisk0, has a bad block

[Maryport]

Hi (again)

 

Ok ive been on MSI Live update and it found one driver for my mobo that was out of date and it said that my BIOS was up to date. Ive rebooted the pc and it didnt blue screen. So fingers crossed.

 

In the event viewer, there were several errors, all of which were the same:

 

"The driver detected a controller error on\device\harddisk2\D"

[RandyL]

Hi Mary and everyone else.

 

Is this what you used Mary?

 

MSI -- MICRO-STAR INT'L CO., LTD.

[Maryport]

Hi

This is the page I went to

 

MSI -- MICRO-STAR INT'L CO., LTD.

 

Hope it helps

[Maryport]

I dont know if I'm right here, but I think I might have found the problem.

 

C drive has my operating system on it.

D drive is my NEC dvd+rw ND 1100A

E,F,G,and H are removable drives ie multiple card reader

and

I drive is my Sata drive which is only used for storage of my documents and photographs.

 

As the event viewer found a problem "The driver detected a controller error on\device\harddisk2\D" I downloaded the flash utility for the dvd player from NEC and when I tried to run it, I got a message saying "Drive not detected"

 

Could this be the problem ?

[starams5]

Hi

 

I hope you resolved your problem and everything's okay now. The MSI online updater should be just fine for updating driver's but flashing the bios is safest when done in a DOS, not Windows environment. Good luck!

[Tootech]

"Drive not detected"

It does look that way, although I'm not sure if it would cause all of the problems you have described.

 

Do you use the DVD drive, and maybe have a CD/DVD in it when it crashes?

 

I wonder also if there is some kind of conflict between that drive and your hard drive, if they are running on the same IDE channel - that would be in keeping with the Event Viewer errors, the drive flash error and crashing.

 

If the problems continue it may be worth disconnecting that DVD drive and testing to see if the faults go away.

[Maryport]

I wonder also if there is some kind of conflict between that drive and your hard drive, if they are running on the same IDE channel - that would be in keeping with the Event Viewer errors, the drive flash error and crashing.

 

Hi, The pc worked fine for about six hours yesterday, before I got a BSOD, it then refused to reboot.

 

How/where do I check to see if my dvd and hard drive are running on the same IDE Channel ?

 

They are both on seperate IDE cables.

[Tootech]

They are both on seperate IDE cables

Two IDE cables = no conflict - thats not the problem.

 

You have checked the memory, you have checked the drivers, your DVD drive may have a fault, but isn't affecting your hard drive as it is running on a seperate channel. Event Log isn't showing up too much.

 

" the previous attempt to overclock failed, press F1 to continue"

Obviously this remains a problems, and it may suggest a board fault or just a BIOS setting that needs changing.

 

What security software do you have on your PC ?- it may be worth running thorough the clean up/malware removal process.

[Maryport]

Hi Tootech,

sorry for the delay in replying to your message and thanks for the time you have given to me.

 

I use AVG anti virus and having run it, it hasnt found any problems.

 

What would you suggest I look for in the bios ?

[Maryport]

Hi Tootech,

 

Within seconds of posting my last message........BSOD !

 

Ive disconnected the dvd rw and I'll see how long it runs before getting another BSOD.

 

Thanks

[Tootech]

AVG is not considered one of the better antivirus programs - lots of junk can get around it.

 

Can you run through the malware cleanup process - it takes a while, stick with it and see what it finds. If you have BSOD problems you may have to try running it through Safe Mode.

 

I'd uninstall AVG prior to doing this, and when you are finished install Avast Home or Avira Antivir, both are preferred to AVG.

 

It is in your best interest to note the following:

1. 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.
   
2. Perform all the steps in the order listed to avoid any conflicts.
   
3. If unsure, please stop and voice your doubts.
   
4. 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

1. Download ATF-Cleaner by Atribune.
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click on the file to run the program.
   
4. On the Main tab, check the Select All button.
   
5. 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.
   
6. 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.
   
7. Press the Empty Selected button and click OK to acknowledge the corresponding prompt.
   
8. Click on the Exit button to quit the program.
   

================================================

STEP 2

1. Please click here to download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
   
4. At the end, make sure a check mark is placed next to:
   
   1. 
      
   2. Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
      
   3. 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

1. Please click here to download SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Version).
   
2. Save the file to your Desktop.
   
3. Double-click SUPERAntiSpyware.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
   
4. Open SUPERAntiSpyware.
   
5. Under Configuration and Preferences, click the Preferences button.
   
6. Click the Scanning Control tab.
   
7. 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
   1. 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.
      
   2. Check mark the YES, I accept the Terms of Use box.
      
   3. Click the Start button.
      
   4. Click the Install button on the following screen.
      
   5. Click Start. This will will initialize and update the scanner engine.
      
   6. Check mark the box beside Remove found threats.
      
   7. Click the Scan button. This will start the scan. Please be patient while it is in progress.
      
   8. Restart your computer.
      

   ================================================

   STEP 5
   1. Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and select System Restore.
      
   2. 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.
      
   3. Next, click on Start > Run, type Cleanmgr and click on OK.
      
   4. Click on the More Options tab.
      
   5. 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

[Maryport]

Hi,

 

I ran ATF Cleaner

Malwares bytes found : worm.luder and Trojan.downloader

Super Anti Spyware found : nothing

ESET online scanner found : nothing.