pc keeps re-booting itself and windows error messages keep coming up

[debbie20]

my computer switched off whilst i was in the middle of working online using google chrome. since then it has got worse and various error messages come up saying microsoft has to close unexpected error. i tried to repair xp proffessional but that didnt work. I tried to install spybot and a couple of other freeware virus checkers but it stops them from installing saying that the source is corrupt. My AVG free software comes up saying there are threats but when i try to remove them it doesnt. I have had a blue screen a couple of times and it chkdsk and says the windows folder has an error or is corrupt. I have also tried to recover the computer back to factory settings but it comes up with C000021a fatal system error. any help greatfully received. its a zoostorm computer.

[muppet rebecca]

When it loads up don't click on any of the error messages and what are the error messages your receiving. Another thing saving the spyware removal program with a name nothing like it's function helps to install it on the system. for instance if you were to install malwarebyte's anti-malware onto a disk to install onto your computer call it something like gopeum.exe. It doesn't matter what you install really just give it an entirely different name. The reason being a lot of viruses nowadays recognize spyware removal programs names and anti virus names.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, Rebecca has a part answer and it may be down to one of the nastier virus.

However it could also be the hard drive showing signs of beginning to fail. If you have an external hard drive make sure everything important has been backed up onto it, or if no external drive then onto disks, CD or DVD.

Once you are happy everything is safe, we will then try further to help.

Nev.

[danzil]

Hi

i agree wih Rebecca try renaming Malware Bytes and SuperAntiSpyware and runnin them.

regards

Danzil

[debbie20]

Hi, Rebecca has a part answer and it may be down to one of the nastier virus.

However it could also be the hard drive showing signs of beginning to fail. If you have an external hard drive make sure everything important has been backed up onto it, or if no external drive then onto disks, CD or DVD.

Once you are happy everything is safe, we will then try further to help.

Nev.

I contacted the supplier of the computer because its only a few months old, they are sending an engineer to replace the hard drive so seems that is the problem. can i back up my microsoft outlook or will i just lose that?

[debbie20]

I dont know how to save the downloads as something different when i dont think i get that option, it just says click to download and it starts automatically but then when its finished and it trys to install then i get the error message coming up so that it doesnt actually install.

[RandyL]

If they are putting in a new drive then yes backup Outlook messages and address back. Unfortunately I haven't had Outlook for many years so I can't advise you on how to do that.

 

You can also backup favorites or bookmarks too. And of course all your data.

 

Once you reinstall Windows get all the Windows updates and install an antivirus immediately. I suggest you look at our sticky in the malware section as to what we advise to use. Personally I'm not a fan of AVG.

 

The error code does appear to be hardware related but as so many error codes go the exact cause or solution can be hard to figure out. But if they think it's the drive who am I to argue. Besides it might very well be that files on the drive are corrupted because of a drive fault.

 

Anyone have any advice on backing up Outlook?

[muppet rebecca]

I think I might have found one way of doing it via this link:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA010875321033.aspx

That explains one way of doing it anyways. You could always try searching the microsoft website itself.

[debbie20]

If they are putting in a new drive then yes backup Outlook messages and address back. Unfortunately I haven't had Outlook for many years so I can't advise you on how to do that.

 

You can also backup favorites or bookmarks too. And of course all your data.

 

Once you reinstall Windows get all the Windows updates and install an antivirus immediately. I suggest you look at our sticky in the malware section as to what we advise to use. Personally I'm not a fan of AVG.

 

The error code does appear to be hardware related but as so many error codes go the exact cause or solution can be hard to figure out. But if they think it's the drive who am I to argue. Besides it might very well be that files on the drive are corrupted because of a drive fault.

 

Anyone have any advice on backing up Outlook?

 

I have plugged an external drive into one of my usb ports but it wont allow me to back up my files to it as it doesnt show it as a removable drive, it shows it as a local drive so it wont come up in the list to save to........any ideas?

[muppet rebecca]

You could always try saving your files onto a blank CD disk instead. As for teh external hard drive maybe a bit more detail i.e. which one you've got might help a bit.

[debbie20]

Thanks to everyone for all your help, but even after they replaced the hard drive still had the problem so they took it away and it turns out it was faulty memory, which they have already replaced once. Going to contact Ebuyer, where it came from, for them to replace the machine.....think thats fair enough!

[muppet rebecca]

Yep that should be fair enough seeing as the trouble you've had with it. Also glad it's sorted out in a way.