ClassicSoftware or Lochlomander, please help

[crestwood]

Both of you have helped me in the past, and I sure would appreciate some guidance now.

My Acer Desktop computer kept on crashing and continually got messages that Error was detected and error report will be sent and system needs to close. So on Saturday, out of frustration, I used backup CD's and restored the desktop to the way it was when it was new in 2006. Then I did a Microsoft Windows XP update with 146 updates. It seemed better yesterday, but now it is erratic again. I signed on to Mozilla Firefox this morning and system was unresponsive, then Internet closed, and I was returned to desktop. Then I clicked on Firefox but got a message that Firefox was already running, but not responding and that I must close existing Firefox Process or restart. I tried to get back but got message that "End program monitor.exe program not responding and if I end program immediately, I may lose unsaved data".

Also this morning I received the following message: .NET Runtime Optimization Service has encountered a problem and needs to close. Tech information about error report is as follows:

C:\Docume-Maureen\locals-1\temp\werba47.dir00\mscorsw.exe.mdmp
" " " " " " \appcompat.txt

I have ran Avast Free as well as MBAM and no threats found. I am not computer tech knowledgeable but I am thinking that settings may be incorrect and I do not know how to fix. Any help or recommendations on a diagnostic tool to run to get my desktop back to good working order would be very very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[crestwood]

These are programs I downloaded since the system restore on Saturday: Mozilla Firefox, Micosoft Office, Avast Free (removed Norton), MBAM, Weight Watchers and Flash Player 11), Microsoft Windows Updates & IE8 (146 updates), Windows XP Service Pack 3, TomTom, .NETFramework, Oki-Data Printer, and i-tunes.

[classicsoftware]

This is the second time you restored your system with the factory CD's before asking for help. Please don't do this. We need to see the system as it is when it is crashing. You merely paper over the problem by doing a system restore.

[Paul Komski]

Suggest you save your data and check the hard drive for any errors using its maker's diagnostic utility.

Personally if you are getting problems after a factory reinstall I would back-up the drivers (and any important data) and clean install the appropriate setup files using the product key that came with the laptop and any appropriate Windows Setup CD. Factory reinstalls normally have loads of unnecessary overload and useless bloat.

[crestwood]

This is the second time you restored your system with the factory CD's before asking for help. Please don't do this. We need to see the system as it is when it is crashing. You merely paper over the problem by doing a system restore.

Thanks for your reply Classic, and I'm sorry if I added to the confusion but I didn't know what else to do as all of the icons were gone from my desktop and the Start button at the lower left hand corner was gone as well. I did the restore from the backup CD's out of frustration because I felt I had no other options. The problems seemed to start with my Acer Desktop when I downloaded that music from U-tube, which I had sent you messages earlier about (10-14-11, 10-17-11, 10-21-11). Yesterday, I deleted the song from my i-phone 3gs, but still the error messages and Firefox crashes continue. If you could help me get my desktop back to good working order, I would be greatly appreciative and if it would help to access my computer remotely, please send me a 'pm' or email. As always, I thank you so much.

[LochLomonder]

crestwood,

Apologies for the delay in replying; I've just been busy with offline imperatives. In addition to what the other gents have suggested, have you downloaded and installed any add-ons for Firefox?

If you're downloading from U-Tube, as opposed to YouTube, I would definitely recommend you stop that straight away. That site has an extremely poor rating, and it might be worthwhile having classic walk you through a malware check on your system to see if you've been infected. I know you mentioned checking it in your original post, but that's not to say you haven't been infected in the interim.

[crestwood]

Lochlomander, thank you for the reply, I truly appreciate any help I can get. Not sure what to do next, as computer is extremely erratic today. For instance, when I turn it on, sometimes there are no icons on my desktop., and I have to press the power button to turn the system off. Other times, I click on the Mozilla Firefox icon and I am able to get to the Internet's Home Page, but then it is as though my system locks up in that it does not respond to any keys that I press or anything that I do. Other times, I hit alt/del/cont to close and then I get the following messages "End Program-Monitor.Exe", or "End Program-Firefox.Exe.", and I have been getting lots of Firefox Crash messages. I am glad that I was able to reach this site to post this message, as I just tried to get onto the Internet at least ten times with no success. Being tech-challenged, I am truly bewildered, and again, I appreciate any help I can get from you guys. Thanks again.

[crestwood]

Loch, sorry, but I overlooked your question. No, I have not installed any Firefox add-ons from Firefox, nor will I do any further downloading of songs from U-tube or you-tube. My problems seemed to start with the download of that song from u-tube. I am really nervous now and afraid to do any more downloading. My system is so erratic and messed up.

[crestwood]

Suggest you save your data and check the hard drive for any errors using its maker's diagnostic utility.

Personally if you are getting problems after a factory reinstall I would back-up the drivers (and any important data) and clean install the appropriate setup files using the product key that came with the laptop and any appropriate Windows Setup CD. Factory reinstalls normally have loads of unnecessary overload and useless bloat.

I am sorry but I do not know how to do the above-mentioned and I am afraid I will mess things up further.

[Paul Komski]

I am sorry but I do not know how to do the above-mentioned and I am afraid I will mess things up further.

If you need or want to check the integrity of the hard drive you need to go to the maker of the hard drive's website and use their own diagnostic software. The make of HDD can usually be determined from Device Manager (enter devmgmt.msc into the run box).

The software for backing up the drivers should be self-explanatory and having run it you can then save the copies onto external storage for use after any future reinstallation. This simply saves needing to search for them on the internet after any subsequent clean reinstallation.

A clean reinstallation requires the need to beg/borrow the appropriate Windows setup CD and know your unique MS code. This was just a suggestion for the future instead of doing a factory reinstallation. You can post back for specifics if you decide to go this route in the future.

[crestwood]

Hi, I put desktop on a cart this morning and brought to Best Buy. Technician who said he was new at all of this plugged the desktop in and looked at it for a couple of hours, and he said it was crashing on him as well he was getting messages that programs need to end. He said he looked inside and saw nothing wrong and doesn't know what the problem is and that maybe there is different things wrong with it that may cost about $400 to fix and he said it might be wise to buy a new one.

[Paul Komski]

In my humble opinion your problems are likely to be due to faulty hardware - probably the hard drive and less probably the RAM and less probably something else.

At the very least check out the hard drive (we have no idea what the technicians at best buy did) using its maker's diagnostic utility.

$400 could buy you a whole new system.

[Sylvander]

1. To check/confirm whether it's a hardware problem or not...
(a) Boot the PC using a bootable/live Linux CD.

(b) The one I know is Puppy_Linux.
It's small, and therefore easy and fast to download and to burn the CD.
It loads from the CD into RAM and runs totally in RAM.
Doesn't use [the boot arrangements, or load any software from] the internal HDD at all, so if that was the cause of the problem, the problem wouldn't be in effect.
Good idea to disconnect the internal HDD when testing with Puppy_Linux.

(c) If the problem is there in Puppy_Linux, then it's probably a hardware problem that involves at least 1 item other than the internal HDD.

(d) If the problem is not present in Puppy_Linux, then the main suspects would include...
The internal HDD...
And/or...
The Windows software.
But NOT any other items of hardware...

(e) The Lupu-528 thread.
And...
lupu-528.iso
md5sum = f04ec9ef3540be8e50d0a24c512e1309 lupu-528.iso

[Paul Komski]

1. To check/confirm whether it's a hardware problem or not...
(a) Boot the PC using a bootable/live Linux CD.

This is far too simplistic. The idea that one can separate hardware from software problems is actually a nonsense since both depend on each other.

The assumption seems to be that Puppy or any Linux Live CD can boot to a desktop without using hardware. That is manifestly and simply not the case.

Let us say that there appears ot be a hard drive problem. Well this cannot exist in isolation as long as the hard drive is still attached to the motherboard. If it is still attached how does one differentiate between between the BIOS, the motherboard, the CPU, the RAM or anything else still in contact with each other from being at the heart of the issue.

Yes - being able to boot from one medium or another has its uses. But booting from a DOS floppy might be just as informative. It just drives me nearly nuts at times that Puppy is promoted as the panacea for all PC problems.

If this is a hard drive problem then it needs to be checked or another one swapped in. Swapping in known good components is, in my experience, the only realistic way to identify a hardware "problem".

[crestwood]

1. To check/confirm whether it's a hardware problem or not...
(a) Boot the PC using a bootable/live Linux CD.

(b) The one I know is Puppy_Linux.
It's small, and therefore easy and fast to download and to burn the CD.
It loads from the CD into RAM and runs totally in RAM.
Doesn't use [the boot arrangements, or load any software from] the internal HDD at all, so if that was the cause of the problem, the problem wouldn't be in effect.
Good idea to disconnect the internal HDD when testing with Puppy_Linux.

(c) If the problem is there in Puppy_Linux, then it's probably a hardware problem that involves at least 1 item other than the internal HDD.

(d) If the problem is not present in Puppy_Linux, then the main suspects would include...
The internal HDD...
And/or...
The Windows software.
But NOT any other items of hardware...

(e) The Lupu-528 thread.
And...
lupu-528.iso
md5sum = f04ec9ef3540be8e50d0a24c512e1309 lupu-528.iso

I am only a senior citizen, I am not an advanced computer user and I have next to no understanding of what you are even talking about, and I find that your comments add to the confused state that I am in.

[Paul Komski]

@ crestwood

I apologise that we moderators have not taken sterner action against Sylvander's obsession with Puppy Linux. Puppy Linux has its place in the broader context of things but Sylvander's ability to complicate, often at excessive length, otherwise straighforward threads has often irritated me. Indeed simply replying to such a post in a thread can be another distraction from what is being discussed in an orderly fashion. In that sense I apologise for my own response.

[LochLomonder]

crestwood,

I'm sure you'll be fine with YouTube; it's U-Tube that's really the issue here. If everything started going awry after you downloaded a song from the latter, this would suggest to me some level of malware infection. In that respect, I still think it would be best for you to work with classic to check out your PC.

[crestwood]

Thanks Loch, but at this point I cannot imagine myself downloading any more songs. This has been extremely troublesome. Constant crashing, constant error messages, constant freezes or where the system locks up and does not respond. Yesterday, putting the desktop onto a cart, wheeling it out to my car, driving to Best Buy where they had the desktop for two hours and then having the Tech tell me he does not know what it is after looking inside. I am keeping my fingers-crossed and hoping to hear back from CS.

[LochLomonder]

crestwood,

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do; however, I would recommend not going anywhere near Geek Squad. As far as I'm concerned, they should be flying a Jolly Roger flag over their organisation, since they will often charge exorbitant fees for shoddy work.

A case in question: My brother-in-law came to me, asking if I could help his friend's mother-in-law. She couldn't browse at all on her laptop and couldn't figure out why. She took it to Geek Squad and, after fleecing her money-wise, they declared they couldn't fix it. I had a look at it and realised the Winsock had to be reset. After that...voila! It had connectivity once more.

I'm not writing this to give myself a pat on the back; far from it. Rather, it's just an indicator of how easy a fix this was (5 minutes), compared to the shoddiness of the Geek Squad tech's work (or lack thereof).

This is why I like this forum so much - there are a lot of knowledgeable people on here who provide their time and knowledge freely. In that respect, I'm sure we can all contribute and get this situation sorted out for you

[crestwood]

crestwood,

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do; however, I would recommend not going anywhere near Geek Squad. As far as I'm concerned, they should be flying a Jolly Roger flag over their organisation, since they will often charge exorbitant fees for shoddy work.

A case in question: My brother-in-law came to me, asking if I could help his friend's mother-in-law. She couldn't browse at all on her laptop and couldn't figure out why. She took it to Geek Squad and, after fleecing her money-wise, they declared they couldn't fix it. I had a look at it and realised the Winsock had to be reset. After that...voila! It had connectivity once more.

I'm not writing this to give myself a pat on the back; far from it. Rather, it's just an indicator of how easy a fix this was (5 minutes), compared to the shoddiness of the Geek Squad tech's work (or lack thereof).

This is why I like this forum so much - there are a lot of knowledgeable people on here who provide their time and knowledge freely. In that respect, I'm sure we can all contribute and get this situation sorted out for you

I am in total agreement - this is a wonderful site!

[crestwood]

Classic Software, please, if you can help me, I would be deeply appreciative. I am writing this from the Public Library as I can no longer get onto my home desktop computer. Thank you so much.

[Paul Komski]

as I can no longer get onto my home desktop computer

Hopefully CS will respond but in the meantime it might be worth seeing if you can get into it in Safe Mode (or better Safe Mode with Networking) or by choosing Last Known Good configuration. Repeatedly press the F8 key during the attempted start-up to be presented with these boot options.

If you cannot get-in in Safe Mode then a reinstallation is probably the only realistic approach and that also assumes your hardware is properly intact. If you do reinstall then post back here before downloading anything.

[crestwood]

Thank you Paul, and I really appreciate the help with easy to follow instructions. I could not get into Safe Mode so I followed the only other option that I knew of which was pressing Alt & F10 and I did a recovery from the four backup CD's. While this was going along, I received a message to insert a disc or CD for hardware which I have never had so I pressed finish. Then I tried to access the Internet and this site without downloading anything, as you suggested, however I could not get on the Internet or this PC Guide Site without downloading about 76 Windows Automatic Updates. Then while this was taking place, I received a message that there was a problem with a Windows Service Pack Update but I pressed on.

I was out looking at new Acer Desktops today. Back in July, a Acer AM3970-U5022 was recommended to me on this site but I could not find it. I noticed that Walmart had an Acer AX1420G-05832 for $398, and then I went to Comp Usa where I saw a Acer Aspire AX1470-UR31P for $399.00. There are so many out there to choose from.

I thank you again for any help you can provide.

[classicsoftware]

None of this makes sense to me.

Please do the following

Rt Click On My Computer
Left Click on Properties
Left Click on the hardware tab
Left Click on Device Manager
Please let us know if there are any items that have a yellow ! or a red X

[crestwood]

I followed the above instructions and there is a yellow question mark in front of Other devices and a yellow question mark in front of PCI Simple Communications Controller.