WinMe Suddenly Erratic

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension 4100)
with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem

The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home page
to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see was
fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So I
uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE runs
a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too. And I
get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.

Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate network
using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But something
is badly wrong!

I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very well!

Any suggestions?


--


Joe McGuire
mcguirejw@comcast.net

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference.

Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
programs. Here's a list of rogues :
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html

Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html

Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for
updates in normal Windows mode.

This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.

MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]

===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============


Joseph McGuire wrote:

> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension 4100)
> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>
> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home page
> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see was
> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So I
> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE runs
> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too. And I
> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>
> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate network
> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But something
> is badly wrong!
>
> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very well!
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

I also note that others seem to have great troukble getting ScanDisk to run
to completion. After a lot of aggravation I finally got this machine to
start in safe mode and am running safe mode. At the rate it is going
(10,000 files out of 2,400,000) it ought to be finished by the weekend!
Assuming it does not get distracted along the way.


"MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
news:OcBxP51SFHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it
>> made no difference.
>
> Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
> floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
> programs. Here's a list of rogues :
> http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
>
> Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html
>
> Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
> them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
> them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html
>
> Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
> if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for updates
> in normal Windows mode.
>
> This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
> Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
> http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
> Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
> software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.
>
> MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]
>
> ===============
> *-343-* FDNY
> Never Forgotten
> ===============
>
>
> Joseph McGuire wrote:
>
>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
>> 4100)
>> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>
>> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
>> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>> page
>> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
>> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>> was
>> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
>> I
>> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>> runs
>> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
>> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
>> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>> And I
>> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>
>> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>> network
>> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>> something
>> is badly wrong!
>>
>> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>> well!
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Joe McGuire wrote:
> I also note that others seem to have great troukble getting ScanDisk to run
> to completion. After a lot of aggravation I finally got this machine to
> start in safe mode and am running safe mode. At the rate it is going
> (10,000 files out of 2,400,000) it ought to be finished by the weekend!
> Assuming it does not get distracted along the way.

you have 2.4 million files?


Rick

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Not quite as slow as I had expected. 7 hours later, still runing in safe
mode, ScanDisk seems to have crossed the halfway point. Only about
1,200,000 some files to go. If all goes well it ought to be finshed well
before dinner tonight! (Maybe I should have tried System Restore...)

"MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
news:OcBxP51SFHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it
>> made no difference.
>
> Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
> floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
> programs. Here's a list of rogues :
> http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
>
> Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html
>
> Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
> them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
> them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html
>
> Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
> if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for updates
> in normal Windows mode.
>
> This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
> Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
> http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
> Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
> software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.
>
> MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]
>
> ===============
> *-343-* FDNY
> Never Forgotten
> ===============
>
>
> Joseph McGuire wrote:
>
>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
>> 4100)
>> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>
>> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
>> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>> page
>> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
>> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>> was
>> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
>> I
>> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>> runs
>> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
>> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
>> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>> And I
>> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>
>> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>> network
>> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>> something
>> is badly wrong!
>>
>> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>> well!
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

> All that's left are Explorer, Systray and Acrotray.

Acrotray is Adobe's resource hog. Disable it from loading on boot.
What is the size of the browsers' caches ? Recommend no more than 10MB.
What is the size of System Restore ? Unless you're going to install a
large suite of programs, Office being one of those, Restore doesn't need
to be over 400MB.
Are you on broadband or dialup and what firewall is running ?


MowGreen [MVP 2004-2005]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============

Joe McGuire wrote:

> Not quite as slow as I had expected. 7 hours later, still runing in safe
> mode, ScanDisk seems to have crossed the halfway point. Only about
> 1,200,000 some files to go. If all goes well it ought to be finshed well
> before dinner tonight! (Maybe I should have tried System Restore...)
>
> "MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
> news:OcBxP51SFHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>
>>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it
>>>made no difference.
>>
>>Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
>>floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
>>programs. Here's a list of rogues :
>>http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
>>
>>Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
>>http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html
>>
>>Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
>>them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
>>them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html
>>
>>Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
>>if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for updates
>>in normal Windows mode.
>>
>>This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
>>Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
>>http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
>>Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
>>software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.
>>
>>MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]
>>
>>===============
>> *-343-* FDNY
>>Never Forgotten
>>===============
>>
>>
>>Joseph McGuire wrote:
>>
>>
>>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
>>>4100)
>>>with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>>
>>>The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>>>noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>>>Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
>>>search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>>>letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>>>page
>>>to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
>>>not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>>>was
>>>fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>>>up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>>>programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
>>>I
>>>uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>>>runs
>>>a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
>>>Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>>>simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
>>>Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>>>And I
>>>get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>>
>>>Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>>>Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>>>network
>>>using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>>>something
>>>is badly wrong!
>>>
>>>I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>>>restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>>>downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>>>well!
>>>
>>>Any suggestions?
>>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Maybe. After 12 hours of running ScanDisk in safe mode it finally hung
itself at cluster 1,629,037 of 2,442,286. I don't know if clusters are the
same as files.


"Rick T" <plinnane3REMOVE@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:O%23DBMR8SFHA.2996@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Joe McGuire wrote:
>> I also note that others seem to have great troukble getting ScanDisk to
>> run to completion. After a lot of aggravation I finally got this machine
>> to start in safe mode and am running safe mode. At the rate it is going
>> (10,000 files out of 2,400,000) it ought to be finished by the weekend!
>> Assuming it does not get distracted along the way.
>
> you have 2.4 million files?
>
>
> Rick

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

I am ready to kill. After 12 hours of running ScanDisk in safe mode it
finally hung itself at cluster 1,629,037 of 2,442,286. With the usual
message about how it has restarted 10 times because Windows or another
program has been writing to the drive. The only thing in the Close Program
window is "Explorer." I am probably going to try System Restore and then
all your suggestions.

"MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
news:uWLOZ4ATFHA.2336@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>> All that's left are Explorer, Systray and Acrotray.
>
> Acrotray is Adobe's resource hog. Disable it from loading on boot.
> What is the size of the browsers' caches ? Recommend no more than 10MB.
> What is the size of System Restore ? Unless you're going to install a
> large suite of programs, Office being one of those, Restore doesn't need
> to be over 400MB.
> Are you on broadband or dialup and what firewall is running ?
>
>
> MowGreen [MVP 2004-2005]
> ===============
> *-343-* FDNY
> Never Forgotten
> ===============
>
> Joe McGuire wrote:
>
>> Not quite as slow as I had expected. 7 hours later, still runing in
>> safe mode, ScanDisk seems to have crossed the halfway point. Only about
>> 1,200,000 some files to go. If all goes well it ought to be finshed well
>> before dinner tonight! (Maybe I should have tried System Restore...)
>>
>> "MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
>> news:OcBxP51SFHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it
>>>> made no difference.
>>>
>>>Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
>>>floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
>>>programs. Here's a list of rogues :
>>>http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
>>>
>>>Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
>>>http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html
>>>
>>>Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
>>>them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
>>>them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html
>>>
>>>Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
>>>if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for updates
>>>in normal Windows mode.
>>>
>>>This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
>>>Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
>>>http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
>>>Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
>>>software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.
>>>
>>>MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]
>>>
>>>===============
>>> *-343-* FDNY
>>>Never Forgotten
>>>===============
>>>
>>>
>>>Joseph McGuire wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
>>>> 4100)
>>>>with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>>>
>>>>The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>>>>noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>>>>Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the
>>>>Google
>>>>search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>>>>letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>>>>page
>>>>to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I
>>>>could
>>>>not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>>>>was
>>>>fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>>>>up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>>>>programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
>>>>I
>>>>uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>>>>runs
>>>>a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I
>>>>had
>>>>Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>>>>simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
>>>>Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>>>>And I
>>>>get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>>>
>>>>Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>>>>Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>>>>network
>>>>using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>>>>something
>>>>is badly wrong!
>>>>
>>>>I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>>>>restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>>>>downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>>>>well!
>>>>
>>>>Any suggestions?
>>>>
>>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

To eliminate any background stuff completely (other than a virus - which I
ASS-U-ME that you've already done <g>) try running scandisk in Real Mode DOS
as you are not able to run scandisk successfully in Safe Mode.

But be aware that you just *might* have a faulty hard drive and therefore
you *may* be putting your data at risk.

Boot, using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk and select 'With CD-ROM
Support' then at the A:\> prompt, type "scandisk c:" (no quotes and note the
colon)
then press Return.

Follow the screen prompts - and for the first time at least, (unless you are
happy that either the disk is OK, or you can sacrifice your data) tell it
NOT to do a Surface Scan. See what it reports and keep a check on its
progress.

If it shows errors, do not let it 'fix' them or do a Surface Test until you
have backed up your data - you may need professional assistance if you're
not sure how to copy or recover your data files.

However, if you are prepared to lose data, then let it repair errors and do
the surface scan.

Hopefully - and with a bit of luck <g> - it may even fix the problem.

BTW - clusters and files are not the same thing!

Mart


"Joe McGuire" <mcguirejw@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%23yOM7sBTFHA.544@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>I am ready to kill. After 12 hours of running ScanDisk in safe mode it
>finally hung itself at cluster 1,629,037 of 2,442,286. With the usual
>message about how it has restarted 10 times because Windows or another
>program has been writing to the drive. The only thing in the Close Program
>window is "Explorer." I am probably going to try System Restore and then
>all your suggestions.
>
> "MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
> news:uWLOZ4ATFHA.2336@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>>> All that's left are Explorer, Systray and Acrotray.
>>
>> Acrotray is Adobe's resource hog. Disable it from loading on boot.
>> What is the size of the browsers' caches ? Recommend no more than 10MB.
>> What is the size of System Restore ? Unless you're going to install a
>> large suite of programs, Office being one of those, Restore doesn't need
>> to be over 400MB.
>> Are you on broadband or dialup and what firewall is running ?
>>
>>
>> MowGreen [MVP 2004-2005]
>> ===============
>> *-343-* FDNY
>> Never Forgotten
>> ===============
>>
>> Joe McGuire wrote:
>>
>>> Not quite as slow as I had expected. 7 hours later, still runing in
>>> safe mode, ScanDisk seems to have crossed the halfway point. Only about
>>> 1,200,000 some files to go. If all goes well it ought to be finshed
>>> well before dinner tonight! (Maybe I should have tried System
>>> Restore...)
>>>
>>> "MowGreen [MVP]" <mowgreen@nowandzen.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OcBxP51SFHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>>>
>>>>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it
>>>>> made no difference.
>>>>
>>>>Which 2 programs were they ? There are a number of questionable programs
>>>>floating around the net nowadays that pose as legitimate antispyware
>>>>programs. Here's a list of rogues :
>>>>http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm
>>>>
>>>>Suggest you use AdAware SE and CWShredder to scan the system.
>>>>http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topict405.html
>>>>
>>>>Click the Tutorial links for both on the above page to get the most from
>>>>them. Show hidden files, folders, and system files before scanning with
>>>>them: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,4155-1916458,00.html
>>>>
>>>>Scan once in normal Windows mode, then boot to Safe Mode, and scan again
>>>>if anything is detected. Then run McAfee after first checking for
>>>>updates in normal Windows mode.
>>>>
>>>>This should give you an idea of what's on the system.
>>>>Also, download a copy of LSPFix :
>>>>http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
>>>>Click the lspfix.txt link to learn how to use it. Removing undesirable
>>>>software can damage the Winsock stack and LSPFix will repair it.
>>>>
>>>>MowGreen {MVP 2004-2005]
>>>>
>>>>===============
>>>> *-343-* FDNY
>>>>Never Forgotten
>>>>===============
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Joseph McGuire wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
>>>>> 4100)
>>>>>with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>>>>
>>>>>The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>>>>>noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>>>>>Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the
>>>>>Google
>>>>>search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>>>>>letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>>>>>page
>>>>>to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I
>>>>>could
>>>>>not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>>>>>was
>>>>>fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>>>>>up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>>>>>programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference.
>>>>>So I
>>>>>uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>>>>>runs
>>>>>a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I
>>>>>had
>>>>>Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>>>>>simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with
>>>>>Control
>>>>>Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>>>>>And I
>>>>>get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>>>>
>>>>>Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>>>>>Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>>>>>network
>>>>>using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>>>>>something
>>>>>is badly wrong!
>>>>>
>>>>>I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>>>>>restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>>>>>downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>>>>>well!
>>>>>
>>>>>Any suggestions?
>>>>>
>>>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

While running one of the spyware programs (CWShredder/Spysubtract) in Safe
Mode I got a report back that it had found that my network connectiion was
damaged, or something to that effect. I checked my Network settings which
seem to be in threes:

--Dialup adapter; Network Everywhere Fast Ethernet Adapter (NC 100 v2); and
SMC EZ Card 10/100 (SMC1211TX);
--NetBEUI--one for each setting above; and
--TCP/IP--also one for each of the three

I still cannot get Netscape fo run properly, the intial trouble. Is there a
handy way to uninstall and then reinstall this network stuff? I have no
idea which of these might be busted or corrupted, if any.


"Joseph McGuire" <mcguirejw@removethis.comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%23Qo4iS1SFHA.3176@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension 4100)
> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>
> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home page
> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
> was
> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So I
> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
> runs
> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too. And
> I
> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>
> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate network
> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
> something
> is badly wrong!
>
> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very well!
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>
> --
>
>
> Joe McGuire
> mcguirejw@comcast.net
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

A Dell Technician tells me that I definitely have some sort of virus or
spyware, even though it could not be found, and that I should reformat the
hard drive. Not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, I did a complete backup a
few days ago to an external HD--but I probably also backed up whatever is
wrong! So now I am trying to save the data files.


"Joseph McGuire" <mcguirejw@removethis.comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%23Qo4iS1SFHA.3176@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension 4100)
> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>
> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home page
> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
> was
> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So I
> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
> runs
> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too. And
> I
> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>
> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate network
> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
> something
> is badly wrong!
>
> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very well!
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>
> --
>
>
> Joe McGuire
> mcguirejw@comcast.net
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Uninstall/Remove the NETBEUI entries - they're not required

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's

"Joe McGuire" <mcguirejw@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:%232Vl2WGTFHA.2096@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> While running one of the spyware programs (CWShredder/Spysubtract) in Safe
> Mode I got a report back that it had found that my network connectiion was
> damaged, or something to that effect. I checked my Network settings which
> seem to be in threes:
>
> --Dialup adapter; Network Everywhere Fast Ethernet Adapter (NC 100 v2);
> and SMC EZ Card 10/100 (SMC1211TX);
> --NetBEUI--one for each setting above; and
> --TCP/IP--also one for each of the three
>
> I still cannot get Netscape fo run properly, the intial trouble. Is there
> a handy way to uninstall and then reinstall this network stuff? I have no
> idea which of these might be busted or corrupted, if any.
>
>
> "Joseph McGuire" <mcguirejw@removethis.comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:%23Qo4iS1SFHA.3176@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>> am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension 4100)
>> with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
>>
>> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
>> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>> page
>> to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I could
>> not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
>> was
>> fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
>> up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
>> programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
>> I
>> uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
>> runs
>> a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I had
>> Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
>> simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
>> Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
>> And I
>> get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
>>
>> Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
>> Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
>> network
>> using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
>> something
>> is badly wrong!
>>
>> I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
>> restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
>> downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
>> well!
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> Joe McGuire
>> mcguirejw@comcast.net
>>
>>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 13:45:05 -0400, "Joe McGuire"

>Maybe. After 12 hours of running ScanDisk in safe mode it finally hung
>itself at cluster 1,629,037 of 2,442,286. I don't know if clusters are the
>same as files.

No, clusters are not the same as files; they are the currency in which
files are stored. Just as you shop with coins, so you store data in
clusters, and just as you get 50c, 20c, 10c etc. coins, so it is that
clusters can be 32k, 16k, 8k or 4k in size.

If it "hangs" on a cluster while testing it, it is probably because
that cluster is bad. A bad cluster - i.e. one that cannot be reliably
read - is a stop-everything-and-get-OUT-of-Windows crisis !!

http://cquirke.mvps.org/pccrisis.htm refers.



>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com
>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 21:47:42 +0100, "Noel Paton"

>Uninstall/Remove the NETBEUI entries - they're not required

Dangerous advice - do you know how the rest of his LAN is set up?
That he has two LAN cards suggest it's not only Internet access in the
frame here, and there's good reason to avoid TCP/IP on a LAN if shared
Internet access is not required or desired.

>"Joe McGuire" <mcguirejw@comcast.net> wrote in message

>> While running one of the spyware programs (CWShredder/Spysubtract) in Safe
>> Mode I got a report back that it had found that my network connectiion was
>> damaged, or something to that effect.

Details matter, unless you want a reply like "ayup, there's prolly
something wrong with your setup".

Specifically, was it to do with Layered Socket Providers, TCP/IP, DNS
spoofing a la HOSTS, etc.?

So you have three network adapters...

>> --Dialup adapter
>> Network Everywhere Fast Ethernet Adapter (NC 100 v2)
>> SMC EZ Card 10/100 (SMC1211TX)

....what are they used for? I'm going to presume that the two LAN
cards are either not used or are used for a LAN, and not broadband
access, and that the DUN (dial-up) is for Internet access only.

If these assumptions are wrong, then so may be my advice!

>> --NetBEUI--one for each setting above; and
>> --TCP/IP--also one for each of the three

NetBEUI is not routable, so it's usually meaningless on DUN, and it
isn't used on the Internet - that's where Noel's advice is coming
from. That is also its strength, when it comes to simple LANs (Local
Area Networks); it can't carry Internet traffic directly, which is a
safety plus, and you don't get screwed up with IP address assignment,
netmasks and IP spoofing hassles, so it's easier than TCP/IP.

You don't mention File and Print Sharing (F&PS). That's a dangerous
functionality if bound to the Internet (it should never be exposed to
the Internet) especially if you full-share the whole of C:\, as that
exposes the startup axis (Win.ini, StartUp, etc.).

Malware such as Opaserv can infect and activate on the PC directly
from the Internet if you are dumb enough to full-share C: and bind
F&PS to Internet, and Opaserv.K has an irreversable data-destroying
payload that would wipe your HD.

>> I still cannot get Netscape fo run properly, the intial trouble. Is there
>> a handy way to uninstall and then reinstall this network stuff? I have no
>> idea which of these might be busted or corrupted, if any.

You have to keep your wits about you, as it's all too easy to end up
with everything stuck to everything else.

Your Internet DUN should be:
- TCP/IP, with auto-assigned IP and typically auto-assigned DNS
- NO F&PS
- Family Login, not Network Client

Your LAN should be:
- TCP/IP, or NetBUEI, or IPX, or combos thereof
- F&PS, if required
- Client for Nicrosoft Networks, not Family Login

Your LAN should match the other PCs you are connected to on the LAN.

>> "Joseph McGuire" <mcguirejw@removethis.comcast.net> wrote in message

>>> The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
>>> noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
>>> Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the Google
>>> search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
>>> letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
>>> page to any other the image was incomplete.

Sounds like commercial malware.

>>> I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was up-to-date and ran a scan
>>> with negative results.

It's a Windows-based scanner, and you are looking for active
infection. Would you believe the results? I wouldn't.

http://cquirke.mvps.org/9x/virtest.htm refers.

Traditional av like McAfee cannot be trusted to spot commercial
malware; you'd use Ad-Aware SE 1.05 and Spybot (both free) to look for
those, as well as manual tools such as HiJackThis and LSPFix.

>>> Ran 2 separate adware programs and got rid of a bundle of junk,
>>> but it made no difference.

DETAILS, please! Several commercial malware patch into the Winsock
access as LSPs (Layered Socket Providers) and this can give the
symptoms you describe, especially if they are inaccurately removed.

>>> I played around with Control Panel to check on Internet Options
>>> and that crashed a few times, too.

>>> And I get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.

>>> Not everything is fouled up.

Sounds like nature is trying to tell you to do this:

http://cquirke.mvps.org/9x/bthink.htm

You can't configure your way out of bad hardware, which is what your
glib references to things crashing is making me think of. Every time
you bad exit, WinME's auto-Scandisk runs in Kill, Bury, Deny mode, so
you sustain more and more recondary damage. You may well have
porridged your file set by now, and are heading towards the "just
reinstall" point of unsalvagability. Stop and check the basics!



>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com
>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

In which case he should be using other protocols - NOT NETBeui!

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" <cquirkenews@nospam.mvps.org> wrote in
message news:gne971hk1bc70fcpirbcg6lkcq5tfe9kp3@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 21:47:42 +0100, "Noel Paton"
>
>>Uninstall/Remove the NETBEUI entries - they're not required
>
> Dangerous advice - do you know how the rest of his LAN is set up?
> That he has two LAN cards suggest it's not only Internet access in the
> frame here, and there's good reason to avoid TCP/IP on a LAN if shared
> Internet access is not required or desired.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

On Sun, 1 May 2005 13:44:31 +0100, "Noel Paton"

>In which case he should be using other protocols - NOT NETBeui!

Why not? Nothing wrong with NetBEUI, it's perfect for small networks.
What's your objection?

>"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote
>> On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 21:47:42 +0100, "Noel Paton"

>>>Uninstall/Remove the NETBEUI entries - they're not required

>> Dangerous advice - do you know how the rest of his LAN is set up?
>> That he has two LAN cards suggest it's not only Internet access in the
>> frame here, and there's good reason to avoid TCP/IP on a LAN if shared
>> Internet access is not required or desired.



>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com
>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

NetBeui went out with the ark - and is inherently 16bit, IIRC
As an overlay on TCP it may work, but it's not secure in any reasonable
definition of the word, and cannot be made so (at least, that's my
understanding)

..Use your TechNet sub, Chris - and do a search on "Netbeui security" -
without the quotes - and see what pops up!



--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2005, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's

"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" <cquirkenews@nospam.mvps.org> wrote in
message news:kuec71l5npetjgoakvcg2gpdqqo7bln0pa@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 1 May 2005 13:44:31 +0100, "Noel Paton"
>
>>In which case he should be using other protocols - NOT NETBeui!
>
> Why not? Nothing wrong with NetBEUI, it's perfect for small networks.
> What's your objection?
>
>>"cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)" wrote
>>> On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 21:47:42 +0100, "Noel Paton"
>
>>>>Uninstall/Remove the NETBEUI entries - they're not required
>
>>> Dangerous advice - do you know how the rest of his LAN is set up?
>>> That he has two LAN cards suggest it's not only Internet access in the
>>> frame here, and there's good reason to avoid TCP/IP on a LAN if shared
>>> Internet access is not required or desired.
>
>
>
>>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Gone to bloggery: http://cquirke.blogspot.com
>>---------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Joe, the first thing you should be doing is obtaining the free F-Prot for
DOS and the free trial of NOD32 for DOS and create the bootable floppies,
perhaps using the AVDisk tool from www.avdisk.org .
Scan all your volumes, esp., your backups files, which you may wish to
restore later.

If all is well, and scandisk still coughs, use ScanDefrag to complete:

> The free ScanDefrag is the most advanced disk maintenance
> program there is. It runs Disk Cleanup, ScanDisk, and Disk
> Defragmenter. It's easy to setup and use, and it can deal with
> problems like "drive's contents have changed: restarting...".
> Get it and read about all the options it has that you can use.

http://home.earthlink.net/~bblanton2/scandefrag/main.htm
http://www.blueorbsoft.com/scandefrag/index.html

--
Jack E. Martinelli 2002-05 MS MVP for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx
In Memorium: Alex Nichol
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx
Your cooperation is very appreciated.
------
"Joe McGuire" <mcguirejw@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:OLE5dqITFHA.2128@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> A Dell Technician tells me that I definitely have some sort of virus or
> spyware, even though it could not be found, and that I should reformat the
> hard drive. Not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, I did a complete backup
a
> few days ago to an external HD--but I probably also backed up whatever is
> wrong! So now I am trying to save the data files.
>
>
> "Joseph McGuire" <mcguirejw@removethis.comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:%23Qo4iS1SFHA.3176@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> > am suddenly having a lot of trouble with my Dell desktop (Dimension
4100)
> > with WinMe and am trying to figure out if there is a WinMe problem
> >
> > The first signs of trouble came with Netscape, my preferred browser. I
> > noticed that if I went from the home page (which happened to be
> > Netscape.com) to Google, I could not actually type anything in the
Google
> > search window. The cursor moved with each keystroke but I could see no
> > letters. Then I realized that whenever I went from the Netscape home
page
> > to any other the image was incomplete. If text was to be entered I
could
> > not do it. I cannot even access this BB with Netscape--all I could see
> > was
> > fragments of the entire page! I made sure my antivirus (McAfee) was
> > up-to-date and ran a scan with negative results. Ran 2 separate adware
> > programs and got rid of a bundle of junk, but it made no difference. So
I
> > uninstalled and reinstalled Netscape, but the problem is the same. IE
> > runs
> > a bit better, but not by a lot. It now crashes very easily. While I
had
> > Netscape uninstalled I noticed that links in e-mail would open IE but I
> > simply ended up with a totally blank page. I played around with Control
> > Panel to check on Internet Options and that crashed a few times, too.
And
> > I
> > get the Blue Screen of Death every few hours.
> >
> > Not everything is fouled up. My Microsoft Office programs (Outlook and
> > Word) seem to work fine. I can also use IE to access my corporate
network
> > using MS Terminal Server and that seems to work pretty well. But
> > something
> > is badly wrong!
> >
> > I backed up the computer to an external hard drive a day ago, so I can
> > restore the whole computer (or so they say at Iomega and Norton). The
> > downside is that I have preserved something that is not working very
well!
> >
> > Any suggestions?
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> > Joe McGuire
> > mcguirejw@comcast.net
> >
> >
>
>