more computer help needed

cincyman

cincyman

Banned
Since you guys seem to know your s@#t i hope you can help and please dont flame me for being in the wrong area-- To make it pool related we are just trying to get it to work so he can read the AZB forums and watch pro pool video

Here is the problem:::
I recently gave a friend 2 old comps for him to use, He wants to use roadrunner and when we tried to set it up on the "better" comp it would not read that it had a usb and so i installed ethernet and it wouldnt read that ethernet was installed.

Now 2 days before this i had zoomtown high speed through the phone compnay and it worked fine.

Now we hooked it up to the other comp that was filled with spyware and viruses and it worked immediately ,, but it is very slowwwwwwww

I was wondering if someone could help me get the speed up.

Can i wipe out the comp basically starting from stratch and if i can what do i need to get it back up with just the basics things on there.

My friend has no use other than this forum and looking at fantasy football
sites. He does not download anything or need any special extras.

My question can i wipe out the hard drive and viruses so it will speed up and how can i do it????////
 
If you don't know how to wipe the hard drive, I don't recommend undertaking this yourself. There are some key aspects of reloading an OS that are not for beginners. Contrary to what some may tell you, simply reloading the operating system (windows) on top of itself will not get rid of viruses. Spyware maybe, but even that stuff is getting more advanced (replicating itself on file access).

Wiping out the hard drive and reloading windows will fix your speed issues, but that means truly wiping it out, re-partitioning (or reformatting), and loading from scratch. Typically, I just buy a new hard drive, boot from a windows CD, and install it on the new drive.. that saves you from repartitioning. If you already have two hard drives in the machine, format one of them, disconnect the other, and boot from a windows CD.
 
download the damn small linux live cd and make it a bootable disc.
Set the computer to boot off the cd rom drive and voila!

Old computer with internet and basic processing abilites.
Use e-apps as much as possible.
 
Bastian said:
If you don't know how to wipe the hard drive, I don't recommend undertaking this yourself. There are some key aspects of reloading an OS that are not for beginners. Contrary to what some may tell you, simply reloading the operating system (windows) on top of itself will not get rid of viruses. Spyware maybe, but even that stuff is getting more advanced (replicating itself on file access).

Wiping out the hard drive and reloading windows will fix your speed issues, but that means truly wiping it out, re-partitioning (or reformatting), and loading from scratch. Typically, I just buy a new hard drive, boot from a windows CD, and install it on the new drive.. that saves you from repartitioning. If you already have two hard drives in the machine, format one of them, disconnect the other, and boot from a windows CD.
Click to expand...
Well i didnt think reloading it on top of itself would get rid of viruses,, What i mean is i dont care and frankly i WANT to get rid of everything in the comp. I dont care if something is lost or gone that is a good thing.
I have a windows 98 2 nd edition disk and my question is can i erase everything off the comp-- including personal things and all software and then install that disk and the comp for lack of a better word be "clean"??
 
Bastian said:
If you don't know how to wipe the hard drive, I don't recommend undertaking this yourself. There are some key aspects of reloading an OS that are not for beginners. Contrary to what some may tell you, simply reloading the operating system (windows) on top of itself will not get rid of viruses. Spyware maybe, but even that stuff is getting more advanced (replicating itself on file access).

Wiping out the hard drive and reloading windows will fix your speed issues, but that means truly wiping it out, re-partitioning (or reformatting), and loading from scratch. Typically, I just buy a new hard drive, boot from a windows CD, and install it on the new drive.. that saves you from repartitioning. If you already have two hard drives in the machine, format one of them, disconnect the other, and boot from a windows CD.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information and I've been through reformatting a hard drive and replacing a hard drive and it's not for a beginner, but it's not that bad if you know a little about computers.
 
If you boot from the 98 CD, format the hard disk, and load 98, then yes, it would be clean! Just make sure the 2nd edition disk you have is bootable, and that you have 'boot from CD' as an option in your cmos.. basically just make sure the OS is running from the CD, not the hard disk, before you format the hard disk, else you're hosed. In some older machines, the cmos (firmware) of the PC doesn't have what it needs to read the CD drive, and only has boot from A: (diskette) capability. If it can boot from the CD, you should get an option to format the hard disk and load windows on it.

Disclaimer: this stuff is not for beginners.. especially back in the days of Windows 98.. don't be surprised if you end up having to take the thing to Best Buy to get it fixed.
 
Do you have...

cincyman said:
Well i didnt think reloading it on top of itself would get rid of viruses,, What i mean is i dont care and frankly i WANT to get rid of everything in the comp. I dont care if something is lost or gone that is a good thing.
I have a windows 98 2 nd edition disk and my question is can i erase everything off the comp-- including personal things and all software and then install that disk and the comp for lack of a better word be "clean"??
Click to expand...

Do you have a comp usa or a store like that in your area? They have tech that can walk you through what you want to do.

I would run spybot and adaware on the machine, then my virus and internet protection software. I use norton, but whatever you use is fine. If it is still running slow, go to the add/remove and take the programs off the list as you want to. I would then get a registry cleaner software and run that, regedit is good. Then a program like Spyware Doctor, to keep it clean. Now you should have some speed and protection. Can you increase the RAM, the more you have the faster you go. PC World is a good site the get the things you need to maintain your computer. Look in the downloads. Hope this helps.

BD
 
SCCues said:
Thanks for the information and I've been through reformatting a hard drive and replacing a hard drive and it's not for a beginner, but it's not that bad if you know a little about computers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and a few failed attempts lead to acquiring knowledge that will help you later on.. rebuilding a machine is a great skill to have.. I end up doing it annually or whenever I have any problem I don't feel like figuring out how to fix. the second hard disk trick is pretty cool, since you get to upgrade to a faster disk, and still have access to your old files in the event you forgot something you needed. Just be sure to scan the old one for viruses before accessing it from the new one.
 
Sorry BigDog, but I don't recommend trying to save a trashed operating system. It's just not worth the risk. Hell, I do IT for a living, and when I am away from home and my family trashes one of the computers with viruses/spyware, I just do a fresh install. I used to try saving it, but it's just too much trouble.

Here's the "simple" rundown how to do a reformat/reinstall.

A. Do you have your drivers either backed up or on CD for at LEAST your ethernet card? If not, go to A2.

A2. Open up your PC and look at your ethernet card. If it is integrated (i.e. "part of the motherboard") then you'll need to look on the motherboard to see what the model number is. If the ethernet is a card that you can unscrew and take out, just look for the model number of the ethernet card.

Whichever model number you have, you will need to download drivers for it. Just do a search for "*model number* drivers". The will get you to a point where you can connect to the internet after OS installation.

B. Boot off of the 98 OS CD.. When prompted, do a new installation, choose reformat option..

C. The PC will do it's thang.. Reboot, then it will ask you for a bunch of info. Give Microsoft the keys to your life...:p

D. You will finally be in Windows.. Now insert the CD that your ethernet drivers are on.. Run the install program. If the install program was made right, after this, you will be forced to reboot (Win 98...Yayyyyy for reboots!) and then upon rebooting, your ethernet card should work, and should connect automatically to the ethernet port of your router, DHCP and Security settigns notwithstanding..

E. At this point, all you really need to install is the drivers for the graphics card (unless it was also integrated.. if so, the driver package for your motherboard should have that driver..) and possibly USB, depending ony our peripherals..

This is a lot less complicated than it sounds.. Just keep these things in mind... Every PC has a bunch of peripherals that need what is called "drivers", that tell the computer how to control these devices.. These devices include internal devices, such as network cards, USB interfaces, sound cards, etc..etc..etc.., AS WELL as anything you could possibly connect exterior to your computer.. I.e., external hard drives, DVD drives, webcams, etc..etc..etc..

Every time you connect a device that windows does not know how to use, it will show up with an error of some sort in Device Manager.. You reach DM by right clicking on "My Computer" from the desktop, choosing "Properties", going to the "Hardware" tab, then clicking on device manager. Usually, devices with no drive with either show up with an exclamation point, or a yellow triangle..

So, with that "basic" info in mind.. The basic steps to reformatting / reinstalling are:

Reboot PC off OS disk..

Choose New Install with reformat option...

When Windows starts up, give info, then install drivers...

Connect to the internet and enjoy!

What gets people with little PC experience is getting the drivers. You get these the same darn way you get anything else on the internet... You google it!

Hope this helps. let me know if you need clarification..

Russ
 
Note: Windows XP more than likely supports your hardware. Buy a copy and install it, and all is well. If you're a student you could get a cheap copy...
 
Free Spyware Remover

cincyman said:
Since you guys seem to know your s@#t i hope you can help and please dont flame me for being in the wrong area-- To make it pool related we are just trying to get it to work so he can read the AZB forums and watch pro pool video

Here is the problem:::
I recently gave a friend 2 old comps for him to use, He wants to use roadrunner and when we tried to set it up on the "better" comp it would not read that it had a usb and so i installed ethernet and it wouldnt read that ethernet was installed.

Now 2 days before this i had zoomtown high speed through the phone compnay and it worked fine.

Now we hooked it up to the other comp that was filled with spyware and viruses and it worked immediately ,, but it is very slowwwwwwww

I was wondering if someone could help me get the speed up.

Can i wipe out the comp basically starting from stratch and if i can what do i need to get it back up with just the basics things on there.

My friend has no use other than this forum and looking at fantasy football
sites. He does not download anything or need any special extras.

My question can i wipe out the hard drive and viruses so it will speed up and how can i do it????////
Click to expand...


These are free anti-spyware programs;
MICROSOFT DEFENDER http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

LAVASOFT
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

I use both.

You can also try Online Virus scanner
http://housecall65.trendmicro.com/
 
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you should not have to "wipe" your hard drive to fix your problems. use another computer and download 3 programs, AVG free anti virus, AVG anti spyware free and Autoruns. install them on the "infected" computer then reboot your machine into safe mode and run AVG anti spyware first. delete everything it finds (the scan take 25 min or so). then run AVG free anti virus and delete everything it finds. (the scan may take over an hour). once your machine is "clean". run the Autoruns program (it may take about 30 seconds or so to completely open, you'll know when the "Options" drop down at the top becomes active or "un-grey'd out") . go to the option menu and select "hide Microsoft entries". wait for the program to re load and then look at everything that is starting up when your computer is booted. everything that has the check box next to it starts when booting your system. look for things that just don't look right and un-check the box next to that item. when you think everything looks ok reboot your computer in normal mode and run AVG free anti spyware and run the update feature. run the scan again to fully "clean" the system. you should be good to go.
 
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skins said:
you should not have to "wipe" your hard drive to fix your problems. use another computer and download 3 programs, AVG free anti virus, AVG anti spyware free and Autoruns. install them on the "infected" computer then reboot your machine into safe mode and run AVG anti spyware first.
Click to expand...

Hello skins,

sorry, but this is not a secure way to overcome the problem of a deeply compromised computer.

Modern viruses are able to hide themselves with so-called stealth mechanisms which prevent a virusscanner from detecting the virus. There have been a lot of viruses lately which implant a filter driver or replace system functionality so the files or the corresponding registry values are reported to the scanner as not present. Furthermore, lots of viruses change the security settings in the browser and mailprogram, making it easier for future malware to become active on this machine. Booting in safe mode is also no reliable cure for these problems - an active virus can modify settings in the registry which determine which drivers and processes get loaded in the safe mode, thus ensuring that they will also be loaded in safe mode.

The only really reliable method to overcome a virus is to really format the harddrive and install from scratch. Otherwise, you will likely end up with a machine which gets contaminated again in short time or which has even never been completely clean.

Programs which modify the autorun-options in the registry and the startmenu will also not offer a complete protection. A virus will not always reside as a stand-alone executable. Lots of viruses are simply dlls which hook up in the Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer. These files will not appear in a program which simply displays autostart items.

However, using AVG on the new installation as a free and reasonably good virus scanner is a good suggestion. :-)

My main job is to work as the security administrator for a local government with 6,000 PCs, and this is my best professional advice.

Regards,

Detlev
 
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You've received good advice, but if the only problem is that the system is running slow with all kinds of things popping up, I would try to clean it first, as has been recommended.. In addition to the Lavasoft link provided by Crosseyedjoe, another good one is a program called Spybot, which you can get here:

http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html

Both Spybot and Adaware (Lavasoft link) are usually considered amongst the best.

But before running these, I would suggest two quickies: clearing out any internet temp files and the system tray. To clear the temp files, right click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, then left-click on properties, and then on the buttons to delete "cookies" and "files". Or you can go right to the "Temporary Internet File" folder in the Windows directory and delete everything there, including the folders, except for the files named "Desktop.ini" and "index.dat".

But what often works by itself is to simply clear out programs that accumulate in the system tray, which get started up but are generally just a pain in the a$$, and hog up system resources. To prevent them from starting, click on Start, then Run, and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the run box. When it comes up, click on the "Startup" tab and uncheck everything except for:

scan registry
system tray
load power profile (you'll probably see two of these)

and then reboot your system.

Crosseyedjoe also provided a link to "Housecall" for an antivirus scan, which is good. Another free antivirus program that you can download and install is "Avg", found here:

http://www.download.com/3000-2239_4-10726661.html

It's also highly recommended by tech types.


If you decide to install a new WIndows 98, the only problem I have with Russ's description is that I don't recall an option to reformat the disk being presented (and I have installed a lot of Window's 98 systems). That comes only with later versions of their OS, if memory serves. With 98, you have to use the "Format /s" command. And if you wanted to re-partition beforehand (generally unnecessary), you would use "Fdisk". You might want to look up how to use them before getting started. While simple enough, this would be a stumbling block if you're not familiar. The actual installation of the system is straightforward.

if you're on dialup, given the time it takes to download all the updates and drivers, I think that attempting to clean it up would be my first choice...but it depends on how messed up the system is though. If you're not getting a bunch of "fatal error", "file missing" type mesages, I'd strongly recommend the quicker of the two.

Jim
 
AND YES, stop clicking on those ads with naked bodies, or a sweet sounding message about her hot website. :D
 
skins said:
look for things that just don't look right
Click to expand...
????? You are asking a non computer person to delete or disable things that "just don't look right"? :D :D :D

and un-check the box next to that item. when you think everything looks ok reboot your computer in normal mode and run AVG free anti spyware and run the update feature. run the scan again to fully "clean" the system. you should be good to go.
Click to expand...

"Should be" good to go... Hmmm... With a reformat and reinstall, you WILL BE good to go. Advising someone who is not a computer expert to take a chance that they will be able to clean everything out of their system without missing ONE of the hundreds of creepy crawlies that come with a bad infestation is, IMHO, irresponsible.

That person would just be BEGGING to get their personal information stolen by a keylogger.

Sigh...... You know, I've been thinking about getting out of IT, but then I read advice like this and see just how needed we are..

Russ
 
Jal said:
You've received good advice, but if the only problem is that the system is running slow with all kinds of things popping up, I would try to clean it first, as has been recommended.. In addition to the Lavasoft link provided by Crosseyedjoe, another good one is a program called Spybot, which you can get here:

http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10122137.html

Both Spybot and Adaware (Lavasoft link) are usually considered amongst the best.

But before running these, I would suggest two quickies: clearing out any internet temp files and the system tray. To clear the temp files, right click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, then left-click on properties, and then on the buttons to delete "cookies" and "files". Or you can go right to the "Temporary Internet File" folder in the Windows directory and delete everything there, including the folders, except for the files named "Desktop.ini" and "index.dat".

But what often works by itself is to simply clear out programs that accumulate in the system tray, which get started up but are generally just a pain in the a$$, and hog up system resources. To prevent them from starting, click on Start, then Run, and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the run box. When it comes up, click on the "Startup" tab and uncheck everything except for:

scan registry
system tray
load power profile (you'll probably see two of these)

and then reboot your system.

Crosseyedjoe also provided a link to "Housecall" for an antivirus scan, which is good. Another free antivirus program that you can download and install is "Avg", found here:

http://www.download.com/3000-2239_4-10726661.html

It's also highly recommended by tech types.


If you decide to install a new WIndows 98, the only problem I have with Russ's description is that I don't recall an option to reformat the disk being presented (and I have installed a lot of Window's 98 systems). That comes only with later versions of their OS, if memory serves. With 98, you have to use the "Format /s" command. And if you wanted to re-partition beforehand (generally unnecessary), you would use "Fdisk". You might want to look up how to use them before getting started. While simple enough, this would be a stumbling block if you're not familiar. The actual installation of the system is straightforward.

if you're on dialup, given the time it takes to download all the updates and drivers, I think that attempting to clean it up would be my first choice...but it depends on how messed up the system is though. If you're not getting a bunch of "fatal error", "file missing" type mesages, I'd strongly recommend the quicker of the two.

Jim
Click to expand...

Jim,

In general, this advice is much better framed than the other advice I responded to. It's just that there are so many spyware out there that will make both Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy freeze up, that I have found that I will make only a cursory attempt at running them once or twice, and then only if it is the kid's computer.

If it is the computer used for conducting transactions online, like Ebay, Paypal, Amazon, etc.. I just refuse to take a chance at becoming one of the first new victims of a new worm that Microsoft doesn't even know about yet.

I look at it this way.. I have educated my family about how to avoid getting viruses and spyware online. In general, it has worked very effectively.. If we end up getting some spyware/adware, then someone in the house was doing questionable acts online.. (Looking for cheat codes for video games, p0rn, going to various "faces of death" type sites, etc) and since I usually only get to look at the computers about once every six months when I get back from being deployed, all the spyware/adware/viruses have cooperated to reduce ALL of Window's defenses to the point of being irreparable.

Then again, I currently use a Mac for everyday use outside of this military network. Most Windows users have no idea how comforting it is to be using a Mac and just not having to worry about viruses, spyware, and such nonsense... :D

Russ
 
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wipe it!

Russ is right, wipe it.

Believe it or not, some viruses are now attacking the BIOS
(basic input output system) which is ABOVE the operating
system. In those cases, even a wipe will not help, but those
cases are luckily rare, at least for now.

And, those can be eradicated by updating (reflashing)
the BIOS, and that is something I would not recommend
for an "average user". I am just mentioning it, so you
can rest assure that your machine can be put back into
a nice working state.

Also, you might want to follow the advice of another poster
who said to try out a LINUX live CD. That way you could use
your computer without worrying about fixing the problems for
now, and you just might fall in love (well enjoy anyway) LINUX.
 
Russ Chewning said:
Jim,

In general, this advice is much better framed than the other advice I responded to. It's just that there are so many spyware out there that will make both Adaware and Spybot Search and Destroy freeze up, that I have found that I will make only a cursory attempt at running them once or twice, and then only if it is the kid's computer.

If it is the computer used for conducting transactions online, like Ebay, Paypal, Amazon, etc.. I just refuse to take a chance at becoming one of the first new victims of a new worm that Microsoft doesn't even know about yet.

I look at it this way.. I have educated my family about how to avoid getting viruses and spyware online. In general, it has worked very effectively.. If we end up getting some spyware/adware, then someone in the house was doing questionable acts online.. (Looking for cheat codes for video games, p0rn, going to various "faces of death" type sites, etc) and since I usually only get to look at the computers about once every six months when I get back from being deployed, all the spyware/adware/viruses have cooperated to reduce ALL of Window's defenses to the point of being irreparable.

Then again, I currently use a Mac for everyday use outside of this military network. Most Windows users have no idea how comforting it is to be using a Mac and just not having to worry about viruses, spyware, and such nonsense... :D

Russ
Click to expand...
I'll defer to you and Detlev, Russ, as you obviously know more about it. But I'll note that I'm running 98, and never had an anti-virus program installed. (Once a year or so, if I'm really feeling energetic, I'll do an online scan). With Firefox, the adware/spyware has also gone to near zero.

But then I'm on dialup and I've noticed that my last five posts weren't even written by me. :)

Jim
 
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