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Computer Hospital
==========

Happy New Year from all of us at the Computer Hospital
Welcome to Page 27
Please read Page 1 for useful tools.

==========

When posting, remember to include the following if relevant:

>> Whether you are on a Laptop or a Desktop

>> Computers Operating System (Vista, XP, ME, Mac OSX, Linux (distro) etc)

>> Specifications (RAM/Graphics card/Processor type and speed etc)

>> If you get any error messages, post them exactly as you see them, in their entirety

>> Please try to use proper english so that I may understand exactly what your problem is

==========

90% of all windows problems relate to either spyware or virus problems. Please do us all a favor and run these two simple scans before you ask your question, because they might just solve your problem.

1: Virus Scan: HouseCall Online Virus Scan
2: Spyware Scan: Ad-Aware Free (requires download and install)

==========

I guarantee a response within 24 hours, but you'll often get one within 60 minutes.

==========

Has this topic helped you?

If so, please spread the word. Tell your friends, bookmark the
page, or even link us in your signature!
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/5868 83/999

Thanks to everyone who has contributed in the past and continues
to do so.

==========

I'm on a Dimension 4700(desktop), Windows XP, and running McAffee Security Center.

ANYWAYS, I've had this problem for maybe around 8 months now and am just deciding to do something about it. A while ago, I installed Everquest: Escape to Norrath. I deleted the files or something, and did not uninstall it properly (I was a computer newb back then). Now, when I try to run certain .exe's it runs the games patcher instead of the application/game I'm trying to use. The game DOES NOT show up in the add/remove programs list, ive searched for files and they are nowhere to be found.
This isn't necessarily spyware, but obviously you guys know a lot about computers so I figured i'd try here anyway.
Help, please.

At 1/7/08 07:41 PM, HaveUbeenFooFighting wrote: I'm on a Dimension 4700(desktop), Windows XP, and running McAffee Security Center.

ANYWAYS, I've had this problem for maybe around 8 months now and am just deciding to do something about it. A while ago, I installed Everquest: Escape to Norrath. I deleted the files or something, and did not uninstall it properly (I was a computer newb back then). Now, when I try to run certain .exe's it runs the games patcher instead of the application/game I'm trying to use. The game DOES NOT show up in the add/remove programs list, ive searched for files and they are nowhere to be found.
This isn't necessarily spyware, but obviously you guys know a lot about computers so I figured i'd try here anyway.
Help, please.

Which .exe files are you trying to run when it does this? Is it always the same files, or does it seem random to you?

The typical solution to this problem is simple. Install your game again, to the same place you had it last time, and then uninstall it properly. This will replace any missing files that you deleted manually, and thus allow the uninstaller to run correctly from the Add/Remove programs menu. That's it.

If the problem persists let me know.

It seems pretty random, but thanks for the advice, I'll try that when I have some more time.

Flash Viewing Question-

lets say im loading a flash and it stops
just..STOPS. everytime i reopen it to try to load it again it stays at the same spot it stopped at
how can i fix that?

At 1/9/08 08:46 PM, ZyklonB wrote: Flash Viewing Question-

lets say im loading a flash and it stops
just..STOPS. everytime i reopen it to try to load it again it stays at the same spot it stopped at
how can i fix that?

Are you sure the flash works properly?
First try clearing your cache and loading it again
If that fails, try a different browser for this particular movie. Sometimes it helps.
And finally, you could try linking directly to the flash movie. Right click the page somewhere when the movie is open. Go to View Page Information and find the URL of the embedded flash movie under the Media tab.(Obviously the one that ends in .SWF)

One of those should do it.

Problem summary: My laptop does not recognize my ac power adapter. The battery will not charge.

Problem: When i power up my laptop i get an error message which says my ac power adapter cannot be determined [more about that below]. My computer powers on perfectly but it does not charge the battery. The battery does not discharge either (when plugged in).

Computer make and model: Dell [who saw that coming]. Inspiron 600m.
Operating system: Windows XP Home edition.
BIOS version: A17 [most current version].

Error message: [occurs on startup before windows loading screen. "The AC Power Adapter type cannot be determined. This will prevent optimal system performance. Strike the F3 key (before the F1 or F2 key) if you do now want to see power warning messages again. Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility."

What i have tried:
- It is DEFINITELY not a problem with the AC Adapter or the battery. Apparently dell thinks I'm a 10 year old mentally retarded blind person because they keep trying to convince me that my problem is with these pieces of hardware. I tried my battery and adapter in another inspiron 600m and it works as it should. Also tried the other computers hardware on the problem laptop and it does not work.

-I have tried updating the BIOS version. I currently have the most up to date BIOS.

Other information:
-On the dell setup [F2 before the windows login screen] in page 5 out of ten it shows me adapter and battery info. It shows battery 1 is present. It shows the battery is "3% charged" and it shows the "Battery Status: Idle". The status is "discharging" when the adapter is unplugged. The "AC Adapter : Unknown" shows at the top of the screen. It shows as "none" when the Ac Adapter is not plugged in.

-Although i feel it is irrelevant i may as well add that i recently upgraded one of my two memory sticks, upgraded my audio driver, video driver and as i already mentioned my BIOS version.

Do i have any other options to try besides a replacement motherboard?

At 1/11/08 11:22 PM, DnaDraxxus wrote: Do i have any other options to try besides a replacement motherboard?

That's quite the problem. Thanks for all the info on it.
Sadly this is not something I've ever experienced myself, so I can't say out of experience what else to try.

But I can help you verify that the problem is in the hardware (I've seen the connectors for AC adapters fail like this, especially in cell phones of all things).
It sounds to me like it's a hardware problem, but you can be 100% sure by booting up another Operating System and see if it can recognize the adapter or not.

My favorite linux live cd is Knoppix, but Ubuntu and Sabayon, along with many others offer full live cds that you could use instead.
I would recommend downloading and burning one of these, and booting your laptop with it in the tray. If Linux can recognize and charge your adapter, it's windows related and we can fix it. If Linux has the same trouble, a new motherboard is likely the only solution.

Let me know how it goes.

At 1/13/08 04:19 AM, RageOfOrder wrote:

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks for the help. I have downloaded knoppix and i have yet to put it on a cd. The blanks i have only hold 625mb and knoppix is 696mb >_<

I'll probably run to the store to pick up bigger blank cd's before the week is over. Regardless of how it turns out i will post it here. Thanks for your help.

I have Vista Ultimate, I heard you can downgrade to XP. Is this true? How?

At 1/16/08 07:44 PM, mmmlolipops wrote: I have Vista Ultimate, I heard you can downgrade to XP. Is this true? How?

Yes and no.

Vista doesn't officially support downgrading. So you can't get away with simply trying to install XP.
In this case, you'll have to actually format the computer, or create a new partition (unless one already exists) and install to it, then select the OS you want to boot from each time you turn your computer on.

I don't know which route is best for you, that depends on the size of your hard drive and how much important information is on your computer. If there is nothing important, I suggest a complete format and clean install of Windows XP. But you'll need a valid copy, with a working serial number. If you have one, but it's already been activated, you can call Microsoft tech support and they can help you re-activate using this key.

Dna, I had the same problem you had, turns out that the plug you connect the adpator to the laptop is the problem, I think the wire inside was too short. Either add more wire, or if the wire is ruined, replace it.

If you aren't good with hardware, it's recommended that you get someone who does to do it.

At 1/19/08 10:40 AM, LightandDark wrote: Dna, I had the same problem you had, turns out that the plug you connect the adpator to the laptop is the problem, I think the wire inside was too short. Either add more wire, or if the wire is ruined, replace it.

If you aren't good with hardware, it's recommended that you get someone who does to do it.

Yea, that's kinda what I figured it would be too.
It happened in my cell phone, and a friend's phone too. The jack we plugged into was just fucked and had to be replaced.

I've never seen it on a Laptop though, but it makes sense. Thanks for the confirmation, LightAndDark.

At 1/19/08 02:54 PM, RageOfOrder wrote:

At 1/19/08 10:40 AM, LightandDark wrote: Dna, I had the same problem you had, turns out that the plug you connect the adpator to the laptop is the problem, I think the wire inside was too short. Either add more wire, or if the wire is ruined, replace it.

If you aren't good with hardware, it's recommended that you get someone who does to do it.

Yea, that's kinda what I figured it would be too.
It happened in my cell phone, and a friend's phone too. The jack we plugged into was just fucked and had to be replaced.

I've never seen it on a Laptop though, but it makes sense. Thanks for the confirmation, LightAndDark.

Thanks, i also read that as an option. I would think that if the DC power jack for the system board was faulty then i wouldn't even be able to operate the computer on AC power. But who knows.

What i am going to do is buy a Dell port replicator [on ebay for $30 of course] first. This charges the battery from the port on the bottom of the laptop which obviously bypasses the ac power jack. If this works then i will buy and install the power jack.

Also i figured out how to work Knoppix. I checked the battery and adapter in "root shell".
After opening root shell i typed in "acpi -f -V". I got this result:

Battery1: charged, 0%, rate information unavailable
Thermal1: ok, 105.8 degrees f
ac adapter 1: on-line.

Is their another way to further diagnose the status of the ac adapter using Knoppix? Is their a hardware manager other then the control center which only shows me laptop battery options? [K menu > control center > power control > laptop battery].

Thanks again for the help.

Typically there's not much in Knoppix to diagnose the battery any further than that.
The point was really just to see if another operating system would have the same problem.

And since Knoppix says 0% charge, I would definitely say that the plug for charging is fucked.

I need help.

Yup, I know. And I realize I'm not likely to get help in my own thread, but it's worth a shot.

Friend of mine asked me to look at his laptop.

OS: Windows XP (Not sure if it's home or pro. Can't boot that far)
He apparently was in the middle of class when it blue-screened and shut off. When it boots up now I get an NTLDR Fatal Error cannot read from Boot.INI

So obviously BOOT.INI needs to be replaced because the boot loader can't read it. Right?

Windows XP Pro CD can't do a repair because it can't read the hard drive properly.

So the next thing I did was boot up a Linux CD and open a partition manager. It immediately tells me there's a problem with the filesystem, and running fsck just gives me an error and refuses to run.

I tried mounting the hard drive to see if I could read anything on it
The partition mounts ok, but the filemanager locks up when I try to read from it.

When I finally did get DOSfsck to run, it returned a lot of bad clusters.
fsck partial log
After that it continued with pagefile.sys bad sectors for about 10 minutes until I cancelled it.

So my question is simple.

I can't access the hard drive, and I can't get anything to scan and fix the hard drive properly. Is there anything I can do to retrieve some important files off the hard drive before I give up and format it?

At 1/23/08 09:29 PM, RageOfOrder wrote: I need help.

Eh. Problem solved. Sorta.

I can't fix the partitions, the file system is just too broken. I did, however, manage to get in and retrieve the files I needed.

Turns out Konqueror wasn't entirely locked up, it was just extremely slow to access the hard drive. I mean like 25 minutes to display the /dev/sda root folder (C:\) and then about 5 minutes to load each subsequent folder.

So it's all copied onto my iPod, and I'll format in the morning, installing XP pro and Linux for him.

Hope nobody wastes too much time reading all that.

I got both of these error messages when my computer loaded up and was wondering if it could get worse or if I have to worry about something. Last time i got these error messages the audio didnt work and the theme changed so... any help to Diagnose my computers sickness

At 1/24/08 09:07 PM, ZyklonB wrote: I got both of these error messages when my computer loaded up and was wondering if it could get worse or if I have to worry about something. Last time i got these error messages the audio didnt work and the theme changed so... any help to Diagnose my computers sickness

Unfamiliar with your error messages, I did a little research (aka google search). Found this. Another user's experience with similar problems along with their steps taken to the solution.

What you should do is run a spyware and virus scanner (such as Spybot and AVGfree, respectively), remove anything it deems a threat, and see if that stops the errors.

If not, then download HijackThis, run a scan, and paste the log that it generates.

At 1/26/08 07:28 AM, sonic4400 wrote: this thread realy needs to die

Oh yes, massa, right away massa.

Maybe you can just fuck off. Bumping a thread you think should die is just stupidity anyway.

OK, i have a Dell Demesion 2400 computer (not sure the RAM, but it came with windows XP and 72.8GB of space) i curently have 42.6GB left, Intel Pentium 4 processor, we got it in Decmer 2004. I keep getting an eror message called "windows XP - Virtual memory too low" windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file, during this process, some memory requests for certian applications may be denied" i get this message only under two conditions, after I use flash, or when i install a new program. is it my RAM? if it is, how do i get more? please help, flash slows WAYY down when this happens.

.:-{WD}-:.

At 1/11/08 11:22 PM, DnaDraxxus wrote: Problem summary: My laptop does not recognize my ac power adapter. The battery will not charge.

If it's problem with your battery, your battery will no longer hold a charge, buy a new battery, and try again.

At 1/26/08 05:38 PM, sonic4400 wrote::

this thread was gonna get bumped anyway so stfu fag!

This is one of the most useful threads on NG to my awareness. How is it a good thing for this thread to die?

At 1/27/08 08:56 AM, wiidude wrote: .:-{WD}-:.

RAM problem. Plain and simple, you don't have enough RAM for all the things you are doing. So windows uses a piece of your hard drive as RAM, but real RAM is much much faster than a hard drive is, so you get lag.

You can check how much you have by right clicking on My Computer and going to Properties.
If you have less than 1GB (you probably have probably 512MB or less by the sounds of things) you should have it upgraded to 1GB for sure.

If you're comfortable taking the case off your PC, you can take out the RAM and bring it in, and ask for 1GB of the same kind that's in your hand. And then go home and install it yourself.

If that sounds a little daunting. just disconnect the tower, and bring the whole thing in and ask a shop to do it for you.

Good luck.

OK, i'm not doing all that, i'm just going to live with it, but thanks anyways

Alright. If you ever decide to upgrade, RAM is what you need.

I'm quite good with computers, but i have something extremely annoying.

Specs

Desktop

Windows XP home edition (Dell) (god windows sucks)

Dual core
2046MB RAM
Intel

Always, absolutely always, i will have a process called "cclean.001" (or it was .0001, im not sure) anyway, i have done some looking up on this, other people have had a problem where this goes on to make "cclean.002" "cclean.003" This has happened to me as of yet, but they take up about 1000K memory. also, this seems to have been related to either Dell or Creative, both blame each other with customer support.

A very strange thing is, this process will go automatically whenever i stop rundll32.exe, i know that is a process which speeds things up by sorting things out bet still. Also, to top things with complication, there is a directory in the windows temp folder called something like "cclean.001 dir" (i cant remember, i have deleted it after destroying the process) which cannot be deleted while cclean process is up.

This isnt much of a problem with the amount of ram i have at the moment, but i would like to somehow get rid of it before it starts turning into 002... I'm pretty sure someone wrote that they had their cclean got in to the hundreds, that is worrying.

Please ask if you would like to know something, or dont understand something because i have a tendency to write things people dont understand. :)

At 1/23/08 09:29 PM, RageOfOrder wrote: I need help.

(Not sure if it's home or pro)

Windows XP Pro CD can't do a repair because it can't read the hard drive properly.

I can't access the hard drive, and I can't get anything to scan and fix the hard drive properly. Is there anything I can do to retrieve some important files off the hard drive before I give up and format it?

By teh way, if its an XP pro CD, chances are its windows XP pro :P

Anyway, the only way i could ever think you could do that, would be to either get a proper hardware, physical check by some super expert thing, or somehow connecting up that hard drive to a working computer and possibly have a chance of accessing it. It sounds like windows just frazzled his computer and all the files on it. Sorry, but it doesnt seem likely that anything thats on there is even intact anyway :( think about it, if the boot files are frazzled, chances are the rest of it is.

But be careful though, coulda been a virus, so if you can get something off of it, make sure it isnt infected :/

At 1/28/08 01:05 PM, SgtLion wrote: By teh way, if its an XP pro CD, chances are its windows XP pro :P

I used my own copy of XP Pro to check. And I found out later that it was Home after all.

Sorry, but it doesnt seem likely that anything thats on there is even intact anyway :( think about it, if the boot files are frazzled, chances are the rest of it is.

Only BOOT.INI and Pagefile.sys were corrupted. as far as I could tell.
However, accessing the hard drive took a good 5-10 minutes for each folder to load up (Running a Live Linux CD) but I did manage to recover the data I needed. It was all in tact.

But be careful though, coulda been a virus, so if you can get something off of it, make sure it isnt infected :/

Well considering my Linux PC can't be harmed by a Windows virus, I should be ok.
But you are right. It's always a risk to hook up a foreign hard drive to your PC.
So I used a Linux Live CD to accomplish what I needed without having to move any hardware.

At 1/28/08 12:46 PM, SgtLion wrote: I'm quite good with computers, but i have something extremely annoying.

Specs

Desktop

Windows XP home edition (Dell) (god windows sucks)

Dual core
2046MB RAM
Intel

Always, absolutely always, i will have a process called "cclean.001" (or it was .0001, im not sure) anyway, i have done some looking up on this, other people have had a problem where this goes on to make "cclean.002" "cclean.003" This has happened to me as of yet, but they take up about 1000K memory. also, this seems to have been related to either Dell or Creative, both blame each other with customer support.

A very strange thing is, this process will go automatically whenever i stop rundll32.exe, i know that is a process which speeds things up by sorting things out bet still. Also, to top things with complication, there is a directory in the windows temp folder called something like "cclean.001 dir" (i cant remember, i have deleted it after destroying the process) which cannot be deleted while cclean process is up.

This isnt much of a problem with the amount of ram i have at the moment, but i would like to somehow get rid of it before it starts turning into 002... I'm pretty sure someone wrote that they had their cclean got in to the hundreds, that is worrying.

Please ask if you would like to know something, or dont understand something because i have a tendency to write things people dont understand. :)

A quick google search yields this.
Are you sure you've done a spyware and/or antivirus scan?

There are also other alternatives to deal with this. Some better than others. If it's not a program that you can simply uninstall or delete via a spyware scanner, then you should be able to do one of two things.

1) Just clean up after it. Every so often, delete the temporary folders it leaves behind.
2) There exist programs that can monitor your processes and automatically end anything you haven't safelisted. It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I've used such software, but I imagine someone such as yourself can find something. Basically the idea is to blacklist the cclean* process, and let this Process Guard automatically end it for you. Could also be useful as a form of antivirus I suppose.

Just some things to try.

let me know how it goes.

==========
Computer Hospital
==========

Happy New Year from all of us at the Computer Hospital
Welcome to Page 28
Please read Page 1 for useful tools.

==========

When posting, remember to include the following if relevant:

>> Whether you are on a Laptop or a Desktop

>> Computers Operating System (Vista, XP, ME, Mac OSX, Linux (distro) etc)

>> Specifications (RAM/Graphics card/Processor type and speed etc)

>> If you get any error messages, post them exactly as you see them, in their entirety

>> Please try to use proper english so that I may understand exactly what your problem is

==========

90% of all windows problems relate to either spyware or virus problems. Please do us all a favor and run these two simple scans before you ask your question, because they might just solve your problem.

1: Virus Scan: HouseCall Online Virus Scan
2: Spyware Scan: Ad-Aware Free (requires download and install)

==========

Has this topic helped you?

If so, please spread the word. Tell your friends, bookmark the
page, or even link us in your signature!
http://newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/586883/9 9

Thanks to everyone who has contributed in the past and continues
to do so.

==========

At 1/28/08 12:46 PM, SgtLion wrote: Windows XP home edition (Dell) (god windows sucks)

I don't mean to sound pushy, but have you ever thought of trying Linux?
Unless you play a lot of PC games it will do anything you expect from your Windows OS, and in many cases, better.

Linux doesn't have viruses, it's more secure from the Kernel up, it's free, as are almost all the programs written for it, and in the last year it's gotten easier than ever to install.

Easier it seems than Windows is.

Maybe have a look into these two options.
Sabayon Linux - This is an offshoot of Gentoo Linux. My personal favorite distribution.
Ubuntu Linux - This is a distribution aimed specifically at new Linux users, and aims to be the most user-friendly Linux OS ever.

Linux also dominates the graphical desktop interface market right now. Your 2GB of memory would run any and all offered effects beautifully.

If you choose to stick with Windows, that's you're choice. But you did say you hated it. Maybe it's time to check out an alternative.

At 1/29/08 04:43 AM, RageOfOrder wrote: A quick google search yields this.

1) Just clean up after it. Every so often, delete the temporary folders it leaves behind.
2) There exist programs that can monitor your processes and automatically end anything you haven't safelisted. It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I've used such software, but I imagine someone such as yourself can find something. Basically the idea is to blacklist the cclean* process, and let this Process Guard automatically end it for you. Could also be useful as a form of antivirus I suppose.

I use ccleaner anyway, it has nothing do to with the process "cclean" coincidentally enough, it doesnt delete it anybetter than if i do it manually.

1: It makes a temp folder every single time i start up, that is if i deleted it the last time i started up.

2: Perhaps, i'll try one when i get the time and see if it will help at all.