Computer issues

cgrabe, I'm glad SP2 is working well for you (I'm assuming it is since you have no issues with it). My husband's computer had no problem either but many of the PCs that come to me with problems are SP2 related and most are not vendor parts related either. The most common problem is the PC rebooting before completely loading Windows. And no, it's not a virus causing it. :(


Aquarius, sorry I missed the fact that your PC was a laptop. I'm not familar with the Dell names - in other words, I don't know which of their products is a laptop and which isn't. :)

Overheating will cause your PC to reboot usually, not simply slow down. Besides Spybot, try installing and running AdAware by Lavasoft. It picks up many progs that Spybot misses. Together the two work wonderfully. Also try installing Spyware Blaster.

Have you tweeked Spybot? Try this for added security:

Click on Tools, Host Files (in the left pane) and then click on Add Spybot S&D Host list at the top. It takes a few minutes to run but it's worth it!

Also, click on the Immunize button (left pane). When you get the little popup, click ok. Then click on the Immunize button. Then click on the Install button. Make sure the box at the bottom that says "Lock Hosts file read-only as protection against hijackers" has a check mark in it.

What you've now done is redirect the IP for know servers run by ad companies to your loopback (1st fix) and also blocked adware from installing itself without your knowledge (2nd fix).
 
everyone I know that has a mass produced puter (dell, gateway, hp, compaq, etc) has some problem or another. If its not constant crashes its failing cd/dvd drives, bad memory, burnt audio cards, etc.
 
geoffgarcia said:
everyone I know that has a mass produced puter (dell, gateway, hp, compaq, etc) has some problem or another. If its not constant crashes its failing cd/dvd drives, bad memory, burnt audio cards, etc.
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I've seen the same thing but found that simply doing a fresh install of the software (not from the recovery disks; a real install) gets rid of the vast majority of software issues. Unfortunately most people don't have access to plain vanilla Windows install CDs.
 
my point is well made; computer suck.

Aquarius, try asking your ITS at your college about McAffe and if they would allow that. More likely than not, its Norton that really slows your computer down. As far as your fan is concerned it might but stuffed with a bunch of dust and lint. From the sound of things, im gonna advise against opening your computer to clean it out, but if you could take it to a friend who knows about comps they might be able to give you a hand.
i would also advise against re-installing your computers programs unless you have some basic knowledge about it, if you dont know about that stuff you can seriously do some damage, and loose all your files in the process. You could try increasing the initial size of your virtual memory, not sure if that would do too much though


get rid of norton if you can
 
Before you do anything about opening the computer up... make sure that anyone not certified by/through Dell opening it and "working" on it will not void any warranty from Dell.
 
cgrabe said:
I've seen the same thing but found that simply doing a fresh install of the software (not from the recovery disks; a real install) gets rid of the vast majority of software issues. Unfortunately most people don't have access to plain vanilla Windows install CDs.
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I've done this to several machines but if a newbie tries this, they need to beware. Some drivers can be hard/next to impossible to locate. Always make sure you have current drivers for all your hardware before installing a real copy of Windows on a bundled/mass produced PC.

Even better yet, take the time to research a bit on the web. Building a PC is fairly simple. And, you'll be able to upgrade next year when your machine is slower than dirt. :D
 
Ayrianth said:
I've done this to several machines but if a newbie tries this, they need to beware. Some drivers can be hard/next to impossible to locate. Always make sure you have current drivers for all your hardware before installing a real copy of Windows on a bundled/mass produced PC.
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True. Often though you can get the drivers off of one of the included CDs without going through their whole recovery process.

Ayrianth said:
Even better yet, take the time to research a bit on the web. Building a PC is fairly simple. And, you'll be able to upgrade next year when your machine is slower than dirt. :D
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Building your own PC is a great idea if you can invest some time and money into it. If at all possible though, don't skimp on parts. I spent $3-4k on this computer, but I haven't had to upgrade it in two years, and it's still running silent, cool, and fast. Quality parts cost a bit more, but it's so worth it! I spent $150 just on the case (Lian Li). I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I really don't think I'll have to for a very long time. It's so well built and designed that it's almost fun to work on! (almost) Well I could go on, but I'm sure nobody cares :)
 
Wow, Spybot S&D found a lot that Ad-Aware missed. I thought they were about the same. Since the scan today, my computer has behaved, but it has only been a few hours. I would really like to think that the problems were all caused just by the spyware.

*Fingers crossed*

I have NO idea how to build a computer, and really I don't think I'd be able to make one without messing up. Instead, I was considering getting an Alienware or some similar computer (Falcon? I don't remember). It's still a brand name, but from what I understand, those companies use higher quality parts. I really like laptops, so I think I'm going to stick with another laptop next time.
 
Aquarius0015 said:
I have NO idea how to build a computer, and really I don't think I'd be able to make one without messing up. Instead, I was considering getting an Alienware or some similar computer (Falcon? I don't remember). It's still a brand name, but from what I understand, those companies use higher quality parts. I really like laptops, so I think I'm going to stick with another laptop next time.
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you dont need to build it yourself, just pick the parts and have someone else build it for you. Its easy as pie. just pick a cpu, a hard drive, a mother board and a video card and thats just about it. (any ol case/cdp will do)
educating yourself on this stuff should take 2-3 hours tops...
 
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