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Post by Merry Smindmas on Dec 20, 2006 13:58:04 GMT -5
Okay, so recently, a large (ie nearly every) computer program I open causes an error and has to subsequently close. Now, this issue wasn't around the day before yesterday and I'm pretty sure it's the result of downloading something off Limewire that was evil. I've done a virus scan, there seems to be no change in the way my computer is acting so yeah. I'm not sure how it works, but isn't there some way on XP that I can restore my computer's settings to how they were before everything went tits up? If so, how do I do that?
If not, then any other suggestions? Spyware and virus scans have yielded very little.
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Post by Robert on Dec 20, 2006 14:24:19 GMT -5
I'm not sure how it works, but isn't there some way on XP that I can restore my computer's settings to how they were before everything went tits up? If so, how do I do that? You're probably thinking of "System Restore"; I usually access that from hitting Start -> "Help and Support" and clicking the "Undo changes to your computer with System Restore" link under the "Pick a Task" header. (I think there's another way to get to it, but I don't remember it.) Anyway, from there you can try to pick an older system backup and see if that fixes things. But whatever's going down on your end sounds pretty severe. |
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Post by Merry Smindmas on Dec 20, 2006 14:34:46 GMT -5
Well, I just tried it. Nothing. So uh, yeah, now I'm actually getting pretty worried about this.
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Post by Sz on Dec 20, 2006 16:39:06 GMT -5
What's the error?
Sounds like a memory issue (edit: I guess it could be HDD related too), which would have nothing to do with software... Either Windows or hardware.
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Post by Squiggles the Chao on Dec 20, 2006 19:25:01 GMT -5
If you got infected with spyware or viruses, system restore is more of a burden than a help. It's trivial for a virus to insert itself into every restore point on your system. What I would attempt to do instead is to start up in Safe Mode (press F8 as the machine starts up) and try to open some of the programs which are crashing (at least, those which open in Safe Mode). If they open, then we know it's a problem with a program or service which starts under a normal boot. If you still have a problem, then you either have a problem with your installation of Windows, a hardware problem, or a very persistent virus.
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Post by Evan on Dec 20, 2006 19:38:23 GMT -5
Oh ma'am. The first thing to do would be to boot up Spybot and look through the startup processes (if it's possible), and Google anything suspicious.
Are you getting pop-ups, per chance?
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Post by Robert on Dec 21, 2006 2:54:02 GMT -5
Spybots / Adware generally don't crash programs like he's describing; they usually just cause annoyances and slowdown.
Honestly, I would bet on a virus, since it sounds like it is consistently crashing executables, but of course try Squiggs' advice first...
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Post by Sz on Dec 21, 2006 2:59:04 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm worried his computer may have assploded, considering he hasn't posted for a day and a half now ...
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Post by Squiggles the Chao on Dec 21, 2006 3:49:32 GMT -5
Spybots / Adware generally don't crash programs like he's describing; they usually just cause annoyances and slowdown. Honestly, I would bet on a virus, since it sounds like it is consistently crashing executables, but of course try Squiggs' advice first... Spyware/Adware are designed to keep the computer running, but display ads or track user behavior. But many situations can occur which destabilize the computer. First of all, these programs are often not written well, due to the short time in which they have to be delivered before security holes are patched up. Spyware and Adware are often rife with runtime errors. They will also often try to assert great control over the computer in some way, such as modifying the TCP/IP stack (hooking in using a Microsoft-supported API, of course), or modifying the registry to inform Windows that their custom executable is the program to execute as the shell. However, often, when two different pieces of spyware attempt to assert themselves in the same manner, a number of unintended behaviors can occur. One may succeed at the expense of the other, but more often, each will hook in part way. For example, take NewDotNet. It's a piece of adware which allows surfers to view sites registered to overly-expensive, non-standard domain names, such as www.test.shop. NewDotNet redirects them to test.shop.new.net, which shows them an advertisement, and then redirects them to the webmaster's (whoever registered the fake domain) site. It also shows the user advertisements when they attempt to navigate to a legitimate domain which does not exist. Now, consider one of the numerous adware packages which also hooks into the TCP/IP stack to replace search results from major search engines with advertisements. Depending on which loads first, if they have overlapping hooks into the TCP/IP stack, one will not function correctly, potentially causing the program to crash, taking the whole stack with it. Finally, a few really advanced pieces of spyware and adware can modify an executable already loaded into memory. Targeting the main application loop, they can make other programs do their dirty work. I'd love to give a more technical explanation of how it works, but honestly, I have not had time to investigate it, and I don't want to commit inaccuracies. The point is, spyware can load poorly-tested software into pretty much any running executable. There could also be more than one spyware package attempting to modify the executable's memory at once. Either of these things could cause nearly every program to crash. Yes, viruses are usually the more violent programs, but it is not unheard of for spyware or adware to cause extreme havoc. |
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Post by Merry Smindmas on Dec 21, 2006 7:03:25 GMT -5
Nope, my computer hasn't exploded quite yet, Sz. So I booted up the computer in Safe Mode and I still get the same issues. One thing that is weird (and this is when windows is booted up normally), although I get the error messages, I can just move them out the way and use the computer as normal. But should I click the "Send Error Report" or "Not Send Error Report" buttons, the program will close.
I downloaded Spybot and it picked up on a lot of spyware that Ad-Aware somehow missed. However, it caused little to no change whatsoever. So yeah, I think it's safe to say it's not a Spyware problem. My brother seems to think the problem is registry related, which is a possibility, I guess. Would the best idea be to track down my Windows XP CD and reinstall then?
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