Computer Troubleshooting Thread

gorgie

formerly Floppy, now Rock hard
Have you tried jamming Ctrl a few times? My dad's Toshiba Satellite used to behave in a similar manner and i did just that and suddenly everything was back to normal. I've been meaning to investigate the matter further and hopefully compile a list of common symptoms for why this happens but i've been so busy with other stuff
 
Have you tried jamming Ctrl a few times? My dad's Toshiba Satellite used to behave in a similar manner and i did just that and suddenly everything was back to normal. I've been meaning to investigate the matter further and hopefully compile a list of common symptoms for why this happens but i've been so busy with other stuff
Yep. That didn't seem to work. It just seems to go away, and come back at random intervals.
 
My USB ports don't work. I tried using my tablet today, and my computer wouldn't recognize that it was plugged in. It also didn't recognize my mouse or flash drive. To ensure that these were all functioning, I plugged them into my sister's laptop, my dad's work computer and our home computer and all three of them were recognized by each of their computers. So I know its actually my USB ports that are acting all bad.

I have so far tried:
Disabling/Enabling all USB ports - Didn't work.
Restarting my computer - Didn't work.
Re-installing all current drivers I have installed - Didn't work.
Begging for it to work - Didn't work.

So yeah, if anyone could help me with this that'd be swell because its really irritating me.

Thanks in advance.

(If it matters I have a Dell Studio XPS with Windows Vista.)
 
sometimes when I play a game (most games), at random moments my computer just randomly resets and when it come backs on the monitor has this white static vertical lines all over it... can someone help me?

my pc:
Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.66GHz
958.4 MB RAM
Video card: VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP 128 MB 3D
And i run on windows XP professional
 

Stallion

Tree Young
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Ok so I'd just gotten rid of some nasty viruses off my computer a week ago, but my computer was fine after that. However, as of yesterday everytime i start the thing I got the following message (occasionally I get an svchost.exe application has terminated one).

Generic Host Proceases for Win32 Services has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience. I'm not a tech genius but I know my way around computers, but this is fucking annoying me to death cause it freezes my task bar eventually even if I don't click the "send error report" button. For reference sake, it is a Toshiba Satellite harman/Kardon, running 32 bit Windows XP on SP3. Thanks alot in advance guys, it would mean alot for me to be able to get on with uni work!
 

WaterBomb

Two kids no brane
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Alright so here's the deal. I'm competent with a computer, but by no means an expert. Simply put, I want my computer to run at least at normal speed again. It's been painfully slow for a while now, and all my efforts to fix it have been ineffective. Even when I'm not running any applications my RAM is still at like 63% usage (at its lowest) and fluctuates often. Before I get asked a bunch of obvious questions, here are some details about the computer and what I have tried already:

-3 year old Gateway laptop, 2.4gHz processor, 524MB RAM, 138GB memory with 62GB free
-Windows Vista OS
-Have tried: Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D to remove spyware, Avast Antivirus and Malwarebytes to remove viruses and malware
-I regularly defragment my hard drive (although I've had to use the default program since my O&O code expired)
-I would kind of like to reformat my hard drive to wipe it clean and start fresh, but I don't have a Vista install CD.


Now that you know the situation, what can I do to alleviate these problems and speed up my machine? Any advice is welcome, whether it be free optimizing programs, undervolting guides, ways to reformat without install CDs, etc. Thanks in advance!

~WB

PS - If you suggest programs or software to me, please include links so I know I get the right stuff.
 
sometimes when I play a game (most games), at random moments my computer just randomly resets and when it come backs on the monitor has this white static vertical lines all over it... can someone help me?

my pc:
Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.66GHz
958.4 MB RAM
Video card: VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP 128 MB 3D
And i run on windows XP professional
Sounds like a possible overheating problem. Get some canned air and clean out the dust. If it's a desktop, try taking the case off and maybe directing a desk fan at it. Longer term, you might be able to add another case fan.

Stallion: The simplest solution is to reinstall. If you can get another usable computer, you could use nLite or RyanVM integrator to have the updates from the start, which is tbh essential if you have a direct (not through a router) internet connection.

Water Bomb: To be honest, that machine is too low specced for Vista. Heck, I have trouble with XP on a laptop like that.
Turn off all the desktop effects, make things look like old-school Windows 2000 if possible, turn off the wallpaper too.
Disable unnecessary startup items.
Disable unnecessary services.
If you're still concerned about viruses, get a bootable anti-virus CD and use that - it bypasses Windows so malware can't hide.
(You'll need to Google a lot of this for more info, these are just pointers, I've had very little experience with Vista thankfully)
Finally, you could always try Lubuntu. It runs nicely on older computers. If you have a 4 or more GB usb stick you can spare you can run the whole system off that, I do so and it works very well (actually better than off the hard drive, which I think is slow).
 
this morning, i wanted to browse the web using my trusty Google Chrome. here's all i got, "This webpage is unavailable". i stared at the monitor for a second, then pressed f5. and again. and again. i uninstalled it then reinstalled it. still, nothing.

then i downloaded firefox. and the same annoying message appeared, "This webpage is unavailable."

now i'm browsing with IE, which is the shittiest web browser ever. period.
also, i'm in KSA atm if that will help :/.

my question is: why the fuck isn't google chrome working anymore?
 
It's not Google Chrome, it's your Internet service.

If you have a router, unplug it (and the modem). Disconnect the ethernet cable from either device. Wait 10-20 seconds. Re-connect the power supply to them. Wait a minute. Re-connect the ethernet cable.

Everything should be fine after this,
 

X-Act

np: Biffy Clyro - Shock Shock
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I'm not entirely sure if this question fits here, but I'm sure this thread is the closest thing for my question, so here goes.

I'm back from Slovenia, and have recorded about 3 hours of footage from my camcorder, amounting to about 24GB of footage (1920x1080 50i format, if you're asking how the hell it got so big). My problem is: is there something practical where I can put this video in, so that I can just pop it to my HDTV?

My initial thought to my answer was buying a large-enough pendrive, which should work, since my TV has a USB port. However, it feels weird to pop a pendrive to my TV to view my vacation footage, so I was considering Blu-ray media. How much storage does a BD-ROM hold, and, more importantly, are there cheap(ish) Blu-Ray burners around? Do you suggest another way in which I can put my vacation footage (besides my laptop hard disk)?
 

Eraddd

One Pixel
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I have a virus/malware called wvucia.exe on my computer. I can't seem to get rid of it. I'm scanning with NOD32 (NOD32 continuallly disconnects the connection attempted by wvucia.exe to malicious sites). I thought i got rid of this thing a while back, but it keeps coming back. Any suggestions?
 
My initial thought to my answer was buying a large-enough pendrive, which should work, since my TV has a USB port. However, it feels weird to pop a pendrive to my TV to view my vacation footage, so I was considering Blu-ray media. How much storage does a BD-ROM hold, and, more importantly, are there cheap(ish) Blu-Ray burners around? Do you suggest another way in which I can put my vacation footage (besides my laptop hard disk)?
You might need to get a double-layer Blu-Ray disc in order to burn the footage (Avatar is like 48 gigs and needs the double-layered disc, so I don't know if you can actually use a single-layer disc for your purposes). Blu-Ray players aren't too bad, but they might set you $50-100 (USD) depending on what deal you can find. Somewhat pricey, I guess.

You can always store the footage on your hard drive and then encode the footage into something else, with just a 720p resolution (still HD). That'll afford you some space, and you might be able to put it on a more spacious DVD.
 
This has been very annoying:

I currently have a Gateway 450SX4 that was given to me, since I can't afford to get anything else right now. From what I know, it hasn't been modified at all and I have Windows XP as the OS. Every time I log into IE and start surfing the Internet, my wireless signal disconnects. Yet, if the browser is open and there's no activity, it stays connected. It's almost as if the computer can't handle the activity and just automatically disconnects(this happens especially if I have heavy activity going on aka multiple tabs/pages loading. Don't even get me started on trying to view streaming videos on sites like YouTube.)

Can anyone help me out? The only things I can come up with are it's the browser(IE), the fact that the computer itself is just...old....or both.
 

ginganinja

It's all coming back to me now
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Personally Consumer (NZ consumer advice magazine) rated Avast very highly. Its also free. There is another one that I cannot remember atm. A good one to buy I have heard of is the VIPRE AntiVirus + AntiSpyware package although I personally have never used it

EDIT: Firestom said the one I was trying to remember
 
This has been very annoying:

I currently have a Gateway 450SX4 that was given to me, since I can't afford to get anything else right now. From what I know, it hasn't been modified at all and I have Windows XP as the OS. Every time I log into IE and start surfing the Internet, my wireless signal disconnects. Yet, if the browser is open and there's no activity, it stays connected. It's almost as if the computer can't handle the activity and just automatically disconnects(this happens especially if I have heavy activity going on aka multiple tabs/pages loading. Don't even get me started on trying to view streaming videos on sites like YouTube.)

Can anyone help me out? The only things I can come up with are it's the browser(IE), the fact that the computer itself is just...old....or both.
 

Nix_Hex

Uangaana kasuttortunga!
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I'm at work on an ancient (well 2003) eMac running Mac OS 10.2.8. It is connected via ethernet cable (not wifi!) to our router and can access our local database, but cannot get on the internet. My cell phone is fine for browsing smogon but for doing work-related internet taks like checking my email while on the line with a customer it is unacceptable. I've tried messing with the DHCP settings and have restarted a few times, but no luck. I don't know how many people here would be familiar with such an os but I trust you guys for any help. Thanks!

Edit: This problem was resolved, thank God. I needed the correct router address, which I just assumed was 192.168.1.1 (standard default, right?) but needless to say it was wrong. IP was also manual, otherwise I was getting self-assigned IP, disallowing internet use.
 
Malware problem, I've been told by certain sites as well as my internet browser being redirected multiple times :L
I've tried scanning with Trend Micro's Housecall, Malwarebyte's Antimalware, Avira Antivir free personal edition and Spybot S+D. Any other solutions? Cheers in advance
 
Im haveing a problem with IE 8. Whenever I open an Inprivate, the normal window freezes. Whenever I close multiple tabs, they stay there and freeze. How can I fix this? I open up Task Manager and delete it, but that takes longer. Norton found nothing when I full scanned.

EDIT: NVM, It fixed itself. Ill post again if it happens again.
 

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