XP just stops....

Out of the blue, this computer with XP Home, will just stop, freezeup. Not even Ctrl-Alt-Del will bring anything up. Only powering off-powering on. Everything you're working on-LOST!

Help!!! I'm in XP never-never land.....over and over and over again.....;(

 

Happiness Again...

Let me appologize for any inconviences...even though there were no responses to my thread...;( I have found the fix and all is well again in XP land!!

Turns out a trojan horse virus had keep this pc from staying afloat. Unfortunately even Norton A/V would not delete such critter. However, in the long and happy ending, SpySweeper came to the rescue. WOW I'm so impressed. Such a different way to finally get rid of a virus! I would highly suggest this application to any and everyone with popups and network intrusions.

Happy days are here again!!!!

All Smiles Again,
Suzette

 

Most people don't understand that one of the best defenses against trojans and viruses is a DISK IMAGING program, such as Ghost, Acronlis True Image, or Drive Image to name a few.

I am constantly imaging by C:\. My C:\ only contains the OS and application installations. All my files, including Favorites, Address Book, and My Documents are on D\, E:\ has my image files.

I do run anti-virus, etc. But if I suspect a trojan or somesuch. Sometimes I venture where I should't. I immediately just restore back to a point before such was an issue. It ends a lot of aggrevation.

 

Good to see you found the cause Suzette. I was going to suggest a hardware problem/conflict, starting with your mouse. Guess I don't need to suggest that now?

 

Just wanted to add that you can't depend on an AV program to protect you from trojans and worms that come through an active internet connection that has no firewall!

Imagine your internet connection as a door. There are "bad guys" constantly knocking on the door to see if they can get in, and some actually turn the knob. But if your firewall is enabled, they have to go elsewhere, because they can't get past your door. It is easier to prevent infections than to clean them up.

Johanna
who spent most of the morning cleaning up a comp for a friend that should have just been shot to be put out of its misery! (comp, not the friend! )

 

Hi Johanna,

Years ago when computer viruses came out, there weren't many options as there are these days. Cleaning viruses up was my speciality, and I've actually created my job. Became the sole survivor for computer support. Now and then, even support needs support.....

We do have a firewall up and it's not just a firewall that will protect you. There are a combination of applications and procedures that need to be followed up on in order for a computer to stay "clean ". Sharing files on floppies (yes floppies are still utilized-and I believe they will never go away), is one example of spreading. There are quite alot of users that just can't be bothered, or just don't understand until it's too late. Well, I don't mind helping people--I get paid hourly.....

But thanks for the reply.

 

Suzette,

Ain't that the truth!!

Hey, do you think we ought to start charging double for people that we've taken the time to teach, and still ignore us until they get infected again and want us to rescue them? Like an "Idiot Surcharge "? LOL

Johanna

 

I tried that for a while. I had lawyers for clients, and these guys were really bad news. They were in a hurry, surly, arrogant, etc. In short, true lawyer jokes. I once had to travel about 30 miles for an urgent call, the guy couldn't print on his printer .... said it gave him an error message, but he didn't have time to deal with it. So, I dropped what I was doing and toddled over .. to discover the printer was out of paper ... that was the error message. I put paper in the printer and charged him $150. After a while, I just couldn't do that anymore. I fired all the lawyers, make a little less money, and am way happier.

 

I've always wanted to do that, but how do you get windows to recognize that My Docs, Favorites, etc are on D?

TIA

 

I'm glad you asked! Download both TweakUI 1.33 and TweakUI 2.10 (XP). Open the My Computer tab or section of either, where you'll find "Special Folders ". Each Tweak contains selections that the other doesn't, but you can change the assignment of specific locations there.

Note that the location itself isn't changed (no folders or files are moved). I always create a folder at the new location, copy the files there, change the location assignment in TweakUI, then delete the old folder(s). A reboot may or may not be necessary.

On my computer, for example, My Documents is E:\Documents, and installed applications go to D:\Programs. Here's a link to an image of how part of my system filetree looks in Windows Explorer, showing where some folders are assigned.

Any further questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info, but I notice that TweakUI 1.33 doesn't make any mention of XP... just NT,2K,ME, etc. I'm assuming that whatever it's doing is XP compatible ... or you wouldn't have suggested it.

 

Thanks, Pete. I hadn't realized it but, according to MS's PowerTools page, TweakUI 2.10 requires SP1. TweakUI 2.01 (easily confused with 2.10, unfortunately) was the XP non-SP1 version, but I couldn't find a site where it's still available. MS has now added a version for Intel Itanium-based systems, as well.

OldBob ... Even though MS says to uninstall older versions of their PowerTools before installing newer ones, it's not necessary with TweakUI 1.33 and 2.10. The two versions co-exist side-by-side very nicely (you can even have them open at the same time), and each offers access to a few settings that the other doesn't.

What the two programs do, for the most part, is provide an easy, safe, graphical way to make changes to the Registry for the system settings they cover.

 

Hi all!

You are all talking about TweakUI. When it first came out, I tried it on my XP-AND-to my amazement--it crashed my XP!!! Boy was I upset..... To make a long story short, removeing it was the solution and restore was a breeze. Didn't loose any information either. I surely hope that this version of TweakUI is truely for XP this time cuz I would love to use it with my users!!

Just make sure that it really is for XP, or plan on getting frustrated.....


Suzette

 

You don't need TweakUI to move your Docs and data off of your C drive. Just move the files. You just have to watch where the default path is for things you're keeping, and make the necessary changes. To move OE files, and your WAB, change the settings from inside OE.

Johanna

 

Johanna ...

I seem to remember reading that it was possible to do that in XP, but using TweakUI takes any guesswork out of it. If you move system folders Tweak takes care of the changes in path assignments for you. I've been moving folders that way since Win95, and it still works well.

 

Ain't no guesswork...just move the whole "My Docs" to the other partition. Change the default paths for anything you need to- XP will find it, and open everything normally. When I open WE, it opens to My Docs. My Docs live on D in a folder called "Storage" (I'm so original!) I'd post a pic of my file tree if I didn't have so much junk on here that it would all fit on one screencap! (Okay, I don't really have that much junk, but it is as badly organized as my desk and purse!)

My Pagefile is on D, too, and it's a system file. All I did was move it. (Thanks Newt for that tip!)

Jim, if you would embrace (the pretty Luna Blue) XP, and quit treating it like Win9X, you will eliminate a lot of "long ways around the barn "!

Johanna

 

Johanna ...

Thank you (I think ). I agree that most folders can be moved by dragging and dropping, and that XP will find them. Because it also updates the paths, I didn't understand your "Change the default paths for anything you need to... ".

I said "most" folders because there are some, like Common Files, that can't be moved by dragging and dropping because they're in use. Common Files, at least, CAN be moved with the method I outlined previously. Also, I've copied the i386 folder from the XP installation CD to my hard drive, with the installation path pointing to it. If I move it, the installation path isn't updated ... it has to be done by editing the Registry, either directly or with one of the TweakUIs.

Windows Explorer opens at "My Documents" by default, even if the folder has been moved and renamed. Type explorer in the Start > Run window and Explorer will open a double-pane window at "My Documents ". Note that even though the folder is displayed below the normal file tree, if you right-click on it and select Properties, the path to the folder, whatever its location and name, is displayed. If, instead, you type explorer d:\storage\my docs (to use your example), a single-pane window will open at that location. For a double-pane window, type explorer /e, d:\storage\my docs.

You can make Explorer open anywhere in your system. Because most users probably open Explorer from a shortcut on the Desktop, Start menu, or QL bar, and unless it's been changed, the command on the target line in the shortcut's properties is probably either %systemroot%\explorer.exe or c:\windows\explorer.exe. Both open at "My Documents ". To get Explorer to open a double-pane window at "My Computer ", for example, add /e, /n, with a space before the initial /. For a single-pane window, delete /e,. For any other location, delete /n, and substitute the desired folder's path. You can even have Explorer open a particular file by substituting the path to the file (I'm not recommending this ... just saying that it's possible ).

You wrote:

"My Pagefile is on D, too, and it's a system file. All I did was move it. "​

Surely not by dragging and dropping, though. I just tried, and couldn't do it even in Safe mode. Mine is on my E: partition, but I didn't move it there ... I created it in System Properties.

Last, but by no means least ... you wrote:

"Jim, if you would embrace (the pretty Luna Blue) XP... "​

Begging your pardon, Luna Lass, but I have fully embraced XP (except for "the pretty [ ] Luna blue" ). Even after 2½ years of using it, though, I learn something new about it nearly every day.

 

Jim, I don't drag anything. I do not move files by dragging and dropping. I move them by the "What do you want to do?" click MOVE THESE FILES in the pretty blue after I toggle the folders button on the toolbar to the blue from my file tree, which is normally displayed there. Then a box comes up, and I navigate (XP often remembers where certain file extentions belong) to the new place and I'm done. XP now knows where the file or folder is. The way I open WE where I want it to is to right click from WE, any area I'd like a quick road to, make a shortcut on the desktop, then drag to QL. Period. I use a straight path to my D drive, my MP3s and My Docs this way. It's not a matter of hacking the registry!

The comment I made "Change the default paths for anything you need to" means, for example, I send cd folders I rip from MMJB to my D drive, not Music Match's default "C" location. My ICQ logs are saved on D, as well as mIRC ones. I simply "Moved" my WAB and My Favorites to D, and that's where they live and operate from. I changed the store dbx location from within OE. I didn't drag one single thing, ever, except desktop shortcuts to the QL bar!

Often, users try to make XP behave like Win9X and actually over complicate things. Embrace the Blue, and a NEW way of doing things. (Just don't watch that hypnotic bar on the Splash Screen- I don't trust it!)

The Luna Lass,
Johanna

 

Johanna ...

I'm tired, and need to go to bed, but I have to say something.

The really great thing about Windows, of whatever flavor, is that there's more than one way to do things. I say To-may-to, you say to-mah-to ... it's that simple.

I'm pleased for you that you've graduated to a higher plane, but please, don't tell me again to "embrace the Blue ". You've become an evangelist, and you remind me of Timothy Leary a few years back ... "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was the answer to everything. The way I use XP works for me, and I have few, if any, problems with it.

Yours, for better (and simpler) computing ...