Computer just went haywire

All of a sudden boxes started popping up all over as if I had right clicked, but I had not. They were popping up all over. And a constant ding, ding, ding, ding, kept going without stopping like bells ringing. I have never seen anything like this before. Then a box popped up asking me if I wanted to restart my computer but when I clicked yes, it did not restart. I had to do a manual shutdown. When I restarted, the scandisk did not come up as it should have.
This computer went completely haywire for some unknown reason. This is in addition to the other problem, but I didn't know if I should post it there or start a new thread.

I don't know what is wrong and I don't know if it is connected to the other problem or not.
I hope I am abale to get some things backed up to CD before the computer won't work at all.
Has anyone ever heard of anything like this??

 

Dixie? Any chance you were just surfing and hit a site with a zillion pop up ads?

Daizy

 

Wow, are you fast!!

No, I was connected but not surfing. I was trying to bring up NS Messenger but when I left clicked on it, it acted as if I had right clicked and kept bringing up properties instead of Messenger. Then the boxes started popping up as if I had right clicked when I had not clicked anything at all. They were standard boxes that would appear when right clicking, but I was not clicking on anything. And the whole time the constant dinging went on...

And scandisk did not appear when I restarted...should I run it now and should I run standard or complete?

 

PS: I was on the desktop at the time, if that helps at all...

 

So they were dialogue boxes, is what you are saying. Not web pages.

Know what Dixie? The short answer is.......Dunno. Windows does strange things some times.

Yes, by all means..... do a scandisk. Just a normal one should suffice...but don't put a check beside fix errors automatically. You'd rather know if it finds them.

Who knows? It may have just been a one-off thing.

Daizy

 

Thanks, Daizy...Yes they were dialog boxes and every one that you could possibly think of...

I will run scandisk now...I never have it fix errors automatically since someone else on this forum told me not to some time ago...

The standard scandisk used to run without shutting anything down but for some reason it won't do that any more. I tried running it in safe mode and it still told me that something was writing to the disk and I thought that was not possible in safe mode...I think the darn thing is possessed!

 

Scandisk did not find any errors....

 

I believe that this post and your other one are all due to a common problem. A messed up Operating System.

If someone will tell you how to do it I would suggest shutting down System Restore.

Of course this depends on whether you can get to the proper locations to do same.

I could be all wrong. ( have been before and if I am I will be first to admit it ) but I do not think things will get better until you can somehow get Windows ME re-installed.

If you did not have an OEM machine it would be a very simple task.

Everything you do now just seems to be making things worse. Or bringing up new problems.

Windows ME is one easy OS to mess up. But dam tough to fix up.

Have a look see in the C:\Windows\Command folder and see if there is a file named SCANDSIK.ALT. If that is there scandisk won't run after a bad shutdown.

will run scandisk now...I never have it fix errors automatically since someone else on this forum told me not to some time ago..

This may or may not be part of the problem. Unless you do allow it to fixed them. There are some errors that MUST be FIXED. Especially any FREE SPACE errors.

I have checked the scandisk log and it seems to fix a free space error everytime it runs.

Right now I gotta shut down and change my Monitor. I am losing the Red. Just got a new one today. And it has been in the house long enough to be warmed up.

BillyBob

 

There is no SCANDSIK.ALT in the computer.

As for scandisk,the errors *do get fixed but not automatically. After it tells you what the errors are, then you tell it to fix them. If you have them fixed automatically, then you never know what they were.

Why do you suggest shutting down System Restore?
It can sometimes save you having to reinstall the OS...

It is not difficult to reinstall the OS on an OEM machine...the problem is that it deletes everything on the HD and puts the machine back to the original condition. You lose a lot of things and everything that you have installed or downloaded has to be done again. Some of the things you lose can never be replaced.
All the Windows Updates and patches have to be downloaded again. All the virus definitions since the machine was manufactured have to be downloaded again....I have done this before for 98 SE, as you may recall. That was a year ago and many things still have not been reinstalled on it. After a couple of weeks, and hours upon hours of trying to get everything back I gave up on it as it was so time consuming that I had no time during the day for anything else.
I would think that reinstalling the OS on a non-OEM machine would entail the same things
...
And those are the reasons that I would like to avoid reinstalling the OS if it can possibly be avoided!

 

OK on the scandisk part.

System Restore can work BOTH ways. It may also contain BAD INFO. It can also get your butt right back into trouble.

When System restore runs it backs up the SYSTEM ( or parts of it or whatever it does ) as it is. Good, bad or indifferent. And right now if SR is activated on your machine it may be containing everything that is wrong along with what may be right. And if by chance you have been using SR you may be just complicating the problem(s)

System restore is only as good as the system was when the Restore Point was made. System has problems. The Restore point may contain those problems. System be good. Restore point will be good too.

And I read somewhere ( maybe even on this bbs ) that a corrupted SR can cause problems.

Again I can not say what a re-install of ME on your machine would do or how it can be done.

But with a problem such as your all possibilities need to be explored. And there are many.

But I do know that ME ( or any version of Windows ) can be re-installed over itself without losing anything. ( or very little ) Right from 3.1 on up to and including ME.

And I believe it can be done on your machine. I just do not know how.

But What makes the BIG difference here is that I am not refering to an OEM machine either. They are quite different and some things can not be done the way I do. When I had it for a short time I re-installed ME over itself at least twice. Maybe not because it was needed but just to see if it would work. All that I did do was to make sure Anti-Virus software was disabled.

Yes, it would require some updates to be re-downloaded. But should not be anything other than Windows or IE updates.

But what complicates matters even more is if you have everything on just one partition. ( which most OEM machines do. )

With more than one drive ( or partition ) most of the things you refer to could be saved.

Not if done properly

BillyBob

 

From another post.

The recovery CD was showed in and when the machine restarted from it we had the option to repair WinME.
We clicked that option and a few minutes later it was running fine again with all our software and documents unaffected.

Isn't this possible for you Dixie ?

 

I never heard of it but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

It was *showed in*...what was it shown in?? Is he talking about some document? Also, he may not have an HP machine and it might be different for his computer...I have never seen that option presented in any HP info...

Could you direct me to that post...Thanks very much, Bob...

 

It was *showed in*...

I have to venture a wild guess here but, I would say that is a typing error.

I believe it should read * shoved in *. Alias inserted into the CDROM drive and the machine booted from it.

Again remember that I am dealing with something unknown to me. And somethings may be just guesswork on my part.

But I do find it hard to believe that there is not some way to re-install ( repair ) ME without losing everything.

OOPS !! will go find the post and be back

On a WHITER note. Are you getting any of this snow ? We are getting hammered hard here now.

I got the idea here

And I have heard same about other OEM machines.

BillyBob

 

Thanks, Bob...I will go check it out...

Yes, we are really getting hammered here and we still have 16 inches from the last one...12-18 inches predicted. Because of my physical diabilities it makes it very difficult, but you and I are tough old Yankees!!

 

He is using something called a Fujitsu Siemens.

I will have to see if I can find any info on the HP website...it rivals MS in giving out totally irrelevant docs in response to a search...

 

Possibly a sticky key on the keyboard or mouse button????

 

I wondered about that myself because it acted as though I was right clicking when I wasn't. If it does it again, I will try a different mouse.
I wonder what all the constant dinging was?

 

Billy Bob...there is no option in the recovery disk in this HP machine to repair the OS...the computer can only be put back into its original condition...

 

OUCH !!!!

That is not good news.

 

Maybe you have the windows cab files on your hard drive. If so you could maybe reinstall windows using them. How are you with windows explorer Dixie? In windows explorer look in the windows\options\cabs folder. If you don't know how, in the left pane in windows explorer click the plus sign next to c: then click the plus next to windows and then click the plus next to options. Now look for a folder named cabs. If it's there click on it (on the folder itself). Are there any cab files there. If so, how many. Also look to see if there's a setup file in there.