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General discussion

PC REALLY MESSED UP, HELP ANYONE???

Jun 16, 2005 2:31AM PDT

My PC has been going haywire lately. It often slows down considerable rates, programs close for no reason or freeze.

At start up before windows loads a messages is posted saying something to the effect that an error has occured with my drive and is not being read or in the normal place it should be and data will be lost if I do not contact Dell service or something to that effect.

I have Ad-aware 6.0, MS anti spyware and CCcleaner all 3 which I run on a regular basis.

Can anyone offer any help as to how I can correct the situation?

Thank You

Discussion is locked

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hmm
Jun 16, 2005 2:48AM PDT

do u use any antivirus?

anyways i guess the only choiceis to reformat ur drive

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antivirus
Jun 16, 2005 3:37AM PDT

I have norton, but I don't believe it is anything more than a tril version. Is there anything I can do OTHER than reformat?

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A few things...
Jun 16, 2005 3:37AM PDT

First, you didn't provide any information about your computer, such as model, operating system, etc. That would be very helpful in this case.

Initially, it sounds like you have a virus. As nerdyboy asked, do you have AntiVirus protection and a firewall? That is the most likely cause. However, knowing the exact error message that is appearing is imperative.

You stated the error occurs before Windows loads...after that, does Windows load and allow you to do anything, or does it crash? If it does load, you should run a virus scan (even if it's just a free one available online, like the one from McAfee). Also, find a way to get all of your important data off of there (burn to disk, save to memory card or USB flash drive, etc). It may stop working all together, and if you don't have a firewall and AV protection, a hacker can get all of your info (if they haven't already).

If Windows does not load, try starting it in Safe Mode by holding down the crtl key during boot. This will enable the most limited start-up of Windows (hopefully preventing the errors and possible virus from loading). While you probably won't be able to access the internet, you may be able to install AV protection (if you don't have it already), as well as run some system diagnostics.

That should help get you started. However, please post back with more information, and we'll help you as much as possible to prevent you from having to reformat (and thus lose all your data).

Hope this helps,
John

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thanks nerdy, john
Jun 16, 2005 3:42AM PDT

Thanks boys I will be back shortly and have all imfo possible. What I do know about this computer, it's a


Dell OptiPlex GX300
Pentium III 900mhz (might be 1000) processor.

Approx 40 GB HD that is partioned

256 MB ram i believe i will double check

I do have a firewall MS

I will be back with more info

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Okay Full Computer Specs
Jun 16, 2005 4:22AM PDT

Here we go it is a

Dell OptiPlex GX300
Pentium III Processor at 993MHZ
256MB of Ram
Bus Speed 133MHZ
Cache Size 256MB
37.21 GB on HDs ( I assume it's 40GB total?)
Nvidia TNT2 Model 64
MS Windows XP PRO

I believe that is all for my computer stats.

As for the Message this is what it says.


WARNING:Dell's Dsik Monitoring System has detected that drive 0 on the primary EIDE controller is operating outside of normal specifications. It's advisable to immediately back up your data and replace your hard-disk drive by calling your support desk or Dell Computer Corporation.


Then a few spaces below it says.

Strike F1 key to continue, F2 to run setup utility.


This occurs after an inital prompt screen, but before my password to long on to the computer box prompts. When I press F1 the computer boots up as normal.


Once windows loads everything runs fine. Minus the errors and windows that close/crash at random.

This morning a Systematic Antivirus Box popped up saying:

Systematic Antivirus Notification

Scan Type: Realtime Protection Scan
Event: Virus Found!
Virus name: Trojan Horse
File: C:\\WINDOWS\sytem32\Poller.exe
Location: QUarantine
Computer:TSS-SPARE
Action Taken: Quarantine succeeded: Access denied


I also keep having a stupid IE Plugin popup keep popping up from MS Antispyware. It keeps asking me to remove it and i click yes it removes it but then it comes back.


Well i hope that is the info you need, and hopefully you guys can help me out thanks so far

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Nice warning, bad problem...
Jun 16, 2005 4:59AM PDT

Thanks for the post back...it provided everything needed. First, before you read the rest of this post, back-up all of your data! The error you are receiving is part of an early-warning system from Dell. It has detected that there is something physically wrong with your hard drive, and that a crash is imminent. However, there is no way of predicting how long your hard drive will last...could be a few minutes to a few months, but it will crash, permanently. To be safe, back up all of your data, and then replace the drive immediately, as it is no longer reliable. (For the Dell statement, click here.) That accounts for the slow performance, error messages, and crashes.

You'll want to check out a utility included in Windows XP called ''Microsoft backup'' (usually located under system utilities from the start menu). It will backup all of the My Documents folders, cookies, favorites, and personal settings on the computer, as well as any other custom data you want saved. You can also elect to create a system restore disk containing all the data on your computer (especially helpful in this case).

----------------------------------------------------------------

As far as all of your protection (spyware, firewall, AV), I have a few suggestions. MS Antispyware is popping up with those messages because it's still in the BETA stages (for about another month), and Microsoft has not realeased any patches for it, just definitions updates. For now, you'll just have to ignore it and hope it's corrected in the final version.

Since you mentioned Norton Antivirus may be a trial only, you should look into getting a permanent solution. While it does provide great prtection, it's a little pricy and also a resource hog. Thus, I recommend AVG's free AV program, available from free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php (sorry...links are blocked due to the word "free").

MS's Windows Firewall only blocks incomming attacks, not outgoing. This means that while it will try to prevent anything from entering your computer, it will not stop the virus/trojan from sending your info out over the web or opening a back door if it manages to get inside your system. In addition, it lacks many of the advanced features of other firewalls. Thus I suggest ZoneLab's free firewall, available here. While it lacks some of the features of the paid version, it is considerably better than the Windows Firewall. (You could also purchase their full suite for $40 in order to achieve ultimate protection.)

Hope this helps,
John

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Thank You
Jun 16, 2005 5:10AM PDT

Thanks John,

Yes it helps but at the same time sucks. A few questions if you don't mind. Does this mean that my ENTIRE hard drive is doomed? Since it is partioned? Will BOTH C and D drives crash?

Also I know how to remove easy files/programs such as music files, word docs, the file to load programs such as limewire etc.

But I have tried to copy certain porgrams such as say PC Leland and other softare that proves to be more difficult in saving onto disk. Is there some other way I can remove them from my computer and save them?

How do i create a system resotre disk?

SO even if i format my HD it will die again if i reuse it?

How could this have happend? Could it be from something I have dled?

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Sorry...more bad news
Jun 16, 2005 7:13AM PDT

Usually the error is caused by a physical problem with the drive, meaning the entire hard drive is doomed (in your case, two partitions worth of data). All hard drives get old and wear out (average HD life is just 3-6 years), but you're lucky enough to have a pre-warning system on yours. This is normal (not caused by a download or anything), and is caused simply by normal usage.

Once in a while the error will come up if there is some type of software-based corruption, but it is rare and unlikely. If you want, you could back up all of your data and reformat the drive. If the errors stop, you may have gotten lucky and just experienced a glitch. However, I would not trust the HD with anything important from then on.

-------------------------------------------------------

As far as backing up programs, there is no easy way. When you install a program, it places files throughout your system and in your registry, meaning it's almost impossible to back it up unless you have the installation package (the original file you downloaded). Just backing up the folder the programs are located in will rarely work.

Your best bet would be to go to the add/delete programs option in the control panel and copy down the list of programs you have installed. Then search the internet and download a copy (installation package) of all of the programs you don't have on disk. If you purchased them online, contact the manufacturer and they should be able to provide you with another copy (provided either they or you have some record of your purchase). Then copy all of the installation files to a CD/DVD for backup purposes. (I have 4 DVDs worth backed-up programs.)

-------------------------------------------------------

To create a System Recovery disk, go start->all programs->system utilities->Microsoft Backup. When the wizard starts, click ''next'' twice, then choose ''all information on this computer.'' You should then go back and use the ''let me choose what to back up'' option, just to be sure that all of your personal files are backed up (sometimes the other option may miss a particular file/folder you wanted).

Hope this helps,
John


P.S. Congratulations on your acceptance/employment to/at Stanford University!

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Hard Disk
Jun 16, 2005 6:41PM PDT

I don't know anything about Dell apart from what I've read in these forums. However if they use a non proprietory Hard Disk such as Maxtor, or Seagate, you can download the maker's diagnostic program to your cd or floppy drive and check your disk for errors using the keyboard for commands.

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Safe recovery of data
Jun 16, 2005 10:27PM PDT

Hi,

John hit the nail on the head here. The drive is most likely in the throws of death.... so here's my suggestion.
Go out and buy a new, good quality drive. Try (if you can) to burn a CDR with your most precious data files. Pull the failing drive out and set the jumpers on it to be a "slave" drive. You can find the jumper settings on the drive itself or at the manufacturer's site (or archives). Before plugging in the old drive, install the new one (with jumpers set up for "master"), and install a new OS and all the patches. Install your AV, Spyware, etc. Install the other office or other programs you were using and intend to use again. Now... shut down and plug in the old drive and it will now serve as a regular data drive. The BIOS will look for the new master, boot accordingly and then you should be able to go pick and choose your data from the old drive before it dies altogether.
I sounds like a lot of work, but at least you got a warning. Now it's time to heed that message. You don't want to be that person who says, "Gee... I sure do wish I did something about it, instead of hoping it was an anomaly".
Good luck.
Stan