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Computer is doing odd things...

harobikes333

harobikes333

Platinum Member
Just wondering, I came home today and it said when I tried to log in on my xp home OS that I had to revalidate my windows because of significant hardware changes..?!? I haven't installed anything on my computer for the past 6 mouths! programs ya but not hardware.

It said I had three days to do so:? Any help?!? is this by chance

O and I normaly have the theme to the normal blue taskbar etc. but now its the old look:

ALso as you can see in the screen shot the username is SYSTEM although I logged in on my moms user Alphbet Junction<-- Her store's name...

help? Also I always normaly have sygate personal firewall on but it won't turn on🙁

Please help me.😱🙁
 
Screen shot? Sounds like your regsitry got hosed. Can you system restore back a few days?
 
I'm 89 percent sure its not a virus because I always have sygate firewall on, avg or avast, or norton, well norton's subscription just died about one week ago and I'm not going to upgrade/resubscribe until I build my new computer. I also use ccleaner, spybot search and distroy and also adaware. I also use firefox or avant or netscape instead of IE, for security sake.

I'll show ya some more screenshots if you'd like but what do you want me to take the screen shot of?

EDIT: O sorry I though I had posted the two screenshots>_< I'll post um now .

Pic of my wtm processes.
 
ok so the thing as I said told me to revalidate my windows xp so it said to do it over the internet or do it over the phone so I clicked do it over the internet<-- I have dsl thats always on. and I'm using internet right now so I new it was on. but then it said that it wouldn't work and after messing with it for a while I went upstairs to get a drink of water. Well when I was upstairs my sister closed it and went on msn>_< so Now I don't know how to get that revalidation thing back up:\ and when I do I don't know why it does work🙁 ANy suggestions?

O and so I clicked on the windows update thing and it the of course brought me to their site and then it showed me this:
http://img437.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320061714260rw.jpg

So I double click the auto update thing and this pops up:
http://img437.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320061715369yc.jpg

Now I'm not sure what to do but I continue anyway...

but when I try to change the thing to manual, etc. it doesn't work and just shows that same error message🙁

any help, suggestions are greatly appreciated!
 
Originally posted by: harobikes333
ok so the thing as I said told me to revalidate my windows xp so it said to do it over the internet or do it over the phone so I clicked do it over the internet<-- I have dsl thats always on. and I'm using internet right now so I new it was on. but then it said that it wouldn't work and after messing with it for a while I went upstairs to get a drink of water. Well when I was upstairs my sister closed it and went on msn>_< so Now I don't know how to get that revalidation thing back up:\ and when I do I don't know why it does work🙁 ANy suggestions?

O and so I clicked on the windows update thing and it the of course brought me to their site and then it showed me this:
http://img437.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320061714260rw.jpg

So I double click the auto update thing and this pops up:
http://img437.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320061715369yc.jpg

Now I'm not sure what to do but I continue anyway...

but when I try to change the thing to manual, etc. it doesn't work and just shows that same error message🙁

any help, suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


From the looks of the second screenshot, it looks like someone went on a rampage and stopped almost every system service.
 
Have you considered that you might have been hit by one of the new WMF exploits? You get them by viewing email with photographs or by browsing the Internet. The volume of WMF-exploit-infected emails is multiplying rapidly and they are carrying all kinds of trojans with them.

Info on the WMF Exploit, discovered Dec. 27.

If you receive email or browse the Internet, now's a HORRIBLE time to let virus definitions lapse. 🙁
 
yup I did consider I might have goten my self into that but I installed a patch from here:

... so wouldn't that stop it? I'm probably going to scan with AVG, or some other one and check again though.

UPDATE: I came back to my computer after going out to eat and this was up🙂 Must have poped up by it self:
http://img364.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320062102107xt.jpg

I clicked the internet one, it didn't work so then I tried the telephone one:
http://img318.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010320062109255ct.jpg
My sister is on the phone right now but the cell phone is here🙂
I had to listen to a computer for about five minutes then I got transfered to a guy that you could tell was located from India or somewhere around there by the fact that I hardly could understand him. Finally he told me to call a different number to have them help me instead. >_<
This is a pain>_<... I've been on hold for about ten minutes and counting with the new number the tech guy told me to call.

Thank the Lord! I finally after being on hold forever hung up and tried back at the original toll free number unto which I was on hold for about eight minutes and then a lady from indian answered. Unto which she sounded much nicer, happier, etc. which was music to my ears. She had me restart my computer and then out of no where my computer generated the numbers that it wouldn't come up before. Told her the numbers and then she told me a different set back that I typed in. After that I was done🙂 I thanked her about five times and then hung up with a smile on my face🙂

The lesson I learned: not all tech people are equal😉😀
 
I still think something is wrong with your computer though. You said you had the Luna theme on, but then it changed instantly. That beige color on the taskbar and your windows doesn't seem right (unless you set it that color). The old Win2k look in WinXP is not that color.. it is a gray.. that color only happens when something goes wrong with your registry, that took out the Luna theme without the Windows Theme manager knowing. I have a feeling you do have one of the WMF exploits... because activation just does not appear randomly if you haven't made any hardware changes to your PC.

My recommendation would be to reinstall windows... but make sure you do a good thourogh virus scan first.. to see if you have a worm
 
I've had weird issues with Windows XP lately too. I can't say anything about activation, since I'm using a copy provided to me through my university that doesn't do product activation. But sometimes after a reboot my Luna theme will be replaced by the classic theme. A subsequent reboot usually fixes that. Other times, a lot of services fail to start and things like DirectPlay won't load and I hear sound out of my PC speaker. A reboot will fix that too.

I think I'm due for a reformat since it's been a few years, but it does seem like XP has a lot of things that really break down after a few years of solid use.
 
brentx ok well before I go and do that major thing since I don't have an extra back up HDD I need to put all my stuff on cds.

Also how do I KNOW that I have the WMF exploit????
 
dude you go on yours and do that

It will say your username because like say firefox was started by you the user so it will show, your username. I know that something is up.
 
You're not logged in as SYSTEM. I looked at my Task Manager on this Windows 2003 terminal and System Idle Processes is owned by SYSTEM, just like yours.

However, all the other processes have an owner, unlike yours. Most are owned by SYSTEM, but there are a few NETWORK SERVICE and LOCAL SERVICE processes, and several under my username.
 
I have xp home edition and when I normaly used to open firefox or a program not started by the computer itself It would say my username there in the column.
 
Originally posted by: harobikes333
Ok this is just weird>_<

Ok so I go and check to see if for some reason my display properties got reset. I go there and its set to this:
http://img416.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010520062109354qy.jpg

So I click the list to pick the xp style, and its not there!
http://img416.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010520062110282ep.jpg

http://img416.imageshack.us/my.php?image=010520062111055ge.jpg

What the heck happend? any help😱🙁:?
Click to expand...

You need to enable and start the system service called Themes for XP styles to work.
 
just reinstall. but services u can do through msconfig or services.mci. good luck. but with a mess like this? take my advice and just reinstall.
 
Originally posted by: harobikes333
but why would it be turned off???

also how am I to do that
Click to expand...
Viruses, maybe. Bottom line, it sounds like the system needs someone to Drop The Bomb On It? with a fresh installation of Windows while it's behind the protection of a router. Then get it properly updated and protected, and no, do not go installing Limewire on it again :roll: or anything else that your mom's business computer doesn't need for doing business with.

Basic overview of how to install Windows without being instantly 0wned by worms... mech's attempt at a guide You seen to have a sort of scattered approach 😱 so let me emphasize the importance of following instructions step-by-step and not rushing from step 1 to step 7 or stuff. One of the newbie mistakes is thinking they can install WinXP "gold" or WinXP SP1 and then go online in that condition to update the computer. If they don't have a router or a firewall, then by the time they get the updates, it's quite possible they've already been wormed. Maybe several times.
 
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