Internet Issues

[NJLOAD]

I?m working on a Dell that has some Internet issues. Its running XP Home and Comcast Internet service provider. I removed the HD and put into one of my machines to remove 4 infected files, it was also loaded with Ad ware???I removed what I could and reinstalled into the Dell box. Problem is when you try to connect to the Internet it reboots. Before I do a format and reinstall OS on this, does any one have any ideas why the reboot.

Thanks.

 

[sykopath79]

Is it rebooting instantly with no prompts, or do you get a box that pops up with a message and a 60-second countdown?

If you're getting the countdown, you probably have a virus or some other malware. When the countdown appears, you can click Start -> Run, and type "shutdown -a" without the quotes to abort the shutdown process. From there, you can run a virus scan (I recommend http://housecall.trendmicro.com) as well as Ad-Aware/Spybot/MS AntiSpyware. I'm guessing you do not have Service Pack 2 installed on this machine, so you should install that & all other Windows updates as well.

If it reboots with no countdown and no messages, just instantly kicks off & back on, then you are probably getting a BSOD. If this is the case, right click My Computer, choose Properties, Advanced tab, Settings button under "Startup and Recovery", and uncheck the box labeled "Automatically Restart" under the System Failure group, then click OK. If you're getting a system crash because of a BSOD, this will halt the system at the BSOD and let you see the error message.

 

[NJLOAD]

sykopath79, thanks for the reply. It reboots with no message, then goes into the chkdisk mode when restarting. I thought I had the problem licked because at one point the auto updates started and it did install SP2, also AdAware Se is installed but not sure if the file is updated or not, because of the Internet problem.

 

[sykopath79]

I would go with the second batch of instructions I posted above, and see if you are getting a BSOD. If it's wanting to run CHKDSK every time, you may have a dying hard drive.

Let me know what you get after you disable automatic restart (see below).

Originally posted by: sykopath79
If it reboots with no countdown and no messages, just instantly kicks off & back on, then you are probably getting a BSOD. If this is the case, right click My Computer, choose Properties, Advanced tab, Settings button under "Startup and Recovery", and uncheck the box labeled "Automatically Restart" under the System Failure group, then click OK. If you're getting a system crash because of a BSOD, this will halt the system at the BSOD and let you see the error message.

 

[NJLOAD]

sykopath79, will do when I get home from work..........I think the chkdsk running is because of shutdown in the middle of windows........

 

[sykopath79]

CHKDSK normally doesn't run if Windows halts or reboots itself with a system error/BSOD. If you're getting CHKDSK every time then that indicates to me that perhaps the PC is rebooting because of some kind of power or hardware problem.

 

[NJLOAD]

OK, here is the error message I get. No idea what it's about but: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL then under Technical Information Stop: 0x0000000A (0xFFABD000,0x00000002,0x00000000,0x804DA43C)

Any Ideas?

 

[sykopath79]

Google and http://support.microsoft.com are your best friends when it comes to troubleshooting BSOD messages. Here's a couple to look at:

http://www.updatexp.com/stop-messages.html

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000365.htm

As you can see, this most likely indicates some sort of driver-related problem. Have you recently installed any new/updated drivers, or installed any new hardware or software? Can you think of anything that was changed on the PC just prior to when this issue began to occur?

It is also quite possible that you have a bad hard drive, one of the other techs I work with says that every single time he has seen this BSOD message it has been a bad hard disk drive. I recommend downloading the Ultimate Boot CD from http://www.ultimatebootcd.com and using the GWScan 5.09 and Salvation hard disk diagnostic tools on the CD.

Keep me posted on how it goes.

 

[NJLOAD]

Thanks, will do. I just have some yard work to do now but will post back later with results.

 

[mechBgon]

What were the four infected files detected as, also?

Bigger picture: infections + adware? I'd be nuking that Windows installation regardless, and setting it up tight, with the culpri-- uh, I mean the owners and their guests/kids/etc using Limited-class accounts for daily-driver stuff if at all possible.

 

[NJLOAD]

Thanks for all the help. Well spent 2 hours installing Norton 2005 and doing a virus scan found 7 threats and deleted one. I don't remember what the names were but most were ad ware. As soon as the scan was done hooked up the internet cable and wham shut down. What is the odds the NIC card is bad? I am at work now but think before a new install, I might install a new NIC and see what happens. The owners just use the machine for Internet and Email. Go figure...........

 

[sykopath79]

Hmm... I suppose it very well could be a bad NIC, or a corrupted driver for that NIC. If the problem goes away with a new NIC, then case closed.

 

[mechBgon]

Look in Norton's logs for the names of the threats. So it detected seven just with its onboard definitions, which weren't even updated yet? You can download the Intelligent Updater to update Norton's defs (although not the rest of its stuff) from this page, transfer it to the problem computer on CD or thumb drive, and update the defs that way, then scan again.

Look in Event Viewer for more info on the shutdowns too. Good to hear they only use the system for email and web, that means it'll be a cinch to change them to Limited accounts for their own safety :evil:

 

[Fern]

I had a similar prob some time ago. Don't remember the error message, but it turned out to be a bad install of the gfx driver. Reinstalled nVidia driver and prob went away. Just a guess, might wanna try that b4 reformat etc.

Fern