• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

OT: Cruncher busted need help.---Fixed Thanks---

B

Baldy18

Diamond Member
Came home today to find one of my XP 1800+ with the following error on a black screen:

"While initializing device VCACHE:
Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer."

I tried to restart the computer normaly and I tried to restart it in safe mode and I still get the same error when it tries to enter Windows. I have tried to soft boot and also shut everything down and cold boot but the problem persists.

Apparently it thinks that the himem.sys file is missing even though it isn't. Got this result when I booted to command mode and then tried to enter Windows.

Could this be virus related? I noticed a file in the startup folder last night and deleted it. It is my stupid brothers computer and of course he doesn't have virus software on any of his computers.
rolleye.gif
 
My guess is that Windows is just corrupted. Err, wait, that could be taken wrong... 😉 You can download a trial version of Norton AV after reinstalling Windows, and do a scan of the hard drive. If it won't scan, that could be an indication of a virus, but I believe you can fall back on a command-line scan if that happens.
 
I'll try that. I forget though if you reinstall over the current installation which folders lose their contents?
 
I don't think it goes out of its way to overwrite anything not related to the Windows installation itself. Maybe it would overwrite his IE Favorites folder...?
 
If you install WIN over itself you will lose your ADDRESS BOOK and MESSAGES in Outlook Express as well as the FAVORITES that mechBgon mentioned.

I had a couple of TS teammates computers in for a visit to my "hospital table". 😉 One was just saturated with virus ... thousands. The first clue besides files turning up gone, modified, or corrupted was when I tried to run an online virus scan like Trend Micro PC-cillin. After downloading the files from that site the AV just wouldn't work.

I installed Nortan AV and even before it could do the Active Update messages started popping up announcing files that were infected and fixed.

Hope some of this helps. 😉
 
Well he decided that he didn't care about any of the files and is going to format and start fresh. he aslo decided to put Notron AV on another computer and appartly "he says" it has a virus that misinterprits the amount of free space that is on the disk so it always appears to be full and no programs can be installed. So both these computers are having installations done on them now.

Ok apparently he says it won't let him install Windows. Something about can not load user.exe😕 So what do we do now?
 
Hmm, maybe just get a new HDD? Or you could crank up Norton to its maximum settings on your working PC, get current virus definitions, give it orders to clean virus-infected files on sight, and then put in the other HDD as a slave and clean it up in the working PC. I haven't tried that myself, so YMMV.
 
Ah I get it now.

Ok unplugged a stick of RAM and it works now. Now to find out if it is the DIMM or the DIMM slot.:disgust:

Trying an online virus scan with the other computer as it won't let me install Norton AV form the CD (one of the few pieces of software I have pain money for). Boy this sucks.
 
Thanks Wiz I'll take a look at that later.

For now I deleted all references to Norton in the registry and copied the files from the cd to the hard drive for installation and finally installation was successful.🙂 No viruses found so that just goes to prove that my brother really doesn't know what he is talking about.🙂

Looks like both are buck up and running but it may be a while before SETI is back on my brothers XP 1800+ as he is in a bad mood.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top