Ed_P Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 ccvader you said in this msg that you determined the cause of the rpc msg you were getting. Could you elaborate so longgone can see if it's the cause of his problem also?As for random rebooting I know heat will cause the processor and/or ps to shut the system down but once down it usually stays down not reboots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Ethernet ....... what is that?????????????? We be talking 56k at best dial it up modem here.... But here is a good question for you ... since I have the XP disk ... bought and paid for ... where did all these virus invaders come from.... I was only at two sites ZDNet and Grisoft 2 d/l's from ZDNet and 1 from Grisoft.... so who is the culprit there??????Well, you can rule out Grisoft AVG, they are a reputable antivirus software writer. That leaves the downloads of freeware from ZDnet. You should also be able to rule out Ad Aware, they are confirmed good guys, too. That leaves the Popup Stopper. Needless to say, don't ever download that software again.Another thread that comes up often is peoples' computers getting trashed after they connect to the internet before setting up to run behind a software firewall and/or a router. If you run without that basic protection, all bets are off and none of the downloaded software may be to blame.If you were running Mozilla or Firefox, you could simply use their built-in popup stoppers, problem solved. It is really shabby how much malware is out there now, masquerading as legitimate privacy freeware. Some of those people are really scummy, and their 'popup stopper' or whatever other software will load you up with spyware and other forms of malware of a far worse nature. It is a good idea to research all such software before trusting it.As pointed out in this thread already, it is just plain suicidal to ever access the internet without at least a software firewall running, and this counts nearly as much even if you are only on dialup. Once XP SP2 has the firewall turned on by default, you will be OK. Another way to protect other Windows OS's is to load Zone Alarm or another equivalent firewall before you ever connect to the net for the first time. It's getting dangerous out there.BTW your problem does sound like malware is causing all the reboots, but have you ruled out any momentary power line voltage dropouts? We have them fairly often here. Adding a UPS often cures that problem completely. A certain hint that it was due to power line dropouts would be if you were able to correlate a momentary drop or 'flicker' in the brightness of an incandescent lamp in the room with the exact moment you see the computer start to reboot. I have definitely seen this here on some occasions. Now I have several UPS's and even a line conditioner on one setup. One problem computer I used to run as my main one improved markedly after adding a UPS, and the mysterious reboots entirely went away after I added the line conditioner. I have only seen one such computer so far. For all my others, a UPS alone was sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Well, you can rule out Grisoft AVG, they are a reputable antivirus software writer. That leaves the downloads of freeware from ZDnet. You should also be able to rule out Ad Aware, they are confirmed good guys, too. That leaves the Popup Stopper. Needless to say, don't ever download that software again.what do you mean with "That leaves the Popup Stopper. Needless to say, don't ever download that software again." ? Can you clear this up a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted August 7, 2004 Author Share Posted August 7, 2004 Yes I do have a burner, but to burn a copy of Zone Alarm I would have to go up on the web make the d/l to the hard drive then burn it. I am somewhat concerned that it could also become infected once it is either in the d/l process or already on the hard drive. Now somewhat in the defense of Pop-up stopper I have used it for years with no problems, in fact it is on the machine I use on the web daily.I have thought of heat as a factor also, but yesterday when I did all this on that machine, it was with both side panels off and the air conditioning on running at medium cool. Here is a little backround on yesterdays process. I took a know good hard drive from one of my two main machines and put in there since I have changed almost everything else out (mainboard & cpu are all that is left). I loaded in Fedora 2 completely but for some reason could not make a web connection (no problems so far). I then loaded in XP from one of my own MS disks, and as we all know that is a lonnnng process. It was probably over an hour total. Then up on the web, connect to ZDNet, get the two d/ls there. Now over to Grisoft get that process going. After I am in the process of the AVG d/l but before I enter the reg. nr. they send you is when I get this first virus warnig. I got 3 or 4 in less than 10 secs. and they were all in a file (memory fade here) of "F.protect" or something close to that. When I finally got done with the AVG (it was recommended that I run it to clear the virus) and start an update from Grisoft is when it got to the point of almost going into the dumpster. Completed the first scan as mentioned 311 infected files, the suggestion was to move to the virus vault, can't do that with that particular file, so I ran it again, now it is down to only 2 infected files but still can't get rid of it and then comes the first reboot. Lets see the machine has been on 2-3 hours now, it comes back up all is fine, I put in the security disk from MS, somewhere during the install there, it reboots again, approximate time between reboots, less than 10 minutes. I quit after that. I am not a glutton for that much punishment in one day.Now as far as the power dips go, I have not seen any flickers that are visible to me. I could have missed them but I do not have this problem on the machine I use daily. I do live in a motor home and the power connections are all in good condition.One more item in regard to the heat, I have added a slot fan to this machine and a cooling insert (twin fan from HP) in the front in one of the bays for a CD rom unit.The reboots are my main concern as I want to sell this machine but cannot do it in good faith with this problem.. The virus can be whipped easy as compared to this reboot thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Dale, Now somewhat in the defense of Pop-up stopper I have used it for years with no problems, in fact it is on the machine I use on the web daily.That's why I asked, I use this gem too and that for a long time.Mine is version 3.1.0.1010 : Let's see what Cluttermagnet's motivation is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 If you guys are refering to Panicware's Popupstopper be advised that the new version installs spyware/adware products.http://www.pestpatrol.com/zks/pestinfo/p/p...pup_stopper.asphttp://aumha.org/a/popup.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Well, in that case I have to do something about it, don't I? Even when I have an older version, I can't stand this. (I always revoked permission to the XAUpdate Application to connect to the Internet. ) There's some work to be done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted August 7, 2004 Author Share Posted August 7, 2004 Nathan......Does that also apply to the pay for version???? I have the pro version which I did pay for (few years back) but I still have the necessary code nrs./info to d/l it again and go for that instead of the free version. I was just in a hurry, should have known better, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Unknown. The only information about it that I have is in those links. I don't use 3rd party popup software because I use Mozilla Firefox For IE I use the Google toolbar. I share the opinion of James A. Eshelman that using Popup blocker is simply treating the symptoms and not the disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted August 7, 2004 Author Share Posted August 7, 2004 Nathan.....Okay, understand your point of view, have never heard of Mr. Eshelman so that is a blank there. I could and do agree that using the Mozilla browser and mail software is a ton better than IE/OE but I sort of have the outlook that when I build one to sell I sort of want to put either no OS at all in it (which I still need to learn how to do) or something that the majority of persons are somewhat familiar with. It would be nice if they wanted a Linux OS, but I feel I should not just assume they do, I think you can understand that. However, as soon as I learn how to remove the OS that I put in for testing then they will have to get their own OS to put in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 OK,Removed this ***ware and cleaned the mess up incl. all traces of it.Nathan, thanks for the heads up.Cluttermagnet : I apology to you, it seems you were ahead of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 I have thought of heat as a factor also, but yesterday when I did all this on that machine, it was with both side panels off and the air conditioning on running at medium cool. I then loaded in XP from one of my own MS disks, and as we all know that is a lonnnng process. It was probably over an hour total.Hello longgone,This problem looks familiar and it's a nightmare to solve, but being through something so similar I may be able to help. I asked James M Fisher in a PM if he believed that 'You could install XP in the morning (cool) and NOT be able to install it in the afternoon (warm)... He said I was 'Nuts' only a lot more politer than that, respect for my age no-doubt... I think I know what your problem may be, but you'll have to bear with me.If it's possible put the windows OS disk in the CD drive and re-boot. When you get the option to, press R. (working on memory now) it asks which partition you want to access, should be 1. c:\windows.... enter 1. > enter, when it askes for Password > enter then type either DIR or HELP > enter. There should be a list of DOS commands on the screen. Type FORMAT C: (Yea! sorry mate I know! but it's the only way to find out!) and let it rip.Go for a cuppa, mow the lawn etc, read a book and by then it should be finished.The hour you quoted to install IS! too long... I would like you to put this computer outside where it's warm (say from 9am) and leave it until later in the day (3pm or later) then try to re-install XP. (I am assuming your weather pattern of course) If it doesn't install, re-format the drive with the /q option (I think it works in DOS), leave the computer overnight and try to re-install again early in the morning before it has had a chance to get warm.Believe me! this is important. Come back and let me know what happened. Ozi.Edit to include: From your Motherboard CD install all the necessary drivers. NO! Adobe or any other software, including the AV that comes with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozidave Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Hi Longgone,Some more things you can do to shorten this process: Once you've got XP installed, activate Media Player, and record a CD to disk.Don't set up too many options in player, but one that I would like you set up is 'Visualisations' and choose Musical-Colours and select Colors-in-Motion. Assuming all is Ok to this point select Play in the Pull down menu and click repeat, turn your speakers OFF (for your benefit) and just let this thing run to see if it crashes. Don't install any other software..... and keep the music running, even if you choose to play all the tunes, just keep it running non-stop for up to four hours. You may want the sound up a little bit to listen if the music stutters at any time, to save another test later on. Ozi.PS: Re the first post.... When XP install asks for the format partion options, don't give it another full-format, use the 'Quick' option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 I've also seen this problem (spontaneous rebooting) specifically on AMD based machines as a hardware problem, especially when overclocked with inadequate ventilation. Only once on these sort of machines have I found it to be a virus. In all the other instances motherboard jumers were checked to insure proper voltage levels and fans were beefed up, eliminating the problem.Other things to check:Wake On Lan features are disabled in bios and that if the NIC has one of these cords on it don't plug it inDoublecheck all Power Management settings, set them to failsafes where possible.As for the CD recognizing/not recognizing:There are certain drives which use a sloppy way of reading tracks and cannot resolve information on some CDs when it is closely packed together on the outer circumference of the CD. Try to avoid Mitsumi drives in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted August 12, 2004 Author Share Posted August 12, 2004 Ozidave/anonymous.....Thanks for your inputs... not ignoring your info, just not working on that particular unit now, but your info is right here on the computer...... I have considered the possibility that the PSU could have something to do with this (a post by Edp). Heat is a definite consideration even though I have added additional cooling fans. The machine in question is AMD, it was purchased as a bare bones unit and I added the components. Regarding the heat, I am going to put this out for some thought, this case is a mini ATX (or so it was listed) the PSU is mounted paralell to the side of the case instead of the normally found at the top acorss the rear. The CPU is an AMD XP2400+ @2.0. I am not fond of this style of PSU mounting but it was a bare bones (what can I say) and it was a good deal. Is there a reasonable chance that the CPU heatsink/fan combo is inadequate for this type of install? I do have 2 alternatives for this situation, a different case, or a variable speed CPU heatsink/fan combo. Your tips/hints are appreciated (all of you fine peeps) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRD Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 I'm not sure if someone suggested this or not, but a great way to see if heat is your problem is to remove the panels on your case, and have a house fan blowing directly on the mobo. If your issues disappear, its cooling, if not, it still may be cooling, but unlikely.Sometimes just adding case fans can make a cooling problem worse. I'm of the opinion that a large 120mm fan in the back is much more effective than a bunch of 80mm fans. The goal is to draw cool air in, and exhaust hot air out. When you add fans arbitrarily, you can get vorticies that actually trap hot air in your case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 Welll.......here I am posting from this erratic machine..... the only change is a different hard drive (temporary only)... started this morning.... loaded Fedora core 2 in for awhile.... all went well with the exception that even though it would connect to the web I could not surf the web...don't know why... it had minimal bytes in/out on the graph... possibly could be a firewall problem.. then tried to install another OS .. would not do it.... wiped the hard drive and tried to load SuSE 9.1, Debian, Mepis also tried the SuSE server DVD, no go on any of them,,, tried XP and here I am .... the point behind all this rambling... this machine has been on solid over 8 hours.... and not a reboot or hiccup .. not to shabby ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 .... hiccupWell.. darn .. not 10 mins after my last post, it rebooted while I was installing SP1 from the CD, restarted the CD, got to the same place, it rebooted again ???? Went to the MS web site d/l it from there, all was good, for allll those updates. They have redone the site and it is much nicer now , got all the updates done and shutdown for the day. Next day, d/l'd some software, popup stop.avg,adaware, etc,driver for the video card. Darn two more reboots, time to quit, in advertently touched the power supply,,,, very warm, almost, but not quite hot,,, could that be what has been giving me fits for the past few months????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Hi Longgone,Still having these problems, eh? You should really check out that PSU angle. And, also try the BIOS defaults. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 b2cm............ yes still have them,,, but have spare PSU ... might take seriously to heart copying your avatar except substitue the tower in place of the monitor.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 could that be what has been giving me fits for the past few months?????????????Yes. But didn't you say you put a different PSU in it a while back and still had the problems? Or was that a different pc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 EdP....You are good..... but that was the PC in the dead computer thread. This one I did not do that on but now that I know how hot it got I will... Three of the four reboots had the same error number and basically it said that the CPU detected a hardware error and shut it down. The only known hardware conflict is that the driver for the video card has not been digitally signed by MS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Yep, recalled it was a Soltek board, and that you were getting an Asrock. Is this that Asrock? Oh my, two headaches in a row. It's difficult to change IRQ assignments in XP. What's the video card, and do you have another one to try out just in case you can't find Microsoft-approved drivers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted October 6, 2004 Author Share Posted October 6, 2004 b2cm..... ... actually both machines have the same board now... .. one has a GeForce mx440 video card (the one I thought might be dead) and one has an GeForce fx5200 (random boot machine). Since I have the side panels off it would not be any problem to change cards but first off I will do the PSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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