Wife's computer crashing

[dadofandrew]

She "fixed" it a couple weeks ago when my brother-in-law removed spyware and a registry error a couple weeks ago. Now, back to crashing, won't even come on w/o crashing. The one thing she noticed is the NIC port has two lights flashing nonstop. It is just less than 2 years old, out of warranty. She's thinking it might be time to give up and buy a sharp new pretty one. Any ideas or suggestions appreciated.

[dragoon84]

Do you have the OS install disk? If so, if you don't have a ton of important documents or photos on there, you would be best just formatting the thing.

[ryne100]

Reformat probably. Can you get in using safe mode to try and save some files?

[dadofandrew]

Everything is backed up. She had to reformat about a year ago, and it's worked fine until a month ago, when problems began.

[ryne100]

If everything is backed up I would definitely reformat before buying anything.

[1992casey]

I'd go the reformat route. Windows tends to need that every few months anyway. The worst case scenario would be that the problem is still there; but at least if that were to happen, you'd know that the issue was hardware-related.

 

Also, I'd reinstall all applications from their installers rather than restoring from backup. You'd hate to grab the bum setting and recreate the problem. While you're at it, check for any updated installers that might be available for download.

 

Before restoring documents from the backup, I'd run full virus and spyware scans on the backup disk... just in case.

 

The good news is that you have another computer in the house. It can be used for stuff like downloading new installers and checking the backup disk.

 

EDIT: As your wife reinstalls her software, she should create restore points. It's easy to revert to a previous state if you get an unexpected result.

[DSFastball55]

Before you format, try a repair installation first. I've found that to be almost as effective as a complete reformat, unless it is a virus/malware issue. Very simple to do: boot up with the windows cd, choose the repair option and follow the instructions. It basically reinstalls windows but leaves your files and programs in place. It will restore windows to the original disk version, so it will remove any updates/service packs. Just run windows update afterward.

[MadScientist]

The NIC lights indicate a lot of network access. This sounds like spyware infecting things. It looks like whatever was removed is back. It needs to be cleaned and to have the anti-virus / anti-spyware running constantly. Also don't let her use IE, make her switch to Firefox with adblock Plus running. This should reduce the chance of re-infection.

[dadofandrew]

She is on Firefox with adblock plus.

[bjkrautk]

If you're concerned about spyware / the NIC interfering with startup, I'd at least try starting it up with the computer disconnected from the network (either by unplugging the ethernet cable, or turning off the wireless access point).

 

I'd be surprised if that does help (since a computer that can't start wouldn't seem to have much value to the hacker/spyware architect), but it wouldn't seem to hurt things.

[valpocrewsader]

I'd go the reformat route. Windows tends to need that every few months anyway.

Let's not spread glaring misinformation. From my home, to my work, to my friends & family, I'm surrounded by a very large sample of Windows machines that have never needed reformatting, let alone "one every few months". Sounsd like Mac kool-aid.

[TheCrew07]

I'd go the reformat route. Windows tends to need that every few months anyway.

Let's not spread glaring misinformation. From my home, to my work, to my friends & family, I'm surrounded by a very large sample of Windows machines that have never needed reformatting, let alone "one every few months". Sounsd like Mac kool-aid.

Every couple of months might be extreme however it hasn't been uncommon for me to find it necessary to reformat and reinstall my computer every 2 years or so because I ran into multiple registry problems that I just could not fix. I also do computer support for a rather large corporation and I see on a daily basis how flakey Windows is. 2 users with the exact same hardware and exact same software will get different performance out of their machines. Windows just isn't the most stable and reliable platform but unfortunately Microsoft dominates the market and industry as a whole.

 

If you don't use your computer for much other than web browsing I could see it lasting a long time with good virus/spyware/malware protection coupled with good common sense surfing and email use. Generally speaking though Windows will degrade itself over time. I will say that after 3 or 4 months now of Windows 7 I'm actually pretty happy with the product on the whole, but I still have to upgrade to a full version here at some point in the next couple of months which will be a head ache in it's own right.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Every couple of months might be extreme however it hasn't been uncommon for me to find it necessary to reformat and reinstall my computer every 2 years or so because I ran into multiple registry problems that I just could not fix. I also do computer support for a rather large corporation and I see on a daily basis how flakey Windows is. 2 users with the exact same hardware and exact same software will get different performance out of their machines. Windows just isn't the most stable and reliable platform but unfortunately Microsoft dominates the market and industry as a whole.

Every 2 years is a heck of a lot different than 'every few months', which is simply a gross exaggeration. And I'm not discounting your story, but even every 2 years is more often than should really be necessary.

 

I have a 6 year old Dell that I finally had to reformat about a month ago due to declining performance, but that was also due in part to the fact that it had only 256Mb RAM.

[dadofandrew]

She finally reinstalled after using it in "safe" mode for a week. Is working fine as of yet. Thanks for the help.

[1992casey]

I think reinstalling Windows was a good move in this case. Especially after six days of safe mode, it was becoming apparent that finding the cause of the problem was going to take more time and effort than a reinstall.

 

But in my mind, what really tipped the scale toward a reinstall was the fact that Mrs. Al had a proper backup available. It's amazing how many people not only lack a backup, they also have no clue where their documents are stored within their OS. Obviously, you don't want to reinitialize unless you're sure your documents are safe and sound.

 

For the future, I wonder how practical it would be for Al's wife to make a backup now with the intention of having it available if things mess up again. She'd be able to reinstall Windows and most of her necessary software in one go from a copy that's (hopefully at this point) free of flaws. Documents could be retrieved from the newest backup.

 

I also recommend conscientiously setting restore points. Having a restore point available recently bailed me out when I bonked my friend's 3G access. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif The only problem was that the restore point excluded the printer I had just installed. Needless to say, when I reinstalled the printer, I made sure I left her with a restore point where everything worked properly.

 

I do know, however, that there are several members here who prefer to keep System Restore turned off. If anyone would care to reiterate why they have that preference, I'd like to understand that point of view.

 

Lastly, "Let's not spread glaring misinformation," peppered with "Sounds like Mac kool-aid" really crosses the personal attack line. The stuff in between those statements makes the point just fine. I think ""Sounds like Mac kool-aid" (possibly with an emot)--without the other comment--would have been fine.