Format #6 And Counting

[darkewolf]

Heyas Guys and Gals-

well...just did my 6th format on this stupid thing, in the last 14 days. seems like it will last about 2 days, and then start developing serious errors in the boot menu, or in the shutdown menu, or just start losing program data.
as much as I would like to post a big, long, very hostile bitch fit, about how bad this damned machine is PISSING ME OFF; that's not what these boards are for, and nobody really wants to read about me ranting on anyways.

Basically, posting this info so that peeps in the threads that I am posting to, or are sending me PM's know why my replies are so damn erratic. Between fighting the probs, the time that it takes to format it once they turn serious, and then the time to reinstall everything, and get it all configured, this damn machine it turning out to be more maintanence than a j o b, or a fussy wife!!!

I THINK that I've narrowed the problem down to a hard drive that's going bad; but I'm still workin on it :angry:

[firefox]

hey darkewolf, sounds like you know what you are doing there, may i suggest making a ghost image of your computer so if you have to redo it again, it will not take you as long to restore. Also If you have some spare memory laying around try to swap it out, may be causing your problem. On you hard drive, you can download utilities from the maker of the hard drive and run some tests on it to see if it is failing. Just a though no offense intended.

[Kunal]

you might want to use kill disk (does a more thourough format) or use your hdd's manufacturer's format utility to do a low level format (will restore your drive to what is was when it shipped) and also run scandisk to check for bad clusters etc

[Virtualbody1234]

What OS and filesystem are you using?

[darkewolf]

replying in order of the posts-

firefox- (cool name, btw) I wish that I do have a couple extra sticks of ram laying around, cause I've started to notice that yes, teh symptoms are reoccuring, but also that they are very much similar...not widespread random, like a failure would be. We're starting to think that it's a memory stored virus that's causing the prob. I dont have much experience with those, but I've run the new + updated version of panda titanium, pc-cillan, and norton all of them running boot sector, and memory scans and come up blank. It's almost to the point where I'm gonna go have the disk scanned by another machine. I've thought about making a clone, or Picture of the drive, once I've got everything installed, but I've been reluctant to, in case that it is a virus.

Kunal- I've tried a thurough scandisk. I've shut down all of the programs except for my firmwall (router firewall...I cant shut it down; no option, and not listed in program manager) and the scan continuously resets itself, as if the contents of the drive were being changed. So it never completes...even after 6 hours (I took a nap) it was STILL (waaaaay too long for a 40 gig drive) running. :( When I've formated, I've been doing the format C: /s /u commands each time, and to my understanding, the /u will do the low-level format. After the last couple of times, I started coming up with this damned "windows write protection error configmg" which wont let windows boot up without starting up in safe mode first, and then rebooting (Just one of the symptoms.) directly after installing win98se. no software, no drivers, nada, just the o/s. IF I have the patience to format it again, instead of the "hammer" solution that came to mind, when this thing started acting up again, I'll try those out, that you recommended. But for right now...I'm just too damn tired of reinstalling everything. ESPECIALLY after the fricken registry decided to reset itself to a previous version today, where only half my device drivers and most of my installed progs got BLITZED. (I know, I know, make a backup of the registry...but I cant ever get everything set up before it screws up again! and, if it is a virus, and it's in the registry, then I'd just be copying it to the saved version.)

If it's a virus, there's only two places that I can think of that it would have come from. Either it was on a software cd for a webcam that I'd installed (which would coincide with some of the configuration probs that caused the first format) or a website somewhere has installed it without my permission. Oh yah, I'm the only one that uses this comp, and it's not home networked, so I know it hasnt been anybody else in the house.

Virtualbody- (nice graphics there! :) ) 98se with fat32


the configmg, I actually managed to get rid of for a while, at first by FDISK and had to remove all partitions from the drive...it wouldnt accept the fact that I was running a 3 part. drive for some reason. After I got it running without it, I went back into fdisk and redid it with a 2 part. drive. Which was fine for a lil bit, and then it started up again. I've isolated the reason it's popping up (the damn thing cant remember my ps/2 mouse port, and loses it.) but not the reason why it keeps reoccuring.

In short- this damn thing has just got me mad as hell :angry:

[Virtualbody1234]

Perhaps a drive diagnostics program would help.

Check the web site of your harddisk manufacturer.

For example if you have a Maxtor drive then download Powermax.

http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/powermax.htm

Other companies offer similar tools.

[darkewolf]

thanks VirtualBody, I just DL'd it, will give it a try here pretty soon

[darkewolf]

$H!T !! Looks like it's gotta wait till tomorrow. It want to make a floppy disk to run the diagnostic tools to, and I dont have any laying around except for my win 98se boot disk.

[Virtualbody1234]

Sorry about that. :( Maybe I should have warned you. :unsure:

[firefox]

hey if you have a maxtor drive, they have an unconditional warrenty if your drive is still under warrenty give them a call and they will change it out for you. If you are in the USA go HERE (http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/contact/ata.htm) for the phone numbers. I think your problem is not going to be a virus if you scanned with three different scanners and did not find one. It will either be your hard drive or you ram. Anyway you need more help just let me know. Its what I do for a living, in the USA

[darkewolf]

lol sorry for my language on that last post, my temper was raring it's ugly head

well- the hard drive passed the test, doing a deep scan with the utility. In a way, I'm glad of that, since I wont have to replace the drive...but it makes the job of trying to get this thing working all the harder.

are there any software diagnostic tools for checking the ram?

it's started up it's routine of not shutting down properly again last night. It's flying through the shutdown either way too fast, and not saving anything that I've done on it, or it locks up and screws up stuff. Particularly the progs in the start menu, so they dont wanna boot up right at windows. Oy vey! I dunno if I'll be able to get back to the message boards or not tonight...this thing looks like it's a couple of bootups from crashing, if the cycle goes the way that it had been before the previous formats.

I went onto ECS's website last night, looking at BIOS updates (it's a k7s5a board) and I'm seriously considering doing a bios update on it. Just need to fig out which one, and I still need to get the number for my current bios set.

[firefox]

you can get those numbers from the very first screen that pops up. I recommend updating the bios, what kind of computer are we talking about, give us some specs. If I understand correctly you are installing windows 98 right. I have used a program called Trouble shooter and diagnostices before to test ram. It is a dos based program. Been a while since I used it, send my your email address and I can give you a copy to try out.

[Virtualbody1234]

Ram tester: http://www.klboard.ath.cx/index.php?showto...4696&hl=memtest (http://www.klboard.ath.cx/index.php?showtopic=74696&hl=memtest)

[Mïcrösöül°V³]

i had a maxtor and it did a similar issue when the S.M.A.R.T technology on the drive failed due to an interrupted system restore on win XP (power failure). i got a new one from maxtor. the date is written on the drive as to the warranty period.

[darkewolf]

Originally posted by Mïcrösöül°V³@23 October 2003 - 02:47
i had a maxtor and it did a similar issue when the S.M.A.R.T technology on the drive failed due to an interrupted system restore on win XP (power failure). i got a new one from maxtor. the date is written on the drive as to the warranty period.
I dont have S.M.A.R.T enabled in the setup(dont even really know what it means, or what it does) on my system So I'll just ask, if that's a possiblility of what's causing this, could it still affect me even if it's turned off?
I dont really care if the maxtor warranty covers it, since I've still got nearly a year part/labor left on the machine itself; and since it's part of the original hardware, it's still covered by LegendMicro (the comp manufacterer). But thanx for the info ;)
Did that smart problem keep reoccuring even after fdisk/format? And how would I test it?

Firefox- PM'd you with my email addy, thanks!

VirtualBody- thanks! I downloaded that memory test prog and I'll try that out too, as soon as I find another blank flop around here somewhere ;)

The machine is by LegendMicro that I got new off of Ebay about 2 years ago. It's a k7s5a board, running ECS AMI bios, with single stick 512 ddr ram, 1.3ghz xp1500 AMD cpu, maxtor 5400 rpm ide hd drive, nvidia gf2 vidcrd, onboard 5:1 sound, onboard nic, liteon DVD and CD-RW drives, running win98se. That's just about all of the hardware that pops into my head, off the top of my head, as well as the O/S.

I also wanna mention that the probs didnt get like this, until I had to format off the drivers for a VEO deluxe webcam that screwed up my soundcard drivers. (which btw, that webcam was an utter P.O.S, the only thing that I can recommend them for, is using as target practice!! LOUSY light gathering capability in the lense, turtle crawl frame rates, will NOT run off of a USB hub, and doesnt want to stay where you position it, and a software package that dont give ya many options for settings. On the plus side, the built in mic worked pretty well tho).

I've managed to isolate what I BELIEVE to be one of the causes, or the cause of, the config manager giving me probs at boot (or is it Post....I'm failing to remember what Post means....). For whatever reason that I've yet to find out, winbreaks is being retarded about remembering the drivers for my ps/2 mouse port. Sometimes it will remember it, others it wont; and when I do finally get it to go ahead and boot up, will reinstall the drivers for it during the Plug 'n' Pray setup at the beginning of the windoze startup. It didnt occur to me, until I saw it doing this, that after that format to clear the sound drivers from that webcam, that when I started installing windows, that the mouse cusser (thats not a typo, cause I was cussing a LOT) went completely haywire, bouncing all over the screen of it's own accord, and locking up the keyboard. So I had to shut down (since windows wont recognize two mice on the same machine)and switch it over to the serial port to be able to continue the install. Since then, I've just left it connected to the serial port.

The only new hardware that I've added to it since these probs began is an external HDD, in a USB housing; and the webcam...well....that got taken back to the store. the external hdd I installed after the probs began, for backups, since I fig'd I'd prolly be FDISK'ing off my other partitions, besides the one that I install windows to. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that earlier- it was originally a three partition drive, when I started getting the write protection configmg errors after that format. after teh fdisk, I reinstalled all three part, and still got that write error- took it to a single part drive, and it installed without the errors...went back, fdisk again, and added another part (2 partitions) and it installed ok, but the configmg errors started coming back, after I had started loading drivers and software.

Sorry this post is so long, just trying to put down everything into print, that I can think of that's relevant

[Virtualbody1234]

Maybe you have a virus or worm on your system. :unsure:

I have heard of some boot sector viri that can survive a complete reformat.

Just an idea at this point. I'm still thinking this one over.

One other thing... That computer has enough power to run Window XP.

[darkewolf]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@24 October 2003 - 03:57
Maybe you have a virus or worm on your system. :unsure:

I have heard of some boot sector viri that can survive a complete reformat.

Just an idea at this point. I'm still thinking this one over.

One other thing... That computer has enough power to run Window XP.
yeah the tech that works at legend that I talked to, said that he'd just come across a memory virus that was in some ladies machine, and they only way that they found it was that she booted up off the virus scanner disk (not exactly sure what he meant by that tho.)
Yes, some virii CAN survive a complete format. the levels to which the malwares are growing to is becoming really scary...at least to me they are. :ph34r:

yeah, I know that this comp could run whistler...it was one of the options that I had, when I bought the machine. But I havent ever liked XP, even from back when it was in the beta stages. That, and I dont know for sure if a lot of the software that I have, would run under whistler, since the majority of it was made either before xp existed, or was just in it's beta phases. and being unemployed makes it hard to go out and buy all new software. it's easy enough to find it for free, but ya never really know how much of it is legit. And this current situation has made my paranoia of viruses and such even higher than it was afore this happened.

[Virtualbody1234]

Stick around this forum for a while and I promise you that your opinion about "it's easy enough to find it for free, but ya never really know how much of it is legit." will change. You will be able to get just about any software you want including XP from checked (verified) sources.

[toddiscool]

Originally posted by darkewolf@23 October 2003 - 23:59
yeah the tech that works at legend that I talked to, said that he'd just come across a memory virus that was in some ladies machine, and they only way that they found it was that she booted up off the virus scanner disk (not exactly sure what he meant by that tho.)

Some AV vendors disks are bootable, this will allow you to properly scan the memory and boot sector (I only know that norton does though) . If that is not an option for you you could try Fprot (http://www.f-prot.com/products/corporate_users/dos/) which is a dos virus scanner, same advantage as booting from the virus CD. I cannot remeber what version of windows you said that you were using, but ofcourse it needs to be 9.x/mellenium to run the dos check.

[boyzeee]

may not be ya hardrive at all, it could be simply a hardware conflict, the k7s5a has onboard sound, lan and modem riser, have you got a separate soundcard installed? or network card? or modem? if so the onboard stuff must be disabled in bios or you will get conflicts. also have you cleaned the processor cooler? could be dirty and so overheating. also the bios on the k7s5a has a hardware monitor built in, check and see what voltages you running, could be a faulty psu. as for flashing ya bios open ya case and it should have a revision sticker or possibly printed on board (near the agp port or bottom left corner) the revision, ie 1.0 or 1.1, 3.1 etc now go here (http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/dw_list.asp?submenu_id=26&function_id=4) for ya bios, select your board and revision and download the latest rom/bios file and the flash utility, make a 98start disk and then unpack the bios file and copy the file to the start disc and also the flash utility, boot ya pc with the disc and then type a:\dir this will bring the list of files up on the disc and then type A:\aminf330 ******.rom (* being whatever the rom file name is for your board and remember to leave a space) and hit enter it will do a check to see if the file is valid for your board, if so it will say so, press enter and it will flash the bios. restart when prompted and then hit delete and check ya settings in bios. hope this helps :D

edit..... just been reading back thru and you said mouse was bouncing all over the screen? sounds like it could be ya graphics driver or card, try updating the driver and reducing ya screen to 16bit and see what it like. ;)

[darkewolf]

after 6 FDISK's and 14 FORMATS in the last 3 weeks...I THINK that this thing is FINALLY under control. and as happy as I am about that....I am still steaming under the collar about what the solution turned out to be.

a bad RAM stick.

I was thinking about that, a hardware conflict, so I tried installing winblows w/out the modem installed. It got rid of the write protection CONFIGMG errors, but right off the bat came in with just generic write protection errors. swapped out the ram, and it seems to be running ok. (Aside from the usual windoze crap like explorer crashes)

Anyways, I REALLY appreciate all the help and advice that you guys put into this thread, and for some of the emails that I got on this one.
Sorry that it took me so long to get back to ya guys, but well.....this thing was DEAD for a couple of days.

edit: now for my next problem....if it's fixed, what am I gonna change my signature to? :lol:

[Smith]

ITSA A HARDWARE ISSUE!!!!

CHECK UR HARDWARE. TRUST ME. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A VERRY VERRY BAD VIRUS 4 A BAD TIME. TURNED OUT MY FAN GOT CLOGGED AND MY COMP GOT SO HOT IT FRIED A BUNCH OF CABLES!!


EDIT oops didnt see the last post. congrats on fixing! and just for the record. i am smart!

[darkewolf]

Originally posted by TheCanuk@30 October 2003 - 03:02
ITSA A HARDWARE ISSUE!!!!

CHECK UR HARDWARE. TRUST ME. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A VERRY VERRY BAD VIRUS 4 A BAD TIME. TURNED OUT MY FAN GOT CLOGGED AND MY COMP GOT SO HOT IT FRIED A BUNCH OF CABLES!!


EDIT oops didnt see the last post. congrats on fixing! and just for the record. i am smart!
oh I hear ya dude! I was thinking that it was anything from a virus to a bad hard drive! That stupid configmg had me and the tech stumped bad! I was beginning to think that the damn thing is haunted! Hell...it almost became dead, dead, D E A D the way that it was acting, and it wouldnt have been natural causes!

UGH...lets not mention fans melting stuff. the fan on my vid card has a bad bearing, and squeaks pretty bad. That's going in too, when I send the ram chips back to them.
Hope that fan, and cables didnt cost you too much in the way of stuff on the comp. This stupid ram card is gonna cost me about another 15 hours of time, trying to reconstruct the data that got crunched on my backup drive cause of the bad errors. LOL...when I can find that hash for the file reconstructor prog, that is.

haha we're all smart, and still do dumb things sometimes. :D

thanks, I'm glad I got it workin too...just hope it stays workin. Next solution is the shotgun method