Operating Systems: Windows

[Syndicate]

Post any Windows problems/questions here.

[Deadnutz]

My laptop runs Vista (no, that is not my problem), I want to install XP and have both operating systems.

I have 2 hard drives, C & D. D is completely empty. How do I install XP on D and assign it to a new user so I can use it and my wife can have her Vista?

[Jack Bauer]

to the best of my knowledge. you just install xp to the free drive (d in your case). when its finished installing, simply reboot and it should give you the option to boot into xp or vista

[art_vandelay]

to the best of my knowledge. you just install xp to the free drive (d in your case). when its finished installing, simply reboot and it should give you the option to boot into xp or vista

That may work. However, I think in order to dual boot Vista and XP, you need to install XP first, then Vista. If you don't do it in that order, I don't think it works.

[momsshizzle]

No problems here. Vista works fine.

[Area Man]

I'm building a new gaming system and I believe I need a 64 bit OS

right now i use xp home 32

Is vista still as terrible as its reputation? what would you get for a x64 operating system?

[Gary_Busey]

Vista isn't terrible. I use the 64 bit Ultimate edition.

[InterningIsiah]

I use Vista 64 Bit Ultimate also and I've had 0 problems with compatibility in both video and sound drivers and regular programs.

[Syndicate]

If you are a power user/abuser like me Vista is an evil cunt. If the OS doesn't bother you, then I guess you aren't nerdy enough. I code ASP, PHP, HTML.... I Do Flash, and LOTS of image editing.. I pirate the living shit out of everything, and actually have around 40 applications installed that I use regularly (I'm still pissed I can't get a cracked copy of Alcohol or CuteFTP that works with Vista), PLUS the boot time when you have 6 external dries hooked up to it is ridiculous. I could go on for hours, but I won't.

Did I mention you cannot debug an ASP site being developed in Visual Studio without spending 2 hours tracking down a random hotfix via Google?


FUCK VISTA.

[Syndicate]

P.S. Windows 2000 was the best OS Microsoft ever put out. If I could I'd run it until the end of days.

[Gary_Busey]

You're Vista retarded.

[Syndicate]

You're Vista retarded.


1. It doesn't keep categories while sorting files.
2. It forgets viewing preferences on almost even pane.
3. You can't even add a font after you get so many without copying said font to the Windows directory and then to the font directory.
4. The sidebar, if you are stupid enough to use it, can easilt use up more system resources than 2 instances of Visual Studio and PS combined.
5. I had this sweet ass rig with all 4 gigs of memory for a year before vista started AXTUALLY supporting 4 gigs of memory.
6. I duplicates items in the system start up.
7. Backwards compatibility is a joke. (See my bitch about Alcohol and Cute FTP)


I can continue... What I am getting at is I can say that I know more about computers than most of you guys here. Not trying to brag or be a douche. I do a LOT of advanced shit. That being said... what I was getting at is if you are like me, Vista is a joke. Guys like GTSCH, Tyler Durden, and elstavon (off the top of my head) can vouch for this cause I know they do the same kind of shit I do. If you are a casual user that plays video games now and again and you are not a developer or anything like that then you can get by on Vista.

[Gary_Busey]

I really don't get your complaints. I'm in IT, I know my shit just as much as you do. As long as there's been a 64 bit version of Vista, Vista has supported 4 gigs of ram. I have Alcohol on my 64 bit version of Vista Ultimate right now, so I don't know what that's all about. My sidebar uses little to none resources. The only complaint you have that I've experienced is the viewing preferences.

[Syndicate]

I really don't get your complaints. I'm in IT, I know my shit just as much as you do. As long as there's been a 64 bit version of Vista, Vista has supported 4 gigs of ram. I have Alcohol on my 64 bit version of Vista Ultimate right now, so I don't know what that's all about. My sidebar uses little to none resources. The only complaint you have that I've experienced is the viewing preferences.

I don't have the 64 bit version because there is too much shit I use that does not work with it, namely the tax software my company uses, so yeah.. I spent a year getting 3.25- usage out of my 4 gigs of ram. And development is much different that IT. On a normal day I run a browser with about 6 tabs, Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS3, at least two instances of Visual Studio, Flash, and Expression Web. This is an easy day for me. On my XP machine which is stacked the same hardware wise this is no issue. On the Vista machine this setup = shit and I have lots of issues. Shit crashes, shit fails, shit is slow. It's a perfect setup to. It's make a nerd cry cause it's so damn beautiful. The OS is the only issue though. Vista also hates the VPN's, which is fun since I work at home a lot, and have to hit my network drives at work. I have to re-map them everytime I re-connect. As for Alcohol, find me a cracked/hacked/pirated version that works on Vista. SHOW IT TO ME. I have yet to find one. The only one I have gotten tha is remotely close works for a few days, but then you have to re-apply the crack and do a bunch of bullshit to keep it working. Pain in the ass. Because of this I have been forced to use MagicISO, which is not nearly as good of a program.

[satandole666]

I'll have to go with Syndicate on this one.

Among all of the other bugs and issues, Windows is like the Crysis of operating systems; it is terribly optimized and eats a disproportional amount of resources. Its sad that my 1.6ghz P4 512mb XP laptop is faster for a lot of things (the biggest being some multitasking/networking uses as well as memory management) than my C2D E8400 + 4gb of ram in Vista.

[GreyFox1382]

I don't have the 64 bit version because there is too much shit I use that does not work with it, namely the tax software my company uses, so yeah.. I spent a year getting 3.25- usage out of my 4 gigs of ram. And development is much different that IT. On a normal day I run a browser with about 6 tabs, Illustrator CS3, Photoshop CS3, at least two instances of Visual Studio, Flash, and Expression Web. This is an easy day for me. On my XP machine which is stacked the same hardware wise this is no issue. On the Vista machine this setup = shit and I have lots of issues. Shit crashes, shit fails, shit is slow. It's a perfect setup to. It's make a nerd cry cause it's so damn beautiful. The OS is the only issue though. Vista also hates the VPN's, which is fun since I work at home a lot, and have to hit my network drives at work. I have to re-map them everytime I re-connect. As for Alcohol, find me a cracked/hacked/pirated version that works on Vista. SHOW IT TO ME. I have yet to find one. The only one I have gotten tha is remotely close works for a few days, but then you have to re-apply the crack and do a bunch of bullshit to keep it working. Pain in the ass. Because of this I have been forced to use MagicISO, which is not nearly as good of a program.

I agree, I do IT support for a video game company and we won't be changing to Vista anytime soon because it just runs horribly slow, especially when our users are running IE/Firefox, Photoshop, Maya, Visual Studio, and a host or other design software.

[AJ]

You're all a bunch of fucking pussies that just want to agree with Syndicate. I do all the same bullshit he's talking about ON A LESSER machine than he's said he used and have never had a single problem with anything I do. I can have 14 fucking applications up at the same time and my system has YET to slow down a single fuckin bit, and I'm only runnin' 2 gigs of RAM. Obviously you fucking douche bags are doing something wrong/don't know how to operate a fucking PC. Just shut the fuck up, read some tutorials on how to use a fucking computer, and get with the fucking program.

[AJ]

.... and yes, when I say applications I mean Photoshop, Illustrator, whatever. Never a problem. You fucking tards need to learn how to clean your systems and you won't have the problems you're bitching about. Just STFU you noob ass bitches.

[Gary_Busey]

I don't know, maybe I'm the lucky one and my shit works for some reason. Anyways, here's Alcohol. I've had it on my machine for a year now.

http://i36.tinypic.com/2dslaae.jpg

[Syndicate]

Man... I'd make a video of me running my shit so you guys can see what I am talking about, but I can't do that without opening files/databases/ etc related to job #2, and I'd rather not have you idiots track down where I work. I'm telling you guys though. You run a Vista environment and you get into shit like SQL, Visual Studio, Source Control and so on it's a fucking nightmare.

P.S. I am typing this as Visual Studio is locked up, while checking in files. I can do what I am doing now on my XP machine and she works great. This PC... Shit don't work too great.

[Distortion]

Vista isn't a developer friendly environment at all, if your running all those dev programs why aren't you on server 03 or xp pro? As far as i know i haven't come across a version of VS.NET specifically made to run on vista

[Cornflake]

well it looks like Microsoft is trying to erase Vista from people minds kind of like they did with Windows ME

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/10/28/microsoft.windows.ap/index.html



Microsoft says regular PC users can test a beta version of Windows 7 early next year
The operating system will let users avoid alerts and warnings from their computers
Rampant security alerts and pop-up windows irked many users of Windows Vista
Windows 7 is set to go on sale in early 2010

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The next version of Microsoft Windows, the software that defines the computing experience for most people, will nag users much less than its much-maligned predecessor, Vista. PC users will be able to test the new edition early next year.

The world's largest software maker also is making Word, Excel and other key elements of Office -- its flagship "productivity" programs -- able to run in a Web browser. The move is meant to help confront rivals such as Google Inc. that offer free word processing and spreadsheet programs online, threatening one of Microsoft Corp.'s most precious profit centers.
The Windows and Office news came Tuesday at a Microsoft conference for software developers.
The forthcoming Windows 7 will let users choose to see fewer alerts and warnings from their computers. Rampant notifications alerting people to security risks irked many Vista users.
"We had all the best intentions of helping to secure the PC platform even more, particularly for novice PC users who needed to be protected," said Steven Sinofsky, a senior vice president in Microsoft's Windows group. But Sinofsky acknowledged that Microsoft (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Microsoft_Corporation) needed to work more closely with outside companies to avoid a similar mess this time.
Don't Miss



Microsoft's Ozzie pitches Windows Azure (http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/10/28/microsoft.ozzie.ap/index.html)


Michael Silver, an analyst for Gartner Inc., said a smoother debut for Windows 7 is critical for Microsoft.
"The real hurdle is to get Vista's reputation behind them," he said.
Windows 7 keeps some of the significant design changes that debuted in Vista, but tosses out others.
In an interview, Julie Larson-Green, a Windows vice president, offered one small example: In Vista, Microsoft took the "add printer" feature out of the Start menu, but is restoring it in Windows 7 after users complained.
Larson-Green said some changes in Vista made sense to developers but weren't fully tested on actual PC users -- a misstep she seems committed not to repeat.
With Windows 7, Microsoft is also making subtle but useful changes to the task bar along the bottom of the screen. The designers have removed redundant buttons that launch applications. When users roll over a program's icon in the task bar, it will be easier to see how many documents are open, and switch between them.
Microsoft also showed off "jumplists," a quick way of organizing recently used files or popular program features. And it introduced a concept called "libraries," which automatically collects similar files scattered across PCs on a home network and displays them together in a single folder. That could be handy for organizing a family's digital photos stored in disparate places.
Addressing another complaint about Vista, Microsoft said Windows 7 will be faster and need less memory to run. Vista generally needs costlier hardware configurations than the older Windows XP.
Sinofsky held up a "netbook" -- a low-cost, low-power laptop that would have a hard time running Vista -- and said it's working with Windows 7.
Microsoft's early 2009 target for people to begin toying with Windows 7 is striking because the Redmond, Wash.-based company promised deadlines it couldn't keep when it was developing Vista. Microsoft is trying hard to avoid a similar debacle this time. Sinofsky said there is no date yet for the next milestone, a "release to manufacturing" version of Windows 7, but reiterated that the system is set to go on sale in early 2010.
Silver, the analyst, noted that Windows Vista rejigged complex aspects of the software's plumbing, while Windows 7 is largely a cosmetic overhaul. That might spare this launch from many of the compatibility programs that dogged Vista.
Silver was impressed by how Windows 7 handles home networking with fewer headaches than Vista or XP. A big improvement on that front could help keep customers who consider ditching Windows, swayed by Apple Inc.'s claims that such tasks are easier on a Mac.
Building on a broader strategy to meld the best elements of Web and desktop software, Microsoft also showed off lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote software that work in Web browsers and look as they normally do, but don't have to be installed on a PC.
The new programs were running "in the cloud" on the new Windows Azure system Microsoft unveiled Monday, a move aimed at helping it catch up with Google and other nimbler Web companies. Azure lets Microsoft run software and store data in its own massive data centers around the world, instead of requiring people to install programs on their own PCs.
The Office Web programs represent what Microsoft believes is a more polished take on what Google has tried. Microsoft's online Office programs let people work on a document at the same time, and make it easier to publish charts and PowerPoint presentations to blogs with few clicks.
The Web software, to be offered without charge for regular PC users, will launch with the next version of Office. No date has been set.
Silver, the analyst, said he had always expected Microsoft to build on its rudimentary Web Office tools, and noted that the company still has time to tinker, because relatively few people use Google's online documents offering today.
The peek at the new programs didn't address his biggest concern, though: whether Microsoft can promote Web versions without undercutting its very lucrative desktop software business.

[mongo]

cornflake, you're a fucking idiot.

[Cornflake]

Oh and if you guys want to try something cool... Do a torrent search for Windows XP Ice

That is what I run... I like it

[mongo]

cornflake, you're a fucking idiot.

[Cornflake]

You been told to fist yourself yet today?

[Ethix]

I guess I don't push my computer hard enough, because I have Vista and it runs fine.

[Le Goat]

Um, if you dont like the security 'pop ups' you can turn that shit off. Fucking idiots and their lazy ass googling skills

[Le Goat]

GOD DAMN IT

Someone help, my screen has a nice red tint to it and I have zero clue why. I did nothing but install an update and it went red. It loads up fine but when the OS boots up it goes dark and turns a nice red tint like i'm in nightvision mode.

what i do yo?

[mongo]

laptop or pc?

[Le Goat]

PC

Monitor is a Samsung 19'' 932bw

[mongo]

PC

Monitor is a Samsung 19'' 932bw

chances are, you're fucked. it's probably your monitor. crt's get old and start to fuck up like this. you can try bumping up the refresh rate and see if that helps; it sometimes does for a little while, but i wouldn't count on it. i think it's usually caused by a dried out soldering joint if i remember correctly.

in short, new monitor time bitch.

[Le Goat]

chances are, you're fucked. it's probably your monitor. crt's get old and start to fuck up like this. you can try bumping up the refresh rate and see if that helps; it sometimes does for a little while, but i wouldn't count on it. i think it's usually caused by a dried out soldering joint if i remember correctly.

in short, new monitor time bitch.


Mines an LCD

[mongo]

you check the vga cable?

[Le Goat]

Nah but if it's that, then it's an easy fix. I'll just go buy a cheap VC with DVI since I have like 3 DVI cables

[mongo]

could be. make sure it's seated right. could also be the start of some backlight problems. but that usually only happens in older monitors.

[Le Goat]

also what's odd is my mouse is the regular, perfect white it usually is. I swear it's in some nightvision mode. Or for those that have vista, that dark tint it gets when a pop-up comes up asking to accept of deny.

[mongo]

meh. sounds more like a back light to me. w/out seeing it i can't tell though. fuck, even then i'd try replacing the cable first, if that doesn't work, it's the back light. those backlights are only like $40 and you can replace them on your own. it's a time comsuming operation (1/2 hour to and hour for me), but it's cheaper than taking it to a repair place. i got my last backlight off of ebay i think.

[Le Goat]

I'll test it out after work tomorrow. If it doesnt work i'll just leave it the way it is. To be honest, I kinda like it. It's dimmer and easier on my eyes. Bah, I dunno. We'll see.

[Gary_Busey]

Do you have any restore points saved? I'd roll back just to see if it had something to do with the updates. Do you know if any of the updates were for your video card?

[DjAg]

...but it's cheaper than taking it to a repair place...

So very true. Where I work, we'd charge:

Parts: ~$40 (assuming your estimate is accurate, I've never actually purchased one)
Minimum Labor: $50 (includes diagnosis + first hour of service)
Additional Labor: ~$30/hr (past first hour, if necessary)
------------------------
Total: ~$90-$120 plus tax (8%) on parts

And that's a pretty competitive price, at least around here... Just do it yourself, I'm sure you can figure it out...

[mongo]

fuck. if i figured it out. you can.

[Le Goat]

Do you have any restore points saved? I'd roll back just to see if it had something to do with the updates. Do you know if any of the updates were for your video card?

I rolled it back 2 days prior to when it went red and still nothing. The funny thing is it loads up just fine but about 3/4 of the way through loading my startups it suddenly goes red/dim and stays. It's a bit odd.

[Gary_Busey]

I rolled it back 2 days prior to when it went red and still nothing. The funny thing is it loads up just fine but about 3/4 of the way through loading my startups it suddenly goes red/dim and stays. It's a bit odd.
Are you using integrated video or an aftermarket video card? If you are using and aftermarket card, take it out and hook up your monitor to your integrated video.

[Le Goat]

It's integratred... though I do have an x1600 somewhere around here.

[Skybase]

I'd think you've tried it but is it exactly at the same time each time you boot? Have you booted to safe mode and see if it does the same thing after being on appx the same amount of time there?

[Gary_Busey]

Yeah, safe boot is the next step, that or put in the aftermarket card you have. We're trying to isolate the problem to the monitor.

[Skybase]

I'm going to be surprised if it's the monitor. I'd say Safe mode is the first next step. Probably something I'd do early on. Just doesn't sound consistent to being the monitor to me. Easy check there if you have/know someone that has another PC too I guess. . .but have to say in reading through what's going on you'll find it something other than the monitor itself.

connections/cables. . .maybe. But I doubt it's the monitor.

[Gary_Busey]

It's probably not the monitor, but it definitely needs to be ruled out as part of the troubleshooting process.

[Le Goat]

Good call on the safe mode, I always forget to try that. Mainly 'cause I rarely shut down (once every week or two). I'll give that a try in a bit and see what pops out.


oh and to answer the question from earlier, yes it's the exact same time on each boot-up. Usually it takes about 2 mins to get everything up, it goes dim approx 1:30 into it.

[Le Goat]

holy mother of fucking god

I opened up my Starry Night program the other night while looking through my badass telescope and there's an option for Red Screen. I must have inadvertantly hit it but for some reason it actually stuck to my monitor, rather than just makikng the whole program red (which is what it does)

http://i35.tinypic.com/r1ei5v.jpg



bahahahhhahahaaaaaahahah

[FarEastFornicator]

LOST a folder full of photos


I somehow...misplaced a folder full of photos. I cannot find them with Vistas search tool so I thought perhaps I may have deleted the entire folder. I first took the photos and uploaded them on the 7th. I was messing with them in photoshop for a few days but I have been busy with work. Saturday Night (15th) I want to mess with them again and they are gone. I did a system restore that took me back as far as I could go (Unfortunately only to the 10th)


My old wallpaper popped up and some things I had deleted in the recycle bin reappeared but no sign of photos. I have tried 3 different Restore programs with no luck. Anyone have any ideas? Can I get them off the camera memory card even if I deleted them or is there a program that has worked for any of you?

[FarEastFornicator]

Finaly a prog that works.... Master Uneraser found the folder in the recycle bin, while it lists the sizes of some of the photos, all are listed as 0% prognosis and when I try to transfer them I am told my version is unregistered and I have to shell out $30.

[Skybase]

holy mother of fucking god

I opened up my Starry Night program the other night while looking through my badass telescope and there's an option for Red Screen. I must have inadvertantly hit it but for some reason it actually stuck to my monitor, rather than just makikng the whole program red (which is what it does)

http://i35.tinypic.com/r1ei5v.jpg



bahahahhhahahaaaaaahahah

glad you got your issue resolved. I didnt' think it was the monitor, and with all of the steps that I was hearing, and advice, very glad that you figured it out beforehand!

Definitely a STRANGE issue, however. (Keep that in mind, Kerjack. You're running Starry Night now aren't you?)

glad that you didn't go and buy a new video card, tear apart your monitor or have to mess with changing vid cards etc tho. ;)

[Cornelius]

Ok. For fucks sake I am finally breaking down and asking for some help with a bullshit problem. So recently my brother foolishly opened one of those shitty emails that contain an email spreading virus, and didn't feel it necessary to warn everyone that his mail account was rapid firing infected emails to everyone in his address book. So one day I received an email from him that simply said "hi" in the subject line, only to open it to find that it was spam. A couple days later I realized that my yahoo account was sending and receiving a shit load of bulk mail, and that I too had been infected by this bullshit virus. Now I have been trying to kill the motherfucker for a almost a week now but cannot seem to succeed. Neither my Mcafee, nor any anti-spyware programs can find the infection. Does anyone know how to eradicate this little bitch of a virus? I seriously do not want to have to reformat to kill something so trivial.
Thanks.

[DjAg]

Ok. For fucks sake I am finally breaking down and asking for some help with a bullshit problem. So recently my brother foolishly opened one of those shitty emails that contain an email spreading virus, and didn't feel it necessary to warn everyone that his mail account was rapid firing infected emails to everyone in his address book. So one day I received an email from him that simply said "hi" in the subject line, only to open it to find that it was spam. A couple days later I realized that my yahoo account was sending and receiving a shit load of bulk mail, and that I too had been infected by this bullshit virus. Now I have been trying to kill the motherfucker for a almost a week now but cannot seem to succeed. Neither my Mcafee, nor any anti-spyware programs can find the infection. Does anyone know how to eradicate this little bitch of a virus? I seriously do not want to have to reformat to kill something so trivial.
Thanks.

Mcafee = shitty.

Without looking at your shit I can't tell you specifically what it is, but here's some programs I typically recommend for this type of crap:

1. Clean with CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/) to speed up scan times and such
2. Run HijackThis (http://www.download.com/Trend-Micro-HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10227353.html) and put the log file through this analyzer (http://www.hijackthis.de/en)
3. If problem persists, try some free virus cleaners (http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anti-virus-software.htm), or even some free malware-cleaners (http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-adware-spyware-scumware-remover.htm). My recommendations are significantly similar to Gizmo's (author of that site).

Try getting a copyof symantec anti-virus corp. edition (NOT NORTON!), Eset NOD32, or the full version of avira antivir to replace McAfee. It really is garbage... I will try to post them soon in the FSF if you need some help finding them.

If you are still having problems... I assume that yahoo mail implies you are accessing it through your browser. Which browser would that be and what version?

[Hodge]

I have a similar problem on a friend's computer.
Whoever wrote this fucking thing did their homework. I swear if I ever meet a fucker who does this I'll break their fingers and gouge out their eyes. People who do shit like this to make the lives of others miserable don't deserve to be alive.

I've done everything you said except run CCleaner and I've still got issues.
IE and Firefox are both slow, especially when searching. Once the search results pop up if I click on them I get an ad window instead. I can't link to any antivirus sites or download from windows (got Microsoft Malicious software removal tool from a 3rd party site). I've download 2 antivirus programs and ran them both, ran Hijack This, dug through the registry a bit, and as a last ditch effort tried a system restore. The next button stops working once I've picked a date though. It's looking like a full reformat and install is on the horizon. Any suggestions?

Whoever wrote this fucking thing did their homework. I swear if I ever meet a fucker who does this I'll break his fingers and gouge out his eyes. People who do shit like this to make the lives of others miserable don't deserve to be alive.

[Hodge]

It's also blocking me from installing ad aware and the superantispyware software you linked to. It will either say it's not a fat32 file or the administrator has prevented this kind of installation.
With spybot i can start the installation but it blocks the download site when it needs more files.
FUCK!

[Skybase]

Back to the safe mode. .have you tried running these in safe mode yet?

[DjAg]

1. Try safe mode as skybase recommends, but also try one other anti-malware program on that site: Malwarebytes Anti-malware. I've had luck with it on infected systems that block installations/scans.

2. Also, I really do recommend CCleaner just to speed things up... but also for an easy way to clean up your startup, which COULD alleviate the problem. I know there are 100 ways to do this (RUN -> msconfig comes to mind) without installing anything, I just find it convenient...

3. Oh, but real quick, you didn't just RUN HijackThis, right? Once you analyze it's output, you gotta go in HijackThis and delete the bad entries...

4. You could also try some online scanners

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.kaspersky.com/scanforvirus
http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/

5. this is a LONG shot, but perhaps a system file is infected, and this MIGHT fix it... Pop your MS Windows installation disk in, then do this:

Start -> Run -> type "cmd" -> type "sfc /scannow"
(all without quotes)

This will go through all of your system files (SFC = System File Checker) and verify that they are proper microsoft files. I use this a lot when someone somehow fucks up their OS, but REALLY doesn't want to reformat.

[Hodge]

Most of those sites are blocked, they come up as not being able to find. The things I can download can't update from their servers. ....and I don't have a windows disc.
This is one smart mother fucker.

[Skybase]

Access to any other computer that you can acquire these files from? Some good info coming from DjAg if you can get ahold of them. As far as running them I always try to run them from Safe mode. Many even recommend doing so. This keeps non-system files from loading up (I guess unless one of the actual system files being loaded is infected) but at least gives you a hell of a better chance.

[Hodge]

Yeah, it has to be a system file considering I can only run in safe mode.
If I boot up regularly I get a BSOD after a minute or two; I'm running XP Media Center.
Unfortunately my laptop is getting repaired at the moment; Dell tried to sneak a lower model video card in when replacing my fried one and I sent it back once I got it.
I've pretty much disabled everything non-essential in msconfig, done some light tinkering in regedit, and even uninstalled IE explorer and Firefox AND deleting their registry entries to see if it was hiding in there.
I did manage to get avast to run a scan and has so far picked up a trojan (to go along with the other 2 avira found). Any other programs it has either blocked their website, give me "The administrator has blocked these privileges" sorter message when trying to install them, or has blocked their access to the respective websites when trying to update. Even a lot of sites such as techforum which could give me ideas on how to deal with this are blocked and show up as "page not found." If I click on links that I've searched on google it reopens them in an ad site pops up.

One thing I do remember doing in the past is sorting through a .txt file in the browser program folder that had compiled a list of blocked sites (from a different trojan on another computer). I don't remember exactly where it was though or what it was called. Any ideas?

I'm about 90% sure this thing came through Limewire when downloading music, just a little FYI.

[s0bv1ou5lyd3sprt]

Alright I'm on my way out, but hoping I can wake up tomorrow with some help. Kaspersky found a virus. It quarantined it, but didn't fully remove it. After this happened I couldn't open any of my hard drives by clicking on them. If I typed the drive letter into explorer, everything popped up and look normal. So me, being a dumbass, went through my registry and deleted anything that said boot.com. Should have done a little research first. I shouldn't have deleted these, but changed the name. Well anyway, now my computer won't boot. I get "NTLDR is Missing press ctrl+alt+dlt to restart." After some research I was told to do this:
Here's How:

1. Enter Windows XP Recovery Console.
2. When you reach the command prompt (detailed in Step 6 in the link above), type the following two commands, pressing Enter after each one:

copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\

copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\

In the command listed above, d represents the drive letter assigned to the optical drive that your Windows XP CD is currently in. While this is most often d, your system could assign a different letter. Also, c:\ represents the root folder of the partition that Windows XP is currently installed on. Again, this is most often the case but your system could be different.
3. If you're prompted to overwrite either of the two files, press Y.
4. Take out the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.Well I did that, but when I hit enter after putting in the copy command I get "Access Denied." I have no idea why. I've seen some sites telling me to download there fix and put it on a thumbdrive or to make a boot floppy, but I was hoping to just use my Windows XP Pro cd and avoid making floppies or some other shit. AND I REFUSE TO REFORMAT. No way in hell. To much shit on that to back up and reformat.

Ideas?

[DjAg]

I would say using an alternative boot device is your only option at this point...

Ubuntu is good for that, as you can run the OS right off the CD, and it is understandable within 2 seconds of looking at the OS. BartPE could also work, though I've never personally used it, I just know my boss uses it to boot up with as well. Both are free and easily found.


Unless you want to install a different HDD as master, install windows on it, put your old HDD as a slave and copy over the info you need to keep. Then, format the old drive, and use it as a backup HDD so that this shit is more easily avoidable in the future. Just make sure you install protection on your new HDD before installing the old as a slave... To help prevent the infection carrying over. That's actually your best bet, but requires you to put down some money (or find an old HDD or something...)

[s0bv1ou5lyd3sprt]

I would say using an alternative boot device is your only option at this point...

Ubuntu is good for that, as you can run the OS right off the CD, and it is understandable within 2 seconds of looking at the OS. BartPE could also work, though I've never personally used it, I just know my boss uses it to boot up with as well. Both are free and easily found.


Unless you want to install a different HDD as master, install windows on it, put your old HDD as a slave and copy over the info you need to keep. Then, format the old drive, and use it as a backup HDD so that this shit is more easily avoidable in the future. Just make sure you install protection on your new HDD before installing the old as a slave... To help prevent the infection carrying over. That's actually your best bet, but requires you to put down some money (or find an old HDD or something...)

I currently have 3 hard drives so I could easily just switch them around. i through my C drive into another computer, clicked on my documents and got an "Access Denied." I was just going to copy some shit and reformat, but now I can't even get the shit I wanted. So frustrated right now. Don't know what to do.

[DjAg]

I currently have 3 hard drives so I could easily just switch them around. i through my C drive into another computer, clicked on my documents and got an "Access Denied." I was just going to copy some shit and reformat, but now I can't even get the shit I wanted. So frustrated right now. Don't know what to do.

Hmm, only thing I've done before to get past something like that is a program called unlocker (http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/). It's more for things being in use by another program and such, but it CAN bypass some bullshit and allow you to copy from one folder to another... Worth a shot.

[s0bv1ou5lyd3sprt]

I got around it. Had to start in safe mode and then right click on the folder, go to properties, advanced and there is a thing to take ownership of the folder. Did that, was able to copy all my shit to the computer. Now reformatting. This is going to suck so much balls.

[FarEastFornicator]

Do what I did. I had the trojan ZBlob on my computer. The guys at the forums at http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/ will help you out step by step until the problem is resolved. They can read logs and discover what is controlling your shit. My personal help: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Trojan-ZBlob-Horrible-t218686.html

[Le Goat]

mother fucker, I plugged in old XP run HDD into my newer Vista ones and cant fucking access most of my jpg files. I've googled and come up with all kinds of shit that doesnt apply to me. I get that 'update photogallery' shit when i open up jpgs from my old XP hDD

halp?

[Syndicate]

mother fucker, I plugged in old XP run HDD into my newer Vista ones and cant fucking access most of my jpg files. I've googled and come up with all kinds of shit that doesnt apply to me. I get that 'update photogallery' shit when i open up jpgs from my old XP hDD

halp?

Is it telling you that you don't have permission to view the files?

[Le Goat]

'Photo Gallery cannot open this file. This format is not supported or you do not have the latest updates' or something of the such. Shit is annoying. It's all in jpg format

[Penguin Rick]

On the Mac OS, there's a program called 'Spaces', which basically has multiple desktop screens so you can organize your stuff when you have multiple windows up. Is there a program similar to this that works on Windows? I have Vista Pro by the way.

[Le Goat]

you've got to be shitting me...

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/01/win7_versions.jpg (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=8066)

Remember that screenshot we saw (http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/25/multiple-windows-7-versions-coming-say-it-aint-so/) of all those different Windows 7 versions (pictured above)? Well guess what? It's worse than you could have possibly imagined. The following will be the actual new SKUs for the OS:


Windows 7 Starter (limited to three apps concurrently)
Windows 7 Home Basic (for emerging markets)
Windows 7 Home Premium (adds Aero, Touch, Media Center)
Windows 7 Professional (Remote Desktop host, Mobility Center, Presentation mode)
Windows 7 Enterprise (volume license only, boot from virtual drive, BitLocker)
Windows 7 Ultimate (limited availability, includes everything)

This information has been confirmed by Microsoft... who never listens to us. At least most consumers will only see Home Premium and Professional options at retail, which is more akin to the XP options of yore, and means WMC will be "baseline" for most PCs.

Update: Just to be clear, we've checked specifically with Microsoft on all six versions, and the placement of Home Basic in emerging markets. There's now a full breakdown after the break.
Windows 7 Starter


Available worldwide to OEMs on new PCs
Missing Aero UI tweaks
Limited to 3 simultaneous applications

Windows 7 Home Basic (Vista equivalent: $200)

Only available in emerging markets
Missing Aero UI tweaks

Windows 7 Home Premium (Vista equivalent: $260)

Available worldwide, to OEMs and in retail
Includes Aero UI tweaks
Features multi-touch capabilities
Adds "premium" games
Adds media capabilities (Media Center, DVD playback, DVD creation, etc.)
Can create home network groups

Windows 7 Professional (Vista equivalent: $300)

Available worldwide, to OEMs and in retail
Includes all features of Premium
Adds enhanced networking capabilities (Remote Desktop host, domain support, offline folders, etc.)
Adds Mobility Center
Adds Presentation Mode

Windows 7 Enterprise


Available only in volume licenses
Includes all features of Professional
Adds Branch Cache
Adds Direct Access
Adds BitLocker

Windows 7 Ultimate (Vista equivalent: $320)

Limited OEM and retail availability
Includes all features of Enterprise

Current Vista breakdown can be found here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/default.aspx).

[Hodge]

While we are on the subject right now...
I just wiped my hard drive and was going to install this while waiting for the new install cd's to arrive.
I'm out of blank dvd's and I'm not even sure if my roommates computer has a dvd burner. Is it possible to install this from a portable hard drive?
I'm guessing since it's an .iso the answer is no. All I have to run on is dos...

Edit: Found some blank dvds

[The Dude]

so, my laptop has been running like a well, let's just say its been fucking up a lot recently.

i currently am running a legit copy of vista. i want to do a reformat and just wipe everything clean, but i don't know where the disc is. also, the disc i have is an upgrade disc. so basically my question is can i use the key that i have now if i burn an iso to a dvd and go that route?


edit: what i'm trying to say is, is my key tied to the "upgrade" or is it good for a copy of vista no matter what installs it?

[Hodge]

If it's a Dell they'll send you new install discs. I received mine within a day.

I run XP but from my understanding they use one basic cd with each computer having it's own key. That's to say, the key is specific to your laptop, not the cd. That being said it is a special cd they (Dell at least) use; one that can install on any system.

If you bought the upgrade separately from the computer I would assume it has its own key and it shouldn't matter what was installed before hand.

[The Dude]

its a dell that was bought 2 years ago and as part of the deal, they shipped a vista upgrade disc when vista came out a few months later

[Hodge]

Just call them and ask for the operating system install cd. You're upgrade should work fine with it. I don't really know about your own iso. though, it should work if it's a legit copy. But for all the trouble you're going to I would just get the install cd's. You're probably going to spend a day tracking down all of the drivers as it is.

A number of people on the boards (myself, mongo, etc.) have done this. The things are mass produced and they shouldn't hassle you too much about it. They were delivered to me the next day shortly after lunch.
One thing that may be a factor is whether or not you still have warranty coverage.

[mongo]

what hodge says is true. they will get that shit to you fucking quick. i had an inspiron that was like 3 years old and they didn't even hassle me when i requested discs. the only thing you need is a serial #.

[s0bv1ou5lyd3sprt]

To save you some time/trouble, just download XP or Vista and use the key on the bottom of the laptop.

[Syndicate]

Another thing that I've found is ANY Dell OEM Windows CD will work in any other Dell machine. It'll fully register and activate with no issues at all.

[fuldstændigamok]

Is SP1 worth installing right now or not? And for all the people who did, how many have had problems with it?

[Gary_Busey]

I'd install it if I were you.

[satandole666]

SP1 was worth the download for sure. It cleared up some of the networking issues (if you have a home network you might notice a decrease in some of the downtime) and fixed a ton of problems with Media Center if you use that as well.

All in all I didn't notice a whole lot, but nothing went wrong either.