Does this only happen when your system first boots to the desktop or does
this always happen.
If it always happens, in addition to the virus scan you've already run,
download, install and run Ad Aware:
www.lavasoftusa.com
Note: you should always be well backed up before running an application of
this type.
If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel, open System, go to
the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery, remove the
check from "Automatically Restart" under System Failure. This will cause
the system to blue screen instead of restarting on errors and the
information on the blue screen may give a clue as to the source of the
issue.
Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open Event Viewer, look for
errors corresponding to the crash, double click the error, the information
contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem. If you don't understand the information inside, the
third button down in that dialog box will copy the information,
you can then paste it into a message and post it here and maybe we can
figure out what is going on.
Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.
Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. Do not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft. *Before installing any drivers, be sure you are well backed
up and it's probably a good idea to manually create a restore point in
System Restore in case you have problems as a result of the driver update
and note, System Restore is not a substitute for a backup. Start\All
Programs\Accessories\System Tools\System Restore.
If this only happens when you first boot to the desktop see if any of the
following applies:
If you're running a DSL modem and have a LAN or high speed connection or
simply an Ethernet card with no connection, try changing the properties of
it.
Go to start> connect to> show all connections>right click on Local Area
connection>scroll down and click on Properties.
Highlight "Internet protocol (TCP/IP)"
Click on properties button>click on the "use the following IP address" radio
button.
Add the following.
IP address:192.168.0.1 (or any in the accepted range)
Subnet Mask:255.255.255.0
Some connections won't allow this, so if you can't get a connection, remove
it.
If the above doesn't apply but you are on a network, go to Start\All
Programs\Accessories and the Command Prompt. At the prompt type "ipconfig"
without the quotes and press enter. Make note of the numbers.
Go to Start\Connect To, select "Show all connections" and select Local Area
Connection. Right click and select properties. Select "Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP)" and click properties, select "Use the following IP address" and
input the appropriate numbers you found earlier. When you exit that box, the
Subnet Mask numbers should input automatically.
Reboot and see if that resolves the issue.
