David574 said:
My neighbor and two teenagers have an emachine. The
system stalls, or freezes and does not respond. There is
no internet activity through the cable modem. I had a
hard time to get it to boot in safe mode. I ran the
msconfig and found lots of startup programs that I'm sure
does not need to be there. The problem now is that no
program wants to run, the desktop does not refresh, and I
can't get the computer to read the cdrom drive so I can't
use a restore disk. The machine takes for ever to boot
and then programs immediately freeze. At startup the only
error messages are for dll files - ccApp.dll, 004.dll,
and dll32. Does anyone have any ideas what we can do
next to get the machine running again. thanks. d.
First thing, go back to msconfig and choose selective startup and uncheck to
load startup group items. That should allow you to use your computer more
freely without all those programs tying up resources. Reboot the computer.
Next, before doing anything else, go to My Computer and enable it to show
hidden files and folders. View, Folder Options, View Tab. Check the box to
show hidden files and folders. Next browse to c:\windows\temp and empty the
folder. It may be listed as c:\winnt\ instead of c:\windows. Next browse
to c:\documents and settings\<username>\local settings\temp and empty that
folder. If you have multiple users on your machine, do this in each users
temp folder. Finally, empty your Recycle Bin.
If you don't already have Ad-Aware installed, go to
www.lavasoftusa.com and
download a free copy of Ad-Aware. After the program is installed and at the
main menu, be sure and click on Check for Updates before scanning your
system. After the scan completes and you are at the results screen,
right-click on any checkbox and choose Select all objects. Hit Finish to
quarantine the spyware. Repeat the scan over and over until you get to a
point where all spyware is deleted. It is important that you repeat the
scans as a computer in your condition is rarely ever cleaned on the first or
even second scan. Also, if you have multiple user
accounts, repeat this process while logged into each user account If you
get to a point where not all of the spyware will delete, you can post a
message at
www.lavasoftsupport.com and someone will gladly help you get rid
of the rest. Be sure and indicate in your post if you have multiple user
accounts. If you don't get rid of these remaining tough ones, they will
likely multiply at a rapid pace.
Does this computer have CURRENT virus software installed? If not, buy some
and install it. If antivirus software is installed, scan the system and
quarantine any viruses found. Next, you should look up the technical
details for any viruses found. This can be done at the virus software
manufacturer's website. These details will indicate what damage the virus
did to the mahcine and would shed light on what repairs need to be made to
the operating system as a result of the virus. Depending on the virus
program, you can check the reports or log section to see if the computer has
been previously infected with a virus. Look up the details on these as
well. Don't be concerned about viruses that may have been detected as an
email attachement and were automatically deleted or quarantined. Also, not
all viruses damage the operating system but you won't know until you look up
the technical details.
If after doing the above, the system still does not work, I would suggest
doing a repair installation of XP. To perform a repair installation, you
will need to boot to your XP cd. If you boot to your XP cd and you do not
get prompted to hit any key to boot to CD and XP begins to load, then you
will have to modify your boot order in your BIOS to be able to boot to your
cd.. That is unless you have a DELL and all you have to do is hit F12 at
the first screen right after turning on
your computer. You then would be presented with a choice to boot to CD or
other devices. To enter your BIOS setup, you will need to hit F1, F2, F10,
or DEL depending on your specific manufacturer's BIOS at startup. Your
screen may indicate what key to hit to enter setup or you may have to refer
to your manufacturer or users manual for the specific key to hit. Or you
could just try any of the keys I suggested until one works. Once in the
BIOS setup, look for the Boot Section and place your CD in a higher priority
placement than your hard drive. Exit the BIOS setup and save changes.
Once you are able to get the computer to boot to cd, follow the instructions
listed at
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341&Product=winxp.
I hope all of this helps. If you still have problems after all this, repost
and I will see what I can do.
Good Luck
