!work computer glitching - help...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dave C.
  • Start date Start date
D

Dave C.

Hi,

My wife has just opened a video store. Everything was going
great for a week, then the computer began stopping or glitching.

She is using a program called ultimate to log and track sales and CDs.
The program runs in a DOS Box set to full screen.

I believe the problem may be related to a internet connection that
is no longer there. I say the icon pop up saying it was installing
Updates.

I have disabled the network card. I've been using XP for about a year,
And I'm not a complete dunderhead.

When my wife uses the ultimate program, she'll press a button and wait
for a while before the computer reacts. Sometimes this takes nearly
five minutes. Other times it takes half that long.

The machine only has 128MB of memory and I've told her that she
defiantly must have more RAM. But I don't think that would fix
this existing problem.

It seems like a non existent internet connection is being attempted.


Any ideas?

TIA - Dave C.
 
Dave said:
Hi,

My wife has just opened a video store. Everything was going
great for a week, then the computer began stopping or glitching.

She is using a program called ultimate to log and track sales and CDs.
The program runs in a DOS Box set to full screen.

I believe the problem may be related to a internet connection that
is no longer there. I say the icon pop up saying it was installing
Updates.

I have disabled the network card. I've been using XP for about a year,
And I'm not a complete dunderhead.

When my wife uses the ultimate program, she'll press a button and wait
for a while before the computer reacts. Sometimes this takes nearly
five minutes. Other times it takes half that long.

The machine only has 128MB of memory and I've told her that she
defiantly must have more RAM. But I don't think that would fix
this existing problem.

It seems like a non existent internet connection is being attempted.
Click to expand...

1. Install more RAM - XP should have 256MB to run passably-but-slowly;
512MB for normal behavior.

2. Do clean-boot troubleshooting and see what happens when only the
niche software ("Ultimate") is running.
Clean boot in Windows XP - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353
Clean-boot advanced troubleshooting in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434
and How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

3. If the machine has only 128MB of RAM, it may be an older machine that
you have upgraded to XP. Perhaps the hardware is going.
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

4. Check with Ultimate's tech support for help with their product.

Malke
 
Dave C. said:
Hi,

My wife has just opened a video store. Everything was going
great for a week, then the computer began stopping or glitching.

She is using a program called ultimate to log and track sales and CDs.
The program runs in a DOS Box set to full screen.

I believe the problem may be related to a internet connection that
is no longer there. I say the icon pop up saying it was installing
Updates.

I have disabled the network card. I've been using XP for about a year,
And I'm not a complete dunderhead.

When my wife uses the ultimate program, she'll press a button and wait
for a while before the computer reacts. Sometimes this takes nearly
five minutes. Other times it takes half that long.

The machine only has 128MB of memory and I've told her that she
defiantly must have more RAM. But I don't think that would fix
this existing problem.

It seems like a non existent internet connection is being attempted.
Click to expand...

A preinstalled XP home computer is hardly suitable for home use
let alone for business use.
The extras on some, not all, preinstalls can be whittled down to
be usable.
128MB RAM minus xMB for video = not enough. 512 suggested.
A CPU under 2 MHz is not really suited for today's usage.
Conclusion: One cannot make a silk glove using a sows ear.
 
Frank said:
A preinstalled XP home computer is hardly suitable for home use
let alone for business use.
The extras on some, not all, preinstalls can be whittled down to
be usable.
128MB RAM minus xMB for video = not enough. 512 suggested.
A CPU under 2 MHz is not really suited for today's usage.
Conclusion: One cannot make a silk glove using a sows ear.
Click to expand...

The program she uses for sales runs under DOS anyway.

When I set up for a clean boot, xp detected a hardware change
and I ended up bringing the computer home where I could plug
it into the router and re-activate it.
After that everything started going haywire.
After the system compleated booting up it would simply stop responding.

I tried reinstalling it, but the origonal software
on the Hard Drive must have been corrupred somehow.
I wiped the Hard drive and installed xp home that came with
an old laptop that drownded when my basement flooded last year.

It works great. I've added another 128MB and it's going smooth.
The only problem I'm faced with now is that I can't activate it.
I'm so tired of messing with that computer......

Microsoft says the xp that came with my old laptop cannot be
installed and activated on this computer because it came
bundled with the laptop and it must die with the laptop.
Toshiba says it's ok, but microsoft won't allow it.
I think it's time to try linux again.

If it will work this way, I'm gonna try just putting
MSDOS-6.22 on that computer and run it with that.

This brings to mind the days when I really hated microsoft.


Dave... (blood-pressure-climbing)
 
Dave C. said:
The program she uses for sales runs under DOS anyway.

When I set up for a clean boot, xp detected a hardware change
and I ended up bringing the computer home where I could plug
it into the router and re-activate it.
After that everything started going haywire.
After the system compleated booting up it would simply stop responding.

I tried reinstalling it, but the origonal software
on the Hard Drive must have been corrupred somehow.
I wiped the Hard drive and installed xp home that came with
an old laptop that drownded when my basement flooded last year.

It works great. I've added another 128MB and it's going smooth.
The only problem I'm faced with now is that I can't activate it.
I'm so tired of messing with that computer......

Microsoft says the xp that came with my old laptop cannot be
installed and activated on this computer because it came
bundled with the laptop and it must die with the laptop.
Toshiba says it's ok, but microsoft won't allow it.
I think it's time to try linux again.

If it will work this way, I'm gonna try just putting
MSDOS-6.22 on that computer and run it with that.

This brings to mind the days when I really hated microsoft.


Dave... (blood-pressure-climbing)
Click to expand...

Dave, I just went through this with a Toshiba laptop that my 90 yr
old mother bought. Somehow the product number on the bottom
of the laptop is tied to the restore CD. This is a ghost image on
a DVD. I then had two choices _BUY another copy of XP or, try
to clean it up. A good cleanup was impossible. This is neither
morally nor ethically good business practice for a person to have
to shell out another $150 for another operating system. To install
on a $450 laptop. (I have absolutely no use for XP home). I am
sorry that I will be no help to you but I was able to vent a little.
good luck
 
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