Windows XP - please help! crashing unexpectedly :(

[Vacant 0]

Okay i was having a dilemma... should I put it in "operating systems" or "computer support"... i figured it wasnt actually about an OS necessarily, so I put it here. End of disclaimer...Hey peopleI have a problem. My win XP machine was bought only recently, and up until now it has been reliable, not crashing once. However, in the past few days it has been transformed into one that either:Freezes up for no resonDoes not boot sucessfully, oftenSlows down to an unbearable point (even though it is 3.00 GHZ pentium 4 HT) when only one program is running...Restarts itself when I click on some hyperlinks in internet explorer...As you can see, its not looking too healthy.Is there any reson for this? What has happened, and can I fix it? Thanks very much in advance...(( I can see some microsoft jokes coming my way! ))

[sanweikui 0]

Yes, as you find, there are lots of matter with you if you use this OS. XP looks fine but has no more benefit except this. Win2000 is better.

[Vacant 0]

Do you reckon I have a virus? It shouldnt be spyware, since I have adaware and spybot SD. My norton subscriptions run out though.... :| Oh dear.

[BoSZ 0]

two words:

blaster, sasser

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/default.aspx
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/default.aspx

[sanweikui 0]

NO, i didn't think that you have any virus. Its normal for the XP after some days. It runs slow and start up difficult. It only means you should reinstall it.

[ExOnIc 0]

or it's the time to find anther CD installion becase this one not good :) :D

[mobileunlocking 0]

i have windows xp to and id says it is the worst microsoft program ever i thought that its never ment to crash and stuff ?Mine crashes to but im going to get windows 200 pro on it cause this 1 is crap lol.Mick

[ExOnIc 0]

u can use longhorn it's more good than the xp it's good just try it

[sanweikui 0]

I like w2000 much. I think its the most reliable windows system. XP will do better in the future, its must the one which replace the w2000 professional, but not at this time.

[alperuzi 0]

hmm, I heard all those symptoms before, but it doesn't fit into context. Do you use any CPU intensive programs? like watching Divx, playing games, ripping to mp3 or the like? Because it sounds as though your cpu may be overheating, although that is not possible if the only thing you do is just browse the internet, word processing etc.If for example, the slowing down problem you mentioned occurs when CPU intensive prog is running (ie. game) then it must be overheating. But if that one prog is internet explorer or such, it doesn't make sense. It must a virus or something similar.

[riao 0]

I would reference BoSZ's post above. Particularly the Sasser link. The symptoms sound just right for that worm.XP is not a bad OS at all IMHO. 2000 is better, but I think that XP is definitely M$'s 2nd best. And I've found that XP will eventually slow down, but not in just a couple of days, and not to the degree you're talking. When mine slows down (which really takes months), I just defrag the paging file. clears it right up.

[Shackman 0]

Basically I tihnk you have 3 problems.There are:SpywareHard Disk Issue(Fragmentation probably?)Hardware conflictAs it is reknown, spyware causes your computer to operate at a sluggish rate. You would probably have to get a spyware remover such as Ad-Ware(dun get tricked by the name, its an anti spyware program).You may experice hard disk fragmentation if you use your hard disk alot, like installing games, transferring files and such. however, you mentioned that its a new com, so I don't know if this info will help you.Lastly, if your computer was self-assembled, it could be a cause of hardware conflicts, especially if you buy generic computer parts. To solve this problem, you sohuld take out each piece of hardware and slowly eliminate the problem(bad hardware). you might also want to try updating your drivers before doing that.Best of luckShackman

[googlue 0]

I think you should do two things:1. Run a registry cleaner like jv16 powertools. It is shareware, but you can utilize the 30 day trial period.2. Defragment your C:/ drive twice, after cleaning the registry.This should help...Googlue!

[Vacant 0]

Well, I've followed most of the advice here, and thankyou all for your generous offerings of support. Microsoft's info about the blaster worm didn't really apply to me very well, although when I searched the symptoms on google it DID come up with the blaster worm, and gave me information about the variant I had.Apparently, this particular version is set to "self destruct" on Janurary 1st, 2004. Obviously its past that date, but my system clock was wrong. correct the system clock, virus deletes itself. That must be the easiest virus to delete ever...So you all helped, in a roundabout way. Thankyou all, again.Until next time....-Vacant

[Vacant 0]

Well, I've followed most of the advice here, and thankyou all for your generous offerings of support. Microsoft's info about the blaster worm didn't really apply to me very well, although when I searched the symptoms on google it DID come up with the blaster worm, and gave me information about the variant I had.Apparently, this particular version is set to "self destruct" on Janurary 1st, 2004. Obviously its past that date, but my system clock was wrong. correct the system clock, virus deletes itself. That must be the easiest virus to delete ever...So you all helped, in a roundabout way. Thankyou all, again.Until next time....-VacantEDIT: don't you just hate double posts? Sorry!

Edited October 9, 2004 by Vacant (see edit history)