I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem, so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.

I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video) my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though, but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."

I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open. The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual and then crashed.

I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume control won't).

Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong... Thanks a lot everyone!

Hi,

Sounds more like you were hacked as soon as you went online. The
easiest/shortest resolution is to format and reinstall. Alternately, you can
spend time, hours or days, poking through the startup axis with tools like
malwarebytes and autoruns to detect and remove malevolent entries.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
[url]http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/[/url]
Windows help - [url]www.rickrogers.org[/url]
Vote for my shoe: [url]http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com[/url]

"popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=blue]
>
> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>
> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>
> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
> and then crashed.
>
> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
> control won't).
>
> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
> Thanks a lot everyone!
>
>
> --
> popular[/color]

Hmm... [url]http://treehouse.ofb.net/go/en/voltage/China[/url] if it gets hot maybe
there's a voltage problem, I dunno about sizes but this plug design
looks like US 115V.

I don;t necessarily agree 100% with the text on this site BTW.


Rick Rogers wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
> Sounds more like you were hacked as soon as you went online. The
> easiest/shortest resolution is to format and reinstall. Alternately, you
> can spend time, hours or days, poking through the startup axis with
> tools like malwarebytes and autoruns to detect and remove malevolent
> entries.
>[/color]

it is common knowledge that 98% of software in China is stolen from USA &
WesternEurope, hacket, pirated, spywared, etc.
You got hacked and will continue to be hacked unless you denounce ever
visitign that country or buying its goods

**** good point, JEWboy! ;-)
--
Computer/Software Tech.

Make it a great day!

Charles Richmond




"JEWboy" wrote:
[color=blue]
> it is common knowledge that 98% of software in China is stolen from USA &
> WesternEurope, hacket, pirated, spywared, etc.
> You got hacked and will continue to be hacked unless you denounce ever
> visitign that country or buying its goods
>
>[/color]

Hi,


I think both Rick Rogers and Charlie Tame could be right.

However, I would suggest you to stop the troubleshooting process at this
point, and I found the following address from Gateway, USA by clicking
"China" on their main page:

[url]http://cn.gateway.com/[/url]

You may want to have a local friend translate the page for you, and all you
want is a local support phone number.

PS: As pointed out by Charlie Tame, you may also want to ask your local
friends about voltage converter (which may not be required by newer models)
and plug adapters (as far as I can remember - very confusing).

Hope this helps and good luck.




"popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=blue]
>
> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>
> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>
> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
> and then crashed.
>
> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
> control won't).
>
> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
> Thanks a lot everyone!
>
>
> --
> popular[/color]

Definitely looks like you've been got at. I am assuming you are okay with
voltage as this would cause different problems. (All this applies when on
battery too, yes)?

A clean install seems your only option. Get it right first time and it
should only take a couple of hours. Hunting for malware etc could take days.

Two things...
1: I suggest disabling Autorun. Any viruses etc are often self loading and
Autorun does the job for them.
2: So you don't have to go hunting on your slow machine, I have copied the
instructions here.

Good luck

Ed

Perform a clean installation
There are two ways to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista. The
first method is to install Windows Vista by running the Setup program from
the current version of Windows on your computer. The second method is to
start the computer from the Windows Vista DVD. First, try method 1. If it
does not work, try method 2.

Warning In a clean installation, existing data on your computer is deleted.
This data includes personal data, settings, hardware driver information, and
software programs. After you install the operating system, you must also
reinstall all programs. Make sure that you back up personal data to disks or
other external storage devices before you perform a clean installation.
Method 1: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by running Setup
from the current version of Windows
To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista from the current version of
Windows on the computer, follow these steps:
1.. Start the computer and make sure that the current version of Windows
has started.
2.. Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the
drive tray. Wait a moment for the Setup program to start automatically.
3.. If the Setup program does not start automatically, follow these steps:
1.. Click Start and then click Run.
2.. Type Drive:\setup.exe and then click OK.

Note Drive is the drive letter of the computer's DVD drive.
4.. When the Setup program starts and the Install now screen appears,
click Install now.
5.. When the Which type of installation do you want? screen appears, click
Custom (advanced). The follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the
installation successfully.

If the installation does not finish or you receive an error message, and you
are comfortable trying to troubleshoot the problem, go to the
"Troubleshooting" section for more information about common issues and their
resolutions. If you are not comfortable trying to troubleshoot the issue, go
to the "Next Steps" section.
Method 2: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the
computer from the Windows Vista DVD
Note The computer must be configured to start from the DVD drive. For
information about how to configure the computer to start from the DVD drive,
see the documentation that is included with the computer. Or, contact the
computer manufacturer.

To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista by starting the computer
from the Windows Vista DVD, follow these steps:
1.. Start the computer.
2.. Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then close the
drive tray.
3.. Restart the computer.
4.. When you receive the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press a
key.
5.. Follow the instructions to install Windows Vista.
If Windows Vista is now running on your computer, you have completed the
installation successfully.




"popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=blue]
>
> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>
> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>
> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
> and then crashed.
>
> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
> control won't).
>
> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
> Thanks a lot everyone!
>
>
> --
> popular[/color]

Translate.google.com may help you with the translation. It is mostly
word-for-word translation, which means that many words will be out of place.

-Paul Randall

"xfile" <coucou@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%23chDhvY%23JHA.4376@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
>
> I think both Rick Rogers and Charlie Tame could be right.
>
> However, I would suggest you to stop the troubleshooting process at this
> point, and I found the following address from Gateway, USA by clicking
> "China" on their main page:
>
> [url]http://cn.gateway.com/[/url]
>
> You may want to have a local friend translate the page for you, and all
> you want is a local support phone number.
>
> PS: As pointed out by Charlie Tame, you may also want to ask your local
> friends about voltage converter (which may not be required by newer
> models) and plug adapters (as far as I can remember - very confusing).
>
> Hope this helps and good luck.
>
>
>
>
> "popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
> news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=green]
>>
>> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
>> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>>
>> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
>> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
>> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
>> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
>> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
>> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
>> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
>> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
>> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
>> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
>> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
>> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
>> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
>> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
>> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
>> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
>> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>>
>> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
>> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
>> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
>> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
>> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
>> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
>> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
>> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
>> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
>> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
>> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
>> and then crashed.
>>
>> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
>> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
>> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
>> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
>> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
>> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
>> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
>> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
>> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
>> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
>> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
>> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
>> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
>> control won't).
>>
>> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
>> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
>> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
>> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
>> Thanks a lot everyone!
>>
>>
>> --
>> popular[/color]
>[/color]

Thanks and I totally forgot about it :)


"Paul Randall" <paulr901@cableone.net> wrote in message
news:#F2LXbc#JHA.2120@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Translate.google.com may help you with the translation. It is mostly
> word-for-word translation, which means that many words will be out of
> place.
>
> -Paul Randall
>
> "xfile" <coucou@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:%23chDhvY%23JHA.4376@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>> I think both Rick Rogers and Charlie Tame could be right.
>>
>> However, I would suggest you to stop the troubleshooting process at this
>> point, and I found the following address from Gateway, USA by clicking
>> "China" on their main page:
>>
>> [url]http://cn.gateway.com/[/url]
>>
>> You may want to have a local friend translate the page for you, and all
>> you want is a local support phone number.
>>
>> PS: As pointed out by Charlie Tame, you may also want to ask your local
>> friends about voltage converter (which may not be required by newer
>> models) and plug adapters (as far as I can remember - very confusing).
>>
>> Hope this helps and good luck.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
>> news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=darkred]
>>>
>>> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
>>> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>>>
>>> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
>>> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
>>> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
>>> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
>>> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
>>> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
>>> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
>>> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
>>> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
>>> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
>>> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
>>> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
>>> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
>>> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
>>> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
>>> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
>>> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>>>
>>> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
>>> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
>>> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
>>> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
>>> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
>>> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
>>> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
>>> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
>>> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
>>> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
>>> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
>>> and then crashed.
>>>
>>> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
>>> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
>>> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
>>> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
>>> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
>>> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
>>> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
>>> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
>>> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
>>> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
>>> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
>>> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
>>> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
>>> control won't).
>>>
>>> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
>>> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
>>> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
>>> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
>>> Thanks a lot everyone!
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> popular[/color]
>>[/color]
>
>[/color]

Well I've seen some odd things happen with spurious things coming down
power supply lines, in fact a few weeks back I had a good quality APC
UPS hosed by something and it took out the computer PSU as well, but the
same setup in the next room was fine, which is weird in itself as the
outage was the same for both - oh well. We have bad power to our
facility and I've seen machines get corrupted for no reason at all,
usually installing a UPS fixes that. We don't know how the quality of
the supply is around here half the time, never mind what it is like in
China :)

One thing I have seen a lot is "Freezing", although power off and on
mostly gets them going again provided that not system files got hosed,
and the other good one is start screen/reboot/start screen ad infinitum.

xfile wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
>
> I think both Rick Rogers and Charlie Tame could be right.
>
> However, I would suggest you to stop the troubleshooting process at this
> point, and I found the following address from Gateway, USA by clicking
> "China" on their main page:
>
> [url]http://cn.gateway.com/[/url]
>
> You may want to have a local friend translate the page for you, and all
> you want is a local support phone number.
>
> PS: As pointed out by Charlie Tame, you may also want to ask your local
> friends about voltage converter (which may not be required by newer
> models) and plug adapters (as far as I can remember - very confusing).
>
> Hope this helps and good luck.
>
>
>
>
> "popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
> news:38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com...[color=green]
>>
>> I'm studying abroad in China and my laptop has a really weird problem,
>> so I apologize in advance but this is a bit long.
>>
>> I moved in with a host family last week, and 5 minutes after getting
>> the internet to work and beginning to Skype chat people (without video)
>> my computer (Gateway laptop model MT3423 I think, Vista Premium, Dual
>> Core AMD Turion, ~2 years old in good condition) froze and hasn't been
>> the same since. Now, booting brings me to the recovery screen (of course
>> - Normal Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, etc.), but no Safe Mode works
>> - I can get to the login screen but after signing in the Welcome screen
>> with the loading circle stays up indefinitely. Normal Mode works though,
>> but it has major issues. After successfully signing in programs begin to
>> load but it quickly slows down to a crawl, and takes about a minute to
>> close the two program warning boxes that pop up (just the usual 'this
>> program is unregistered' sort of thing). After this, Windows Calendar
>> inexplicably loads, again painfully slow, and if the computer hasn't
>> crashed by this point then it does shortly thereafter. And the crash
>> varies - a few times it started with a "Server Busy - this action cannot
>> be completed" error message but it usually says euphemistically
>> "Microsoft Windows - this application is not responding."
>>
>> I've tried several things but I haven't had any success. During this
>> loading window, I've tried running msconfig and unchecking nonessential
>> programs, but even after clicking Save Changes and Restart the changes
>> are not saved, and it'll still proceed to crash and load the programs
>> again next boot. I've tried loading the control panel, but it becomes
>> unresponsive after I try to click anything in it. I tried opening
>> accessories under the Start Menu and it bugged out, and instead of
>> showing the folder icon it showed a searching icon and wouldn't open.
>> The Command Prompt loaded but was too slow to execute anything. I also
>> tried opening Task Manager, even through Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and after a
>> few minutes it successfully loaded once but didn't show anything unusual
>> and then crashed.
>>
>> I'm not sure what the problem is - the only things I can think of are
>> that I had just setup 3 identical automatic broadband internet
>> connections as I was troubleshooting the connection, the room was really
>> hot (about 90 degrees F), and I had an SD memory stick in when I booted
>> up the last few times before this. Also, I installed a Logitech Quickcam
>> a few weeks before (whose software loads in the tray automatically) and
>> one of the 2 popups that load is new, bugging me about registering
>> EarthDesk. It seem to me like any of this should cause my problem, but
>> it seems to me that it's a software problem, in part because I don't
>> have any real evidence of hardware failure (although it does get really
>> hot, but the fan is still working) and because while Windows will be
>> crashing and I can't use the Start Menu, I can still hover over programs
>> in the tray and have their name popup (but the battery status and volume
>> control won't).
>>
>> Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the
>> recovery CD, but that'll take at least a week and there are no
>> authorized Gateway repair centers in China, not to mention the language
>> barrier and risk involved, especially if I don't know what's wrong...
>> Thanks a lot everyone!
>>
>>
>> --
>> popular[/color]
>[/color]

Thanks for the input everyone, one thing I didn't mention is that before I moved into my homestay, I was quarantined (swine flu and all) at a hotel for a week. I used my laptop with no problem there with a voltage converter (so that's no issue) and wireless internet, which makes me skeptical of if it could be really be a virus/hacker. Three questions (basically):

1) Is there a way to stop or disable the startup programs from loading, besides msconfig? I can't really run an antivirus scan or anything else since it's so slow and becomes unresponsive before it can do much.

2) What makes it seem like a virus? I have Norton Endpoint (from my school) and Windows Firewall turned on, for what it's worth :/

3) And how can I salvage my computer without reinstalling Windows/reformatting? I can get to a computer repair place here, but if I go in without knowing what's wrong/what needs to be done I'm afraid they'll just wipe the harddrive which wouldn't be good...

As has been said in another branch to this thread, trying to fix a problem
like this can be very frustrating and time consuming and it is often doomed
to failure.

If you have the money resources, I would suggest that you buy a replacement
hard drive and clean install your system on it. It is seldom necessary to
get the same brand as the original drive; just make sure it has the same
interface (Sata vs IDE), and equal or more storage space than the original.
In recent years, some computer manufacturers have designed their notebooks
to allow very simple and easy access to replacing hard drives and memory
sticks, and have a downloadable manual with illustrations to do the
replacement, as well as specifications for replacement drives/memory. On
this clean install, make sure your AV/malware suite is up to date, and
install the minimum set of software to get your necessary work done. Work
the system a while to veryify that it is stable. Purchase a USB case to
hold the original hard drive; this will give you access to all your data on
this old drive. Scan it with your AV/malware software. Over time, install
the rest of the things you want on the new drive.

The nice thing about this plan is that if you find that you have forgotten
to get some key piece of information that can only be obtained while running
from the original drive, you can switch back to get that info, saving it to
a thumbdrive, then switch back to the new drive and use the info on the
thumbdrive.

If you are uncomfortable with doing this yourself, your computer repair
place should be able to do it for you. Just make sure they know to keep the
old hard drive and not attempt to 'clean it up' or format it, and to install
it in a USB case and verify that its data is accessible.

-Paul Randall

"popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
news:042dcd15fd9fe8756a02a8d72172bc82@nntp-gateway.com...[color=blue]
>
> Thanks for the input everyone, one thing I didn't mention is that before
> I moved into my homestay, I was quarantined (swine flu and all) at a
> hotel for a week. I used my laptop with no problem there with a voltage
> converter (so that's no issue) and wireless internet, which makes me
> skeptical of if it could be really be a virus/hacker. Three questions
> (basically):
>
> 1) Is there a way to stop or disable the startup programs from loading,
> besides msconfig? I can't really run an antivirus scan or anything else
> since it's so slow and becomes unresponsive before it can do much.
>
> 2) What makes it seem like a virus? I have Norton Endpoint (from my
> school) and Windows Firewall turned on, for what it's worth :/
>
> 3) And how can I salvage my computer without reinstalling
> Windows/reformatting? I can get to a computer repair place here, but if
> I go in without knowing what's wrong/what needs to be done I'm afraid
> they'll just wipe the harddrive which wouldn't be good...[/color]

I forgot to mention:
Hard drives can be partitioned and set up with a multiboot configuration.
If you get a large (300 or more GB), then you might partion it to have a
total of three primary partitions and one extended partition. The
multibooting software/mechanism controls which primary partition you boot
from. I prefer to do this manually. I create and format the primary
partitions and the extended partition, then hide all primary partitions
except the one I want to use now. I install the OS on all the primary
partitions one at a time, with the others hidden. I have a bootable
thumbdrive that holds the software for hiding/unhiding, and making one
partition the active (bootable) partition. I create little batch files with
names like Act-P1.bat and Act-P2.bat which do the hiding/unhiding and making
the right partition active, so I don't have to type in the arcane commands
to switch partitions. Then a reboot without the thumbdrive boots you into
that partition.

This kind of setup makes it relatively easy to switch to a 'clean' partition
when you get in a situation like you are now in, in order to verify that
with a clean system your computer runs as it should. This gives you the
flexibility of having more than one 'installed spare clean system'. Of
course, you will have to install your necessary applications on each of
these partitions, which can take a lot of space. You might have a different
mix of applications on the various primary bootable partitions. I use the
extended partition to create a drive that can be shared, no matter which
primary partition is booted from.

Note that your computer may already have a second primary partition that
contains recovery info that can be used to wipe out your current system and
recreate it like new -- all your data gone. This will limit you to having
only one spare bootable partition. Some computers come with a set of CDs or
a DVD that provides the same functionality of this recovery partition, in
which case you may choose to do it your way and have two customizable spare
bootable partitions. Other computers allow you to make your own set of
recovery CD/DVDs, but only one set, and have instructions in 'help &
support'. With your current system running so poorly, you probably can't do
that. Your computer manufacturer may sell recovery CD/DVDs specific to your
particular laptop model, but they typically require the laptop's serial
number or other info on a label on the computer.

I would also recommend getting a bootable BartPE or other windows Preinstall
Environment CD set up to allow poking around in a screwed up system using
the clean system on the CD. The CD should be non-rewritable which
guarantees that it cannot be contaminated with a virus after the CD is
created.

-Paul Randall


"Paul Randall" <paulr901@cableone.net> wrote in message
news:epkK$3k%23JHA.1380@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> As has been said in another branch to this thread, trying to fix a problem
> like this can be very frustrating and time consuming and it is often
> doomed to failure.
>
> If you have the money resources, I would suggest that you buy a
> replacement hard drive and clean install your system on it. It is seldom
> necessary to get the same brand as the original drive; just make sure it
> has the same interface (Sata vs IDE), and equal or more storage space than
> the original. In recent years, some computer manufacturers have designed
> their notebooks to allow very simple and easy access to replacing hard
> drives and memory sticks, and have a downloadable manual with
> illustrations to do the replacement, as well as specifications for
> replacement drives/memory. On this clean install, make sure your
> AV/malware suite is up to date, and install the minimum set of software
> to get your necessary work done. Work the system a while to veryify that
> it is stable. Purchase a USB case to hold the original hard drive; this
> will give you access to all your data on this old drive. Scan it with
> your AV/malware software. Over time, install the rest of the things you
> want on the new drive.
>
> The nice thing about this plan is that if you find that you have forgotten
> to get some key piece of information that can only be obtained while
> running from the original drive, you can switch back to get that info,
> saving it to a thumbdrive, then switch back to the new drive and use the
> info on the thumbdrive.
>
> If you are uncomfortable with doing this yourself, your computer repair
> place should be able to do it for you. Just make sure they know to keep
> the old hard drive and not attempt to 'clean it up' or format it, and to
> install it in a USB case and verify that its data is accessible.
>
> -Paul Randall
>
> "popular" <brenden.cline******.com> wrote in message
> news:042dcd15fd9fe8756a02a8d72172bc82@nntp-gateway.com...[color=green]
>>
>> Thanks for the input everyone, one thing I didn't mention is that before
>> I moved into my homestay, I was quarantined (swine flu and all) at a
>> hotel for a week. I used my laptop with no problem there with a voltage
>> converter (so that's no issue) and wireless internet, which makes me
>> skeptical of if it could be really be a virus/hacker. Three questions
>> (basically):
>>
>> 1) Is there a way to stop or disable the startup programs from loading,
>> besides msconfig? I can't really run an antivirus scan or anything else
>> since it's so slow and becomes unresponsive before it can do much.
>>
>> 2) What makes it seem like a virus? I have Norton Endpoint (from my
>> school) and Windows Firewall turned on, for what it's worth :/
>>
>> 3) And how can I salvage my computer without reinstalling
>> Windows/reformatting? I can get to a computer repair place here, but if
>> I go in without knowing what's wrong/what needs to be done I'm afraid
>> they'll just wipe the harddrive which wouldn't be good...[/color]
>
>
>[/color]

In article <38e0d86fd227861645d313c0351a4495@nntp-gateway.com>,
popular <brenden.cline******.com> wrote:[color=blue]
>
>
>Anyone have any advice/input? I'm going to try to get a copy of the[/color]

Just a SWAG but I bet it's a hard disc problem. Typical
behavior for a hard drive that's almost dead: lots of failed reads/writes
lots of retrys so the system sort of works but seems "slow"...

In article <up44uAX#JHA.5704@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>,
Rick Rogers <rick@mvps.org> wrote:[color=blue]
>Hi,
>
>Sounds more like you were hacked as soon as you went online. The[/color]

Oh, pfffttttt, what makes you think his problems are due to
"hackers" ???