Re: Bet You Can't Fix This

anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com
Date: 09/22/04 

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 13:01:50 -0700

>-----Original Message-----
>Kojak wrote:
>> Explore.exe crashes,then restores itself, and leaves
the
>> following messages in event viewer:
>> Faulting application eplorer.exe version 6.0.2900.2180
>> faulting module ntdll.dll, version 5.1.2600.2180 fault
>> address 0x00011f6e.
>> Faulting application drwtsn32.exe, version 5.1.2600
>> faulting module dbghelp.dll, version5.1.2600.2180 fault
>> address 0x0001295d
>
>If the error message you presented is correct, then you
should find out what
>"eplorer.exe" is - that is not normal.
>
>If the error message you presented contains one or more
typos (more than
>likely) - then that is "explorer.exe" and this can be
several things -
>dozens, if not hundreds of things.
>
>There really is not enough information given to
accurately diagnose and give
>you a solution to your problem, but I will try by giving
you some common
>things to look for/change/check/modify/search for more
information with
>anything you gleam on the Internet with...
>
>When did this start happening? Was it a recent
occurrence? Did it start
>happening after installing anything in particular? Have
you tried restoring
>your system to a point before you started noticing the
error? Have you
>tried uninstalling anything you installed prior to this
becoming a frequent
>occurrence (if you installed anything/updated, SP2-
ified.)?
>
>Have you gone through your Add/Remove Programs control
panel and removed
>software you do not use/do not even recognize to insure
nothing has been
>installed that could be causing this that you did not
authorize?
>
>If you have manually installed any video codecs (DivX,
XviD, etc) - you may
>want to uninstall these temporarily. Recently there
have been reports of
>these codecs and their DLLs and entries in the registry
causing issues
>similar to this. Uninstall, reboot and see what happens.
>
>It is a possibility that you have bad RAM/Memory and/or
a bad hard drive.
>Have you ran any memory checks (testing for bad memory)
or ran a full
>CHKDISK and DEFRAG on your hard drive(s) lately to
eliminate these
>possibilities?
>
>When was the last time you upgraded your hardware
drivers? Particularly (in
>order) your motherboard chipset drivers, your video card
drivers and your
>sound card drivers? Perhaps it is time you went to the
manufacturer web
>pages for each of those products and upgraded those.
(Don't use the
>Microsoft hardware drivers for non-Microsoft products
available at the
>http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ web site - the
manufacturer of the
>actual product is a far better source for up-to-date
drivers.)
>
>It is also possible that your particular user profile is
corrupt in some
>fashion. Have you tried creating an alternate user and
logging in as that
>user and trying some of the same things that cause this
error to occur on
>that user? If they do not occur, then it is possible
that something
>corrupted either your registry or files - or an
assortment of other things
>that can go wrong with user profiles - and all you need
to do is create a
>new one and move your personal files/favorites to the
new profile.
>
>When was the last time you scanned your system full for
viruses with an
>updated antivirus software? It may be time to do this
again. There are
>several free options (even online options) that you can
use.
>
>What about cleaning your system of the other malware
that can accumulate on
>even the most careful of computer user' PCs? There are
dozens of
>applications to choose from out there - but only a few
are - IMHO -
>legitimate and worthwhile. Perhaps you should collect
three to five of
>those, install, update, scan, clean and immunize with
some of the better
>ones of these, just to be sure nothing is infesting your
system.
>
>Check your systems Event Logs to see if they record any
information you are
>not seeing with the popup errors. Look for errors
particularly in the
>System and Application logs around the time (stamped)
that you see the
>problem occur live.
>
>In addition, you may want to update your Operating
System with the latest
>patches from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ -
avoiding (as I said
>earlier) the hardware updates available there (unless
you have Microsoft
>hardware they are offering drivers for.) Also, you have
other applications
>(surely) running on your computer - perhaps you should
visit the writers of
>these software packages on the Web and see what updates
and patches they
>have available for free download - many times just
having everything
>up-to-date can remedy a situation.
>
>
>Having said all that (specific as I can get to your
particular problem) - I
>would like to add the text I give most people when
trying to secure, clean
>up and diagnose issues like yours. You will find much
more detail on some
>of the suggestions I already gave you (such as specific
programs, detailed
>instructions and we links) in the text below. I hope
that something in here
>helps you solve your problems!
>
>*WARNING* This is a LONG spill, all in plain text and
simplified so that
>even non-techs should be able to understand it.
Hopefully this will
>assist some people in not only repairing their systems,
but in making
>them faster and more stable tools for them to use. It
contains advice
>on many things, many considered "common knowledge"
to 'IT' people
>everywhere. It is split into major sections, hopefully
this will make
>it easier to navigate. *WARNING*
>
>Suggestions on what you can do to secure/clean your PC.
Every attempt
>has been made to be general and an assumption of
a "Windows" operating
>system is made here as well - although in some ways,
this could be
>adapted to any OS.
>
>
>GENERAL UPKEEP AND CLEANUP
>--------------------------
>
>You should periodically defragment your hard drives as
well as check them
>for errors.
>
> How to Defragment your hard drives
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314848
>
> How to scan your disks for errors
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315265
>
> How to use Disk Cleanup
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310312
>
>You should also empty your Internet Explorer Temporary
Internet
>Files and make sure the maximum size for this is small
enough not to cause
>trouble in the future. Empty your Temporary Internet
Files and shrink the
>size it stores to a size between 120MB and 480MB..
>
>- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
>- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
>- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet
Files" section, do the
> following:
> - Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
> - Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk
space to use:" to
> something between 120MB and 480MB. (Betting it is
MUCH larger right
> now.)
> - Click OK.
> - Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all
offline contents"
> (the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this
could take 2-10
> minutes or more.)
>- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-
open Internet
> Explorer.
>
>Uninstall any software you no longer use or cannot
remember installing
>(ask if it is a multi-user PC) - but only if you are
sure you do not
>need it and/or you have the installation media around to
reinstall if
>you need to. http://snipurl.com/8v6b may help you
accomplish this.
>
>If things are running a bit slow or you have an older
system
>(1.5GHz or less and 256MB RAM or less) then you may want
to look into
>tweaking the performance a bit by turning off some of
the memory
>using Windows XP "prettifications". The fastest method
is:
>
>Control Panel --> System --> Advanced tab -->
Performance section,
>Settings button. Then choose "adjust for best
performance" and you
>now have a Windows 2000/98 look which turned off many of
the annoying
>"prettifications" in one swift action. You can play with
the last
>three checkboxes to get more of an XP look without many
of the
>other annoyances. You could also grab and install/mess
with one
>(or more) of the Microsoft Powertoys - TweakUI in
particular:
>
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xp
powertoys.mspx
>
>You should also verify that your System Restore feature
is enabled and
>working properly. Unfortunately, if seems to have
issues on occasion,
>ones that can easily be avoided by turning off/on the
system restore and
>make a manual restoration point as one of your periodic
maintenance tasks.
>This is particularly important right before installing
something major
>(or even minor if you are unsure what it might do to
your system.)
>(This, of course, will erase any previous restore point
you have.)
>
> Turn off System Restore.
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310405
>
> Reboot.
>
> Turn on System Restore.
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310405
>
> Make a Manual Restoration Point.
> http://snipurl.com/68nx
>
>Also, you should look into backing up your valuable
files and folders.
>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308422
>
>And keep your original installation media (CDs, disks)
safe with their
>CD keys and such. Make backups of these installation
media sets as
>well and always use strong passwords. Good passwords
are those that
>meet these general rules (mileage may vary):
>
> Passwords should contain at least six characters, and
the character
> string should contain at least three of these four
character types:
> - uppercase letters
> - lowercase letters
> - numerals
> - nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !)
>
> Passwords should not contain your name/logon name.
>
>
>UPDATES and PATCHES
>-------------------
>
>** Side Note: *IF* you are about to install Service Pack
2 (SP2) for
> Windows XP, I suggest you clean up your system
first. Uninstall any
> applications you do not use. Update any that you
do. Download the
> latest drivers for your hardware devices. Defragment
and run a full
> CHKDSK on your hard drives. Scan your system and
clean it of any
> Spyware/Adware/Malware and for Viruses and Trojans.
Below you will
> find advice and links to applications that will help
you do all of
> this. If this advice helps you, please - pass it
on. Print it,
> email it, forward it to anyone you think it might
help. A little
> knowledge might help prevent lots of trouble.
>
>This one is the most obvious. There is no perfect
product and any company
>worth their salt will try to meet/exceed the needs of
their customers and
>fix any problems they find along the way. I am not
going to say Microsoft
>is the best company in the world about this but they do
have an option
>available for you to use to keep your machine updated
and patched from
>the problems and vulnerabilities (as well as product
improvements in some
>cases) - and it's free to you.
>
> Windows Update
> http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
>
>Go there and scan your machine for updates. Always get
the critical ones as
>you see them. Write down the KB###### or Q###### you
see when
>selecting the updates and if you have trouble over the
next few days,
>go into your control panel (Add/Remove Programs), match
up the latest
>numbers you downloaded recently (since you started
noticing an issue) and
>uninstall them. If there was more than one (usually
is), install them back
>one by one - with a few hours of use in between, to see
if the problem
>returns. Yes - the process is not perfect (updating)
and can cause trouble
>like I mentioned - but as you can see, the solution
isn't that bad - and is
>MUCH better than the alternatives.
>
>Windows is not the only product you likely have on your
PC. The
>manufacturers of the other products usually have updates
as well. New
>versions of almost everything come out all the time -
some are free, some
>are pay - some you can only download if you are
registered - but it is best
>to check. Just go to their web pages and look under
their support and
>download sections. For example, for Microsoft Office
update, you should
>visit:
>
> Microsoft Office Updates
> http://office.microsoft.com/
> (and select "downloads")
>
>You also have hardware on your machine that requires
drivers to interface
>with the operating system. You have a video card that
allows you to see on
>your screen, a sound card that allows you to hear your
PCs sound output and
>so on. Visit those manufacturer web sites for the
latest downloadable
>drivers for your hardware/operating system. Always
(IMO) get the
>manufacturers hardware driver over any Microsoft
offers. On the Windows
>Update site I mentioned earlier, I suggest NOT getting
their hardware
>drivers - no matter how tempting. First - how do you
know what hardware
>you have in your computer? Invoice or if it is up and
working now - take
>inventory:
>
> Belarc Advisor
> http://belarc.com/free_download.html
>
>Once you know what you have, what next? Go get the
latest driver for your
>hardware/OS from the manufacturer's web page. For
example, let's say you
>have an NVidia chipset video card or ATI video card,
perhaps a Creative
>Labs sound card or C-Media chipset sound card...
>
> NVidia Video Card Drivers
> http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
>
> ATI Video Card Drivers
> http://www.atitech.com/support/driver.html
>
> Creative Labs Sound Device
> http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/
>
> C-Media Sound Device
> http://www.cmedia.com.tw/e_download_01.htm
>
>As for Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP, Microsoft
has made this
>particular patch available in a number of ways. First,
there is the
>Windows Update web page above. Then there is a direct
download site
>and finally, you can order the FREE CD from Microsoft.
>
> Direct Download of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP
> http://snipurl.com/8bqy
>
> Order the Free Windows XP SP2 CD
> http://snipurl.com/8umo
>
>Microsoft also have a bunch of suggestions, some similar
to these,
>on how to better protect your Windows system:
>
> Protect your PC
> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
>
>
>FIREWALL
>--------
>
>Let's say you are up-to-date on the OS (operating
system) and you have
>Windows XP.. You should at least turn on the built in
firewall. That will
>do a lot to "hide" you from the random bad things flying
around the
>Internet. Things like Sasser/Blaster enjoy just sitting
out there in
>Cyberspace looking for an unprotected Windows Operating
System and jumping
>on it, doing great damage in the process and then using
that Unprotected OS
>to continue its dirty work of infecting others. If you
have the Windows XP
>FW turned on - default configuration - then they cannot
see you! Think of
>it as Internet Stealth Mode at this point. It has other
advantages, like
>actually locking the doors you didn't even (likely) know
you had. Doing
>this is simple, some helpful tips for the SP2 enabled
firewall can be found
>here:
>
>
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cablegu
y/cg0204.mspx
>
>If you read through that and look through the pages that
are linked from it
>throughout - I think you should have a firm grasp on the
basics of the
>Windows XP Firewall as it is today. One thing to note
RIGHT NOW - if you
>have AOL, you cannot use this nice firewall that came
with your system.
> Thank AOL, not Microsoft. You HAVE to configure
another one.. So we
>continue with our session on Firewalls...
>
>But let's say you DON'T have Windows XP - you have some
other OS like
>Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT, 2000. Well, you don't
have the nifty built in
>firewall. My suggestion - upgrade. My next suggestion -
 look through your
>options. There are lots of free and pay firewalls out
there for home users.
>Yes - you will have to decide on your own which to get.
Yes, you will have
>to learn (oh no!) to use these firewalls and configure
them so they don't
>interfere with what you want to do while continuing to
provide the security
>you desire. It's just like anything else you want to
protect - you have to
>do something to protect it. Here are some suggested
applications. A lot of
>people tout "ZoneAlarm" as being the best alternative to
just using the
>Windows XP FW, but truthfully - any of these
alternatives are much better
>than the Windows XP FW at what they do - because that is
ALL they do.
>
> ZoneAlarm (Free and up)
> http://snipurl.com/6ohg
>
> Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF) (Free and up)
> http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html
>
> Outpost Firewall from Agnitum (Free and up)
> http://www.agnitum.com/download/
>
> Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and up)
> http://smb.sygate.com/buy/download_buy.htm
>
> Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall (~$25 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/
>
> BlackICE PC Protection ($39.95 and up)
> http://blackice.iss.net/
>
> Tiny Personal Firewall (~$49.00 and up)
> http://www.tinysoftware.com/
>
>That list is not complete, but they are good firewall
options, every one of
>them. Visit the web pages, read up, ask around if you
like - make a
>decision and go with some firewall, any firewall. Also,
maintain it.
>Sometimes new holes are discovered in even the best of
these products and
>patches are released from the company to remedy this
problem. However, if
>you don't get the patches (check the manufacturer web
page on occasion),
>then you may never know you have the problem and/or are
being used through
>this weakness. Also, don't stack these things. Running
more than one
>firewall will not make you safer - it would likely (in
fact) negate some
>protection you gleamed from one or the other firewalls
you run.
>
>
>ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
>------------------
>
>That's not all. That's one facet of a secure PC, but
firewalls don't do
>everything. I saw one person posting on a newsgroup
that "they had
>never had a virus and they never run any anti-virus
software." Yep - I used
>to believe that way too - viruses were something
everyone else seemed to
>get, were they just careless? And for the average joe-
user who is careful,
>uses their one to three family computers carefully,
never opening unknown
>email attachments, always visiting the same family safe
web sites, never
>installing anything that did not come with their
computer - maybe, just
>maybe they will never witness a virus. I, however, am a
Network Systems
>Administrator. I see that AntiVirus software is an
absolute necessity given
>how most people see their computer as a toy/tool and not
something
>they should have to maintain and upkeep. After all,
they were invented to
>make life easier, right - not add another task to your
day. You
>can be as careful as you want - will the next person be
as careful? Will
>someone send you unknowingly the email that erases all
the pictures of your
>child/childhood? Possibly - why take the chance?
ALWAYS RUN ANTIVIRUS
>SOFTWARE and KEEP IT UP TO DATE! Antivirus software
comes in so many
>flavors, it's like walking into a Jelly Belly store -
which one tastes like
>what?! Well, here are a few choices for you. Some of
these are free (isn't
>that nice?) and some are not. Is one better than the
other - MAYBE.
>
> Symantec (Norton) AntiVirus (~$11 and up)
> http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_9xnt/
>
> Kaspersky Anti-Virus (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.kaspersky.com/products.html
>
> Panda Antivirus Titanium (~$39.95 and up)
> http://www.pandasoftware.com/
> (Free Online Scanner:
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/)
>
> AVG 6.0 Anti-Virus System (Free and up)
> http://www.grisoft.com/
>
> McAfee VirusScan (~$11 and up)
> http://www.mcafee.com/
>
> AntiVir (Free and up)
> http://www.free-av.com/
>
> avast! 4 (Free and up)
> http://www.avast.com/
>
> Trend Micro (~$49.95 and up)
> http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/personal.htm
> (Free Online Scanner:
>
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp)
>
> RAV AntiVirus Online Virus Scan (Free!)
> http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/
>
>Did I mention you have to not only install this
software, but also keep it
>updated? You do. Some of them (most) have automatic
services to help you
>do this - I mean, it's not your job to keep up with the
half-dozen or more
>new threats that come out daily, is it? Be sure to keep
whichever one you
>choose up to date!
>
>
>SPYWARE/ADWARE/POPUPS/HIJACKS
>-----------------------------
>
>So you must be thinking that the above two things got
your back now - you
>are covered, safe and secure in your little fox hole.
Wrong! There are
>more bad guys out there. There are annoyances out there
you can get without
>trying. Your normal web surfing, maybe a wrong click on
a web page, maybe
>just a momentary lack of judgment by installing some
software packages
>without doing the research.. And all of a sudden your
screen starts filling
>up with advertisements or your Internet seems much
slower or your home page
>won't stay what you set it and goes someplace unfamiliar
to you. This is
>spyware. There are a whole SLEW of software packages
out there to get rid
>of this crud and help prevent reinfection. Some of the
products already
>mentioned might even have branched out into this arena.
However, there are
>a few applications that seem to be the best at what they
do, which is
>eradicating and immunizing your system from this crap.
Strangely, the best
>products I have found in this category ARE generally
free. That is a trend
>I like. I make donations to some of them, they deserve
it!
>
>Two side-notes: Never think one of these can do the
whole job.
>Try the first 5 before coming back and saying "That did
not work!"
>Also, you can always visit:
> http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
>For more updated information.
>
> Spybot Search and Destroy (Free!)
> http://www.safer-networking.net/en/download/index.html
>
> Lavasoft AdAware (Free and up)
> http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
>
> CWShredder (Free!)
> ** No longer updated as of July 29, 2004 - however,
still a great
> product and should still be ran **
> http://www.softbasket.com/download/s_8114.shtml
>
> Hijack This! (Free)
> http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/
> ( Tutorial: http://hjt.wizardsofwebsites.com/ )
>
> SpywareBlaster (Free!)
> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
>
> IE-SPYAD (Free!)
> https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm
>
> ToolbarCop (Free!)
> http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/toolbarcop.htm
>
> Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner (Free!)
> http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/
>
> Browser Security Tests
> http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/BrowserSecurity/
>
> Popup Tester
> http://www.popuptest.com/
>
> The Cleaner (49.95 and up)
> http://www.moosoft.com/
>
>That will clean up your machine of the spyware, given
that you download and
>install several of them, update them regularly and scan
with them when you
>update. Some (like SpywareBlaster and SpyBot Search and
Destroy and
>IESPYAD)
>have/are immunization utilities that will help you
prevent your PC from
>being
>infected. Use these features!
>
>Unfortunately, although that will lessen your popups on
the Internet/while
>you are online, it won't eliminate them. I have looked
at a lot of options,
>seen a lot of them used in production with people who
seem to attract popups
>like a plague, and I only have one suggestion that end
up serving double
>duty (search engine and popup stopper in one):
>
> The Google Toolbar (Free!)
> http://toolbar.google.com/
>
>Yeah - it adds a bar to your Internet Explorer - but its
a useful one. You
>can search from there anytime with one of the best
search engines on the
>planet (IMO.) And the fact it stops most popups - wow -
BONUS! If you
>don't like that suggestion, then I am just going to say
you go to
>www.google.com and search for other options. Please
notice that Windows XP
>SP2 does help stop popups as well. Another option is to
use an alternative
>Web browser. I suggest "Mozilla Firefox", as it has
some great features
>and is very easy to use:
>
> Mozilla Firefox
> http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
>
>One more suggestion, although I will suggest this in a
way later, is to
>disable your Windows Messenger service. This service is
not used frequently
>(if at all) by the normal home user and in cooperation
with a good firewall,
>is generally unnecessary. Microsoft has instructions on
how to do this for
>Windows XP here:
>
>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/commun
icate/stopspam.asp
>
>
>SPAM EMAIL/JUNK MAIL
>--------------------
>
>This one can get annoying, just like the rest. You get
50 emails in one
>sitting and 2 of them you wanted. NICE! (Not.) What
can you do? Well,
>although there are services out there to help you, some
email
>servers/services that actually do lower your spam with
features built into
>their servers - I still like the methods that let you be
the end-decision
>maker on what is spam and what isn't. If these things
worked perfectly, we
>wouldn't need people and then there would be no spam
anyway - vicious
>circle, eh? Anyway - I have two products to suggest to
you, look at them
>and see if either of them suite your needs. Again, if
they don't, Google is
>free and available for your perusal.
>
> SpamBayes (Free!)
> http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/
>
> Spamihilator (Free!)
> http://www.spamihilator.com/
>
>As I said, those are not your only options, but are
reliable ones I have
>seen function for hundreds+ people.
>
>
>DISABLE (Set to Manual) UNUSED SERVICE/STARTUP APPS
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>I might get arguments on putting this one here, but it's
my spill. There are
>lots of services on your PC that are probably turned on
by default you don't
>use. Why have them on? Check out these web pages to
see what all of the
>services you might find on your computer are and set
them according to your
>personal needs. Be CAREFUL what you set to manual, and
take heed and write
>down as you change things! Also, don't expect a large
performance increase
>or anything - especially on today's 2+ GHz machines,
however - I look at
>each
>service you set to manual as one less service you have
to worry about
>someone exploiting. A year ago, I would have thought
the Windows Messenger
>service to be pretty safe, now I recommend (with
addition of a firewall)
>that most home users disable it! Yeah - this is another
one you have to
>work for, but your computer may speed up and/or be more
secure because you
>took the time. And if you document what you do as you
do it, next time, it
>goes MUCH faster! (or if you have to go back and re-
enable things..)
>
> Task List Programs
>
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
>
> Black Viper's Service List and Opinions (XP)
> http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
>
> Processes in Windows NT/2000/XP
> http://www.reger24.de/prozesse/
>
>There are also applications that AREN'T services that
startup when you start
>up the computer/logon. One of the better description on
how to handle these
>I have found here:
>
> Startups
> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php
>
>
>That's it. A small booklet on how to keep your computer
secure, clean of
>scum and more user friendly. I am SURE I missed
something, almost as I am
>sure you won't read all of it (anyone for that matter.)
However, I also
>know that someone who followed all of the advice above
would also have less
>problems with their PC, less problems with viruses, less
problems with spam,
>fewer problems with spyware and better performance than
someone who didn't.
>
>Hope it helps.
>
>--
><- Shenan ->
>--
>The information is provided "as is", it is suggested you
research for
>yourself before you take any advice - you are the one
ultimately
>responsible for your actions/problems/solutions. Know
what you are
>getting into before you jump in with both feet.
>
>
>.I'm running xpsp2, but problem arose before this, I
regularly (daily) clean out all unecessessary files on my
hard drive and defragment it.Check disc is run frequently
also,I run sfc on regular basis. I run spyware (updated),
and antivirus (updated) every time I terminate an
internet connection.My hardware drivers are all up to
date, I'm constantly performing maintenance on my p.c.
Could the fact that my hard drive is nearly full be
causing this problem? Thank you for your reply.

P.S. Sorry for the tyop eroder! Oh dear!
>