Windows XP Home keep crashing

I have an HP desktop that runs Windows XP Home edition. I found an old 486 something or other on the side of the road and brought it home one day. I had already gotten a new computer and transfered all of my info to it so I ran a full system restore on the HP and installed the 6GB hard drive from the found computer as a slave for extra storage and promptly formated it. I then began to uninstall various un-needed or un-wanted programs IE.. aol and the like and then I hooked it to my new computer over a LAN and used the whole thing as storage. Now I have set up the old one as a stand alone workstation for my wife to do her homework on but it keeps crashing. I get a blue screen and when I restart, the computer tells me that it has recovered from a fatal error. I get a pop up in my tool bar that tells me that my virtual memory is low which should not be because the computer is nearly empty and it won't let me run the system restore not even to a previous restore point. I have tried starting it in safe mode and cleaning out my registry but that doesn't have any effect on it either. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do? The computer came with the OS already installed and I have no hard discs to re-load any information. I think I made a re-boot disc when I first set the computer up but I have no idea where it would be now. Thanks for your help...

 

One of very basic computer knowledge here but I am wondering if you really got ALL traces of the aol files completely out. I've deleted (with the basic vista uninstall) & reinstalled my aol many times over the past month but crash issue never changes. Could be something else but everything in the past month always leads me back to thinking it is definetly an aol issue.

Anyway, maybe I can give you a hint as I am also getting the crash screen whenever I try and get on the internet. I choose to start normally (ie.not safe mode), then I must restore to the last checkpoint (sometimes have to try it twice ...going to the second checkpoint), AND THEN the internet will come on fine and stay on as long as I want it to.

Unfortunately it kicks off when left idle because rarely have I been able to get back on the internet since the problem started without going through all this every time.

But it works until I find out why it is happening ... will it at least temporarily work for you or maybe to spark the thought of you searching for left over aol files ???

Aol blaming anything other than the possibility it could be their problem.
Originally told me I had some kind of bug but I can't come up with any evidence of that through mcaffee, ad-aware, etc.

I got what I still believe to be an aol critical update (file 4218.utf ...if anyone knows anything about it), within the first week my internet troubles started ... downloaded it & thereafter it seemed to have fixed 50% of my problem (ie. I could keep the internet on for unlimited hours - rather than just for ten minutes) - AND even though my computer is only months old vista is garbage & it seems that everything else seems to be running much smoother than it ever has !!!

Called aol to ask why that file came about (hoping it would lead to a next step to solving the crash issue) & then they insisted it was not an aol update - & now I need to call Dell (does dell deal with viruses?) because downloading that file will probably destroy my computer. Yet my problem started days before that file and got much better after downloading that "malicious" update.

The aol support guy didn't even know what "system restore" was, so I haven't hesitated to ignore him & re-downloaded that "malicious" update again after trying to wipe out and re-install aol a couple more times after. (then the notice comes back to install that "malicious" update again)

Not sure if that makes any sense .. the "bug" leaves when deleting aol & then prompts itself to come back after re-installing. If it's a bug ...wouldn't that mean it's a virus in aol's system? ...and either way the crashes don't stop.

and ...if that's a virus I want more! Even though my computer is only 5 months old ...vista is garbage & other than the crash issue ...everything else in my computer seems to be working much better than ever since putting that utf file in. Coincidence ???

Sorry, seems I ended up hijacking your thread & ranting more about my own issue BUT hopefully gave you some ideas.

 

Okay so what the old pc running for OS, Then how big was the hard drive on this That U were asking about? there something odd U haven't listed ram cap either? if U can give us anymore info it would be appreciated

 

Its running windows xp home edition. the computer came with a 40gb Hard drive and I installed a 6GB slave hard drive that is now unplugged. I think it as 512MB of ram. The computer is an HP Pavilion 40X that we bought in a box at office depot in 2002 if that helps