Help with "system has recovered from a serious error" msg

My desktop is an old system. It's running XP Home with SP3. Recently, when I tried to load Photoshop Elements, the machine rebooted and the screen popped up with this message:
The system has recovered from a serious error.
Error signature:
BCCode: 1000008e BCP1:C0000005 BCP2:8308426E BCP3:A8B79A24
BCP4:00000000 OSVer:5_1_2600 SP:3_0 Product:768_1

The following files will be included in this error report:
C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\WER346d.dir00\Mini110912-06.dmp
C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\WER346.dir00\sysdata.xml

I've read some of the threads associated with this kind of error/post. It might be that the software is resource-intensive and taxing the system and/or some of my memory has gone bad.

The machine will run Excel, Word software without generating any error message.

If someone could tell me how, I'd be able to give more hardware details on the system. Or if you could explain how to check the memory chips?

I'm no tech wizard like you guys but I have installed a new burner on the system, new/larger hard drive and accessed Bios settings so possibly I could follow instructions.

I appreciate any help.
Thanks

 

Greetings, LuniLadi, and welcome to MajorGeeks...

We need some more info from you: what's the make and model # of your machine (please include any Service Tag #s)?

Also, please download and run Speccy, a free system information tool.

When the scan completes select 'File', 'Save as Text file', name the report, and save to an easily found location such as your Desktop.

Be advised: the report will display your IP Address and Windows Product Key. You may delete this information if you so wish.

Then attach that file to your next post per these instructions: HOW TO: Attach Items To Your Post.

 

Caliban,
Thanks for your quick response. I so appreciate your help.

I have a Gateway model 552GE running XP Home edition with SP3. I'm not aware of any service tags. It's an old 32bit machine. I'm sorry but I don't remember RAM amount or processor. I know it's a dinosaur but it has my Life on it. I'm hoping I can clean it out before it doesn't run anymore (which is another, separate issue). Or if it *can* be fixed, maybe I'll just use it to store graphics. It's given many years of good service and I don't want to just junk it. I know it sounds stupid but it's a friend. :-o

I downloaded Speccy but couldn't run it. Got "spsetup118.exe is not a valid Win32 application" message.

Snag one....
Luni

 

Ok, then - try EVEREST. If EVEREST will install then the procedure will be somewhat different (select 'Report', 'Quick Report', 'Plain Text'. Select 'File', 'Save As...') - then attach the results...

Meanwhile, do you feel confident enough to pull your RAM module(s) and reseat them? You might also try swapping them if they are multiples (that's one reason I'm trying to get a system information tool onboard, so we can see what's installed in your machine). Try the RAM dance, see if you get a change in symptoms - make sure you're properly grounded while handling those components.

No problem, and it doesn't sound stupid.

 

Caliban,
Last night, after posting, brain cells fired and I remembered that the Speccy download resulted in an "empty file" icon.

Lately AVG Internet Security has been giving me alot of aggravation blocking 90% of everything so I downloaded onto a jump drive and installed Speccy that way. Sure enough, it installed and ran perfectly!
(Speccy summary and RAM reports attached)

I also installed and ran Everest.
(Quick and Hardware reports attached)

This is probably waaaaay more info than you need but I hope "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" covers my zeal.

Holding off on fooling around with RAM chips.....
Luni

 

Good morning...

Well, the first thing that jumps at me is that you've only got 512mb of RAM. That's barely enough to run XP properly, let alone run an intensive app such as Elements. I can't guess about the minimum memory requirements for your version of Photoshop, but I can guess that it's more than 512mb. If the only time your machine crashes is when you attempt to run Elements (or any other memory-intensive program), then that's a pretty good indicator that lack of memory is the problem...

Your motherboard can support up to 4gb of RAM (although your version of XP will only utilize 3.5gb). A RAM upgrade is usually the cheapest and best improvement that you can make to an older machine. If you wish, we can walk you through the steps for procuring additional memory and installing it - however, if you're not comfortable with doing it yourself a local computer shop should be able to provide an upgrade relatively painlessly...

************

As an aside: your reports show that you have versions of both Symantec (Norton) and AVG running - if it's only Norton Ghost you should be fine, but if any Symantic antivirus applications are running the two antivirus suites may eventually conflict. Also, Spybot's 'Teatimer' is shown. Teatimer is a known resource hog - consider disabling that portion of the Spybot program.

 

Caliban (should I say Good Evening?)
Yeah, I think I should definitely upgrade the memory.:-o

I checked out the machine's specs at Gateway. It says:
"512 MB PC3200 400MHz (two 256MB modules) DDR-SDRAM
Expandable to 2GB, support for dual channel memory mode"

If you don't mind, a few questions:
1 - The computer has been running PS Elements (v7) for a loooong time...until that morning when it rebooted. It had just run it the day before. Matter of fact, I was busy looking at other things on my desk and tried to start it 3 times (!) before I realized what was going on. The machine was never "speedy" but it ran alright. Now it's soooooo sloooooow.
Probable that one of the chips went bad?

2 - Speccy says the RAM is 200MHz. Specs say 400MHz. Why the difference?
Is Speccy measuring the current speed? (Cut in half would make sense...it's running like that!)

3- Specs say I can put in 2GB of memory. Motherboard supports 4GB?
Which should I go with?

When I look to buy memory chips, I should make sure that they're "PC3200/DDR/400 MHz" correct? Anything else? (Years ago you had to make sure the pin connection was compatible.)

I appreciate any suggestions. And instructions on how to go about doing this would absolutely be helpful! (Can I come back and talk to you again after I get the memory?)
Luni
PS Yeah, that's Norton Ghost. Disabling TeaTimer is a great suggestion! (forgot about that running) It's redundant with AVG anyway. Thanks.

 

If you're able to plug in your specs at Gateway, then I would advise going with them (I was just doing searches for your type of motherboard). Jumping from ½gb to 2 gb is a giant leap, regardless...

The same applies to the frequency - grab the 400mHz...

If possible, plug your specs into Crucial.com, using either the dropdown menus or their system scanner - it's a safe, reliable website that will give you any info you need regarding the memory requirements for your machine.

As far as installing the memory modules goes, it's a fairly straightforward procedure - just let us know if/when you get some replacements and we can walk you through.

********

Increasing your memory is a good thing - however, it would seem that if you've been able to run Elements with your existing hardware then you may have something else going on. Try this:

1. Navigate to Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Advanced > Startup and Recovery settings. Make sure 'Automatically restart' is not checked, and 'Write debugging information' is set for 'Small memory dump'. 'Ok' out and reboot your machine. A quick tutorial for this procedure is located here.

2. The next time your computer crashes you should be presented with a Blue Screen, but more importantly a minidump file should be saved in your C:\Windows\Minidump folder. Find that file, zip it and attach it to a post so we can look at it, maybe determine what exactly is causing your crash.

 

Caliban,
When I went into the control panel to change the settings I saw that my machine was already set to write a file to the minidump folder. There were a whole bunch of them in there. I don't know how to read them or if they're new or have been accumulated over time. I've attached a zip file of the ones that were there (minidump).

I checked out my memory at crucial. I used their scan. I've ordered (2) 1GB PC3200 DDR 400MHz chips. They won't be delivered until after Thanksgiving.

Meantime I disabled TeaTimer and the machine *was* running better so I got hopeful and tried to run PSE 7 again. Nope. Machine rebooted. :cry So I zipped the minidump files (minidump2). I thought maybe the difference (?) between the two might give you a clue as to what might be going on. I hope so.

If we don't "chat" again, hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Luni

 

Well, geez, it sure would have helped if I attached the files! duh :-o
Luni

 

Ok, got 'em - I (or someone) will look at them asap...

Glad you've got some RAM on the way - in this case, size does matter...

Meanwhile, try browsing a couple of PSE forums (such as this one or this one), see if you can glean any knowledge or tips - pay special attention to any references to patches for your version...

And, do you have the PSE installation disk or setup file(s)? If so, then you might consider backing up any saved data within the program and uninstalling/reinstalling PSE, see if that changes anything. Maybe something associated with Elements has become corrupted? I don't know - just shootin' in the dark.

 

Caliban,
Thanks for the suggestions. I had originally started with googling/reading PS forums. 99% of the threads discuss conflicts with drivers/antivirus software/etc. A (very) few of them talked about system resources, memory, defragging the hard drive. That's how I ended up here...thinking that because it happened so suddenly, maybe it was a hardware/memory issue.

My PSE was running fine...until one morning. I tried reinstalling. Matter of fact, the program was uninstalled until yestereday when I reinstalled (no issues, got a clean install) and tried to run it. I can't even get the splash screen to reset preferences. Once I double click, the machine reboots.

And the computer will run other programs....I'm just not using it because I don't want to keep screwing with the system. I don't know if it would harm it anymore than it already is. Besides, after fighting off a VERY VERY nasty rootkit a year or so ago, my hair stands on end when the system reboots! (That was the ultimate weapon of that rootkit...anytime *anything* got close to threatening it, it rebooted the machine and relaunched itself...after disabling the program that nearly got it!)

I hope that the dump files will give a clue.

I'm seriously pinning my hopes on the new memory. <fingers crossed>
<sigh>
Luni

 

The dumps are all as close to identical as any I've seen and they all seem to indicate an Iomega driver, (or another driver/malware corrupting the Iomega driver when in memory?), as being at fault here. I only ran the first and last dumps.

Try updating (or refreshing) the Iomega driver: iomdisk.sys, Iomega Disk Filter Driver, https://iomega-na-en.custhelp.com/app/home - I can't tell which Iomega hardware device you have from the dumps, you'll need to track it down or tell us exactly which device you have and we'll try to find a driver for it.

Code:

[font=lucida console]
BugCheck 1000008E, {c0000005, 821b426e, a98a3a24, 0}
Probably caused by : iomdisk.sys ( iomdisk+bc9 )
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
BugCheck 1000008E, {c0000005, fea2e26e, a9121a24, 0}
Probably caused by : iomdisk.sys ( iomdisk+bc9 )
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
[/font]

SYSTEM UP-TIME

Code:

[font=lucida console]
System Uptime: 0 days 0:29:44.062
System Uptime: 0 days 8:06:33.528
[/font]

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``


BSOD BUGCHECK SUMMARY

Code:

[font=lucida console]
Built by: 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.111025-1629
Debug session time: Sat Nov 17 20:53:46.390 2012 (GMT+0)
System Uptime: 0 days 0:29:44.062
BugCheck 1000008E, {c0000005, 821b426e, a98a3a24, 0}
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for iomdisk.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for iomdisk.sys
Probably caused by : iomdisk.sys ( iomdisk+bc9 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x8E
PROCESS_NAME:  FNPLicensingSer
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``
Built by: 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.111025-1629
Debug session time: Thu Nov  1 22:09:58.998 2012 (GMT+0)
System Uptime: 0 days 8:06:33.528
BugCheck 1000008E, {c0000005, fea2e26e, a9121a24, 0}
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for iomdisk.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for iomdisk.sys
Probably caused by : iomdisk.sys ( iomdisk+bc9 )
BUGCHECK_STR:  0x8E
PROCESS_NAME:  FNPLicensingSer
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨``

[/font]

3rd party drivers listed - for info only

AFS2K.SYS Mon Feb 25 23:05:13 2002 (3C7AC329)
Audio File System by Oak Technology (likely associated with an older CD/DVD program)
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=AFS2K.SYS

iomdisk.sys Wed Sep 4 21:09:59 2002 (3D766897)
Iomega Disk Filter Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=iomdisk.sys

HSF_DP.sys Thu Nov 13 16:16:48 2003 (3FB3AE70)
SoftK56 Modem Driver by Conexant Systems
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=HSF_DP.sys

HSF_CNXT.sys Thu Nov 13 16:18:33 2003 (3FB3AED9)
SoftK56 Modem Driver by Conexant Systems
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=HSF_CNXT.sys

HSFHWBS2.sys Thu Nov 13 16:19:45 2003 (3FB3AF21)
SoftK56 Modem Driver by Conexant Systems
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=HSFHWBS2.sys

MxlW2k.SYS Wed Dec 10 20:03:05 2003 (3FD77BF9)

MxlW2k.SYS - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.

mdmxsdk.sys Fri Jan 16 22:21:03 2004 (400863CF)
Conexant Modem Diagnostic Interface x86 Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=mdmxsdk.sys

e100b325.sys Tue Feb 10 22:49:11 2004 (40295FE7)
Intel PRO/100 Adapter NDIS 5.1 driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=e100b325.sys

sunkfilt.sys Mon Mar 22 03:01:36 2004 (405E5710)

sunkfilt.sys - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.

ialmdev5.DLL Sun Jun 6 20:01:43 2004 (40C36A17)
Intel Graphics Accelerator Miniport Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ialmdev5.DLL

ialmdnt5.dll Sun Jun 6 20:01:52 2004 (40C36A20)

ialmdnt5.dll - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.

ialmrnt5.dll Sun Jun 6 20:01:58 2004 (40C36A26)

ialmrnt5.dll - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.

ialmdd5.DLL Sun Jun 6 20:08:31 2004 (40C36BAF)

ialmdd5.DLL - this driver hasn't been added to the DRT as of this run. Please search Google/Bing for the driver if additional information is needed.

ialmnt5.sys Sun Jun 6 20:09:09 2004 (40C36BD5)
Intel Graphics Accelerator Miniport Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=ialmnt5.sys

RtkHDAud.sys Tue Jul 6 09:59:41 2004 (40EA69FD)
Realtek HD Audio driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=RtkHDAud.sys

npf.sys Tue Nov 6 20:09:15 2007 (4730C9EB)
NetGroup Packet Filter Driver, part of the WinPcap packet capture library
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=npf.sys

v2imount.sys Wed Dec 12 19:07:19 2007 (47603167)
Norton/Symantec Ghost Image Mounting Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=v2imount.sys

symsnap.sys Wed Dec 12 19:31:49 2007 (47603725)
StorageCraft Volume Snap-Shot or Symantec/Norton Backup Exec
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=symsnap.sys

PxHelp20.sys Thu Mar 13 01:57:44 2008 (47D88A18)
Sonic CD/DVD driver (used by many different CD/DVD programs)
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=PxHelp20.sys

intelppm.sys Sun Apr 13 19:31:31 2008 (48025183)
Intel Processor driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=intelppm.sys

intelide.sys Sun Apr 13 19:40:29 2008 (4802539D)
Intel IDE storage driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=intelide.sys

tbhsd.sys Fri Sep 12 12:40:31 2008 (48CA552F)
Tunebite High-Speed Dubbing Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=tbhsd.sys

GEARAspiWDM.sys Mon May 18 13:16:53 2009 (4A1151B5)
CD-ROM Class Filter Driver by Gear Software.[br]Also comes with iTunes
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=GEARAspiWDM.sys

SCDEmu.SYS Mon Jul 27 03:43:19 2009 (4A6D1447)
PowerISO Virtual Drive driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=SCDEmu.SYS

avgrkx86.sys Thu Feb 11 03:51:27 2010 (4B737EBF)
AVG
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=avgrkx86.sys

avgldx86.sys Thu Jun 3 22:05:19 2010 (4C08190F)
AVG AVI Loader Driver
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=avgldx86.sys

avgtdix.sys Wed Apr 27 08:27:07 2011 (4DB7C54B)
AVG
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=avgtdix.sys

avgmfx86.sys Wed Aug 17 12:30:55 2011 (4E4BA66F)
AVG
http://www.carrona.org/drivers/driver.php?id=avgmfx86.sys

 

Satrow,
WOW. I'm floored. Iomega has been on my system since the Year of the Flood. Pre-jump drives, I had a Zip 250 (model:Z250USBPCM). It was the latest and greatest in portable storage.

I do have the installation software. (I keep all disks/manuals/software for any piece of hardware I have all in one place until the hardware is tossed.)

Should I try reinstalling to see if that solves the problem? (I don't use the zip drive anymore. I have a 1.5Tb external Seagate.)
Or, if it doesn't, use CCleaner or Perfect Uninstaller to take the software off the system?

Could the problem be malware?! AVG (Internet Security v9...databases updated) isn't picking up anything but the SurfShield *has* been popping up alot...even on "safe" sites like Google and it blocked a download from majorgeeks even though I added the site to the safe list.

Thoughts?
and THANKS.
Luni

 

Since you've got the installation disks/software as backup, why not try uninstalling the zip drive and the associated Iomega programs/drivers? Since there seems to be some conflict between the unused Iomega and Photoshop Elements, it would seem that it might be prudent to pursue that angle first.

As far as why did this just start occurring out of the blue (a thought that's been bothering me about your symptoms since the start of this thread), I guess it's possible that some update (either Windows or PSE) was installed in the background that caused some sort of handshake problem. Interesting.

Malware? My guess would be that it's highly unlikely, but if you wish to assuage your doubts you can perform the steps listed in the Read & Run Me First thread, then start a new thread in the Malware Removal Forum and attach the requested logs to your first post(s) in that thread. The Malware Removal gurus can then give you the all-clear for your system.

 

If you don't use the Zip 250, uninstall the software, shutdown and disconnect it internally

The above is very likely, note that the running process when the crashes occurred is the FNPLicensingSer - often installed as part of Adobe software.

 

Caliban,
Removed Iomegaware. Ran into a glitch...my own stupidity. Machine was running slow...using Perfect Unistaller cause I wanted to make sure I got rid of *all files. Couldn't see where uninstall currently was and, when box popped up "Restart for chages to take effect? Yes No" I clicked "yes"....BUT uninstall wasn't finished. Directory folders were still in \Program Files but program didn't show up on installed program(s) list! So it couldn't be uninstalled "officially"ugh.

I went into Explorer and deleted the folders. Then used Perfect Uninstaller to deal with registry items/(any) leftover files.

SO Iomegaware is uninstalled. Tried to run PSE. :cry No go. reboot.

I've attached today's minidump file. Just curious....what does it say caused the reboot? damn
Luni

 

I am still seeing references to iomdisk.sys in that latest minidump. You'll have to wait for satrow's interpretation - he's our resident Blue Screen guru...

True or false: the only time this machine crashes is when you attempt to load Photoshop Elements?

 

No. It rebooted when I tried to backup using Norton Ghost (v14). It got about 25% through the disk image when it rebooted. I haven't been able to get a backup since right before this started.

It also used to reboot when scanning with Malwarebytes and AVG. But that has stopped happening. I've been scanning with both programs successfully.

It will run Excel...Word.

I haven't tried other programs.

Whatcha thinking?
Luni
PS Memory chips are supposed to arrive Fri 11/23. Boy oh boy am I hoping that's the trick. Otherwise....??

 

The fact that the machine crashes under different circumstances might actually be a good thing. Memory (or the lack thereof) is system-wide, all inclusive, yada yada - maybe the new, beefier RAM will help alleviate a lot of your problems...

I sure hope so...

 

The most recent crash is essentially identical to the others, caused by the Iomega driver while the FNPLicensingSer was active.

If you don't use the Iomega hardware, uninstall the driver/device from Device Manager, shut down and physically disconnect it.

 

See? Told you so! :rasberry

 

Caliban/Satrow,
Sorry, but I'm not understanding your instructions regarding unstalling the driver/device from the system. I don't see it listed anywhere under Device Manager. I've tried to attach a file of everything listed there but I couldn't upload the file. It doesn't have an extension and when I tried renaming it .txt I got alot of symbols/gobbly gook.

The only way I could try to upload it was to "print" it as a One-Note file (an option under Device Mgr) and then save as a Word doc. Unfortunately, it's too big to upload. Could I send it as an attachment in a private msg? I also did a screencap of the section with issues.

Interesting...when I tried to print the file as a .pdf, the machine rebooted.
Is this an Adobe conflict?! There are some driver issues listed in device manager... having to do with AVG (?). Should I try rolling back the drivers? What to do? I'm at a lose.

Happy Turkey Day guys! YOU tech wizards are truely one of the reasons I'm grateful (me and thousands of others) ::heart::
Luni
PS Caliban, love the frog(?)! How'd you do that? lol

 

Hmm, it's becoming more 'interesting' by the minute . Is AVG installed currently? If so, does it show any errors/problems?

I think we need some more background information; Start > Run > msinfo32 > Enter, expand Software Environment and click on Windows Error Reporting, wait until it has filled then File > Save as msinfo32.nfo on your Desktop and close MSinfo32. Zip the nfo file (right-click it and select Send to > Compressed folder).

Download Autoruns, exract the files to a folder on your Desktop, right-click Autoruns.exe and select Run as Administrator, accept the agreement and when the window shows, press Esc. Go to Options > Filter options and select Verify code signatures, OK it and then press F5 (Refresh). Once it's finished refreshing (the status bar will show 'Ready'), File > Save (Ctrl+S) and save it to your Desktop as autoruns.arn. Close Autoruns, right-click the arn file and zip it as before.

Now attach both of the above zip files to your next post.

 

Satrow,
AVG Internet Security v9 is installed and shows all components running correctly. It's scheduled to automatically scan twice a week and the last scan went through fine.

I cannot get msinfo32 to run. I don't get any results. The hard drive light is flashing but nothing's happening. If anything happens at all, it's AVG popping up with a msg that "pchealth" is infected. I don't know anything about this program. I don't find it on the installed program list in CCleaner. I've attached a jpg of the screen popup. Msinfo32 is on my machine in \program files\common files\msinfo. I get the same result if I double click on the .exe file there.

I ran autoruns as "owner". I don't have an option to run as admin in XP Home.
I had to uncheck "protect my machine" in order to save the file. I was getting an "unable to save file: access is denied" error msg until I did that. I attached the zip.

I no longer think it's a memory chip problem. There's only two chips..if one went bad nothing would run! And the system is showing 512Mb working. (Getting the extra memory was a good move regardless.) I just wish I could fix my machine!:cry
Luni

 

Good work, it looks like AVG is flagging what should be a standard XP file as infected, Autoruns is showing what could be signs of an infection as well - at this point I must ask you to go through the Malware Removal Guide - carefully read and follow the instructions carefully at each step, make notes of any errors and add them along with the required logs in a new thread in the Malware forum.

 

Satrow,
I'll start on the malware removal instructions tomorrow.

Will you follow me over to that area of the forum? It would be great since you've already worked on the issues and are familiar with the thread.

Please let me know how I should title the thread....keep this title? Or start a new one?

Oh, latest problem....tried streaming aol and Q104.3 streaming radio. The website shows the music playing...but, now, NO SOUND is coming out of my speakers.

I'm really freakin'.....
Luni

 

No worries Luni, take it in small steps - save any vital data you need to a USB stick just in case - then start on the Malware removal/check process. If there's no infection, or there are still problems after a clean up, the folks in the Malware removal forum will send you back here for further help.

I'll keep an eye on your Thread over there, I'm pretty sure Caliban will as well, your Malware logs will help us all get a handle on what's happening.

Good Luck :major