Diagnostics

XP Pro, SP3, current updates, Comodo firewall, A^2 AV, Lenovo T60p Dual CPU - 2.1 ghz, 15.6" screen, 3 Gb computer memory, 3 cent operator memory

Are there any actual diagnostic tools available for XP Pro?

Don't mistake me. I've seen a hundred so-called "diagnostic" utilities which merely show you a bunch of system values like interrupts, addresses, amount of memory, what apps are running, etc., and you must be a computer genius to make any kind of diagnosis, and that based on the exact same information you can get using OS tools. (Altho Belarc Advisor does a super job of gathering stuff into one document.) And, of course, many sources call their anti-virus scanners "diagnostics."

In my opinion "diagnostics" is a very far fetched term for what I've found available. So, again, are there any "actual" _diagnostic_ utilities that tell you what is wrong or missing as opposed to showing you a screen full of system numbers? I have seen none.

NOTE: I am not looking for factory supplied peripheral utilities for hard drives, printers etc. I'm talking SYSTEM diagnosis.

 

Hehehe, this forum is dedicated to diagnostics! How do you think we guess at solutions and mostly get them right? Any program can give one a hint or even a warning but it's up to the user to properly interpret the info.

 

You have just repeated in different words what my OP said - that diagnostics do not diagnose. That no diagnosing is done by what is commonly but erroneously called "diagnostics software." That is my complaint, and I suspect that of many other non-genius/geeks, not the answer to it.

Once again I ask simply if there is any software out there, that doesn't require a computer genius, to actually diagnose something - software that actually solves problems instead of merely displaying their symptoms on the screen.

My laptop was turned upside down by the "System Fix" rogue. Using a backup boot drive , dogged persistence and several day's time I managed to get the rogue removed and the laptop working, but the nature of System Fix is to move things to new folders so they are there, but not available to the system and I suspect there are still problems I have no clue about. And having no clue is incompatible with diagnostics that do not diagnose.

 

Chastisement taken Jim.:-D The only diagnostic software that really counts is here at MG's called people. There's no program that can beat these folks. Perhaps you can start with a 'factory reset' after backing up of course, and starting fresh to eliminate software first. Depending on your SP level, I'd burn an 'SP4' disk first to ease the update/reboot time crap.

The best diagnostic program is you. I know I haven't answered your OP but I doubt anyone else can either. Start fresh with minimal periphs and go on from there until you hit the wall. At least you'll know where you stand. BTW, I hardly ever recommend a 'slash and burn' policy but since you know your way around...

 

Sorry about that last line Jim, been having a bad day.

 

Actually I'm not sure I know exactly what an image is. Not long ago someone declared a backup I have to be a clone. From what I understand, that can't be because the backup is a couple gigs longer than the actual system. But I couldn't tell you the difference between an image and a clone

I cut teeth on the Motorola based operating system from which Apple eventually developed their OS series, and I spent some 15 years at it. It had no hard coded memory or system drive locations because EVERYTHING was indexed or double indexed instead of hard coded like the M$/Intel system.

So what?

My standard backup was a simple XCOPY command placing that system on another HD a file at a time, formatting the HD it had come from and XCOPYING it back. Where windows had hard coded starting points in memory and on the HD, this system could boot with the files ANYWHERE.

When the system support was dropped and I migrated to windows I was never able to convert the ridiculously easy thinking from the first OS into the impossibly screwed up windows/Intel hard code mentality - especially since I had a stroke just before that at less than middle age. The latter took what little multi-tasking ability I previously had.

I tried several backup systems that were highly recommended by geniusgeeks of several kinds. You would probably recognize them if I could remember their names. They all required scraping up bits and pieces, making boot CDs, RAR files instead of ZIP files, etc., which I could never put together right. I learned very well that 99% of all programmers should NEVER attempt to write their own documentation. For user manuals they write techno-babble dealing with programming rather than with using and call you stupid if your expertise is something other than programming.

I did finally find a backup utility that was push button easy and I did have a backup, but I hadn't updated it recently, not wanting duplicate problems that had been growing in the system.

Booting from that external USB drive was the only I could ever revive the internal drive after System Fix hit. But it was relatively easy since the internal system drive was inactive and, therefore, the virus was inactive. System Fix cripples your firewall and your anti-malware program and the auto-replace mechanism in XP then moves about a dozen system folders to oddly named new folders.

So you can see why I wonder if something is still out of reach of the system. As for people here doing the diagnosing, I haven't missed a relevant fact. People here get all PO'd if you don't give a semi-professional description of your problem. In this situation I don't even know for sure if there _is_ a problem, let alone know how to describe it to the satisfaction MG diagnosticians.

Something I found through your link said that it is possible to do a non-destructive factory reset, but I, too, find the idea very daunting.

 

Hey Jimll

Really not true. MG members (without me being biased) will try to garner info to enable accurate support. Even from members who don't have English as their first language.

This is an online forum, a poster will need to be as clear as possible to the issue's on hand.

An image does the job, as plodr
mentioned. A clone will need an larger drive as it clones the entire drive even zeroed sectors. Sorry can't be more explicit as my external is not with me, else would have cloned and given a screen shot and explanation.

I use Macrium. Yes, you will need a boot CD, Macrium will offer a choice and you will need to down load and burn as an .ISO.

Back to your post# 2.

I sense this was the issue. No scanner AV/ antispyware/ rootkit scanner that will fix/clean XP or any other OS and give a sure shot guarantee. And at times user intervention is required.

Cheers..

 

If there was a simple piece of software out there to do that we'd all not be here. There would be no IT departments and Windows would run Apple out of business
Any single piece of software that claims to clean your PC, and make it faster while whittening your teeth and doing your laundry is BS.
Some MOBO manufactures make plug in boards to diagnose hardware issues.
But as for the holy grail in software, it hasn't been found.