Sometimes you just have to reload Windows.

[NickD 202]

Crashes before I can finish running a malware/spyware program and shuts itself done. Vista claims it has to or damage will be done to the computer. Think my wife likes those gadgets in Vista, to me, more junk. Did learn that HP does have drivers for her computer going back to XP, they didn't last year. But they are not supporting Windows 7 yet, and sure need those drivers so she can have a screen to look at plus some noise out of those tiny speakers in her notebook.

So super slow Vista it is. So I wouldn't mess up her data, removed her drives and started off with a new 240GB drive I partitioned and formatted on another computer. First thing the Vista recovery disk did was to repartition just to drive C and format it, that took forever on her computer. After five hours of her computer paying whatever games, finally got into desktop. So the first thing I did was to check that drive, I repartitioned it to three 80GB drives and formatting now. I started this at 6:00 AM this morning, Seven hours ago, and it's still playing around. Next step is to remove those 15 some odd junk programs HP puts on where you need your credit card to run. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to her and just put on XP Pro, would have been done hours ago.

With her bug in that thing, I lost all administrator rights, strange bug, no matter what I tried, couldn't delete junk in the registry, remove junk programs, couldn't do anything, but watch it crash. So time to reload windows. Hope I live long enough to finish it. Vista is the absolutely worse product MS has ever put out on the market.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Crashes before I can finish running a malware/spyware program and shuts itself done. Vista claims it has to or damage will be done to the computer. Think my wife likes those gadgets in Vista, to me, more junk. Did learn that HP does have drivers for her computer going back to XP, they didn't last year. But they are not supporting Windows 7 yet, and sure need those drivers so she can have a screen to look at plus some noise out of those tiny speakers in her notebook.

So super slow Vista it is. So I wouldn't mess up her data, removed her drives and started off with a new 240GB drive I partitioned and formatted on another computer. First thing the Vista recovery disk did was to repartition just to drive C and format it, that took forever on her computer. After five hours of her computer paying whatever games, finally got into desktop. So the first thing I did was to check that drive, I repartitioned it to three 80GB drives and formatting now. I started this at 6:00 AM this morning, Seven hours ago, and it's still playing around. Next step is to remove those 15 some odd junk programs HP puts on where you need your credit card to run. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to her and just put on XP Pro, would have been done hours ago.

With her bug in that thing, I lost all administrator rights, strange bug, no matter what I tried, couldn't delete junk in the registry, remove junk programs, couldn't do anything, but watch it crash. So time to reload windows. Hope I live long enough to finish it. Vista is the absolutely worse product MS has ever put out on the market.

Still running XP-Pro with no problems. Vista is a problem child, and Windows 7 is not much better. There are a couple slipstreamed versions of Windows 7 that look promising.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I'm surprised that her HP computer doesn't have a recovery partition on the hdd. It can be restored to it's original state without using the recovery discs. Of course this is a moot point since you replaced the hard drive. How do you plan on getting the data off of the old drive? Have you tried stating Window in safe mode on the old drive?

[Darnell 8,478]

maybe time to shift to a linux distribution? at least set up on one of the partitions - then let her 'use it' for three days, see if any performance/virus/malware issues.

[PhiLandShiR 18]

Sounds like the hard drive itself might have failed...

Do you know if the account your wife was using was in fact the Administrator account??

if not, you might have been able to log out from her account and log back in as the administrator....

you may see some perfomance boost if you max out the RAM that is installed.

vista is a massive memory hog...

[NickD 202]

I'm surprised that her HP computer doesn't have a recovery partition on the hdd. It can be restored to it's original state without using the recovery discs. Of course this is a moot point since you replaced the hard drive. How do you plan on getting the data off of the old drive? Have you tried stating Window in safe mode on the old drive?

Does have the recovery partition, still never ran across a bug like this before, but I could not access it. I have an external SATA notebook drive converter with it's own power supply and a USB cable, real simple to transfer her data, after I run a virus check on it. But first I have to get rid of all the junk, then download tons of upgrades. Fortunately she just wants a basic computer for the internet and a word processor. Have a much better anti-virus program now, hopefully this won't happen. Her laptop does handle two drives, but haven't been successful yet in training her to store her data on that second HD. Maybe I will send her to her home. Maybe I will follow her.

[ScottThuy 140]

sounds like it could use some more RAM given the time it took to install... It can take a long time, but that was excessive...

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Does have the recovery partition, still never ran across a bug like this before, but I could not access it. I have an external SATA notebook drive converter with it's own power supply and a USB cable, real simple to transfer her data, after I run a virus check on it. But first I have to get rid of all the junk, then download tons of upgrades. Fortunately she just wants a basic computer for the internet and a word processor. Have a much better anti-virus program now, hopefully this won't happen. Her laptop does handle two drives, but haven't been successful yet in training her to store her data on that second HD. Maybe I will send her to her home. Maybe I will follow her.

Try Revo uninstaller to get rid of the unwanted progrmas. It has an advanced mode where it does a thorough registry scan to get rid of program remnants. CCleaner is a good maintenance program. It also has a very safe registry cleaner and it cleans temp files, cookies etc. Malwarebytes for a good on demand scanner. For a free anti-virus program, check out Microsoft Securtiy Essentials along with Avira and Avast. If you want to pay, check Norton Internet Security 2010. If you are very knowledgeable, you can also use Combofix to get rid of virus and malware.

[rsn 135]

Crashes before I can finish running a malware/spyware program and shuts itself done.

I'm not so sure you need to go through the hassle of reinstalling Windows. Sounds like you may have an MBR rootkit to me. Run a program that detects rootkits. I recommend Root Repeal. I could be wrong, but I have seen this sort of thing before. A similar situation: Windows would freeze after an hour or two with a long beeping noise. Shortly before the freeze, moving windows or the cursor would sometimes produce trails.

Edited February 19, 2010 by rsn

[spookyturtle 9,465]

I'm not so sure you need to go through the hassle of reinstalling Windows. Sounds like you may have an MBR rootkit to me. Run a program that detects rootkits. I recommend Root Repeal. I could be wrong, but I have seen this sort of thing before. A similar situation: Windows would freeze after an hour or two with a long beeping noise. Shortly before the freeze, moving windows or the cursor would sometimes produce trails.

That's possible, somehow the MBR may have become corrupt.

[rsn 135]

That's possible, somehow the MBR may have become corrupt.

If a rootkit does exist, you can either run a utility like Root Repeal to fix it, or you can run fixmbr from the windows recovery console I believe.

[Christi and Ian 24]

Barring trashing the Windows machine & buying a Mac, try loading AVAST - IMO it's the best free virus/malware/spyware protection, and it updates daily...

[spookyturtle 9,465]

If a rootkit does exist, you can either run a utility like Root Repeal to fix it, or you can run fixmbr from the windows recovery console I believe.

I thought that you needed the actual Windows disk to repair the MBR. I haven't ever had to do it, but I remember reading about it.

[Ali G. 37]

I have used Vista 64-bit for three years with no problems, now have windows 7 64-bit installed and that is even better. Actually I am really impressed with 7.

The biggest problem for Vista is that people purchased inadequate hardware expecting it to run the state of the art OS. Not going to happen. Cases like this is why Apple tells you what hardware you can or cannot use. Anyone who wants to use basic hardware should seriously look at using Fedora [linux], ubuntu [linux] or XP. Your only other option will be Google OS, when it comes out later this year.

What has basically happened for Vista is the equivalent of people purchasing Chevy Cobalts, then becoming angry once they breakdown because they took it four wheeling or used it to tow a 2 tonne trailer.

Edited February 19, 2010 by Booyah

[rsn 135]

I thought that you needed the actual Windows disk to repair the MBR. I haven't ever had to do it, but I remember reading about it.

From the Windows recovery console, yes. But other utilities (such as Root Repeal) do pretty much the same thing.

Barring trashing the Windows machine & buying a Mac, try loading AVAST - IMO it's the best free virus/malware/spyware protection, and it updates daily...

Avast is an excellent free anti-virus app, no doubt about it. However, it is unlikely to detect something that has corrupted/taken control of the MBR.

Edited February 19, 2010 by rsn