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OK, Computer Techies ... can you answer this?

kimberkidkimberkid Member Posts: 8,858 ✭✭✭
edited May 2002 in General Discussion
This morning, everything seemed fine, then the keyboard locked up, I did a re-boot, keyboard is ok now, but all the icons run from my pointer ... or more like the pointer pushes the icons away, kinda like if you have 2 magnets and try to put the same pole of one "+" next to the "+" pole of another magnet ... anybody know whats up?

I've downloaded the fix for the Klez virus and came up clean, haven't opened any emails, but deleted a few large ones that came from an unknown sender (they were all > 100mb)

=================================
Sometimes the most obvious, is the most elusive!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com
If you really desire something, you'll find a way ?
? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.

Comments

  • GrandWizardGrandWizard Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    What kind of keyboard is it. Original with the computer or aftermarket?
  • kimberkidkimberkid Member Posts: 8,858 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Its a Gateway Laptop, Solo 9300 with Pentium III ... Windows ME

    =================================
    Sometimes the most obvious, is the most elusive!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com

    Edited by - kimberkid on 05/03/2002 12:42:21
    If you really desire something, you'll find a way ?
    ? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.
  • GrandWizardGrandWizard Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do you have aanother key board that you can plug in and bypass the built in one.
  • kimberkidkimberkid Member Posts: 8,858 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The keyboard is working fine now, its just that the icons are being repeled ??? by my pointer!

    =================================
    Sometimes the most obvious, is the most elusive!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com
    If you really desire something, you'll find a way ?
    ? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.
  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like software, not hardware.

    I'd suspect those emails.

    If you're using Norton or McAffee anti-virus software, try contacting them--I've never contacted them myself, but friends have told me they really like hearing about viruses that get through their software (it's a new problem for them to solve).
  • concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    That's my guess too Competentone....

    Sorry Kimberkid.



    Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals
  • ebeshirsebeshirs Member Posts: 382 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    What do I get if I can solve the case?
    It is most likely the W32.magistr virus.
    Download the fix and see if that is it.
    By the way, how's the CCNA coming?

    Do the best you can with what you've got and let the rest of the world roll right on by.
  • gap1916gap1916 Member Posts: 4,977
    edited November -1
    Call Gateway. They probable have seen this before and have a fix or at the very lease an answer.
  • firing pinfiring pin Member Posts: 144 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's might be the Kliz worm virus.My did it last week.
    go to antivirus.com
  • MercuryMercury Member Posts: 7,842 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Things of this nature aren't considered virii, but more like "screen hacks".

    Annoying, but harmless.

    Do a ctrl-alt-del, and bring up the window. See what is running, and close out programs, one at at time. Test after each one that you close. The last one that you closed was the hack.....


    I used to install stuff like this just to mess with people. :)

    I had one that made the entire screen appear to "melt". Went off randomly.....the screen would melt into a puddle at the bottom of the monitor...hehe.....I'd get these frantic phone calls from people freaking out! :)

    Merc (Who doesn't do those childish things any longer!!!!)



    NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!

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

    "Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt
  • William81William81 Member Posts: 25,489 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I agree with the gap1916, call Gateway. I am on my third Gateway and have run into problems on two occasions over the past 9 years. Both were fixed within 15 minutes with a tech. The wait however to speak with one can be a long one.
  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like it possesed! Call a priest or dig a hole and bury it!

    I know what's doing this and how to stop it but everytime I give computer advise on here someone tells me I'm wrong so I will just sit here and be a good little boy and keep my fingers tied.
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here's my two best guesses.

    If I had installed anything new just before the problem began, I would uninstall it. If there was a conflict, this will probably eliminate it.

    It does, however, sound like a virus, because of the funny way the arrow "pushes" your icons around. In that case, if I'd been keeping my virus protection software up to date, I'd first do a complete computer scan. If you can't use the mouse for commands, use the key equivalents instead. I'd quarantine anything it found, then open the quarantine utility and delete the items. If it doesn't find anything, you might still have a worm that needs a special utility program to remove it.

    The other day I had to run a special utility to check for a worm virus. My computer was running very sluggish, almost to a halt. Running the virus utility involved unchecking the "windows restore" box in the system properties, then restarting the computer in "Safe Mode" by holding down the Ctrl key on start-up, and then running the little virus finder program. But my machine was not infected.

    The answer turned out to be that my computer got sluggish due to some software I had installed for extra firewall protection. Too "techie" for me, probably. I removed it and things are back to normal.

    -- Life NRA Member
    If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My recent debacle with my first virus has piqued my interest in the subject of viruses. If you resolve your problem, keep us posted.

    By the way, are there any McAffee gurus out there? I'm running McAffee Virus Scan 6.0 (Virus Scan, Guardian, Firewall). I don't mind the fact that the firewall causes my computer to run a bit more slowly due to the filtering that is going on but I can't seem to get my Outlook Express to work anymore. I adjusted the McAffee settings to allow Outlook Express to access the internet but the darn thing just won't work anymore. I open the program, enter my password and then the program refuses to work. It freezes. Any suggestions? Maybe that Klez virus that I had destroyed my Outlook Express.

    SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had McAfee on my new Sony Vaio and it seemed to work fine, but it turned out they wanted me to pay to keep using the software so I deleted it. I can tell you though that the VirusScan product worked fine on my machine, no conflicts.

    You might turn off McAfee's firewall and see if that frees up Outlook Express. Firewalls are hard to use unless you understand exactly how to configure them. If that doesn't do it, you could try disabling McAfee's autovirusscan feature that runs in the system tray. If that frees up Outlook Express, then at least you know what the problem is.

    Of course McAfee probably isn't doing what you describe to most people's computers, or McAfee couldn't sell their product, so why YOU should have a problem is the real issue.

    Another thing to do is go to windowsupdate.com and download any updates available for your MS products. There are some compatibility updates in there from time to time and bug fixes too. And you should always keep up with the latest fixes for your versions.

    Assuming you know that it's something about McAfee, I'd get on their web site and ask a techie why the product should cause Outlook Express to freeze. They may have seen it before and know the answer.

    You could try un-installing McAfee to see if that lets Outlook Express run correctly. The trouble is, McAfee's uninstall program is not 100% perfect at restoring a system to pre-McAfee status. It will be easier to keep McAfee and make it run correctly, now that you're committed to it.

    My techies told me to switch to Norton Anti-Virus, so I did. I don't currently use a firewall because the last one I tried didn't auto-configure for my machine on setup -- hence it screwed things up so badly I had to delete it immediately.

    -- Life NRA Member
    If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
  • kimberkidkimberkid Member Posts: 8,858 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mercury
    Ok, I did the ctrl-alt-delete thing, and closed things one at a time ... when I closed was my "MSN Internet Access Quick view" (MSN is my service provider and this icon is in the tool bar by the clock) the icons quit running! On the down side, when I relaunch that feature it doesn't work (the button comes up but I dont get a responce when I click it.)

    This feature is launched on start-up (and has been for over a year) on this laptop, my old desktop and I had it on another laptop I sold when I bought this one. I've never had a problem like this with the other computers ... so does this mean the "virus" has infected the "MSN Internet Access Quick View"? And if I un-install it, then re-install it from the original disc, SHOULD this cure the problem?

    BTW
    The only thing I've knowingly downloaded recently was WINZIP and , the "Fix worm klez" from antivirus.com and I already had this problem.
    =================================
    Sometimes the most obvious, is the most elusive!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com

    Edited by - kimberkid on 05/04/2002 12:24:09
    If you really desire something, you'll find a way ?
    ? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    There were some updates to McAffee that I hadn't downloaded yet. Now Outlook Express is back to normal.

    SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY
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