Please help me...

[eattherich]

Ok, so my brother's computer is messed up. I've tried all I can to sort it but I'm stuck. Its an athlon xp 2200+ on a matsonic MS8137C+ mobo. Basically, when it's turned on you get the usual single beep (which is good right!?)... it loads to the 'Windows XP Home' page and then just as it's about to go into windows, it just restarts and does it all again. I've got the xp disk and have tried formatting it and reinstalling it... same thing.

Someone please help me....

Thanks

[Slayerstaps]

We call that a virus my friend......
(i think it's the sasser don kno exaclty correct me if i'm wrong)

[eattherich]

I don't think it's a virus... I've formatted it a couple of times but when it starts up, the same problem...

....unless the virus was stayin on somehow... any suggestions then?? Thanks

[Slayerstaps]

It is a virus dude sasser infects your pc if u are not using a router or something else..The moment you are surfing the i-net with an unpatched pc you get hit by the sasser virus...Get a router or install windows without the comp connected to i-net then then get a fire wall form somewhere and install the patches that stop tthose virusses...

[eattherich]

ok, so you think it's a virus....

well surely if i've formatted the whole comp and reinstalled windows then it'd at least come on (cause the inet connection wouldn't even be set up).... ?

Thanks

[Slayerstaps]

It must be a virus if u have some hardware problems it doesn't boot into windows till the log in screen and then reboot in and endless loop...a hardware problem would not cause this kind of behavior...

[eattherich]

so how do i get rid of a virus then?... to get out of this endless loop??

[Slayerstaps]

buy a router....or get a fire wall...

[nightelf84]

ermm...is your system overclocked?

[wazzledoozle]

Do a zero fill on the hard drive to wipe out any boot sector virus's, then make sure your disconnected from any network or the internet, and install windows. Then install a firewall off a cd and then you can get on net. Once on connected to the internet first thing, update your firewall. Then run windows update. Then enjoy :D

[C&C Freak 2K]

That's happened to me before. It's not always a virus. In my case, it punched out an error message for a frame or two (1/60th of a second = one frame), and restarted. Turns out I lost my registry hive [sue to a poor backup] and the system was denied access to just about everything. Needless to say, I had to reinstall.

[wazzledoozle]

That's happened to me before. It's not always a virus. In my case, it punched out an error message for a frame or two (1/60th of a second = one frame), and restarted. Turns out I lost my registry hive [sue to a poor backup] and the system was denied access to just about everything. Needless to say, I had to reinstall.
Welllllllll, back in the dark dreary days of 2002 and my 333 celeron with windows ME, i reformatted about once a month :( . One of those times, somehow my sound card drivers got messed up, and whenever i tried to boot i got a error message that vaguely led me to discover what was wrong. I had no way to fix, and could only boot into safe mode. I once again formatted.

[eattherich]

how do you do a 'zero fill'... never heard of this.

On one of the screens when loadin there's the table of info, it says DDRAM At bank: sometimes it says 0 with one of the sticks and then 1 with the other....

...while I'm at it, how do you reset the cmos on it, something like taking the battery out and....???

Thanks

[C&C Freak 2K]

A zero fill is when you raw-write 0x00 bytes on ALL parts of the disk. The DoD uses a similar method, except it writes multiple values to neutralize the data and jumble up the surface of the disk enough to format over it and make sure the data is 100% unrecoverable. It's a great process but can be SLOW AS HELL, especially on larger disks.

[eattherich]

how do you do it.... and do u reckon its worth trying

some people said it could be a bad stick of ram... could this be possible

[wazzledoozle]

how do you do it.... and do u reckon its worth trying

some people said it could be a bad stick of ram... could this be possible
Dont think so...

Go to your hard drive manufacturer's website, and search for the model #. Most of the time they have utilities that you put on a floppy disk and boot off of, then the program has different maintenence tools, example: partioning, zero fills, formatting.

[ReconCX]

Am I the only one who thinks that he just has a bad case of overheating or a failing PSU? Those two options are always overlooked! :cool:

[C&C Freak 2K]

From the sound of it, it restarts at a predictable point, so overheating I'd have to rule out. But I could be wrong.

[ReconCX]

He formatted and reinstalled windows. A clean copy still doing that means that it's a hardware failure. The load is 100% on the CPU during boot and the temperature changes dramatically.. ~4-5c per second, capping off at a maximum... so if the cooling is inadequate, it will go past the critical point and the computer automatically shuts off. That's my theory at least.

[BossXPRO]

I agree ReconCX. I had this problem with my friends computer. it keeped restarting when it came to the XP home loading screen. After he called dell and returned the computer, turned out that the PSU was mess up or the motherboard can't quite recall. I think it the problem was caused from his little bro and sisters turning off the computer the worng way too many times.

[cloudshear]

I've had similar problems with a pc.It turned out to be the power supply.When windows starts to load its not pulling much juice but when it opens up the main system it starts up the graphics card and all your other hardware which is one heck of a drain.The power supply is probably just starting to go bad .To be sure run to your local Best Buy or what not that has a good return policy and get a new one.Try it out if it works great solved.If not return it.No loss Good luck.

[HisRadeon9000]

1.Do load bios default,set the IDE pin jump if necessary.

2.check the CPU fan's plug ensure it's on!!!(it seem not happen,but check it)

good luck