[linnealand]

Last week I fixed some big problems with my computer that seemed to have been driver related. There's just one problem. I think something in my PC is set wrong. Actually, there are a few issues, but I have a feeling they might all be related to the same thing.

1.) anything I try to scroll through, including web pages, word files, etc seem to be jumpy scrolling/skipping down as I scroll through them, rather than doing this smoothly like it should.

2.) the same thing happens (and this is by far the most important part and the most frustrating), when I'm watching video files! They skip the whole time through. (I have k-lite mega and usually use media player classic, but the same thing is happening in all of the players). The playback has something like a non-smooth roll over of the frames in a vertical direction.

3.) I have a 17'' screen, rather than a standard one, and everything looks like it's being made wider than normal (like pictures, etc.).

I have noticed that my cpu is really high whenever I run anything, but I don't know if this is a cause of the problem or a result of it. Someone talked about something being set to hardware or software acceleration, but I don't know if that's right or where to go to adjust it.

::Pout!:: please help! I haven't been able to watch anything for over a week, and all of this skipping is making :(

[seahwk83]

I fixed some big problems

What sort of things did you do?

Any changes that either happened or that you perhaps made to your computer around the time that the problem started; particularly any software or hardware that you installed or setup.

Have you checked task mgr to see what processes are running and which ones seem to be using most of cpu?
-right click on task bar and choose task mgr and the processors

[linnealand]

I wish I knew exactly what caused the problem and exactly what I did that fixed it, but I'm not sure. I had some major errors that came up and were attributed to the display drivers. It was crashing my computer and doing weird things all over the place. My pc's screen turned into a total mess of lines and was stuck in the lowest resolution possible. I wound up removing nvidia, doing a zillion updates through windows update... lots of things.

I had a thread on the whole story. You can find it here: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/window...ur-270657.html

Anyway, this problem has been here ever since my computer started working normally again. I have since installed k-lite mega, but that wasn't the cause (the problem was already there).

Someone said something about something being set to hardware or software acceleration... could this be it? It seemed to ring a bell with me. If so, how could I check or fix it? Could it be something else, or do you think it's diverse things?

[seahwk83]

First see if this option is set

Right click on My computer and go to properties and then go to the advanced tab and click the settings tab next to performance
-now click the advanced tab on top and make sure that you have programs checked in both areas there, if not put the marks next to Programs

If you use Windows 2000 or XP

* Rightclick the Windows desktop and choose Properties from the popup menu
* Click the Settings tab and then click Advanced
* In the next dialog box, click the Troubleshoot tab
* Under Hardware acceleration, move the slider one notch to the left.
* Click OK as many times as needed to return to the Desktop.


Hopefully will help out

[linnealand]

OOOOH NOOOOO...

I did everything you said, and as soon as I slid the little notch one step to the left and hit apply, the whole screen turned black and wouldn't come back again. (by the way, I think the notch was set on the third slot to the left, so I moved it to the second one.) I turned my PC off (with the button), and then I turned it back on.

Here's the killer: that crazy and horrible problem I had with the huge screen, horizontal, blinking lines everywhere and everything stuck in the lowest resolution possible? It's BACK!!

:( please help... this is awful...

[seahwk83]

Boot into safe mode and do system restore back to before changes were made

Safe mode, start, programs, accessories system tools, system restore and choose time to before above changes were tried

Were there options to click it to the right, worth a try when back

If you do not want to try that which is understandable

In your last post about the problems with screen, did you ever try a repair installation?

[linnealand]

Okay... I seemed to have fixed the last problem untraditionally. I closed the computer and shook it. I swear. Then I turned it back on, and it worked. Actually, now that I think about it, I did this the last time I "fixed" the problem, but I couldn't have believed that this foolish action could have done anything good...

What on earth do you think that could have been?

In any case, the notch is now at the second place from the left.

Now, when I'm trying to play a video, nothing happens. The hourglass thing comes up for a number of seconds, and that's it! A handful of days ago, I installed k-lite mega codec pack (it uninstalled my old k-lite codec pack first). At least it was skipping... now it's not even there. :(

I'll do anything you think I should. I'm desperate! Again, thank you!

[seahwk83]

Well, fully uninstall the klite pack and restart the computer

Install this codec pack and see if any difference in playback
Free-Codecs.com : XP Codec Pack 2.4.3 is one of the most completed codec packs

[linnealand]

Hi again. The problem was getting to be so bad and so frustrating that I decided to do a complete reinstallation. I copied what I needed onto my external hard drive, and then I went in with the cd that came with my computer. It took 3 tries before it actually went through. I was getting errors beforehand. Well, I've been up all night long, and it seems I'm only swimming in poop. My disc is a dinosaur because my computer is 5 and a half years old. I took your old recommendation of keeping a more updated antivirus program in a separate place. So as soon as my PC was up again, I installed and updated it. By the way, I use avast as my anti-virus program.

Well, I know I need to have the new service packs on my computer. I have tried dozens of times to download the windows updates I need. All I keep getting are errors. Something is in my computer, even after the reinstallations, that is messing with it. Also, it keeps totally dismantling ad-aware, which is really bad. I'm beginning to suspect that this whole "driver error" thing is part of the destructive virus/trojan/horrible thing. I have run my anti-virus diverse times, but I feel like it isn't getting everything. At the very, very least, I know it said that it couldn't delete win32:Trojan-gen (error occurred during deleting) in C:\WINDOWS\Installer\1db70.msi\ISSetupFile.SetupFi le1.

What would you do if you were me? I really, really need to get things back in control... it's horrible how much time and energy I have lost with this thing, and it's still not done :(

Again, thank you for sticking with me!

[seahwk83]

I was going to say do a repair installation next but since you have done the re-installation, I would do it again and follow the steps in the link below with the format option

How to Format Drive and Install Windows from Scratch
Geek to Live: How to format your hard drive and install Windows XP from scratch


Once you have formatted and windows is back up and running, do not install anything else yet

-Go to following links and download the updates individually to your hard drive and then run the setups and do not use Windows Update

Windows service pack 2
Download Windows XP Service Pack 2: XP SP2 (Full package)

If you want service pack 3 also, link is below
Download Windows XP Service Pack 3: XP SP3 (Full package)

-Now once you have isntalled above updates and restarted PC for the last time because of the updates, Go to windows updates online and get remaining updates from there

-I personally would not get Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool that is updated monthly - so don't get this one every month when offered

At this point, you should have a freshly installed OS and all updates and running XP

Install your codecs at this point and do one last restart on system and then start installing your software

Since you have had problems, Install 1 app at a time and make sure everything is working before installing next one, that way you can kind of get an idea of what might cause a problem

[linnealand]

I think you have a lot of good ideas there.

As for the geek live thing, I went through the instructions, but there might be a glitch... I don't know. The cd I have, which is the only one I have, is the one that came with my toshiba satellite. Everything from windows to whatever else (the drivers, etc.) are put in together automatically. All of the first steps are the same I followed before (I. e. booting directly from the disc before start-up... and I'm scared! I'm not that good with computers (if you can't already tell).

I was wondering if you think it would be possible to go an alternative route? This is what I was thinking to do:

1) I'm downloading the 30 day trial version of kaspersky anti-virus directly from the site. I think avast is a rotten piece of poo. I'm saving a copy to my desktop, and an extra copy to my external hard drive. I will run the scan, etc. and remove anything it picks up.

2) then I will do a reinstallation directly from the cd I have. I thought that the best thing at this point would be to reinstall kaspersky immediately to start protecting my PC. You wouldn't believe the garbage I have rushing in the second my internet is connected.

3) (and this is the most important... ) would it be possible to save service packs 2 and 3 to my external hard drive? If so, I wouldn't have to risk going through the internet without their protection in the first place.

I really, really, really, really appreciate your advice. You're a guardian angel, I swear it... I don't know how in the world I could ever have figured these things out myself.

[linnealand]

Just a note: when I tried opening up kaspersky, I got an error that says that service pack 2 is required for installation. So it's like a catch 22..? :(

[seahwk83]

Dont not worry about sp3, just install SP2

Below should get you in right direction and up and running

Well the only time you need to be on interenet is when you download the service packs,

So what you can do is download the service pack 2 and kaspersky to your external drives

Now disconnect the internet, reinstall using your system disk and the go through and install service pack 2 not connected, if any messages come up during SP install, bypass them or choose the option to conitnue

Once installed, connect modem to PC and install kapsersky so that it can get all updates and what it needs to install properly

I personally use kaspersky for myself, I have tried all the rest and this is what suits me, but everyone has own opinion or choice of what they use or recommend, It works for me

So at this point you have reinstalled and have SP2 and kaspersky installed

Got to windows update and get remaining updates and avoid malicious application from Microsoft as mentioned previously

So basically you have now is fresh install with updated OS and antivirus installed

Now install your codecs

[linnealand]

hello again! I followed your instructions, but the problem seems to be really severe. I'm now on my 8th reinstallation this week. I kept the internet physically unplugged from my computer, put in my copy of service pack 2...

then I tried to install the trial version of kaspersky, which came up as corrupt all of a sudden. I had an older version of it, which did install, but everything is a total mess. 90% of the time I can't even get into my computer the regular way. The screen stays black. The other ten percent of the time, my PC will go into that horizontal line thing after 2 minutes.

oh, and my windows updates are blocked again, so I can't download the stuff I need for online virus scanners to work... (like java or active x.)

I'm in safe mode now, at least for sending off my most important emails, but I can't do anything to fix the problems (i.e. virus scanning, downloading fixes, etc.)

so I'm back in the crapper big time. :( and somehow even worse off than before...

by the way, in safe mode, those lines aren't coming up now. I still think there might be a driver issue/hardware issue/blown or loose usb issue on top of everything else, but I have no idea...

[seahwk83]

Could be a video card issue itself, would you have access to another video card? As you mention that the screen looks fine for about 2 min and then lines come back

So you installed windows and sp2 not connected to internet and you were able to restart computer and everything seemed fine until you tried to install kaspersky? Installing kaspersky while connected to internet, right?

And this is where issue started?

What version of kaspersky did you try to install first?

Where is you get trial version of kasp?

and my windows updates are blocked again

What happens when you try?

[linnealand]

could be a video card issue itself, would you have access to another video card? as you mention that the screen looks fine for about 2 min and then lines come back
so you installed windows and sp2 not connected to internet and you were able to restart computer and everything seemed fine until you tried to install kaspersky? installing kaspersky while connected to internet, right?
and this is where issue started?
What version of kaspersky did you try to install first?
where is you get trial version of kasp?
what happens when you try?

I wish I had another video card... or an idea of where it is on my computer.

I had downloaded the latest version of kaspersky directly from their website before the last series of reinstallations. Maybe version 9? When I tried to open it from my external hard drive, I got an error saying it was corrupt or infected. I was still not connected to the internet.

I had an older trial version that I had downloaded from a p2p thing (perhaps stupid, I know, but it was the trial version without keys or anything). I think it was version 7. then I connected to the internet for the registration and updates.

I thought I could put that in place and then go right to the site to get a fresh version of kaspersky and uninstall the older one. I thought 5 minutes and all would be done. No such luck.

Also, there was something else really, really weird. Almost every time I was doing the reinstallation, my computer had the lines on it. Then it would look like everything was being done right, but when I tried to run windows, it would just loop between the toshiba welcome screen and the windows welcome screen. But there are no lines now in safe mode...

Sometimes I can go into windows regularly without the lines, but after a couple of minutes, my mouse arrow will become transparent with a square around it. Then the screen will blink on and off into black, or stay in black, or come back to the screen in low resolution. It seems that trying to do the updates makes it "angry." I don't know.

I have been going to the windows update page, and I can click on "express installation," but then I get a page in red writing telling me that things are out of place that are preventing me from downloading (i.e. PC is not set up for automatic updates, etc.). So I checked everything on the list, and I had everything in place. Mind you, this was the same thing that happened before. I think avast fixed it after several days of taking a LOT of garbage out of my PC. That's why I thought it would be fine.

I wanted to scan my entire 400gig external hard drive for viruses, but my PC got so bad with the lines, I couldn't do it. I just crossed my fingers and hoped I could get enough done first and then go in with the KAS antivirus. No such luck.

[seahwk83]

This PC is original and nothing added to it?

Did you use a system XP disk that came with computer?

Did you ever do the reinstall in the past and not have problem?

When you first installed xp with sp2, did everything boot and work correctly before doing anything else?

[seahwk83]

To get updates working, did you try this:

Go to start, run and type services.msc

In the services list that comes up, go down to automatic updates and right click on it and go to properties

-now in properties box, change the startup type in the dropdown list to automatic and then click start if not already started and click Apply

-Now in the list of services, do the same thing for Backround Intellligence but in the dropdown list, have it set to Manual and click Apply

Now try to go to updates again and see if it lets you in

If not, go to start, run and type: regsvr32.exe wuaueng.dll
And hit enter

Now try update again

[linnealand]

this PC is original and nothing added to it?

did you use a system XP disk that came with computer?

did you ever do the reinstall in the past and not have problem?

When you first installed xp with sp2, did everything boot and work correctly before doing anything else?

1. I had the hard drive replaced by an IT store about 3 years ago. That's it.
2. yes, it's the original that came with my computer.
3. yes, it was fine. The only thing is that my cd/dvd player can sometimes be slightly off, so every now and then I do have to run things more that once for them to catch just right. I think I had to run it twice instead of once. But it worked fine.
3. yes and no... the lines were there, and the computer had been looping between those toshiba and windows menus. I knew the cd had worked that time, and there hadn't been any lines during the installation. Between installations, I had to turn my PC upside down and bang it around a little. As terrible as that sounds, somehow that has helped. Once I was in the regular windows menu, everything was normal enough for me to be able to install the antivirus. But, like I said, my KAV from the site was corrupted or infected by something. It could very well be that the KAV I installed from the P2P site was malicious, but I had a zillion problems before that too, between the reinstallations, the lines, and the looping... after kaspersky was installed, things did get worse. So I am guessing that's part of a series of problems. :(

I'm thinking that I'm going to have to break down and pay someone a bank worth of cash to come to the house to fix it... *sigh...

Is there anything I should tell him as per your recommendations?

[seahwk83]

Well, do you have access to another monitor, could be the monitor that is the problem as you mentioned by "moving" it helps out
-maybe where the monitor plugs in to the video card may be loose or have some sort of connection problem

If you can try another monitor on it to see if lines would be there with another one attached

From what you say, I would go with connection problem

With kaspersky, I can post a link for you to download tomorrow as I would upload it tonight, it will be trial version of the newest one right now, Kaspersky Internet Security 2009

Depending on what route you want to go now
-give it one more shot with just installing system and SP2 not connected

Then connect

Then make sure everything working including updates and make note at this point if anything "seems" wrong or out of place
Without making any changes or installing anything

Just get system up and running with SP2 and get update site working with nothing else installed or changed

I would attempt one more time as this is what a service person will do, he would get you to that point and make sure everything working and give it back to you with a bill.

Very Important, If/when doing process again - Disconnect everything that is attached to computer - Printer, ext. drive, scanner - All you want is monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers connected during setup and updates - Don't attach anything until system is setup and running and then will go from there installing other devices