The computer and electronics super geek thread

[kensei]

What is cool about Windows 7 is that I got an extra hour of battery life out of my laptop. Dunno how the hell that happened.

[emajnthis]

I'm always fixing computers for friends and coworkers, so i'm very familiar with the "it's a virus" or "it's broken" comments from inexperienced users. Do what Azrael said though and post a Hijackthis log, i have to warn you, some virus' detect when hijackthis.exe is running and can hide themselves from the process scan, so it's a good idea to change the execute name to something else (i usually just abbreviate it to HJT.exe) and then do the scan and post the log here. The most common virus/trojan is the vundo virus and smitfraud is still lingering around too, these two are constantly evolving so it's not uncommon for virus scans to completely miss them.

After you post the log go to msconfig and uncheck all of the startup and services that aren't necessary. If it's a slower computer to start with (in terms of hardware), make sure the paging file is appropriate and remove the wallpaper image to help you browse between windows faster, also if you have any RAM you can swap in just for the time being to get everything to fly faster, that's great too.

I just fixed my sisters computer last week and she had vundo, smitfraud, and a winsock virus and had the exact same symptoms as yours, specifically explorer.exe freezing. if you ctrl alt delete into the task manager, end process explorer.exe and then hit file>new (run), and then just type explorer.exe to restart it, it should allow you to browse back through as normal. I had to do that twice to my sisters computer before it would even give me the window boot up noise.

[Chowser]

I'm always fixing friends/coworkers/family members computers as well. I need to start charging.

First thing I ever do is:

I install Avast antivirus, update it, run it.

I install SuperAntiSpyware, update it, run it.

I install Spybot Search and Destroy, update it, run it.

After those three (all for free) are ran, I usually fix the problem. Sometimes, they have something really nasty that I have to do boot scans, which usually gets it.

I usually do the boot scan with Avast and then with Spybot. This does take awhile, I just let it scan and go play games or something.

If I'm getting problems with Windows not booting up, I'll try to use the recovery console to restore the system.

Last time, I actually had to wipe my old computer and start over. Thankfully, I had my old Win XP Home upgrade disk. I had to argue with Microsoft about activating it because I have activated 4 times already in the past 5 years. All on the same computer, I had to argue with MS, hey, your crap keeps giving me the blue screen of death, and this is my only recourse. It's the same fricking computer. So now, the computer has WinXP on it again, but only with Service Pack 1. It will crash if I try to install SP2. Oh well, it's just for internet surfing now.

--

I also turn off all the stupid start up programs everyone has running. I mean, how many instant messaging programs do you need to start up?

[emajnthis]

Definitely run all of the above mentioned scans (except i use avg instead of avast which is also free but either is fine), if the scans don't get rid of what you have, at the very least they will identify what the cause is. I'm noticing more and more especially lately, that the scans will find the problem but is unable to remove it, so i'll just boot into linux (a cd boot version like puppy linux), mount the drive and delete the trouble files manually. When i fixed my sisters computer i didn't even bother scanning since i already knew what the problem was, i just used HJT to identify the specific files and then deleted them using linux, saved me a lot of time and trouble.

I also turn off all the stupid start up programs everyone has running. I mean, how many instant messaging programs do you need to start up?

I KNOW! My sister had trillian, AIM, Yahoo, and MSN messenger running at startup, frigging ridiculous. How many IM programs could you possibly use at one time?

Edited February 11, 2009 by emajnthis

[mikeszekely]

Okay, I got the charger, and I ran HiJackThis. Here's the log:

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2

Scan saved at 9:08:55 PM, on 2/11/2009

Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:

C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\EvtEng.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\S24EvMon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXBCES.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXPPS.EXE

C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\ACS\AOLAcsd.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\TopSpeed\2.0\aoltsmon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr.exe

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\iaantmon.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\KodakCCS.exe

C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE

C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\Engine\16.0.0.125\ccSvcHst.exe

C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe

C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPLpr.exe

C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\1164273043\ee\AOLSoftware.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\iaanotif.exe

C:\WINDOWS\stsystra.exe

C:\Program Files\Motorola\SMSERIAL\sm56hlpr.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxpers.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\bin\ZCfgSvc.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\ifrmewrk.exe

C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmgr.exe

C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe

C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxsrvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\hphmon05.exe

C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmon.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\ACS\AOLDial.exe

C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe

C:\PROGRA~1\PURENE~1\PORTMA~1\PortAOL.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\New Boundary\PrismXL\PRISMXL.SYS

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb09.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\RegSrvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\PD6000SM.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\system32\ScsiAccess.EXE

C:\Program Files\TomTom HOME 2\HOMERunner.exe

C:\Program Files\Verizon\McciTrayApp.exe

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Album Starter Edition\3.2\Apps\apdproxy.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTTask.exe

C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyexpr.exe

C:\Program Files\Dentrix\DtxQuickLaunch.exe

C:\Program Files\BigFix\bigfix.exe

C:\Program Files\Dentrix\eSyncReminder.exe

C:\Program Files\Kodak\Kodak EasyShare software\bin\EasyShare.exe

C:\Program Files\Kodak\KODAK Software Updater\7288971\Program\backWeb-7288971.exe

C:\Program Files\Dentrix\WebSyncReminder.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllhost.exe

C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\Engine\16.0.0.125\ccSvcHst.exe

C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscntfy.exe

C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\Dot1XCfg.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.Daniel\Desktop\Omega.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://wapp.verizon.net/bookmarks/bmredir....&bm=ms_home

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.gateway.com/g/startpage.html?Ch...TB&M=MX6957

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyOverride = localhost

O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {0B014B81-4E12-46F9-806F-55867AF8FD3C} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\winsystems.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {549B5CA7-4A86-11D7-A4DF-000874180BB3} - (no file)

O2 - BHO: Symantec Intrusion Prevention - {6D53EC84-6AAE-4787-AEEE-F4628F01010C} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\Engine\16.0.0.125\IPSBHO.DLL

O2 - BHO: Verizon SMB Toolbar - {A057A204-BACC-4D26-DFC4-79A09BF76BC9} - C:\PROGRA~1\vzsmbtb\vzsmbtb.dll

O2 - BHO: Browser Address Error Redirector - {CA6319C0-31B7-401E-A518-A07C3DB8F777} - c:\windows\system32\BAE.dll

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file)

O3 - Toolbar: Verizon SMB Toolbar - {A057A204-BACC-4D26-DFC4-79A09BF76BC9} - C:\PROGRA~1\vzsmbtb\vzsmbtb.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ehTray] C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [synTPLpr] C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPLpr.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [synTPEnh] C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Reminder] %WINDIR%\Creator\Remind_XP.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Recguard] %WINDIR%\SMINST\RECGUARD.EXE

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iAAnotif] C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\iaanotif.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [sigmatelSysTrayApp] stsystra.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [sMSERIAL] C:\Program Files\Motorola\SMSERIAL\sm56hlpr.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxtray] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxtray.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxhkcmd] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [igfxpers] C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxpers.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [intelZeroConfig] "C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\bin\ZCfgSvc.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [intelWireless] "C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\ifrmewrk.exe" /tf Intel PROSet/Wireless

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Lexmark 1200 Series] "C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmgr.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPHUPD05] C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\{45B6180B-DCAB-4093-8EE8-6164457517F0}\hphupd05.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Component Manager] "C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] "C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPHmon05] C:\WINDOWS\system32\hphmon05.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPDJ Taskbar Utility] C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb09.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Verizon_McciTrayApp] C:\Program Files\Verizon\McciTrayApp.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSConfig] C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries\MSConfig.exe /auto

O4 - HKLM\..\RunOnce: [OOBEDDDemise] cmd /x /c erase C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Power2GoExpress] NA

O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000

O9 - Extra button: Research - {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263} - C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\OFFICE11\REFIEBAR.DLL

O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Shdocvw.dll

O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

O10 - Unknown file in Winsock LSP: c:\windows\system32\nwprovau.dll

O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.aol.com

O16 - DPF: {01113300-3E00-11D2-8470-0060089874ED} (Support.com Configuration Class) - https://activatemydsl.verizon.net/sdcCommon...DSL/tgctlcm.cab

O23 - Service: Intel® PROSet/Wireless Event Log (EvtEng) - Intel Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\EvtEng.exe

O23 - Service: Intel® Matrix Storage Event Monitor (IAANTMon) - Intel Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\iaantmon.exe

O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe

O23 - Service: Norton AntiVirus - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\Engine\16.0.0.125\ccSvcHst.exe

O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

O23 - Service: Intel® PROSet/Wireless Registry Service (RegSrvc) - Intel Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\RegSrvc.exe

O23 - Service: Intel® PROSet/Wireless Service (S24EventMonitor) - Intel Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\S24EvMon.exe

--

End of file - 8082 bytes

[mikeszekely]

Oh, one other thing that seems to be related... occasionally, an error message will pop up that says something like "Dr Watson Post Mortem Debugger has encountered an error and needs to close."

[eugimon]

Question guys. I have an asus p5n-em mobo which is a nforce 630i/geforce 7100 combo board. I'm running 32 bit vista sp1 and I have the audio going out through the HDMI port with the latest nvidia drivers.

This is being routed to a sony str dg-910 avr.

So, my problem is I can't seem to configure the speakers to anything other than stereo even though in the properties tab for the nvidia audio I can successfully test for DTS audio which the AVR will also successfully recognize as 5.1 DTS.

And when I play an mkv file with DTS audio it only comes through as stereo even though in AC3filter the output is selected to

3/2 +LFE and the mixer shows all 6 channels.

so... help?

Edited February 12, 2009 by eugimon

[mikeszekely]

Question guys. I have an asus p5n-em mobo which is a nforce 630i/geforce 7100 combo board. I'm running 32 bit vista sp1 and I have the audio going out through the HDMI port with the latest nvidia drivers.

This is being routed to a sony str dg-910 avr.

So, my problem is I can't seem to configure the speakers to anything other than stereo even though in the properties tab for the nvidia audio I can successfully test for DTS audio which the AVR will also successfully recognize as 5.1 DTS.

And when I play an mkv file with DTS audio it only comes through as stereo even though in AC3filter the output is selected to

3/2 +LFE and the mixer shows all 6 channels.

so... help?

Which OS? I know in Vista it wasn't enough to hook up a 5.1 system, I had to manually tell it that there were 5.1 speakers.

[eugimon]

Which OS? I know in Vista it wasn't enough to hook up a 5.1 system, I had to manually tell it that there were 5.1 speakers.

It's vista premium. but when I do the "configure" it only has options for stereo speakers, the surround speaker option is greyed out. But that it tests fine for 5.1 DTS audio under "properties" is what's getting me.

[mikeszekely]

It's vista premium. but when I do the "configure" it only has options for stereo speakers, the surround speaker option is greyed out. But that it tests fine for 5.1 DTS audio under "properties" is what's getting me.

I'm stumped. The only other thing I've heard is that particular model can be a little flaky when the source is Linear PCM and not Bitstream. But I'm not sure how that affects what you're doing.

[azrael]

Oh, one other thing that seems to be related... occasionally, an error message will pop up that says something like "Dr Watson Post Mortem Debugger has encountered an error and needs to close."

Googling gives me this: http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-x...ger/129547.html

C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllhost.exe

...

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.Daniel\Desktop\Omega.exe

Since I doubt the user is running IIS, you might want to look at this: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=d...mp;aq=f&oq=

Which probably means the computer is infected with Welchia worm aka MSBlast.D-variant.

You could also kill a large number of processes in that list, but that's for tweaking purposes. What I mentioned above is what needs to be dealt with.

[eugimon]

I'm stumped. The only other thing I've heard is that particular model can be a little flaky when the source is Linear PCM and not Bitstream. But I'm not sure how that affects what you're doing.

This is aggravating, I tried playing a DTS DVD and it works just fine. The AVR recognizes the source as DTS. but no combination of player and codec will get play an mkv correctly.

[emajnthis]

Run your computer into safe mode and place a check mark next to the following entries

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {0B014B81-4E12-46F9-806F-55867AF8FD3C} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\winsystems.dll - associated with malware

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {549B5CA7-4A86-11D7-A4DF-000874180BB3} - (no file) - associated with malware

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file) - associated with MS Money, either MS Money is no longer working or the BHO (browser helper object) is no longer needed

O2 - BHO: Browser Address Error Redirector - {CA6319C0-31B7-401E-A518-A07C3DB8F777} - c:\windows\system32\BAE.dll - this is the browser address error redirector, it's not really necessary but it's not really helpful either, you should be able to go into the add/remove programs and remove the browser address error redirector.

O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.aol.com - doesn't necessarily need to be removed, but it will reset the start page each time to what i'd assume the OEM had set it as since it's aol.com. You can remove this since AOL sucks and it's not necessary.

O10 - Unknown file in Winsock LSP: c:\windows\system32\nwprovau.dll - this isn't necessarily bad either, but it's obsolete, it's ipx/spx support, so unless he's connecting to a netware network, you can get rid of this also. You can't get rid of this through HJT you'd have to use lspfix found here http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

other than that, it just looks like there's a crapload of stuff running at startup for no reasons specifically the AOL, Kodak, Quicktime, msn messenger, and the printer stuff can all be turned off (printer help services will run once something actually needs to be printed, they're not necessary on startup).

[mikeszekely]

Az, emajnthis, thanks for the help. Problem seems to be resolved.

[mikeszekely]

This is aggravating, I tried playing a DTS DVD and it works just fine. The AVR recognizes the source as DTS. but no combination of player and codec will get play an mkv correctly.

Ah, well as aggravating as it is, that doesn't sound too bad. Do you do watch a lot of mkv files? I avoid them whenever possible; I wish fansubbers would stop using them, because there's plenty of more commonly used alternatives.

[eugimon]

Ah, well as aggravating as it is, that doesn't sound too bad. Do you do watch a lot of mkv files? I avoid them whenever possible; I wish fansubbers would stop using them, because there's plenty of more commonly used alternatives.

well, mkv seems to be the container of choice for HD content so yeah, I end up with a lot of mkv files. I figured it was a driver issue with nvidia as it seems like a lot of people have the "stereo only" issue with the various nforce chipsets. I dug up an older cheap ass sound card that had SPDIF out so all is working now. I think maybe an issue is that few companies are actively supporting PC's for use with home theater setups so fixing stuff like HDMI audio is just a low priority.

I guess this will learn me not to buy one of these all-in-one motherboards again.

[kung flu]

well, mkv seems to be the container of choice for HD content so yeah, I end up with a lot of mkv files. I figured it was a driver issue with nvidia as it seems like a lot of people have the "stereo only" issue with the various nforce chipsets. I dug up an older cheap ass sound card that had SPDIF out so all is working now. I think maybe an issue is that few companies are actively supporting PC's for use with home theater setups so fixing stuff like HDMI audio is just a low priority.

I guess this will learn me not to buy one of these all-in-one motherboards again.

Sometimes the sound is just not compatable for HDMI interface, which means you need to seperate them and out put it as something else like a optic, phono etc....

[eugimon]

Sometimes the sound is just not compatable for HDMI interface, which means you need to seperate them and out put it as something else like a optic, phono etc....

I'm not sure what you mean, how is the sound not compatible when there were at least two ways that the HDMI audio successfully delivered a DTS signal to the AVR?

[David Hingtgen]

In addition to "that's a crap-load of processes and that PC will never boot or run quickly period with all that stuff running"---

"Stuff I just plain don't like" from that scan:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\KodakCCS.exe Every "program that comes with a camera" is an INCREDIBLE resource hog, and they like to run themselves at boot. And hard to get rid of. I know of PCs that have been running/booting slow for years, and a lot of the time "right after we got our new camera"...

C:\Program Files\Kodak\Kodak EasyShare software\bin\EasyShare.exe

C:\Program Files\Kodak\KODAK Software Updater\7288971\Program\backWeb-7288971.exe

See above.

C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmon.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Lexmark 1200 Series] "C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmgr.exe"

All lexmark things are evil, they are forever banned from my PC based on the last 2 things plugged into it. No Lexmark product shall ever be hooked up to my PC, not even simple USB things. If this is a NECESSARY file---make him buy a different printer or whatever.

I also see that AOL has formed its typical viral-symbiotic integration into that PC...

[kung flu]

I'm not sure what you mean, how is the sound not compatible when there were at least two ways that the HDMI audio successfully delivered a DTS signal to the AVR?

Just the HDMI output for some motherboards just don't play certain sound formats. If the sound in the MKV is compressed in to something else it may not be able to play it fully. I experienced a sound problem from my blu ray player on a dvd movie i downloaded, kept getting stereo sound from the HDMI so i used the optic instead and got 5.1 sound. I know its not the same as a PC but it could be a similar problem. But in some computer mags i've read they say the HDMI interface is not really great for PCs and are better used for home entertainment systems instead. They mostly recomment DVI for best picture quality and the sound would be a seperate connector from the sound card.

[eugimon]

Just the HDMI output for some motherboards just don't play certain sound formats. If the sound in the MKV is compressed in to something else it may not be able to play it fully. I experienced a sound problem from my blu ray player on a dvd movie i downloaded, kept getting stereo sound from the HDMI so i used the optic instead and got 5.1 sound. I know its not the same as a PC but it could be a similar problem. But in some computer mags i've read they say the HDMI interface is not really great for PCs and are better used for home entertainment systems instead. They mostly recomment DVI for best picture quality and the sound would be a seperate connector from the sound card.

Hmmm... well, I think in this case it was just that the codecs weren't able to communicate properly to nvidia's HDMI audio drivers and I think the blame is with nvidia since with their drivers I couldn't even configure the speaker selection to anything other than stereo.

so I think AC3/Media Player Classic couldn't verify 5.1 channels so it just down mixed to stereo.

[mikeszekely]

In addition to "that's a poo-load of processes and that PC will never boot or run quickly period with all that stuff running"---

"Stuff I just plain don't like" from that scan:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\KodakCCS.exe Every "program that comes with a camera" is an INCREDIBLE resource hog, and they like to run themselves at boot. And hard to get rid of. I know of PCs that have been running/booting slow for years, and a lot of the time "right after we got our new camera"...

C:\Program Files\Kodak\Kodak EasyShare software\bin\EasyShare.exe

C:\Program Files\Kodak\KODAK Software Updater\7288971\Program\backWeb-7288971.exe

See above.

C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmon.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Lexmark 1200 Series] "C:\Program Files\Lexmark 1200 Series\lxczbmgr.exe"

All lexmark things are evil, they are forever banned from my PC based on the last 2 things plugged into it. No Lexmark product shall ever be hooked up to my PC, not even simple USB things. If this is a NECESSARY file---make him buy a different printer or whatever.

I also see that AOL has formed its typical viral-symbiotic integration into that PC...

It's funny that you mentioned those things. While I left his Kodak and Lexmark software installed (hey, you and I might not use it, but he might), I did nix both of them (among other things) from running at Windows start up.

As for AOL, it looks like it came with the laptop (a Gateway), and according to the Add/Remove Programs applet nothing AOL-related had been used since 2007, so I completely removed anything AOL related from the system.

[emajnthis]

I do the exact same thing, i disable the camera and printer crap at startup but leave the program on the machine because if they actually needed to plug in their camera and the kodak program didn't run, i'd be getting a phone call about how it's "broken" because their stupid program didn't run. And just like you did, i always get rid of AOL, AOL is the devil, and i don't care if they use it or not because they shouldn't use it regardless.

[David Hingtgen]

Ah, The Onion. Awesome for just about everyone here I imagine, but quite NSFW (F-word, a LOT)

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony...stupid_piece_of

[mikeszekely]

Ah, The Onion. Awesome for just about everyone here I imagine, but quite NSFW (F-word, a LOT)

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony...stupid_piece_of

As is often the case with stuff on the Onion, it's funny for the grain of truth to it.

[azrael]

Bah, That's nothing. You know you want the Macbook Wheel.

[Dax415]

Hey guys was hoping if someone would be able to answer a question for me. I tried on a different site but got blasted for it, so I'm hoping for a kinder answer here cause I'm NOT teck savy but do my best to try and educate myself in spite of it. Was wondering if it were possible to hook up my xbox 360 to a computer monitor? Now before anyone blasts me, yes I did not expect this to be easy and I have tried using a HDMI/DVI cable to attempt this with my current monitor. The result is a very clear and crisp screen on a 19" monitor, but NO SOUND!!! Is there a way to compensate for this? Perhaps a connector I do not know of? Or is this something best left alone and not bothered with? Since I don't watch alot of TV, I was going to trade with my dad....unfortunately the xbox360 looks like crap on his older tv as I told him it would. The old guy deserves a digital tv, but being broke there's not much I can do to get him a set but try this. Thanks for the help guys....

dax415

[mikeszekely]

Hey guys was hoping if someone would be able to answer a question for me. I tried on a different site but got blasted for it, so I'm hoping for a kinder answer here cause I'm NOT teck savy but do my best to try and educate myself in spite of it. Was wondering if it were possible to hook up my xbox 360 to a computer monitor? Now before anyone blasts me, yes I did not expect this to be easy and I have tried using a HDMI/DVI cable to attempt this with my current monitor. The result is a very clear and crisp screen on a 19" monitor, but NO SOUND!!! Is there a way to compensate for this? Perhaps a connector I do not know of? Or is this something best left alone and not bothered with? Since I don't watch alot of TV, I was going to trade with my dad....unfortunately the xbox360 looks like crap on his older tv as I told him it would. The old guy deserves a digital tv, but being broke there's not much I can do to get him a set but try this. Thanks for the help guys....

dax415

The reason you're not getting sound is because DVI doesn't carry sound. I'd guess that your monitor doesn't have built-in speakers, but even if it does, they accept a jack similar to a headphone jack.

I assume when you say that your Xbox is connected using an HDMI/DVI cable, you're connecting a cable that's HDMI to the 360, but the other end is DVI, and plugged into a DVI port on the monitor? If that's the case, you really only have two options... the first option, if your monitor has a VGA port, you can buy the official Xbox 360 VGA adapter. The picture will be slightly less crisp, but the official adapter has RCA jacks to connect to a variety of stereo speakers. For the best sound, although the more expensive solution, buy a surround sound set up with at least one fiber optic audio jack. (I think, depending on your Xbox, you might need another adapter from Microsoft, but still). You can connect the fiber optic audio to the audio receiver.

[VT 1010]

Hey guys was hoping if someone would be able to answer a question for me. I tried on a different site but got blasted for it, so I'm hoping for a kinder answer here cause I'm NOT teck savy but do my best to try and educate myself in spite of it. Was wondering if it were possible to hook up my xbox 360 to a computer monitor? Now before anyone blasts me, yes I did not expect this to be easy and I have tried using a HDMI/DVI cable to attempt this with my current monitor. The result is a very clear and crisp screen on a 19" monitor, but NO SOUND!!! Is there a way to compensate for this? Perhaps a connector I do not know of? Or is this something best left alone and not bothered with? Since I don't watch alot of TV, I was going to trade with my dad....unfortunately the xbox360 looks like crap on his older tv as I told him it would. The old guy deserves a digital tv, but being broke there's not much I can do to get him a set but try this. Thanks for the help guys....

dax415

There is a cable Microsoft makes for the 360 that lets you use TOSLINK or 2 channel analog with HDMI. I'm not sure what cheaper alternatives are available for HDMI. If your monitor supports an analog VGA connection, you can use the VGA adapter which also has the same sound output options.

Also, keep in mind you may need a receiver, amp, or TV to hear any sound since most monitors don't have speakers.

[Dax415]

thanks guys! the monitor i have does have built in speakers.....there's a little plug that is the same as as headphone jack. To get the best quality picture i use a DVI connection to the computer and the headphone jack for the sound. didn't know VGA was available for the xbox 360,..... oh and i do have a cheapie surround sound system from walmart not sure whether the connections would work but i'll dig up the instructions and check.

[Dax415]

thanks for pointing me in the right direction.... i found the cable i'll need to run it to my cheapie surround sound RCA speakers!!! wasn't sure if anyone else would be looking but this is what i found and only $7 !!!

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product....=1&format=2

If I wanted a high quality picture as well, i'm assuming this would be another solution?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product....at=1#largeimage

Edited February 16, 2009 by Dax415

[azrael]

If I wanted a high quality picture as well, i'm assuming this would be another solution?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product....at=1#largeimage

Not really. In this case, you're really just adding another party in your solution. A DVI + S/DPIF-to-HDMI converter is basically a legacy component. In fact, you're adding more wires to your setup. You would only get one of these converter boxes if you have an existing setup and want to make it compatible with a new component. That's the whole point of this converter box. It would take the 2 input (DVI and S/DPIF) signals and convert it into a single HDMI signal with no lose or modification of the original.

[Nied]

Anybody encounter something like this? AVG caught a virus buried in my cookies yesterday and promptly crashed trying to repair it. Does the same thing in safe mode. I've heard of that happening before (I assumed explorer.exe got infected). But here's where it gets weird: I grabbed a copy of Kapersky rescue disk with my wife's computer (which fortunately appears clean) and it's bombing out on the same file. The Kapersky rescue disk runs on a Linux kernel so it shouldn't be affected by an infected explorer.exe file, and a scan of the boot sector shows nothing. Right now I'm seriously thinking of a nuke and repave (I've been meaning to go to Vista x64 anyway) but even then I'm a little concerned about the integrity of any backups I make.

[azrael]

Anybody encounter something like this? AVG caught a virus buried in my cookies yesterday and promptly crashed trying to repair it. Does the same thing in safe mode. I've heard of that happening before (I assumed explorer.exe got infected). But here's where it gets weird: I grabbed a copy of Kapersky rescue disk with my wife's computer (which fortunately appears clean) and it's bombing out on the same file. The Kapersky rescue disk runs on a Linux kernel so it shouldn't be affected by an infected explorer.exe file, and a scan of the boot sector shows nothing. Right now I'm seriously thinking of a nuke and repave (I've been meaning to go to Vista x64 anyway) but even then I'm a little concerned about the integrity of any backups I make.

Try this:

-Disable system restore and reboot into safe mode.

-Delete the cookie file in safe-mode.

[Nied]

Try this:

-Disable system restore and reboot into safe mode.

-Delete the cookie file in safe-mode.

I have an Ubuntu Live CD I've been using to dig around on my HD without the virus screwing with things so I may delete the infected files through that. I'm still confused how a virus could kill a process running on a completely different OS though.