HELP!!!! Computer geeks needed!!!

[MMeier]

Darn 'puter is acting up again!! Get messages at start up saying "not enough memory space left" and " a bunch of programs have performed illegal operations and will be shut down" ! Took forever to get here, had to somehow get into my E-Mails and opened up a message to here. This thing is getting out of hand, if my memory is "full" as it seems to be telling me, how do I unload some of it or move it around???

 

[Philip]

Sounds like your hard drive (HDD) might be full. Open my computer. The right click on the C: drive. Go to properities. On the first page. Tell us the size and how much is being used.



What operating system are you on?

 

[PC12Driver]

Memory Full refers to RAM, not the hard disk. That, along with the illegal operations and the slow network (internet) points to the system being loaded up with spyware. You wouldn't happen to have had a shortcut to Golden Casino or something like that mysteriously appear lately, have you? That also points to spyware.



Spyware sucks. I've spent hours at a time chasing spyware out of a machine. There's a couple of nasty ones out there that will load other bits of spyware, and will keep doing so until your memory is full and the pc chokes (like yours is doing - spyware typically isn't programmed very well and causes memory leaks). And the really fun ones will re-install themselves after you uninstall them.



These things get on your pc from a couple of different ways, but all are user initiated. Typically, lesser known websites that offer "free" services will drop this stuff on your pc when you think you're installing a cool computer toy or program (free screen savers, free smileys, weather on your desktop, free dancing purple monkey, etc). AOL's instant messenger is also a gaping hole for spyware access, which will get passed along in the form of fonts and smileys (kinda like a trojan horse - the pictures contain more than pictures). Porn sites are also a great source for this kinda stuff.



And there's typically no easy way to get rid of it. You can try progams such as Ad Aware or Spybot Search and Destroy (both available at download.com), which may get most of it. I've also had really good luck with a program called TD3. But I usually end up having to go into the registry and cleaning house (not for noobs - you can really mess up your computer here). I've gotten to the point that I'll just format and reload the pc if it takes me more than 30 minutes to try and get the spyware off.



Good luck.

 

[Byershome]

"Memory Full refers to RAM, not the hard disk. "



Virtual Memory... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...



Both area are good places to start looking. I would check the hard disk first and see how much free space you have. Windows requires a certain amount for virtual memory to work correctly. Temporary files can consume lots of space along with Windows own built in restore program.

 

[Joe G.]

If it is a virtual memory problem it will say so. Something like "the system is getting low on virtual memory. " I get that message whenever I run a bunch of memory hogs like graphics programs with a lot of big images loaded.

 

[Byershome]

"If it is a virtual memory problem it will say so. Something like "the system is getting low on virtual memory. "



Not necessarily... ... ... ... ... .

 

[PC12Driver]

Either way, if yer getting out of memory errors by just turining on your pc and not opening any programs, there's something else wrong. Especially if he's getting program illegal ops errors right after startup. There's stuff loading that shouldn't be.



I get several 'jacked pcs at work each month. His symptoms are identical to what I've been seeing.



Some links:

Ad Aware

Spy Bot



Once you install them, make sure to update them before scanning. The TDS3 program I suggested above has been discontinued by the company (which is too bad, since it worked about 100% of the time).

 

[Byershome]

I don' think it is either... my money says if you open the case and clean the heatsink and fan of dust you will be back in business. You have the classic signs of a overheated CPU (processor).

 

[Byershome]

Using compressed air and then vacumn it up will work best.

 

[mberry]

Gotta go with PC12Driver on this one. Illegal ops is almost always registry issues. Probably spyware. Ad Aware works good. Just start your PC in safe mode and run ad aware to clean it and see what happens.



While I'm not ruling out the overheated CPU idea, I just don't think that's it. It is a good idea to clean out the case every once in a while though.

 

[mberry]

Oh yeah, and thanks for the "computer geeks needed" title. I so enjoy having my chosen profession dumbed down and ridiculed. There is a difference: IT is what I do, not who I am.



Lets start a thread titled "Firefighters and Law Enforecement I need help learning the YMCA Dance!!!" Not that I'm getting defensive or anything.



Rant over.

 

[PC12Driver]

I've always thought that being a "computer geek" was a good thing.



I'd rather be called a computer geek than a computer nerd or worse of all, a USER!

 

[R-N-R]

I'd rather be a called a computer geek than a villiage person! I am glad people are trying to help, but isn't giving out advice without knowing the system hardware and software is somewhat questionable.



If you (anybody) are not actively protected against virus and spyware, you are infected. These days, spyware is worse than most viruses to the average home... geeze what do I call you, not USER! :-laf Broadband (unprotected) is still worse than dial up for getting infected, but either way you go the basic rule of thumb still applies.

 

[MMeier]

mberry, whoa, just trying to add some humor to a very sad situation here!! Running Windows 98, when I try to access My Computer it gives me a "A fatal exception error has occuerd at xxxxxxxxxx", same when I try to open up my Ad Aware program, whats up here???????? :{ Have to work real hard to get here, right now I have a box in the middle of the screen that Windows encountered an error accessing the system registry" Windows will restart and repair the system registry for you. Thing is when I hit that it goes for a bit then comes up with the not enough memory gig!!

 

[fest3er]

MB, IT is what *I* do, but it's also part of what I am.



Mark, have you tried to boot up in safe mode? (<F5> or <F8> before Windows actually starts. ) That should keep a lot of crap from starting up. Since your situation is so bad, you might want to try HijackThis! to find and turn off the worst offenders. The latest Spybot and Adaware should then get most of what's left.



Once you get the 'puter mostly straightened out, be sure you install the ZoneAlarm firewall and the Firefox web browser, and never use IE after that unless some site you absolutely *must* go to requires it. The combination of Firefox, ZoneAlarm, Spybot and Adaware is known to keep most intruders out.



Then back up all of your important data, reload Win98, and restore.



On the other hand, if you don't find any (much) malware hosing your system, you might just have a bad disk drive that has corrupted system programs and libraries. Or your RAM and/or mainboard might be failing. Diagnosing these problems is more involved, though. Or you might have a dust-laden system that can't shed heat very well; a glance inside the case should determine this pretty quickly.



N

 

[R-N-R]

Reloading Windows sounds inevitable, you will be surprised at how much speed you pick up let alone how stable it will be. If you are not already running it, try to get W98SE (Second Edition), it is much better than the 1st edition of 98. If you can't reload anytime soon, as you are cleaning it up, make sure and delete the temp files and cookies.



I've seen spyware not only block programs like adaware from running, but they will also block you from going to lavasoft's web site. That was the worst that I have seen, it took a seasoned technician close to 15 hours to clean out because it kept regenerating spyware files under different names as they were deleted.



The more 98 crashes, the chances of recovery without reloading becomes less and less.

 

[Joe G.]

I agree with the last two posts. Backup your data (should be doing that on a regular basis anyway) and reload Windows. If it were me I would reformat the hard drive before reloading.

 

[mberry]

mberry, whoa, just trying to add some humor to a very sad situation here!! Running Windows 98, when I try to access My Computer it gives me a "A fatal exception error has occuerd at xxxxxxxxxx", same when I try to open up my Ad Aware program, whats up here???????? :{ Have to work real hard to get here, right now I have a box in the middle of the screen that Windows encountered an error accessing the system registry" Windows will restart and repair the system registry for you. Thing is when I hit that it goes for a bit then comes up with the not enough memory gig!!

Yeah I know. I apologize. I'm not liking my new job much and I mistakenly took it out on you guys here. Moment of weakness on my part.



In my opinion, you really should rebuild the OS from scratch. Also, I use a product called Zone Alarm. It's a firewall product and I have had excellent results with it. I have run a laptop with Zonealarm and no virus protection and have not been infected with a virus or spyware. I ran it this way for almost a year.



www.zonelabs.com or something like that and the best part is it's free for personal use.