13 replies to this topic

[alex]

Morning Everyone.

I have two issues going on at the moment. I'm on an hp vista 32 bit laptop and every time windows comes up with an update i try to search and or install and it always fails. I checked the Microsoft website and what it told me to erase the software distribution folder and now i can not even search for any updates at all. Before i did that fold erase i would get an error code of 0x80070003. If anyone can offer some help on this topic that would be great.  Another issue i have, i just purchased a new monitor for my desktop that has a dvi connection to my desktop, and then i have that computer setup as a dual monitor  to a larger tv that is not always on. Can you view the bios via a dvi connection or does it have to be viewed via the regular connection? 

thanks in advance.

-Alex

[mudmanc4]

The last several times I came across windows not updating properly, I found hidden deep inside the windows system folder, a nasty little virus, that is called "vundo" .

Not saying for sure, but there's allot of things that will interfere with the updates.  Start the machine in d=safe mode, scan with spybot, if , and when it doesn't find anything, the  scan w/ your antivirus, if and when it doesn't locate it, then install another antivirus that you don't normally use, ( un install the one your using now of course, you don't want two running ) .

  Either way, if you find it or not, you can do this first , or after you scan in safe mode, but put the windows installation disk in, when the screen comes up that shows you what you can do with the disk, just kill that process, and goto start > run > type " sfc /scannow " in there,  count on this taking a while. What you will be doing is making sure that all the necessary system files properly in there, and nothing is wrong with them.

Now you wil know how bad things are "messed up " by how long this takes, if your filed with the nasties, then it will appear that the OS is completely installing again, and in many cases, it replaces most, if not all the windows system files when things are bad.

In this case, you will need the installation key. Which hopefully will not be an issue for you. But do not worry, none of your personal files will be messed with at all, I have never had any thing go wrong while doing this. And it's been done many more times then I would like to try and think about, on many systems.

As for looking at the BIOS through DVI, I can see no reason why you shouldn't be able to, just make sure you have your BIOS set to load the card first that possesses the DVI port.

[alex]

When i get back to the disc i will try the information you posted. As for my dvi connection both monitor and tv are hooked up in the same graphics card, through windows i have my main monitor dictated yet it still shows the boot screen via my other monitor that is disabled through windows.

[alex]

I did the sfc /scannow and it did nothing afterward. Also the scan of my computer using spybot produced nothing.

[mudmanc4]

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I did the sfc /scannow and it did nothing afterward. Also the scan of my computer using spybot produced nothing.

When you ran "sfc/ scannow " , you say  it did nothing, do you mean doing this did nothing to fix the issue, or when you tried to run it, it did not run?


So spybot found nothing ? wow, I have never run spybot and had it retrieve nothing, it most always for the first time, comes up with dozens of entries of simple spyware. And sometimes, it will show several after the initial scan from simply browsing the net, and storing standard cookies. Did you update it after the install, and "immunize" the system and block all known bad pages ? There should be over 80,000 blocked pages right now, At least, I have seen systems that have blocked over 100,000.

What spyware, and or antiviral solutions do you use normally ?

If it's the case where you have no virus, and your system has not been compromised where core processes have been altered by the intruder, then someone must have turned off one or more services manually. This isn't something that just happens on it's own.

Make sure "cryptographic services" is running in the services, and make sure " bits" is running. To get there , goto start, control panel, administrative tool, then services, there in alphabetical order.

[DJa1NYTech]

I'm wondering how your Spybot is set to scan. I personally find that It's default settings are pretty weak, I would try to do some advanced settings with it, than run it in safe mode again, if it still comes up with nothing than maybe try "Spyware Terminator" or "The Cleaner"  Trojan cleaner, just to be sure. I've learned to never trust Mcafee or Nortons, you can have a ton of stuff hidden and not so hidden neither of those two would find it, plus Mcafee always seemed to crap out on me after 30 days and no longer is able to self update or even run correctly, than you'd have to take it all out manually than put it all back in fresh, not to simple and easy to use, thats why i gave up on mcafee over 2 years ago, they really should be forced out of business seeing how you don't always get what you overpaid for with them. Avira is FREE and seems to work great, also the AVG-free version isn't too bad for a free version at all, you can find both at downloads dot com, Also click start-settings-control panel-administrative tools-services, scroll down and see if your automatic updates are enabled and running, also is your firewall set to not allow exceptions or maybe you accidentally, somehow managed to set it to block windows updates?(yeah that can happen), some machines have a problem with windows not being able to update even itself when the "allow no exceptions" option is selected.

[alex]

I looked into everything, ran multiple virus scanners and all came back negative. I'm no computer noob. I have mcafee through comcast for free so no biggie and im not going on sites i shouldn't be. Although through all my efforts windows would not update. So i decided to do a fresh install and then after that windows updates works perfectly.

[mudmanc4]

I hope that you reset the MBR sometime in there to clear the chance of a rootkit, and checked the BIOs for a virus.

[sinister666]

wow....i honestly never knew there was such a thing as a BIOS virus....never heard that until now...so i just had to find out more, and after a quick google search, i think im terrified! thats the most horrible thing i have ever heard of....who knew that a virus could attack your BIOS? crazy man, just plain crazy i tell ya....so, if your BIOS gets infected, can you remove the virus by re flashing your BIOS? i dont have a virus in mine, but im just curious.

[mudmanc4]

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wow....i honestly never knew there was such a thing as a BIOS virus....never heard that until now...so i just had to find out more, and after a quick google search, i think im terrified! thats the most horrible thing i have ever heard of....who knew that a virus could attack your BIOS? crazy man, just plain crazy i tell ya....so, if your BIOS gets infected, can you remove the virus by re flashing your BIOS? i dont have a virus in mine, but im just curious.

From what I understand, thats the only way to get rid of it, and if it's on your HDD, on the chip or the magnetic area then it will install right back again.

[sinister666]

thats crazy...so, how would one go about checking the BIOS to see if there is a virus living in there?

[mudmanc4]

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thats crazy...so, how would one go about checking the BIOS to see if there is a virus living in there?

Personally I haven't come across this, that I know of lol. Bt just make sure you have your bios password protected, that should do the trick, but so many newer MB's are "live updatable" from the OS, I'm not sure if you could stop it. I also wouldn't worry about it.  From what I gather if the things infested, it would, or could fry the chip if the virus is strong enough, and your done, but who knows whats out there.

[sinister666]

very interesting to know. id like to meet some of these ppl that create these viruses so i can castrate them and hang them upside down from the streetlight outside. rotten b@stards

[alex]

Hmmm, did not know of that either,  Just go read up on programming and create a virus of your own.