49 replies to this topic

[Elise]

I would indeed consider to reinstall windows on the 500 GB drive. You may need to check if the HD and Motherboard are compatible though (that is, if the HD isn't already connected).

6 GB is an extremely small amount of space for a windows partition and it will invariably lead to problems.

[dpixel]

The 500GB drive is already installed as a slave. I can switch them around. It's a lot of work so I want to make sure it's not something else. I had a hell of a time getting my network card installed.

[Elise]

It is hard to give you a sure answer to that. I cannot guarantee that the move to another HD will solve the problems. Given the fact that this is an older computer it is also possible another component has gone bad.

The only thing I am sure of is that the cause of the problem isn't malware related.

[dpixel]

I didn't think it was malware related either, but wasn't 100%. The 6GB hard drive is the oldest component (about 13 years old). The motherboard and processor are about 8 or 9 years old. The video card is about 6 or 7 years old. The network card is 2 years old and the 500GB hard drive is 1 year old.
I think eliminating the 6GB drive would be a good start. Then install the drivers one at a time and see how it goes.

Do you think it's a good chance of a driver issue?

[Elise]

On a 13 year old drive that is getting BSODs for atapi.sys, yes, the chance is there. However, I'd expect to see also event viewer errors hinting at a bad disk, which I don't see. But again, given the age of the drive it would indeed be a good start.

[dpixel]

I reinstalled the OS on the 500GB hard drive and removed the other one which I partitioned 130MB for the system. Everything seems fine so far. Only time will tell though. Thank you very much for all your help.

[Elise]

I am glad to hear that!

Please read these advices, in order to prevent infecting your PC:

• Install and update the following programs regularly:
  • an outbound firewall. If you are connected to the internet through a router, you are already behind a hardware firewall and as such you do not need an extra software firewall.
    A comprehensive tutorial and a list of possible firewalls can be found here.
    
  • an AntiVirus Software
    It is imperative that you update your AntiVirus Software on regular basis.If you do not update your AntiVirus Software then it will not be able to catch the latest threats.
    
  • an Anti-Spyware program
    Malware Byte's Anti Malware is an excellent Anti-Spyware scanner. It's scan times are usually under ten minutes, and has excellent detection and removal rates.
    SUPERAntiSpyware is another good scanner with high detection and removal rates.
    Both programs are free for non commercial home use but provide a resident and do not nag if you purchase the paid versions.
    
  • Spyware Blaster
    A tutorial for Spywareblaster can be found here. If you wish, the commercial version provides automatic updating.
• Keep Windows (and your other Microsoft software) up to date!
  I cannot stress how important this is enough. Often holes are found in Internet Explorer or Windows itself that require patching. Sometimes these holes will allow an attacker unrestricted access to your computer.
  Therefore, please, visit the Microsoft Update Website and follow the on screen instructions to setup Microsoft Update. Also follow the instructions to update your system. Please REBOOT and repeat this process until there are no more updates to install!!
  
• Keep your other software up to date as well
  Software does not need to be made by Microsoft to be insecure. You can use the Secunia Online Software occasionally to help you check for out of date software on yourmachine.
  
• Stay up to date!
  The MOST IMPORTANT part of any security setup is keeping the software up to date. Malware writers release new variants every single day. If your software updates don't keep up, then the malware will always be one step ahead. Not a good thing.

Some more links you might find of interest:

• Miekies' prevention suggestions
  
• So How did I get infected?
  
• Microsoft - 'Security at home'
  
• Calendar of Updates: See which updates have been released.
  
• How to backup your Data with Cobian Backup:because you never know, when your harddisk might fail :wink:
  
• Commonly Used Freeware Replacements: a nice list of freeware programs in all categories, that are regarded as useful by the users of this forum.
  
• osalt: Find (free) open source alternatives to known commercial software.

Please reply to this topic if you have read the above information. If your computer is working fine, this topic will be closed afterwards.

[dpixel]

After doing some more research. I think I know what the problem was. A couple years ago when this machine was running Windows 2000 I changed the Front Side Bus speed from 100Mhz to 133Mhz trying to diagnose some bad memory. And never changed it back. When I did the reinstall last night I changed it back to 100Mhz. The only other thing I did was put my pci network card in another slot in case of IRQ issues, but I don't think that was it.
Never the less, the computer is more than twice as fast now and no errors.

Thanks for all your help Elise.

This topic can be closed.

[Elise]

Good to hear things are okay now! Sometimes it can even be as simple as blowing out some dust, especially on older systems.

I will request this topic to be closed.

[screen317]

Glad we could help.

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