Unexpected boots

Mauro-Nahoum

Hi, guys.

After doing all I could alone, i.e., memtest86 (7 whole hours, and passed in all checkpoints), keeping machine free of virus, worms, tracking cookies and even cockroaches, I now surrender and ask for more elevated knowledge and help.

I am using WinXP Professional, have lots of space in the hard-drive.

Whenever I try to start an application of a certain configuration (whose chracteristics I do not know enough to trace a pattern), like ITunes (when I try to play one track), a game of some sort ou launch a video from YouTube, the machine boots suddenly.

Sometimes that goes on when I try to open an [safe] attachment that comes with mail, or to execute some script from inside a browser.

It is common now that when running Soulseek I get a "C++ Memory something" message and it closes the application. I do not know if this problem has anything to do with the boot one, but I am just recalling what's strange here.

The possibilities are various and I just cannot recall them all, but the sure thing is, looks like some softwares are apparently fighting others. Is that possible?

I thought for some time that it was like a dispute involving priority in memory - my machine is 100% of the time running the folds - and I even closed that for some time but the booting keeps happening. When I least expect, when I try to run an application, there it goes...

HJThis showed no abnormalities, I keep the files trimmed with RegClear, and do a maintainance go-around every week. AVG and SpywareBlaster are active full time, duly updated, too.

I would be very glad if I could get some advice from you and should you think this post is in the wrong place, move it.

Tnx in advance.

kryyst

On the hardware side of things it could be the sign of a failing video card, cpu or mobo. But I'd suggest worry about software issues first.

First make sure all your drivers are up-to-date and windows is fully patched.

If you are getting memory errors, but your ram passed MEMTest then it's possible your page file has gotten corrupted. To recreate it properly you need to set it manual control and set it to size 0. Then remove the hidden attribute on the file pagefile.sys. Next reboot into windows, this will flush the pagefile. Then reboot with the windows cd into recovery console and delete pagefile.sys. Reboot back into windows again and turn the pagefile back on and I suggest setting it to auto and let windows control it.

Next you can run harddrive tests by doing defrags and scandisks and see if that turns up any issues. You can go even further and get your drive manufacturer tools and run more thorough tests if you think that is required. However unless you are hearing clicks from your drive if the defrags and scandisks pass it should be ok.

Other then that if the problem keeps up and seems to be consistant, but triggered randomly it may just be time to do a clean install. Windows just needs it from time to time.

Mauro-Nahoum

Hi kryyst, TY for helping.

I recently installed XP and it all began that way. Since then, I've tried the surface scans and defrags, as part of my quest, to no avail. There are no audible clicks. Mobo was changed 4 mo. back, as well as the memory.

Only thing I never did was to flush the page file. I am not sure I could even do that alone, but I can get someone to help.

Well, will keep you posted, for the sake of higher research.

Tnx again.

Mauro-Nahoum

kryyst wrote:

On the hardware side of things it could be the sign of a failing video card, cpu or mobo. But I'd suggest worry about software issues first.

Hi again, kryyst.

Like you mentioned, I decided to dig into the video card specs. I found something that is bugging me. It's a GE Force FX5200, BIOS video 4.34.20.22; AGP 4X; 128 MB; ForceWare Version 93.71 (those are all greek to me).
When I went to other specs, I saw that some names of the programs attached to it were displaying this type of info, between other, under Video:

NV4_MINI.SYS - 6.14.10.9... - NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Di..." (could not read further),

or, under 3D Configs: nvGamesSR.dll - 6.14.19.9... - NVIDIA Compatible Windosws 2000 Di...

I do not know if this is standard cheap data, but since I am running WinXP, do you think that would be some type of older version of that software?

Last night I disabled the recovery points on XP, to do a full scan (after a post here by one of the big guys, on some type of error I think also happens sometimes, even if the message that appears is not the same). That means I am shooting in all directions.

Thank you for any additional tipping.

kryyst

Those are programs are just referencing other parts of the driver that are still carying over from windows 2000. It's not uncommon at all on an XP system to see drivers referencing 2000 as the cores of the OS are basically the same. Nothing to worry about there as far as the drivers go from the looks of things.

Mauro-Nahoum

Tnx, kryyst, so I'll not lose time on this. See ya.

Mauro-Nahoum

Resolved at last!!! It was simply the sound driver that had some type of conflict in itself. Things related to the programmer's heart probably. After a warning (first time that showed up) by Windows itself, I was sent to the manufacturer's site, downloaded a new version and tada that corrected it all.
Working fine now, after all the white hairs it gave me and you.

primesuspect

Wow.. And it only took 15 months!

Thanks for updating with the fix. I wish more people did that

Mauro-Nahoum

primesuspect wrote:

Wow.. And it only took 15 months!

Thanks for updating with the fix. I wish more people did that

AAMOF, I solved this some six months ago, but had not the opportunity to thank everyone that helped me before. After that there was another issue, similar to this, which was resolved, after much trying, by "killing" an extra sound card wich somehow conflicted with the one in the mobo.

Everything in peace and quiet now, until next bug appears.


Anyway this forum rocks!