Desktop disapears ,,DEll m140 laptop

pumpkinman

.i think ive asked a milloion people this question with no answers seems to stump everyone..my dell m140 xps media edition is acting up have run all test ..they say passed..ok problem..i start pc..everything loads desk top items are present..but as soon as it all loads it disapears ..if im really fast and lucky i can get things to come up ..but say even if i got the net up, back ground disapears leaving only the screen saver..only thing i can do is push the off button to restart doesnt guarantie the desk top will come back upon restart..safe mode does the same thing..now today it actually loaded all got wireless access and stayed on for about 5 minutes..weird then disapeared im not sure what it is anymore..hope maybe someone may know thanks steve

Your-Amish-Daddy

If it's a black screen, it's not your screensaver. I ran into some questionable malware some time ago; and it gave me hell removing it. Hell to the point of me throwing a screwdriver at my cat (I didn't hit him, but he sure learned how to moon-run.) Have you tried formatting it?

pumpkinman

no it doesnt black screen ..all desktop items load then disapear..if im quick before they disapear i can get into it..but everything seems to work good if i get it to come up..but once say web comes up all desktop items disapear not returning..i have to shut it down threw the on off button..im not sure if its a hardware software or some nasty virius i cant detect..screen saver stays on the screen but all items disapear..ive ran all diagnostic tools virus scans everything..once and awhile a pop up comes up saying something about screen resouloution...but im not sure if that would have anything to do with it..plus i cant remember how to change it or what it should be set to..i havent fomatted because i no longer have my disc lost in a fire ..can you formatt without disc,,probally not ..can they be obtained somehow.. seems like its impossible to get them from what ive been told ..gee if u have any suggestions please feel free to let me know ..have a super eve,,,steve

Thrax

I've seen this issue before as a result of a serious, serious spyware/virus infection. The only way I could resolve it was to reinstall windows.

Your-Amish-Daddy

Yeah it sounds like the same thing I had to deal with, just from a different direction. Sorry to say this fella, but you're in line for an fdisk.

Leonardo

Yeah, it sounds like maliciously hosed Windows.

I'm moving this thread to the Spyware and Virus Removal form.

pumpkinman

THANKS ALL. i FIGURED SUCH AS A VIRUS BUT HAVE NO DISK....so throw it against the wall a few times..lol ive ran every scan i could..any suggestions on replacement cds thanks again steve

Your-Amish-Daddy

Why not just install linux on it for now? These guys swear by Ubuntu, and I can walk you through Fedora Core if you want.

pumpkinman

Ive herd of it tried to copy it to cd but would"nt work..id certanley do it,, i here alot about it..i think a nasty virus deleted something on me.you explain how to do it step by step ,,i can do it..it may take 20 shutdowns to get the net up ,if i have to on it but it will adventualy..but i dont think it loads my protection when it does connect to the net..last couple times i turned it on it actually loaded everything even the wireless and stayed up for say 8 minutes then did its disapearing act..yes id trie linux,,show me how...And i certainly appreciate your help..thanks Steve. Im on my acer 3680 now its new but i still like my dell and have alot on it..

Your-Amish-Daddy

Well, I just recently tried using Ubuntu, and I couldn't get it to work for crap. If you want to use linux, I recommend Fedora Core. You can download the DVD at fedoraproject.org and just burn it to DVD. If you still want to use ubuntu, talk to these guys.

Leonardo

In order so that you can keep at least one computer reliable, before we take any other steps, a couple questions, please:

What anti-virus program do you have installed on the Acer?
Do you have it turned on?
When was the last time you performed an online update with it?

pumpkinman

I have norton and i just updated it and it is on: Dont like it.lol fedora sounds fine

What anti-virus program do you have installed on the Acer?
Do you have it turned on?
When was the last time you performed an online update with it?[/quote]

Leonardo

Many of us here use AVG free version anti-virus with excellent results. There are some other good free AV programs out as well. Norton is a high quality anti-virus, but it's a 'resource pig' of which many complain slows down their computers. Are you running Norton anti-virus alone are you using System Works or Internet Security Suite? The multi-program packages from Norton are effective, but the exact a heavy toll on system resources.

You might want to consider uninstalling Norton completely. Install AVG for your AV. For anti-spyware consider A-Squared or Ad-Aware (both free). You just need one of them. In addition to either A2 or Ad-Aware, it wouldn't hurt to run Spybot. All the security software I recommended uses few system resources and is free.

I have no idea if any of that will run on Linux; but then, you probably don't need it with Linux. (don't look to me for Linux advice, LOL)

pumpkinman

Leonardo wrote:

Many of us here use AVG free version anti-virus with excellent results. There are some other good free AV programs out as well. Norton is a high quality anti-virus, but it's a 'resource pig' of which many complain slows down their computers. Are you running Norton anti-virus alone are you using System Works or Internet Security Suite? The multi-program packages from Norton are effective, but the exact a heavy toll on system resources.

You might want to consider uninstalling Norton completely. Install AVG for your AV. For anti-spyware consider A-Squared or Ad-Aware (both free). You just need one of them. In addition to either A2 or Ad-Aware, it wouldn't hurt to run Spybot. All the security software I recommended uses few system resources and is free.

I have no idea if any of that will run on Linux; but then, you probably don't need it with Linux. (don't look to me for Linux advice, LOL)

>YES ITS comingoff the norton..but its on my acer not dell i run avg and avast and ad-se spybotcouple others ..now back to linex how do i get and install it..thanks steve..or is norton gig to stop mr!!

Your-Amish-Daddy

You go to the site I told you, fedoraproject.org and you download the dvd image. It installs itself.

pumpkinman

im downloading it now ill let you how i make out..thanks steve

pumpkinman

Found the problem for my dell..its called Win32.Trojandownloader.Zlob...Ad-Aware SE finds it deleted some parts of it but .this keeps coming back scan after scan..Ad-Aware SE Says 3 parts to it..TAC of 10..wont delete it any suggestions..

Trinityx

I wouldn't go jumping to reinstalling windows right away. i had the same issue. i didn't know what to do so i installed a service called Spyware Doctor. i bought it and it scanned my computer, found the problem and it was as good as new, now i run it every day.

Trinityx

Yeah, try and see if you can find where it's source is. like for example: Program files/battlefield2/mods. <--- example.

but the trojan should show it's location, if it does copy and paste it in an address bar, go there and manually delete it. if you do that you have to delete EVERY file that the trojan is contained in, getting Spyware Doctor is much easier buddy.

pumpkinman

im going to try and get the net up and try SpyWare Doctor..i tried to download it and burn it to cd but the dell is so slow and doesnt seem to copy the disc..ill get it somehow..ill repost to let you know ps i dowmloaded it on my acer laptop.