System info: 400-VTX ACPI laptop 2.20GHz/1.18GHz 256MB RAM
Microsoft Windows XP Home (Service Pack 1 only)
well, with my computer's overall reliability degrading, I finally got to the point where something needs to be done.
1) a newer issue, (the last month or so) when shuting down the computer, it will log me out, and display the 'windows is shutting down' screen... and just stop like that. the fan keeps running, it keeps making noises as if it's reading or writing to the HD, and it displays that ultimately aggrivating screen until I turn it off by holding down the power button (I've left it running like this for more than an hour on occasion not realizing it wasn't shut down)
2) also recent, (this last week and a half) if I shut down the computer properly after use, it will not start up! it will get part way through loading the startup applications and tasks - sometimes most of the way - and then freeze like that. more than 90% of the time, after holding down the power button to turn it off and then starting it again, it will boot up fine. (whether I boot it up right away or wait an hour doesn't seem to affect this at all)
I scan regularily with norton AV 2004, and always run Trojan Guarder in the background (except when installing system updates) I also make a point to run ad-aware often, and I have a ZA pro firewall in addition to spywareblaster and socks 4/5 ad blocker. I seldom ever find anything that gets past my firewall, and when I do it is taken care of, so I have no idea what could be causing it to degenerate like this. I have had multiple application-related problems, though none of them critical, so I think nothing of them (the IE runtime errors on some pages being the most annoying)
could anyone help me figure out what's going on?
I will post a HijackThis log if requested.
Microsoft Windows XP Home (Service Pack 1 only)
well, with my computer's overall reliability degrading, I finally got to the point where something needs to be done.
1) a newer issue, (the last month or so) when shuting down the computer, it will log me out, and display the 'windows is shutting down' screen... and just stop like that. the fan keeps running, it keeps making noises as if it's reading or writing to the HD, and it displays that ultimately aggrivating screen until I turn it off by holding down the power button (I've left it running like this for more than an hour on occasion not realizing it wasn't shut down)
2) also recent, (this last week and a half) if I shut down the computer properly after use, it will not start up! it will get part way through loading the startup applications and tasks - sometimes most of the way - and then freeze like that. more than 90% of the time, after holding down the power button to turn it off and then starting it again, it will boot up fine. (whether I boot it up right away or wait an hour doesn't seem to affect this at all)
I scan regularily with norton AV 2004, and always run Trojan Guarder in the background (except when installing system updates) I also make a point to run ad-aware often, and I have a ZA pro firewall in addition to spywareblaster and socks 4/5 ad blocker. I seldom ever find anything that gets past my firewall, and when I do it is taken care of, so I have no idea what could be causing it to degenerate like this. I have had multiple application-related problems, though none of them critical, so I think nothing of them (the IE runtime errors on some pages being the most annoying)
could anyone help me figure out what's going on?
I will post a HijackThis log if requested.