Anyone want to help me kill my computer?

Published on January 16, 2006 By lifehappens In Personal Computing

I dont' really want to kill my computer but I am having EXTREMELY irritating problems with it. I don't know where the problem lies and I need help.

I have Vonage and get phone service without interuption, so I know the modem and router are working fine. But somewhere between the router and the computer it all goes to heck. The computer says I have a LAN connection, but I can't access the internet. The only think that works is turning everything off and rebooting....to include unplugging the modem and router.

I've tried everythingk I know to figure out the problem. Sometimes i get a warning that no IP connection can be established and than other times I see a warning about a gateway. i am very frustrated. HELP!

And for bonus credit, I could use advice on whether I really need to upgrade. I run Adobe Photoshop CS2 and I'm locking up the computer constantly. I've tried to not mulittask too much, but I'm still running very slow. I have 1gig of ddrsdram and a 200 gb hd I have an AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Emachines T6520) Do I really need a new graphics card and more Ram? I know I have 2 512 sticks so I'd have to buy 1 gig sticks and lose out on the money I paid for the 512s.......right?

I confess, I'm an idiot when it comes to the magic workings of computers....I know they work, I'm just not big on knowing how. But if you could explain it to me or give me an affordable recomendation.....I'd really be grateful.

Comments (Page 2)

lilstarfish

on Jan 18, 2006

lo lifehappens

You may want to try Trendmicro's online virus scanner.
It's free and I use it whenever I feel there may be something
going on "behind my back" in my system.

http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/global/enterprise.htm

Click the "Free Online Scan" link and then click through
the following pages installing the engine and definition
files.
(just click the "Scan Now. It's Free!" links and then on
the third page the "Launching HouseCall" button)

If you use Internet Explorer you can let it install the
scanning engine plugin which lets you scan your computer
from within IE.

If you use another browser you must install the Java runtime
environment.

Let us know what happens.

Cynder-Elluh

on Jan 18, 2006

You got some terrific advice, and PLEASE protect your pc! I would not go with Norton, a lot of others even better out there, you have done the research and others have made great suggestions...
BUT IF YOU WANT TO GET A 3LB SMALL SHORT SLEDGE HAMMER,
THAT GOES A LONG WAY IN THE DISTRUCTION PROCESS!

Wildharp

on Jan 19, 2006

Well well, I am having similar problems with disconnection when resources seem to drop. The system should have plenty of grunt. I have even dropped some system tray progs and IconX. Ouch! Can anyone comment on WC/Stardock program combinations that could hog resources? Don't get me wrong I love 'em all. I use IconX, WB5, Object Dock Plus, and Cursor XP. Thanks for some ideas to work on and getting the discussion started. As they say life happens.

lifehappens

on Jan 19, 2006

Thank you, thank you to all who have given me advice. I'm noticing a definete increase in speed and I'm glad to know that I'm not expecting to much in the way of resourses.

Still, I have a few more questions.....on the gateway issue.

Power it off and back on.

that is what I'm doing....or I click the repair button (now in my icon tray-speeds that fix up) But I'd like to fix it once and for all. Can someone explain how exactly?

software firewalls with so- called automatic network detection automatically block new networks until they are configured in the settings- I've known both Norton........do you use one of these software firewalls or just the windows firewall? The reason it might work when you turn the router/modem off then on is that the IP address allocation may be changing to something not blocked by a software firewall. The other clue is that you said the computer detects a LAN connection but you can't surf....sounds softwareish to me!

Yes, I have Norton. how do I fix this? Should I just use the Windows or change the settings? If it's just the settings, than can you clue me in....

Cynder-Elluh-Thanks for the image of using a sledge hammer....but since I am poor, I better hold off on that and just dream of it!

Thanks again to everyone for putting up with what is probably a technogeeks biggest irritation-someone with just enough knowlege to get them confused even more!

Island Dog

on Jan 19, 2006

Yes, I have Norton. how do I fix this?

Uninstall it as quickly as possible.

Christopher Stapleton

on Jan 19, 2006

there may be a few issues here.....hold on tight...
first thing is to establish that you have the router set up properly. Usually the router is accessed via your browser such as internet explorer on a local IP address (such as 192.168.1.1). Check in the router manual for your particular router's address, type it into the address bar of internet explorer and click go - this should take you to the router configuration page. Make sure the router says the modem is connected to the internet - if it isn't there is perhaps a problem with the modem settings. Next, The router should be set up to be a DHCP server, so it can dynamically assign IP addresses to all local devices connected to it: if DHCP isn't enabled then your computer will not receive an IP allocation at all, but this is worth checking, as there may be options here with regards to Ip ranges, default gateway addresses etc.

Next, and this is the bit you may want to be careful with, I would FIRST reenable the windows firewall by right clicking on the LAN connection in Network Connections and clicking on the Advanced Tab, then in the Settings section of the windows firewall switch it on. Next, disable Norton - I don't have Norton now as I use ZA Pro so I can't help with exactly how to do this. I'm hoping that removing Norton will allow new networks to be used by IE for internet access. You will now hopefully have removed any impediment to your router actually supplying you with an internet connection.
My overall guess is that the problem lies either (or both) with the set up of Norton (try reinstalling) or the router (read the manual for settings). If you do get a connection, try going to www.grc.com and test your net security on the 'Shields Up' section in the common ports testing area.
Hope some of that is useful
Cheers
Chris

lifehappens

on Jan 19, 2006

Uninstall it as quickly as possible

hee hee. thanks. So iin looking at my Norton Security Center....it turns out that I'm running Windows Firewall. It doesn't look like I have norton for anything else either! I guess I forgot that I'd gradually started using other stuff.... Still the problems are much less than before.

How do you fix the gateway for good?

starkers

on Jan 19, 2006

If at the end of the day you still want help with killing your PC, I have alot of pent up frustrations/anger, etc...along with dynamite, gelignite, nitro glycerine and sulphuric acid gettable....send Pc with preferred method and I'll gladly accomodate.

After I've stripped it for anything useful

thari51

on Jan 20, 2006

just fomat the c drive which xp is there and reinsrall it

AerosolFun

on Jan 20, 2006

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet. Has your connection always had problems, or is this a recent issue? If so, what was the last change you made?

lifehappens

on Jan 21, 2006

Has your connection always had problems, or is this a recent issue? If so, what was the last change you made?

ummmmmmm, Mostly recent? but getting worse. I had problems with connectivity before, but forced Time Warner to replace my modem. That sort of stopped the problem and then it started happening again. What change did I make? ummmm, nothing that I can think of.....

Sorry to be so clueless.

just fomat the c drive which xp is there and reinsrall it

hmmmm. i don't know if I want to reformat windows.....that's a bit more than I feel comfortable doing.....

midget913

on Jan 21, 2006

I'm running on an eMachines T2482 (basically the same machine with a lesser processor and less ram, both of which I've upgraded). My machine is a little less powerful than yours, and I've had similar problems. As for the connection, check your router settings (usually typing 192.168.1.1 into your browser's address bar will do it, if that doesn't work try 192.168.100.1 or 192.168.1.2, otherwise check your manual) and make sure "port forwarding" is completely disabled. If you don't already know, routers distribute the connection by breaking it up into thousands of little "ports", each one (or group of a few hundred) serving a different purpose (for instance, bittorrent uses ports 6881 and up, and many online games use higher, browsers use lower). You can set up your router to selectively allow access from certain machines to certain ports, therefore limiting or eliminating your internet connectivity, while still being "connected" to the network. It's possible that some ports are being forwarded to your phone so that the vonage service never loses its integrity, but that shouldn't be necessary. This was my problem for a while, since I turned on port forwarding to speed up a download by giving it my browser ports, then forgot to change it back. If that isn't the problem, check all your cables. Sometimes if a network cable is pinched or crimped, the internet won't work, but due to the fact that your cable is plugged in, your computer will register a "connection". If this is the problem, you may have to replace your cords. As for the laggyness and freezing up while using PS CS2, my machine isn't as good as yours, and it runs PS CS2 fine (while at the same time running Alcohol 120%, my browser, and various StarDock and Object Desktop skinning programs. Have you considered cleaning out your hard drive? There's got to be a lot of useless crap on there for it to run that slowly. I've got a 300gb hard drive, and in order to keep my PC running smoothly I have to routinely "tidy it up". Another solution is defragmenting your drive. That alone may solve the problem. As for the ram, I'm running on 512mb ram and I still run all those processes flawlessly. (we have the same processor.) Your graphics card has absolutely nothing to do with the speed of your computer. The only time you need to upgrade that is if you get a new game that your card is incompatible with, and that's about it. Reformatting and reinstalling windows should be your last resort, although it's gotten me out of serious jams I otherwise would have been stuck in. Good luck, and if you need any more help or information, just ask.

midget913

on Jan 21, 2006

Another thing you can try is thinking back to the last things you installed on your computer and uninstalling them in backwards chronological order, each time restarting and testing to see if that solved the problem. This will usually help you pinpoint which program is causing the problem (if it's a program). Unfortunately, Windows doesn't allow you to sort your programs by date installed, only by date last used.

Hardmuscle

on Jan 22, 2006

When Was The Last Time You Defragged,Or Cleaned Your Browser Cache,How About Your Java Cache Or Perhaps An Overload Of Zero Files Caused By System Errors,When Was The Last Time You Defragged Your Registry Or Performed Boot Defrag.Its Just Like A Car.If You Don't Maintain It It Won't Work.

scorpio-logic

on Jan 22, 2006

lifehappens, do not run two virus scanners at once. I like the MS Antispyware plus SpybotS&D and AdAware, you're good to go with those if you run the latter two once every two weeks.

If Windows Firewall is all you are using, try finding ZoneAlarm for free (5.1 I think), or even sign up for the Windows OneCareLive, which comes with a nice firewall for those who are not too expert in firewalls.

Your machine seems set up nicely, so upgrading would only be for your personal satisfaction but not really needed. Try checking out how many startup programs you are using, more than 10 and you begin to loose some performance. "Autoruns" at sysinternals.com will be a fine addition and tells you what you have going on. If you want to keep it simple, just "run" msconfig at the run command in your start menu. Click the "startup" tab and uncheck what you don't need, then reboot. You can use this process to figure out which apps are sucking away your performance.

Also, check your page file settings. Personally, I set mine to zero. Seems to perform very well for my setup. But, just to be sure, set your initial to 1.5 times your memory and your maximum to 3 times memory installed. If no gain or worse, try setting to "no page file". With all that memory, you might not need it. All depends on your machine. Each machine has it's own personality. As far as Stardock products, I don't have problems with apps and memory. Except for GIMP, which I use instead of CS2. Whenever I apply a skin and have GIMP running, my CPU usage goes through the roof. REstarting GIMP cures it, but I've yet to find a true fix for it.

Island Dog and Cynder are giving good advice with "uninstall Norton" as quickly as possible. It's a hog and does what it wants without much thought to asking the user. Does things that Windows doesn't get too happy with. Avast for a Virus Scanner would be my first choice, however, in testing the OneCare mentioned above I've come to like it also. AVG would be another good choice for free VS. None of those I've suggested do nasty things to Windows and get along well together. Remember not to run more than one VS at a time.

As I am not familar with Time Warner, I don't have much to add to the suggestions above. If you have a connection, but is sometimes lacking check out cablenuts.com. You might find some good reading and maybe even some tweaking that you can apply to get more out of your connection. My connection has been greatly improved with their free tweak program. You must do a little math yourself to get it all filled in, but it's worth it and not too hard when following the sites' instructions.

Knowledge is power. Read up on your service descriptions. 90% of the time it's a simple and trivial setting that the user has overlooked. Good luck.

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