Showing posts with label Troubleshooting Guides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Troubleshooting Guides. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fix Blue Screen of Death

This blue screen of death is encountered when your computer suddenly doesn't boot and shows only blue screen. I encountered this error on my office this morning. When I tried to open my computer and it started by showing the message that ask you to choose from Safe mode, Start windows normally, etc. I just selected the start windows normally but when the windows shows up the blue screen suddenly appears and my computer restarted.

This is the first time I met this BSOD so I harried and call our IT specialist. He tried some tricks, opened my computer, removed the memory and boot it up again but same error occurs. Then he shows up this CD that has a Disk Checker on it. He put it up on the DVD drive and rebooted again then he can now see my files with the help of the Disk Checker. After that reboot again and that's it. Its fixed, the computer just need its files to be checked. You can download the Disk Checker to fix the blue screen of death in here.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Fix CMOS Checksum Error

If you are a computer user, chances are that you may have encountered or currently encountering the dreaded CMOS Checksum Bad Error. The good news is that for the most part, while this error can cause frustration, it can usually be fixed in a short amount of time and with only minor tinkering. Here are some tips.

The Error Explained

The CMOS Checksum Bad Error is an error that occurs when the CMOS values are incorrect. Usually to guard your Bios software, your CMOS memory stores a specific value, each time you boot up your computer this value which is a number is checked against the stored value in the CMOS memory. If these two values are different, it causes an error message. If these values are the same, the computer proceeds as normal.

Each computer usually deals with the CMOS Checksum Bad Error differently. Some computers will warn the end user and continue to boot up using settings in the CMOS, other computers might warn the end user and then use the default settings in the BIOS as the correct settings and carry on with a normal boot or reboot. Usually, within the error message it will state which strategy your computer has employed.

What Causes CMOS Checksum Bad Errors?

There are usually three main reasons that a CMOS Checksum Bad Error has occurred. They include:
  • CMOS Battery not functioning properly
  • Your BIOS has been updated (either by you or possibly a virus)
  • The computer was shut down improperly (e.g. shutting off the computer's power without first shutting down the computer (MS Windows requires you to shut down your computer before shutting off the power).

Situation Remedies

If you have encountered this error and would like to fix your computer, here are some remedies for each situation:

CMOS Battery Not Functioning Properly: If you suspect your CMOS battery is not functioning properly you can easily change it. Before changing your battery, reboot your computer to make sure that the error still exists. If it does, go into your CMOS and write down all of the settings. If all settings are lost, you can usually get them from your computer manufacturer. Now locate the battery and remove it, you might need to consult your computers manual or tech support to remove your battery. Take down the CMOS batteries information such as volt, size, etc. Once you have your new battery, you can replace it and reenter your CMOS settings. If your battery was the cause of the CMOS Checksum Bad Error, you should have remedied the problem.

Your BIOS has Been Updated (either by you or possibly a virus): If your BIOS has been updated recently, your CMOS settings may have become reset. Make sure that the values entered in the BIOS are correct or simply reset them to the default settings. If you believe that a virus updated your BIOS settings, run a virus scan and make sure that the BIOS settings are back to the default.

The Computer Was Shut Down Improperly: Sometimes when running MS Windows, if you shut down your laptop or desktop without first properly shutting down your operating system it will corrupt the CMOS settings causing the CMOS Checksum Bad Error. You can easily avoid this error by making sure that you completely shut down your computer before turning off the power. Usually this entails going into the Start Menu/ Turn Off Computer/ Shut Down. If you received the error, shut down the computer properly, if this is the cause of the error, the error message will not return.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

How to Remove AutoIT Worm

How to remove AutoIT worm is one of the basic tools you need to know to have a virus free PC. I have here a simple step by step procedure which could help you remove that AutoIT worm in your PC.

Step – 1.Search the computer for "mschr.exe" by clicking Start > Search > All Files or Folders. Write down the location of the folder containing the files, as you will need this information later.

Step – 2.Remove the viral process using Windows Task Manager by pressing "Ctrl + Alt + Del" on the keyboard. Look for "mschr.exe" under Image Name. Highlight the viral process and click "End Process."

Step – 3.Delete any remaining virus files by clicking Start > Run > (type) cmd and click "OK." Type in the Dir:/folder name from Step 1. Example C:\%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\ Delete all the files by typing "del filename." Example: del mschr.exe

Step – 4.Edit the Registry by clicking Start > Run > (type) regedit and click "OK." Search the registry keys for the following and right click on each registry key and click "Delete."HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden\SHO WALLCheckedValue = dword:00000000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SvcHost, netsvcs = %Previous data% and %Random%

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\[random]\ParametersServiceDll = %MalwarePath%

And that’s it. A four step to have you AutoIT virus free PC.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

How to Remove Malware (Rogue Anti-virus)

This article is about how to remove a Malware on your PC. The most common Malware you will encounter is a Rogue Anti-Virus. For beginners it will quite hard to remove manually but I have here a step by step procedure on how you yourself could remove that nasty Malware on your PC. There of course many applications that find and remove rogue anti-virus applications however there are times where you might need to manually remove the rogue. Here's my step by step procedure on how to do it.

Terminating the process:

Step – 1.Click CTRL-ALT-DELETE (if it's available)

Step – 2.Click Task Manager

Step – 3.Click Processes

Step – 4.Find a process that usually contain all numbers. For example 2342342.exe. If you do not see all numbers then your rogue has a name like...SystemSecurityPro.exe or GreenAV.exe...etc.

Step – 5.Select that process and click end process.

Step – 6.At this point the rogue process has been terminated.

Removing Rogue Anti-virus that is named with random numbers.

Step – 1.Click Start

Step – 2.Click Run (or for Vista type in the start search box)

Step – 3.For windows xp type: C:\documents and settings\all users\Application Data and click OK. A window will open containing a folder with about 8 numbers. Your Rogue is in there. Delete that folder.

Step – 4.For Windows Vista type C:\users\all users in the "start search" box and click enter. Your randomly named folder with about 8 digits should be in there. Delete it.


Removing Rogue Anti-Virus that has a name like System Guard Pro, AV2010, etc

Step - 1.Open Windows Explorer.

Step - 2.Open your C:\ drive.

Step - 3.Open Program Files

Step -5.Find the Rogue and Delete the folder.

Now you can enjoy using your PC without any Rogue visitors…

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Troubleshooting Memory Failures With Beep Codes

One of the most case of failure among your pc is the memory failure. Power-on-self-test “POST” of the BIOS on your motherboard during power up is one way to determine if your pc memory is in trouble. Different manufacturers assign different beeping sounds that will identify the status of your memory. There are 3 basic BIOS developer today, the most popular BIOS is made by “American Mega-trend” - AMI, Award and Phoenix BIOS. I will provide you the beep code for the AMI & Award BIOS developer unfortunately I cant provide you the beep reference code for phoenix. I’m sorry.

Here are the Award BIOS Beep Codes:

1 Long Beep tone - Memory Problem
1 Long Beep and 2 Short Beeps - DRAM Parity failure
1 Long Beep and 3 Short Beeps - Video error
Continuous Beep tone - Memory or Video memory failures

AMI BIOS Beep Codes :

1 Beep tone - DRAM refresh failure
2 Beep tone - DRAM Parity failure
3 Beep tone - Base 64K RAM failure
4 Beep tone - System timer error
5 Beep tone - CPU failure
6 Beep tone - Keyboard controller error
7 Beep tone - Virtual mode error
8 Beep tone - Display memory read/write error
9 Beep tone - ROM BIOS checksum error
10 Beep tone - CMOS register read/write error
11 Beep tone - Cache memory error
Continuous Beep tone - Memory or Video memory failures

The normal procedure is to power up the PC system, watch for error message on the monitor screen and listen to the PC beep tone. A single beep during boot-up process is normal and does not indicate a failure if the system continues to boot-up.

Heres my prescription of the day.

Are you having this kind of problem? You have a regular memory sizing error during POST (bootup), how should you trouble shoot the failure ?
Ok, heres the step by step procedure to troubleshoot that problem. In most cases hardware failures are caused by the natural aging process of the memory components, defective memory module socket, dirty contacts, cold solder joints during assembly and memory module not seated properly in the socket due to vibration. It is important to pay attention to intermittent memory failure, before you make any expensive decision to replace the expensive memory - try cleaning the memory module contacts for both old and new ram to see if the problem can be fix:

Step – 1. Ensure environment is static safe by removing any unwanted plastic, bags from your workbench. Keep the computer system plugged into your AC unit but ensure that the power switch on the PC is turned off. Keeping the PC plugged in the AC will ensure that case is grounded thus reducing the possibility of damaging the module or system from ESD (Electro Static Discharge)

Step – 2. After removing the casing cover, ground yourself by touching any of the metal surfaces on your computer casing. Doing this step discharges any static built up on your body and clothing.

Step – 3. Visually locate the computer memory expansion slots. This is normal visible but if in doubt, refer to your operation manual instruction book.

Step – 4. The first thing to do is to remove the memory module and perform some visual inspection to check the memory socket which sits the memory module. Make sure all the pins are straight, no cracks or broken pins must be found.

A Wet the end of a cotton swab with the solvent, the swab should be wet but not dripping B Using a circular motion, clean the contacts on the memory module. C Allow the contact surface to dry thoroughly. D Replace the memory module into the socket. E Repeat steps B through D for each module you have. F Power on the computer to test the RAM. G If you see no memory errors, replace the PC's case and power-up away.

Additional Tips:

Step – 5. While contact cleaner is preferred, it is also a well-known trick that you can also clean contacts with a pencil eraser. 6. Continuing RAM errors are usually a sign of a bad memory module. If cleaning the contacts doesn't solve your problem, try to isolate the faulty module and replace it.
 
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