may want to post a hjt log as well:

Please do this:

· Click http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe] here [/url]to download HJTsetup.exe
· Save HJTsetup.exe to your desktop.
· Doubleclick on the HJTsetup.exe icon on your desktop.
· By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Hijack This.
· Continue to click Next in the setup dialogue boxes until you get to the Select Additional Tasks dialogue.
· Put a check by Create a desktop icon then click Next again.
· Continue to follow the rest of the prompts from there.
· At the final dialogue box click Finish and it will launch Hijack This.
· Click on the Do a system scan and save a logfile button. It will scan and the log should open in notepad.
· Click on "Edit > Select All" then click on "Edit > Copy" to copy the entire contents of the log.
· Come back here to this thread and Paste the log in your next reply.
· DO NOT have Hijack This fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or even required.

Here is the log.

you've got a couple abandoned files that can be fixed, but nothing serious. Start hjt again, hit 'perform system scan only', close all other apps, tick the below and click 'fix checked':

O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - %windir%\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe (file missing)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - %windir%\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe (file missing)

any luck reading those articles I posted?

thanks,

v

The 09s are gone.

I read the homework....kind of like swimming through quicksand.
I did NOT do the procedure, because you said to read it.

Suggestion:
Take your procedures and walk through them yourself. Don't assume anything, just do them step by step as they are written. I showed you last time how your procedures miss spots a newbie might not be able to get past. Don't take offense. I'm seeing your precedures for the first time. Thereby, I have fresher eyes, plus I don't know where you want me to go. So I have to follow the words "exactly". It's not easy to write a procedure, when you know more about the subject than the people for whom your writing.

suggestion: when I post something, I am not doing so to hear myself speak. I need feedback from the person I am addressing in order to help them fix their problem, as I am not sitting front of their pc. Usually with windows, an event ID or a particular problem can be related to several other problems; in particular, yours can be related to the motherboard failing, bad ram, a certain trojan, or a bad power supply.

Now then; after you read the material I gave you, could you please let me know if that applies to you? If not, we will need to begin checking the hardware. I'd prefer that it was the trojan, as those are a LOT easier to fix than a faulty motherboard, and testing ram is a bit time consuming, but the hjt log didn't show anything.

You don't need to follow the words exactly; you do need to be somewhat intuitive, however.

Thanks,

v

Thank you for your reply. I reread the recommended webpages. My XP computer has only crashed twice. I am only sure of the details of the second crash. Due to the infrequency of the crashes, I think I will need to collect more data before I can come to a conclusion on what is causing the crashes.

If/when it happens again I will document it and compare it to the previous crash. Perhaps your recommend cleaning will have a positive affect on this problem. Time will tell.

Thanks again...

again, that error id does point to a memory failure. If the problem is infrequent (say, twice a month) I personally wouldn't sweat it. If it happens more than once a week, I would do what I could to get it fixed.

If you want to test your ram, you can d/l a program called MemTest from http://www.snapfiles.com/get/memtest.html; it's small, it's free, it's tests your RAM for reliability, but it runs for a couple hours to do so. There are instructions on the d/l page for install and usage. Something to keep in mind.

Again, it depends on how sporadic/frequent this issue is.