hi guys,been having lots of problems,went to windows update , since then iv,e been having lots of misfunctions,i have a feeling my new pc. is a pirate how can i tell,mike

Mike,

What version of windows are you using and what it the computer make and model? All those things are important. It has been my policy for quite some time with computers that if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Every time in the past that I've downloaded updates, esepecially from microsoft to update my windows system, I eventually end up formatting the hard drive and reinstalling all the software. Damn I hate doing that.

Gary

Mike...
I share your frustration. In the last couple of months I have had to reformat my HD twice.
I paid for HP service on one occasion. The guy I talked to said two things:
1) Reformat the HD and it will be like out of the box...(which it wasn't...but it did make it useable)?
and, get this
2) Don't download the windows updates which can screw up your system.
After my last reformat, the Blaster Worm came along and I caved and downloaded the upgrade, plus the McAfee virus updates.

So far no major problems...but some of the minor ones still exist.

I also got myself a zip drive to save a lot of my music bizz files in the event things go haywire again.
Eddie

It is a good idea when you update your Windows based computer at the Microsoft Update site, that you 1. Disable any Anti-Virus program you have running. It is also a good idea to 2. Disable any Firewall too. You don't want any program on your computer that is running to 'interupt' the "install" process of the updates you're installing. Other programs that are running in the 'background' on your computer could cause similar problems and glitches when trying to use Microsoft's Update site. As a rule of thumb I will oftentimes close "every" single program running on a computer before using Microsoft's Update site. How to do that is simple: Hit Ctrl/Alt/Del on the Keyboard and when the "Close Program" Dialogue Window comes up Highlight each program running and then hit "End Task". NOTE: - Every program "EXCEPT" Systray and Explorer. Leave Systray and Explorer running. After you close all programs then go to the Microsoft Update site and then update your Computer. Unfortunately, if you are already experiencing problems because of an error or glitch when using Microsoft's Update site sometimes drastic steps have to be taken to correct the problems. One is restoring the System Registry but the safest way to do it is in MS-DOS mode. Knowing how to use and Navigate within MS-DOS is a pre-requisite. And it would have to be done within a short time span of when the problem[s] started to occur. Windows XP has a unique feature where if any thing major (or even minor)happens that causes problems, you can Go Back to before those problems started to occur and Restore the OS to that point in time where you were not experiencing those problems. If the problems are really bad you can even do a complete re-install of the OS without the need to use MS-DOS or FDISK. The Computer will do it automatically for you. And if all your Hardware that is connected at the time of the re-install is XP certified and compatible all of the Drivers will be seamlessly reinstalled too, which is a lot less hassle than trying to do the same thing on Microsoft's earlier Operating Systems.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by Idatrod (edited 09-03-2003).]

Specifically, what problems?

when i go to outlook express the window has changed,i have lost send ,receive when i go online i get on internet but then i can,t get server,this all happened after i updated,so i got thinking, also update failed,cheers mike

sorry,its windows xp,and pc is LG ithink its AMD, also i dont have no cd with this so how do i format, mike

i also tried system restore,mike

also alerts from norton , 2 attempts trojan horse ,back orifice,i also took me a while to get on this site again due to cannot find server,thanks for your help,mike

also alerts from norton , 2 attempts trojan horse ,back orifice,i also took me a while to get on this site again due to cannot find server,thanks for your help,mike