The General "Computer Issues" Thread

[Shawn Hopkins]

All right, the warning that comes up at start up says
Error loading c:\windows\system32\bogerijo.dll
The specified module could not be found.

What is the difference between malware and a virus? The fact that superantispyware and malwarebytes were the two scanners to find vundo would make me believe that I had malware, but I'm unclear as to how it differs from a virus.

Technically, malware is a term that encompasses various kinds of malicious software, including spyware and viruses. Spyware is a kind of malware that installs itself on your computer and collects information about you. You can get it lots of ways from sites that exploit security flaws in Flash and other programs and from clicking the wrong popup ad. Viruses are software that spread themselves to other computers and do various unpleasant things including spreading spyware and other malware like browser hijackers. The practical difference, of course, is that spyware scanners usually just find spyware, hijackers and other similar malware, you also need a virus scanner for full virus protection. And vice versa, you need a spyware scanner to find stuff the virus scanners might miss.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/terms/spywarevirus.aspx

Be aware that article is out of date because it references Windows Defender. The newer program that took its place is Microsoft Security Essentials.

 

[En Sabah Nur]

All right, the warning that comes up at start up says
Error loading c:\windows\system32\bogerijo.dll
The specified module could not be found.

What is the difference between malware and a virus? The fact that superantispyware and malwarebytes were the two scanners to find vundo would make me believe that I had malware, but I'm unclear as to how it differs from a virus.

Difference between general malware and Viruses is that Viruses cause damage to your computer, and allow hackers to take over your computer as well. Malware is a general term that includes Adware, Spyware, Trackware, Bloatware/crapware/foistware.
These are generally nor harming your PC but are anoying non the less. Some forms of crapware look like fake antivirus software to trick users into either buying something or downloading actual viruses.
Adware is self explanatory, ads and popups from software that had them.
Spyware sends your internet data to anyone who is collecting it.
Trackware tracks your IP sniffs open ports and reports on your daily browsing history.
Bloatware/foistware are trial software that come preloaded with a new PC.

as for the mentioned dll file, that is certainly viral.
Try this (but this is not guaranteed to help) go to Run, type msconfig go to startup tab, try to locate the said file and uncheck it. Whether this works or not, you need a good antivirus scanner to scan and get rid of the said virus.

 

[Captain Highwind]

I'll answer these real quick before I get to the meat of the matter:

F10 means different thing on different computers, what exactly happens when you hit F10? Do you get a boot menu selection? OS choices selection? BIOS setup?

Just an OS choice selection. I was selecting the professional version when I should have selected the media center edition.

And what do you mean by ' all those external files"?

That's just what I mean by the backup files that I stored in my external harddrive. I've burned what I've wanted to of those on disc and unplugged the drive itself from the PC while I work on it.

If you need to get rid of that malware (and you are sure its malware) try Malwarebytes or Spyware Doctor, those are the most successful ones I tried.

This relates to my current situation--

Alright, so I have two problems now:

1) I still have the malware on my computer bugging me with Internet Protection 2010 or whatever. I downloaded the free version of Malwarebytes and ran a quick check (I have to do it in Safe Mode, it's being blocked otherwise.) It pulls out like 21 or so registry files, so I get rid of them. I try to start Windows up again and the malware pops the same windows up, but I must have done damage to it because the malware tells me it can't start up properly.

I'm going to let it do a full system scan in safe mode tonight (all of them, not just the C and D drives) and see what comes up.

Deleting registry values makes me nervous, even though all of them show up as adware or something like that. Should I be deleting them?

Not having a whole lot of confidence here, since I suck at registries and I've been down this road before.

The second problem:

2) I can't start up Windows normally without having to go through F10 (System Recovery) and selecting my OS from the list. It seems to save whatever changes I make (moved desktop items are where I've left them before shutting down, etc.), so it's not taking me to same restore point after I shut down the computer. It just won't boot up normally, saying exactly that (some kind of boot error). Absolutely no clue what to do here.

 

[En Sabah Nur]

I'm going to let it do a full system scan in safe mode tonight (all of them, not just the C and D drives) and see what comes up.

Deleting registry values makes me nervous, even though all of them show up as adware or something like that. Should I be deleting them?

Not having a whole lot of confidence here, since I suck at registries and I've been down this road before.

Yes, delete any registry keys that it finds, they are part of the infection.

The second problem:

2) I can't start up Windows normally without having to go through F10 (System Recovery) and selecting my OS from the list. It seems to save whatever changes I make (moved desktop items are where I've left them before shutting down, etc.), so it's not taking me to same restore point after I shut down the computer. It just won't boot up normally, saying exactly that (some kind of boot error). Absolutely no clue what to do here.

Ok, so since you are getting OS choices at cold boot, most likely problem is that your boot.ini is damaged. Repairing it will take a windows CD.
You need to be specific in which boot error you got. Guys, I cant be any more clear, when you write "(some kind of boot error)", it means absolutely nothing to System Administrators, we need exact error messages that you get.

 

[Captain Highwind]

Ok, so since you are getting OS choices at cold boot, most likely problem is that your boot.ini is damaged. Repairing it will take a windows CD.
You need to be specific in which boot error you got. Guys, I cant be any more clear, when you write "(some kind of boot error)", it means absolutely nothing to System Administrators, we need exact error messages that you get.

"Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information."

This doesn't bode well, does it?

 

[En Sabah Nur]

"Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.
Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information."

This doesn't bode well, does it?

ok, but when you do go through F10 method, your system starts up fine right? if yes, then your boot.ini file is damaged.

 

[Captain Highwind]

ok, but when you do go through F10 method, your system starts up fine right? if yes, then your boot.ini file is damaged.

Okay, I fixed it without needing an XP disc:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314081

If you must change the contents of this file, use the System tool in Control Panel:
Click Start button, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.

Then I selected Media Center Edition from the 'default operating system' menu at the top (it had Professional as default, which explains why it couldn't find Windows before). I restarted my PC after that and it boots up normally.

BTW, if I'm not in safe mode, it's harder to find 'System' in the control panel, so it's easier to get to the menu if you just right click My Computer from the start menu and click on 'properties,' then 'advanced,' and then follow the rest of the steps.

So that solved that problem, and I can deal with the malware now.

 

[En Sabah Nur]

Okay, I fixed it without needing an XP disc:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314081



Then I selected Media Center Edition from the 'default operating system' menu at the top (it had Professional as default, which explains why it couldn't find Windows before). I restarted my PC after that and it boots up normally.

BTW, if I'm not in safe mode, it's harder to find 'System' in the control panel, so it's easier to get to the menu if you just right click My Computer from the start menu and click on 'properties,' then 'advanced,' and then follow the rest of the steps.

So that solved that problem, and I can deal with the malware now.

You see thats the beauty or recording error messages. As soon as you posted it, I knew it was boot.ini error. Now for the malware, I suggest Spyware doctor. it is the best crap remover that I have ever seen, and I have seen many.

 

[Ren]

as for the mentioned dll file, that is certainly viral.
Try this (but this is not guaranteed to help) go to Run, type msconfig go to startup tab, try to locate the said file and uncheck it. Whether this works or not, you need a good antivirus scanner to scan and get rid of the said virus.

I tried this, but when I restarted I was prompted to return to a "Normal Configuration" and when I did so the problem came back. Am I supposed to keep a custom configuration, or is there another way to deal with this?

I've run a comprehensive scan with Norton and a full scan with both Malwarebytes and SUPER Antispyware and none of them are finding anything wrong. I haven't gotten any pop ups but, I'm still seeing banner ads that I shouldn't. For example, every banner ad on Toonzone has turned into ads to take surveys that I never saw before. Is there anything else I can do? Does this mean that I still have some adware or something? Could I try to install something that would block all ads, or would that be simply ignoring a big problem?

 

[Captain Highwind]

You see thats the beauty or recording error messages. As soon as you posted it, I knew it was boot.ini error. Now for the malware, I suggest Spyware doctor. it is the best crap remover that I have ever seen, and I have seen many.

I tried the free version, and was so impressed with the fact that it found 41 threats in the registry that I was willing to buy the full version so that I could get rid of them. I went ahead to Office Max and bought the CD version (I figured a physical copy was better to work with than a digital one). Before installing it, it said I had to remove the previous version, so I did.

What's strange is that I couldn't remove the program in Normal Mode because I couldn't access the add/remove program in my Control Panel, but I can when I'm in Safe Mode. So I did that. I also noticed that I couldn't access Internet Explorer in Normal Mode either, with the screen telling me that the file doesn't exist, and if I would like to remove the shortcut from the start menu.

So I install the purchased version of Spyware Doctor and just run it. It finds more threats, but I recall that the free version had found high-level threats, while this time it only found mild and low. So I say whatever. I get rid of those too.

So now, no screens pop up telling me about Internet Protection 2010, which is good, but my usual stuff that pops up doesn't show either (like my desktop calender). My desktop icons show up like usual, but I still can't access Internet Explorer or any of my files for that matter. Every time I double-click on a file, a window pops up asking me which program to open the file with, because the OS doesn't know what program to open them with anymore.

 

[staticblue]

MacBook Help
Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this problem.
A friend of mine is heavy into Photoshop. Lately she cant seem to get photoshop to open up on her mackbook. everytime she opens it up it freezes. for a while, she could fix it by closing it out and booting it back up, but now it wont even work that way. Anyone know how to fix this problem?

The Macbook is at least 3 years old by the way

 

[En Sabah Nur]

I tried this, but when I restarted I was prompted to return to a "Normal Configuration" and when I did so the problem came back. Am I supposed to keep a custom configuration, or is there another way to deal with this?

I've run a comprehensive scan with Norton and a full scan with both Malwarebytes and SUPER Antispyware and none of them are finding anything wrong. I haven't gotten any pop ups but, I'm still seeing banner ads that I shouldn't. For example, every banner ad on Toonzone has turned into ads to take surveys that I never saw before. Is there anything else I can do? Does this mean that I still have some adware or something? Could I try to install something that would block all ads, or would that be simply ignoring a big problem?

yes, you suppose to keep the custom boot configuration to keep the changes you made. its possible that the virus has been mostly remoned from your system and only small fragments remain. if Norton full scan did not find anything, and the msconfig did the trick, you should have no problems. Case solved. As for the annoying ads, if you think you have adware on your system, try Spyware Doctor, the best antispyware software I have tried. otherwise Use Firefox 3.6 with Adblock Plus extension and you will never see and ads, banners or pupups again.

I tried the free version, and was so impressed with the fact that it found 41 threats in the registry that I was willing to buy the full version so that I could get rid of them. I went ahead to Office Max and bought the CD version (I figured a physical copy was better to work with than a digital one). Before installing it, it said I had to remove the previous version, so I did.

What's strange is that I couldn't remove the program in Normal Mode because I couldn't access the add/remove program in my Control Panel, but I can when I'm in Safe Mode. So I did that. I also noticed that I couldn't access Internet Explorer in Normal Mode either, with the screen telling me that the file doesn't exist, and if I would like to remove the shortcut from the start menu.

So I install the purchased version of Spyware Doctor and just run it. It finds more threats, but I recall that the free version had found high-level threats, while this time it only found mild and low. So I say whatever. I get rid of those too.

So now, no screens pop up telling me about Internet Protection 2010, which is good, but my usual stuff that pops up doesn't show either (like my desktop calender). My desktop icons show up like usual, but I still can't access Internet Explorer or any of my files for that matter. Every time I double-click on a file, a window pops up asking me which program to open the file with, because the OS doesn't know what program to open them with anymore.

What OS are you running? If your desktop calender is a gadget, try to open it manually and replace it where it was. Hopefully it will stay there. You can try reinstalling IE but you should be using Firefox anyways. Its much more secure and better than any version of IE. What files are you trying to open that windows doesn't recognize? You have to be very specific with the file extensions, dont just say "file".

MacBook Help
Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with this problem.
A friend of mine is heavy into Photoshop. Lately she cant seem to get photoshop to open up on her mackbook. everytime she opens it up it freezes. for a while, she could fix it by closing it out and booting it back up, but now it wont even work that way. Anyone know how to fix this problem?

The Macbook is at least 3 years old by the way

Yea, I dot have a mac book, or anything Mac related (exept for my iPhone). In fact, I generally dislike like things that have a bitten apple on them. Its not like we are ignoring you but this board doesn't have a very good track record with apple product support. You might want to seek help elsewhere.

 

[Tomato Surprise]

Blogger spacing issues?

Blogger and toonzone both are giving me grief regarding spacing. As you can probably tell, they both leave a gap of about four spaces every time I start a new line. They're literally impossible to delete. This happens on both my Windows laptop and desktop. Is there any way to fix this?

Thanks,
Tomato

EDIT: It doesn't show up here, but I have an example on my blog here. http://tomatothoughts.blogspot.com/2010/02/test.html

 

[PowerZord]

Something strange happened to my computer. suddenly the screen went black for a couple of seconds. and when it came back to normal an exclamation warning sign came on the taskbar. I click on it and does nothing.

Here's a snapshot and I even drew an arrow just in case:

 

[En Sabah Nur]

Something strange happened to my computer. suddenly the screen went black for a couple of seconds. and when it came back to normal an exclamation warning sign came on the taskbar. I click on it and does nothing.

Here's a snapshot and I even drew an arrow just in case:

That tells me absolutely nothing. Could be a video driver issue. Could be conventional Memory Low warning. Try restarting the computer. If it goes away and doesn't happen again you are OK, nothing to worry about, a one time thing that windows fixed on its own. if it happens again, be aware of the exact thing you were doing when it happens.

 

[PowerZord]

That tells me absolutely nothing. Could be a video driver issue. Could be conventional Memory Low warning. Try restarting the computer. If it goes away and doesn't happen again you are OK, nothing to worry about, a one time thing that windows fixed on its own. if it happens again, be aware of the exact thing you were doing when it happens.

It went away today. but isn't the first time that it has happened. the screen usually goes black for a couple of seconds (I can still hear the sounds of the computer) and then come backs with that little sign I show you on the pic above.

It's been awhile since it happened and I was only using the msn this time. I click on it and hover around it, but it doesn't show me anything.

I downloaded the updates of my drivers awhile back.

 

[Michael24]

Like En Sabah Nur said, it might have just been a Low Memory warning. I once had the same icon appear (maybe a year or two ago), although when I put the cursor on it a bubble actually popped up and said something about the memory being low. A Restart later, and everything was fine.

 

[Captain Highwind]

Okay, I had to walk away from the computer for a while and I'm ready to tackle it again.

What OS are you running? If your desktop calender is a gadget, try to open it manually and replace it where it was. Hopefully it will stay there. You can try reinstalling IE but you should be using Firefox anyways. Its much more secure and better than any version of IE. What files are you trying to open that windows doesn't recognize? You have to be very specific with the file extensions, dont just say "file".

My OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition, and the desktop calendar is a cheap gadget I downloaded seperately. As for files: all of them. Virtually every file and program on the PC cannot be opened, even if I select them from the list of programs that pops up. So something made me think that my registry got screwed up after getting rid of the malware and so...

I researched the error message that shows up when I try to access my Add/Remove Program menu. (It says "C:\ WINDOWS \ system32\rundll32.exe, Application not found.") And so I found this page, suggesting that it is a registry problem.

I downloaded the free program the author suggests (Registry Patrol), but again I have to purchase the full version in order for it to fix anything. I was thinking of just picking up PC Tools Registry Mechanic, which ironically was in my hands the other day at Office Max. Have you used this and does it do the job?

 

[En Sabah Nur]

Okay, I had to walk away from the computer for a while and I'm ready to tackle it again.

My OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition, and the desktop calendar is a cheap gadget I downloaded seperately. As for files: all of them. Virtually every file and program on the PC cannot be opened, even if I select them from the list of programs that pops up. So something made me think that my registry got screwed up after getting rid of the malware and so...

I researched the error message that shows up when I try to access my Add/Remove Program menu. (It says "C:\ WINDOWS \ system32\rundll32.exe, Application not found.") And so I found this page, suggesting that it is a registry problem.

I downloaded the free program the author suggests (Registry Patrol), but again I have to purchase the full version in order for it to fix anything. I was thinking of just picking up PC Tools Registry Mechanic, which ironically was in my hands the other day at Office Max. Have you used this and does it do the job?

Rundll32 is process that handles different dll files from different software. Two possibilities, one is that there is a missing dll fine in which case try the following:
Download a free microsoft tool Process Explorer
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx
find rundll32, expand it and find out which dll it actually is having trouble with.
Another is that the rundll32 module is missing due to a virus infection. In whixh case you have to try and repair the OS to restore this process. Since I have never experienced this particular issue, I dont have the exact solution for you, but there are pleanty of people who did, and there are a lot of solutions available by typing "rundll32 missing" into google. Try various solutions until you find one that helps. Sorry cant be anymore specific, but you just gonna have to try a few of them and home one of them works.

 

[Captain Highwind]

Two possibilities, one is that there is a missing dll fine in which case try the following:
Download a free microsoft tool Process Explorer
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx
find rundll32, expand it and find out which dll it actually is having trouble with.

I'm betting it's this one, since I can still install programs when I'm in Safe Mode.