Computer help

[crazybuckfan40]

I know it is hard to understand th problem without actually seeing the computer, but I will try and explain...I actually have 3 problems with 3 different computers...

Problem #1...

I have a work computer that won't let me view the internet on my home router, the computer will log on at holiday inn, panera bread, etc. but not at my house...It says I have excellent connection, but no webpage comes up...The dreaded page cannot be displayed...I know the router and password key work because the neighbor came over and logged on and was able to get the internet to work...

Problem #2...

IT man said the hard drive crashed, said it would cost $300 to fix and some other money to reformat...This is not my computer, and I am going off of what the person told me, but this seems high...Is there anything to do, for cheaper, or is better to just spend 400-700 to buy a new computer?

Problem #3...

My own personal labtop...I have had problems with it over the past year...I think there is some type of virus, trojan horse, etc. in maybe by boot up part of my computer...It happened once so I just use the command to go all the way back to how my computer was when I first bought it...Easy to do, but a pain to reinstall everything...The thing that happened this time is I continued to have a half million pop ups...The only way to run it is thru safe mode, which is slow as hell...So it ran fine for 1 month and then bam same thing...Well now it is starting to act up again after doing what I did again after about another month, but now it is just giving me CPU usage of 100% which allows me to do nothing at al...I looked at some of the processes and the thing that I think it might have to do with is SVChost.exe, but they say not to mess with that...

Any help on any of these...Greenies to anyone with help...

[sandgk]

Problem 1 - Pass, doesn't sound right that others can log on yet you cannot. Perhaps there is an address conflict? Again - Pass.

Problem 2 - Hire a new IT guy. If this was happening at home I figure the response would be to extract dead drive and insert new drive - install existing copies of system software / productivity suite etc. Unless this is a laptop the replacement drive shouldn't be anywhere close to that cost. Doesn't make sense. Option if you want to keep IT guy with family of five "gainfully" employed - go for a new computer.

Problem 3 - prOn? I'd get one of the tools that can seek out really nasty stuff down to root level. In Safe Mode see if it is found, see if bad things are found when booted from a CD-ROM or similar. Cleanse, wash repeat. If all else fails see options for handling Problem 2.

[Best Buckeye]

#1. have your neighbor get you on the internet.
#2. You can get a good hard drive for 40- 60 bucks. I got a 250 gig for about 90. make a boot up disc and format it and reload. no big deal.
#3 first try deleting your temporary internet files and cookies and defraging the computer, if that doesn't work try to get a program like adaware from lavasoft.com to control popups, if that fails then reformat and get a good antivirus like Norton and install it after you reformat.

[utgrad73]

Originally Posted by crazybuckfan40

I know it is hard to understand th problem without actually seeing the computer, but I will try and explain...I actually have 3 problems with 3 different computers...

Problem #1...

I have a work computer that won't let me view the internet on my home router, the computer will log on at holiday inn, panera bread, etc. but not at my house...It says I have excellent connection, but no webpage comes up...The dreaded page cannot be displayed...I know the router and password key work because the neighbor came over and logged on and was able to get the internet to work...

Problem #2...

IT man said the hard drive crashed, said it would cost $300 to fix and some other money to reformat...This is not my computer, and I am going off of what the person told me, but this seems high...Is there anything to do, for cheaper, or is better to just spend 400-700 to buy a new computer?

Problem #3...

My own personal labtop...I have had problems with it over the past year...I think there is some type of virus, trojan horse, etc. in maybe by boot up part of my computer...It happened once so I just use the command to go all the way back to how my computer was when I first bought it...Easy to do, but a pain to reinstall everything...The thing that happened this time is I continued to have a half million pop ups...The only way to run it is thru safe mode, which is slow as hell...So it ran fine for 1 month and then bam same thing...Well now it is starting to act up again after doing what I did again after about another month, but now it is just giving me CPU usage of 100% which allows me to do nothing at al...I looked at some of the processes and the thing that I think it might have to do with is SVChost.exe, but they say not to mess with that...

Any help on any of these...Greenies to anyone with help...

problem #1 - try putting the home IP address in manually and see what happens. I had a similar problem getting my laptop to auto detect the IP address. I was picking another network that wasn't encrypted. An IT encrypted mine and fixed it.

problem #2 - you could but a complete basic PC for $400, I think a local shop here had them for maybe $300. #300 seems high for a HD install. They aren't that expensive and not that hard to do yourself. Western Digitals have pretty good instructions. I would give it a try before spending the big bucks.

problem #3 - I assume you are running Windows XP. There's a setting for the pop up blocking in Tools/Internet Options/Privacy. Check the box at the bottom. You can also change the slide setting too, mine's on medium. A also run Spybot and Adaware SE. Free downloads.

I'm not an IT guy, but have been playing with PCs since 1990. I learned a few things from my IT friends and learned to try before just about anything before calling in the experts. Good luck and have fun.

[crazybuckfan40]

Originally Posted by sandgk

Problem 1 - Pass, doesn't sound right that others can log on yet you cannot. Perhaps there is an address conflict? Again - Pass.

But if I put in a different password like the wrong one it tells me I have limited or no connectivety...

Problem 2 - Hire a new IT guy. If this was happening at home I figure the response would be to extract dead drive and insert new drive - install existing copies of system software / productivity suite etc. Unless this is a laptop the replacement drive shouldn't be anywhere close to that cost. Doesn't make sense. Option if you want to keep IT guy with family of five "gainfully" employed - go for a new computer.

I did not talk to them directly as this is a guy that I do a little work for, it is his company's IT guy...So I don't know why the guy would be trying to screw someone in his company...Also keep in mind this is wha the guy told him, so not even sure for sure if that is all the problem is...I have never had a hard drive crash so I don't know what the symptons so to say are of a crashed hard drive...he is going to get it back to me in a couple days, so I will be able to explain the problem more, and he can't buy a new computer til the first of the year due to taxes...

But with that said it is a labtop...So what would be the cost for a replacement hard drive for a labtop and how hard are they to install...

Problem 3 - prOn? I'd get one of the tools that can seek out really nasty stuff down to root level. In Safe Mode see if it is found, see if bad things are found when booted from a CD-ROM or similar. Cleanse, wash repeat. If all else fails see options for handling Problem 2.

No porn...if that is what pron is supposed to mean... but what is a good suggestion on a tool...

[Best Buckeye]

Most corporate IT's have restrictions on all kinds of computer programs and files. It probably is that they are restricting what you are trying to log on with at home. Is your neighbor using a different program or method to log on? what did he do different than you do?