Hey guys,
So today I've been fighting my computer every step of the way on an issue. Basically, when the computer gets all booted up and everything, certain programs refuse to start. Steam, Skype, Firefox and sometimes iTunes. To make the problem worse, music and video files in (and outside) iTunes will start the program but nothing will play, causing iTunes to go into a playing loop and VLC/Windows Media Player Classic to crash. However, restart the computer 4 times and everything suddenly works fine again, until you restart and then it goes to the original problem.
To me, it seems like something wrong with the input/output part, but only guessing.
Any idea?
Thanks in advance.
King
Hmm, could be several things. First, obviously scan the machine for viruses, adware, etc. Most of the programs you list access the net so it could have something to do with your network connection and/or hardware to do that. If it happens kind of randomly it could be hardware or software. When you reboot, make sure to do a full shutdown and then reboot. Don't do a restart or reset. It isn't the same thing. Check to make sure all connections are good. You could also try updating or reinstalling one of the trouble programs and see if that helps. Also, make sure Windows is updated too. Good luck.
You may also want to test the memory, a lot of the time a bad RAM stick can cause very unpredictable intermittent problems.
MemTest86 is a good free tool for this: http://www.memtest86.com/ (http://www.memtest86.com/)
Quote from: billybob476 on April 16, 2011, 05:46:33 AM
You may also want to test the memory, a lot of the time a bad RAM stick can cause very unpredictable intermittent problems.
MemTest86 is a good free tool for this: http://www.memtest86.com/ (http://www.memtest86.com/)
Tried to help Tim put last night and suggested it may be a RAM issue if not a virus. Didn't realise there was a free testing tool. Cool. :)
Any luck yet on it, Tim?
Virus scan: nothing
Check disc scan: nothing (worthless IMO)
Shutting down completely: nothing.
Trying the memory test as soon as I can.
King
Memory test: nothing.
Idk what to do at this point, it won't return to a stable point of usage anymore.
King
I think you will need to backup your data and do a clean install to rule out a software problem.
Then switch to Linux! ;)
Tim, you certainly do have your share of computer troubles. Before a full reinstall, try completely removing one of the problem programs first. Then reinstall it to a new location and see if that helps. Another thing to try is looking at what programs start up when you power up the system. If you know how to run msconfig at the run menu, check that out too.
P.S. Are you on Win XP, Win 7? Vista??
Quote from: Rico on April 17, 2011, 04:51:34 AM
Tim, you certainly do have your share of computer troubles. Before a full reinstall, try completely removing one of the problem programs first. Then reinstall it to a new location and see if that helps. Another thing to try is looking at what programs start up when you power up the system. If you know how to run msconfig at the run menu, check that out too.
P.S. Are you on Win XP, Win 7? Vista??
Windows 7, and I've already looked at what programs start up when I power the system via msconfig. Nothing out of the ordinary. From what I can tell, it seems to be an accessing files/programs problem. Because when the "errors" are in place, no music or video files will play on any of the 5 media programs I have, but certain programs like Chrome will start up and act like nothing is wrong. It affects both hardrives because Steam is used on C: and iTunes is on B:. However, download any files and the program will freeze up and crash.
So its some sort of file management going wrong, maybe, I'm not sure. But crashing is the common-thread.
King
If it's issues with audio and video mainly it sounds like it might be a codec issue or conflict. Maybe find a good codec cleaner and then reinstall only what you need.
Quote from: Rico on April 17, 2011, 10:19:56 AM
If it's issues with audio and video mainly it sounds like it might be a codec issue or conflict. Maybe find a good codec cleaner and then reinstall only what you need.
I have no idea where to find a codec cleaner.
King
Windows 7 is pretty decent when it comes to built in codec support so there isn't much need to have installed any codec packs unless you are playing back some obscure file formats.
You said you hadn't done anything apart from move your iTunes library before this happened so I'm not sure if it could be related to this.
You many find a clean reinstall may still be the easiest option.
Quote from: Kingisaaclinksr on April 17, 2011, 10:27:33 AM
Quote from: Rico on April 17, 2011, 10:19:56 AM
If it's issues with audio and video mainly it sounds like it might be a codec issue or conflict. Maybe find a good codec cleaner and then reinstall only what you need.
I have no idea where to find a codec cleaner.
King
Google is your friend. ;)
http://majorgeeks.com/Win7codecs_d5959.html (http://majorgeeks.com/Win7codecs_d5959.html)
Quote from: Dangelus on April 17, 2011, 10:41:28 AM
Windows 7 is pretty decent when it comes to built in codec support so there isn't much need to have installed any codec packs unless you are playing back some obscure file formats.
You said you hadn't done anything apart from move your iTunes library before this happened so I'm not sure if it could be related to this.
You many find a clean reinstall may still be the easiest option.
Thinking about it now, I just purged XVID from my computer. I can't believe I had that codec installed, I'm still unsure if its totally purged from my computer either, as I found a folder full of xVid stuff.
King
Despite cleaning the codecs, it still has the same problem. I have no idea what is going on. The only thing that fixes it is a reset, but that's temporary at best which tells me either a faulty OS (what a friggin shock) or a faulty hardware piece. Either way, I don't know. I just don't know.
King
At this point, I think I'm just going to reinstall the OS if anyone can't figure out a different solution, so any tips or tricks on doing that?
King
Tim - it's not a faulty OS. It's a conflict or a hardware problem. Go ahead and reinstall the OS. Sounds like that might be the best way for you to fix it. A word of warning though - everything you install, add, change once Windows is fresh again impacts the system. And some of the programs out there don't play nice together. That's the price you pay for having an OS that allows that type of open environment.
Quote from: Rico on April 17, 2011, 05:34:19 PM
Tim - it's not a faulty OS. It's a conflict or a hardware problem. Go ahead and reinstall the OS. Sounds like that might be the best way for you to fix it. A word of warning though - everything you install, add, change once Windows is fresh again impacts the system. And some of the programs out there don't play nice together. That's the price you pay for having an OS that allows that type of open environment.
I'm going to hold off for as long as I can (and backup as best I can) before reinstalling. I just don't have the time to do a clean wipe and reinstall of my computer. Or fix any of the potential problems that comes with that.
And idk how to avoid software conflicting with other software. Its not like there is some guide that tells us how to avoid that.
King
Your guide is the internet. Read what people are saying about programs before you try them. Try to stick to VERY tried and true software. And don't do too much at the same time. Actually, with Windows 7 unless you have a need for something special, you shouldn't have to install a lot - especially in the audio/video area. You can also just try uninstalling all of your trouble programs first. Then use a registry cleaner like the one I'll link below. Then see how the system behaves. That's what I would do before bothering with a full reinstall.
http://download.cnet.com/TweakNow-RegCleaner-2011/3000-18512_4-10262639.html?tag=mncol;4 (http://download.cnet.com/TweakNow-RegCleaner-2011/3000-18512_4-10262639.html?tag=mncol;4)
Just to update: I did download the Reg cleaner and decided to wait a couple days to see if anything of what I had done had fixed it. By what I can tell so far, my computer is back to normal...I hope. Since I don't know the origin of the problem its hard to say. I hope it was just a registry problem, that is easier to fix.
Anyway, thanks for helping me guys, if I sounded frustrated...I was. But your help was much appreciated :)
King
Glad it's seems to be better for you Tim.
Can I hijack this with a problem of my own that's been driving me nuts? I've tried Googling this issue but can't find the right search terms or anyone with a similar problem, maybe because it's difficult to describe.
I have a laptop thats about three years old running Windows Vista. About a year ago I noticed that the mouse functions switched on me...what normally happens when you left click was assigned to the right mouse button, and the left button opened the contect sensitive menu that the right button usually opens. Going into mouse settings under the control panel showed that little checkbox that says "swap functions of left and right mouse buttons" was indeed checked for some reason. I unchecked it, applied, exited and things functioned normally again...for a little while. Then it seems it spontaneously checks itself again and the mouse buttons switch on their own. This affects the mouse buttons on the laptop itself as well as any mouse I plug in via USB port.
I've done the basic stuff, clean virus scan, clean malware checks, all mouse drivers are up to date. Anybody have any ideas WTH is going on here?
Turn off the touchpad, then restart and see if that helps. Many laptop touchpads don't play nice with external mice.
Also make sure the touchpad doesn't have any associated software utility (such as a "synaptics touchpad manager" or something). That may be overriding the windows settings.
And replace vista with 7 ASAP. ;). But do what they said first.
King
I use the touchpad exclusively, I've switched my USB mouse to the new iMac. Can I shut it off then turn it back on? And Joe, there is that touchpad manager running all the time, should I disable this? And if I do will I still be able to use the touchpad?
First, you need to find out if that is the issue. Again, laptop touchpads and the associated software don't play well together with addon mice. You should be able to right click on the touchpad manager icon and disable it. Then try your mouse. You may need a reboot too in between. For many laptops you need to pick one or the other to use for input.
Also sometimes in the touchpad manager software there is an option to automatically disable the touchpad when an external mouse is connected.
ok thanks guys
Because I apparently cannot get any luck in life, I now have another computer problem, fortunately this is easy to state:
Any program that opens a "Open File" or "Save file" dialogue box WILL crash the program immediately everytime. This includes but not limited to:
iTunes, Word, Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer.
Any help would be appreciated.
King
heehee when i read the topic title i thought it said computer tribbles ;D.
i had a similar problem in music-tech last week. i was typing an essay, and the program crashed just the same. when i logged back on at recess to re-type the thing the problem was gone. not sure if that can be of any help to anyone, but that's what happened to me.