Name: sebsytheboy Date: July 31, 2004 at 10:03:21 Pacific Subject: Internet disconnection due to OS: windows ME CPU/Ram: 512 mb ddram
Comment:
Hello can someone please help me with a rather annoying problem I have had for a week now. Whenever I connect to the internet I get disconnected within 5 minutes and when I look in my ctrl-alt-del list there is something called Del followed by a letter then 2 or 3 numbers. The numbers are different each time. ie: dela437 deld32 or delb168. This is obviously the problem but I don't what it is or how it is working. I can't find any files or exe. files called del. BTW I am using AOL 9.0 narrowband. I did once get something pop up in my ctrl-alt-del box within the last week called eros and when I located the file it was an application and I removed it. It didn't appear to be trying to dial up or anything but it just appeared out of nowhere so I deleted it. It hasn't popped up again since but must not have anything to do with my "del" problem. I hadn't downloaded anything on my pc off the internet on the last session before this problem started or for many many sessions before and never open e-mails from suspicious addresses so haven't opened an attachment. I had this problem about a month back and tried many things until I finally eradicated the problem by running the AOL computer check up program which comes with AOL 9.0. However this hasn't been successful this time. Other things I have tried to no avail are Running AOL computer checkup Running AdAware 6.0 Running CWShredder Running Spybot search and destroy ver 1.3 Deleting every single cookie Completely deleting the history from my recycle bin deleting temporary internet files (which was done by AOL computer check up) Uninstalling and reinstalling AOL None of those things have worked. Just to mention when I had this problem a month back every time the DEL thing booted me off the internet it would then attempt to dial a number so it must be a dialler of some sort. However it is not doing that this time it just boots me off but doesn't attempt to dial up anywhere. Also when I get kicked I can connect to the internet again and I won't get kicked again and find a DEL entry in my ctrl-alt-del list as if it has thought oh well I tried once I can't be bothered to try again.
Also I am not sure if this is connected but sometimes (not evry time for some reason) for the last week or so (could have been doing it bofore and I never noticed) when I start my computer it does all its usual stuff with all the info over the black background then goes to the windows ME logo then back to the writing and it comes up with something that hasn't been coming up before (until the last week or so) it will say: Windows cannot upgrade file 1% from 2% 1%: 2% then it waits a few seconds then says Windows completed upgrading file. Like I say I have no idea if this is connected to my disconnection problem but any help would be great.
Well I think thats about it. Any help will be very much appreciated and I hope to stop this bugger disconnecting me all the time.
I wish I could solve your problem but all I can do is offer you suggestions in hopes of somewhere along the line, it may resolve your problem. The first thing I noticed in your posting is that you didn't mention if you ran an antivirus program - I don't know if you unintentionally omitted this or not. Before I would run a antivirus program I would first open the hidden files by: double clicking "My Computer" on DeskTop, click "Tools"(on Toolbar), click "Folder Options", click "view" tab, select "Show hidden files and folders"- and then click "Apply" then click "OK". Then restart your computer to make sure new setting takes effect.Then run a antivirus program. If you can't stay on line long enough, run it in safe mode. While you have now opened these "hidden files", as in the above, you might also do a search for files you were looking for in your posting.(After your done do not forget to change "files and folders" back to their original setting - at this point you'll want to select "Do not show hidden files and folders" ,as in above directions. Moving onward here, have you checked your "Add/Remove" in Control Panel to see if you had any unwanted dialer programs or anything that maybe suspicious? If you don't have "firewall" protection, I'd very strongly recommend getting one immediately, it offers tremendous protection. I personally use "Zone Alarm" firewall because I don't get the errors from "Zone Alarm" that I got when I was using "Sygate", though "Sygate" is good protection. Both of these are totally free programs available fron the internet. The "Window Updates" should not be taken lightly. IF you don't already have ALL necessary or required updates, I very strongly recommend getting them as soon as possible can as some updates protect your computer from "intruders". Moving onward, you might go to C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files and see if anything looks mysterious in the "Downloaded Program Files" folder. I very strongly suggest reading the information at the following site as it will tell you how and when to run programs of which you may already have - it will tell you how to change your settings in "Ad-aware" for a much better in depth scan. http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/tshoot.htm In my opinion this is a excellent site in which I find the instructions easy to follow. Moving on, you can read about and download the free trial of "RegVac" at: http://regvac.com Let it clean your "registry". I found it very easy to use and even has "Novice Mode" to clean the registry. Using the "Novice Mode", it is very safe to use when cleaning the registry. I have never used the following program called "a2 personal" but thought it may be of use to you. You can read about and download at: http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/personal Apparently this above program blocks dialers as well though I've never used this program so I cannot tell you how efficient this program is. Though the following may not directly cure your problem, you may read about and download "CookieWall" at: http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/cookie.htm Note: Though "Ad-aware"(in which you say you already have) gets rid of "trackers", they may come back depending on what sites you go to. Now please note this: If you use "CookieWall" IN CONJUNCTION WITH "Ad-aware", "CookieWall" WIll NOT ALLOW COOKIES TO ENTER YOUR COMPUTER IN THE FIRST PLACE! Read more information on "CookieWall" at the above mentioned address. It is a totally free program.I let "Ad-aware 6.0" find the "trackers/COOKIES" and then I place these "COOKIES" in "CookieWall" to permanently keep them off my computer. "CookieWall" has more functions than I described here but read all about it at above address. I know this posting is quite lengthy but maybe it will help. Good luck.
Hi. Thanks for taking the time to write such a long post it is much appreciated. I clicked the show hidden files and folders box and went to search and typed in del. It came up with loads of entries along the lines of dela347 delc284 del3464 etc etc. These are what have been coming up after disconnecting me form the internet. I deleted them all. However next time I go on the internet I get disconnected again by a del thingy. There must be something somewhere on my pc creating these files to kick me off the internet everytime I log on. But I can't see any files or folders or anything that look suspicious. Also I don't know if it's related but for the last couple of weeks my scandisk hasn't been working which is odd. It just wont scan. And when I tried to use disk defragmenter earlier this morning that wouldn't work either. I fear that a complete fresh install of windows will be needed. I hope not though.
p.s. The last time I got a del thing before I deleted it I double clicked it and it said it couldn't find the file Blindman.exe Is this what is causing it? However there is nothing called blindman on my pc anywhere. Also if it can't find it why is it still working to kick me off the internet?
sebsytheboy, With regard to the LAST TWO paragraphs of your "Response Number 2" posting, this "blindman.exe" file IS used by "SpyBot Search & Destroy". The following site SPECIFICALLY REFERS to this file. Please read it at: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/25.html Though this site does not solve your problem, it will surely help you to understand what's going on with your computer. I will get this posting off to you right away but you may keep checking back here as I might come up with something else that may be of importance to you. And by the way, if you should happen to resolve your problem somehow, please post back here and let me know,thanks.
For the "windows could not upgrade the file 1% from 2%" problem you are looking at a corrupted wininit file. Look at this post: http://www.computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/18059.html note - if you do not have file extensions enabled, the file you are looking for is called wininit Also see http://computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/19774.html http://www.computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/36281.html (if the problem persists)
Hi. first of all I would like to say a massive thanks to everyone who has taken the time to help me out. It is very much appreciated.
The first thing I tried was to attempt to get scandisk working (get the little problem out of the way first) but I got nowhere trying to run it from my startup disk. So I went to the main problem of my disconnection issues and ran Panda Activescan after having disabled syatem restore. Scandisk then worked at the first time of asking as now also does disk defragmenter. So the 2 smaller problems are fixed. As for the disconnection problem with the mysterious Del entries in my ctrl-alt-del box. Well I have managed so far to write this entire post without being disconnected.
I have downloaded the latest version of cwshredder and ran it with nothing found and will download the latest versions of adaware and spybot later on.
The 1% 2% 1%; 2% problem has also seemed to have disappeared although I noticed that stopped occuring before I ran Activescan so it appears that didn't cause any problems.
Well I think that is everything fixed. Scandisk, disk defragmenter, disconnection issues (so far) and the 1% file thing.
All that's left is to say a massive thanks to everyone again for helping me out.
Sebs... I might surprise you w/ this answer! A SEAMY-SIDE OF THE INTERNET EXISTS!!! Do you realize... that ISP's maintain "logs" which indicate how-many "customers" USE... their services! These "logs" are then used as examples of "popularity" of the particular ISP. This, then, justifies ADVERTISING-RATES CHARGED!!! You may be just-one person but, logging back-on 5-times (for-example), indicates 5 LOG-ONS... as 5 SEPARATE-INDIVIDUALS!!! I ditched AOL for this reason (happened to me, also!) I now use Surfbest (@ $12.50 p/m - dialup) SOMETHING TO PONDER, AIN'T-IT???(!) Best wishes! DAVE
