Fix-It is a utilities program from Ontrack that performs chkdsk, defrag, disk snapshot, registry cleaner, fixer, editor & defrag, diagnostics, system monitor and explorer, crash-proof, virus scanner, several data recovery programs, and several other tasks of that sort. I only use a handful of them. (Not a bad little piece of software, btw, and I think I only paid $15 for it.)
Have to confess - I've never run a chkdsk /r and don't know what it is. I'm guessing the "r" isn't for 'repair' because it seems that would be the same as 'fix'. The problem is that the computer refuses to do a chkdsk. However, somone on another forum suggested I use the recovery console and gave me a link to webtree.ca which gives instructions. I chose not to do that at that time, and today decided I would, but wanted to see about the registry situation first. It makes me nervous to mess around in unknown (to me) areas - always afraid I'll mess something up, and even worse, that I won't be able to get back online for help. Think it's safe? Have to access it in that area between a reboot and Windows.
I had similar thoughts about not restoring any registry items - it would probably just confuse the issues.
The problems started March 6th, and I can almost pinpoint the time because in my post to another forum I mentioned that they'd started 3 hours earlier. Course, the actual causing event may have occurred hours or even the day before.
I thought of doing a system restore a day or two after the problems started, but when I accessed it, it was turned off. I also thought about using my Norton GoBack, but it was inexplicably empty.
I'm using Windows XP - sp2
Security: Ad-Aware, MS Antispyware, ewido anti-malware, Norton Antivirus, and Kerio Personal Firewall. The first thing I did was a full scan using each program, as well as a couple of online scans. Came out clean, which I figured would happen. I'd rather have a bug. ![<_<]()
Just now when I was looking for a log, I found a loose file in Local Settings > Application Data. The type of file is "Configuration Settings" and there's not much info. The name is a bunch of capital letters, dashes and numbers, and under "view" it shows "Root Entry", followed by lots of capital letters that don't spell anything, with lots of rows of "y"s, also. That's followed by another grouping that looks the same, then towards the bottom there's small letters and symbols, along with the abbreviations "auds" and "vids" and rows of "y"s. That's followed by another grouping that's very similar, if not identical. The "created" date is Feb 23 and the "modified" date is Mar 3.
Another application someone linked me to was Lavalys Everest Home Edition - a diagnostics program. I ran it again either this morning or yesterday, but can't find it. Will keep looking.
EDIT: ok, ran another scan with Everest. I sure hope that if there's a problem that they spell it out like: ERROR, or YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH... because there's no way I could figure it out in amongst 1-2MB of data that it spits out. So - assuming they spell it out, then I have no problems with computer, motherboard, display, multimedia, storage, network, directX, devices or benchmark testing of memory. oh, one thing I'm unsure of, at the end it had a small section titled "DEBUG - VIDEO BIOS", and then one more line titled "DEBUG - UNKNOWN", and then under it: Monitor EMC0309: Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB]. Does that mean there's a problem? That would make some sense based on an error I got on the first day this all started: "Warning - Event Source: PlugPlayManager The service "CiSvc" vetoed a target device change request.
sonsie