Duh?

[samizdat]

Dumb could be the title thread. I'm prob one of the least experienced & knowledgeable compu folk on this board, so please be patient if I'm dumb.

Anybody know how to turn off a laptop dell os windows starter- it's emachine, amd v120 2.20ghz. ntfs.

I tried the shutdown command msdos- shutdown - s & it worked for about a nanosecond. I checked the tools registry advanced tools & even tried shutting down thru the work manager. Nada.

I think it's a retro virus that infevted the boot to boot, boot, boot....

I tried restoring all files from factory- same (sos) old shit.
Thanks.

[Luke]

Actually we may be tied for least amount of computer knowledge. Have you tried holding down the on/off button? If not that maybe removing the battery?

[American Patriot]

Are you saying you can't turn the computer off completely?

If so... hold down the on/off switch and hold it for up to 10 seconds and it will shut down.

[Backstop]

Best make that a three-way tie.

[Malsua]

Pull the plug and take out the battery?

[American Patriot]

Tools to shutdown:



But i think he want it to restart again.

I wasn't aware he wanted a COMPLETE shut down. I'd have suggested he throw it into the ocean. LOL

[American Patriot]

I think a lot of newer computers have a lot of internal structure to control things like battery power and voltages. So you could perhaps control allowing the shut or disallowing the shutdown....

[Malsua]

Heavily polluted windows XP machines will often not shutdown.

Hold in the button and if that fail, pull the plug and take out the battery.

This problem used to be more common, I rarely see it any more.

What usually is happening is that some malware is pegging the cpu 100% to the point that the regular shut down process keeps getting interrupted. Generally a good spyware douching takes care of it.

[Backstop]

A BFH has always worked for me:

[samizdat]

Thanks for all the responses. Except for mal's, I already tried them all. & I will probably try that- /unplug & let battery drain/- but that has a bad result. Maybe not yet. My kids did this w/ mini laps... use it till it shuts down- and this lap has a dvd/cd but with their's I needed an external dd to reboot from bios, which did not accept usb or smart disc boots. Also it was hard even to get to bios & the batteries weren't same since. Worse the female- receiving charger- which I couldn't even get to after 2 layers- is fubard on one. ( I really mangled that laptop).

Thanks a lot for all the response. I'll think a bit b4 the next move. Probably, I'll reinstall a different windows, & another os, after reformating the whole dd, which has 4 parts.

Then I'll try malusa's trick if it still wont shut down.

I do have one intelligent question?

Can virus/malware etc. infect bios?

or take "control" as Peter sez? I did have kapurssky on this "maquina", and used it only as a recipient ip for cable to "nonwired". I don't understand cables or nets, reds since we cancelled compu class for "ranch duties" & the teacher's Mom is on dialysis.

Someone remotly get control of you PC.

Dont think this is it,but who knows?

& who cares. Nuthin secret files here.

[samizdat]

Come to think of it_ I posted a dumb thot. I could- unplug & remove battery. w/out the bad results that come from careless users who often let the system dive out while on battery power. Often the most simple & logical works.

I do have other abnormal problems. s/a105- 129- 135 volts (controlled) supposedly. There is a software to measure the performance of your volt regulator or no-break.

It could be remote control or remnants. I did have kapursky & the problem may have started when I shut down their slow (8kb) download from a geocities mirror. Certainly, kapurrsky has
"introvirus" or the ability to read, steal & replace all files. All "anti-virus" companies do.

So I'll probably unplug and reboot all after formating, or if it comes back clean, I'll just retain the original authentic w7 and install other os in other partitions.

The other anomaly is that the lap says it has no hardware for net card. Huh? Yet it receives cable and transmits to the wireless modem. I reinstalled a driver "correctly" yet it is "not".

so thanks, Mal et al.

I thought about the hammers, bastard files, etc., but laptop parts are like used auto parts. Screens & keyboards are $$$. Plus the memories & dd are good. & no files for kapurrsky. I never used the machine. It is a backup I bought very cheap. about 400 bucks. I like xp on a 2001 maquina w/ no color monitor. so probably, I'll unplug & wipeout w-7. Reboot w/ xp & later try unix. I'll never know what I'm missing.

[samizdat]

What usually is happening is that some malware is pegging the cpu 100% to the point that the regular shut down process keeps getting interrupted. Generally a good spyware douching takes care of it.

This happen w/ my xp, but due to 1gb memory, not malware. I do just that- boink.

The w-7 starter lap- nope- wont shut, suspend, hibernate-nada. I checked the task mngr- 0-5% processes. I'm stuck between unplugging or rebooting from a new disc after wipeout.

[Phil Fiord]

I am using win7 64 now. Laptop has 7 32.

I have not encountered that exact issue yet, but depending upon your update settings this could be an answer. I tell mine to download when available and install on shutdown. I would suspect if it was set to download AND install at shutdown, a system would hang, especially if the net connection were slow.

As to drivers and such on win7. The 32bit has no problems showing settings or cards etc. The 64bit will often tell me I have no internet, though I am cruising right along. Nor does ATI have a decent working panel program for 64 bit and on startup I get a MOM.Implementation error.

Still working out the MOM thing. As to the weird no internet thing, I suspect it has to do with using two routers. My closest one is pretty near blocked on most all ports. I set it that way. The base one is also firewalled, but not as heavily.

Sam. Just an opinion here, but I found Avast antivirus to be lighter weight and very good for that type of software. They offer a free home version that is plenty weighty for a home user.

[samizdat]

Thanks, Phil- and et al. This is extremely helpful, since Just fyi... Phil mentioned something that I never mentioned but may have caused the problem. This is extremely helpful, since I only have about 50 hrs. of rudimentary instruction and my class died out getting to "reds" or nets (cables, wireless transmision, wiring-& software tricks & tips.) Due to planting season & kidney dialysis for the teacher's mom, I'll be learning on my own for a while slowly, but I hope to be a compu "mechanic" part time. All the little anecdotes one learns are helpful. For those interested, I found that only in the past year- compu- tech learning is EZ w/ u-tube. 12-18 mos ago- there was nothing worthwhile on the web for self learning.

So how does Phil's tidbit fit in. (dumb again) since I don't remember exactly but i turned on this lap after perhaps 45 days (it just sat there receiving the enet cable-light on) but os never switched on. I figured, like one needs to start a car ever once in a while- I should open it- do windows update, then av update and shutdown. Being in a hurry (2gb) I probably did a manual w-update & kapurssky at the same time. I think w patches finished first & I was ready for bed so I cancelled av... in any case- I DO remember 4500 to 5000 windows updates actualizing . That seemed like too big a number.

That's part of the reason I suspected a virus that simulated or aumented windows updates ( or even a intro-spective-retro-virus from kapursky or due to kapurrsky & patches not being updated ) ... all the while- the e-machine never being turned on...just receiving an ethernet & sending it the the wireless - black box- not sure if that's called a wireless .modem or router. ....Really not sure. Sometimes I have to translate stuff.

So thanks again. ( I will prob try avast) I've had big probs with mcafee, norton & kapurrsky maybe. Be assured I'll have one or two intelligent questions, all might learn from from time to time.

Well probably I'll learn more, since I'm dumb & do not socialize or shoot the shit w/ my compu buddies or workfellows. Nor did I grow up on computers. But I'm fascinated.

So I'll repeat 1 intelligent q?

Can virus infect bios?

ok, since good intel Q's come in pairs....

After I carefully copy the 10+ gb original w7-starter recuperation files on 3 dvd's (1.50) as recommended by the emachine, should I go straight to cmos battery, pluck it out with tweezers, and reboot on unix, or get out the triune God of mercy and apply real jumper cables at 12 volts, while spilling coffee and dashing all those precious terabytes with a sledge hammer? Or try Mal's logical solution before the compu burns up?

Sincere thanks,
the duh? dumb student, who stumbled upon a rattlesnake today. (thank God it was already defunct- perfect neckshot by the killer.)

[Phil Fiord]

Indeed, I missed your bios question when I went into other thoughts.

Yes. A bios can be targeted by some forms of malware. Usually, it is code written in the the Python language and inserts malcode into the flash eprom on the bios.

In english. Yes. Some types of virus programs can infect a bios on the part that is used for a bios update.

Are you sure the closed laptop was actually online? There can be signs of traffic with a machine turned off. It is the nature of packets trying to connect to destinations. My home pc gets flickering router lights all day long when turned off.

That said, hardware conflicts and software issues are also a common source of problems. Unfortunately, virus infections sometimes look like hardware or software and vice a versa.

Should you change antivirus programs, you need to eliminate the prior one. Having more than one can negate the use of having one at all by conflicting. Also, antivirus programs tend to be heavy on memory use.

5,000 updates seems like a lot, and is, but I get almost daily updates from of 1 to 8 a day. Late Wednesday seems the heaviest. I tend to let it update and shutdown on its own.

As to what to update and when, let your antivirus update when the system is running. Avast does not require a reboot with its daily patch, only with program updates or installing. Others, I am not so sure.

With the OS update, let it do so uninterrupted, usually on shutdown. As a temporary measure, turn off OS updates and see if the problem persists to eliminate that as a cause.

[Phil Fiord]

btw, on bios updating. Just my opinion based on my experience. Never do it. What I mean is, if your bios and machine are working, why try and fix it. I killed a bios a few years back with an update. Had to get another motherboard. Never again.

In relative terms, motherboards are cheap, but it is time consuming to rebuild a system because of doing an unnecessary bios update that may fail.

[samizdat]

Thanks. I understand all your answers.

Are you sure the closed laptop was actually online? There can be signs of traffic with a machine turned off. It is the nature of packets trying to connect to destinations. My home pc gets flickering router lights all day long when turned off.

Not sure. I can find out quickly by doing the "unplugged bit", but I need to do a few other steps first, and I don't understand networks well. One red (-?ethernet) cord runs from the webstar cable modem to the wireless zonet router, and the other red line to the fubard laptop). If I unplug the red ethernet from the lap- I'll lose wireless, since the stationary machine- this one has a burnt out port for that and the mother boards are 9 years defunct. I configued the wireless default myself- years ago when I was even dumber and somewhere i read-or was told forcefully- that the enet must be connected and configured to a working computer with the red cord for the wireless to work. It does not have to be on. I do get flicking light below the e-net port- particularly when i start using internet. So truly- the mangled lap is a "dummy machine". & very likely it got virus while turnrd off.

[Phil Fiord]

I differ on that opinion Peterle. I have found Avast to be a far superior program and have never had a need or desire to try and remove it. Besides, all A/V programs embed themselves. What I like especially about Avast, is the very light overhead drain on resources.

Also, What you may see in your menu is a leftover. If you click it, does Avast run? Did you actually uninstall it?

[Phil Fiord]

Avast is NOT made by Norton (Symantec). I despise Symantec and McAfee. Different reasons, but despise them both.

https://blog.avast.com/about/

Established in April 1991 by co-founders Eduard Kucera and Pavel Baudis, AVAST Software a.s. (formerly ALWIL Software a.s.) is based in Prague, Czech Republic, where it produces the multi-award winning avast! antivirus product range.

[samizdat]

anti-virus discussions and fights are welcome. It is a vast "plenty of ground" to break issue. I do admit I like kapursky, but I'm gunna fidget on $$ this next year. Also kapurrsky is VERY heavy. As a slightly serendipidous event- I just "white-plaid" screened out, and sure enough- kapurrsky can "shutdown" this 1gb ram. when it updates automatically. Kapurrsky is a python on resources- it normally burns half a gig or more just turning on.