dell laptop issues need help.

sirtokesalot · 06-23-2008, 04:43 PM

ok my laptop was just hacked like 2 days ago and it was crashed. since then i have installed windows 98 se on it and it seems almost good. it runs great faster than when it had xp but now when i start the pc up i have to pull the wireless card out or it freezes befor it gets to windows. when it does get to windows i push the card back in and it freezes again till i go to the task maneger and end task to msqrv32 (not responding) and as soon as i end task it the wireless card works exelent. is there anything i can do about this to make it so i dont have to do all this to get my internet working when i start the pc?

also when i go to certin web pages like youtube.com i get a iexplorer has performed an illegal operation and must be closed error. same results with different browser but says other browsers name then the error.

**OldGrayGary** · 06-24-2008, 09:28 PM

Hi sir

If your laptop is less than five years old, I'd recommend that you clean-erase the drive, and reinstall Windows XP. You can reinstall with either a retail XP CD, or with a Dell Recovery Disk set. If you no longer have the Dell Recovery Disk set (or restore partiton) that the PC shipped with, you can usually still order a new set. I believe the cost is still only around $20 (USD).

Windows 98 is getting difficult to secure for online use. Few antimalware vendors support it any more. Also, the poor use of system resources of the Windows 9x/Me series can be a constant problem with Win9x/Me PCs are forced to multitask heavily --as they must when on the Internet, with antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs running.

For systems built in the last three years, there is often no support at all for the chipsets on the mainboard. Timing issues can arise when the cpu(s) are faster than 2ghz. Software compatibility for Win9x has nearly disappeared.

An older standalone Win98se PC is fun to have around to run older games natively (so long as the games are local rather than online).
________________

Depending on what protections you have for your current Win98 installation, there's a chance that it too has been compromised by malware. Regardless of what OS you decide to go forward with, you might benefit from a complete rebuild. Rootkits aren't found by most scanners, the only sure way to truly get rid of them is to zero-write the hard drive (for some badly infested systems, I like to flash the Bios as well - to make sure no malware is lurking in there, either).

If you rebuild, make sure than any data you want to restore afterwards is thoroughly scanned for malware before you put it back onto your freshly rebuilt machine.

Also, as soon as possible, get up-to-date with all the latest Security Patches, and get Service Pack 3 installed.
________________

If your machine is actually from Win98se's heyday, you'll have to hope for decent Win98 drivers for your wireless card (good luck with that). You might benefit from trying an alternative browser too. Hopefully your wireless comes through a device with a hardware firewall built-in --- make sure that the firewall is enabled. Last time I checked AVG 7.5 still supported Win98se ... I haven't looked to see if AVG 8 does.
_________________

Best of luck!
. . . Gary

sirtokesalot · 06-25-2008, 05:18 AM

i do not have the xp disk and the laptop was designed for win 2000its a dell latitude cpx

**af3** · 06-26-2008, 10:03 AM

If you are feeling ambitious, you could try to contact Microsoft and have a new disc sent to you without having to buy a new license for Windows 2000. This would require a valid license of course, but if you can find a friend who has a copy, you can use that disc to install and just punch in your CD key found on license sticker. (Usually on the bottom of your laptop)

Layne Ruley · 06-27-2008, 01:00 PM

happened to me with my inspiron 5000
yeah 98se was faster than xp cause it had less fluff (if you know what i mean)
but hes right i had to put xp home 2002 (borred from a family member)
and you better do it fast cause there going to stop selling xp soon!
AND theres always ebay!

**af3** · 06-27-2008, 01:07 PM

Vista does less than XP (many programs unsupported and many hardware incompatibilities) so I don't see how I will ever upgrade. 3rd party security measures should keep me covered for quite a while after XP's end-of-life.

Layne Ruley · 06-27-2008, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by af3

Vista does less than XP (many programs unsupported and many hardware incompatibilities) so I don't see how I will ever upgrade. 3rd party security measures should keep me covered for quite a while after XP's end-of-life.

A-Men i hate vista i bought a acer laptop and i couldnt do any thing!

so........................

i borred (once agian) the xp home install disk and shes a buuti!
(i use her for work)

i use my inspiron 5000 for multimedia stuff games music video

**OldGrayGary** · 06-28-2008, 12:55 PM

Hi all

sir tokesalot - if you have a Win2000 installation disk, that would be a fine choice too. Once you have Service Pack 4 installed on it, it's USB and wireless support should be quite a bit superior to Windows 98. Win2000's hardware requirements are even lighter than XP's (in fact, Win2000's hardware requirements are very similiar to Win98se's).

Best of luck
. . . Gary

06-23-2008, 04:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
sirtokesalot Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 21 OS: windows xp home	dell laptop issues need help. ok my laptop was just hacked like 2 days ago and it was crashed. since then i have installed windows 98 se on it and it seems almost good. it runs great faster than when it had xp but now when i start the pc up i have to pull the wireless card out or it freezes befor it gets to windows. when it does get to windows i push the card back in and it freezes again till i go to the task maneger and end task to msqrv32 (not responding) and as soon as i end task it the wireless card works exelent. is there anything i can do about this to make it so i dont have to do all this to get my internet working when i start the pc? also when i go to certin web pages like youtube.com i get a iexplorer has performed an illegal operation and must be closed error. same results with different browser but says other browsers name then the error. Last edited by sirtokesalot : 06-23-2008 at 04:47 PM.

06-24-2008, 09:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 1,979 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: dell laptop issues need help. Hi sir If your laptop is less than five years old, I'd recommend that you clean-erase the drive, and reinstall Windows XP. You can reinstall with either a retail XP CD, or with a Dell Recovery Disk set. If you no longer have the Dell Recovery Disk set (or restore partiton) that the PC shipped with, you can usually still order a new set. I believe the cost is still only around $20 (USD). Windows 98 is getting difficult to secure for online use. Few antimalware vendors support it any more. Also, the poor use of system resources of the Windows 9x/Me series can be a constant problem with Win9x/Me PCs are forced to multitask heavily --as they must when on the Internet, with antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs running. For systems built in the last three years, there is often no support at all for the chipsets on the mainboard. Timing issues can arise when the cpu(s) are faster than 2ghz. Software compatibility for Win9x has nearly disappeared. An older standalone Win98se PC is fun to have around to run older games natively (so long as the games are local rather than online). ________________ Depending on what protections you have for your current Win98 installation, there's a chance that it too has been compromised by malware. Regardless of what OS you decide to go forward with, you might benefit from a complete rebuild. Rootkits aren't found by most scanners, the only sure way to truly get rid of them is to zero-write the hard drive (for some badly infested systems, I like to flash the Bios as well - to make sure no malware is lurking in there, either). If you rebuild, make sure than any data you want to restore afterwards is thoroughly scanned for malware before you put it back onto your freshly rebuilt machine. Also, as soon as possible, get up-to-date with all the latest Security Patches, and get Service Pack 3 installed. ________________ If your machine is actually from Win98se's heyday, you'll have to hope for decent Win98 drivers for your wireless card (good luck with that). You might benefit from trying an alternative browser too. Hopefully your wireless comes through a device with a hardware firewall built-in --- make sure that the firewall is enabled. Last time I checked AVG 7.5 still supported Win98se ... I haven't looked to see if AVG 8 does. _________________ Best of luck! . . . Gary __________________

06-25-2008, 05:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
sirtokesalot Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 21 OS: windows xp home	Re: dell laptop issues need help. i do not have the xp disk and the laptop was designed for win 2000its a dell latitude cpx

06-26-2008, 10:03 AM	#4 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: USA Posts: 757 OS: Windows XP SP3 My System	Re: dell laptop issues need help. If you are feeling ambitious, you could try to contact Microsoft and have a new disc sent to you without having to buy a new license for Windows 2000. This would require a valid license of course, but if you can find a friend who has a copy, you can use that disc to install and just punch in your CD key found on license sticker. (Usually on the bottom of your laptop) __________________ You are currently using 0 MB (0%) of your 7171 MB, what's wrong with you?

06-27-2008, 01:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
Layne Ruley Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 9 OS: Windows xp home sp1 2002 version and Windows xp pro sp2 2003 version	Re: dell laptop issues need help. happened to me with my inspiron 5000 yeah 98se was faster than xp cause it had less fluff (if you know what i mean) but hes right i had to put xp home 2002 (borred from a family member) and you better do it fast cause there going to stop selling xp soon! AND theres always ebay!

06-27-2008, 01:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: USA Posts: 757 OS: Windows XP SP3 My System	Re: dell laptop issues need help. Vista does less than XP (many programs unsupported and many hardware incompatibilities) so I don't see how I will ever upgrade. 3rd party security measures should keep me covered for quite a while after XP's end-of-life. __________________ You are currently using 0 MB (0%) of your 7171 MB, what's wrong with you?

06-28-2008, 12:55 PM	#8 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 1,979 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: dell laptop issues need help. Hi all sir tokesalot - if you have a Win2000 installation disk, that would be a fine choice too. Once you have Service Pack 4 installed on it, it's USB and wireless support should be quite a bit superior to Windows 98. Win2000's hardware requirements are even lighter than XP's (in fact, Win2000's hardware requirements are very similiar to Win98se's). Best of luck . . . Gary __________________