What is wrong with my stupid computer?

[Dez]

I got a computer a few months ago when my old one broke, and after a few months it messed up so bad I couldn't even get the monitor on (the PC needs to be on for the monitor to get signal) and they had to reimage my hard drive so I lost EVERYTHING. Last night it failed to shut down but I thought nothing of it because once the computer came back on it shut down fine. This morning I tried turning it on and it won't go past the startup screen. I had to turn the computer off by the power button even though it's bad for the hard drive because that was the only way I could get it off. I'd have to take the computer back to the store that I got it at to get it fixed because it's under warranty so we can't touch it ourselves, but I'm scared that they're going to reimage the hard drive again, making me lose everything (any homework I didn't back up, any iTunes songs, pictures, fonts, NaNoWriMo novel) because my parents didn't get me a backup utility for anything but my homework and a few iTunes songs (the flash drive got full before even half my songs were on it). That would also mean I'd already have to go On Leave from Staff even though I JUST became a LH Operator. =/ My antivirus didn't pick anything up but I go on Facebook maybe once a day, TH, Yahoo!, MSN and Yahoo! Messengers, Neopets ( ), and another forum site where only my three friends and I are a part of, so can it still be a virus? What COULD be wrong with my stupid computer? I know you can't see it from over here, but I'd like some ideas.

[Digilodger]

Originally Posted by Dez

but I'm scared that they're going to reimage the hard drive again, making me lose everything (any homework I didn't back up, any iTunes songs, pictures, fonts, NaNoWriMo novel) because my parents didn't get me a backup utility for anything but my homework and a few iTunes songs (the flash drive got full before even half my songs were on it).

Free or Cheap Backup Options

The good news is that if you have the money to buy enough songs on iTune that even your flash drive (I'm assuming that it's a 4GB flash drive because a 4GB one only costs about $5 USD today) can only hold about half, then you have more than enough money to afford a backup service on your own, rather than asking your parents to pay for it.

4GB can hold about 500 songs easily, maybe even 800 songs, depending on their quality. This means either you have over a thousand songs or you don't have a 4GB USB flash drive (which costs only about $5 USD). If you stop buying so many songs, surely you would have some money for your backup service (they are not expensive these days).


Here's a list of free or cheap backup options, if you're interested:

1. Separate Data Partition on Hard Drive (Free)

• This won't save your data from a hard drive failure (unless your data partition is on another hard drive). However, this will save your data from a factory image restore or a re-installation of the OS.
  
  What you do is creating a separate data partition from your OS partition and store your user data on the data partition. By storing your OS files and your user-data files (documents, pictures, music, etc.) on separate partitions, your user data would stay intact even if you have to format the OS partition.

2. External Hard Drive (Cost: $60 and up)

• You can get one for about $60 USD and up; even cheaper if you catch one on sale. Two years ago, I bought a 500 GB external drive while it was on a sale for about $42 USD and it's still working fine today; that's cheap compared to the value of our data.
  
  Now, with the recent flood in Thailand, you probably won't find an external drive for about $40 USD today; still, $60 USD for 500GB isn't too expensive.
  
  Combine with CrashPlan (free for personal use), you've got a pretty solid automated backup system in place.

3. Online Storage/Backup (Free or premium)

• ADrive offers 50GB for free. It doesn't have auto-sync or auto-backup; so you would have to manually do the work, but 50GB should be plenty for your documents. ADrive has been around since 2007.

• Windows Live SkyDrive offers 25GB for free, with a limit of 100MB for each file (used to be 50MB). Launched in 2007, it is part of Microsoft's Windows Live services, meaning you will need a Windows Live account or Hotmail account to use it.

• Amazon Cloud Drive offers 5GB for free, but songs bought on Amazon MP3 won't count toward to your storage. As of the time of this post, if you pay $20 USD a year, then Amazon will give you 20GB of storage PLUS an unlimited storage of music (read more about this offer here). That's less than $2 USD per month!

• SpiderOak offers only 2GB of free storage when you sign up. However, for each referral, both you and your friend can earn an additional 1GB; you can earn up to 50GB of free storage under their referral program. (And yes, the SpiderOak link that I have there is a referral link, giving each of us one additional GB, if you choose to install SpiderOak.)

• Dropbox offers 2GB of free storage upon signing up. However, it gives 250MB for each referral, up to 8GB. With a student email address (e.g. an EDU email address in the USA), each referral would give you 500MB and 250MB for your friend, up to 16GB. (And yes, the Dropbox link there is a referral link, giving 500MB for me and 250MB additional storage for you, if you choose to install Dropbox.)

Personally, I use a combination of the three for my backup needs. I store my user data on a separate partition, occasionally backup my data on an external hard drive, and sync my files using Dropbox.

I use Amazon Cloud Drive to store all of my music because songs purchased on Amazon MP3 don't count toward my storage limits. (I already bought most of the songs from Amazon anyway since the prices there are usually equal or cheaper than on others like iTunes.)



Recover Files When Windows Won't Boot

If you are afraid of losing your data, then BEFORE sending it to the tech guys, you could have gotten in there and rescue your important files. As long as your hard drive is still working and your data aren't encrypted, you shouldn't have any trouble. (Since you mentioned that your computer can be fixed by re-imaging, I don't think it's a hardware problem. )

First, you need a flash drive of at least 4GB. If you don't have one, you can get it for about $5 USD. (As of the time of this post, you can get a 8GB Scandisk Cruzer USB 2.0 flash drive for $3.79 USD on Amazon.)

Then you can either utilize UNetbootin and manually setup a bootable Linux OS on your flash drive, or you can head over to PenDriveLinux.com and take advantage of their Universal USB Installer. (I recommend heading over to PenDriveLinux and use the Universal USB Installer if you aren't a tech savvy person.)

At this point, all you need to do is boot from the flash drive into Linux and move the files you want from your hard to the portable Linux. Job done; your files are safe!

Originally Posted by Dez

My antivirus didn't pick anything up but I go on Facebook maybe once a day, TH, Yahoo!, MSN and Yahoo! Messengers, Neopets ( ), and another forum site where only my three friends and I are a part of, so can it still be a virus? What COULD be wrong with my stupid computer? I know you can't see it from over here, but I'd like some ideas.

First of all, I am 99.99% sure that visit more than just Facebook, TH, Yahoo, MSN, Neopets, and that certain forum. Those just happen to your most-visited sites. Are you seriously telling me that you have NEVER perform a search on a search engine and clicking on their search results?


Anyhow, like you've said it yourself, we can't see your computer from over here so it's kind of rather to tell what's wrong. But here are a few ideas (at least what I have in mind):

If your computer works normally again after reimaging, then it probably isn't a hardware problem.

Since it's a software problem serious enough to make your computer unable to go pass the startup screen (what do you mean by "startup screen" anyway? ), it probably something you downloaded and installed on your own, or something transmitted from an external device (e.g. your flash drive); or worse, something you did on your own.

So give it a thought: What you did, what programs you had running at the time, what software and drivers you installed, what you have on your flash drive, etc.


I don't think it's a malware you catch while browsing on malicious sites or clicking on random links because they shouldn't have destroyed your whole system like that. Those types of malware are meant to make money for the distributor, not destroying your system. They want you to at least get pass the login screen.


If it's a hardware problem, well, then the tech guys should have fixed it for you; and it shouldn't have happened again. (Where on earth did you buy your new computer anyway?)

You mentioned that you couldn't get pass the "startup screen." What is the "startup screen" that you spoke of anyway? The BIOS? The loading-windows? The Welcome screen? The login screen?

Anyhow, no idea on this one. If it's a hardware problem, it could be anything. A loose connection (can definitely happen while shipping the computer around), defective RAM or hard disk, etc.

[Paradise]

Yes he has given some great backup options above.
But as to whats actually wrong.. Assuming you are running windows could you explain in more detail what 'startup screen' it won't past?

Will it not go past your omputer brand screen or won't it get past the windows logo?

Jamie.

[Dez]

It wasn't getting past this COMPAQ screen, but it's good now! All I had to do was leave it off while I was in school and it somehow sorted itself out again. O.o

But I got the computer from this place called Aaron's, by the way. Dunno if that helps any.

[Digilodger]

Originally Posted by Dez

It wasn't getting past this COMPAQ screen, but it's good now! All I had to do was leave it off while I was in school and it somehow sorted itself out again. O.o

But I got the computer from this place called Aaron's, by the way. Dunno if that helps any.

I thought you said you sent it already . Oh well, good to know that it works fine now. If it happens again, you probably want to pay attention to the "beep" sounds from the BIOS.

-----------------------------------

Hmm, Aaron? I don't know whether we're thinking of the same Aaron, but it has a little . . . shady past. Check this out!

PC Rental Store Aaron Accused of Using Webcams and Keyloggers to Spy on Customers: [News on Gizmodo], [News on Arstechnica]

And from the articles:

Crystal and Brian Byrd found this out the hard way in 2010 when they rented a Dell Inspiron laptop from Aaron's, which they paid off in full in October of 2010---one month ahead of schedule. Aaron's didn't record the last payment correctly, however, leading an Aaron's store manager to show up at the Byrd home in December in order to repossess the computer. The store manager then produced a photo of Brian Byrd using the machine, taken with the Inspiron's webcam, as apparent "proof" that the Byrds were still using the computer.

The Byrds ended up calling the police, and an investigation later concluded that Aaron's "routinely installed the PC Rental Agent" on all of Aaron's rent-to-own computers. Law enforcement confirmed that the product indeed permitted the company to routinely take webcam photos, screenshots, and log the keystrokes of its customers without their knowledge or consent.

Interesting, no?

It's unclear how many other photos Aaron's might have collected on the family, but Brian Byrd told the Associated Press that he was concerned about the content of photos that were potentially taken of his wife and child.

"Crystal gets online before she gets a shower and checks her grades. Who knows? They could print that stuff off there and take it home with them," Byrd told the AP.

[Dez]

It probably is the same Aaron's, when my mom forgot to pay the bill one month (she was going to pay it within a few days) they deactivated my hardware with what probably is the "PC Rental Agent" (I turned on my computer and then it like suddenly restarted itself and a red screen came up saying my hardware had been deactivated) and I couldn't get the computer back on without a password. =/ Freaked me out. I didn't think they could do it.

[Paradise]

I'm not sure it possible to remoteley disable hardware? BIOS deals with what happens when, and assuming you are not using Wired internet, this is not possible..

[Dez]

A red screen came up stating that the hardware had been disabled and to call the provider for more information. It pretty much wouldn't let me do anything until I got a password from the store, and if I tried to bypass it I could have caused damage to the contents of my computer.
It also seems possible to "take control" of a computer, a helpful tool in my IT class. My teacher can shut off or take control of our computers when we're not listening.

[Paradise]

Very interesting indeed, I've never come across anything like yhis lol.
Yeah our school uses Impero which can turn off various things on the school computers.

glad its sorted anyway

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

In schools, all the school computers are connected to a common server and have their own intranet or system to log onto. Depending on the program and settings, you may see a symbol in the top right hand corner of your screen, such as a pair of googley eyes or something else to indicate the administrator is screen-watching and could control your computer. However, for your home computer it sounds like malware was installed and can open a "back-door" for unauthorized people to access your computer. It may not be detected by an anti-virus program if it disguises itself as a non-harmful file. Alternatively, it could be malware that can affect your anti-virus software and gives a fake image that your computer is screwed over when it really isn't.

I had a similar malware once that replaced my background image with 0s and 1s, firewall was going crazy, Norton couldn't load, and my computer kept pouring out lists of various viruses, worms, trojans, etc... in my computer. I kept getting a message that said if I pay by credit card, all this hassle will go away. I went to Staples, paid a few hundred dollars (which I later found was way over-priced) and my hard-drive was wiped clean. I had a large back-up file storage unit so the documents, music and pictures I wanted could all be saved. Afterward, I beefed up my security system.

Next time something like that happens, download and run either TDSSKiller (by Kapersky) or Hijack This. It will give a log of information that you can post online for people to interpret, unless you understand it. TDSSKiller is apparently more thorough but more complex, so Hijack This logs are preferred. They're free to download and if your anti-virus software is compromised, these programs should still run. There's also Malwarebytes, also free to download, which can be fairly useful but is limited as to the types of unwanted computer pests it can handle. If you are wary of certain files or your entire system being compromised, you can try TrueCrypt 7.0, which is very secure for encryption. If you encrypt a file with this, it will make a new drive (A-Z) that you can use if you open TrueCrypt 7.0 and type in a very lengthy password of your choice. Otherwise, you can see an encrypted file but when you click it, the computer cannot open it unless you type in the password. It's free to download but is somewhat complex to use at first.