dg27, it would be helpful if you did a couple things:
1. Disable any unnecessary items from startup.
2. After restarting, see which errors you are still getting and post the error messages in their entirety.

The Dell tech support worked it out: I disabled a ton of stuff on the startup menu [how does it get there?] and I also restored some registry settings.

Everything is working now. Machine is faster than it's been in a long time.

Thanks.

Good deal!! Did you get the keyboard problem fixed as well?

Yes--the keyboard was the first thing "Nick" @ Dell tackled.

Now that everything is running I think it's time to do the upgrades I had planned previously but couldn't afford. Dell advised that I *not* upgrade my OS [was going to go XP] because on a machine as old as mine, there may be driver issues. Make sense?

I'm quickly eating up my HD space. Previously Dell said I could go 80 Gb and that I could add a second drive. I don't know whether they meant 80 total. My current drive is 21 Gb.

I've only got 128 in terms of memory. I believe I can go to 512, but the Dell site is unclear on the parity vs non-parity issue.

Lastly, I need to install an ethernet card to join the rest of the world and get rid of my dial-up [going DSL]. Are these a pain to install?

I've installed SCSIs and CW-RWs, so I'm not a complete neophyte, but some of this stuff is a bit scary...

dg

dg,

Go here for good responses on the hard drive/memory upgrade.

Thanks, zool!

Check your computer for spyware

Spyware installs itself on your computer without your knowledge. It eats up your computers processing power and vital bandwidth. Worst of all, it monitors your websurfing habits and may even take some of your personal information (ie:email address, credit card, ect). Then it uses your connection to the internet to report to an outside source. Spyware is a waste of your computers processing power, your internet bandwidth, and could be dangerous.

 

Download spybot 1.3 and scan your computer with it
http://kujoe.com/freeware/spybot.php
http://majorgeeks.com/download2471.html

Just disabling the items under Msconfig is not a long lasting solution .

Update and  question...

I was getting kernal32 error messages yesterday that wouldn't allow me access to anything online although I was connected.

After much aggravation Dell tech support advised that I should uninstall McAfee Personal Firewall [which was a free trial anyway]. They also advised that I get PestPatrol, which I did.

The first time I ran PP it came up with 28 pests--including several that according to the log showed up on 04.12.04--the day I had other serious issues that originally prompted this string.

All seems OK now, but I'm curious about why, after running PP and coming up clean, I ran SpyBot and found a "DOS Exploiter" and a "Common Hijacker," both related to HKey IE issues.

Why wouldn't PP catch these? Should I still peiodically run SpyBot in addition to PP? [I had been running the free version of Ad-Aware as well.]

Should I not have not have deleted the problems SpyBot found?

 

 

dg27,
None of the spyware programs catch everything. In addition to Spybot, you should try AdAware, a free spyware program but highly recommended.


You might also include some of the free Antivirus programs, AVG and TrendMicro's on line "HOuse Call". Both are safe and useful.

I hope you replaced the McAfee firewall with an alternative, it is necessary protection. ZoneAlarm has a free firewall. See if you can find version 4.5 somewhere. The newer version, 5.0 I think, has been reported as a bit troublesome.

Thanks--I'll have to look for a firewall. For now I'm running Spybot, AdAware 6 [free version], and PP.

Spybot always finds "Common Hijacker" and "DOS Exploiter." Can't determine what these are, but keep deleting them.