For starters, you need to double check the exacting spelling of the error message.  The first charcter in that string should be a zero, not an O, and most of the rest of those characters look a bit questionable too.  Svchost.exe errors can mean any one of a number of things, from a problem with sharing a printer to a bug.  Are your anti virus definitions current, and have you run a scan for malware with a reputable anti-spyware application?  (i.e., Lavasoft AdAware and/or Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta)

Hi,

If you have a backup disc for the Norton program, uninstall Norton and check if you get the same error message.

Sam.

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@bilikin wrote:

Flooby, thanks for your reply. You are correct regarding the error msg. It is 0xffbadd11 (note: 0 is a zero, there are two "d's" not three and the last two characters are numbers "11".  There was no dot in the string as you would see in .dll

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OK, that helps a bit.  I don't know if you're running the MS Virtual Machine or Sun's JRE on there, but you might want to check both Windows Update and/or Sun for updates to whichever app is installed, as that error message may be related to a conflict with one or the other of those apps.  In the case of the MS VM, any updates should appear in the Critical category (all of which should be installed as they become available).  I'm not sure how Sun takes care of things, although their auto-update component can be a major PITA sometimes.

Boot to the Dell diagnostics on your hard drive and run all the memory tests. 'Cannot be read' sounds like a RAM problem. You may want to open the case and reseat the memory modules in their slots too.

Ron

Ron,

I am running Dell Diagnostics Build 1073 booted up from the CD. I was not selective, just allowed it to run all. Memory seemed to pass just fine. However, it is running tests on the hard drive and showing "Status: Fail              Status Code: DOS DDG-D DISK 260 068". I assume the hard drive is failing and that I do not need to continue the test (4+ hours now).  Error count: 0084

Seems like a stupid question but is my assumption correct? My hesitation is that there is also a message "Msg: Block 69858353: Uncorrectable data error or media is write protected."  Each test brings the same message regarding the next block in the sequence.

Does sound like your HD is failing. Back up your data ASAP. If the system is under warranty, contact Dell for replacement HD. Be sure to give them the error messages.

You might want to run chkdsk/f from the cmd prompt to see if it can fix the problem and then run the HD diagnostics again, but you may ultimately have to replace the drive.

Ron

Thank you all for your help. I broke down Saturday and paid the Dell $99 one-time support fee to get this resolved.  Its a role of the dice as to the skill level of techs. After numerous hours and about 6 techs, formatting the hard drive and reinstalling XP, I'm up and working again. I appreciate the kind help you all provided. Unfortunately, the hard drive tests sidetracked me toward thinking it was a hardware problem, when in fact it was XP corruption.