if the OS was installed "on top" the reg may still have old stuff in it... that's a dirty job tho... but if the registry is "dirty" there is hope your favs are still in there - not as favorites as such, so your browser would NOT pick them up, but the registry keeps all kinds of places that you visit, in other places.... if the cleaner didn't clean them out already.

STOP errors are nasty. i will check that on MS knowledge base and follow up with you in the computer forum if i find anything useful. maybe someone there already knows what is going on, who is more into IT/maintenance than i. there are better experts in that regard, tho in my hey day ... i was a software engineer and have worked with NT since before microsoft released it because the app our company was developing was integrated into the OS, so we had a developer's agreement with microsoft.

one thing you can check immediately, since you have suspicion there is a ram error is to have jeff open up the machine and re-seat the mem chips - simply take them out and put them back in, making sure they "click in."

right... off to dig in the depths of stop error 8E. more useful than playing hedgehog launch, i daresay!

~ waves ~

the stop error should give 4 parameters (in hex)

ie: 0x0000008E(param1, param2, param3, param4).

these give additional information on the error. i looked for your post on the computers forum but guess you have not gone there yet or maybe you didn't mean this computer forum. i am looking at other forums for useful responses also, but need these params, also for more specific info on the error from MS knowledge base.

and.... does the PC still boot ok in safe mode?

tx

waves

p.s. oh, and btw, if the memory was upgraded during the repair... might try putting in the old modules.

hi waves I did not post anywhere else.
thank you for your input.
Jeff is not here...so I will ask him about everything that you posted about, I don't think he opened up the computer at all.
He is afraid of the internal components, I asked him if he could install more memory he said that he could not.
the comp. guy did not install any new memory. jeff uninstalled service pack 3 as that seemed to be stuck , so he went to safe mode and uninstalled then reinstalled which took forever to do then he took avaste off and the firewall isnot working, so we are unprotected which is not good. I am off to work.
thank you again waves
oh he came home jsut now, doesn't remember any parameter 1,2,3,4 after the stop error.after the 8e it said:
to determine if the ram is faulty create an image file on cd to run test, he is afraid to do this and doesn't know how either.
He questioned also something about running a memtest 86t?????or a problem with the device driver. aavm subsystem detected an RPC error.
it is all very greek to me.
bizi
beth

hi bizi beth, lol

.sys files are driver files. looks like your system is crashing in a windows system driver called win32k.sys. however it is hard crashing (BSOD - blue screen...). if/when it happens again, write down anything (words or hex) which appears in parentheses after the words STOP 0x0000008E.

i don't like the fact that your system doesn't like SP3.

let's say, if it were me... i'd probably reformat and reinstall the OS and then use Windows Update to bring the system up to date completely. you would be vulnerable to attack until the update... but then again, you are now without a virus scanner and your firewall down. i know, this sounds like an overhaul... it is, but it is not really hard, just tiresome, and it sounds like jeff would be able to do it no problem.

i would opt for an overhaul, over a fix, considering things were limping along when you got the machine back ... it sounds like the guy "hacked it." you don't know *what* is in that system now. and, tho there may be hardware problems, there may not be.

so, just me, personally, i wouldn't pay someone else unless i tried doing and overhaul myself and the system still malfunctioned. at that point, i might want to hand it off to a professional who would have more diagnostic tools and could possibly detect hardware problems where i could not.

unfortunately i can't tell you how to create a ram image file software tho that be. nor have i heard of the memtest 86t.

what sort of machine do you have (processor?)

did it come with its own little package of diagnostic tools? some do.

======================================
some suggestions for possible insight into the current situation:

has jeff done a chkdsk... if the disk is damaged that could be the problem right there... and it might be fairly simple to solve. if chkdsk reports errors, it should then be run with the /f parameter (fix) but if system files are damaged those will need to be replaced... NT setup should be able to take care of that. Do you have a bootable NT setup CD? that is important before doing a chkdsk /f. then again, it may tell you your disk is just fine.

another useful thing might be looking in the Eventlog (the system section)... to see if there are any messages there that are indicative of what fails... say a service that tries to start and fails...

RPC stands for remote procedure call and that service is used for many things in the system to function, so a problem with RPC is NOT NICE. Jeff might go into Services, and check if RPC is started... if the services it depends on are started. again, the Eventlog will reveal errors if any of these services are failing to start up for some reason.

if you want to try to address the win32k.sys problem directly first, you can try. this Microsoft article talks about how to address a random BSOD with the 8E stop message:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945658/

if you decide to try some of those things PRINT OUT the instructions before you begin. you may not be able to connect to the internet while you are fixing.

lemme know if you need details on how to do any of the things i said, i didn't specify as it sounds like Jeff is pretty OS-savvy. otherwise, just lemme know how things are going, when you can... or if you decide to take the thing in to the other shop instead.

GOOD LUCK, and give Jeff a geeky "thwack on the back" on my behalf!"

~ waves ~

Dear Waves,
Thank you for your kind responces and helpful information.
we have windows xp.
He tried to run the windows check and it would not run the check.
He says that you are way more advanced then he is and that after multiple hours of trying to do things he is finally decided to take it to a new computer guy.
My vote was to buy a new computer...we may end up doing that...they have some really nice flat screen monitors now!
but they have vista on them and that OS has a bad reputation...so we are sort of thinking of trying to hold out until windows 7 comes out next year or having them uninstall vista and installing the xp to the new computer which is an upgrade to go back if you will.
It is weird our different sides of the computer act differently, my avast works fine when I am on my side...his is non functioning on his side...this doesn't make any sense...it is either working or it is not.
So tomorrow he is taking it in so I will be without a computer for who knows how long.
thank you again for your input, hubby says thank you too.
beth

has posts about SP3 upgrades that may crash your computer.

On our computer forum.

The SP3 upgrade conflicts with systems that have unauthorized Windows added by the manufacturer. This messes up alot of people.
Many people don't know that manufacturers made these short cuts..and they didn't become serious until the SP3 upgrade conflicted. The cheaper processors also conflict (Intel does not)
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ghlight=update

I'd get a new one. I wouldn't go nuts with this...it may be too complex to fix.

It is my opinion the Zone Alarm is more trouble than it is worth. It totally crashed our laptop.
I don't use it anymore.

Bizi,
there are programs that can "find & recover" your old files even after a format and OS reinstall.
I had to do it I used arax disk doctor {40 bucks ??bought online and downloaded - was worth it}

What I did was buy a new hard drive and install my XP on it and made it my main hd-
then I recover and saved files from the old one.
scan them for any bad stuff first.
after all the files are recovered to the new drive
you format the old one and use it for a backup drive.

How old is your machine? maybe we can help you decide whether it's time for a new one or not...
brand, model - speed, ram etc -if you can link to the details on makers site it might be easiest. or the model number on the box -I can look it up.

at the library again so this is very short and not very informative because jeff is not here and he is the computer guy.
thank you three for your input.
the monitor is 8 years old and the computer is a refurbished dell that is probably 4 years old, it has the 3rd service pack suposedly loaded onto the original windows xp, there is only 2 of something, maybe that is the ram....jef said he would want 3 or 4 in a new model.
thanks again when I get him back on line I will ask him about these things, by then we may have a new computer...lol
for about $1000 we can have a really nice dell with xp and a big very nice flat screen monitor and includes a cheap printer along with it. hubby could use that at work.
any way he is sick of spending his time trying to do things on the computer...he is behind on his teaching responsibilities right now.
So I consider his time valuable too. I would like to not have to always worry about the computer crasing and such.
thanks again you guys.
beth

that sounds great beth... it sounds like you two have considered the various options and at 4 years old, while that is not ancient, it is "getting on" as far as computers go and you certainly could be seeing some hardware issues - aside from having less ram or HD space than you would get on a new machine. I say go for it! (the new one COMES bundled with XP tho right? i mean, you would not be planning on using an XP recovery disk from your current Dell for it i hope - just in case - that will not work!)

here's hoping to see you on a brand new machine real soon! Tell Jeff too, I surely can relate how frustrating these things can be and they just eat up time like the dickens... i have several outstanding issues at home i'm just not up to dealing with, emotionally, lol... fortunately mine are not critical, so i keep delinquently procrastinating...

c u soon i hope



~ waves ~

Yep at a certain point ya gotta just give up on the bandaids. Can't patch them together forever...

Just built my parents a new machine since theirs was acting up - we had to get a new case & new DVD player last summer, so all i had to do is get new mother board, ram, cpu & hard drive- so all new now.
oh I did buy a XP CD for them since they only had an old copy win98 before.

If ya know a local person or place that builds them you can save about half the money...as long as they give a guaranty/warranty and use quality parts and not knock offs..
I'm the warranty /IT person for mom & dad