So my computer asploded

from Sins Forums
On start up it says something like config/system is corrupt. Its either a virus, which means a hard drive wipe, or I need a new battery for my motheboard.

Plasible causes:

(My sister's argument) My video games, and that doesn't make sense at all considering I'm 99.999% its a virus.

(My argument) My sister and her boyfriend using limewire.

Everytime that I've seen them use it there has been an error on start up but it has gone away from restarting again. When it asploded i signed on my account and my desktop picture was gone. The computer was uber slow and no programs would launch. So I restarted it and got that error message that won't go away. I asked my sister's boyfriend if he was running limewire and he said yes. WTF. HE NEEDS TO F*** UP HIS OWN COMPUTER! HE'S A HUGE TECHTARD TOO! HE DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT LIMEWIRE DID THIS, HE DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RAM AND HARD DISK SPACE, AND WHEN I ASKED HIM WHY THE HELL DOESN'T HE RUN LIMEWIRE ON HIS COMPUTER HE SAID "BECAUSE ITS NOT INSTALLED."

wtf

Please post what you think messed up my computer. Hopefully a thread full of techies saying "it was limewire" will convince her not to let my sister's boyfriend on the computer and that limewire should never be installed. Ever.

Hopefully a hard drive wipe will work. I need a job to get a good computer that I will never let anyone else touch.

EDIT: BTW I'm obviously not writing this from my computer. I'm writing this from Kiernyc's computer.
off-topic
104,633 views 32 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Either way it sounds like you do in fact need a re-format/clean install. I would not recommend trying a "repair" because in my opinion that would only be a band-aid solution.

As far as Limewire vs Video Games bringing in a virus? Hands-down Limewire. I've never heard of a Video Game bringing in a virus (and I've been a "geek" for a very long time - since before GUI OS's were around) but I've repaired a lot of family member's computers after their use of Limewire and such other programs allowed all kinds of "nasties" on their systems.


the Monk
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Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
It was definetly limewire. i had the same problem. it totaly thrashed my computer and had to wipe. LIMEWIRE SUCKS NEVER DOWNLOAD
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm only an IT semi-pro, but I'll second the notion that Limewire (or any P2P app) is a much more likely infection route than playing a PC game.

If you had an antivirus app and kept it updated, this situation seems like a good reason to try a different product. If you were not using protection, you should start immediately after you finish the reformat and clean install.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Hilarious! Someone claiming that games somehow managed to get viruses on your pc!

And then they admit to using Limewire!

Tell your sister and her raggedy-ass boyfriend to get the hell off your pc and to stop d/ling dangerous p2p programs and then trying to shift the blame on to you. I can't believe they're trying to claim it was games wot did it!

Better yet get that job and buy your own pc so no-one else can get their grubby hands on it.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Very careful with Limewire, you must be. I've used it a while back and there is a lot of garbage so you have to be very careful with what you get.

That said, it's not necessarily Limewire either. Once in a while, stuff just breaks. Hard drives get bad sectors, and if it just happens to land where some critical system file is, well.. you're screwed.

I've had to re-format once for no reason other than that I shut down the PC. I was playing a game, went to sleep so I shut it down. Next day my kernel32.dll is screwed :P
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Check if they were also using some handy little "chat" program that installs handy little "web toolbars".

I'm constantly having to clean up my sister in laws family PC from all this sort of sh*t, despite (constantly re-)installing spyware/malware/adware and virus blockers - which the idiots TURN OFF because they don't like the annoying nagging screen that pops ups telling them that something wants to ass-f*ck their computer and it might be a good idea not to let it.

Get solid spyware/malware/adware and virus software - password protect the settings and keep it/them up to date. Set up restricted user accounts that block installs for your sister and her idiot boyfriend and change the admin password.

B.t.w. We reckon its actually the dad in that household and not the two teenage daughters or their boyfriends!
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I agree that Limewire is much more likely to have caused the system corruption than a game. That is, as long as you didn't use cracks or pirated pirated software. Cracks are *even more* likely than Limewire to cause problems.

In any case, mutual finger-pointing will neither help you nor your sister. You won't find the exact reason anyway, there's always a *chance* that it was something else. For example, I had (unpatched) Civilization IV corrupt my Windows account. Things like this *do* happen.

What you should do (if you don't already) is to bring your computer's defenses up to par as soon as you got it working again. Check this site: WWW Link for recommendations of freeware security programs. Also, regularly save your personal data so that it doesn't get lost *if* something goes wrong.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The only way video games could infect your PC is if someone managed to slip a virus in during production, which has happened to commercial programs in the past but is extremely rare. Or if you are downloading games from a third party that could have slipped them in.

The ways most people get viruses are by surfing porn sites, file sharing sites, and downloading things from sites.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
Had limewire, had viruses. Got rid of limewire, got rid of viruses. Limewire/Kazza/most other P2P apps (and careless downloading from illicit sites) = viruses. <-- My 20 years experience (I'm 21, so life long actually :D ).

Now,it's YOU'RE computer, not the family's, right? I suggest you tell you're sister and boytoy (LOL! couldn't resist) that they have to either become adept at not downloading viruses (you must help with this as you're the one who would be saying this to them), OR, lock them out of you're system via password. It's what I would do (and actually have done).
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
My bro screwed up this computer with a load of junk from limewire. He got his own computer and now everything is fine aside from the slightly screwed up OS (the bluescreen of death) but its rare I have it because of the junk before. (havn't reinstalled th OS because parents have stuff they havn't backed up yet...)

NEVER USE LIMEWIRE IT IS EVIL. My friend had his computer fried by his sister on Limewire.
Its really stupid to use Limewire and then trust it. Set up a password or change your's to a new one.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thrawn, perhaps in the future you should not give either of them access to your computer.
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
First off, your sister and her boyfriend apparently aren't the smartest duo to grace our fair planet. After using kazaa and limewire to steal virtually half of the known music on the planet I quickly discovered that you not only get music with your free purchase but other things as well that don't play nice with your computer. Sucks to me as I had had to wipe a hard drive or two of virtually a music stores worth of selections to get rid of whatever some nerd in his basement thought would be a funny joke. It was funny just not at the time, more in retrospect. If you choose to STEAL stuff off the internet using limewire or kazaa or any other P2P you must except the fact that you get other things, ie: viruses etc that you don't know about. One of my old roommates used to do the same thing with the computer I built for him, thank god it was not mine(he F#$%ED that stuff up!). My suggestion, use the link posted above to get adaware and virus scans for your computer, use them at least once a week and tell your sister and her dumb@ss boyfriend to quit mooching and get there own shit. What kind of boyfriend uses his g/f's brothers computer to d/l stuff when he has his own shit to do that on? A cheap ass whore who's going to be the best burger flippin, fry throwin, shake maker known to man. IF and I mean that strongly, SHE still uses your computer set it up so she has her own account in windows that she can in no way install stuff on without your express permission. You set yourself up to be the administrator and password the HELL out of everything.
And tell that lazy a$$ whore b/f of hers to go make me a burger, no pickles. And a chocolate shake. Thank you and drive through please!

p.s. the reason I capped the word STEAL was not being duragatory towards anybody. I choose to "acquire" certain things still off the internet when I can't find them in stores or if I wish to preview before I buy. Yes I do that, did that with I AM LEGEND, great movie worth buying, just too short. WONT be doing that with TIMELINE god that movie sucked, thank god I saw it online before I went to the local movie gallery and waisted 10 bucks on it. All I ment with that was that if you choose to get stuff off the internet for "FREE", or "STEAL IT" then you must accept the fact some of it has viruses and the such. I do, and now take extra precautions when d/l stuff.
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
of course LimeWire isn't the problem, it's what you download with it. who would use LimeWire to download programs? blaming the client for this is like blaming Firefox because someone downloaded Bonzi Buddy or something.
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top
Sounds like your sisters boyfriend downloaded a virus disguised as something else through limewire. The notion that a game would cause a system crash is ludicrous!
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
The problem is...the computer isn't Thrawn's so he has to let his sister on too. That's why he said he just wants a new computer so they won't even touch it.
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ok i gonna be of no help here but laugh at the "assploded" line...... :LOL: :LOL:

Yes im feeling a tad immature tonight....
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
On start up it says something like config/system is corrupt. Its either a virus, which means a hard drive wipe, or I need a new battery for my motheboard.


What exactly does it say?

I had a similar error, which I now forget, and the problem ended up being a simple one-line command from the DOS prompt, followed by a restart.

Anyway, don't be so sure that you need to format or start replacing hardware. Google is your friend.
Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top
Format and reinstall is my best friend, it should be everyones. Keep everything important backed up and any sign of trouble, I start over, and everything is perfect again. The time it takes me to format and reinstall is normally about the same amount of time I spent fumbling through settings, endlessly restarting, and whatnot.

Also set yourself up as an admin and give them disgustingly restricted accounts, anyone who uses limewire should be punished :) a better alternative is Ares if you need the latest track that badly.


KP
Reply #20 from Sins Forums Top
so Thrawn, now u know its their fault.

are u gonna hit them now cause ifso... upload the happyslappin and post it plz :LOL:
Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top
Also set yourself up as an admin and give them disgustingly restricted accounts, anyone who uses limewire should be punished a better alternative is Ares if you need the latest track that badly.


I live around the block from Thrawn's, I've been to his house, you fail to understand it is not his computer it is everyone's computer so he has no control over what his sister (and any of her affiliates) do to the computer unless he has hard evidence. This thread is the hard evidence in his case, It's just he can't see it because his computer is dead and he is still probably arguing about it with his family.

I will have to get him to come over my house to see the success of the thread!
Reply #23 from Sins Forums Top
Well a wipe fixed it. I don't have to reinstall any games either! (Hooray 40 GB USB hard drive!) Like Kiernyc said, this is windows XP so she has her own Admin account with a password (I have one too). Hopefully I'll get a job soon and soonish after that I can get a new computer that SHE WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER TOUCH (or anyone else for that matter. )

Thanks for all the responses guys :D
Reply #24 from Sins Forums Top
I bit late, but i had an error like that not long ago. Turned out that my harddrive was damaged. Formatting and reinstalling windows fixed it, until the damaged part came in to use, so if that's the problem in your case too, the error will reoccur.

If i scared you, you can test it with a diagnostics program, that you can propably download at your harddrive manufacturers' website.
Reply #25 from Sins Forums Top
The problenm is not limewire. The problem is your family!