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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 28, 2006 - 10:48pm PT
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My computer has been a pile of dung since day one. It is a DELL. I know, I know, but it is a university machine, and I have no choice in the matter. Anyway, I've become convinced that it has a virus. It's newest (annoying) trick is to gobble up email messages as I click to open them. I get a message that says "operation failed". The message is then 100%, not to be found anywhere. I contacted the IT people about this and got the standard "we should reimage your machine" response. I refused. I fell for this trick many times before, when through huge hassles, and the machine continued to behave poorly.
So, this time, I searched on google and found some information suggesting that this is in response to being infected with the Happy virus. It suggested I rename or delete my normal.dot file, then reboot. So I've done so. But it continues to do this annoying email eating, and when shut down outlook, it asks if I want to save my new version of normal.dot. It's done this many times.
I keep running Symantec (with most current updates) and it finds no virus. Does anyone have any ideas on what might be going on? Much appreciated in advance...
Crimpie
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NeverSurfaced
Trad climber
Someplace F*#ked!
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:02pm PT
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Print this out as you will not be able to perform the function and read this at the same time:
1. Reboot your PC
2. After start-up go to "my computer" and select your hard drive (typically C drive)
3. Open up "Documents & Settings"
4. Open up "Owner"
5. Open up the systems file "Application Data"
NOTE: Your PC must be set-up to view hidden and system folders. If you don't know how to do this, e-mail me and I'll walk you through the process.
6. Open up the "Microsoft" folder
7. Once in the Microsoft folder hit "F3" on your keyboard to open up the search function
8. Select "All files and folders"
9. Type in "Hd032pko" and search.
10. While your computer is searching, beat the living shite out of it with a baseball bat or, alternatively throw a glass of water on the keyboard.
11. Go buy an Apple.
Hope that helps-
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TradIsGood
Trad climber
Gunks end of country
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:07pm PT
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I think you can probably skip the first 9 steps.
You could actually skip the first 10, but it would not be as much fun.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2006 - 11:07pm PT
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I did actually check with the IT dept to see if we had purchased the insurance that pays for the machine, no matter the cause of its demise. I have spent many nights dreaming of throwing it off a building, or down the stairwell. Sadly, we don't have that insurance, and it's the only "machine" I have so I'm stuck with it. Damn thing won't even catch fire due to the battery.
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TradIsGood
Trad climber
Gunks end of country
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:08pm PT
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Maybe your battery needs to be warmed up with a SVEA.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2006 - 11:19pm PT
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Thanks Raj, I'll try that. I'd love to buy any other sort of machine using donations for the "crimpie computer fund". Cash is preferred.
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TradIsGood
Trad climber
Gunks end of country
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:33pm PT
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Gee - and I always thought raj did not go to any porn sites.
LOL.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2006 - 11:34pm PT
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Ewido is running. I use Spybot and Adaware (in addition to Symantec) ALL THE TIME and none of these find any real problems. Hopefully this Ewido does the trick. I can't imagine what it is like to use a computer that doesn't act like a 186...
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andanother
climber
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:35pm PT
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Damn Rajmit, such hostility towards LEB!
Daddy hasn't gotten you that much therapy yet, huh?
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TradIsGood
Trad climber
Gunks end of country
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:36pm PT
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Kath, if you like the SVEA trick, you might want to check out the ways of dealing with a smelly tent.
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Wes Allen
Boulder climber
KY
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:39pm PT
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First ask your IT people if your exchange server supports IMAP and/or POP3. If so, then you can look into a buch of other mail clients. If not, then you are pretty much stuck with the version of outlook you have. In all my years of dealing with exchange server, from version 4.0 to 2k3, I have never heard of so many issues. Something is not right, but hard to say what. Maybe the image file they have is jacked? Ask them to do a manual install of all your software, rather then the image. Best of luck!
Wes
PS, my work dell almost never leaves the house, as I prefer my personal powerbook G4. And once I get a macbook pro, I will ditch it all together. Even though they pay for that laptop, it might be worth it to buy a personal use Mac, just to stop all the trouble.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 28, 2006 - 11:44pm PT
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I would love to buy my own computer, however, that requires either shoplifting or money. And I don't have any money.
We reinstall software frequently as it crashes frequently. I won't let them image anything. Installed all manually. The piece of doo doo machine has more than Outlook issues.... it's a Dell. Ewido is still running. All it's found so far is tracking software.
Thanks for all your suggestions so far...
Let me remind those of you who agree I need a new computer that donations are happily accepted to the the "Crimpie Computer fund".
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Blitzo
Social climber
Earth
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:45pm PT
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Get a Powerbook!
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TradIsGood
Trad climber
Gunks end of country
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:47pm PT
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For a Crimpie Computer Fund you must first invent an amazing personna. Get folks to regale the net with stories of your prowess soloing, playing the saxophone, and get in a car accident.
Or just say it was stolen out of the back of your pickup along with some trad gear.
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john hansen
climber
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Aug 28, 2006 - 11:49pm PT
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Let six parrots walk on the keyboard for three hours and perhaps that will fix it.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2006 - 12:00am PT
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Ha! John - your comment reminds me of a story. When Ferne was a youngin', he liked to sit on top of the vcr (which was on top of the tv) and look outside. One day I look over and he's scared because some smoke is coming out of the grill of the vcr. Yup, he pooped in the vcr. And it no longer worked. Well, it didn't work for about 6 weeks. Then it started working again! Weird.
I really would love to throw this machine off the top of my building at work. It'd be so cathartic.
Ewido is still running - 30 tracking items only so far. C'mon, give me a big virus!
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Ouch!
climber
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Aug 29, 2006 - 12:02am PT
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When Outlook gets corrupted, it is usually terminal.
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Wonder
climber
WA
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Aug 29, 2006 - 12:04am PT
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Rajmit, you ARE good at this, so please just help, dont hurt.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
St. Louis
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2006 - 12:08am PT
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Really Ouch!? Even if it is installed again (it was last reinstalled about 2 months ago). What ever is futzing it up is almost jacking with Word. It is tied to the Normal.dot file - which I know if related to EVERYTHING. Arg.
36 minutes later, Ewido still has found only 30 instance of tracking software....
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Aug 29, 2006 - 12:19am PT
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Outlook™ is Always terminal.
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