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10 Replies Last post: May 12, 2008 6:54 AM by kcihtred2  
Click to view marinebatosia's profile New Member 19 posts since
Aug 18, 2006
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May 8, 2008 6:35 PM

Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files

ever since the 6th of may when ever i get on the internet, or try to erase the history , cookies and temp files my whole computer will go to a black screen and then it starts booting up again , it does it randomly , but it always heppen when im doing something on the internet. i updated everything , in between chrashes, including XPsp3. im not sure what can be causeing this, i ran virus scans, malware, rootkit, and adware scans and nothing has come up.
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Click to view mphenterprises's profile Member Moderators 11,118 posts since
Feb 19, 2007
1. May 8, 2008 6:51 PM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files
Hi MarineBatosia. First, I have changed your Discussion title to give a clearer indication of your question. For future reference, please be as descriptive as possible in both the heading of your Discussion as well as the post itself.

Now, I have some questions for you:

  • You say that you ran security scans. Please detail exactly which applications you use. Also, have you run these scans in Safe Mode?

  • I would presume that you installed Service Pack 3 before this issue occurred. If so, did you try a System Restore to revert your computer back to SP2?

  • I really do not think this is a power consumption issue; however, what are the exact specifications of your computer, including Power Supply peak wattage? (You can find the Power Supply peak wattage on the inside of the computer on a sticker on the side of the Power Supply.)

  • Do you get any error messages when the screen goes black? Since you said it goes black and then restarts, I would assume that you do not get any messages.



This is my personal Dream PC: http://forums.pcworld.com/blogs/mphenterprises/2007/12/21/my-gift-to-myself
Click to view mphenterprises's profile Member Moderators 11,118 posts since
Feb 19, 2007
3. May 10, 2008 7:58 AM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files
There is still some information missing. Please post your computer's specifications. If you are not sure where to find this information, Right Click on My Computer and select Properties.


This is my personal Dream PC: http://forums.pcworld.com/blogs/mphenterprises/2007/12/21/my-gift-to-myself
Click to view SpiritWind's profile Old Hand 1,724 posts since
Aug 19, 2006
4. May 10, 2008 11:57 AM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files
:D Hi Marine :


I know Lavasoft/Ad-Aware comes in a "Plus" ver or a "Pro(fessional)" ver; which do you have ? Either way,

the "real-time" protection offered by either MAY be "conflicting" with the "real-time" protection

of Spybot , causing your problem !? At a minimum, I recommend you

uninstall Spybot to see if the problem goes away and then install the superior FREE ver

of "SUPERAntiSpyware" from http://www.superantispyware.com . IF the problem continues,

in addition to what MPH has requested, it may be wise to see what would be revealed by

you installing a program called "HijackThis", downloaded from

http://www.filehippo.com/download_hijackthis . After installation, click the "Open the Misc

Tools section" button, then click the "Open Uninstall Manager" button . A "List" should

appear !? "Copy" that "List", then "Paste" the "List" in a Post here .


For the BEST in what COUNTS in LIFE : http://www.tacf.org
Click to view mphenterprises's profile Member Moderators 11,118 posts since
Feb 19, 2007
6. May 10, 2008 10:24 PM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files
Hi MarineBatosia. First, I have removed some of the serial and personal information you posted in your last response. Please be conscious of any personal information that you may provide within any public forum. That would include name, address, phone number, Operating System Product Key, computer serial number, or IP address.

Now, I will touch on the technical aspect of your situation and I am sure Spirit will be along shortly to touch on the security aspect of your situation. I noticed several things that could be classified as "red flags." The most significant thing is the fact that your computer only has 768MBs of memory. Granted, Windows XP is not the resource hog that Windows Vista is; however, 768MBs of memory is not sufficient enough to run any Operating System effectively.

From the information provided, it would seem that this is a Gateway computer. Here are the specifications of your particular computer's motherboard:

FIC K8MC51G motherboard

According to the specifications, your computer can hold up to 2GBs of DDR 333/400 memory. Also, it would appear that your computer only has two (2) memory slots. So, this would tell me that your computer has one (1) 256MB memory chip and one (1) 512MB memory chip. On top of all that, your computer's motherboard supports Dual Channel which basically means paired memory chips will perform better than separate memory chips. Simply put, if you have two of any of the same kind of memory, your computer will perform better than having mismatched pairing, similar to what you have now.

According to Newegg.com, there are 77 memory chips that can potentially give you the added performance you need. Here is a list of all of them: DDR 333 or DDR 400 Memory Chips

I searched for 512MB, 1GB, and a pairing of two 1GB memory chips to give you some options. I would definitely recommend increasing the memory within your computer.

In the interim, let's increase the Virtual Memory of your computer to offset the lack of memory:

  • Right Click on My Computer and select Properties

  • Click on the Advanced tab

  • Under the Performance section, select Settings

  • Click on the Advanced tab

  • Under the Virtual Memory section, the Total paging file size for all drive: should say 768MB. Click Change


In situations like yours, or for anyone who would like just a little wiggle room for added performance, the Paging File (Virtual Memory) can be increased to as much as twice the real memory.

  • Within the Paging file size for selected drive section, make sure the radial button is selected next to Custom size:

  • In the Initial size (MB): section, you should see "768." Change that to match the Maximum size (MB): section which should say "1536."

  • Click Set

  • Click OK and Apply (Where applicable) to close all the windows


Now, since this only happens when you are on the internet on when you are attempting to delete Temporary Files (Cache, Cookie, History, etc.), I have three suggestions to try and resolve this situation:

  • Verify that you have the latest version of Internet Explorer (currently 7.0.5730.13) - It would appear that you have this latest version

  • Use another browser (the forum consensus is that Mozilla Firefox is very good - accessible here - latest version 2.0.0.14)

  • Use a third party application such as CCleaner to delete Temporary Files (accessible here )

Please try these steps and see if your problem persists.


This is my personal Dream PC: http://forums.pcworld.com/blogs/mphenterprises/2007/12/21/my-gift-to-myself
Click to view SpiritWind's profile Old Hand 1,724 posts since
Aug 19, 2006
7. May 11, 2008 10:49 AM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files

http://forums.pcworld.com/images/emoticons/grin.gif Hi :

From a Security Viewpoint :

1) You have 3 different outdated and very security vulnerable "Versions/Updates" of Sun's

Java ( J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 2, J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 6

and J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 9 ), making you susceptible to a "Vundo" and

associates "Infection(s)" ; should UNINSTALL ALL versions of this program you have; the

latest for your Operating System is at http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4648.html .

Should ONLY ever have 1 "Version/Update" of this program on your computer; when a new

"Version/Updatr" is released, it will be at the majorgeeks Site I quoted .

2) You have an outdated, hence security-vulnerable, version of AIM ( AOL Instant

Messenger ); AOL's is the most security-vulnerable of ALL Instant Messenger. Would

recommend you uninstall it and get a safer IM, like Yahoo's . IF you are going to continue

using it, get the latest version at http://dashboard.aim.com/aim AND use the FREE "AimFix"

program at http://jayloden.com/aimfix.htm on a regular basis .

3) "GameSpy Arcade" - I investigated using this several yrs ago; came to the conclusion

it was malware waiting to happen; therefore, recommend it be uninstalled .

4) "NOD32 FiX v1.9" - According to the Info at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/uninstall/1790/NOD32-FiX-v1.9.html

this is malware or associated with malware; most likely you got it through your suspect

uTorrent . IF you want to check the authenticity of this, ask on the NOD32 Support Forums

at http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=88 and/or use the "Search" feature .

5) "O2 - BHO: (no name) - {B5015583-B43B-41D0-A20C-C9009D7F9925} - (no file)" -

I could find no Info, either Positive or Negative, about this and it MAY be "linked" to the

suspect "NOD32 FiX v1.9" !? Best to have HijackThis "fix" it .

6) Spybot - The "Uninstall List" indicates you have an outdated Version; since I

recommended earlier it be uninstalled, this Info "confirms" my recommendation .

7) uTorrent and Limewire - these are "P2P" programs and the use of these

QUADRUPLES your Chances of getting Malware on your computer; therefore,

I recommend BOTH be uninstalled .


For the BEST in what COUNTS in LIFE : http://www.tacf.org
Click to view kcihtred2's profile Member 270 posts since
Sep 7, 2007
10. May 12, 2008 6:54 AM in response to: marinebatosia
Re: Computer Shuts Off During Internet Browsing or Attempting to Erase Temporary Files

also for a better erasing of your temps, try ccleaner here:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,24149-order,1-page,1/description.html

Visit other IDG sites: