• If you would like to get your account Verified, read this thread
  • The TMF is sponsored by Clips4sale - By supporting them, you're supporting us.
  • >>> If you cannot get into your account email me at [email protected] <<<
    Don't forget to include your username

Serious Computer Problem.. Advice Appreciated.

M

Mitchell

Level of Coral Feather
Joined
Sep 9, 2002
Messages
33,548
Points
63
After not having one problem with this computer, since I got it in August, 2011, the bottom seems to have fallen out. I would appreciate advice.

Yesterday, I got a message from my virus protection people, Avast, that my antivirus one year subscription was about to expire, and that I had to renew/update my antivirus. I went to the Avast website, and downloaded the latest antivirus update. When I went to re start the computer, weird things happened, like additional icons, including two yahoo im icons. Everything seemed to be working normally, though, until last night, when I had a form of a crash.

I was watching Jim Gardner's 11pm news from Philly, when suddenly the computer just shut off/shut down, and I got a message saying something like "Windows has shut down to prevent a system crash". It took, a long time for it to get started again. I decided to turn the computer off completely, and not just put it in sleep mode, thinking that maybe the battery on it was low.

This morning, when I woke up about 6am,. I went to turn the computer on, and I got the same message. "Windows did not shut down normally". Again it took a long time for everything to load. I seem to be able to surf the net. I went to the WPVI site, and it was working. TMF loaded for me today. However, something still isn't right.

I'm certainly not a techie, but, my thought is that I downloaded some corruption, or virus, with the new antivirus download I did last night. I've been using Avast for many years, and have never had a problem like this.

Also, Internet Explorer doesn't seem to be working for me. It just seems to be .. Gone.. I have the icon for Internet Explorer showing on my computer, but seem to be actually surfing the net with Google Chrome when I'm online.

I'm most concerned with the sudden shutdown of Windows right in the middle of my working on the net, and the messages that say it didn't shut down normally.

It's just a mess..

Any advice about what the problem could be, and what to do, would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
I would try to go back in time to right before you installed that Avast update using Windows' System Restore. Unless you specifically disabled this feature to save disk space or for whatever other reason, Windows should be regularly making "restore points" or backups of your system's basic workings, so you just need to locate the point created the soonest before you updated Avast and tell Windows to set your system back to that (don't worry, you won't lose any work you may have produced after that). How you activate System Restore varies depending on your version of Windows, so if you have any trouble getting to it please let us know.

This has happened to a lot of us Windows users: we install what we think is a normal, safe update of a program or utility as we've done a thousand times before, and who knows why but all hell breaks out. Good luck.
 
Thanks. I will try your advice. Heaven only knows where/how I can/will find the point you mentioned, but I'm certainly going to try.
 
If you find your way to System Restore, you should see a list of restore points arranged in chronological order. Then it'll just be a matter of picking the one that was made right before you let the Avast update do whatever it did to your system (and your problems with Internet Explorer are a telltale sign that the update did some pretty good messing with your Windows itself).

Again, any problems getting this restore going, please post back. Once more, I wish you luck and after your computer's prior healthy state is recovered we can deal with your options regarding your Avast.
 
First, what operating system are you using? If XP - don't use Explorer (and if it is XP and you don't want to/can't upgrade, I'm with ya on that). As for restore points, I have the thing set to make them periodically, but when I try to access one (which has been rarely), it tells me it can't be done, pick another. And, for antivirus, I've been using AVG - both the free version on one computer, and the paid version on another. It seems to work just fine, updates haven't messed with me (knocking on wood here).
 
Mitchell said:
Also, Internet Explorer doesn't seem to be working for me. It just seems to be .. Gone.. I have the icon for Internet Explorer showing on my computer, but seem to be actually surfing the net with Google Chrome when I'm online.
Click to expand...

That's an improvement at least.
 
Hope it worked for you. Next, if you're understandably reluctant to try that Avast update again after getting your computer back to its previous working state, I've just come across this article that lists other options for antivirus software in Windows. And some are free like Avast, though I've always believed in the adage "You get what you pay for."
 
Thanks, Ned. I actually hadn't had time to try anything yet, because I've been busy with work projects/seminars. I was going to try it this weekend. Thanks for the advice, and I will read the article you gave me the link to as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New
11/14/25
Visit Door 44 for tickling clips of all types!

Door 44
Live Camgirls!
Live Camgirls
Streaming Videos
streaming tickling videos on demand at the TMF!
Tickling videos on demand!
Pic of the Week
Pic of the Week
Congratulations to
*** brad1701 ***
 The winner of our weekly Trivia, held every Sunday night at 11PM EST in our Chat Room
Back
Top