I may not have a computer here before long... SEVERE PC problems

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Holly3278

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Hey everyone. My PC has developed several severe PC problems over the past month which I have tried and tried and tried to fix and despite my relatively good level of techical knowledge, I have been unable to do so. The only solution to this problem is for me to reinstall Windows, and create brand new strong passwords for each of all the websites that I visit. Unfortunately, that would be impossible for me to do because it would be impossible for me to remember the passwords. I’m afraid to let my browsers remember the passwords when/if I reinstall Windows cause a hacker might get into my computer and steal them. This could happen despite the fact that I have advanced anti-malware software and an excellent firewall. So, in short, I’m probably going to have to get rid of my PC and internet. If I ever get to the forums again, it’ll have to be via the library and even then I probably won’t be able to get here anyway because most libraries now block forums and chat sites which are primarily what I use online. So yeah, the era of one of the things I enjoy most in life is coming to an end I believe. Only a miracle can save me and my PC now. I am going to make an attempt at doing this but I doubt I’ll succeed. Please pray for my success. Thanks.
 
Unfortunately, that would be impossible for me to do because it would be impossible for me to remember the passwords.
It’s not high security, but it is immune to hackers: I have a hand-written list of passwords. Well not passwords exactly, but hints to me about the passwords. I have 5 or 6 base passwords that I usually use, with a bunch of variations on them. So if I have (e.g.) Pw3123 written on my list, it means I used password 3, I capitalized it, and put 123 at the end.

Now, this is what I do at home–I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable doing it at work. But even if someone broke in and stole my computer, and saw the (unlabeled) password sheet and stole it too, they wouldn’t be able to break into anything much, because they wouldn’t know that password 3 was (e.g.) doggie (that’s the part I keep in my head), so they wouldn’t know that (e.g.) @pw3123 meant that the password to a particular site was @doggie123.

I don’t know if it helps, but I’m very sympathetic to the problem of too many passwords to remember! And it’s easier to remember a few simple words than a lot of strong passwords.

–Jen
 
It’s not high security, but it is immune to hackers: I have a hand-written list of passwords. Well not passwords exactly, but hints to me about the passwords. I have 5 or 6 base passwords that I usually use, with a bunch of variations on them. So if I have (e.g.) Pw3123 written on my list, it means I used password 3, I capitalized it, and put 123 at the end.

Now, this is what I do at home–I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable doing it at work. But even if someone broke in and stole my computer, and saw the (unlabeled) password sheet and stole it too, they wouldn’t be able to break into anything much, because they wouldn’t know that password 3 was (e.g.) doggie (that’s the part I keep in my head), so they wouldn’t know that (e.g.) @pw3123 meant that the password to a particular site was @doggie123.

I don’t know if it helps, but I’m very sympathetic to the problem of too many passwords to remember! And it’s easier to remember a few simple words than a lot of strong passwords.

–Jen
THAT is a good, secure system. You have the best of both worlds: “random”, unique, long passwords and encrypted, handwritten notes to aid your memory.
 
THAT is a good, secure system. You have the best of both worlds: “random”, unique, long passwords and encrypted, handwritten notes to aid your memory.
Yeah that really is a good solution to the password problem! 👍

That said, I believe everyone’s prayers are beginning to help. Earlier I was going to do a Windows Restore and for some reason, my wireless keyboard refused to allow me to use the F8 key during the booting process. I tried at least 3 times because I thought that perhaps I wasn’t doing it at the right time. I also hit the F8 key several times during each try because I know how easy it is for a speedier computer to zoom on by the boot process part that requires you to hit the F8 key.

Anyway, I because it refused to let me use the F8 key, I shut down the computer manually before Windows finished booting. I know that this is normally a potentially dangerous thing to do as it can mess up your Windows loading process.

Well, I was in luck. By some miracle, I chose to give Windows one more try and to search for another solution. As it was booting up, Windows Startup Repair Wizard came on. I let it do it’s thing just in case there was any startup problems. Well, there was a problem because it fixed something that was preventing my Norton 360 3.0 from letting me know about Norton 360 4.0 and my eligibility to update it.

Needless to say, when Windows booted up and Norton notified me of the new update, I immediately downloaded it because I knew that the new version of Norton would be far better than my then current version which was 3.0. I then finished updating it (ran Live Update several times to make sure it was updated) and once that was all finished, I headed back to the tech support forum that was giving me advice on how to fix this.

The technician on this free site then told me to download, run, and save a log file of a popular diagnostic utility. I did so and then put the contents of the log file in a post for him to review. I am now waiting on a response about my log file and what I need to do to fix any problems.

If this doesn’t work, I plan to scan my computer for viruses again soon (which I’ll do within 24 hours anyway so it’s not like it’s a special job that I have to do) in order to check once again for viruses and other malware.

Hopefully the solutions that I have in mind and/or the solutions that the technician has in mind will solve my problem. If it doesn’t, I may very well resort to a Windows Restore. I really don’t want to do that though cause I have at least 50 GB of data on this computer including approximately 30 GB of files that I don’t feel like taking the time to back up right now (I neither had the money nor the discs to back up my files in the past and so I neglected it). I am still pondering my solutions and other things related to the problem. As I continue to think, I will inevitably come up with some sort of solution whether that be a Windows Restore or just a heck of a lot of steps to fix my existing installation of Windows. I honestly prefer the the complex process (latter process/solution) because if I have to download and reinstall Windows Updates, all my programs (that are safe and wanted), and all other files, it could take a good week or so to get that done. I have DSL but some files on my computer have setup files that are pretty big 100-500 GB and those take an hour or two to download on my DSL sometimes. Plus there is the fact that I am not sure how to download Windows Updates and Norton 360 updates using a secure connection before any other programs are allowed to load. The reason I mention this is because if I have to connect to the internet using a temporarily unsecured computer, that still gives hackers plenty of a chance to reinfect my computer and start the process all over again.

So yeah, please continue to pray that God will give me the knowledge, wisdom, patience, and anything else needed to fix this computer without doing a Windows Restore! Thanks! 👍
 
Are you, perchance, plugged directly into the DSL modem? An inexpensive router will effectively hide your PC from the Internet-at-large. Some routers even have wireless built in, which can be convenient if you have a guest (though you want to password-protect the wireless).
 
Thanks everyone for the advice and prayers! If I did not respond directly to your question, it is because my PC security is currently at risk due to a recurring Trojan horse infection and so I ask that you please do not be offended at my lack of a direct reply to you. Once I have everything safe and secure again, I will try and respond directly to your inquiries. 😉

Anyway, I’ll say this much, I am making progress in eliminating the infection source which is the Trojan horse. I am receiving free professional tech support advice and am in the process of totally removing the infection and then repairing any damage that has been caused (which should be easy because so far I haven’t noticed any significant damage… I said it was a severe infection in the title because of the difficulty involved in removing this particular infection) to my operating system. Thanks again!
 
Hey everyone. My PC has developed several severe PC problems over the past month which I have tried and tried and tried to fix and despite my relatively good level of techical knowledge, I have been unable to do so. The only solution to this problem is for me to reinstall Windows, and create brand new strong passwords for each of all the websites that I visit. Unfortunately, that would be impossible for me to do because it would be impossible for me to remember the passwords. I’m afraid to let my browsers remember the passwords when/if I reinstall Windows cause a hacker might get into my computer and steal them. This could happen despite the fact that I have advanced anti-malware software and an excellent firewall. So, in short, I’m probably going to have to get rid of my PC and internet. If I ever get to the forums again, it’ll have to be via the library and even then I probably won’t be able to get here anyway because most libraries now block forums and chat sites which are primarily what I use online. So yeah, the era of one of the things I enjoy most in life is coming to an end I believe. Only a miracle can save me and my PC now. I am going to make an attempt at doing this but I doubt I’ll succeed. Please pray for my success. Thanks.
Lord, please work things out. Amen. mlz
 
Well everyone, I have resolved that if a few more scans don’t fix the problem, I am going to take it into the local PC shop here in town and have it professionally repaired. I trust this guy and he’s not too expensive but he is A++ certified I believe so that means he’s a professional. 😉 I was told by one of his employees that the typical cost for a repair usually runs about $65-$75. Hopefully mine won’t cost much more than that. I am almost 100% certain that none of the hardware is to blame because I have scanned my hardware over and over for problems using various programs and I check Device Manager for errors every so often as well and find none. But anyway, if you all could please pray for me that my PC would be able to be repaired easily, quickly, and without costing too much (I’d prefer the cost not go over $150 but will pay for the repair even if it does because the use of my PC is worth the extra money). Anyway, please pray that a good, cost effective solution is available and will be applied! Thanks!
 
Look for professional provider.Check for services that were used by some of the top companies in the world, and consistently receive positive feedback from clients.
file repair
 
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