As of yesterday, my computer just started restarting itself for no good reason.
I did download trojan dropper (crack.exe) in a program that I never installed and have deleted
it. I downloaded that over 2 weeks ago and didn't have a problem, so I don't know if the two
are related. Any suggestions as to why the computer might restart on its own would be appreciated.
It can take a few minutes or more - it doesn't seem to be consistent. I have been in Internet
Explorer when it happens, but also it just happened in the middle of a virus scan. I'm puzzled!

Thanks,

KJ

Heat is a large contributor to system restarts. (CPU intensive operations falls into this catagory. ie; virus scans, etc) Check all case ventilation holes, the power supply air intake vents, fan/outake vents. Check your CPU fan/heatsink assembly for dust buildup. My article here covers cleaning;

http://www.d-a-l.com/articles/library/72.html

NOTE: As is stated in the article, do not remove components with the unit plugged in (mainly memory modules and CPU). If you are going to remove components for cleaning, unplug the machine. The "trickle" current supplied to some motherboards with the unit plugged in can damage components if you're removing them.

Also note that if you are using a paint brush to assist in dust removal, it should be natural bristle. NOT nylon etc. These can cause static.

Bad drivers, or memory can also cause random machine restarts.

If your machine has run OK in the past with no driver updates, you can try reinstalling your display drivers. (Corrupted display drivers are a main culprit.)

You can test your memory with this tool;

http://www.memtest.org/

Use the appropriate downloaded file to create either a floppy bootdisk or a bootable CD. For a floppy, unzip the files to an empty directory and (with a floppy in your drive) run the install.bat file. When complete, you won't see any files on the floppy, but they are there. Just boot the machine with this floppy and run it as long as you can afford to. If there are errors, run it on one memory module at a time to narrow down the possibilities. (ie; Remove all but one module.) You may have to set your bios boot device sequence to boot from the floppy (or CDROM) drive first.

There's also the MICROSOFT MEMORY TESTER
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

All excellent advice! I found an article yesterday that deals with cleaning on my own that made sense:
http://askbobrankin.com/computer_restarts_itself.html
Yes, the insides of my computer was like a dust factory supplying the other electronics in my house with dust. So I cleaned everything the best I could. Maybe I will go back in and clean better because I'm still having problems. I have had display issues in the past. For some reason, the driver for my digital display goes away for no apparent reason and then I have to plug in my analog cable and reload the driver (Viewsonic).
After cleaning yesterday (I did have to give a little push to my rear fan for it to start, so that's a little odd), I had the computer on for an hour with no problems, but I wasn't using it. When I started reading the article about Alex Rodriguez possibly resigning with the Yankees on MSN, I got the blue screen with a message of "A fatal exception OD occurred at 0028:C000B28A in VXD VMM (01) + 0000A28A. The current application will be terminated." Then it says I can hit a key to continue and it will go back to my screen, but will eventually happen again. In the end, I just get locked up and have to restart. I downloaded Spy Bot to go through and check to see if I had some program causing this and will check into my results. Most of the error messages have that "VXD" or "VxD" accompanied by VMM.
It's interesting that you mentioned anti-virus as a culprit as well. Would it be worth suspending mine (Symantec) to see if that could be it? Maybe now that Microsoft has washed their hands of Windows 98SE, it's their built-in way to get you to get Vista!
Again, I will check out your article on cleaning, but it seems as if my problem might be based on the anti-virus software as problems seem to happen when I'm on the internet?

KJ

Dan,

Are any of these capable of messing with my system?

Coulomb Ltd.
ISearchTech (remove through safe mode: c:\program files\ISTsvc)
RealDownloadExpress
Myway.Mybar
Altnet
NewDotNet
Sumom.A (this is a worm and seems bad news...)
VX2.f.MSVIEW (also seems possible as I keep getting VxD error messages - shows as c:\\windows\temp\dummy.htm)

I've researched all of these and the last 2 seem like potential problems to
what I've described. I should be able to get rid of all of them, but the Sumom.A seems like the worst.

Thanks!

KJ

"I did have to give a little push to my rear fan for it to start, so that's a little odd..."

This is because the "bearings" in the fan are clogged/dirty. A new one would be in order. If you can't afford a new fan, some extra life can be provided by removing the fan and cleaning/lubing it.

If it's a case fan, disconnect the fan lead (paying attention as to the proper connector, and which way it attaches to said motherboard connector). Some are two wire, some are three. The third wire is the "sensor" wire which reports RPM to the bios. Then remove (unscrew) the fan from the enclosure. (Again, paying attention to it's orientation. Case fans (at the rear) usually blow OUT. Fans in the front of enclosures usually SUCK IN. There are exceptions based upon enclosure design, but this has to do with air flow from different fans "crossing" or interferring with the air flow from another fan. Things have to work in conjunction, not against each other. ie; Fans shouldn't blow directly towards each other.) Once it's out, brush off any dust/gunk that you couldn't reach before. When it's cleaned....

On the back of the motor, there's usually a (round) sticker providing the info for the fan. (Voltage, etc.) This can be peeled off exposing the shaft in the centre. A quick shot (not flooding) with a (nozzle-directed) solvent/lubricant (WD-40) and hand spinning the fan usually frees it. Once the fan is spinning freely again, a drop of ~light~ duty (3 In 1 Electric Motor) oil will lube the bearings and provide some additional life to the fan. Then clean off any of the afore mentioned solvent and any excess oil from the "sticker" surface and cover the surface with a small piece of plastic electrical tape cut somewhat to fit to reseal the shaft. Reinstall the fan and connect the lead.

I forgot to mention that a weak Power supply also contributes to these type of problems. If this machine is a proprietary machine (ie; Brand_Name - Dell, Compaq, SONY, IBM, Lenovo, Hewlitt Packard, Gateway, Packard Bell, etc) and you still have the P.S. that came with your machine, and you've added components, it's probably insufficient at providing clean/adequate power any longer. Proprietary machine power supplies are of "just enough" wattage to power the original equipment. It boils down to manufacturing costs. "This is the machine, this is enough to run it". When you start adding peripheral cards in slots, bigger video cards, hard disks, CD/DVD burners, you're seriously taxing the original P.S..

If this slow/stiff fan is the power supply fan, the above procedure will work the same.

CAUTION is advised here. If you have never worked inside of electronics enclosures before, or are not completely comfortable doing the following, don't do it. Get a new power supply.

That said.......

The P.S. must be (disconnected of course) and removed from the enclosure and opened to gain access to the fan. (There will usually be a paper "seal" or two across the enclosure mating surfaces which must be cut to seperate the cover from the main body.)

Once the cover is off, do not put your fingers, or any tools, around the interior components. ONLY handle the fan and it's lead connector if present.

Some fans have a connector just like the motherboard connector, and some are "hard-wired" in. If it has a connector, follow the above procedure to remove the fan and perform the maintenance. If it's hard-wired, remove the mounting screws and "hang" it outside the P.S. enclosure to do the work. (Hang maybe the wrong word, but you should get the idea.) You should have just enough room to get the fan out by tilting it and lifting it. Thoroughly clean off any P.S. vent holes before reassembly. (Remember, P.S. fans blow OUT. On ~all~ fans there are arrowheads embossed on the side showing rotation and air flow direction.)

If you go to all the above effort, don't forget your CPU fan AND heatsink. The fins on a heatsink gather dust and gunk rather quickly. The fans are smaller, but the same principles and methods apply. CPU fans usually blow "up and away" for air flow. (Again, I've seen exceptions. Just note the original orientation before removal.) Heatsinks can usually be left in place. Clean/brush once the fan is pulled from the heatsink. Blow out any disloged dust from the motherboard and case before reassembly. Can be messy, but you can always run the vacuum cleaner across the table and floors when you're done.

"I have had display issues in the past.... For some reason, the driver for my digital display goes away for no apparent reason and then I have to plug in my analog cable and reload the driver (Viewsonic)."

This may be due to power, heat, corrupted drivers, or bad memory. Process of elimination applies here. Eliminate heat and power requirements first. Then memory, then drivers. All the "good" drivers in the world amount to squat if the memory is having "hiccups".


"A fatal exception OD occurred at 0028:C000B28A in VXD VMM (01) + 0000A28A."

A word about VMM/VXD errors;

The VMM32.VXD file is built dynamically. When you install windows, a basic file is constructed based upon your hardware and software at the time of installation. As you "progress", adding software and hardware, this file is "updated" to incude the parameters required to run all of these things. So "rebuilding" it usually means a reinstall. (Rebuilding it can be done, but it's an arduous task.) Most "sources" providing answers for these type errors advise a reinstallation.

When you start getting these errors, it's "Uh-Oh".

This can be precluded by a simple measure. (The "scanreg/auto" (or similar wording, I forget, it's been awhile since I ran 98) should be enabled in msconfig, Startup tab for this to work. (Start, Run, type in msconfig) It has to do with the "Scanreg/Restore" function of Windows.)

Add the following two seperate lines to the ~very end~ of your C:\Windows\scanreg.ini file;

Files=30,config.sys,autoexec.bat,winboot.ini,io.sys,msdos.sys
Files=11,vmm32.vxd

Add them as the very last two lines. This will add the mentioned files to your Restore Backup files. (Especially the very precious VMM32.VXD file. Winboot.ini (if present) supercedes msdos.sys. Some programs/troubleshooters will add this file. If it's there, fine. If it's not, the entry is ignored, so don't worry about it.) The other files are good to have included as well. The "Restore" function, in it's basic form, only backs up;

system.dat (hardware related database),
user.dat (user selected profiles/parameters, etc),
system.ini (hardware initialization file), and
win.ini (windows environment initialization file).

so having your other "main files" is a good measure. Corrupted msdos.sys files are common occurances.


Your scanreg.ini file should look like this when you're done;
=================================================================
;
; Scanreg.ini for making system backups.
;

;Registry backup is skipped altogether if this is set to 0
Backup=1

;Registry automatic optimization is skipped if this is set to 0
Optimize=1

ScanregVersion=0.0001
MaxBackupCopies=5

;Backup directory where the cabs are stored is
; <windir>\sysbckup by default. Value below overrides it.
; It must be a full path. ex. c:\tmp\backup
;
BackupDirectory=

; Additional system files to backup into cab as follows:
; Filenames are separated by ','
; dir code can be:
; 10 : windir (ex. c:\windows)
; 11 : system dir (ex. c:\windows\system)
; 30 : boot dir (ex. c:\)
; 31 : boot host dir (ex. c:\)
;
;Files=[dir code,]file1,file2,file3
;Files=[dir code,]file1,file2,file3
Files=30,config.sys,autoexec.bat,winboot.ini,io.sys,msdos.sys
Files=11,vmm32.vxd

=================================================================

"It's interesting that you mentioned anti-virus as a culprit as well. Would it be worth suspending mine (Symantec) to see if that could be it?"

Symantec. IMHO - Bloated Resource HOG. It makes your machine run "overtime". (Read - Heat generator, slow downer, etc, etc.) And it's documented in various help forums how it's screwed up many machines by "fixing problems" it's found.

My "opinion" is dump it. Uninstall it. Get rid of it. Send it as far away as you can. Pluto is a good place.

(The Symantec site has a "Removal Tool" which helps get rid of all the things it leaves behind. Yes, it's stubborn. At least they provide this;) http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgen...005033108162039

For an A_V, I recommend Avast!. It's trouble free, it works great, and it's free.

(An aside; I also recommend Comodo for a firewall.)


I don't profess to being any kind of spyware/malware expert, but I'm quite sure that

Myway.Mybar
NewDotNet

are "undesirables".

Dan,

WOW!! I'll have to get right on this to be able to start up my computer again before the new year!

I think the lube of the fan is possible for me. The power supply I'll look into. It was a machine that was built for me and I have had it since 2000. So I'm sure it's reaching it's life-length. I think I can add those two lines in that you mentioned. I'll have to check the internal fan to see if that's running. I never got those error messages before and they coincided with the restarting problem. I'm sure if I read between the lines, I could figure out what the connection is, but could you summarize what your theory is on the connection of the error messages are with the restart problems? Not virus related, but related to heat/power supply problem? Related to Anti-Virus program? All of the above? Where can I get a new power supply (how do I know what I should get?) and what does it cost?

Thanks again!

KJ

Dan,

Well, I did what I could. The good news is that I had the computer running for 3 hours with no restarting. I was able to access the motherboard fan and lubricate it. That was the easy one! The power supply fan is MUCH more involved and when I started to look at what I would need to do to get in there, it looks like that's where the building process began and everyhing else came after the power supply enclosure was in place. Lots of plates under plates with screws, etc. which means that the fan doesn't seem accessible. I have a pin oiler that I can drop a few drops into the windings, but that's all. The label on the fan is right there at the back and there are four little holes in that plate that covers it, but right in the middle where the shaft would be, the metal cover is solid in the middle. I guess if I was really careful, I could drill a small hole there and then stick my pin oiler through the hole and through the label to lube it. Probably not the best idea!

Anyway, like I said, no restarts last night, which is good. I removed a lot of spyware programs and left Altnet, the Sumom.A (not sure how to remove that one yet, although, it's mostly registry key stuff - the olther stuff associated with it is not there), and ISearchTech (have to do this in Safe Mode, I think). I do use a P2P program, so I might leave Altnet because it might be related to that. However, I am still getting an error message after I added those two lines to the C:\Windows\scanreg.ini file:

Files=30,config.sys,autoexec.bat,winboot.ini,io.sys,msdos.sys
Files=11,vmm32.vxd

It looked exactly like you said it would when I was done. I'm getting this error now:

An exception has occurred at 0028:C0090890 in VxD SYMEvent (01) + 000111F0. This was caused from 0028:C024C5D5 in VxD VMM (13) + 000005D5.

Again, it's not consistent. I got it more constantly when I was shutting down. I can hit any key to get out of it. It may come back soon or not soon. There was also a message when I started the computer about how the system found a good copy of system restore or something. I wish I had written it down, but I've NEVER seen that message before. Any thoughts on the new error message? How about the power supply fan? I'll look into the Avast! over Norton. Of course, I paid for Norton...

Thanks again!

KJ

Sorry to be away for so long. I Moderate on two help forums/sites and contribute to several. I rely on Email notifications of sites/topics I reply to. Somehow I don't get those from this site. (All the "settings" are in place in my Profile, I'm just not getting notifications.) I have to remember to get back here and manually check on things.

Here's a couple of links which may relate to your errors;

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=189655
(Applies to 98FE)

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=256850
(Applies to 98SE)

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=253241

It's been a long time since I ran 98 but, open Task Manager (Ctrl/Alt/Del) and (under Processes) look for any Symantec/Norton processes which you don't want running. If found, right click them and "End Process".

Click Start, Run, type in msconfig. Under the Startup Tab, uncheck any Symantec/Norton entries which you don't want started on bootup.

Open Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs and uninstall any Symantec/Norton elements which you don't want.

Click Start, Run, type in regedit. Expand and navigate down to;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and look (below, under SOFTWARE) for the keys for any Symantec/Norton elements which you don't want. If found, right click on them and choose Delete. Confirm as required.

Then Expand and navigate down to;

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software and look (below, under SOFTWARE) for the keys for any Symantec/Norton elements which you don't want. If found, right click on them and choose Delete. Confirm as required.

Exit/close regedit.

If none of the above apply, you can try an "over the top" install of 98. (I recommend clearing out as much unwanted Symantec/Norton information/programs as possible first though.)

You start off installing as you would with a clean install. (Using a Win98SE Boot Disk*, choosing "Boot with CDROM support".

The install will find the "previous" registry and use it in the installation. When it gets to the point of WHERE to install, it will come up with C:\Windows.000. Change this back to the original C:\Windows to avoid a second full installation. It will rebuild the VMM file(s).

This type of install will leave all your personal files/settings intact.

With the addition of those two lines to the scanreg.ini file, you should be (in the future) protected from VXD/VMM problems. A simple System Restore will then replace the damaged/lost/corrupted files. If you choose this route, ensure the scanreg.ini file retains those two lines after the reinstall.


*The above bootdisk image file is a self extracting file and has to be executed (run) from a running Windows machine in order to create the actual startup diskette on one of your floppy disks. (This image file produces the same bootdisk which 98SE creates.) This downloaded image file will format the floppy disk to ensure its integrity, write the files to the disk, then verify the file write, so it'll take a minute or three to create the bootdisk.

Ensure the floppy drive is set as the first boot device in the bios.

NOTE: When you boot a machine with this boot floppy, it creates a RAMDRIVE in system memory to contain DOS system tools/drivers. Thus it will move your "normal" CDROM device/drive letter "up" one level. (If your CDROM is normally E: it will be F: when booting with this bootdisk.)

The path to the found CDROM will be set with the bootfiles, so entering (example) A:\>f:\setup is the same as entering A:\>setup at the A:\> prompt. There is no need to include the cdrom drive letter. The path dictates the instruction (command line input) will look at the CDROM for Setup before it looks elsewhere. The CDROM device letter will be assigned near the end of the floppy boot process, right after MSCDEX is loaded.