108 replies to this topic

[compudodo]

ok....here's the nitty gritty on me, the machine and what i already read on this site. you have a similar thread started by Declan (nice irish boy) on Feb 22, 2008.... he said his machine wasn't copying a cd onto his MP3....well, that's all greek to me.... but i recently can't download anything from the disks i have in my possession with my software on them. I showed up here with a trojan....and because i am so stupid and don't know exactly what options to choose from.... rather than choose the wrong option when trying to shut off all the anti-virus programs i have, which I had to do in order to do the many myraid things you guys told me to do and download during this 3 day marathon with the trojan i had.... so i opted to just shut off the windows firewall completely and then dis-install the AVG, Adaware and Spyblaster since I had the programs on a disk and figured i would just go back, pop in the disk and re-install them. So.... side bar here.... someone made this machine for me...he has his own little computer shop....he did it as a kind hearted favor, because I really need a computer since I am unemployed for over a year now....and it is hard enough job hunting with no computer....so this very kind stranger made me this machine and shipped it out to me.... I noticed a couple of months into this that I couldn't insert a floppy disc, there was a slot for it, but nothing happened when I tried to retrieve old files i had on disk..... now I am a 60 year old clueless woman.... took me three years to learn how to cut and paste on this thing.....but I seem to remember on my old machine, whenever I wanted to save something to disk, I went to my computer, chose a drive.... and would pop in the disk, and was good to go..... when i went into mycomputer here...there was nothing to click on for the disk drive... and no light ever came on when I did put the disk into the slot...so i'm thinking...ok, look, something might have gotten loose in shipment, this was done out of the goodness of someone's heart..what the heck, so you can't access any of your old stuff on disk, who cares? (this machine is 9 months old) so around 2 months ago....i started getting two pop up windows... The INCD helper service is not correctly installed. InCD cannot start...and another not called InCD, the name on the error box was NBHGui..... that said the exact same thing...The INcd helper service is not correctly installed. But everything seemed to work just fine.... never had a problem with music CD's, never had a problem with programs I wanted to install from a dvd. ok...so these error boxes showed up now and again....but they were popping up every time now that I am rebooting the computer every 5 minutes for the last three days with this tech here who was helping me...who got very upset with me for un-installing the protection, and told me to re-install and if I had a problem with just how to properly shut them off for awhile, I could read up on it here...but it's all greek to me... honestly, I DID reinstall everything and try to understand shutting AVG and the other programs off, and It is just frustrating not understanding the lingo or the thought process or the strategy behind why i want one option over another option....so i secretely just un-installed everything again...and we proceeded to fight the good fight against my Trojan. So...the machine is finally clear.... i go to re-install my programs from disk...and nothing is working, the thing is whirring away like made, but nothing.... so i put in a music CD...and it doesn't do anything at all...a few clicks... but nothing. So I try other programs I have on disk...same thing. So Tom the tech guy who was helping me said, why don't you insert the Nero disc you have and see if the program will repair itself thru the disk...but the disk drive isn't working..... So I come over to this forum and see Declan has a similar problem back in February and I did the first two steps that your tech people suggested....i un-installed the dvd drive, rebooted and a new drive miraculously appeared. wow. i was impressed. how does this machine know how to do that? heaven only knows...anyway.... but it still won't work...so next plan was to do something with the upper and lower filters...i saved them to my desk top...i deleted both the upper and lower filters...and same thing...nothing is working. why did i save them to my desktop? was i supposed to click on the file and they would magically appear again like the DVD drive did? I don't know...all i know is I have this filter box on my desktop now. So next step was to go to CDGone.....but that is where they lost me...couldn't understand a work of it....made no sense,.... you HAVE to have a sense of what these things mean, what they do. and i just don't...so I did not attempt to do whatever it wanted me to do to the registry, because i would have no idea if what i was doing was right, necessary or might work. so...there is the saga and the problem.... of course, i also read it could just be a faulty laser that is no longer reading.... which means i'm screwed big time, being unemployed, dumpster diving for whatever food or bottles and cans i can trade in for cash, no heat in here.... this is fun and this means I will never be able to get it fixed, cause who has $100 to get a computer fixed? I just want to keep the phone and lights on at this point. So...don't know if you can help me.... I'm hoping you can...thanks for reading this soap opera saga and hanging in with me.

[tallin]

Hi Candice,

TomK has not yet closed your HJT thread, so we cannot attempt to assist you here until he does...

However, I would strongly advise you to get in touch with the person who built your system as he could do a 'hands on' in an attempt to correct all the problems you are having with it.

Did he give you a warranty with the computer? If so use it to your own satisfaction.

I am sorry you are having so much stress with the computer, so please consider what I have suggested to you.

kind regards,

Edited by tallin, 27 October 2008 - 02:56 AM.

[compudodo]

Ok...i went back and reminded Tom to close the thread. I am hesitant to contact this person, he is very far away in another state, I can't afford the $50 to ship it out to him ( I shipped out my old machine to him in before and that is what it cost to ship it there)...and anyway, i get the feeling he is regretting he did me this favor...he seemed to get his hackles up a bit when I informed him that the floppy disk drive wasn't working...he took extreme umbrage to that... i wasn't being critical, I just asked if he knew there is nothing when I click on my computer that allows me to access the correct drive to utilize the floppy disks. when and if Tom does close out that other forum topic...would someone please answer this question too: am i supposed to click on that desktop file about the filters and click on yes to add the stuff to the registry?

[Troy]

am i supposed to click on that desktop file about the filters and click on yes to add the stuff to the registry?

Not if you don't know exactly what it is, and what it's going to do to your computer.

If this is a registry file made up for you, as part of your Malware Thread, then make sure you follow all the instructions provided for you.

Troy

[compudodo]

no....the filters file on my desk top has NOTHING to do with the malware thread...... I said that I was trrying to be responsible, not clogged up web space on an issue that might have already been addressed.....I came to the hardware issues forum and looked to see if there was anyone one else that had this specific problem with THEIR computer...and I did find a thread started in February of this year by a young man named Declan.....I followed all the steps suggested in Declan's thread... I completed the first two tasks as outlined below...or you can go read the thread.... i put the filters file on my desk top....i have no idea what the reason for it was, i was just doing what the moderator told Declan to do to try to get his Cd/DVD drive working again..... the next step...going to CDGone..... I totally could not make heads or tails of it..... was too complicated, with too many warnings. so no..... i was not personally told my Tom, who helped me with the malware threat..... i tried to solve the problem by going to a previously established thread on this topic....isn't that what you advise people to do? why should I take up anyone's valuable time if I can go, as suggested by you people, to another thread and try to solve the problem using the steps outlined. So..... i'm sitting here with the filters file sitting on my desktop, have no idea why it was necessary to take them out in the first place and whether i should put them back.... I can't make heads or tails of CDGone.....just hoping someone out there has any more ideas to see if there is some way to repair this or it could be, as suggested on declan's thread, that the laser thingy just died and is broken. I don't know, I want to exhaust all possibilities before I have to resign myself to never having any working drives on this computer at all..... the floppy drive never worked, now the dvd/cd drive doesn't work. Just wondering if there are ways to frix any of this.

Edited by compudodo, 27 October 2008 - 06:52 AM.

[compudodo]

i'm still needing some help with this issue, have i exhausted all avenues of tinkering with this machine? is it necessary to give that CDGone thing a try? Can anyone help explain it to me? And again, what specifically did i do by putting that filter file on my desktop and what are the ramifications of having removed the upper and lower filters and what are the ramifications of adding them back.... will any of that perhaps fix the condition? Is the helpful person HFCG still around in these forums? Is there anyway to contact him/her to see if they might be inclined to help?

[Digerati]

I said that I was trrying to be responsible, not clogged up web space on an issue that might have already been addressed.....I came to the hardware issues forum and looked to see if there was anyone one else that had this specific problem with THEIR computer...and I did find a thread started in February of this year by a young man named Declan.....I followed all the steps suggested in Declan's thread...

For future reference, it is typically not wise to follow the advice given in another thread, even if the problems appears to be identical. There are nearly 1 Billion Windows computers out there, and within 10 minutes of being powered on the first time, each becomes a unique computer as users are setup, peripherals are attached, networking is setup, security suites added (hopefully), programs installed, and personal customizations are applied. And unless the two computers came one after the other on the assembly line, it is certain the hardware is quite different.

So next time, don't worry about clogging up web space - start a new thread for your problem and your PC. That's what we are here for.

I hope you have fully enabled your security system.

I don't the answer to your problem but I don't fully understand the problem either. So let's start over a bit - after reading through, I still don't have a clear picture. What are we working on? A PC I got. Since this is not a factory made computer, what is the make and model number of the motherboard? Do you have the CDs for the motherboard, Windows, and the optical drive?

What are the problems? The CD/DVD drive, and the floppy are not showing up in My Computer - does everything else seem fine?

Are there any errors in Device Manager?

Have you visually inspected the interior to make sure all cables are securely fastened, and did not come loose during shipping. Ensure you unplug the computer from the wall, and touch bare metal of the case before reaching in to prevent static discharge damage.

Is the optical drive properly identified in the BIOS? Date and time right?

[Tomk]

What said you had a Trojan?

For what it's worth, she had Vundo and Trojan.agent.

[compudodo]

I did my own scans and they indicated i had 2 or 3 trojan heurs..... so i googled trojan heur and found this web site..... tomk worked for three day with me to get this machine clean... and the cd/dvd drive was working just fine, except for the error INCDhelper service is not properly installed and some other error message labeled NBHGui that also had same message about the incd helper service not being installed properly.... because i didn't understand some of the options that popped up when asked to turn off all antivirus and malware programs, I opted to just un-install them.... figuring i had the disk and could just re-load them..... but after we did all the tests and scans and hijack logs...the drive was no longer working...... all your questions??? i have no answer to..... i didn't want to bother the poor young man who made this machine for me out of the goodness of his heart.... i think i offended him when i told him back in March that the floppy disk drive didn't work.... this man was nice enough to make this machine for me and ship it to me....i have been so destitute i haven't been able to do anything in return for him (unemployed 12 months out of the past 16 months).... i was supposed to just send him the old computer of mine, but i have not had a spare $50 to ship it out to him...those computer towers are heavy!!!!! i just feel like a total moron, a leech, a complete and utter worthless human being and i didn't want to bother this person again....I have no idea about the motherboard disk or optical disk...i don't think I have them.... I do have the windows cd... i have no idea what any of your other questions mean or how or where I would go to get you the answers.... so, I had to write to the young man and hopefully he won't have a fit i'm asking him questions again. i think he has learned what the adage, "no good deed goes unpunished" means now. So I'll get back to you tomorrow if he writes me back about the info you need. here is the stuff he left on my computer for future reference: AMD Athlon64 X2 3600 (Dual Core Processor) MSI K9VGM-V Socket AM2 Motherboard 1 GB(2X512) of DDR2 Ram (memory) 80GB SATA2 Seagate Hard Drive LG 20X Super Multi DVD Ram Dual Layer Burner (Burns cd,cdr,dvd,dvdr,dvd ram, etc) Floppy Drive Onboard Sound, Video, LAN 56K Modem Keyboard Mouse 350Watt Power Supply I have sent along the Motheroard manual for easy reference if needed and yes, I downloaded AVG from the web, turned the firewall back on and installed spyblaster. i'll be back in touch tomorrow. post script edit: I want to thank you for replying. I see you are a retired veteran and i do thank you for trying to help a totally clueless almost 60 years old moron....i see you were in the air force...my father was on the USS San Juan, CL 54 in WWII, he was the historian of his ship, he was the lynch pin and spark plug that kept all the shipmates together during the 50 years after the war....he was so proud of his service to his country...and I was under strict orders to always tell everyone that the history books got it all wrong.. the USS San Juan WAS THE FIRST SHIP TO ENTER TOKYO HARBOR...my dad's ship sent ashore a detail to liberate the prisoner of war camp..... they liberated Pappy Boyington, the BaaBaaBlack Sheep....my father said it was his proudest moment of his life.

Edited by compudodo, 28 October 2008 - 06:38 PM.

[Digerati]

i just feel like a total moron, a leech, a complete and utter worthless human being and i didn't want to bother this person again....

Well, that's ridiculous. Computer experts were not always experts. Experts don't become experts by doing everything right every time. And computers break.

i have no idea what any of your other questions mean or how or where I would go to get you the answers.... so, I had to write to the young man and hopefully he won't have a fit i'm asking him questions again.

No, if you don't understand what I or someone else here is asking, and Google or your manual don't help, then reply back here and ask more questions. The stupid question is the one not asked.

Device Manager is accessed by right clicking on My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager. You don't want to see any yellow or red error symbols.

System Setup Menu is accessed by pressing a specific key during reboot - typically the Del, F1 or F12 key.

Except for your missing DVD and floppy, does everything else seem to work fine?

For what it's worth, she had Vundo and Trojan.agent.

Well, that's not good but I am glad those were taken care of. Thanks for adding that.

[compudodo]

i don't have a manual for this machine..... thank you for telling me where to find the device manager..... took me a few minutes to figure out right click to get properties to pop up... i clicked on every little plus mark on the screen that popped up....didn't see anything red. what am i supposed to do with the system set up menu? is that where it will tell me about the motherboard? I haven't heard back from my computer friend.... hopefully he'll write me tomorrow....and again, i can't thank you enough for hanging in there with me.

[Troy]

Hi again,

Don't forget, in that list of bits you gave us before, you have already given us the motherboard:

MSI K9VGM-V Socket AM2 Motherboard

Nonetheless, both of those errors relate to InCD, do you use this program? My assumption would be no! You can uninstall it if you like. It is not needed unless you deal with packet-writing software. (If you don't know what that is, then you won't need it ).

To uninstall a program, you'll need to head to the Start Menu and select Control Panel. Then open the Add/Remove Programs applet. Find InCD in here, click on it and then press the Remove button (or the button might say Change/Remove).

Cheers

Troy

EDIT: The System Setup Menu (also called the BIOS) is a simple program that exists on every computer and runs as soon as you turn the computer on. It basically checks everything that is connected to your computer. Then it will look for something to start. Most computers will be very simple in their setup, and the BIOS will look at the hard drive and say "Oh look, I can see you Mr Hard Drive have Windows XP to load, so let's get you started" and then you see the XP logo, and the process is on its way.

As I said, it checks everything connected to your computer. So the reason Digerati has asked you to enter System Setup (BIOS) is to see if your drives are listed in here. It's just a simple check, no need to change any of the settings in here. If they are listed, then we need to find a fix in Windows. If they aren't listed, then the computer isn't even detecting them in the first place, and it would be a hardware problem (i.e. possibly faulty parts). I hope that's a little further helpful for you. Now go and have yourself a drink, I'm sure your head is swimming with information right now!

Edited by Troy, 29 October 2008 - 12:50 AM.
Add BIOS information

[compudodo]

you wrote: Don't forget, in that list of bits you gave us before, you have already given us the motherboard who knew? i didn't know i did that, i didn't know what i did. i'm glad you now have the motherboard...who knew??? not me. certainly...not me again..... you lost me after the first few lines....you who understand just how all this works and it seems so logical and simple to you is totally not computing in my brain, for there is no basic understanding of how any of this works, how the systems work, why they work, how they apply..... you are speaking greek to me...and i'm a post menopausal woman with very few brain cells left who is an irish/polack (no wise rear comments please, we don't usually admit to the polish part, but it is probably relevant as to my inferior capacity to understand much of anything...that side of the family is all insane anyway and let's just forget about them, why did i bring it up??? LOL) YOU WROTE: Nonetheless, both of those errors relate to InCD, do you use this program? My assumption would be no! You can uninstall it if you like. It is not needed unless you deal with packet-writing software. (If you don't know what that is, then you won't need it ). who knows if i need it? i don't know what the heck it does!!!!? !!!! All i know is, i started getting those two error messages awhile back....and the dvd/cd thingy still worked, i could pop in a disk and download stuff, i could pop in a cd and still hear music....after this soap opera tragedy with the trojans and all the kind wonderful help i got from an amazing soul called tom (all toms are amazing souls by the way)..... after we got done with deleting nine million files, scanning, logging, testing, downloading, fixing ..... after all of that, after THREE AGONIZING days of me straining to do everything right..... at the end, when I tried to pop in my AVG/spyblaster disk, it didn't work...so DUH...i thought it had something to do with the INCD.... and during the three day marathon poor Tom was subjected to, he did mention to me that if I had the INCD on disc, that maybe the program would repair itself if I popped it in .....and i should have looked for it then, and i kick myself that i didn't..... but i was embroiled with the tasks Tom was having me do to get the virus problem controlled....so I waited until after it was all resolved...and then the drive didn't work, so yeah, i finally found the NERO disc upon which the INCD was a part of....but it was now too late, because i could not pop in the disk, the drive was no longer working... I JUST DON"T KNOW...this i hard, this is all so extremely hard.... I THOUGHT the INCD problem was now related to why the disk drive finally stopped working...what do I know? I know nothing. the two letters "cd" were in the title, thought it was relevant. so i went thru your archives and saw someone who wrote and said my cd/dvd thingy isn't working too....and because this web site DOES ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LOOK THRU THE ARCHIVE FOR THE PROBLEM..that is what i did..... you can go and read it...I have referenced it.... declan wrote in February of his problem and a nice person called HFCG helped Declan...so I tried to follow the suggestions for fixing the problem, BECAUSE IT IS HARD BEING THE TOTAL COMPUTER MORON WHO CAN'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING YOU ARE SAYING. sorry, I don't mean to yell.... cripes, what? you want to know i am in tears here? fine...yeah, i'm crying my eyes out because i've been unemployed for 12 months and this computer is my lifeline and i don't have a dime for heat and i dumpster dive for food and i'm 8 years away from retirement with no pension and just my paltry savings that were supposed to be my cushion for the disgustingly low $506 a month social security check i am going to be expected to live on....and all of that has been slowly drained away over the past year because i have this small small amount of money saved, but it is an asset, and you can't get assistance with this kind of asset...so i'm watching my entire old age future security go down the drain and the stock market crash from 13,000 to 8,000 didn't help at all....so I'm a bit frantic and weepy and don't want to lose my stupid computer, which has become my only lifeline now to the world.... ok..sorry...see? i'm ranting and raving and making no sense.... i don't understand. I don't know what the INCD does..it has "cd" in the title...i just assumed this was connected to the whole thing crashing on me..... and maybe something we deleted along the way doing the trojan repair has disabled something within the computer that has to do with the cd/disk drive working? I have no clue....i'm just asking...it was working fine until we fixed everything..in fact, before things got really rolling, I did reinstall the AVG/spyblaster with no problem, because Tom asked me to...but then I uninstalled it because all the programs that were needed to fix the trojan needed all the firewalls, spyware and anti virus programs to be shut off.....and i didn't want to spend another 5 hours trying to understand how to shut them off, i was already stressing too much...so uninstalling was just a better option for me....but afterwards, who knew the cd/dvd drive would have died totally? and did this have anything to do with the problem that i had from the get go with this computer that the floppy disc drive never worked at all on this machine. I mean, I sure ain't einstein...but now both ports/drives whatever you call them are broken? I don't know.. just trying to make connections here. come up with theories.... and yeah...my head is swimming...and if i can access this bios thingy will it immediately go to notepad or will i have to sit and stare at the screen for three hours trying to understand it, which will happen, because whatever it says, i'm sure won't make sense to me at all.... i mean, i have entered that system, is that where i press f-8 while the computer is starting up and you get that grey screen thingy??? i don't know...it's 4 am...i don't sleep... i am punchy...i am a wreck.... you are a nice person for trying to help here, but I still don't understand. sorry. mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. plus......now that i have all this security stuff turned on...and the active x thing going which was recommended, which i had kept off for the past year because i do not understand when box pops up and asks me " Do you want to continue resitering this active x control? i never know what to hit, yes, no.... the help button doesn't help explain it.... so i just hit yes.... and the computer then tells me that the mcci sys module info class, the mcc wrapper obj calls, the mcci utils registry class and the security manager class is now part of my registry and i don't know whether they should be a part of my registry or if i wanted to, how would i get rid of them, which they say i can if i really want to because WINPATROL can disable it at any time in the future...and what the heck is winpatrol and where do i go to find that junk anyway and who cares, by this time i'm totally exhausted trying to understand and manage the security system everyone wants me to keep on, but which i can't manage...so do you see a pattern here? do you understand how clueless i am? HOW NOTHING has meaning for me???? ( and please don't ask me to go to the library and get the windows for dummy books, i've taken them out nine million times, those and the excel for dummies, which i still can't figure out, and the self tutorials in excel and word...nothing makes sense) i can't afford pepsi... i wish i could afford some nice mike's hard lemonade..and then at least i would be sitting here feeling no pain, not crying and not really giving a rat's rear how stupid i am. peace out...i need to get some sleep.... you gonna be intrepid and keep trying here with me? i'll understand if you can't, won't, don't....i'll understand. totally. i know the feeling.....i've given up on me too. suicide is a definite option .

Edited by compudodo, 29 October 2008 - 02:42 AM.

[Troy]

Whoa! I think we need to slow down here... Don't forget we're on your side. Half of the people who help you here are scraping it by with their finances also, we understand what it's like. If you were my neighbour, I'd be over there in a flash. (I fix all my neighbour's computers...)

Never fear, is here!

Okay, hopefully now you've had a laugh. (That banana makes me laugh every time I see it. Just sit there and watch it for a minute, and all your problems will disappear )

If you don't understand what I wrote, no problem. Forget all about the BIOS for now. It was just one possible step to help us determine where the problem is, in a field of many possibilities.

Nonetheless, I'm going to repeat what I said because I think you should try it. I'm going to say what I said last, the first this time!

If you don't know what InCD is, then you probably don't need it! It's nothing to worry about. And seeing as you have the Nero install disc, you'll be able to install it later on, should you ever need it again. (Yes I know, once we get the CD drive working first...) If you really want to know what it is, click here and read all about it.

I would like you to try uninstalling the InCD program. Items that I have put in bold are actual items on your computer you'll need to click. You should see the exact wording on your screen somewhere.

Please follow these steps very carefully:

Head to the Start Menu and select Control Panel. Then open the Add/Remove Programs applet. Find InCD in here, click on it and then press the Remove button (or the button might say Change/Remove).

This should start the Uninstall program for InCD. Follow through the little wizard, and it may want you to restart your computer to finish the uninstall. Go ahead and restart, whatever it needs.

After you've done this, watch if you get those errors. Try your CD drive again. Report back and let me know how you're going, and what your computer is doing.

If you really don't understand those simple steps above, feel free to reply with a question (which bit you don't understand), and I'll try my best to simplify it further. I'll be waiting for your reply, and others will check by also.

Cheers

Troy

Edited by Troy, 29 October 2008 - 04:32 AM.

[compudodo]

hey there troy... you are entirely correct...that banana was the best medicine and worth 500 valium...1,000 prozac and has now officially kept me out of the insane asylum or at the very least kept me from being tossed into our local mental hospital for the required three day minimum stay because i botched the suicide attempt.... sincerely.....i adore that banana....have saved him to my picture file can i try to get back to you later tonight??? I have not slept a wink, NOT AT ALL!!!! I have to trek out in the freezing frigid cold here today to hassle trying to get back some of the money i gave the butcher who blew my failed root canal, I have to get a note from my doctor that I have COPD and asthma, thus setting me up for my free flu shot on Friday and I have to go harass a couple of employers who i swear are discriminating on the basis of age and I need to try to wangle an interview with them for these two jobs I am really really qualified for and they won't call me back or even email me..... usually i am sitting here on my pitty pot, but i figured out if I could actually survive getting a trojan out of my machine for three days, I might actually be an amazing person still worth hiring and am willing to go out and fight for my right to support myself thanks for my banana. thanks for hanging in there with me i promise i'll be back later tonite...well, is that a promise or a threa???? LOL.....anyway....I have a busy day here, finally.... will be proactive about my life and my situation and will also be proactive tonite about my computer problems. I can do this...it's just a little harder and slower cause yeah, i am shy a few eggs in the dozen, but i'm a fightin' irish woman and still got some spunk left in me. talk to you later. and again, thanks so much Troy, you are a sweetie.... just like Tom. brightest blessings. talk to you later