[comtal]

Hi all,
LAPTOP HP COMPAQ PRESARIO A900 WINDOWS VISTA.

Recently had a problem whereby my laptop would freeze completely after about 5 or 10mins use. Had to keep restarting
Started to uninstall programmes to try to find the problem and lo and behold when i uninstalled Kaspersky the problem went away.
Loathe to reinstall Kaspersky i downloaded the free protection Commodo but after a week or so now have a different problem which i cannot solve. Not very worldlywise with computers can anyone help.
When i try to start in the morning the screen wil come on as normal but will not let me connect although the mouse moves. Then the screen just goes a milky colour and i can do nothing.
If i turn off and on i get the following options,
START IN SAFE MODE
SAFE MODE WITH NETWORKING
SAFE MODE WITH COMMAND PROMPT
START WINDOWS NORMALLY

Starting normally eventually gets me back to the milky screen.
Safe mode gets a black screen with safe mode printed in all 4 corners.
Command prompt doesnt help.

Safe mode allows me to finally get on line to browse and access things like DS obviously but not full access.

I can get into system restore but it tells i dont have any restore points.
Can anyone help to enable me to start normally and how do i set up a restore point for arguements sake the 1st Dec 2012.
Thanks in advance for any pointers.

[comtal]

Should have said safe mode with networking allows limited access.

[barky99]

how did you uninstall Kaspersky? seem to remember it's a tricky one to completely get rid of as it leaves chunks of it's code behind quite often which can create problems down the line

[comtal]

@ barky 99
Yes you are correct certain aspects are still on the laptop i believe. it just doesnt keep appearing on screen telling me what its doing and how safe everything is. So your right its not completely uninstalled.

[barky99]

there will be a removal tool on kaspersky's site

[comtal]

Had a look on Kasperskys site but cant find anything to help.

[barky99]

you'll need to check versions you had installed but following could help http://support.kaspersky.com/1464

[comtal]

Have followed your advice but still no luck. Can still only start in safe mode with networking. Really need some help in creating a restore point or it looks like a new laptop is on the horizon. Cheers

[John146]

Do you have an operating system disk (presume Windows 7)?, if so boot from the DVD and select 'repair computer' 'fix start up problems'

[max99]

Originally Posted by comtal

When i try to start in the morning the screen wil come on as normal but will not let me connect although the mouse moves. Then the screen just goes a milky colour

What doesn't' connect'? Is it just a problem when you try and go online or is Windows not loading properly? Describe exactly what you see on screen when you switch on. And when you say a milky colour, do you mean you can see the screen as normal, but it's faded out? The more info you give, the better.

Originally Posted by comtal

Really need some help in creating a restore point or it looks like a new laptop is on the horizon. Cheers

As long as it isn't a hardware fault, all you need to do is restore to factory settings. This will wipe everything and put the machine back to the way it was when bought. So backup any important files first. You can try and fix the problem first if you want, but as you've had two separate issues, it's sometimes quicker and easier to just restore everything.

[chrisjr]

One point. You can only create a restore point for the time at which you create it. It is not possible to create a restore point from some time in the past.

A restore point saves certain essential files and settings before doing something like installing new software which could alter those files and settings. then if it all goes pear shaped you can go back to that restore point and put back the affected files and settings.

Fairly obviously if any files or settings were changed in the past and no restore point was made at the time there is no copy of those files and settings to restore. And equally no way to recreate those files and settings after the event.

[comtal]

Thanks all,
To reply to John first,its windows vista not 7 and the systems disk has somehow done a disappearing act so that route is out.

Chrisjr, Obviously i assumed wrongly that i could just pick a date in the past when everything was working normally but it seems thats out as well.

Max99, What happens is when i first switch on it seems to boot up correctly the windows logl appears then the programmes i mostly use appear ie Barclays/skype/e/bay/bbc i.player/amazon etc.
However when i click on anything it does not connect and the screen goes cloudy and stays that way. The only thing i can do then is switch off then on again and thats when i get the safe mode options as previously described.

As i only have personal photos and about 200 cds stored it seems a factory reset will be the best option.
Luckily i do have these on an external hard drive.

[chrisjr]

You say "programs" but they sound more like websites to me?

So is the issue with whatever web browser you use? eg Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or whatever rather than Windows itself? A way to check that is to use another browser. Though if the one you are already using is broken it might be a bit hard to download one.

Though you must have a working system to post on DS so are you using the probelm laptop or another one? If you do have a working computer you could download a browser and copy the install file to a USB drive to get it onto your problem laptop.

If the replacement browser works fine then either just keep using it or try to fix the broken one. Which could simply mean downloading it again and re-installing.

[max99]

Originally Posted by comtal

Max99, What happens is when i first switch on it seems to boot up correctly the windows logl appears then the programmes i mostly use appear ie Barclays/skype/e/bay/bbc i.player/amazon etc.
However when i click on anything it does not connect and the screen goes cloudy and stays that way. The only thing i can do then is switch off then on again and thats when i get the safe mode options as previously described.

The programs you mention are all websites, so does the problem only actually occur when your browser starts up (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc)?

We need to establish if the issue is with Windows itself or just with the browser.

Edit: Too slow.

[max99]

If you're using Firefox or Chrome, try Internet Explorer instead.

If you're already using Internet Explorer, try resetting it. Type Internet Options into the search box on the Start Menu. Click on it, and then go to Advanced / Reset / Reset. You can leave the Personal Settings box unticked. Restart Internet Explorer and see if it's fixed.

[comtal]

Yes they are all websites as you correctly point out but even so i cannot access them until i start up in safe mode.
That i gather only operates certain functions.
To give an example Windows media player wont work.
I am using IE so will try to download Google Chrome to see if that makes any difference.
Wil post back with result.

[comtal]

Have downloaed Google Chrome no problem and set as default browser. Then restarted laptop and clicked on Chrome icon on desktop-----same problem cloudy screen and dead as a doornail.
Switch off and then on again to get same options of safe mode start up.
So IE not problem ??? what next

[barky99]

what next ... firewall perhaps? has created that opaque/milky screen for me before when using windows firewall which was only fixed by resetting it to its default settings .... just a guess

[chrisjr]

If you have all your important personal data safely backed up (and tested to make sure you can retrieve it) then there comes a time when faffing about trying to fix a fault is taking longer than it would to re-install Windows and start again.

Though it might be a problem if you don't have any disks to re-install Windows. Although there may be a recovery partition on the hard drive of the laptop that would do the same job. You just need to know the correct key combination to press on boot up to get into it. Or it may need a boot disk (CD/DVD) making first. You might be able to make that in Safe Mode if you can find the option to do so.

[max99]

The laptop will have a recovery partition to restore to factory settings. Guides here and here.

Malware, Comodo and Kaspersky are the likely suspects for the actual cause of the problem, but as Chris said, restoring can be easier than spending hours going around in circles trying to fix it. Just ensure you have absolutely everything you need backed up before carrying out the restore.

[comtal]

Thanks Max & Chris,
Firewall not the problem so the only option left is as you say a factory reset. Just have to be careful what keys i press as no discs available to restore Windows.
Thank you all for taking the time and effort to help.
Will let you know if i ever get it fixed.-----Logging off.

[max99]

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

[chrisjr]

Originally Posted by max99

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Well if his post count sticks at 25 then we will know it's all gone very pear shaped

[max99]

Originally Posted by chrisjr

Well if his post count sticks at 25 then we will know it's all gone very pear shaped

I have faith. They'll be back. Eventually.

[comtal]

Update as promised.
Have carried out a factory reset with no problems whatsoever and its just like having a brand new laptop.
Believe it or not the originalpurchase came with 2 months free Norton security and by resetting it comes with another 2 months unbelievable.
Even the picture looks crisper and cleaner and everything works as it should.
A special thank you to Max99 for pasting the link to make everything easy.