Gordon Shumway:

Well it was new... but the media direct wanst a priority ;(

Is my only option to let it wipe clean and start again? or forget about media direct install? The reason I even thought about it, is because I cant get it to read and play a dvd ....

anyone have a work around idea?

I recently installed a new hard drive for my dell lap top.... apparently didnt partition any pace to install media direct.... now when I try to make a partition, I get a warning that if I do, all my data on the hard drive will be lost????

rabbitoid: does that mean if it isnt broke, dont fix it... i should just renew my mcafee then?

Okay, the mcafee anti virus that came with my computer is expiring..... what do you recommend?

Do I need to use pay services, or can free ones work just as well?

Is Norton better than mcafee, or what others are recommended?

Thanks for any input!

TigerCat: I have no idea really, but I just got a new hard drive as well, and I thought that it was like a whole brand new computer, with absolutely nothing left from the old hard drive?

Did you save any files etc and bring them back after installing the new hard drive?

Anyone know if there is a refresh key or ctrl something that will refresh a web page?

Fencer: How about a smiley with a beach umbrella, and maybe enjoying a beverage?

Before you leave please?

rabbitoid:

.... are you really in support of a free market type economy??? Oh my, what will the socialists think? You will be shunned from society by those smarter than everyone else liberals? Isnt the government meant to protect us in every aspect of our lives??? I think the government should just take over the computer industry all together? Please mr government, please protect me from mean ol mr IE

puupia: Even if IE is still installed i never have to use it. Why would that have to bother anyone?


I know what he means here.... I use firefox, and I had the damndest time trying to get IE away from me!


I always had pop ups etc, trying to reinstall it, or to make it my primary browser or whatever... even today, when I install updates, it trys to sneak in itself as my primary server, I have to manually install updates just to make sure it doesnt include making IE my new browser!

MadMonkey: now thats what I call a nice clean page look!

Gordon Shumway: Thanks, I must have been writing my latest post at the same time you were posting your reply, you must have been reading my mind....

So I will just ignore these and not worry anymore, thank you again!

Well, all my fixes tried, and still my ad aware picks up 9 of these redirected host file entries?

It says that these are used mostly by hackers to have stuff sent to another IP address, or something like that?

Why I cant get this removed or changed is getting frustrating, and I am not sure what info is getting redirected, or how to stop it, any other ideas?

coan.net: i tried the tune up utilities... it found a few things straight away.... one was some registry issue, I am running ad aware again now to see if they still show up... thanks for the help everyone!

MadMonkey: spy bot comes up clean?

So does anyone know what these critical objects are? what caused them and why I can figure out how to deal with them through my ad aware?


thanks V for your input, I already use the registry cleaner, havent looked into the others yet.... it seems odd that ad aware picks them up, but wont do anything to them when I hit delete or quaranteen?

Okay, I have here a screen shot after I ran my ad aware.... it shows 9 critical objects, but I have no luck deleting them or quarantine or anything? Does anyone know what they are and why they wont be removed, or any help here at all? Thanks!

anastasia: I like Dell....

anastasia:

Basically the people in the park or wherever are connecting through a router... maybe in a hotel or other nearby place, I think there is also some ways to get internet through satellites, so you can insert a card into your lap top and it will get the internet that way?

You can probably find an adequate lap top to do what you want fairly cheap, you can even use your card from a digital camera in any computer at an internet cafe or wherever, and down load them to him from there, if thats all you really need?

I personally use a lap top for my primary computer, it has a pretty big 17 inch screen and has more capabilities than most any computers had only a few years ago... so you might want to consider getting a nice one, instead of going the "cheap" route too?

MadMonkey: maybe, I havent looked thoroughly, but I did glance at the file size for outlook contacts etc, and it seemed pretty small, but i guess if I never uised it at all, it would be almost empty, so maybe I shall take a closer look. The Mozy support sent me back a prety standardized reply about how to retrieve files, but nothing specific to my issue!

MadMonkey: They have all the saved files stored neatly into seperate categories IE Pictures, documents etc.... there is a category for thunderbird email and contacts. There is also one for outlook express email and contacts (which I never used)


I thinnk contacting mozy support might be a good next step...

MadMonkey: Thats correct.... I used a web site called Mozy that backs up and stores files, they did it all automatically.

Somethings, like my firefox book marks, I was able to find and upload back no problems, all my pictures and other documents were all in order and replaced easily, I just cant seem to find the thunderbird addresses?

well now I have found and ldif file called address book, you would think I had finally got what I need, but then I tried to import it to thunderbird, and it says it cannot import an empty address book?!?!?!?!

Where are those dang addresses????

Well, I looked into the web site that backed up my files and they have them categorized, I found a category for thunderbird mail and contacts, I downloaded those specific files to my desktop and then searched those files for anything that has to do with an address book... I tried all the file type names, i tried the words address book, and the search always comes back that no files were found?

Where the heck does thunderbird keep the address book files anyway?

They have to be somewhere in this back up stuff, I just cant seem to find it???!!!

awesome: I think thunderbird stores email contacts in a file or folder somewhere else other than by them, if that makes any sense?

awesome: One would think so, that the email is stored in thunderbird, but it doesnt seem so, maybe someone can prove this wrong?

Czuch: well, I found 1 file in my recycle bin, it said address book file but it was empty! :(

I am currently downloading another restore from my backups..... see if that file is there or another one or whatever....


Thanks again

MadMonkey: Thanks I will give that a try.... I used another web site to export all my files and they did everything automatically for me... anyway, I will run your help and see what comes up! Thanks.

LDIF file thats what i meant to say....

MadMonkey: its somewhere in a file on my desk top supposedly, I think it is an lpid file but not even sure about that, I cant figure out how to get it to search all the files on my desk top for it though

I backed up all my files/folders to a web site that does that kind of thing, then installed my new hard drive... I thought I could just import the files back to their normal places... silly me! Now I have imported back to my desk top the files again and have to sort through them and put them back where I want them individually.

So far my biggest problem is importing my address book back into Thunderbird? I just cant seem to find the correct folder that contains these files?

Most of the tech support I get isnt familiar with thuinderbird, but i have had some dell techs trying without any luck!

Thunderbird doesnt offer phone support (that i know of) and I have scoured their online help, but nothing yet.

Anyone with any good advice? Please???

(V): Dude, i am so bad.. I have files scattered all over who knows where! This is now a hope and a prayer kind of operation... I have already finished downloading pretty much all of my files to this web site, and soon i will clear my laptop back to factory new, then hope to get these files back and then hope to get them back with no type of virus then hope my machine works better than ever before!

(V): not just documents...also contact lists pictures music, I guess i am just ignorant about these kinds of things, but it seems like a lot of click and drag and looking around to find and copy specific files i want to back up?

(V): Yeah, but I am also lazy.... then I would have to go through every file myself and manually download it myself.... this external one might be a risk, but they do all the work for me, we shall see how lucky I am if it works, and if not, well it is a new year anyway, I will take it as a sign that its time to tidy things up a bit anyway!!

MadMonkey: obviously not very knowledgable... but this slave drive sounds interesting enough, like a second C drive?

This is the site I am using to backup my files... anyone ever heard of it or anything, should I just cancel this, I dont want to lose everything, it still has 14 hours left to get everything downloaded, should I trust this?

https://mozy.com/home

is it ok for me to back up my files with an online web site and then clear my computer and start over?

also does anyone else use skype? I have firefox and have problems with the sound using skype, maybe its related to this other problem, but youtube and other streaming seems to be okay, just skype where I have problems with the sound?

I have been recommended to back up my files and to restart my computer back to factory new (or whatever it is called)

Any advice about this, and where would you recommend I do my back ups, if I do not have any cds or removable storage, anyplace online that is recommended?

Thanks for any help or advice!

Eriisa: Thanks! I probably have to give it a go, even if its not perfect yet, isnt that what we do?

MadMonkey: how is firefox 3 fairing then?

whats the deal with firefox 20019? Any issues? I have heard some extension problems and such, any advice about downloading it?

diogenysos: ok thanks!

diogenysos: I think I confused myself with my use of negatives etc... so are you telling me its ok to use more than one ant virus program, and the same with spyware adware as well?

I have been told that two anti virus will take twice as long to start computer etc plus some other problems that i cant remember exactly?

Is it not a wise idea to use two different security systems IE mcafee and AVG? Slows things down, and is redundant?

What about the adaware and spybots as well?

MadMonkey: Do you have a link for the free avg download?

Snoopy: I havent noticed my bouncing issue in a few days now either, I still use the older firefox, I am not sure what the problem was or why it is better now.

Snoopy: Yes, I Have been getting those "bouncing" pages as well

coan.net: Thanks.... I already blew it by contacting Dell and telling them what I did, in hopes to get it fixed :(

Since I am self employed, and use the laptop for billing and estimates etc, I am looking into if my business insurance covers this, or maybe if my homowners does, but I doubt it.


Maybe i could raise some money like this guy I saw, who put up a picture of his pet rabbit and said unless he raised 50K in donations, he was going to cook this rabbit for dinner, and he got people to donate money from all over to save this bunny!!!

Bernice: Thanks,thats what I thought.... I did read somewhere online where someone did the same thing and they removed the battery and unplugged it straight away, then spritzed it with water, to dilute the wine I guess, and then dried it with the blow dryer, and after a couple of days they nplugged it back in and it was fine! I also read where someone actually dried theirs in the oven, and it worked as well.

But Mine didnt get any immediate attention, and I was not told about it at all for a day or two :(


Anyway, you are correct Bernice, my laptop was only about 7 months old, thats about $1,200 down the drain, except I still have my wireless mouse and a few other accesories that I can still use.



Does anyone here buy accidental damage insurance? It seems like a waste of money until something like this happens!

Okay, I have spilled red wine on my lap top.... I know, dont say anything wize please...... anyway, any advice on a doityourself cleaning?

No, i dont have it covered under warranty, nor did I purchase accidental damage insurance, but maybe it would be covered under my homeowners, or since I use it for work, my business insurance?

I was thinking I could pull some of the keys off and spray it down with purified water or something? Any ideas and a quick tutorial on how? Thanks!

BTW, IT does not power on, this is a cafe computer I am on now!