Wierdest Virus Ever

This is now starting to annoy me. I don't know how i got this virus, i don't know what its called, hell, i don't even know if it really is a virus and if it exists. Norton can find it. I'll explain what it does, and when it happens...etc

It all began with me copying my "red faction" multiplayer cd. I've done it loads of times already, but my old copied cd didn't work anymore, i had it totally scratched, so i made a new one. I have been playing the game for a couple months now, when i started getting loads of spyware, so i installed, spy bot search and destroy, as well as spy killer 3, spykiller 2003. Anyway, one day i'm playing red faction, through my copied cd, and for no reason, my computer shuts down, within like 1 second. This starts happening quite frequently, so i stop playing the game. But i kept it in my cd drive, since i don't use it. Now one day, i'm playing red faction, and my brother plays with me in some russian server or something, on his computer. Once again my computer shuts down. I get really pissed and go downstairs to watch my brother play. And he says "it sucks that the server kicked you, he had no reason to after all." So i'm starting to think, maybe i installed red faction wrong or something, and instead of getting a you got kicked message my computer shuts down. So i ignore the problem since i rarely get kicked, though my computer starts shutting down more and more often. For a while i stopped playing red faction, when i noticed that, my computer still shut down for no reason, even when i didn't play the game. So i tried to time how long it took for the computer to shut down: 60 min, 5 min, 278 min, 1 min, 5 min, 70 min. I had no clue why it was shutting down. So i tried to ignore it. One day i bought a new game: "prince of persia" i press the eject button on my laptop so that the red faction cd comes out and so that i can put the prince of persia game in. My computer shuts down as soon as i eject the cd tray. Still baffled, i try to turn my computer on a couple of times. I enter my boot screen, and press windows, it starts to start up, then it shuts down. It took me about 5 times to turn the computer on after it had turned off, to realize that windows wouldn't turn on. So i try booting into linux. I don't even get to the fedora core boot screen this time, it shuts off as soon as i select linux from my boot menu. Still pissed, i take the prince of persia game out before i select anything to boot from, give it to my brother so he can play it, and cram the red faction cd in. I turn off my laptop, and go to sleep. I wake up a couple minutes later, turn on my laptop, and it starts up and everything. I press eject on the cd tray, and the computer shuts down.

Now here is my plee. Does anyone know what is causing this? Before i was able to play red faction just fine, but now, i have to make sure to save every couple of seconds in every program i'm using cuz the computer might shut down any moment. I don't even know how the cd is related to the problem, would a virus be able to write back itself up onto a finalized cd?

Does anyone have any solution to this? I really don't want to format, but i definitly want to fix my problem, or at least figure what is causing it.

Thanks

-Flarex

#113411

never heard of anything like it... might as well format and reinstall if it's possibly a software issue. (though it doesn't really sound like one)

#113425

But it also affects Linux. I say it's not a virus, but rather a driver/hardware problem.

#113428

sounds like a hardware problem. Might want to check out the following issues: Overheating, currupted ram, bad powersupply, in that order most likley.

#113429

Cancel my previous post. It helps if I read the whole post before posting. I read the full post and noticed the points

My computer shuts down as soon as i eject the cd tray.

That is definetly not a virus and I would now agree with the other posts about hardware problem.

Sorry about that...

#113431

nah no virus, like the two posters above, i believe it sounds like hardware. my friends dad was having a terrible time with this one wireless network card for his laptop. everytime he put it in windows would freeze at boot screen, soo it has to be the laptop, because the card worked in his older one. laptops have difficult times still.

-bunkka :canadian:

#113435

Strange, i shut down, before i shut down i took out the disc, nothing happened...i rebooted and it hasn't shut down again...i even got a "u were kicked" message from red faction, woohoo. Maybe my computer over heated?

#113520

i'd have to agree with everyone else. it doesn't sound like a virus, but a hardware problem.

what are your temps?

#113584

its all about the fan, your fan is probably gunked up, or check your vents on your box

#113585

I would have said power supply but this is a laptop it seems.

Overheating might be one issue but with a laptop you would feel it if it were to get very hot in there. Try to find out about your temperatures, then burn yourself a memtest86 bootable cd; this will check for memory problems. If memory is not the issue then try a disk checking utility from your hard drive's manufacturer's website. These are the common possibilities.

#113594

I agree. Definetely Hardware. You can try to add some extra cooling to your case if your temperature is too high. And even if it's not, it's always a good thing.

Try to check your Video Card too. I know it sounds really weird that hardware can simply start malfunctioning, but it happened to me before, so... I mean, I took out one RAM chip and for some weird reason, Windows XP wouldn't start again, because some file was deleted. I tought that it wasn't possible... But hey, when it comes to PCs, I've discovered that ANYTHING is possible.

Sorry for the little rant! ^^

#113596

Out of curiosity... what laptop is this?

#113652

until i got to the bit about it being a laptop I was all ready to start asking what hard ware, and is your power supply big enough to handle all of it. I just got a GeFX 5700 ultra and it requires atleast a 250w PS. Most factory (hp,ibm,etc.) machines come with like 185w's.

You're definatelly over heating it. when you start playing your RF it's pushing every last bit of processor and video card causing them to work like hell.

The solution: Quit using a damn laptop to game on.

#113696

when you start playing your RF it's pushing every last bit of processor and video card causing them to work like hell.

Red faction takes up like 25,000 of mem, and 10% computer usage.

Quit using a damn laptop to game on.

Actually my laptop has better tech specifics and overall power then the comp my bro got last month. I can go up to 1600 by 1028 and the game still runs at a solid 30 fps. Plus, if i could play halo, cod, dod a couple months back without any errors, i wouldn't see why red faction (over 3 year old game) would be pushing my laptop to the limit.

Anyway......i figured it out, in my laptop (its a satelite pro 1905, or something close to 1905, lol, don't remember exactly) one of the fans in the back got busted, and i had the setting, "silent mode" instead of "maximum mode" on the fans, and one of the corners on my laptop was overheating... i bought a fan today at circuit city and i replaced it now it works beautifully.

#114217

Originally posted by Photo678@Feb 13 2004, 12:26 AM

its all about the fan, your fan is probably gunked up, or check your vents on your box

IM THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

#115855

i once took a look at a trojan. i forget what it was called (btw don't accuse me of being a hacker. it wasn't designed to be a trojan but then again e=mc² wasn't designed to make a bomb. oh well. it was originally a network admin tool) well anyway i forget what it's called. it had an option to shut down a computer and you can also use it as a keylogger etc. if you didn't fix it yet i would've probably suggested you avg and scan your computer.

#115865

Originally posted by TheBigB@Feb 18 2004, 02:06 AM

i once took a look at a trojan.

#115871

Originally posted by juno@Feb 18 2004, 11:09 PM

Your video card is causing your computer to crash.

Get a new video card or install new drivers (new drivers is a good idea).

This is the reason it is happening.

Oh, and I might be wrong so run a virus check (WHY DONT YOU HAVE AN ANTI-VIRUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!??!)

Or it could be the fan.... like he said 4 days ago

And he said in the first post he ran Norton... did you even read the thread?!?

#116120

personnaly i had the problem with my power supply...

When i used a lot my HD, when my graphic card was hard working, when i plugged USB devices... after 5 min my computer shuted down... sometimes after 15min or 1h... depend

Try to use your brother's supply to test (doesn't cost anything) you'll see

#116146

Sounds like your computer is do9ng an overheat shutdown.

Take the case off and take a look. If the vents, fans, heatsinks, and power supply are covered in layers of crud clean them off carefully and then try running with the case open and see if the shutdown reoccurs.

If this fails, look next to Power Supply failure, cpu heatsink / fan, and possibly memory,

#116328

Thank u all, especially the champion of the world for directing me to the ventilation problem.

#116965