# Help! Computer problems (not spyware)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-computer-problems-not-spyware/255552>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 17, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-computer-problems-not-spyware/255552 "2004-07-17T05:32:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-computer-problems-not-spyware/255552/1 "2004-07-17T05:32:38Z")

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Okay… basically my computer has been acting funky off and on lately. It’s not a virus, it’s not spyware. I’ve run all the scans (ad-aware, spybot, AVG, the free online scans…) it’s not that.

Earlier today (maybe a couple hours ago) I had to reboot and it went into what looked like a black/white/grey screen then did a scandisk and told me to run Microsoft ScanDisk once I logged onto Windows (I have 98, my computer is about that old)

So I go to run scandisk… and it freezes. I ran this two days ago, it worked fine then but now it _always_ freezes when it gets to files and folders and I am forced to reboot. The computer appears to work fine now, except for that and I haven’t tried to run anything else but IE and the various scanners since it told me to run scandisk.

I think it might have to do with me trying to install extensions in Firefox so I deleted Firefox and will start over again with it after I get this straightened out. (I prefer Firefox, but my school forces me to use IE to pick up my school schedule _grumbles_)

So might anyone have a clue what this could be? I’m afraid I don’t remember the last extension I tried installing on Firefox. I really out to write them down, but I’ll figure it out if that will be pertinant info.

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**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-computer-problems-not-spyware/255552/2 "2004-07-17T07:36:03Z")

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> [@Flutterby](#):
>
> **So I go to run scandisk** … and it freezes. I ran this two days ago, it worked fine then but now it _always_ freezes when it gets to files and folders and I am forced to reboot. The computer appears to work fine now, except for that and I haven’t tried to run anything else but IE and the various scanners since it told me to run scandisk.

Have you tried to run scandisk in safe mode ?

Declan

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**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-computer-problems-not-spyware/255552/3 "2004-07-17T07:46:47Z")

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Noo I haven’t. But it seems to have straightened out.

I finally ran scandisk with having it ask me what to do when/if it found errors. Apparently some things were crossed (and unnecessary) so I deleted them and it’s fine now. Bloody thing _mutters_

That’s fixed now, everything else is just the usual ‘let’s play with Flutterby’ junk it does.

_glares at it and mutters about replacing it as soon as she can afford to_ Ah well, it works. That’s all I ask.