How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Before fixing a Microsoft Microsoft Windows blue screen or blue screen of death error (BSoD) you must first identify what type of error it is. Since there are different types of blue screen errors.

Note: If you're getting a blue screen and then your computer immediately reboots without being able to read the text in the blue screen, follow the steps below. If you're unable to get into Windows to perform the steps below, boot the computer into Safe Mode.

1. From the desktop right-click on My Computer.
2. Click the Properties option.
3. In the System Properties window click the Advanced tab.
4. In Advanced click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.
5. In the Startup and Recovery window uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
6. Click Ok.

Other blue screen errors

Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, and later versions of Windows will have a blue screen error that's similar to the example shown below. Thankfully these error messages often contain more detailed information, and will contain information that can be more easily searched for and found. If you're not getting a blue screen error that looks like the below skip to the next Fatal exception section.

1. Identify the type of blue screen by locating a line containing all capital letters with underscores instead of spaces, such as the above example: BAD_POOL_HEADER. Write this information down.

2. Get either the STOP: error message at the top of the error, or in the "Technical Information:" portion of the error. For example, in the above error it's STOP: 0x00000019 ... write the first potion of this error message down.

3. Finally, if technical information is shown write down the file and the address.

Once you have the above information you can start troubleshooting the issue.

BAD_POOL_HEADER
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH
THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR

Fatal exceptions

Many of the blue screen error messages you'll encounter with earlier versions of Windows will be fatal exception error messages or Fatal 0E messages. If your blue screen message starts out with A fatal exception 0E ... or An exception ... you're encountering this error.

Windows restarts without warning.

Cause:

This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities.

1. Software issue or error.
2. Hardware issue or error.
3. Heat related issue.
4. Computer virus.
5. Issue with operating system.

Software issue or error

Errors generated by software programs can cause a computer to reboot unexpectedly or without warning. If you are running Windows XP see the below section "For Windows XP users" before continuing.

If you are not running Windows XP or following the below steps still cause your computer to reboot without warning. Boot your computer into Safe Mode, and let the computer run in Safe Mode.

If the computer is still rebooting in Safe Mode the issue is likely not software related but something else, skip to the next section. If the computer is not rebooting in Safe Mode it is likely you have software related issue. We would recommend you run through the basic troubleshooting section for your operating system.

For Windows XP users

Windows XP is designed to automatically reboot each time an error occurs such as a BSoD. Although this may be nice for errors that do not occur often, users who have a re-occurring error may wish to identify the error to troubleshoot it. Below are the steps on how this feature can be disabled and enabled in Windows XP.

1. From the desktop right-click on My Computer.
2. Click the Properties option.
3. In the System Properties window click the Advanced tab.
4. In Advanced click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.
5. In the Startup and Recovery window uncheck the Automatically restart check box.
6. Click Ok.

Now if the computer generates and error it should not automatically restart and enable you to display any errors your computer may be experiencing.

Hardware issue or error

Any failing hardware component in your computer could cause your computer to unexpectedly generate an error and/or reboot without warning. If you have recently attempted to add a new hardware device, remove that device to make sure it is not causing your issues.

Make sure you are not encountering any hardware conflicts by viewing Device Manager for errors.

New drivers can also cause this issue, if you have recently performed any hardware driver updates you may wish to try an earlier version of the drivers.

If you have updated drivers and removed any hardware that could be causing this issue and continue to experience random reboots, it's possible that the memory is bad in the computer.

Finally, hardware devices that are not installed properly in the computer can also cause random reboots. Make sure all the cables and expansion cards are connected properly to the computer. The best way to determine this is to disconnect and reconnect all cables and expansion cards.


Computer virus

Computer viruses such as the blaster virus are written to reboot your computer without warning. Usually these viruses will make the computer reboot ever 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes after the computer has booted.

If you believe your computer may be infected with a virus or are uncertain if your computer is infected with a virus make sure your virus scanner definitions are up to date.

Heat related issue

Many computer today are designed to turn off or automatically reboot if the computer, processor, or other device in your computer gets to hot. If you have heard any abnormal noises coming from your computer recently such as a high squealing this could indicate a fan may be failing in your computer.

You can first start by verifying the fan on the power supply is working by examining the back of the computer and seeing if the fan is moving and moving smoothly. For all other fans in the computer you will need to either open the computer and make sure the fan are working (processor fan and case fan) and/or if your BIOS monitors the RPM of the fans enter BIOS and make sure the BIOS does not report any errors.

Users may also be able to determine how hot their computer is by onboard thermal sensors, if your computer comes equipped with these sensors make sure your CPU is not running to hot.

Issue with operating system

If after following each of the above recommendations your computer still continues to reboot it is likely that you are experiencing a Microsoft Windows operating system related issue that cannot be explained. To help make sure this is the case please try the below steps.

1. Reboot the computer and enter CMOS setup as the computer is booting. If you are not familiar with how to enter CMOS please read through document CH000192.
2. After you have loaded the computer in CMOS setup let the computer sit.

If the computer does not reboot while letting the computer sit in CMOS it is likely that you are in fact experiencing an issue with Microsoft Windows and it is recommend that if you have followed all of the above recommendations that you reinstall your version of Microsoft Windows.

Trojan porn dialers make comeback on mobile phones

After taking a long hiatus, trojan dialers that can rack up thousands of dollars in charges are back by popular demand.

According to researchers at CA Security's malware analysis lab, a new wave of malicious dialers is hitting users of mobile phones. The trojans are built on the Java 2 Micro Edition programming language and cause infected handsets to send SMS messages to high-cost numbers, at great expense to the victim.

"As soon as the application is loaded, this malicious software starts to send premium text messages," CA warned on Tuesday. "The messages sent out are in the typical format to invoke premium services and land the mobile user with heavy mobile bills without the user's knowledge and consent."

Malware that automatically dials pricey premium numbers was all the rage a decade ago, when dial-up internet services required computers to connect to a phone line. With the growth of broadband connections the frequency of dialers waned.

The explosion of smart phone that can run software made by anyone has given malicious dialers a new lease on life. And as was the case in the days of yore, they mostly tap into porn services. More from CA is here.





ReadFullStory>>>>>>

How to spot malware the old-fashioned way

Security experts reminded users today that sometimes the best form of defence against malware attacks is common sense.

In a blog posting, Sophos senior security consultant Graham Cluley highlighted a recent Spanish-language spam email he noticed, which claims to point to an update for the Adobe Flash Player.

Clicking on the link in the email would take a user to a page requesting they download an "update" to Adobe Flash, which is actually malware. However, as Cluley points out, the email is littered with spelling mistakes, such as "Adoble" instead of "Adobe",

"So how do these tiny clues and mistakes manage to sprinkle themselves into a hacker's attack? Is there some divine intervention that is ensuring that so many cyber criminals keep making daft errors, putting a spanner in the works, and helping to tip off potential victims? Whatever the reason, I hope it continues for as long as there's a malwre problem," wrote Cluley.

Apart from regarding any unsolicited emails with suspicion, users should always visit the vendor's own site for any updates, he advised.

But while some cyber criminals are continuing to leave obvious errors in their emails or malicious sites, which should tip off wary users, the general trend appears to be towards greater professionalism in the cyber criminal world. If it's one thing criminals do well, it's that they learn quickly and stay agile.

So while it's obviously important to keep an eye out for any grammatical or other errors that could set alarm bells ringing, users can no longer be guaranteed that e-mail and web threats will be as easy to spot in future. Comprehensive real-time content scanning tools are an essential addition for any computer user today.

ReadFullStory>>>>>>

Google turns on HTTPS as standard

Google has announced that it is to standardise around HTTPS for its web mail service Gmail.

In a blog posting Sam Schillace, Gmail engineering director, said that the company was now turning on HTTPS as standard on the service to encrypt messages being sent into and out of its servers.

“We initially left the choice of using it up to you because there's a downside: https can make your mail slower since encrypted data doesn't travel across the web as quickly as unencrypted data,” he said.

“Over the last few months, we've been researching the security/latency tradeoff and decided that turning https on for everyone was the right thing to do. We are currently rolling out default https for everyone.”

Google first introduced HTTPS to Gmail in 2008 as an option, and has since been under pressure to roll it out elsewhere. Last year an open letter from security professionals prompted the company to promise HTTPS support on all Google Apps.

Users who are already on HTTPS need do nothing Schillace said, and controls to turn it off were in the settings menu of Gmail.

People using HTTP Gmail offline may experience some problems he said but the company was working on it. In the meantime a Google advisory suggests switching the offline Office applications so that they sync via the HTTPS server.




ReadFullStory>>>>>>