Need help with frozen Asus

[LoneSword]

A little while back, I ended up corrupting my hard drive on my my Asus X83V. However, using Linux, I managed to recover my lost files. Then I hit the drive with DBAN, used GParted to partition the drive, and reinstalled Windows 7. Everything was working perfectly fine until I started using the laptop for a few days. Over time, it became slower and slower until I finally couldn't even start Windows up - it just sits frozen on the login screen.

I don't know if there was just something I did wrong or what, but I'd like to finally get it up and running again. I was going to try and wipe it and retry again, but I don't want to have to go through the whole process a second time, if it can be avoided.

Does anyone know what could've gone wrong? And what can I do to fix it? Any input is greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Also, I had started installing the drivers back onto it once it was back up and running - could that have something to do with it?

EDIT: The computer runs pretty much fine in Safe Mode, except that after some time it gets really bogged down and runs sluggishly, sometimes freezing up.

EDIT: I'm beginning to get the feeling that the problem lies with the registry. Ran CCleaner, and it gradually just locked up. Now CCleaner closed due to a critical error, and Windows Explorer has stopped working.

 

[stonarda]

I cant help with your problem, but NEVER EVER use a registry cleaner. They DESTROY the Windows registry, and it doesn't speed up the computer at all. Running teh cleanr may have removed critical registries for windows to work properly.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I cant help with your problem, but NEVER EVER use a registry cleaner. They DESTROY the Windows registry, and it doesn't speed up the computer at all. Running teh cleanr may have removed critical registries for windows to work properly.

There is nothing wrong with registry cleaners. I have used CCleaner for years and have not encountered any issues with the registry cleaner. All it does is it finds old or broken registry keys and deleted them. If it notices you have uninstalled a program, it will delete the left over registry keys. There is nothing wrong with that. If it was a registry issue, it is easy to repair by reinstalling Windows (you dont have to clean install). LoneSword Try running a malware scan with Malwarebytes. Post the log here.

 

[LoneSword]

Well, I ran a quick scan and it took over an hour for it to run through. It was only after this that I realized I had just recently unchecked the "save a log file when scanning is completed" option. I can definitely say that no malicious files were found, but if the log is absolutely imperative, I can get it up here...it just might take a while.

EDIT: Good news! Second scan took a lot less time than I thought it would. Here it is.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Try running a full scan overnight. Then we can fully rule out malware.

 

[DelJo63]

I cant help with your problem, but NEVER EVER use a registry cleaner. They DESTROY the Windows registry, and it doesn't speed up the computer at all. Running teh cleanr may have removed critical registries for windows to work properly.

I'm with you - - while they may get a few things corrected, I always end up with more things broken (like removing registry entries that really were necessary, but not understood by the cleaner).

As to "speeding up the computer" via a cleaner - - that's another myth. The logic goes like "if it's smaller, it will be faster". Yawn, yea 0.0001 ms Better results would be obtained by defraging the registry. Number of segments is more damaging than the number of bytes. (see Defraggler for registry compaction).

 

[LoneSword]

New update: attempted to set up Avira on my computer before running MBAM overnight, but it required an internet connection. I ran the computer on safe mode with networking and tried starting Chrome, but the system locked up, and I was finally greeted by this message:

The instruction at 0x75B5D7CC referenced memory at 0x75B5D7CC. The required data was not placed into memory because of an I/O error status of 0xc0000185.

Not sure if this helps...I can only hope so.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I'm with you - - while they may get a few things corrected, I always end up with more things broken (like removing registry entries that really were necessary, but not understood by the cleaner).

As to "speeding up the computer" via a cleaner - - that's another myth. The logic goes like "if it's smaller, it will be faster". Yawn, yea 0.0001 ms Better results would be obtained by defraging the registry. Number of segments is more damaging than the number of bytes. (see Defraggler for registry compaction).

I guess all the old sources I recieved my info from are wrong. I trust you more, Jobeard lol. Thanks for telling me. I never really use it anyways. Good to know. Whenever I attempt to defrag my registry, it always says it is not fragmented, despite installing a lot of programs. I dont know anymore haha.

New update: attempted to set up Avira on my computer before running MBAM overnight, but it required an internet connection. I ran the computer on safe mode with networking and tried starting Chrome, but the system locked up, and I was finally greeted by this message:

The instruction at 0x75B5D7CC referenced memory at 0x75B5D7CC. The required data was not placed into memory because of an I/O error status of 0xc0000185.

Not sure if this helps...I can only hope so.

Disregard what I said earlier about MBAM. That error usually means your HDD is failing. Do this:

• [FONT=Segoe UI]Open Computer by clicking the Start button
  
  , and then clicking Computer.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Segoe UI]Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then click Properties.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Segoe UI]Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check Now.
  
  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  To automatically repair problems with files and folders that the scan detects, select Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the disk check will simply report problems but not fix them.
  To perform a thorough disk check, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. This scan attempts to find and repair physical errors on the hard disk itself, and it can take much longer to complete.
  To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Segoe UI]Click Start.[/FONT]

Courtesy of Microsoft. I didnt feel like typing them out haha. We will proceed from there.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I am guessing you are running the MBAM scan, that wont do any harm, but sorry for realizing it so late.

 

[LoneSword]

It is totally cool. I actually hadn't started the scan yet, so it was perfect timing.

But, as it turns out, your suggestion worked! Ran the disk check, and it fixed up my hard drive. I'm actually posting this message from the previously-plagued system. Everything works great, performance is unhindered, and I'm currently in the process of setting everything back up. If there's anything else I should be wary about, I'm all ears (eyes?), but even if not, thanks so much for all of your help!

 

[Jad Chaar]

No problem. Thanks for the feedback. I am glad it is fixed . Come back if you need some more help.