Rebooting over and over...due to spyware or software/hardware conflict?

[Xandria]

I'm pretty sure I got ripped off, but I need some confirmation and help on how to deal with the situation.

I had posted recently that I got my Gigabyte 7VRXP board replaced with a crappy KM400-M2. For few days, I did not notice I was getting no audio. Swearing I had a soundcard, but being unable to find one connected (you can see my thread under the CPU/Chipboards in this forum), I searched the support CD for my new motherboard and installed a Realtek AC97.

Soon after this, my computer kept on shutting down and rebooting over and over again, improperly, without going to my desktop. I should mention I run WinME (I know...it sucks....I'm going to upgrade) but, stupid me, I broght it back to the tech and she kept if for 2 days and said nothings wrong with the power supply and motherboard (which I just had replaced---both were apparently screwed simultaneously....yeah right!) and it was SPYWARE!!

I was just dumbfounded. Spyware can't do that....can it? I run AdAware every month or two, I have a valid subscription of both ZoneAlarm PRO and Norton AV. She charged me $50 for the labour...I know, I'm a sucker.

I plugged it in when I got home, and it still kept on rebooting!! So it wasn't the spyware after all (if I had any)...but miraculously, my computer is now working properly, and I have no proof that her spyware clearing didn't solve my problem.

I just wanted some opinions on what you thought could've caused my rebooting problems, and why, now my computer seems stable, when I haven't done anything to it.

I apologize again....I'm not a tech, so I dont' know all the lingo to properly express myself.

Thanks!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

It`s hard to tell why your computer was rebooting but something smells a bit fishy to me.

See my reply to your other post.

May I suggest that in future that you don`t take your computer to the same tech.

Regards Howard :grinthumb

 

[JEAGoodman]

Rebooting computer

To be fair -- as a tech myself there have been times that I have spent hours and hours trying to figure out where a problem is. Sometimes I found a solution sometimes I thought I had found the solution and later the problem came up again.

I've found rebooting to be caused by memory in one case, by a Windows reinstall over a Windows install, by a virus, and by bad drivers. In each case it was a matter of knowing what had preceded the event (which sometimes has been difficult to find out due to the unawareness or embarrassment of my client.)

Sometimes I have had my clients ask if it wouldn't be more cost effective to get another computer -- I can't answer that.

The best advice I can offer is to find out if the tech has any guarantees before starting the work. I have been burned by giving a guarantee before. I had a client give me her computer because it had gotten so slow. I de-spied it, defragged it, checked for viruses, removed some applications they weren't using, and changed the startup. The computer was working much more efficiently and quickly, but the client used my guarantee to justify not paying me because her internet access was slow. In that case, once she heard about the guarantee, she was probably going to find some way to get out of it. That's why I prefer to do my work on-site -- my clients can see the hours and hours I'm putting into their computer and find it harder to justify ripping me off.

Best of luck. How is it working now?

 

[Xandria]

Thanks for the help. Yes, it is working now. I've been trying to go about my business, to see if something I'm doing will kick it into rebooting suddenly, but I haven't had any luck.

I can't imagine spyware being the problem with the rebooting, but she did the work and I payed the $50 for the labour (even though I didn't ask her to do so) and the rebooting did occur once I got my tower back. For whatever reason, it seems to be resolved. Fighting for a refund without any proof might be fruitless....I like to think I"m a quite reasonable person (others may say perhaps pushover???)

I did have someone else (again, my sister's friend) take a look at it and he noticed that my graphics card wasn't securly pinned down...he said it's a wonder it's working, and COULD be the cause of the rebooting, but it had been stable even before he looked at it, so it's hard to say if securing it will confirm the stability.

Thanks...but I"ll be keeping an eye on it.