ADMIN: Posting Guidelines

[invisionary]

Before posting in computerhelp please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our Posting Guidelines. They are here so that we can get enough information about your problem that we can provide useful help. We'll try our best with what you provide, but we may have to ask you for more information.

To make things easier on everyone, use the following template when you post for assistance:

Question/Problem:

Operating System, Version and Service Pack: (Examples: Windows Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3, Mac OS X 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard), Ubuntu Linux 8.04). See the FAQ for info on how to get this.

Web Browser and Version: (Examples: Internet Explorer 8, FireFox 3.5, Safari 3.1.2, Opera 10). You can find this by selecting Help at the top of your browser, then About.

Your level of experience (we simplify or explain instructions based on how you answer): (Beginner, Intermediate, Seasoned, Expert, God)

When did the problem start? Has it been going on constantly since then?

Any steps you've taken to troubleshoot?

If you are receiving an error message, please include the entire text of the message. (If you have an error log, please post it under a cut):

Please stay on-topic. The only posts in this community should be requests for assistance or messages from the admin(s). I will delete with prejudice any announcements related to viruses, phishing, spyware, etc. that don't have to do with providing help for you as a user. We're not set up for general computer discussion - maybe in the future we'll visit that if there's demand.


HijackThis Log Posting

If you have a problem with a slow-running or infected PC we may be able to assist by guiding you through using HijackThis. The program makes a list of everything that is set to run when you start your computer - we can then tell you which items to disable (by unchecking them), which often times will make the problem manageable so other tools (anti-spyware or anti-virus) can clean things up more thoroughly. Please follow the protocol, because these lists are long and can get messy.

1. Try CCleaner first - this will remove quite a bit of junk from your machine and is generally safe. Download the latest version and run the program with its default options. For helping a slow computer this may be enough. However, if any problems remain, continue with the remaining steps.


2. Download HijackThis from TrendMicro. The executable version is easiest to use.


3. Run the program. Click the button to scan your system and save a logfile.


4. Don't do anything on the next screen yet (we'll tell you what to do there). A notepad will open with the log. Copy and Paste that log (Control+A to select it all, Control+C to copy it, and in your browser text entry window press Control+V to paste it) as a comment or edit to your post. Make sure the log is under a cut!. The mods will remove any log posts that aren't.


5. Members will give you a list of items to remove. Uncheck these items in HijackThis, click the "Fix Checked" button, then reboot. Report back with your results.

REMEMBER! Google is your friend. You can get solutions for many common problems simply by doing a search on the nature of your problem or an error message you receive. This will save you time and energy (But we don't poke people too hard if you don't!).

Helpers: Please keep it civil. Assume the poster means well, and at worst is innocently clueless (unless they prove themselves otherwise). Include links to websites with more in-depth information when appropriate, but never give direct links to files. In other words, don't be a dick - techsupport is for that.

Finally, if there are any issues that require a moderator's attention, please leave a PM for us - such requests can get buried in comment threads and we don't want to miss something important.