My computer is having lots of blue screen errors, and I think my modem is responsible. What should I do?
Ever since I attempted to install a new graphics card, my computer has been sick. It would blue screen any time I tried to do anything involving video or media play with the modem on. The card didn’t work out, so I un-installed it and put my old one back in. The problems continued, to the point the modem was no longer recognized as being installed. So at this point I changed to a new modem. It is a nexxtech 56k pci internal data fax modem, V.92. I have tried updating the drivers, but the only ones I can find are from 2004.
This is killing me here, as I can’t do much of consequence online. No streaming video, like youtube, no music while i’m online. It even blue screened when I tried to put on duke nukem while the modem was online.
Last week, It decided that all it needed to blue screen was for the internet to run. I stopped having to open music or video to set it off. It just seems to go for the hell of it now…
The thing is, when the modem isn’t connected to the internet, the errors do not occur.
What should I do about this? My computer is pretty well crippled from this BS.
To clarify, My pc is a Dell dimension 4600, running windows xp with sp 2. I have avast and ad-aware, and scan frequently. I did not expect to be told it was probably a virus. I scarcely ever blue screened before trying to change cards. Why would that set it off?
I have even begun to consider a short in the motherboard.
A reformat is nearly out of the question. I have lost much of the backup software for the comp.
So, I just installed Zone Alarm, and it hasn’t found anything out of the ordinary trying to connect to the internet. I was really hoping that would work.
Tagged with: avast • backup software • bs • consequence • data fax modem • dell dimension • dell dimension 4600 • dimension 4600 • duke nukem • graphics card • internal data fax • modem v 92 • motherboard • new graphics • nexxtech • reformat • sp 2 • virus • windows xp • zone alarm
Filed under: How To Installing a fax modem
The blue screen of death as they will call it.
With your description above, I highly doubt that it is a video card or modem problem. It looks more like a virus/spyware problem to me. Some virus/spyware are designed to get information and send them to the programmer via internet. So logically, when you have no internet connection the virus could not activate.
There are also other reasons for the blue screen of death to happen. But to isolate the problem more, what version of Windows are you using? From the info above (duke nukem, dial up modem), I assume you have an old computer and still running in Windows 98SE or Windows 2000.
When did you last did a reformat on your system? I suggest backing up your files and reformatting your system to get rid of the virus. And protect your PC with at least 1x virus cleaner, 1x spyware cleaner, 1x firewall.
If you find the above solution a hassle.
Update your antivirus and antispyware, and do a complete system scan. If you do not have any of the two, I suggest getting both an clean your system.
Also try downloading a free firewall program like Zone Alarm. Install it to your computer, connect to the internet, and shall the virus try to connect to the internet, it will be blocked by the firewall. Hopefully this does solve your problem.
Good luck