Guest Richard Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 Hi, I use Win XP Home upgraded from Win 98 SE 2 with SP3 installed. Since a few weeks, my computer doesn't show the 2nd screen it was showing at startup. At startup, there was a 1st screen showing information about the BIOS date, version etc. and the model of the motherboard. After there was a second screen showing information about IRQs and DMA channels (if I remember well). This second screen is not showing any more. When I start from the windows XP upgrade CD or from my Win 98 recuperation floppy, my second screen shows. Even if they worked, fixboot and fixmbr were useless in restoring my second screen. Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Live OneCare safety scanner did nothing about the second screen and the unknown tracking cookie. Norton 360 v.2 sees and delete it every time I scan my computer. The unknown tracking cookie appears and stays after I use the Internet until I scan with Norton 360. After a scan, if I don't use the Internet it doesn't show. I am worrying it's some kind of key logger and want to definitely get rid of it. I hope the groupp can help me. Thanks, have a nice day -- Richard Quote
Guest John McGaw Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 Richard wrote:<span style="color:blue"> > Hi, > > I use Win XP Home upgraded from Win 98 SE 2 with SP3 installed. > > Since a few weeks, my computer doesn't show the 2nd screen it was showing at > startup. At startup, there was a 1st screen showing information about the > BIOS date, version etc. and the model of the motherboard. After there was a > second screen showing information about IRQs and DMA channels (if I remember > well). This second screen is not showing any more. > > When I start from the windows XP upgrade CD or from my Win 98 recuperation > floppy, my second screen shows. > > Even if they worked, fixboot and fixmbr were useless in restoring my second > screen. > > Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Live OneCare safety scanner did > nothing about the second screen and the unknown tracking cookie. > > Norton 360 v.2 sees and delete it every time I scan my computer. > > The unknown tracking cookie appears and stays after I use the Internet until > I scan with Norton 360. After a scan, if I don't use the Internet it doesn't > show. > > I am worrying it's some kind of key logger and want to definitely get rid of > it. > > I hope the groupp can help me. > > Thanks, have a nice day</span> It sounds to me as if the problem you describe has nothing to do with Windows at all -- the problem with the initial screens is something that happens before Windows even thinks about getting started. There is usually a setting in the BIOS which determines what gets displayed on startup. It is often described along the lines of "quick boot" or "silent boot", but if it is checked it prevents the BIOS from displaying information which would confuse the non-technical user -- things like IRQs and DMA channels. Tracking cookies have nothing to do with key loggers. And, while no Norton product can be trusted to do anything properly, if you allow websites to save cookies you can only expect them to continue to appear and that is not Norton's fault. You say the cookie is "unidentified". What makes it so? Have you tried to identify it? What is the file called? What does it contain? What does your web browser have to say about it? There is nothing magical about a cookie -- it is a simple text file like any other and can be opened with NotePad if you desire to see what it contains (although the contents may not be easily interpreted). Quote
Guest Richard Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 Thank you very much for your advice. I don't think the second screen problem is not a BIOS one, because the computer starts normally when I boot from the XP CD or from the 98 rescue floppy. The unknown tracking cookie is an adressless cookie (Norton 360 displays "Inconnu cookie" instead of xxxxxxxx@yyyyy.zzz). I thought this cookie could be something else, not a real cookie, but something that appears like a cookie to Norton 360. -- Richard "John McGaw" wrote: <span style="color:blue"> > Richard wrote:<span style="color:green"> > > Hi, > > > > I use Win XP Home upgraded from Win 98 SE 2 with SP3 installed. > > > > Since a few weeks, my computer doesn't show the 2nd screen it was showing at > > startup. At startup, there was a 1st screen showing information about the > > BIOS date, version etc. and the model of the motherboard. After there was a > > second screen showing information about IRQs and DMA channels (if I remember > > well). This second screen is not showing any more. > > > > When I start from the windows XP upgrade CD or from my Win 98 recuperation > > floppy, my second screen shows. > > > > Even if they worked, fixboot and fixmbr were useless in restoring my second > > screen. > > > > Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Live OneCare safety scanner did > > nothing about the second screen and the unknown tracking cookie. > > > > Norton 360 v.2 sees and delete it every time I scan my computer. > > > > The unknown tracking cookie appears and stays after I use the Internet until > > I scan with Norton 360. After a scan, if I don't use the Internet it doesn't > > show. > > > > I am worrying it's some kind of key logger and want to definitely get rid of > > it. > > > > I hope the groupp can help me. > > > > Thanks, have a nice day</span> > > It sounds to me as if the problem you describe has nothing to do with > Windows at all -- the problem with the initial screens is something that > happens before Windows even thinks about getting started. There is usually > a setting in the BIOS which determines what gets displayed on startup. It > is often described along the lines of "quick boot" or "silent boot", but if > it is checked it prevents the BIOS from displaying information which would > confuse the non-technical user -- things like IRQs and DMA channels. > > Tracking cookies have nothing to do with key loggers. And, while no Norton > product can be trusted to do anything properly, if you allow websites to > save cookies you can only expect them to continue to appear and that is not > Norton's fault. You say the cookie is "unidentified". What makes it so? > Have you tried to identify it? What is the file called? What does it > contain? What does your web browser have to say about it? There is nothing > magical about a cookie -- it is a simple text file like any other and can > be opened with NotePad if you desire to see what it contains (although the > contents may not be easily interpreted). > </span> Quote
Guest Richard Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 In the second line of the previous message, please read " I don't think the second screen problem IS a BIOS one" -- Richard "Richard" wrote: <span style="color:blue"> > Thank you very much for your advice. > > I don't think the second screen problem is not a BIOS one, because the > computer starts normally when I boot from the XP CD or from the 98 rescue > floppy. > > The unknown tracking cookie is an adressless cookie (Norton 360 displays > "Inconnu cookie" instead of xxxxxxxx@yyyyy.zzz). I thought this cookie could > be something else, not a real cookie, but something that appears like a > cookie to Norton 360. > > -- > Richard > > > "John McGaw" wrote: > <span style="color:green"> > > Richard wrote:<span style="color:darkred"> > > > Hi, > > > > > > I use Win XP Home upgraded from Win 98 SE 2 with SP3 installed. > > > > > > Since a few weeks, my computer doesn't show the 2nd screen it was showing at > > > startup. At startup, there was a 1st screen showing information about the > > > BIOS date, version etc. and the model of the motherboard. After there was a > > > second screen showing information about IRQs and DMA channels (if I remember > > > well). This second screen is not showing any more. > > > > > > When I start from the windows XP upgrade CD or from my Win 98 recuperation > > > floppy, my second screen shows. > > > > > > Even if they worked, fixboot and fixmbr were useless in restoring my second > > > screen. > > > > > > Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Live OneCare safety scanner did > > > nothing about the second screen and the unknown tracking cookie. > > > > > > Norton 360 v.2 sees and delete it every time I scan my computer. > > > > > > The unknown tracking cookie appears and stays after I use the Internet until > > > I scan with Norton 360. After a scan, if I don't use the Internet it doesn't > > > show. > > > > > > I am worrying it's some kind of key logger and want to definitely get rid of > > > it. > > > > > > I hope the groupp can help me. > > > > > > Thanks, have a nice day</span> > > > > It sounds to me as if the problem you describe has nothing to do with > > Windows at all -- the problem with the initial screens is something that > > happens before Windows even thinks about getting started. There is usually > > a setting in the BIOS which determines what gets displayed on startup. It > > is often described along the lines of "quick boot" or "silent boot", but if > > it is checked it prevents the BIOS from displaying information which would > > confuse the non-technical user -- things like IRQs and DMA channels. > > > > Tracking cookies have nothing to do with key loggers. And, while no Norton > > product can be trusted to do anything properly, if you allow websites to > > save cookies you can only expect them to continue to appear and that is not > > Norton's fault. You say the cookie is "unidentified". What makes it so? > > Have you tried to identify it? What is the file called? What does it > > contain? What does your web browser have to say about it? There is nothing > > magical about a cookie -- it is a simple text file like any other and can > > be opened with NotePad if you desire to see what it contains (although the > > contents may not be easily interpreted). > > </span></span> Quote
Guest Malke Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 Richard wrote: <span style="color:blue"> > In the second line of the previous message, please read " I don't think > the second screen problem IS a BIOS one"</span> But it is. No such screen ever appears after Windows is booted. Booting with bootable media such as your floppy or XP CD simply bypasses the quick boot function set in the BIOS. If you want to see everything, go into the BIOS and disable quick boot. This has nothing to do with Windows. All the activity you are worrying about happens long (in computer terms) before the operating system loads. Malke -- MS-MVP Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ Quote
Guest PA Bear [MS MVP] Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 If N360 was installed & running in the background when you upgraded to WinXP and/or installed WinXP SP3, more power to you! Richard wrote:<span style="color:blue"> > Hi, > > I use Win XP Home upgraded from Win 98 SE 2 with SP3 installed. > > Since a few weeks, my computer doesn't show the 2nd screen it was showing > at > startup. At startup, there was a 1st screen showing information about the > BIOS date, version etc. and the model of the motherboard. After there was > a > second screen showing information about IRQs and DMA channels (if I > remember > well). This second screen is not showing any more. > > When I start from the windows XP upgrade CD or from my Win 98 recuperation > floppy, my second screen shows. > > Even if they worked, fixboot and fixmbr were useless in restoring my > second > screen. > > Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Live OneCare safety scanner > did > nothing about the second screen and the unknown tracking cookie. > > Norton 360 v.2 sees and delete it every time I scan my computer. > > The unknown tracking cookie appears and stays after I use the Internet > until > I scan with Norton 360. After a scan, if I don't use the Internet it > doesn't show. > > I am worrying it's some kind of key logger and want to definitely get rid > of > it. > > I hope the groupp can help me. > > Thanks, have a nice day </span> Quote
Guest Richard Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 Sounds good, but the only thing I changed in the BIOS recently is the boot device order. Anyway, I'll look at that. Thank you -- Richard "Malke" wrote: <span style="color:blue"> > Richard wrote: > <span style="color:green"> > > In the second line of the previous message, please read " I don't think > > the second screen problem IS a BIOS one"</span> > > But it is. No such screen ever appears after Windows is booted. Booting with > bootable media such as your floppy or XP CD simply bypasses the quick boot > function set in the BIOS. > > If you want to see everything, go into the BIOS and disable quick boot. This > has nothing to do with Windows. All the activity you are worrying about > happens long (in computer terms) before the operating system loads. > > Malke > -- > MS-MVP > Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! > FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ > > </span> Quote
Guest Richard Posted December 19, 2008 Posted December 19, 2008 No, my Quick boot was disabled. It worries me that something seems to act on my computer before Windows. If it is the case it can do what it wants. -- Richard "Malke" wrote: <span style="color:blue"> > Richard wrote: > <span style="color:green"> > > In the second line of the previous message, please read " I don't think > > the second screen problem IS a BIOS one"</span> > > But it is. No such screen ever appears after Windows is booted. Booting with > bootable media such as your floppy or XP CD simply bypasses the quick boot > function set in the BIOS. > > If you want to see everything, go into the BIOS and disable quick boot. This > has nothing to do with Windows. All the activity you are worrying about > happens long (in computer terms) before the operating system loads. > > Malke > -- > MS-MVP > Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! > FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ > > </span> Quote
Guest FromTheRafters Posted December 20, 2008 Posted December 20, 2008 Lots of things act on your computer before Windows is loaded. Some hardware has firmware that needs to load prior to Windows. The BIOS allows option ROM (or expansion ROM) to supply code that runs during the startup axis. You would have to contact the manufacturer to find out about the BIOS and additional hardware firmware they have loading on their hardware platform. Additionally, some firmware is software flashable which may allow malware to modify that early running code. ....but don't let that worry you...it isn't very likely to happen... "Richard" <Richard@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:76DC2EAF-5ACE-4F64-84D3-010556B6F3A3@microsoft.com...<span style="color:blue"> > No, my Quick boot was disabled. > > It worries me that something seems to act on my computer before Windows. > If > it is the case it can do what it wants. </span> Quote
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