Hey there… So…I had JUST gotten my laptop fixed (ie an overhaul to get me a new OS altogether), went on vacation to a Marriott and while I couldn’t get a wireless signal which they promised they had, the desk in the hotel had an ethernet wire so I connected to the internet like that.

I used the PC 4 different days there, shut it down and came back home. Now, when I try to go on the computer, the screen gives me a black and grey DOS screen telling me there is "a hardware issue" and wont’ even get to the "account" screen for windows.

What happened?

More importantly, how do I fix it???

The laptop is only about 4 years old, its a Toshiba, and we take really good care of it Yes, it’s got antivirus and spyware protection, but again, the screen says "hardware" issue and I don’t think a virus can screw up the actual hardware, right?

I have Kaspersky 7.0 Anti-Virus with maximum Spyware protection. Does anyone with this program have problems with data base issues like no update or corrupted updates?

I have a problem with one of my firewalls’, Zone Alarm. For the past few days when I update it only the spyware protection gets updated while the antivirus protection does not. It says error "antivirus update: task not finished". Any help will be appreciated.

My computer crashes when I am about 5 to 10 minutes into any of my games that require a higher level graphics capability.

Here is the data about my computer:

It is a Dell Computer withnan Intel Pentium 4 processor (2.4 Gigahertz)
I have 768 Megs of internal RAM memory
The bus clock is 533 Megahertz

I am running Windows XP professional with all the latest updates, including service pack 2.

I have updated antivirus software and several spyware protection programs.

I replaced the graphics card about 6 months ago with a NVIDIA GeForce 6600. It worked great when I installed it and no games crashed back then.

Warcraft III, Act of War, Command and Conquer Generals, Starfleet Command all crash after about 5-10 minutes of gameplay. The computer just freezes and has to be reset. These games all worked fine when I installed the card, but lately, no luck.

Drivers are all up to date.

Anyone have any ideas where I might be going wrong?

I just did a fresh install of windows and I installed microsoft security essentials. I’ve used it for a while now with no problems. Is it enough for my computer for all protection? Or should I also get some spyware protection or something? There’s also the windows defender and firewall.

I ask because my laptop came with both of them unstalled. I noticed that both have antivirus and spyware protection. Is one harming the effectiveness of the other? What should I do?

I have the latest KAV 7.0. Obviously it’s an excellent anti-virus program. But does it provide (1) Protection from Malware…(2) Anti-Spyware Protection… or (3) Firewall protection? If any of these three functions aren’t part of the package, can you suggest other software that would provide them effectively (preferably not replace KAV but just supplement it)? My goal is that I’d like have all conceivable defenses in my laptop so I can use the Free WiFi at hotels, coffee shops, and libraries without any worry about data/identification security.

Thank You.

I am completely technology illiterate and I don't know the difference between firewall protection and antivirus protection and spyware protection and whatever other type of protection there is out there! If you would please explain the diferences to me and tell me the ones that I should have on my computer. Also, the security program I have on my computer is fixing to expire so if there are any good security programs I can download for free that would be greatly appreciated as well!