Funny display

[squiggle]

Not quite sure how to explain this but I'll try. I used to be able to use my pc for as long as I wanted, and it would work perfectly until whenever I decided to shutdown. Leaving it on overnight was never a problem.

Just lately, I can only have it on for approximately 8 hours, and then the display starts to mess up. Certain icons that were there when I started up will suddenly turn black or disappear. Other icons will still be there, but won't have anything to say what they are , eg, if I go to 'turn off computer' in the start menu, instead of there being icons with restart, standby and turn off written underneath against the blue background, it'll just be the icons, no background, nothing written to say which is which. If I'm playing solitaire and drag a card, the space where the card originally was will turn black. It's fine again once I restart.

I thought it might be something to do with virtual memory, and have followed instructions to allocate more disk space to it than the windows xp default setting allocates, but it's not helped. Does anyone have any idea what I can do about this? Sorry if it's something really obvious, but it's hard to google when you don't really know what you're googling for (no error messages or the like).

Thanks.

[Tritan]

Have you added/changed any hardware inside the PC? (eg. graphics card, sound card, network card - anything at all). Also, update you anti-virus and run a full sweep.

Check the event viewer to see if it has logged anything about what is going on.

Press Start, select Run and type eventvwr, press OK. The event log screen appears. Check the System and Application logs for any warnings and errors that occur around the same time as your issues arise. Please post back and let me know what you found, if anything.

[squiggle]

Hi Tritan. I've not made any hardware changes. One time when my problem arose, I did get an alert from my AV saying 'virus detected', and it shutdown my computer. I did a full sweep when I restarted, but it found nothing, and has never found anything the subsequent times I've done a full sweep. My AV updates everyday, and run it regularly, aswell as my anti-spyware/trojan programs.

I've checked the event log, as you suggested. In system there are a few Service Control Manager errors. In applications, there are lot of errors from source VSS. The log goes back to Oct 2004, when these VSS errors were fairly infrequent, and they've got progressively more frequent up to now. Is this the culprit? Thanks for your help so far.

[JSB]

From my own past experience I'd check your video drivers and then I'm afraid it might well be the video card that needs renewing.  Depending on what you use your PC for that can be �100+ (games) or as low as �20 (standard apps). 

[Tritan]

squiggle: glad i could be of some assistance. the VSS errors do appear to be the cause. I will need more info though. Please go back to the Event Log and select a few of the recent VSS errors and copy the details exactly and post them here in the forum. I will look through them and see what I can determine for you. I think it is driver related though!?

In the mean time, also run a customised Windows Update (it usually gives you an option of Express or Custom). This will scan your PC for updates required for the operating system.

To run Windows update, open Internet Explorer and from the Tools menue, select Windows Update. Take all the 'critical' updates listed, and any of the 'driver' updates as well. This may help you while i look into you VSS issue.

[Tritan]

One more thing I forgot - well, it just came to me - VSS is also a process that runs on Windows XP and 2003 called Volume Shadow Copy. This basically is a service that backs up files on the PC eg Word documents and stored them for a short while in case anything happens to the original. If you are running Windows XP, you may be experiencing problems with the Volume Shadow Copy service. As I said in the above post though, I will need more info from your Event Logs first to help me...

[squiggle]

JSB. - I'm keeping my fingers crossed it won't come to that.

Tritan - I've been to Windows update and it's brought up SP2. I never got round to downloading it originally because so many people seemed to have problems with it. Time to install it, do you think?

The errors do seem to be Volume Shadow Copy related. Here is one of the recent errors. They all appear to have the same details. In the meantime, I'll have a look and see if there are any diffrerent ones.:

Event Type: Error
Event Source : VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 8193
Date: 04/08/2005
Time: 01:21:48
User: N/A
Computer: Stephanie
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy service error: Unexpected error calling routine CoCreateInstance hr = 0x80070005
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp

Data:
0000: 57 52 54 57 52 54 49 43 WRTWRTIC
0008: 32 31 31 33 00 00 00 00 2113....
0010: 57 52 54 57 52 54 49 43 WRTWRTIC
0018: 32 30 37 38 00 00 00 00 2078

[squiggle]

Also, when you change the Data radio button from Bytes to Words, the numbers are:

0000: 57545257 43495452 33313132 00000000
0010: 57545257 43495452 38373032 00000000

[Tritan]

Okay, I have looked into it and this is what I found....

Firstly, you must update to the XP Service Pack 2. I know it's had some issues, but it's been around long enough now. I waited and waited and finally installed it. Some applications may be effected, but then that shows they were badly coded applications! Also, once SP2 is installed, there are many further updates - two in particular that will fix this problem of yours.

The VSS problem has something to do with the MSXML process on your PC. This needs to be updated/patched (which SP2 and further updates, will do).

Failing that, unfortunately for you - I have read that in your particular case, the COM+ Subsystem has not registered properly when you installed Windows (this implies that the VSS error has been going on since the first time you installed the XP). This means that you will have to re-install the operating system, or choose the repair option when you boot from the XP software CD. But before you do this, please update to SP2 etc. to see if that solves things.

Another "solution" would be to disable the VSS service, but i dont recommend this as there may be some unforseen side-effects. If this is the route you want to go down, let me know and i will instruct you on what you need to do.

I hope this helps you in some way, and please keep me informed of any progress you make - i'd be interested to see this through.

[squiggle]

Right, I've installed SP2, and all updates that were available. I'm going to leave my comp on overnight to see if anything has changed, as it's only after several hours that the error occurs.

I was looking up Volume Shadow Copy, and read some info on COM+. It said that this should be enabled, and if it isn't, to start it. If I try to start it, I get the error message ' Could not start the COM+ Event System service on local computer. Error 126: The specified module could not be found'. I take it this will still need repairing, but I will see what it's like in the morning anyway.

Thanks Tritan. You've been a great help. I'll post back tomorrow.

[squiggle]

Hi Tritan. Still getting the error. I found a page on MS website which said to email Microsoft for a hotfix, and they've sent me 2 links, one of which was the original page that said to contact them for the hotfix! I'm in the process of trying to decipher these as I can't find anything to download on them.

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=833167

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=883955

[Tritan]

Hi squiggle, how strange that the links they provide you do not seem to provide the download?

Service Pack 2 contained COM+ updates, so that should have addressed the issue. But if the COM+ was not initialised properly from the start (as per one of the articles i read had suggested), then maybe the patches are/will not working either? It may possibly be a good idea to run a repair install of the operating system.

Before you try any such thing, back up to disc any valuable information. This is a last resort though.

[squiggle]

Still waiting for MS to email back about the missing downloads in the links. I'll see what they have to say before attempting a repair install. Thanks for all your help over the last few days.

[Tritan]

You are most welcome :-)

If there is a way for you to let me know how this case is finally sorted, please could you let me know? i'd be quite interested to know.

[LRaybould]

Hi Squiggle

I have exactly the same issue as yourself with not being able to start the COM+ Event System. Have you overcome this problem? If so, can you let me know how?

Thanks
Lawrence

[squiggle]

Hi Lawrence.

I contacted Microsoft in the end. They couldn't get to the bottom of it, so they ended up sending me a new XP disc to do a full reinstallation. Bit of a last resort as I had to back up my whole computer, but at least I don't have the problem anymore. Hope you get yours sorted.

[LRaybould]

Hi Squiggle

Many thanks for your reply.

Looks like I will have to do the same
I will let you know how I get on

Thanks
Lawrence

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