Urgent help requested

rmg1

Sorry guys - back again

Everything looks clean from the scans I've done, but I can only get my system to start by forcing a Last Known Good startup.

Shouldn't that then automatically become the normal startup or am I doing something wrong?

rmg1

Anyone ..... please?

thomas01155

hmmm so when you do normal start up it fails and you can only get it to boot with last known startup?

rmg1

That's about the size of it.

If I try to start normally, it hangs after the wallpaper and my icons appear and all HDD activity seems to cease (the little red LED only flickers occasionally). I don't even get the icons in the System tray near the clock.

If I use the Last Known Good option, it starts slowly but normally and I get all my usual system tray icons and all the other bits and pieces.

I've also shutdown correctly from the start button several times after a LKG start to see if that helps, but it doesn't seem to have an effect.

aliEnRIK

Clearly one or more of the drivers youve updated (or attempted to) has made a mess of things
Try going through WINDOWS UPDATE
Goto CUSTOM then to HARDWARE
Update systematically (one then another then another etc)

rmg1

OK - I did try that and installed one for VIA Rhine ethernet adaptor (O think was the exact name) and one to reinstall Windows Search 4.0 which I had to remove as it was crashing.
I now have 2 left :-
VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
VIA Technologies, Inc. Vinyl AC'97 Codec Combo Driver (WDM)

It won't do the Vinyl AC'97 one but the Ethernet one has. The Vinyl one doesn't give me an error either.

I know it sounds like I'm grasping at straws (and I think I am), but both AVGNT.EXE and AVGUARD.EXE seem to be using quite a lot of CPU on startup when I boot in LKG. Is it possible that my AV (Avira) has become corrupt and needs reinstalling?

aliEnRIK

As youve done system restores etc, then yes. Theres every chance (Especially as Avira tends to use virtually no cpu power normally)

aliEnRIK

The ones that you havnt yet updated but were on the list you gave a while back (radeon etc)
Goto DEVICE MANAGER
Right click on each and attempt to update via the net

rmg1

OK - making slight progress
I've now uninstalled and re-installed Avira which got me a bit further.
I can now see that btntservice.exe is seriously hogging CPU time (99% for ages)
I've had to boot in safe mode with networking to get onto here.

I'm in the middle of uninstalling it in case it got corrupted which seems to be taking a while.

I'll let you know how I get on.

aliEnRIK

Try using REVO UNINSTALLER when uninstalling any programs
http://www.download.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html

And I know your just following advice. But when dealing with driver issues, id recommend against doing system restores, as they rarely work (As youve found out)