Help PLEASE!!!
I have recently been having problems with my computer shutting down suddenly when multi-tasking. Most of what I do requires opening several apps in tandem. It is simply not feasible to run one app @ a time. This has been getting worse over the last couple of days.

I have run several different anti-virus scans, and have only been detecting minor threat risks, usually cookie-related or program-related, such as hijackthis; but, nothing major has been detected I Googled "shutdown problems," and noted that people were having shutdown problems related to the installation of anti-virus software,particularly McAffee. I did, in fact, install a new McAffee Anti-virus Plus. I have run AdAware scans, and deleted minor "threats" that weren't really threats, but I deleted them anyway, cause I try to keep the junk down to a minimum.

I have turned off all the extraneous "services" that I could through msconfig, but I still seem to be running really high percentages in CPU usage, which I think is the culprit in shutdowns. I am very frustrated, as I recently had to reformat and reinstall everything, due to software problems and viruses, even though I was running three different anti-virus scans. Actually, I had to reformat and clean-install Win2k 2xs in the last 4 months, because some miscreant(s) wrote a worm that wreaked havoc on my computer.

As I said, I run Win2K Pro, have 1 Gig RAM, approx 1.3 TB of disk space on a P... I can't remember if it is a P3 or P4. Though I am not quite sure about the exact temp, I am 99% sure the shutdowns are not temp-related, for two reasons, One, I have physically checked the temp, and two, these shutdowns only occur when I am running multiple apps, such as: Nero7 Ultra E, AnyDVD, a DVD player, Win explorer, DVD Shrink, and sometimes Firefox and/or Netscape, and sometimes one or two other things, such as Freecell. and/or my Hauppage WinTV. It would take me forever to accomplish things if I trimmed things down to fewer apps, and I can't stand waiting and doing nothing while I complete tasks, such as burning DVDs. The shutdowns seem worse when I am watching a DVD movie at the same time as I am burning DVDs, shrinking DVDS, and/or surfing online and, perhaps, playing Freecell. I am trying to clean up my drives, as I have too much on them, which is why I am constantly running so many apps. As I said, however, this has only been a recent problem. I ran my computer for a at least a few months before it started happening, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out what is going on. Can anyone help?

Sorry for being so verbose. I built my computers and have been since the early 90s, so I am not an illiterate when it comes to computers. I can build, configure, setup and do installations, and solve mundane issues, but I am not nearly as well-versed when it comes to software issues. My last HijackThis log is a little old, so I'd need to run a new one whilst I await a reply.. Thanks i advance... T

Hello, and Welcome to D-A-L.

Let's sort this through from the top.

"I have run several different anti-virus scans, and have only been detecting minor threat risks, usually cookie-related ....... but, nothing major has been detected ..."

I take it that you mean "online-realtime" scans. You are not running more than one A_V are you?

If you are, that's contributing to the problem.

What A_V are you currently (still) running? McCaffee?

"... or program-related, such as hijackthis; ..."

You've run a hijackthis? (If you have, please don't post it here. It belongs in the Spyware, Adware, Viruses and HijackThis Logs Forum.

"... as I recently had to reformat and reinstall everything, due to software problems and viruses,..."

And....

"Actually, I had to reformat and clean-install Win2k 2xs in the last 4 months, because some miscreant(s) wrote a worm that wreaked havoc on my computer."

Did you "stomp" on the hard disk? (ie; a zero fill utility?) Simply formatting will not clear the MBR. If there's a "skulker" there, you didn't get it.

"... even though I was running three different anti-virus scans...."

Again, this goes to my question above about how many do you run locally.

"... have 1 Gig RAM, ... "

A GB of RAM is decent. What are your pagefile settings?

"...approx 1.3 TB of disk space on a P... I can't remember if it is a P3 or P4."

Again. processor seems sufficient. If that's not a typo, 1.3 TB of space is more than enough. (Which lends to pagefile settings.)

You are running (simultaneously) some heavy apps. "Burning & watching" DVD's can be taxing on the system.

Lets clarify the above questions and go from there....