Weird computer problems

[edc 0]

I'm not sure if this is related to the problems I'm having now, but about a week ago, I noticed that my internet, seemed to get quite a bit slower.  Also, downloads from some sites, like OFP info, froze, when they had one second left from being completed.  Also, Apache, which I occasionally run to make PHP scripts, was really, slow, it was pretty much impossible to load http://localhost .  Also when Apache was running my computer made a sound(you know, like the processor's workin really hard), off and on, every second or two. I tried shutting Apache off, and then turning it back on, but it still was slow and made those sounds. I also tried reinstalling it(PHPerl 2.3).  Then, just a couple days ago, I haven't been able to use email.  Outlook and Outlook Express and Eudora, both have said they couldn't connect to both Cox's SMTP, and POP3 servers.  Then since yesterday, I've had trouble restarting/shutting down my computer.  I would try to shut it down, and it just sat there, and did nothing.  When I restart(by holding the power button down), I get a message after the Compaq boot screen, "Error Loading OS".  I can press CTRL-ALT-DEL, to reboot the computer, and it starts fine.  Today, its also saying that "my disks need to be checked for consistency", before the Windows logon screen.  I let it do it once, but that didn't seem to fix anything.  Last night, thinking that some of this may be related to a virus, I ran a virus scan w/ Norton.  It froze(not in the sense that Windows froze, just the Norton AV stopped scanning), in C:\Program Files\Helwett Packard\Digital Imaging\.  I did another virus scan today, thinking that it freezing might have just been a fluke, it again froze in the same spot.  I can scan everything in the Digital Imaging folder, by scanning them each(select a few of the files at a time, Right click, and Scan w/ Norton AV).  Could some of the problems w/ Norton be related to running Norton AV 2004(from System Works 2004 Pro), and Symantec Antivirus Corporate, at the same time?  I've tried to uninstall System works, but my computer reboots, in the middle of it.  *sigh* another problem.

Does anyone have a clue what could be causing all this?  Could it be a virus?

P4 2.66

Radeon 9800 128mb

1024 DDR

DX 9.0b

CD Burner+ TDK 4x Multiformat DVD Burner

120gb+200gb+80gb External

XP Home

PS: I doubt that this could cause all of that, but I did switch my CD Burner from the top spot on the IDE cable to the second one and the DVD Burner from the second to the top, since the DVD Burner wasn't working when it was connected on the second spot.

[Placebo 28]

You can always try an online scan with something like RAV Antivirus.

Have you tried running scandisk to see if you have corrupt sectors?

[Col. Kurtz 0]

I had a problem quite similar to your's a few months back.

My computer was running very slow, espicially the internet.

I couldn't send emails either.

What was happening was when I got on the internet my computer was trying to upload huge amounts of data constantly, thankfuly my ISP was blocking it from going anywhere.

In the end it did turn out to be a virus, a worm of some kind.

I can't remember exactly what was used to remove it (a friend did it for me), but I think he got the program from the Norton website that was specifically designed to kill that virus.

[mr burns 131]

i use a neat little tool to enhance my download & surfing speed.

you can get a 45 days trial version here

but german language might be a problem for you....

edit: if anyone cares, the tool is called cFos

[edc 0]

I didn't think of Scandisc, I'll probably run that tonight when I go to bed. And I'll definately look at Norton's sight, to see if I can find what you used Col. Kurtz, hopefully this is the same thing, not something different.

[edc 0]

Well, it seems as if some of the problems were probably related to my hard drive preparing its self to go to hard drive heaven(or maybe hell) .  Luckily most my stuff was on my second hard drive, and the computer's still under warranty(right now its @ CompUSA).