"chirping sound" at start-up/Windows Error Messages at Start-Up

Hey all,

Yet again, I am running into another issue with a friend's computer.

After having Windows XP reinstalled, she has noticed a series of problems. They all are random. Sometimes they occur, sometimes they do not.

The first batch are related to when Windows first starts up into the desktop. She sometimes get the following errors:

Cannot find C:\program files\kodak\kodak software updater\...(she didn't finish it but she mentioned it was related to a help file)

Back WebClient Failed to Launch Help

helpctr.exe -Application ERror
The application failed to initialize properly. Click on OK to terminate the application.

These errors seem to have randomly and amazingly not when I am around. However, I noticed that when I first got her computer, it started to run slower and slower and slower after I installed her external disk drive and backed up her files (in case the hard disk drive was dying). I did a ctrl-alt-del and checked task manager to see helpctr.exe loading itself over and over and over and over and over again. There was probably a good thirty copies of the program and I am sure if I didn't "close process tree" one of them, it would have continued. This has not reoccured though.

As one might notice, a pattern can be seen in that they all relate to Help files. I don't know why this would occur though...

Oh yes, I fixed an earlier error on her computer with Windows Media player as well. After it downloaded a codec, it would repeatedly load up the help file for Media player over and over again. The only way I got that to stop was to download the media file to her desktop, and run it from there (she was originally clicking on the link that provided the media file in order to watch it).

Those all are related to Windows itself.

Now, the next error I think is before Windows (I am not 100 certain). At times, it will randomly start "chirping" for a lack of a better term right before it loads Windows. I have checked her hard disk drive, CD drive, floppy drive, CPU and Ram finding no errors. I am thinking it might be 1) her fan or 2) her mother board, but I wouldn't think either would cause a chirping sound.

Also, when I used disk defragmenter on her computer (I initially thought I had the chirping problem solved at one point and decided to fix Windows), while I was gone, it basically powered down. I am guessing that it finished defragmenting things, but for some reason it had a lot of problems loading back into Windows. To the point that it basically froze, mouse and all. That might have just been by coincidence, but given the other problems I am noticing, probably not.

Any ideas on this? Also, again note that she didn't have these problems before reinstalling Windows. I think they might have ever occured after instaling SP1 or SP2.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

just some follow ups.

I decided to reinstall Windows XP, Home Edition.

I found that even when I put the CD in, that chirping sound would continue. Continue all the way through it loading the drivers and such. However, this is still random, as I didn't install Windows XP that time, turn it off, back on, and went through it again, chirpping-free. Since I have reinstalled Xp, I have not heard the sound occur again.

For the help problem I mentioned, that has disappeared, but once for no real reason it loaded up like twenty copies of help and support. Could this be due to bad hardware? A faulty disc?

I should note that asking the person I am helping with, she mentioned her laptop is almost five years old. I am beginning to wonder if this is it's way of showing it's age. However, as I said previously, it didn't fail any tests with the UBCD. The only thing I really didn't test were 1) the sound card, and 2) the mother board (although I did test the CPU without problems).

Thoughts are appreciated.

Most amazing jew boots

Hard disk failing?

What do the event logs say, if any?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

CHecked the hard disk with UBCD and everything was good.

CHecked the event logs (at least before I restalled XP) and it showed some errors, in particular fault buckets, a few segmentation faults (I think), but nothing really out of the ordinary.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?