BSOD Error Code 0x00000074

[Beta_Problems]

My computer has crashed .
When I start my computer up again, it tells me to that Windows experienced a problem. All of the selections to make all end up with the BSOD with an error code *** STOP: 0x00000074 (0x00000003, 0x00000002, 0x00000000, 0xc000014c)
I had changed nothing about my computer from the time before I shut down my computer prior to turning it on again only to find that I couldn't even start Windows Vista up.
I have a Windows Vista x32 bit system
An Intel VIIV Pentium Processor
An NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS Graphics Card
And 2 GB of DDR2 RAM
I have no idea what is going on and all the fixes online need me to run a program or edit something. Even though those options are pretty much impossible in my situation.
I have been running the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool for the past 6 hours and it has run about 90 times to no avail. There have been no memory problems found in that time. Everyone I talk to believes that I have a virus on my PC, and they also believe that if there is a virus, it spread to my external hard drive.
I am on a very tight budget (I can't spend a single cent on PC repair). All I would like to do is, at the very least, extract some important files from the external hard drive as well as my incapacitated PC.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Tho this is for XP, advice applies to Vista

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326679

 

[Beta_Problems]

Tho this is for XP, advice applies to Vista

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326679

I have swapped out the RAM multiple times, when this happened, I had 4 GB of DDR2 installed, but only 2 GB could be recognized on the system... I have swapped out for different RAM sticks about 2 or 3 times. Nothing that I have found online has worked yet.

 

[Tradesman1]

Let's try booting with a single stick and going into safe mode, when it runs through the BIS routine, start slowly tapping the F8 key and hopefully it will offer a menu - select WSAFE MODE WITH NETWORKING, may well be virus or malware has altered your MSCONFIG startup,,,,, the FBI/Justice dept malware has been doing that and there are badly programmed versions that cause systems to do exactly as your is acting....see if safe mode gets you into Win...if that works run or download, load, update and run MALWAREBYTES

 

[Beta_Problems]

Let's try booting with a single stick and going into safe mode, when it runs through the BIS routine, start slowly tapping the F8 key and hopefully it will offer a menu - select WSAFE MODE WITH NETWORKING, may well be virus or malware has altered your MSCONFIG startup,,,,, the FBI/Justice dept malware has been doing that and there are badly programmed versions that cause systems to do exactly as your is acting....see if safe mode gets you into Win...if that works run or download, load, update and run MALWAREBYTES

Either with 1 stick of 2GB or 2 sticks of 2GB, Safe Mode, or any mode offered has not worked... I only have DDR2 RAM that is 2GB so a 1GB RAM stick would not be an option.

 

[Tradesman1]

Might see if you cn borrow a stick or two and a PSU to try and test with

 

[Beta_Problems]

Might see if you cn borrow a stick or two and a PSU to try and test with

The one thing I just don't under stand is why the RAM is acting up. If it was a RAM problem, it would most likely be fixed by now, because I have RAM sticks that have never been used before that I just installed on my computer...

 

[Tradesman1]

Might have a bad stick, if all came in one package, might have a set that wasn't tested well for all to play nice together, if from more than a single package, mixing sets can always be problematic

 

[Beta_Problems]

Might have a bad stick, if all came in one package, might have a set that wasn't tested well for all to play nice together, if from more than a single package, mixing sets can always be problematic

Are there any other solutions to swapping out the RAM?
The One think I want to really know is, does my external Hard Drive have a virus on it? Can I tell through what's happening if my PC has a virus?

 

[Tradesman1]

You'd need to scan it, that's why I suggested MalwareBytes

 

[Beta_Problems]

You'd need to scan it, that's why I suggested MalwareBytes

Could I possibly put the hard drive into another computer? If there is a malicious virus on my hard drive, would it affect the other PC?

 

[Tradesman1]

It's external right? Plug it in to another computer and scan it...the external isn't going to be the boot drive so there's nothing to activate a virus or malware, scan with malwarebytes, then scan with a virus scanner - anything gets found have the scanner get rid of it