Thank you again, I will try some of your recommendations. I am also
running Trend Anti virus and Webroot Spy Sweeper and have weekly sweeps
using both. ANy comments about these products. They seem to be working
fine but they are not free.
One last question...how do I address my registry? It there regular
"maintenance" that needs to be done to it to keep my PC running well?
The free scan from Uniblue (which I am uninstalling after this post)
says I have 385 "registry problems".
PS...I have Gateway GT5056, dual processor I purchased April, 2006,
running XP Home.
Mike N
:
Hi Mike,
Do you recommend
Uniblue Registery Booster and Spyeraser?
No, I do not recommend either one. I included that liutilities.com
link to attribute the text to them. liutilities.com usually has
pretty good descriptions of what .exe and .dll files are.
Remind_XP.exe could also be what Sharon posted. An "HP-specific
program that reminds users to create System Recovery CDs. Once they
use the Recovery CD Creator (Start -> PC Help & Tools -> Recovery CD
Creator) to make the recovery CDs the entry will remove itself from
the startup list." No link for attribution included here.
Do a Search for remind_xp.exe on your machine...
HOW TO: Search For Hidden Or System Files In Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302347
The folder that a file is in is often a clue to whether or not the file
is legitimate or not.
I personally recommend the following anti-spyware programs.
Download, install, run, update and run again. They are all
good, FREE utilities. Make sure you update every program, even if you
just downloaded it. You must have the latest updates. Without
updates, you have a gun without ammo. You also need to use more than
one anti-scumware program. One program will *not* catch everything.
1) SpywareBlaster
[[SpywareBlaster doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it
from ever being installed.
The most important step you can take is to secure your system. And
SpywareBlaster is the most powerful protection program available.]]
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware, Hijackers,
and Malware
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial49.html
2) Spybot S & D (More for the advanced user)
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?lang=en&page=download
4) Ad-aware SE Personal
http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
How To Install Spybot Search and Destroy & a brief tutorial
http://tomcoyote.com/SPYBOT/index1.php
Spybot More Help
http://tomcoyote.org/SPYBOT/index2.php
HOW TO: Reconfigure Ad-aware for a Full Scan
http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=5877
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In Mike N <
[email protected]> hunted and pecked:
Thank you Wes. I wnet to one of the links in your reply. Do you
recommend Uniblue Registery Booster and Spyeraser? I have never
addressed my registry performance. Any recommendations on how to do
this? I did not purchase Uniblue Registry Booster but did the free
scan and it said I had 385 registry errors.
Mike N
:
remind_xp.exe is a process belonging to the SoftThinks CD Creator
CD/DVD Writer and serves as a reminder to register for full product
support. This is a non-essential process. Disabling or enabling it is
down to user preference.
Note: remind_xp.exe could also be also a process which is registered
as a Trojan.Win32.FTP. This Trojan allows attackers to access your
computer from remote locations, stealing passwords, Internet banking
and personal data. This process could also be a security risk and
should be removed from your system.
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/remind_xp/
If you have the legit SoftThinks CD Creator software, register the
product. If you do not have SoftThinks CD Creator...
UPDATE your antivirus software and run a full system scan.
UPDATE whatever anti-spyware applications that you have and run a
full system scan with each one.
You might want to start in Safe Mode to run your antivirus and
anti-spyware software.
Running a full system antivirus scan or anti-spyware scan in Safe
Mode can be a good idea. Some viruses and other malware like to
conceal themselves in areas Windows protects while using them. Safe
mode can prevent those applications access and therefore unprotect
the viruses or other malware allowing for easier removal.
How to start Windows in Safe Mode Windows XP
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=61#winxo
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In Mike N <
[email protected]> hunted and pecked:
I have been receiving a error message when I boot up my PC. It comes
at the very end of the start-up, after all the desk top icons are
showing and programs have loaded. The message I receive is:
Remind_xp.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.
It asks me if I want to send an error report ot MS which I have
done. I can close the message box and continue to work on the pc
with no apparent problems.
Any suggestions to get rid of this annoying message.