serious slowing

  • Thread starter Thread starter JT
  • Start date Start date
J

JT

This is a fairly new and reasonably high-powered system
that recently has been acting like it's conducting a lot
of business behind a veil while my work can just sit and
wait. Even when few apps are open, the system is lapsing
into long delays.

is this perhaps due to unknown spyware? if so, does
Microsoft have a recommendation as to how best to remove
it?

Thanks,
JT
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
 
JT said:
This is a fairly new and reasonably high-powered system
that recently has been acting like it's conducting a lot
of business behind a veil while my work can just sit and
wait. Even when few apps are open, the system is lapsing
into long delays.

is this perhaps due to unknown spyware? if so, does
Microsoft have a recommendation as to how best to remove
it?
Click to expand...

Don't know about Microsoft having any ideas on it.. Maybe here:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

Otherwise, do all this:

Turn on that firewall...
http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/home/using/howto/homenet/icf.asp
If you are getting "Messenger Service" popups - this will also remedy those.
(If you have AOL, you will have to get a third party firewall. IMHO -
another reason NOT to use AOL. Although, I suggest highly that if you want
to get better protection, you should get a third party Firewall anyway, it
still does nothing for my AOL dislike.)


Make sure you have all the updates (critical) installed from:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
(Scan for updates, Review and Install)


Get rid of the spy/ad/mal-ware..
(Yes - using MORE than one of these.. I recommend at least the first
three.)

Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/

Lavasoft AdAware
http://www.lavasoft.de

Hijack This!
(For browser Hijacks - also look into CWS Shredder)
http://mjc1.com/mirror/hjt/

And Assortment of Others:
http://www.merijn.org/downloads.html


After you cleanup your PC somewhat of spy/ad/mal-ware, verify your antivirus
software is updated and run a full scan of your computer. If you have no
antivirus software - get one NOW!
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php


Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to about
80-120MB..
- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
following:
- Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
- Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
something between 80MB and 120MB. (Betting it is MUCH larger right now.)
- Click OK.
- Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
(the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10 minutes
or more.)
- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
Explorer.


Uninstall any software you do not use often/ever. (If you have something
installed but never use it, uninstall it. If you go through Control
Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and see things you seldom if ever use, it is to
your advantage to remove it.)


Update all of your hardware drivers (find the manufacturers of your video
card, motherboard, sound card, modem, network card and so on - go to their
web pages, look for Windows XP drivers there and download/install the newest
ones.)
 
-----Original Message-----
This is a fairly new and reasonably high-powered system
that recently has been acting like it's conducting a lot
of business behind a veil while my work can just sit and
wait. Even when few apps are open, the system is lapsing
into long delays.

is this perhaps due to unknown spyware? if so, does
Microsoft have a recommendation as to how best to remove
it?

Thanks,
JT
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
.
Click to expand...
Spyware - Parasites - Trojans - Malware - #%?@%#! - call
it whatever you want it's out there and if you don't
actively protect your computer you will be infected sooner
or later. Probably sooner.

The 3 basics are Firewall, Anti-virus program, Microsoft
updates. These 3 are the minimum.

Activate the XP firewall (run Help and Support and
search 'firewall') or use an aftermarket product such as
Zone Alarm (which can be found via Google). The basic
version of Zone Alarm is free and is excellent.

On-line anti-virus scans are available at the sites listed
below but it is better to have the program on your hard
drive because any good anti-virus program will have an
auto-protect feature that you should ALWAYS have activated
(unless you're installing software - in which case you
might consider disconnecting from the Internet (some
people would think this was overkill)). Zone Alarm has a
feature that enables you to stop all Internet traffic -
which is what I use to temporarily disconnect. Update and
run your anti-virus program weekly.

http://security.symantec.com
http://www.pandasoftware.es/activescan/activescan-com.asp
http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/
http://www.bitdefender.com/

free Trojan scan
http://www.trojanscan.com/trojanscan/scanner.htm

You can check for applicable Microsoft updates at
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

Ad-Aware and Spybot can be found via Google. Update and
use both every few days. Spyware Blaster is also worth
having.

The Internet is filled with friendly people but it is not
a friendly environment. If you don't actively protect
yourself you have as much chance of keeping your computer
running the way it should as the coyote in a roadrunner
cartoon has of getting across that (super)highway without
SPLAT!.

There are great security utilities and advice at
http://www.grc.com/default.htm

If you go to grc.com be sure to read
http://www.grc.com/dos/grcdos.htm

It will give you a much better concept of the type of
people you're trying to protect yourself from.

Bill
 
Same happened to me - had a very rough 2 weeks! It may be a Trojan Horse that Norton, Adaware & Spybot didn't pick up. I'm not a technie but go to Start-Run-msconfig-Services-click on heading Service to put in alphabetical order. I don't know if it can attach itself to any other but mine had attached itself to Terminal Services-if it isn't this one disable so as to isolate whatever (make sure you have Plug & Play, Remote Procedure (2 of them) & System Restore enabled at all times (4 in total). I'll elaborate how to isolate if necessary but it means rebooting each time so it is laborious. (Quick fix is to End Process of offending svchost but this will only be efficient until you reboot whenever and you have to End Process of offending svchost each time). Right click on My Computer to Manage-Services & Applications-Services-under name double click on Services-make sure offending file (in my case Terminal Services) is disabled. Reboot-open Windows Task Manager and svchost shouldn't be using cpu and CPU Usage should not hit and remain at 100% or near it. Hope this helps. David
 
I thank the previous respondents for their efforts on my
behalf, and would like to report on what appears to be a
simple and fast solution.

Upon advice from CompUSA's TAP staff, I deleted cookies,
temp internet files, and history, and then ran MSCONFIG
and restarted. There was an immediate and dramatic
improvement.
 
JT said:
I thank the previous respondents for their efforts on my
behalf, and would like to report on what appears to be a
simple and fast solution.

Upon advice from CompUSA's TAP staff, I deleted cookies,
temp internet files, and history, and then ran MSCONFIG
and restarted. There was an immediate and dramatic
improvement.
Click to expand...

Ah.. That was in my advice as well, well, except for the running of
MSCONFIG, but if you change nothing - just running it should do little. heh

Glad you're fixed up!
 
Back
Top