[pollyweather]

Hello,

In December I posted in the malware forum about my computer because it was having some issues, such as it grunting about two to three times on startup, and programs like my browsers and/or MSN Messenger not loading up until I press and hold down CTRL+ALT+DELETE for a while, which wouldn't come up unless I kept pressing those buttons down then everything would come up after about two to three minutes and I would be flooded with Task Manager windows.

I did everything that was instructed, a lot of scanning, and the only program that found viruses was Kaspersky, but after supposedly deleting all of those viruses, nothing has changed, and in fact my connection to the internet is tons worse. I've been trying to download Yahoo Messenger but it keeps failing to complete and I'm not sure if it's because my connection to the internet is so bad now.

If anybody has any ideas on what I can do next, please post. I appreciate the time taken to read this. Thank you.

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this "grunting" sound you speak of,this happens only at startup when windows is loading? have you heard it when trying to access programs other than internet related ones? is it more a grinding sound? perhaps your hard drive is kicking the bucket but if so then the slowdown would be seen in more areas other than internet i would like to know if thistrouble is going on when your not trying to get online.

[krmooo]

this "grunting" sound you speak of,this happens only at startup when windows is loading? have you heard it when trying to access programs other than internet related ones? is it more a grinding sound? perhaps your hard drive is kicking the bucket but if so then the slowdown would be seen in more areas other than internet i would like to know if thistrouble is going on when your not trying to get online.

[pollyweather]

Very rarely has it grunted while loading programs, but it always grunts on startup. It used to never do this before. And yeah, usually everything does run slow but it always stalls when I connect to the internet when I have to start pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE for a while before everything comes up.

[ultimateslacker2]

Hello.

One thing I would recommend is going here

Click Start --
Click Run --
Type "msconfig" (no quotes)
Go to the start up tab, and look for any programs that you dont need / want running.

If you can't describe a program or the description for that program is blank, simply just uncheck it.

If you are unsure of a start up item, simply google it or just ask.

That should fix the grogginess

Now onto the problems.

Download CCleaner from here
http://www.filehippo...27dc99cea6f46a/

Delete all cookies, cache and all that good stuff. When your about to fix the registry, it will ask you to make a backup. Please do so and save it to where you can remember so if anything happens, you'll be safe and you can backup.

Run the registry cleaner in CCleaner about 3-4 times till it fixes everything.

Also we should do a chkdsk.

Click Start
Click Run
type "cmd" (no quotes)
type in the prompt : "chkdsk /f" (no quotes)
It will say the volumes locked, just simply reboot and a scan will start. Let it run


Check back on the results

[pollyweather]

Thank you so much for your reply...okay, I'm on System Configuration, and I'm not sure what any of these are, and one of them is even blank. The list is pretty short...

Preload
DirectCD
AOLHostManager
CapFax
SK9910DM
GWMDMMSG
OpwareSE2
qttask
iTunesHelper
jusched
ypager
(blank)
ctfmon
Adobe Gamma Loader

Anything I should uncheck? I unchecked the blank one and the AOLHostManager because I don't use AOL so I figured I don't need it.

Edited by pollyweather, 30 January 2008 - 09:33 AM.

[krmooo]

i tunes helper,ypager,jusched are safe to clear. i dont know what the other prorams are but i doubt if there needed at start up.

[Ztruker]

Disable the following:

• GWMDMMSG
• OpwareSE2
• SK9910DM - Multimedia keyboard manager. Keep if you use special keys
• (blank)
• ctfmon
• DirectCD - this is part of an older Roxio that is mostly incompatible with XP SP2. You should upgrade to a newer version.
• CapFax
• AOLHostManager - only needed if you use dialup, otherwise disable it

You should also click on the Services tab in msconfig. Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box and see what services are listed. Post those here as well.

Edited by Ztruker, 30 January 2008 - 06:43 PM.

[tallin]

Hi krmooo,

Regarding ctfmon - it will come back in start > run > startup tab after reboot so I suggest you do the following to disable it for good if you do not use the Regional and Language Option.

ctfmon disable
Disable Regional and Language Advanced Text Services

Start - settings - Control Panel - Regional and Language Options - Language(tab) - Details - Advanced -----
Checkmark the item for "Turn off Advanced Text services - OK, Apply

kind regards,

PS. Thank you Ztruker for my requested help a day or so ago.

Edited by tallin, 30 January 2008 - 08:00 PM.

[krmooo]

ty ty

[tallin]

ty ty

Thanks - heavens knows I need it at the momemnt!

ty ty????????????/

[pollyweather]

Thank you for the help so far!

I re-checked AOLHostManager because I am on dial-up, but everything else said is unchecked.

Here is the list that's left after clicking Hide All Microsoft Services:

AVG7 Alert Manager Ser...
AVG7 Update Service
AVG Email Scanner
ewido anti-spyware 4.0 ...
iPod Service
Process Monitor
Intel® NMS
NVIDIA Driver Help Se...
Prism XL
Messenger Sharing Fold...
WAN Miniport (ATW) Ser...

Speaking of ewido, I've been trying to uninstall that thing for months! If I uncheck it, will it stop running? How can I get that off of my computer?

Regarding my first post, I finally got Yahoo Messenger installed, and my connection is going up some on some days. Also, my computer is loading faster when I start it up. I think things are improving. What's the next step?

[Ztruker]

For Ewido, have you tried this?

Normally, Ewido anti-spyware can be removed from your computer by opening "Add/Remove Software" from within the Windows Control Panel. Alternatively, just start the uninstall.exe in the installation folder of the Ewido software (e.g.: "C:\Program files\ewido anti-spyware") and follow the instructions of the uninstall wizard. Please restart windows after uninstallation.

[pollyweather]

Sorry for the delayed reply. Add/Remove was the very first thing I did to remove ewido and it wasn't even on the list, but the icon was still on my desktop and was still able to load up and run. For the alternative method, ewido doesn't have any uninstall option on its program as far as I've searched for it.

By the way, I'm absolutely amazed by the improvement and speed my computer is loading up now. It doesn't even take two minutes. Thank you very much!

Also, my mom has her own separate account on this computer, and she says that it still loads up very slowly for her and she also has to do the CTRL+ALT+DELETE routine. Could I have her do the steps that I had to do and post what she has on System Configuration, and you would be able to tell me what she needs to disable? Thanks again.

Edited by pollyweather, 03 February 2008 - 12:45 PM.

[happyrock]

doing this will give you a big speed bump using dial up...


What it does ...
The Hosts file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. This file is loaded into memory (cache) at startup, then Windows checks the Hosts file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS. This prevents access to the listed sites by redirecting any connection attempts back to the local machine. Another feature of the HOSTS file is its ability to block other applications from connecting to the Internet, providing the entry exists.

You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the connection(s) that supplies these little gems.

Example - the following entry 127.0.0.1 ad.doubleclick.net blocks all files supplied by that DoubleClick Server to the web page you are viewing. This also prevents the server from tracking your movements. Why? ... because in certain cases "Ad Servers" like Doubleclick (and many others) will try to open a separate connection on the webpage you are viewing.

Download: hosts.zip (123 kb)

http://www.mvps.org/...p2002/hosts.zip


How To: Download and Extract the HOSTS file

http://www.mvps.org/...2002/hosts2.htm

HOSTS File - Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.mvps.org/...02/hostsfaq.htm


Note: the "text" version makes a great resource
for determining possible culprits ... (503 kb)

http://www.mvps.org/...p2002/hosts.txt

[pollyweather]

Okay, I think it's all set it up...thank you!

By the way, could I have a bit more help getting rid of ewido please? Thanks again.

Edited by pollyweather, 05 February 2008 - 08:30 PM.