[havredave]

Well... do you know what type of Internet service you're paying for, and what speed it should be? That download speed seems.. absolutely horrible. The upload speed isn't very good either, but I can understand that in a congested area.

As far as IE addons are concerned, you have Yahoo Toolbar, RealPlayer plugin, Avast! WebRep, Bing Bar, and Java's plugin. If the machine were mine, I'd remove (via Uninstall a Program, in your Control Panel) Yahoo Toolbar, RealPlayer, and Bing Bar. The toolbars really don't serve a purpose that most people find necessary, though you may wish to leave one installed that you use regularly.

RealPlayer, unless you use it actively, is probably best removed because of the addon and extra software it runs at boot, considering it mostly just replicates functionality that Windows Media Player can already accomplish. If you use RealPlayer regularly though, feel free to leave it.

Another thing I should ask about is whether or not you use the parental control feature in Internet Explorer? It appears to be enabled, and could possibly cause some small issue by virtue of being just one more bit of software running when you use IE, though I'd leave it enabled if you're using it.

I think I'd tackle your Internet connectivity right away, to be honest. Find out what you should be getting, report what you are actually getting, and see if anything can be done about it.

Feel free to utilize more of my patience. That's what we're here for.

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I have highspeed DSL and contacted my provider for the download and upload speeds.

Download is 384 kilobytes/sec;1.5 Mpbs
Upload is 128-384 kilobytes/sec; they didn't have a Mbps number they could provide to me.

I then uninstalled the Bing and Yahoo toolbars and uninstalled Realplayer and TuneupUtilities. I also stopped the Parental Controls service, since I don't use it or any of the other ones really. I rebooted the computer and did a speedtest at my service provider's website, as well as from the one you provided. I repeated the tests on both sites a couple of times and the results were generally around 1.41 for download and .31 for upload.

While on the ISP website and reading of possible optimization solutions, "data execution prevention" shut down IE, after I had tried to access a link for a troubleshooting tool, (not to download the actual tool), to learn about how it worked.

I then tried to reconnect to the internet and it would not load the home page. The second time I tried connecting, it took several minutes to load.

So, I wonder why the speedtests are better, but IE is acting up again. And I guess the "data execution prevention" thing is a little worrisome.

[jewels33]

I have highspeed DSL and contacted my provider for the download and upload speeds.

Download is 384 kilobytes/sec;1.5 Mpbs
Upload is 128-384 kilobytes/sec; they didn't have a Mbps number they could provide to me.

I then uninstalled the Bing and Yahoo toolbars and uninstalled Realplayer and TuneupUtilities. I also stopped the Parental Controls service, since I don't use it or any of the other ones really. I rebooted the computer and did a speedtest at my service provider's website, as well as from the one you provided. I repeated the tests on both sites a couple of times and the results were generally around 1.41 for download and .31 for upload.

While on the ISP website and reading of possible optimization solutions, "data execution prevention" shut down IE, after I had tried to access a link for a troubleshooting tool, (not to download the actual tool), to learn about how it worked.

I then tried to reconnect to the internet and it would not load the home page. The second time I tried connecting, it took several minutes to load.

So, I wonder why the speedtests are better, but IE is acting up again. And I guess the "data execution prevention" thing is a little worrisome.

[havredave]

Can you give me the URL you were reading those optimization instructions at? I'd like to determine what addons the page might be loading, such as Adobe Flash or Reader, Java, etc. You can PM me with the URL if you're not comfortable posting it for the world.

I'll get back with you this evening or tomorrow morning to get some error log information; ran into a little glitch I need to ask one of our experts about before I do that though.

[jewels33]

I sent a message via PM and will check back later this evening or tomorrow morning with you. Thank you again for your help.

[havredave]

Well, that page is... not the nicest I've seen, from a website construction point of view.

It's mostly loading javascript, so I'd suggest opening IE, clicking tools, selecting Internet Options, then the Advanced tab. From there, click the 'Restore advanced settings' button, press ok, and see if the page will load successfully.

If not, please make note of your homepage, and press the 'Reset...' button on the same Advanced tab. It'll disable addons and restore default settings; try the website again after restarting IE.

If either of these work, please let me know which it was.

I'm heading home in about a half hour - just in case I don't answer, it's because I'm sinking into the couch.

[jewels33]

Well, I tried the first option you gave and it worked in loading the webpage. I did not download the tool, since I thought it would be best to wait til I heard back from you.

If I don't hear back from you this evening, I will wait to hear from you tomorrow. I'm thinking the couch sounds really good, too.

[havredave]

Looking back, I believe you were trying to run their optimization software in order to find out why your 'Net connection was so poky; however, you said later that it's not poky any longer, as those latter tests are well within what they should be. I think you can probably skip using that software.

Where are we as far as your satisfaction with your computer? We might as well hit any other issue you'd like to have dealt with while we're at it; otherwise I'll show you how to clean up our software, and cut you loose.

[jewels33]

Well...my internet connection is better and the time it takes for a webpage to download has improved. I think I am satisfied knowing the possibility of a virus is slim, if none at all.

So...cleaning up the software sounds like a good idea.

[havredave]

I think we may have finished with a record minimum of utilities.

Please delete aswMBR.exe from your machine; we like to download fresh utilities each time they are needed since updates are so frequent.

Next, please run OTL again, and press the Clean Up button. It'll go about its business of removing its backup folder and executable, and will reboot your machine.

If all is still smooth after the reboot, you're done! Please report back and let me know, after which I'll close the thread.

Now that your computer appears to be clean, there are some steps you can take to help keep it clean.

Create a new restore point.

• Why: We want to be able to restore to a known-good clean spot in the computer's history, and that would be right now, so let's take a snapshot.
• How: Follow the instructions below depending on the version of Windows that you have.
  
• Windows ME: Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore. Tick the "Create a restore point" radio button, and press next. Give it a good name, like Geeks-cleaned, and click "Create". All done!
• Windows XP: Start -> Help and Support Center -> "Undo changes to your computer with System Restore". Tick the "Create a restore point" radio button, and press next. Give it a good name and click "Create", as above.
• Windows Vista and Windows 7: Right-click your "My Computer" or "Computer" link on your start menu. Choose properties from the menu that appears. On the left-hand side of the window that comes up, click "System Protection", then click the "Create" button, and give your new restore point a name, as above.

Keep temporary files cleaned out.

• Why: This can not only help your machine run a bit faster with less clutter, but potentially clean out infected files before you even know they're there.
• How: The easiest method for just about everyone to use is Windows' Disk Cleanup. This can be found by clicking Start and choosing Run in Windows XP/2000, or simply typing into the search box on Vista and Windows 7, and entering "cleanmgr" (without the quotes). It really is quite easy to use. The defaults should be fine.

Keep software up to date.

• Why: Exploitable issues in software are found all the time, especially in network-aware software such as Windows itself, or your web browser and its addons.
• How: For a normal user, there are a few programs I pay special attention to confirming that they're up to date: Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, and Java, and of course Windows itself. To this list, add your antivirus and antispyware products, and your firewall product. For your antivirus, antispyware and firewall products, see the manufacturer documentation for the software in question. Typically you'll find an update feature under the help or tools pulldowns, or on a button somewhere on the software's interface. If you just can't figure out how to update one or more products, just ask - I'd be happy to help; let me know specifically what software it is and what version you have, and I'll try to provide clear instructions.
  
• Adobe Reader: Start up Adobe Reader, click the Help pull-down, and choose "Check for Updates". Follow on-screen instructions to install any updates if applicable. Repeat this after each update until it tells you there are no updates available.
• Adobe Flash: Follow the instructions here. Once you are finished, go here to download and install the newest version.
• Java: Open your control panel (on the start menu) and find the Java icon. Depending on your control panel configuration and Windows version, this might be obvious, or it might be hidden a bit. You can click the "Programs" link on Vista and 7 to find it, or "Switch to Classic View" in the upper left corner in Windows XP (granted you're not already using classic view). If you can't find Java in any of those places, it's entirely possible you don't have it installed. That fine; if it is installed, it needs to be up to date. If it's not installed, ignore this step. There is a caveat here: If you run certain programs that require Java, you might find that they won't work with the newest version. If you do run into this situation, contact the software manufacturer and ask them what the newest version of Java is that their software supports, and where to obtain it.
• Windows: On your start menu, under All Programs or Programs depending on your version, you'll find either Windows Update or Microsoft Update at the top of the menu. Click here and follow the instructions to install the high priority updates that are available. Optional updates are just that; you can install them, but you don't have to in most situations. Repeat this process until no further high priority updates are available.

Clear possibly infected restore pointsWhy: Having the ability to restore your system is a great thing, as long as you're not restoring an infection!
How: The most simple way to do this is to utilize Disk Cleanup, detailed above in the "Keep temporary files cleaned out" step. Simply click on the "More Options" tab, and use the system restore clean up button. This works with all versions of Windows that had system restore; namely, Windows ME and later. This will remove all but the most recent restore point on the system (that we created earlier), which is what we're after.Defragment

• Why: Defragmenting your files helps your hard drive access them faster, and in as few sweeps of the read head as possible, reducing drive wear and tear.
• How: Using the built-in Windows Disk Defragmenter is one safe option, found in Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools. I would do this once a month unless the system is heavily used, then perhaps weekly.

There's also a good article here that goes into a few other details.

Happy computing!

[jewels33]

Everything is working well after the cleanup. Thank you again for all of your help!

[havredave]

Since this issue appears to be resolved ... this Topic has been closed. Glad we could help.

If you're the topic starter, and need this topic reopened, please contact a staff member with the address of the thread.

Everyone else please begin a New Topic.