[23red]

Hello mtnester
 
I'm still checking on a couple of items you asked about, I did not want you to think I'd forgotten about you
 
 

I do apparently have quite a few profiles somehow.  When I did the earlier search I saw over 10 folders labeled Profiles....

 
 
Per Mozilla at this link:
 
 

All of the changes you make in Firefox, like your home page, what toolbars you use, saved passwords and your bookmarks, are all stored in a special folder, called a profile. Your profile folder is stored in a separate place from the Firefox program so that, if something ever goes wrong with Firefox, your information will still be there. It also means you can uninstall Firefox without losing your settings and you don't have to reinstall Firefox to clear your information or troubleshoot a problem.

 
 
There are many because there have been many changes.  There is a lot of good info at that link.    
 
 

Is that where they should be?

 
 
Yes.
 
 

Now, what should I do with this screen?

 
 
This would be where you would or could make an extra profile to store good links as you weed out the not good links.
Alternatively, you could refresh Firefox.
If you're still having problems with Firefox, refreshing it can help. The refresh feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, and open tabs. The link to info about that is here.  The refresh feature works by creating a new profile folder for you while saving your important data. It is easier and likely safer.  Look at the information at the link to be sure.  Your old profile info is saved.

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23red,

 

No worry. I didn't feel forgotten. I looked at the bookmarks links you gave me. Will peruse the other two as well. Thanks.

[mtnester]

23red,

 

No worry. I didn't feel forgotten. I looked at the bookmarks links you gave me. Will peruse the other two as well. Thanks.

[mtnester]

Hi 23red,

 

Some new craziness has popped up here on my Asus. I switched from my Admin account to my User account to do some other work. I had it plugged in to charge, and while I was opening Task Manager to monitor system and memory usage I made a couple of observations.

 

I had an extremely high CPU usage without having opened any programs other than Task Manager. When I checked the Processes screen one of the svchost lines was using an extremely high amount of memory as well as 50% of my CPU. It was labeled as Host Process for Windows Services. I have seen it using what seemed to me quite a bit of memory before, but never anything this high (1,033,444k). Does this seem normal to you? First is a screenshot of the Processes screen then a screenshot of the Services screen identifying the services being used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should I be concerned about it? Also, the Increased Performance icon kept flashing on and off, I suppose because I had plugged in the charger. It stopped after I switched to the Admin account, but it was strange. My real question is that I've lost track of myself. What should I be doing? Trying out Firefox with the new profile? (I feel so "naked" without my add-ons and bookmarks.) Anything else?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[23red]

Hi mtnester

 

 

.....Should I be concerned about it?

 

 

Without the Services picture  its hard to tell.  First thought was an update.  Apple updates accumulating for my Ipod do the same, for example.
 

 

My real question is that I've lost track of myself. What should I be doing? Trying out Firefox with the new profile? (I feel so "naked" without my add-ons and bookmarks.)

 

 

My understanding is most importantly you do not want to lose any of your bookmarks. A new profile was created so you can put all good links there if that is what you'd like to do. 

You can backup your Bookmarks with information from this link or backup your whole profile with information from here and then Refresh Firefox if it is still not working correctly.

 

 

Anything else?

 

 

That would be up to you.   Once you are happy with it's current state

 

Thank you

[mtnester]

Hi 23red,

 

My bad! That second photo was supposed to be the services picture. I erroneously uploaded the same thing twice. Oops! Let me try the Services again and see if that tells you anything. I only took a screenshot of the first line since it seemed to exceptionally large, even though both top lines were taking nearly all my CPU.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

 

[23red]

Hello mtnester

 

1.  Download the Windows Startup Repair Tool from here or here.

 

2.  Right click and choose Run as Administrator.  Accept the UAC prompt.

 

3.  The Set Windows Services To Default Startup window opens.

 

4.  Click on Start

 

The program will run relatively quickly and set the services back to default startup.   Please let me know if this helps.

 

 

Also, how is your Firefox running?  Were you able to Refresh it?

 

Thank you

[mtnester]

23red,

 

I cannot tell if it made a difference, honestly, only because it took about the same length of time to boot up the machine. What I can see is that svchost.exe (Host Process for Windows Services) PID 328 is taking up as much or more memory as ever (702,924 K) and 50% CPU. Perhaps it settles down after awhile, I am not sure.

 

I have not run Firefox much since we are 800 miles away from home being with grandchildren and visiting long hours with close family, one of whom was finally released last night to go be with The Lord. It was a relatively short 8-month battle with respiratory-onset ALS, but a very, very difficult one.

 

If you agree, I will continue to work with the new Firefox profile for awhile, make some changes to match some things in the old profile and see how it works. Otherwise, due to current circumstances and since you did an excellent job of solving my original posting problem (THANK YOU!!) I'm willing to mark this thread as "resolved." Do you do that or do I? Please advise.

 

Thank you so much for everything! I will definitely be making a donation to the site soon.

[23red]

Hello mtnester

 

I cannot tell if it made a difference, honestly, only because it took about the same length of time to boot up the machine. What I can see is that svchost.exe (Host Process for Windows Services) PID 328 is taking up as much or more memory as ever (702,924 K) and 50% CPU. Perhaps it settles down after awhile, I am not sure.

 

 

 That still seems high.  I would recommend you post in the Windows 7 forum when you are ready.  They could also help with that driver issue you mentioned earlier.

 

 

I have not run Firefox much since we are 800 miles away from home being with grandchildren and visiting long hours with close family, one of whom was finally released last night to go be with The Lord. It was a relatively short 8-month battle with respiratory-onset ALS, but a very, very difficult one.

 

 

Not a problem at all, real life is much more important.  I am very sorry for your loss. 

 

 

If you agree, I will continue to work with the new Firefox profile for awhile, make some changes to match some things in the old profile and see how it works. Otherwise, due to current circumstances and since you did an excellent job of solving my original posting problem (THANK YOU!!) I'm willing to mark this thread as "resolved." Do you do that or do I? Please advise. 
Thank you so much for everything! I will definitely be making a donation to the site soon.

 

 

If that is what you would like to do that is fine.   I will mark it as resolved, thank you.  You are most welcome   and thank you for the kind words.

 

 

 

 

[23red]

Hi mtnester

 

A few more items to note for later:

 

After you are finished here, you may want to Defragment the hard drive.  Once everything is as cleaned out as it can be, it would be a good time. 

 

To do this:
Click on the Start button
Then on Computer
Then Right clickon Drive C: Choose Properties
In the window that opens, click the Tools tab.
Once there, choose Defragment Now..., it will analyze then defragment the computer.

I also like to do Error checking while I'm in there ~ checking both boxes and then let it run on the next reboot.

 

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To help protect your computer ~ A few tips and great information to help your future travels ~      

  

Preventing New Infections

 

Your Antivirus and Firewall are good to go.
There is a list here with links of different Free Antivirus programs available ~ Remember ~ Only one Antivirus!

You now have Malwarebytes.  It's one of the best if not The Best antimalware tool.
It catches many items any Antivirus might miss

If yours is still taking up a lot of resources,  try uninstall and then reinstall it.
Update and run weekly to help keep your system clean.

 

1.
Windows Updates
 
It is critical to have both a firewall and an anti virus to protect your system and to keep them updated, and to keep your operating system up to date make sure Windows Updates are kept current:
A major essential is to keep your computer updated with the latest operating system patches and security fixes. Windows Updates are constantly being revised to combat the newest hacks and threats, Microsoft releases security updates that help your computer from becoming vulnerable. It is best if you have these set to download automatically.
If they are not already or if you need to check:
 
1. Open Windows Update by clicking the Start Orb. In the search box, type Update, and then, in the list of results, click Windows Update.
 
2. In the left pane, click Change settings.
 
3. Under Important updates, choose the option that you want. Recommended setting: Install updates automatically
 
4. Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box, and then click OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
 
 
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2.
Program Updates
 
Keep Installed Programs Up to Date

It's important to keep all other programs on your computer updated because older versions can also have security vulnerabilities exploited by the malware to infect you.
Both Adobe and Java updates are legitimately done on reboot.  Do not take updates on the fly.  Both supply a balloon in the lower right of the screen, not a pop up window.  If in doubt, reboot and the real one will ask to update. 

It is also a good idea to check for the latest versions of commonly installed applications to fix vulnerabilities, this can be done manually by using the Update feature included in most programs or you can use the following program to help you with this:
 
FileHippo Update Checker
 

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3.
CryptoLocker Warning
 
There is a particularly nasty infection out there at the moment.
 
Go here for information about CryptoLocker Ransomeware. Learning about what is out there may help prevent infection. The main thing with this infection here ~ is Backup. If you're using an external, keep it unplugged to the computer when you're not backing up files or using it. This will prevent the infection from getting to your backed up files if you ever do come across it.
 
We suggest users to Download CryptoPrevent free for home use. It will help prevent CryptoLocker.  
 

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4.
Backups

 

Keep a backup of your important Files. Now, more than ever, it's especially important to protect your digital Files and memories. This article is full of good information on alternatives for home backup solutions.

 

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5.
More Good Information:

 

When installing\updating ANY program, make sure you always select Custom installation, so you can UN-check any possible "drive-by-install" (foistware), like toolbars etc., which may try to install along with the legitimate program. Do NOT click "Next" button without looking at any given page.
 
When looking to download a program whenever possible go to the authors site.
For example: Don't necessarily click on the top Firefox install listed after a search.  Look at the website it goes to.  In this case it should be Mozilla.org.
FileHippo is also a good place to look for safe downloads.

If you're not positive about a download or file go to jotti or VirusTotal and have it scanned. 
 
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To find out more information about how you got infected in the first place and some great guidelines to follow to prevent future infections you can read this article by Miekiemoes.

Please confirm all is well and good with the computer and you are happy with its current state

Your computer looks to be clean now.  
 

Surf safe

 

[23red]

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

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