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Computer went slow and on reboot hangs after aswrvrt.sys [Solved]

aswrvrt.sys

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#1
Roger999

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The system is Win7 64-bit on an SSD boot drive. It was recently scanned using SpyHunter which cleared out a lot then reported clean. It has Avast installed.

 

It was running fine till this afternoon when it suddenly went slow and a pop-up indicated that Windows Update needed a reboot to complete installation. I rebooted and it hung on the Windows logo.

 

I tried all of the safe mode options and it hangs on aswrvrt.sys, so that is the last sys file to load. I have seen this problem earlier  on this forum and the advice then was not to follow the advice given as a generalisation but to seek assistance for the specific instance.

 

Accordingly - can you help and guide?

 

I see that I will need the Win7 installation CD (to hand) and a USB boot stick (what minimum capacity is needed?)


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#2
BrianDrab

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Hi. My name is Brian, and I would be happy to look into your issue.
 


- General Instructions -

  • Please read all instructions and fixes thoroughly. Read the ENTIRE post BEFORE performing any steps so you understand all that needs to be done.
  • I would advise printing any instructions for easy reference as some of the fixes may require you to boot in Safe mode. Access to these instructions may not be available in Safe Mode.
  • Any fixes provided by myself are for this log file only and should not be used on any other systems.
  • Do not run any other removal software or perform updates other than the ones I provide, as it will complicate the cleaning process.
  • It's very likely that part of our cleanup will include emptying your recycle bin. If you use your recycle bin as an archive and do not wish this to be emptied, please let me know.
  • You have 4 days to reply to each post or the topic will be closed. You will be able to request that the topic be re-opened by sending me a PM (Personal Message) or PM a moderator.
  • Please feel free to ask any questions, especially if you are having problems with my instructions.


 

 

 

Let's get started. I always like to start with some logs so if you can do the following that would be great.

 

Step#1 - Download FRST to USB drive

1. Assuming you have another working machine that you can use, please download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool and save it to your USB Drive.

2. Plug in the USB drive into your sick computer.

 

Step#2 - Get Logs
1. Shut down your computer and leave it off for a good 10 seconds.
2. Power on your computer and then repeatedly tap the F8 key on your keyboard (about a second apart for each tap). This will open up the Advanced Boot Options screen which will look similar
    to what is shown below.
    AdvancedBootOptions.JPG
 
3. At the above screen you will see a variety of options that can be used to boot Windows. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, highlight the option labeled Repair Your Computer.
    Once it is highlighted, click on the Enter key on your keyboard. Note: If you don't have a Repair Your Computer option please skip the rest of the steps in this section and let me know.

4. Select US as the keyboard language settings, and then click Next.
5. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. Select your user account and click Next and you will be at the System Recovery Options menu showing the following options. Please use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select
    Command Prompt and then hit Enter.
 
Startup Repair
System Restore
Windows Complete PC Restore
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Command Prompt

 
7. In the command window type the word notepad and press Enter.
8. Notepad opens. Under the File menu select Open.
9. Select "Computer" and find out what your USB drive letter is and then close notepad.
10. In the command window type e:\frst64 and press Enter
Note: Replace letter e with the drive letter of your USB drive that you identified in step#9.
11. The tool will start to run.
12. When the tool opens click Yes to disclaimer.
13. Press Scan button.
14. It will make a log (FRST.txt) on the USB drive. Please plug in the USB drive into your clean computer and copy and paste the contents of it into your reply.
 
Items for your next post
1. Contents of the FRST log.
 

 

 


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#3
Roger999

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Hi Brian

Thanks for that. The issue is, I think, turning out to be a little different to expected.

I downloaded the FRST file as requested and put it on a memory stick. I then followed instruction to reboot whilst pressing F8 (memory stick inserted).

 

However the screen which came up gave me a choice of selecting boot device, so naturally I chose the one which was the normal boot SSD, a Samsung 3S SSD.

 

Everything then booted normally straight into Windows (I opted for Standard boot, not Safe option). I was then able to work completely as normal.

 

I also allowed SpyHunter to run and removed the usual trash of tracker cookies just to be sure.

 

I then tried rebooting without the F8 and encountered the same hung boot issue.

 

Next investigation was the BIOS boot priority screen which interestingly didn't list the Samsung SSD, just a Seagate HDD which used to hold the OS but is now just for data storage. This was listed in the BIOS as the second boot device after the CD-ROM and the Samsung SSD was not listed at all. Which would kind of explain why it would not boot.

 

Somehow I need the BIOS to see the SSD boot device, which it is not currently doing. It should not be listing the Seagate as a boot device at all.

 

If I boot using F8 and manually select the SSD from the list everytning is fine. The SSD is also visible as normal in Win Explorer.

 

So the issue seems to be one of simply getting the BIOS ro see the SSD, which it currently will not do. It used to see it before this issue arose on todays restart.

 

I've tried playing around inthe Boot Priority BIOS screen but the SSD does not show up.

 

Any suggestions as to how to get it to be recognised?  I guess use of the FRST scan is now redundant?

 


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#4
BrianDrab

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What an interesting way to find that out. I guess that's good. Since Hardware is not my specialty I suggest that you post a new topic in the Windows 7 forum where the experts there can provide you better assistance.
 
I did however want to provide some information on SpyHunter in case you weren't aware. The following information is being provided with permission from quietman7.
 
 
SpyHunter by Enigma Software Group (ESG) is a program that was previously listed as a rogue product on the Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products List because of the company's history of employing aggressive and deceptive advertising. It has since been delisted but Enigma still engages in deceptive advertising which violates several consumer protection laws in many states. Newer versions of SpyHunter apparently install it's own "Compact OS" and uses Grub4Dos loader to execute on boot up. The user no longer sees the normal Windows boot menu but instead sees the GRUB menu. For some folks this has resulted in SpyHunter causing a continuous loop when attempting to boot and other issues.

AV-Test has not been able to include SpyHunter in their comprehensive testing analysis which would reveal how SpyHunter compares to anti-spyware competitors in terms of protection, detection, repair and usability. The reason for this is that the publisher, Enigma Software, has not been cooperative in submitting SpyHunter for testing at AV-Test...most likely due to the program's ineffectiveness and high rate of false positives.

While there are mixed reviews for SpyHunter, many customers have reported deceptive pricing, continued demands for payment after requesting a refund, lack of adequate customer support, removal (uninstall) problems and various other issues with their computer as a result of using this product. For example...most users are not aware that when purchasing SpyHunter, they have agreed to a subscription service with an automatic renewal policy. This information is in fine print at the bottom of the SpyHunter Purchase Agreement.
 

SpyHunter is a 6 month subscription spyware detection/removal service. By making this purchase, customers agree, for their convenience, to be autorenewed every 6 months in order to receive ongoing spyware protection, definition & program updates, custom fixes to their specific spyware problems, and advanced technical support from our Spyware-Helpdesk. You will receive an e-mail notification to opt-out, if you do not wish to be autorenewed.


You may want to read some of the user comments posted on the Complaints Board: Enigma Software Group Spyhunter Complaints & Reviews.

Further, when searching for new malware or malware removal assistance (and removal guides) on the Internet, it is not unusual to find numerous hits from untrustworthy and scam sites which misclassify detections or provide misleading information. This is deliberately done more as a scam to entice folks into buying an advertised fix or using a free removal tool. SpyHunter (SpyHunter-Installer.exe) is one of the most common "so-called" removal tools pushed by these sites.

However, SpyHunter is not considered malware or rogue security software so security vendors do not target it for removal. Those security vendors which have tried in the past received threats of legal action for attempting to do so or agreed to legal settlements as a result of litigation brough forth by Enigma Software. See this Table of Threats and Demands which identifies Enigma as one of the companies to make repeated "Cease and Desist" demands against those security vendors which detect, remove, and/or criticize their product.

In my opinion SpyHunter is a dubious program which is not very effective compared to others with a proven track record and I would not trust all the detections provided by its scanning engine. If you have downloaded and scanned with SpyHunter, any detection results should be viewed with suspicion. My personal recommendation would be to remove the program and replace it with a trustworthy alternative such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware or Emsisoft Anti-Malware.

SpyHunter4 creates the following scheduled task which should be disabled/removed.
SpyHunter4Startup "C:\Program Files\Enigma Software Group\SpyHunter\Spyhunter4.exe" /s

If you have AutoRuns or CCleaner installed, you can also use those tools to disable and remove tasks.

Note: Some users have reported that you may need to open Windows Explorer, navigate to the following location, look for and delete a SpyHunter related file named SHSetup.exe before uninstalling from Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) in Control Panel.

-- XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Temp
-- Vista, Windows 7/8: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Temp


 

If the suggested removal methods fail...then you need to Contact ESG Technical Support Team and submit a ticket.

* How to Submit a Customer Support Ticket

Submitting support tickets is only for customers who purchased ESG products. If you are not a paid customer or not able to logon to their member’s section, you can try contacting ESG through the Inquiries & Feedback page.

I also suggest you write about your issues on the Complaints Board: Enigma Software Group Spyhunter Complaints & Reviews and send them an email. If you read through those comments, you will notice that Enigma Representatives respond to those making complains.
 

I am the Vice President of Technical Support and Research at Enigma Software Group. I read the post above and I would like to let you know that we have an email specifically for complaints. You or anyone can submit a complaint and I can assure you that we will find a suitable solution for any problem that is related to SpyHunter or to our service. If you have any questions or complaints, please send us an email to [email protected]. I personally read all emails from that account. At Enigma Software Group, we work hard to maintain the best level of service and make sure that every customer becomes a satisfied customer.

Regards,
Alec Malaspina
Enigma Software Group USA, LLC.


I have referred several other members to follow the above instructions and all were successfully assisted by ESG Tech Support with removing SpyHunter.


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#5
Roger999

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Hi Brian

Thanks for the notes re Spyhunter, particularly the auto-renewal model which I will now be aware of. I have to say that I normally use SpyBot Search & Destroy in combination with Lavasoft AdAware, but SpyHunter found consideably more than Spybot was detecting and seemed much more thorough. But I will watch for any unexpectedside effects.

 

As to the boot SDD/HDD selection I managed to track this down. In the BIOS the old HDD was showing up on SATA0 and the new (boot) SDD on SATA1. It turned out on this particular mobo (Asus M578A) not to be software configurable so I had to physically swap over the SATA cables between the disks.

 

Once this was done the Boot menu saw the SSD instead of the HDD and everything then booted normally.

 

This thread can now be considered closed.

 

The remaining puzzle is why this suddenly occurred, as it had been booting perfectly OK until yesterday on the original hardware configuration, although retrospectively it seems that it shouldn't have been! Although I normally leave it in Sleep mode, avoiding a full reboot, I did a few weeks ago swap out the graphics card for a new one, so that would have needed a complete power off and reboot and there was no problem!!

 

Ah well, let sleeping dogs lie. Thanks for your input though. Using the F8 boot selection menu rather than going straight to the main BIOS gave the crucial pointer to the problem!!


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#6
BrianDrab

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Great job!. I will close this topic.


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#7
BrianDrab

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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.
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