Computer troubles...

...Started yesterday evening. I've done...disk defragmentation and cleanup (Not been oilin' my Babbage correctly!), some other sort of test and a virus scan, and all came back as if the computer were fine.

But it isn't. As a (As of today, official) Geology student, I'm used to dealing with vast stretches of time in one go, but not when I'm waiting for IE to start up.

Consequently, I'm on another computer, which is almost as slow as my own has become. I can't get on this one as often as I'd like, either, so you're likely not to see me for a few days.

Can I borrow anyone's Fixin' Hammer?

There may still be nasties on there that the virus scan hasn't detected - if you do the following I'm happy to take a peek and see if I can spot anything - go to Trend Micro and download Hijack This! (http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis - run it and let it create a log file; then e-mail me said log file.

I'm afraid that's wholly dependant on the thing working fast enough to get to the site in the first place.

I'm toying with the idea of offloading all my music and pictures and stuff and wipin' it.

Which may also be the quickest method of getting it back up to speed, too!

It's about time I did that, actually....

Time to find some DVDs to keep my stuff on, then...

Or I'll ask my freind if he's got a spare hard-drive I can borrow...

A clean install may be the quickest and easier option. It sounds to me like the Registry needs a good clearout, and there are quite likely a vast number of unneeded DLL files being loaded into memory at startup (often the case if a lot of programs have been installed and uninstalled over the course of time).

Personally, I'd do the new install option, it also means that any windows files are the genuine versions.

SS

Have you tried booting in Safe Mode, then running your virus checker? Or better yet, boot in Safe Mode, then go directly to the Trend Micro web site and run HouseCall?

The Captain is acquainted with a System Administrator at a nearby Computational Genetics Laboratory (gad zooks!); he has informed me that the single biggest problem found with their 300 +/- workstations (among the three that they support 'officially': Mac, Linux, and Windows) is the "Spy Ware" that so quickly lodges into temporary files and elsewhere; more particularly on Windows builds of any vintage. A distant second issue is, apparently, worn out hard drives. Wipe/reload is a common rejoinder for Windows.

Not that any of these may apply in this instance, but he advises that for best practices (Windows only):

-- Keep operating system up-to-date with the latest patches
-- Install and run an anti-virus application (Free and pay versions: Bit Defender, Clam AV, AntiVir)
-- Employ the use of anti-spyware software (SpyBot is the best on the planet with no rival)
-- Keep internet temporary files under 10 MB; flush temp files and cookies regularly.
-- Empty the Startups folder in the Start Menu and Use Firefox

He often goes on and on and here is usually where my eyes glaze over, which forces him to walk away.

My sister always has problems like this.

she usually just tries beating the computer into submission.

Or you could avoid using Windows...

I'm a Unix System Administrator so it's easy for me to say... But then I recently converted my wife over to Linux. It's easier for me to support than Windows, and she feels it is more reliable for her.

Z.

my laptop ran slow for quite some time..

i ran a process scan, after the normal adaware and virus scans(yes... i have two virus programs one always NEVER catches everything.. >_< i dont know why)..... the process scan managed to find a few things the others couldnt pick up, it just took a while to get rid of the bad processes.....

vermillion wrote:my laptop ran slow for quite some time..

i ran a process scan, after the normal adaware and virus scans(yes... i have two virus programs one always NEVER catches everything.. >_< i dont know why)..... the process scan managed to find a few things the others couldnt pick up, it just took a while to get rid of the bad processes.....

I've heard the argument that everyone should have multiple antivirus tools, since different programs take different strategies to detection and removal. (I've heard good things about Comodo's free AV tool.) The same goes for anti-spyware tools, only moreso since their developers generally don't share signatures the way the antivirus guys do.

Of course, you should have exactly one firewall on each machine – neither more nor less.

One VERY IMPORTANT THING about multiple antivirus software. ONLY RUN ONE AT A TIME!!!!

Sorry for the yelling but I can't stress this enough. Modern Anti-Virus software use algorithms to detect virus like behaviour to try to catch viruses they haven't seen yet. And most Anti-Virus algorithms look like virus like behaviour if the software doesn't know about it. I have dealt with way too many computers where the problem was two anti-virus software packages tripping over each other.

And the F8 is your friend. Pressing this wonder of Microsoft during bootup places you in safe mode, which prevents nefarious applications from autolaunching, and facilitates removal by the battery of malware tools, including Adaware, Spybot Search and Destroy, TrendMicro Housecall, et al.