Alright.... i've been wanting some answers to some questions i have but i never got time to post them.... here i go!

A couple of months ago i had a really old sucky computer that ran as fast as the fastest snail on earth... it got on my nerves to an incredibally incredibal point (redundant? ) so i got all fed up and decided to change it for a brand new one. When i got this one i was all hyper to see how good it was, here are its specs:

Pentium 4 CPU 2.66GHz
2.67 GHz (absolutely no idea what this is...)
256Mo Ram
80 Gig HD
64MB graphics card
blablabla
blabla
bla
...

Anyways, i was all happy, this computer was running like speedy gonzales.... it was perfect.... however, i've been using it a lot, and it's speed has gone down... DRASTICALLY.... to give you an idea, clicking start>>my computer takes 30-60 seconds to load.... no bs..... opening a program is HELL and switching between windows is as annoying as guetting melted ice cream all over you fingers and not having any tissue paper.... unless of course you like having half of FireFox mixed with a fourth of an msn window and a fourth of Windows Media Player....

So yea.... I'm sick of this

I ran defrag, scanned my computer for virus/spy/adware, it's clean there. Now i ran some searches on google and i found something on how the computer will use the HD instead of ram when that gets all clogged up.... now this is where another problem comes.... out of the 256 ram i constantly have less than 50 free I have now closed pretty much every program and i have 67 free..... I downloaded FreeRam Pro XP or whatever to solve this problem.... but it only frustrates me to see how much RAM is being used.... To try to solve THIS problem i went to the task manager and tried ot see which program was usign the most memory.... however i had no idea what most of the things were and decided to leave it alone....

Also (yes this is guetting long but it's not over yet ) my computer CONSTANTLY crashes, i have to reboot on average once every hour if i am using it.... internet just stops working.... and that's my first sign.... a coupld of seconds after that... pouf.... nothing works.... to solve this i thought about formatting my whole HD and re-installing XP.... however i can't do that because i have too many files and setting i can't save on a cd or anything (game saves, program preferences etc.....) so would it help if i ran the instal on "fix" or something.... if that even exists on XP?

Last but not least.... damn i forgot..... oh yeah..... is it possible that all these problems be comming from physical lack of ram? As in.... even with 256 ram should i add another lets say 256....? I prefer doing this then formatting my PC if i have the choice....

Now if you are still reading this and started at the beginning.... THANKS! Please help me....


Btw, miracle.... my computer hasn't crashed since i started writing..... or did i speak too fast? *quickly posts*

reformat is the best solution, even tough you don't want to. Don't buy new RAM. I believe that, alll those programs you installed (like Freeramxp and stuff. i'm not blaming freeramxp but i'm speaking in general) leave traces, and if uou don't uninstall them and if they use a specific loader... well then you've got a problem =/

Well, I would reinstall Windows. What programs did you install? I have a Pentium III 800 MHz with 256 MB of RAM, Windows XP, a lot of programs, and it still runs as smooth as the first day. I'd say you have installed too many dodgy programs (or device drivers)...

quote:

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Originally posted by lopardo
I have a Pentium III 800 MHz with 256 MB of RAM, Windows XP and it still runs as smooth as the first day

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The problem is i don't have heaps of programs, i take care of my computer really well.... so i only have programs that I actually use....

Anyways, i'll go over my programs and see if any are there that i don't use, then i'll run msconfig.... never did that before.... and i have a feeling it will help a little bit.

Leopardo, by reinstalling windows, do you mean erasing everything on my HD too? Or is it possible to just install over the old windows? (similar to how you can just upgrade from 98 to XP without losing anything....)

And bach_m do you have any idea on how much ram costs? Can i install it alone? And of course is any ram stick fine or are there different types for different pc's? (am i becoming annoying with all my questions? )

well you cant update windows xp but you can reinstall it without looseing everything. sorta. you can just delete the windows folder from ms-dos and reinstall but then you loose your regestry, but not your files. so basically you would have to reinstall all your programs that use the regestry and you loose anything set there by them :/

One thing you can do is to insert your win XP cd, and boot from it.
Then go to install windows and select to repair windows...
But that never helped me...
It caused me problems...

So there is a "repair" option....?

What kind of problems?

quote:

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Originally posted by VGProManiac
What kind of problems?

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how about trying a system restore?

how about no You aparently didnt read the whole thing (i would expect every "normal" person not to read everything) I want to keep all my files

well IIRC system restore doesnt roll back documents, on applications and settings

hmmmmm then wouldn't that be more like "repair"

no, cos with system restore, you can restore back to specific time points

Well tbh I personally think you've got excited and loaded loadsa crap..

Try something called Tuneup Utilities.  I swear by it.  I run Windows 2000 on a p3 650MHz and hardly ever get any problems unless i dont run it once every two weeks.  I also read a very good article on spyware at neowin which has helped amazingly well.

Wow.... Tuneup IS one hell of a program.... thanks for telling me about it! I now changed lots of stuff and my computer is becoming heaps faster. But everytime i am runningc ABC (Another Bittorent Client) my ram just empties out.... any ideas on any bittorent client that is as good or better that uses less memory?

i use bittornado... it works a treat http://bittornado.com/

Download this program, execute it and tells us what you see (CTRL+C). Maybe there's something at startup that shouldn't be there. Spyware can slow down your PC too, so be careful with that...

Buying more memory will help, but it's not necessary (so don't worry if you can't spend money on it, you said it was working fast before).

You can try reinstalling Windows over the current installation and then, if it doesn't solve the problem try making a fresh install (when nothing works this is the best solution, even if you have to reconfigure everything ).

I don't like programs like Tuneup, they tend to make more problems than solutions. I've never tried Tuneup, so I'm going to download it now and install it on a test machine.

Sorry to bring back this topic but i thought my problem was gone but it isn't....

It seems now that everytime i run ad-aware or spybot i find new spyware/adware, and whenever i run Norton i find new viruses..... now i have no idea where all of this is comming from, and i suspect it's simply my brother being careless, but just to make sure: Is it possible t o have some program on your computer that will keep on installing stuff like this?

And i ran Tuneup and everything looked fine, but today the computer became slow as hell again, just look at this (not sure what exactly this means but it looks bad ) :



I pretty much got fed-up of all of this so if none of you know what i can do i guess i'll just get more ram and see if that works...

Your computer is using 100% CPU. This is most likely what causes it to be slow. Take a look at the Processus tab to see what exactly is causing it, then we might be able to provide more detailed support

Take a look at this page http://www.neowin.net/articles.php?action=more&id=81 , there's loads of tips on preventing adware/spyware gettin installed (u know it gets installed whilst surfin the web too without u knowin it, don't you?).

I followed most of the instructions/tips given an never get adware/spyware on my comp

Ok, i was looking at the Processus Tab and couldn't really figure out if anything there was extra so i took a shot of it

Click here: http://www.bbfree.com/VGProManiac/uploads/post-2-1090098721.jpg

I can't use the img tag the image is 1024*728

Now do as lopardo told you:

quote:

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Originally posted by lopardo
Download this program, execute it and tells us what you see (CTRL+C).

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Damn computer! *shakes fist* i had to restart it so many times before i could get back on.... grrrr

Anyways, i had overlooked lopardo's post so i did that now, and sunshine i already read that article and i normally don't have lots of spyware, i'm guessing my brother just messed around too much .... he's gone today so if i don't get any new items found tomorrow then i'm fine

Anyways here is what the program gave me:

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HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify           
+ cscdll    Agent réseau hors connexion    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\cscdll.dll
+ ScCertProp    DLL commune de réception des notifications Winlogon    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wlnotify.dll
+ Schedule    DLL commune de réception des notifications Winlogon    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wlnotify.dll
+ SensLogn    DLL commune de réception des notifications Winlogon    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wlnotify.dll
+ termsrv    DLL commune de réception des notifications Winlogon    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wlnotify.dll
+ wlballoon    DLL commune de réception des notifications Winlogon    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\wlnotify.dll
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit           
+ C:\Windows\System32\wsaupdater.exe            C:\WINDOWS\system32\wsaupdater.exe
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell           
+ Explorer.exe    Explorateur Windows    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run           
+ Advanced Tools Check    Norton AntiVirus Advanced Tools Integrity Checker    Symantec Corporation    C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\AdvTools\AdvChk.exe
+ atqhct            C:\WINDOWS\atqhct.exe
+ BootSkin Startup Jobs    Stardock BootSkin!        C:\Program Files\Stardock\WinCustomize\BootSkin\BootSkin.exe
+ ccApp    Symantec Common Client User Session    Symantec Corporation    C:\Program Files\Fichiers communs\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe
+ dibqwkrmjltp            C:\WINDOWS\system32\gwhakdld.exe
+ MessengerPlus3    Messenger Plus!    Patchou    C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 3\MsgPlus.exe
+ msbb    Search Assistant    180solutions, Inc.    c:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Local Settings\Temp\msbb.exe
+ mswspl            C:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Application Data\dwnupdt.exe
+ NvCplDaemon    NVIDIA Display Properties Extension    NVIDIA Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvcpl.dll
+ RunDLL    bridge Module        C:\WINDOWS\system32\bridge.dll
+ SpeedTouch USB Diagnostics    SpeedTouch Statistics    THOMSON    C:\Program Files\Alcatel\SpeedTouch USB\dragdiag.exe
+ Zone Labs Client    Zone Labs Client    Zone Labs Inc.    C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components           
+ Carnet d'adresses 6    Bibliothèque d'installation Outlook Express    Microsoft Corporation    C:\Program Files\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\setup50.exe
+ Internet Explorer    Windows NT User Data Migration Tool    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\shmgrate.exe
+ Internet Explorer 6    Utilitaire d'installation individualisée de Internet Explorer    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\ie4uinit.exe
+ Microsoft Outlook Express 6    Bibliothèque d'installation Outlook Express    Microsoft Corporation    C:\Program Files\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\setup50.exe
+ Microsoft Windows Media Player    Utilitaire d'installation du Lecteur Windows Media Microsoft    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\inf\unregmp2.exe
+ Microsoft Windows Media Player    ADVPACK    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\advpack.dll
+ Mise à jour du Bureau Windows    Microsoft Register Server    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\regsvr32.exe
+ NetMeeting 3.01    ADVPACK    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\advpack.dll
+ Outlook Express    Windows NT User Data Migration Tool    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\shmgrate.exe
+ Personnalisation du navigateur    DLL de personnalisation de Microsoft Internet Explorer    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\iedkcs32.dll
+ Themes Setup    Microsoft Register Server    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\regsvr32.exe
+ Windows Messenger 4.7    ADVPACK    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\advpack.dll
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Menu Démarrer\Programmes\Démarrage           
+ Adobe Gamma Loader.exe.lnk    Adobe Gamma Loader    Adobe Systems, Inc.    C:\Program Files\Fichiers communs\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Menu Démarrer\Programmes\Démarrage           
+ Winwall Autostart.lnk            C:\Program Files\Winwall\Winwall.exe
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SharedTaskScheduler           
+ Démon de cache des catégories de composant    Bibliothèque de l'interface utilisateur du navigateur    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\BROWSEUI.DLL
+ Pré-chargeur Browseui    Bibliothèque de l'interface utilisateur du navigateur    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\BROWSEUI.DLL
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad           
+ CDBurn    DLL commune du shell Windows    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll
+ PostBootReminder    DLL commune du shell Windows    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\shell32.dll
+ SysTray    Objet du service d'environnement Systray    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\stobject.dll
+ WebCheck    Contrôleur de site Web    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\webcheck.dll
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run           
+ AutoUpdate            C:\WINDOWS\scvhost.exe
+ ctfmon.exe    CTF Loader    Microsoft Corporation    C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
+ MessengerPlus3    Messenger Plus!    Patchou    C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus! 3\MsgPlus.exe
+ TuneUp MemOptimizer    TuneUp MemOptimizer    TuneUp Software GmbH    C:\Program Files\TuneUp Utilities 2004\MemOptimizer.exe
Task Scheduler           
+ Symantec NetDetect.job    Symantec NetDetect    Symantec Corporation    C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate\NDETECT.EXE

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit
+ C:\Windows\System32\wsaupdater.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\wsaupdater.exe

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
+ atqhct C:\WINDOWS\atqhct.exe
+ dibqwkrmjltp C:\WINDOWS\system32\gwhakdld.exe

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
+ msbb Search Assistant 180solutions, Inc. c:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Local Settings\Temp\msbb.exe

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
+ mswspl C:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Application Data\dwnupdt.exe
+ RunDLL bridge Module C:\WINDOWS\system32\bridge.dll

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
+ AutoUpdate C:\WINDOWS\scvhost.exe

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I ran ad-aware 6 (pro) and Spybot after posting that, adaware found 49 new items... that's by far my record.... I also ran norton and that found 11 viruses but only deleted 2 im trying ot see if i can update it somehow....

btw, i am SUPER VERY careful at what i install, so i have NO idea where all of this is comming from....

Sorry for the double post but i don't think an edit makes this thread have "new posts" and i just wanted some feedback. I just ran all these scans in safe mode and Norton was successful in guetting rid of everything, I also ran adaware and spybot and got rid of ad/spyware. Now when i posted the autoruns log above i didn't make the changes you said because i did the scans and thought that some of them might not be needed, anyways here is the new log i have:

http://www.bbfree.com/VGProManiac/index.php?act=A...h&type=post&id=164

Now the computer SEEMS to be running smoothly and normally, but i'm sure that in a couple of minutes it will get wacky again and piss me off. Now my burner isn't working so i can't backup my files on CD, i thought of taking my HD over to a friend's house and temporarly storing my files there (did something similar when i got my new pc) but he isn't here right now, so i got this new idea. I only have one partition in my whole HD.... would it be possible to somehow create an F drive... put all my files in there, format the C drive ONLY, reinstall windows XP, copy the files from F to C, then delete F (i guess i could keep F if i have to, this way i could do this again some other time if needed)

Everything seems to be OK in your log now.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
Now the computer SEEMS to be running smoothly and normally, but i'm sure that in a couple of minutes it will get wacky again and piss me off.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
Now my burner isn't working so i can't backup my files on CD

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
I only have one partition in my whole HD.... would it be possible to somehow create an F drive... put all my files in there, format the C drive ONLY, reinstall windows XP, copy the files from F to C, then delete F (i guess i could keep F if i have to, this way i could do this again some other time if needed)

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quote:

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Everything seems to be OK in your log now.

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quote:

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Great Tell us if something doesn't work.

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quote:

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What burning program are you using? Any error messages?

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quote:

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It would be possible with Partition Magic, but I do not recommend it at all. If something goes wrong, you could loose all your data.

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I was asking about what burning program you use because some of them cause trouble (there was a key in the registry, but I don't remember it... ). I'd try removing the drive from System properties > Hardware > Device manager and rebooting.

Well i don't have any burning program cause my burner isn't working I could get anyone right now if you want me to test but my burner doesn't even recognize cd's.... ANY cd's....

burner

edit: .... looks like it's working i guess i'm gonna get nero or something now.... what do you guys suggest?

stops working right when i try to burn something

I suggest Nero, the best program there is, which let you tweak and setup every possible thing you can think of (and which your burner supports of course). There are many more user-friendly programs, but they all lack the things and options that you can do with Nero.

PS and sidenote: I'm actually glad that this has happend to you. Well not personaly, because that sucked bigtime, but it shows clearly that AutoRuns is better then programs like StartupPanel and such, because they wont show you all the startup keys often used by dodgy programs... So I hope other people are convinced now also.....

Hehehe, yeah true

Anyways i got nero, and yeah looks pretty sweet, now the problem is the burner seems to recognise only SOME cd's .... and sometimes it will read one and when i try again it won't.... and it never works with cd-r's..... time for a new burner I'm gonna hold off the "XP repair" til' I backup at least SOME files.... just in case

Oh yeah... forgot to say this... When you do a repair, you won't loose your programs (people are correct in saying that)... however, (and most people are forgetting to mention this) you will loose many settings from your programs because the registry will be partially erased/overwritten/fixed/whatever....

BTW, is it your recorder's fault? Have you tried it in another computer?

Yeah, i tried it on another computer and it doesn't work, i think the lens is messed up or something, i'm probably gonna go get it checked tomorrow

CR, once again, very useful info you've given me.... if it will reset everythign i might as well format.... lol

Problem solved then (why do CD readers/recorders last so short? )

Glad I could help

Yeah, i guess this thread can go off into the dark dark corners of these forums until i need help again. Thank you all of you, and special thanks to Lopardo and Cookie




To computer problems:

not only would having lots of programs interfear with proformance, but having your hard drive full of stuff can slow your computer down alot to.

ie: pics...movies...anything youve got on there

Yeah, I had tons of that, i went around cleaning and re-arraging everything

Right now i found a folder that is dodgy:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrateur\Application Data

Now that contains several folders of several programs.... but some i just uninstalled

Look at this screen for a better idea, things circled in red are uninstalled, things in green i have no clue what they are, the rest i know and want:

http://www.bbfree.com/VGProManiac/uploads/post-2-1090205434.jpg

"InterTrust" Seems to be something that was installed with InterPlay WinDVD but i'm not sure (that's why it's half-half). The other two files on the bottom are The exe is always trying to access the internet and keeps putting itself on startup

Anyways, can i safely delete the folders circled in red? (or half red ) And what are the ones in green?

quote:

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Originally posted by kingboy
not only would having lots of programs interfear with proformance, but having your hard drive full of stuff can slow your computer down alot to.

ie: pics...movies...anything youve got on there

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
Look at this screen for a better idea, things circled in red are uninstalled, things in green i have no clue what they are, the rest i know and want:

http://www.bbfree.com/VGProManiac/uploads/post-2-1090205434.jpg

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