[Emerick]

It's been about a month since I cleared my hard drive from a bad malware incident, and now I'm starting to get some pretty bad slowdown. It could be related to the fact that I started downloading music this past week, or this program called Hamachi that someone who I play online games with told me to download so we could play more games together. Either way, then can I get some tips to get my computer running fast?

[Bichey]

scan with a good anti-spyware

[perfume]

Dear Emerick,
Welcome! How did you clear your"hard disk" from a "malware incident"? which program did you use? Are you using a torrent site to download music(sounds like you are!) and that's a total downsider! STOP downloading asap! Do you have an Anti-Virus software installed and updated regularly? As mentioned above scan for spyware!

Specifications of your PC will help members senior to me to help you out of this hole!
I know next to nothing about the effect of on-line gaming's effect on the performance of a pc!Best Wishes.

[Emerick]

Originally Posted by Bichey

scan with a good anti-spyware

I just ran Spybot, and it found around 250 problems. It deleted all of them but something about Megaupload. I think it has something to do with the Megaupload addon for FireFox that I recently installed...but I figured that it would be secure. Either way, I'm about to delete it, restart my computer, and run Spybot again

Originally Posted by perfume

Dear Emerick,
Welcome! How did you clear your"hard disk" from a "malware incident"? which program did you use?

I cleared my hard disk by putting in the emachines startup disk that came with my computer, formatting, and reinstalling windows

Originally Posted by perfume

Are you using a torrent site to download music(sounds like you are!) and that's a total downsider! STOP downloading asap!

No, I'm not using any p2p software, I've had bad luck with those in the past- I'm only using rapidshare, megaupload, and other file sharing sites for my music.

Originally Posted by perfume

Do you have an Anti-Virus software installed and updated regularly? As mentioned above scan for spyware!

I have Norton Antivirus 2004, and have installed al the available updates for it. When I'm downloading, it regularly asks for permission to scan the files, so I assumed that it was working fine.

Originally Posted by perfume

Specifications of your PC will help members senior to me to help you out of this hole!

I really don't know much about my computer...I'm running Windows XP, and I like to use FireFox. What else would you have to know?

Originally Posted by perfume

I know next to nothing about the effect of on-line gaming's effect on the performance of a pc!Best Wishes.

I deleted it right before I made my first post. It was called Hamachi, and worked by establishing a direct connection between computers, like IRC(if I understand IRC correctly). I decided not to use it, since I don't know enough about computers to be sure that I was using it properly.



As I said above, Spybot found almost 150 problems. When I was deleting them, a number of registry entries were being changed, and I denied all of the ones that it gave me a chance to. There were two that it wouldn't let me. I have no idea if I did the right thing, but I guess there's only one way to find out, eh? Anyways, I'm going to restart and run it again, and I guess its time to start backing my stuff up.

Also, should I run Hijackthis and post a log here?

[Bichey]

spyware always takes an active part in slowing down the computer. Well i am not sure that u should allow or deny registry changes. experienced members will tell u better.

one thing i want to suggest , switch to norton 2009 or better use some other current anti-virus. also apart from anti-virus always keep a good anti-spyware , a better firewall , an ad-aware and always try to use current version like 2009,2010 etc because every year they includes some more new features. also in many anti-viruses they change their techniques in finding viruses

[perfume]

Dear Emerick,
I hope you know the function of the"Tea Timer" in Spybot S&D.Teatimer has it's own help file,which you could view whenever Teatimer pops up.Or,you could view it in the Spybot folder.This is the likely location(if you installed Spybot to the default location,or adjust accordingly if you installed Spybot elsewhere,or your drive letter is not C):
C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\Help
The help file is called English.Resident.chm.
Also,there's the more information button when teatimer pops up.If it has any info about what it's asking you to allow or deny,you'd see it if you click the more info button.
Or,there is more here,including a little bit about what happens when Teatimer detects something malicious:http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/33.html
If your PC is still slow then think of posting a HijackThis log!

[perfume]

A little more on TeaTimer--
The Resident TeaTimer is a tool of Spybot-S&D which perpetually monitors the processes called/initiated. It immediately detects known malicious processes wanting to start and terminates them giving you some options, how to deal with this process in the future. You can set TeaTimer to:

• be informed, when the process tries to start again
• automatically kill the process
• or generally allow the process to run

There is also an option to delete the file associated with this process.
In addition, TeaTimer detects when something wants to change some critical registry keys. TeaTimer can protect you against such changes again giving you an option: You can either Allow or Deny the change.
The TeaTimer is always running in the background.

[Bichey]

it will be nice if TeaTimer include some more new features like making tea 4 us. how nice it will be, if our desktop computer makes tea and provides it with some snacks

[perfume]

Dear Bichey,
Such a day may come,who knows! I never imagined "condom vending machines"

[Emerick]

Here's what hijackthis popped out:



Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 10:57:31 PM, on 2/16/2009
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18372)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\TGTSoft\StyleXP\StyleXPService.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\Update Service\IntuitUpdateService.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\KeenfinderSrch\keenfinder136.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\SAVScan.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\Security Center\SymWSC.exe
C:\Program Files\KeenfinderSrch\keenfinder.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\utilman.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\KeenfinderSrch\keenfinder.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\VTTimer.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\AOL\AOLSPY~1\AOLSP Scheduler.exe
C:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\PDVDServ.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe
C:\Program Files\Digital Media Reader\shwiconem.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb09.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Digital Imaging\bin\hpotdd01.exe
C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Program Files\firedog advisor\faAgnt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\TGTSoft\StyleXP\StyleXP.exe
C:\Program Files\DNA\btdna.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe
C:\Program Files\xchat\xchat.exe
C:\Dev-Cpp\devcpp.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.ask.com/?o=101760&l=dis
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHelperStub - {18DF081C-E8AD-4283-A596-FA578C2EBDC3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelperShim.dll
O2 - BHO: AskBar BHO - {201f27d4-3704-41d6-89c1-aa35e39143ed} - C:\Program Files\AskBarDis\bar\bin\askBar.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar1.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Notifier BHO - {AF69DE43-7D58-4638-B6FA-CE66B5AD205D} - C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\3.1.807.1746\swg.dll
O2 - BHO: NAV Helper - {BDF3E430-B101-42AD-A544-FADC6B084872} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O2 - BHO: TGTSoft Explorer Toolbar Changer - {C333CF63-767F-4831-94AC-E683D962C63C} - C:\Program Files\TGTSoft\StyleXP\TGT_BHO.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: Norton AntiVirus - {42CDD1BF-3FFB-4238-8AD1-7859DF00B1D6} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Google - {2318C2B1-4965-11d4-9B18-009027A5CD4F} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar1.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Ask Toolbar - {3041d03e-fd4b-44e0-b742-2d9b88305f98} - C:\Program Files\AskBarDis\bar\bin\askBar.dll
O3 - Toolbar: (no name) - {A057A204-BACC-4D26-C39E-35F1D2A32EC8} - (no file)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VTTimer] VTTimer.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AOL Spyware Protection] "C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\AOL\AOLSPY~1\AOLSP Scheduler.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RemoteControl] "C:\Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD\PDVDServ.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NAV CfgWiz] C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CfgWiz.exe /GUID NAV /CMDLINE "REBOOT"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunKistEM] C:\Program Files\Digital Media Reader\shwiconem.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Reader Speed Launcher] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\Reader_sl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Symantec NetDriver Monitor] C:\PROGRA~1\SYMNET~1\SNDMon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] "C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Component Manager] "C:\Program Files\HP\hpcoretech\hpcmpmgr.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPDJ Taskbar Utility] C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb09.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DeviceDiscovery] C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Digital Imaging\bin\hpotdd01.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [firedogadvisor] C:\Program Files\firedog advisor\faAgnt.exe /startup
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [STYLEXP] C:\Program Files\TGTSoft\StyleXP\StyleXP.exe -Hide
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [BitTorrent DNA] "C:\Program Files\DNA\btdna.exe"
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-3133936311-728180965-4169757567-1003\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background (User 'Owner')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-3133936311-728180965-4169757567-1003\..\Run: [firedogadvisor] C:\Program Files\firedog advisor\faAgnt.exe /startup (User 'Owner')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-3133936311-728180965-4169757567-1003\..\Run: [swg] C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe (User 'Owner')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-21-3133936311-728180965-4169757567-1003\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe (User 'Owner')
O4 - Global Startup: BigFix.lnk = C:\Program Files\BigFix\BigFix.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: &AOL Toolbar search - res://C:\Program Files\AOL Toolbar\toolbar.dll/SEARCH.HTML
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2\bin\npjpi142.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2\bin\npjpi142.dll
O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Shdocvw.dll
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.emachines.com
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://fpdownload2.macromedia.com/ge...nt/swflash.cab
O23 - Service: Symantec Event Manager (ccEvtMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Password Validation (ccPwdSvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccPwdSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Settings Manager (ccSetMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Google Updater Service (gusvc) - Google - C:\Program Files\Google\Common\Google Updater\GoogleUpdaterService.exe
O23 - Service: Intuit Update Service (IntuitUpdateService) - Intuit Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\Update Service\IntuitUpdateService.exe
O23 - Service: KeenfinderSrch Service - Unknown owner - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\KeenfinderSrch\keenfinder136.exe
O23 - Service: Norton AntiVirus Auto Protect Service (navapsvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
O23 - Service: SAVScan - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\SAVScan.exe
O23 - Service: ScriptBlocking Service (SBService) - Symantec Corporation - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\SYMANT~1\SCRIPT~1\SBServ.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Network Drivers Service (SNDSrvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: StyleXPService - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\TGTSoft\StyleXP\StyleXPService.exe
O23 - Service: SymWMI Service (SymWSC) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\Security Center\SymWSC.exe

--
End of file - 8873 bytes

[Bichey]

U can try yourself by using Uniblue Process Library. This is a very good application and i use it too. It shows all the applications that is running in your computer and also tells what should run and should not run in your computer. It detects trojans, spywares and other malwares. It also advises how to remove them
link : http://www.processlibrary.com/about/

[perfume]

Just check out these very sensible tips that might have led to your computer slowdown and a few fixes added! :http://www.laserchips.com/tips.htm