computer acting funny....need help from the tech folks

[Blue_Tires]

ok...a couple of problems that probably are not related...for starters, my PC runs a LOT slower than it used to...it takes Firefox about 30 secs to start up (i checked my task manager, and i'm running a LOT of processes, but i'm not sure which are needed and which are not)...also, i was trying to re-arrange my windows desktop icons and whenever i right-mouse-click my desktop, my entire computer freezes...(thanks to earlier advice from DU, i've been a longtime user of Spy bot and AdAware--i've run both with no problems...I've also done all the regular maintenance like disk cleanup and defragmenting the drive)


my second problem that i've searched but cannot find a definitive answer to is my Limewire--for whatever reason, i can no longer download files on it anymore...

any advice is appreciated, as usual...i can provide more info on my system if needed..

[Madrone]

1. Crap Cleaner

http://www.ccleaner.com/

[Madrone]

2. One other thing...

You may want to try an online virus scan. If you already have an AV program and got infested somehow it is likely compromised. I've found that an online scan will usually rid you of anything you've got.

I have good luck w/ Panda's Activescan:

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan

You must use Internet Explorer (it uses active X controls to access the computer) and it will take awhile.

[Blue_Tires]

3. i have mcafee security center

with firewall, virus-scan, privacy service, and spamkiller....virus scan is up to date, and i've run a full scan with no problems..i will take a look at crapcleaner, though...thanks

[Blue_Tires]

5. ok, i've run crap cleaner

things seem to run a lot better, but my pc still freezes when i right-click on the desktop

[jobycom]

9. How does it freeze?

Blue screen, shutdown, or just constant hourglass? Can you still do CTRL-ALT-DELETE when it freezes? Does the numlock key still work?

If you can still get to task manager while it's frozen, you can see which process is chewing up resources. Might give you a hint.

[Blue_Tires]

11. constant hourglass

and i cannot click on any other programs...i can ctrl-alt-del, though when it happens

[Omphaloskepsis]

17. Just went through the same thing...

The folks over at Arstechnica.com couldn't help.. I had to reinstall Windows 2000 Pro.

[Blue_Tires]

14. i've used the panda scan

only 3 'potentially' harmful things were found and no viruses

[Madrone]

16. well that's good! A coupe of other things...

FYI- In case you missed it:

Crap cleaner clears your cache, temp files, etc... but did you run it to check for issues (registry stuff) too? There's a button for "Issues" on the left... Do a scan and fix of those. It will ask you if you want to back up the registry before it removes anything...do it, just in case! If something really hoses (although I haven't seen it happen yet myself) after the registry clean you can easily restore from the backup.

One other thing you should check - Crap cleaner has a vastly superior program startup listing and allowances for removing things from startup. Many of the things you'll find you won't see in MSCONFIG. It's under "Tools" on the right, then click the startup button. Shut off anything you see that you don't think should be running every time you boot.


Now -for your right click on desktop = FREEZE problem, read this:

http://ufies.org/archives/001815.html

[Blue_Tires]

18. thanks

i used CC to disable the file named in the link, but i still have the problem

[CornField]

4. Forgive the question I have to ask

Are you downloading updates for AdAware & Spybot?

If so, I also agree that you should do a scan over the net (Panda is good) to see if your defenses have been infiltrated.

Finally, you can plug your unknown processes into Google and see what pops up. Chances are, if it is bad, someone else has already had to deal with it.

Good luck!

[Blue_Tires]

6. yes, both are up to date

now i will try one of those online scans

[Digit]

7. Make sure you immunize with Spybot, too

I also use SpywareBlaster, which is also free and works with Firefox.
It does not remove anything, but prevents nasties from hitting you in the first place.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

[Blue_Tires]

13. thanks, i'll give it a look

[jobycom]

8. First thing, back up the hardrive

Could be a failing drive, MB, or power supply. It's an outside chance, but I've got a pending $500 bill to try to recover a crashed drive because I missed a sign or two.

Second, I just fixed a friend's computer who had a major trojan/spyware infection even though he had virus and spyware protection running full time. The usually freebies didn't solve the problem. Something kept re-installing the spyware as soon as I could clean it. Finally tried SpyWare Doctor (find it on Tucows.com) and a trial version of Norton Antivirus, and they find a couple of things that McAfee and the others missed. I had to pay for SpyWare Doctor to clean the problems it found, but it worked. You can run it as a trial, and it will tell you what it finds, and it will set up a protection filter, but you have to buy it to get it to clean.

Also, find a registry cleaner on Tucows. You can find shareware that will allow you to clean some problems for free. You can be cheap and keep running the program over and over, or you can shell out ten bucks for one. If it's a sudden problem, it's probably not the registry, but it could be.

Other than that, you can Google each process on task manager to see if they are legite or problems. Also, go into Add or Remove Programs and delete anything you don't recognize, especially anything that sounds like a search bar or adware. If you don't recognize it, Google it. Look for anything you've installed lately.

And check Microsoft for the latest security updates, especially if you're running XP. My friend's problems started because he had XP Professional with SP1 and almost no security updates, and his problem turned out to be a trojan that used a hole that Microsoft already had a fix for. (I'm not as good at this as that makes it sound, I just searched their page and figured it out :) )

Good luck. Take the possibility of failing hardware seriously until you know for sure. Even a bad memory chip or a failing power supply or even the processor fan can cause slowdowns, though usually the latter two just cause the machine to shut off.

[Blue_Tires]

15. i'll get into that tomorrow

i do have a few questions about what you're talking about...

[Blue_Tires]

19. for starters

what exactly is the registry cleaner supposed to do?

[jobycom]

21. Registry

Here's Microsoft's definition of a registry.

"The Microsoft Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition, defines the registry as:
A central hierarchical database used in Microsoft Windows 9x, Windows CE, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 used to store information necessary to configure the system for one or more users, applications and hardware devices.

The Registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create, property sheet settings for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the system, and the ports that are being used.

The Registry replaces most of the text-based .ini files used in Windows 3.x and MS-DOS configuration files, such as the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys. Although the Registry is common to several Windows operating systems, there are some differences among them.
Registry data is stored in binary files."

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986

A registry cleaner clears out entries that are outdated, and sometimes finds entries that have been planted in the registry to access other programs hidden in the system. If there are a lot of junk entries, it can slow your computer down, and if the registry becomes damaged it can even prevent your computer from starting, or cause it to freeze, as yours is doing. Some viruses and trojans attack the registry, either trying to damage it, or just trying to get it to run other programs. My friend's computer had a trojan that kept reinstalling entries into the registry literally as soon as they were deleted.

[Whoa_Nelly]

10. Have you dumped your cache/temp file?

When that's really full, can make things run slowly.

Also, have you run a disk scan and done a defrag yet?

[Blue_Tires]

12. been done

[Blue_Tires]

20. ttt n/t

[catmandu57]

22. Try ewido

http://ewido.net/en/ I have several anti spy and nasty cleaners, but this is the one that consistently cleans everything. It's free to scan and use, but if you purchase it it gives much better protection.

[meegbear]

23. Where's the trite "Get a Mac!" response ...

oh well, GET A MAC!

[Blue_Tires]

24. ttt one more time

that right mouse click thing is driving my batty....and does anyone know what the deal is with limewire?

[Blue_Tires]

25. final kick

no one here uses limewire?