problem with IE loading slow ?

[blues90]

I have windows 2000 pro .

Everything was working fine until my wifes brother visited us nd went on some porn sites . I saw him on them and they were in the history .

Since then when I open IE my home pare loads slow . If I try to minimiz e the loading page it won't and I can't close it either . If i click to min or close I hear a bell once , ding !

Once the page loads all is fine but if I open another window i get the same thing .

any suggestions on what this might be or how to get rid of this problem ?

[CK_John]

1. You have to clean out your cookies,history, temporary internet files, etc from

IE explorer. First I would disconnect from the internet by pulling the cable from your access device(temporary), open IE and go to tools->internet options and on the general tab deletes files. Caution this will delete saved passwords(version dependent), have written copy of signon/passwords,etc before you start.

Also review folders and delete any files in Temp and Windows/Temp then run a full virus scan and spyware scan.

Reconnect to internet.

[blues90]

2. I just did that , it loads faster but I'm not sure about the temp files

How do I get to review folders and delete temp files and windows/temp .

After is did the tools and deleted temp files and cookies when I went back on the connection on dsl extreme I got a message saying I was off line which was never the case , a window popped up telling to to connect and i did that and it connected .

Someone told me to open IE and type in $temp$ and the go and I saw temp files but I have no idea how to delete them or if they are needed .

Once a window opens like Nova M radio then i can go to any sight from there pretty fast . It's just each time I open another window starting at internet explorer when it takes a while , maybe a minute to load of longer but not over 2 minutes .

So If I have Nova M showing I can go the DU from there real fast .

[CK_John]

3. There is nothing in a Temp that is needed, but people never empty them so that is one of the place

malware hang out in. Also empty the recycle bin. Check c:\Temp and C:\windows\temp in windows explore and right click each file and delete. Some files may be in use by antivirus software and may not be deletable.

[blues90]

4. I know I'm a pest here and not computer savy

How do I go into my computer to access these files ?

[CK_John]

5. No problem, everyone has been there. Here are 2 easy ways and a tool to do it for you.

1st the tool is called disk cleanup. To use it click on Start->Programs->accessories->system tools->disk cleanup. When disk cleanup starts make sure all boxes are checked and click ok. This tool will cleanup most of those files and should be run weekly or bi monthly.

Note its been a while since I worked with win2000 and there maybe slight differences. The first time may take a few minutes to complete, closes all other windows when running.

Now for manual methods 1) right click on MyComputer (if you have an icon on your desktop) then left click on explore. This will show all files and folders. You should see a left panel and a right panel, if not look at top of page for a button labeled "folders" click on it and your ready.

Method 2) is to press the "Microsoft Key" and the letter E at the same time and explorer will open. The MS key is bottom row left key between ctrl and alt.

Also check out the top of this forum page for topic "Security" and look for spyblaster and spyblaster tutorial. I recommend you read and download and run it. You can have more than one spyware program on your computer but only one anti virus program at a time.

Hope this isn't info overload.

[blues90]

6. Thanks , I did the disk clean and defrag already

and some temp files are gone but I will try the others you suggested too .

Is there anything to typing %temp% as i did and it shows folders ? I went to my comp and typed this in the address abd and hit go and saw files ?

[CK_John]

8. A lot of software will have a temp in their folders but since these are not general to all

systems, the 2 that are are usually on most systems are c:\temp and c:\windows\temp, (these are the targets of a lot of spyware but not the only areas) disk cleanup will take care of these. but check them out as per previous post.

That slow startup is mostly likely spyware and needs to be found. What spyware and antivirus are you using.

[blues90]

9. I have PC tools free anti virus and lava solf adware free version

I had norton but now it's old and I would have to buy the new version and I am to broke to do that so there were sort of recommended to me .

[CK_John]

10. AdAware is good run a complete scan be sure you have the las test file defs.

Also here is a link to clean out Norton after you have done an add/remove to get rid of leftover files. Step 3 download for your version of windows and run.

Link
<http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2007080716270339?Open&docid=2005033108162039&nsf=tsgeninfo.nsf&view=docid>

Also there are 2 versions of Ad Ware SE and AdAware2007, the SE version has to updated manual now.

I'm not familiar with PCTools anti virus, I use avast and it is free for non commercial use. Note: you should only have 1 antivirus installed.

[blues90]

11. I have the adware se

I ran both the adware and pc anti virus . there is nothing infected in the pc anit virus , on adware there were some cookies that I removed after than scan but nothing has cahnged at all . I got rid of all traces of Norton but even before when they were there I did not have this IE issue . I cleaned out all cookies and temp folders but nothing has changed .

Whne I reboot and then click on IE to open the home page no matter what one I use is slow to load . If I right click on the task bar then the page begins to load as normal but if I try to max the window or close it I get one ding tone which never happened before .

This all happened three days ago , before this the homepage loaded in seconds . If I have the home page loaded i can go form it to DU and it loads DU in seconds , my outlook express loads in seconds by just clicking it on the task bar .

This is a used computer with all sorts of programs but I never had a problem until a few days ago .

I ran the scan for spyware bot and it showed 103 issues but you have to pay to remove them . I would but I don't know if this will fix the problem .

I did load the latest windows upgrades but this problem did not start at that time .

I went to all sorts of sites talking about IE loading slow and get all sorts of opinions some are exacty what the problem i have is .

IE 6 sp1 is what I have loaded . everything else is fine other than the slow loading issue . this is frustrating . I thought of fire fox but don't know how this works or if it works with all programs as a browser .

[CK_John]

12. Download both Firefox and IE7 and try them out. I use FF and have windows auto updates

and have not opened IE for over a yr.

Here is link for adware se defs file.
<http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/securitycenter/blog/>

Right hand column green button for se defs, Note this is a zip file that needs to be extract to program files->lavasoft->adaware se.

[blues90]

13. I loaded firefox but I did not set it s my default browser

I don't know what the ehll I'm doing ,when I loaded firefox and opened the browser it did not seem any faster than the IE is now .

This is so complicated , my pages load but takes about 2 minutes which is long but livable since I am not in some great hurry but it is bugging me . Firefox asked if i wanted to move the info from IE to firefox and I did not only because i did not want to screw things up more than they are already .

I have plenty of empty C drive space left .

any suggestions ? should i go back and make fire fox the default or will this screw with my outlook express email and other things ?

I'm running windows 2000 professional with office and all sorts of other programs like word and excel .

[CK_John]

14. Something is starting when you open a browser and probably downloading something to somebody.

You need to get rid of this problem first. Your comment in the other post
may be a ransom type scam.

"I ran the scan for spyware bot and it showed 103 issues but you have to pay to remove them . I would but I don't know if this will fix the problem . "

Did you mean an antivirus scan or spyware scan, AdAware is a free and does not charge to clear anything.

Avast is a free antivirus. Don't pay for anything, just uninstall it.

Also get CCleaner and run it. This is also free and will delete cookies and other junk files.

Link to ccleaner
<http://www.ccleaner.com/update/?v=2.05.555&l=1033>
Note: When you install uncheck the optional toolbar.

[blues90]

15. spywarebot is a spyware scan , it scans but you have to pay

to remove the infections .

I saw ccleaner , is this safe to run by just unchecking the optional tool bar ?

I'm not sure what this means "Something is starting when you open a browser and probably downloading something to somebody "

[CK_John]

16. Yes only check the put a icon on desktop and uncheck the other options when you install.

I just did a google on spywarebot, it is your problem.

Typical entry:
SpywareBot is a corrupt anti-spyware program that uses false positives.

Stay far away from it.

[blues90]

17. i took spywarebot out

what other options on cclean should i uncheck ?

[CK_John]

18. Can you be more specific, is this during install or have you installed. n/t

[blues90]

19. I had ccleaner installed but never ran it

I saw the checkmarks and I unchecked the one that added the extra toolbar and unchecked that . But there were other selections after I installed it so you could not delete cookies and many other options . I was not sure waht to check or not check or if I should just uncheck the extra tool bar and then run the cleaner as is .

I can try to use the anti virus you have and remove the pc tools anit-virus I have now , perhaps one is better than the other , both are free and scan and remove threats .

I'm not sure at all about the firefox , i still have it installed but it's not the default

[CK_John]

20. When you open ccleaner, on the left I check everything except,

Advanced for windows. Then go to the application tab at the top and ckeck everything on that.

Then do an analyze this shows what will be deleted, then run cleaner.

Step 2 is to clean the registory. I check everything EXCEPT unused file extensions.

Then scan for issues and fix issues if any are found. scan again for issues if any where fixed.

[blues90]

21. ok , I'll try it , hope it does the job and does not make things worse

[blues90]

23. New problem . I ran avast antivirus and now >

It found a virus and removed it then it found another one and told me it was dangerous to run this way and told me to run in boot so I clicked yes . It ran this thing then shutdown then now it won't reboot at all . It goes to the dell screen and then windows 2000 pro opens then instead of booting up i get the normal blue screen then instead of showing it's saving my settings in hold the blue screen then shuts down . It will continue to restart and do the same thing over and over until I force shut down . I have this cheap tower connected now to connect with XP and I prefer my old dell .

Is there anything I can do here . i hit F8 and tried different things on the screen offered and I can't get a thing to work other than the same shutdown deal I have now .

[CK_John]

24. Those messages do not sound like any avast messages I am familiar with.

Mostly they recommend you send the trojan to the chest. Also did you uninstall all/any other anti virus software. More than 1 will cause these type problems.

You need to disconnect the net connection from the PC(phone, cable, etc) and boot into safe mode. You need to start TAPPING F8 as soon as the dell bios screen begins and you see a screen giving choice on how to start, use the up/down arrows to pick safe mode and press enter. If not shutdown and retry, it will be frustrating.

Once you get to safe mode, go to the add/remove icon in the control panel and remove any/all programs dealing with spyware, antivirus, and cleaners.
Get back to ground zero and start over.

The other choice is to reformat and reload Win2000 or take it out to a local repair shop.

[blues90]

25. I tried everything

I have if off line . The hit F8 and tried safe mode over and over again and then tried the other options and it would never let me boot up to get a screen other than a blue screen . I removed the other anti-virus I had before loading the one you use . There were selections like safe mode , or go to setup that worked before or something like that and the result was the same .

It would show dell then I hit F8 and tried each one in the list even the one that said something like diag or test I can't recall the exact term now .

I could never get past that screen or into safe mode or any of the other selections . I took it back to the place I got it used and he said for $50 he would fix it .

I know there was some sort of virus in there because when it still worked it was running slower and slower each time I went to another page . I know it must have been one of those damn porn site my brother in law went on because before that it was just fine .

I tried to put the 2000 pro in the cd drive and even then nothing would happen because it would never fully boot up and give me the desk top .

[CK_John]

26. That's probably the best option and that is a good price. I would let your BIL

know that the he should kick in for the repair and stay off your PC.

Also before you go on the net when you get it back, you need a backup plan.

Here is a link to clone software;
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=270124466653&Category=51331&_trksid=p3907.m29>
Not the newest version but is supported on Win98,WinME and Win2000,WinXp


Adapter Link:
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156101>

With this adapter you can take the HardDrive of this machine and make a bootable backup on another machine and vice versa. If you want to go with this PM me before you put down any money.

[blues90]

27. I have never used XP before

I got it down but this was a tower as a gift i got because my 10 year old computer died . This one is a ACER Veriton M series . Don't they put in floppy drives anymore ? are they old hat now days with the burners ? It has a spot for one . It has a burner/cd drive all in one like my used Dell but is not half the weight of the Dell .

I prefer 2000 pro to XP .

[blues90]

29. I got my computer back, however

I took out the avast anti-virus when I got it home . then I installed the PC tools anti virus I had which worked fine before all this happened.

The guy told me he reinstalled the operating system which is 2000 pro .

I ran the PC tools anti -virus and find a bunch of virus , ll seem to be in the operating system .

I quarantined them and then the file for outlook express was gone .

I called him and asked if he checked for viruses and he said no .

Did I just get ripped off here?

The computer works but I don't like all the Trojans and worms showing up .

Some are in my CD burner and others in my outlood express and there are others in other parts that are Win32.virut.gen 4 .

I called this guy back and now he tell sme he just reapired the corupt file that prevented the computer from booting up , this is not what he said when I asked him what he did , he said he reinstalled the operating system and if so I should have all these virus things .

He tehn told me to reinstall windows 2000 pro and reformat the hard drive .

I don't know exactly what this means . Can I quarantine these virus files and then install 2000 pro over the old one just to replace the files or do i have to delete the files and then run the 2000 pro ?

[CK_John]

30. Got PM Check reply. n/t

[The Night Owl]

31. If your machine is infected with Win32/Virut then your OS is doomed.

Is Win32/Virut showing up in virus scans? If so, then the trojans you keep getting are probably the result of Win32/Virut downloading them from Poland.

What I recommend is to save files (not .exe or .scr files since those may be infected) to a CD or removable drive and then nuke the hard drive with KillDisk ( http://www.killdisk.com ). WARNING: KillDisk erases all data replaces it with nice clean 0s.

If there is a good way to remove Win32/Virut I haven't heard about it. The virus is about as sophisticated as they get. The best practice to eliminate a Win32/Virut infection is to wipe the hard drive.

About Win32/Virut: http://viruslab.blog.avg.com/avg_viruslab_news

[JPettus]

22. Try spybot Search & Destroy

It's freeware and will also clean up a lot of the stuff that AdAware might miss. It also doesn't load any additional spyware on your system.

[JPettus]

7. Don't forget to scan for spyware/malware

I recommend you download spybot search and destroy as well as Adaware from a good shareware site. I tend to use http://www.filehippo.com.

Install them one at a time, get all the current updates and run full scans on your system and prompt it to remove all the Adware/spyware from the system.

I recommend these two because they are the only two freeware anti-spyware programs I've seen out there so far that don't install spyware on your system.

That should go a long way to speed up your entire system, not just the browser.

[Gore1FL]

28. Undoubtably spyware

download a couple of anti spyware apps, and run them. If the problem persists, look for a host file online Like (not necessarily) here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

backup your old one and then replace it.

This redirects obnoxious sites to 127.0.0.1 (your local PC) it quickly realizes it can't find what it is looking for and ignores it.

As an added benefit, you'll get a lot of ads that pop up with a 404 error-- (darn)... which means advertising-laden pages will load much faster because instead of looking for and loading crap you don't want to see, it won't and produce fast errors rather than slow ads.