[luis]

not sure when it started but noticed 2 days ago...
often the system seems to freeze for a long time... then goes back to
normal...

also curious that some operations like right clickin on a dll to see
properties takes a long time...

Can anyone give me a hint on what should I look for?
have SP2...

many TIA
luis

[Malke]

luis wrote:

> not sure when it started but noticed 2 days ago...
> often the system seems to freeze for a long time... then goes back to
> normal...
>
> also curious that some operations like right clickin on a dll to see
> properties takes a long time...
>
> Can anyone give me a hint on what should I look for?
> have SP2...
>
> many TIA
> luis

Please start with the usual scans for malware. Here are general
instructions. Make sure you do all work in Safe Mode with updated
tools:

First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's
Temporary Files, go to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab.
You'll see where you can delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear
its cache by going to Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows
Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr [enter]. Then follow these detailed
malware removal steps, doing everything with updated tools in Safe
Mode. You can find all the links to referenced programs and sites on
my website here:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
antivirus using updated definitions.

Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
below.

2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.

Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).

If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See the links on my
website for a HijackThis tutorial and places where you can post your
HJT log. Again, this is an expert tool and novices should get help
with it.

3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
(Run>cleanmgr).

4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.

5) Run a firewall.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[luis]

Hi Malke,
thanks for the response.
I did all that i.e. cleaned the temp files, AV (symantec) is running and
updated, have MS antispyware... cleaned all the restore....

luis


"Malke" <invalid@not-real.com> wrote in message
news:OlWDPkLeFHA.612@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> luis wrote:
>
>> not sure when it started but noticed 2 days ago...
>> often the system seems to freeze for a long time... then goes back to
>> normal...
>>
>> also curious that some operations like right clickin on a dll to see
>> properties takes a long time...
>>
>> Can anyone give me a hint on what should I look for?
>> have SP2...
>>
>> many TIA
>> luis
>
> Please start with the usual scans for malware. Here are general
> instructions. Make sure you do all work in Safe Mode with updated
> tools:
>
> First delete all Temporary and Temporary Internet Files. For IE's
> Temporary Files, go to Control Panel>Internet Options>General tab.
> You'll see where you can delete cookies and files. For Firefox, clear
> its cache by going to Tools>Options>Privacy>Cache> Clear. For Windows
> Temporary files, Start>Run cleanmgr [enter]. Then follow these detailed
> malware removal steps, doing everything with updated tools in Safe
> Mode. You can find all the links to referenced programs and sites on
> my website here:
>
> http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
>
> 1) Scan in Safe Mode with current version (not earlier than 2004)
> antivirus using updated definitions.
>
> Before you remove malware, get LSPFix or WinSockFix for XP - see links
> below.
>
> 2) Remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-aware. These
> programs are free, so use them both since they complement each other.
> There is a new version of CWShredder from Intermute. I would not
> install the other Intermute programs, however. Alternately, there are
> CoolWebSearch malware removal steps at SilentRunners.
>
> Be sure to update these programs before running, and it is a good idea
> to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode. Make sure you are able to see
> all hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options).
>
> If the malware remains even after you used Ad-aware and Spybot, you can
> scan with HijackThis. HijackThis is an excellent tool to discover and
> disable hijackers, but it requires expert skill. See the links on my
> website for a HijackThis tutorial and places where you can post your
> HJT log. Again, this is an expert tool and novices should get help
> with it.
>
> 3) If you are running Windows ME or XP, you should disable/enable System
> Restore after the system is clean because malware will be in the
> Restore Points. With ME, you must disable System Restore completely.
> With XP, you can delete all but the most recent (presumably clean)
> System Restore point from the More Options section of Disk Cleanup
> (Run>cleanmgr).
>
> 4) Make sure you've visited Windows Update and applied all security
> patches. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update.
>
> 5) Run a firewall.
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

[Malke]

luis wrote:

> Hi Malke,
> thanks for the response.
> I did all that i.e. cleaned the temp files, AV (symantec) is running
> and updated, have MS antispyware... cleaned all the restore....
>
If you know that your computer is 100% malware-free and you are still
having problems, then continue your software testing by:

1. Doing clean-boot troubleshooting -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=310353
and How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

2. Look in Event Viewer for clues -
Start>Run eventvwr.msc [enter]

3. See what is running when you get the lockups by using Task Manager.
Be sure to check processes as well as applications. See if you can
determine if one particular item is causing the lockup.

4. Since presumably the computer didn't always do this, ask yourself
what changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't.
If the computer always misbehaved, perhaps it doesn't have enough
memory to handle a big application, like maybe you are trying to run
Photoshop with only 256MB of RAM.

If the above doesn't work, then you might go on to hardware
troubleshooting, but I would start by doing the items above. If you
still can't figure it out, it would probably be good to have a
professional computer repair person look at it since someone on-site
will be able to see what's happening far better than someone reading
posts in a newsgroup.

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User