HijackThis log

[MarkJohnson]

I am having freqent lag, the longer I'm on the worse it gets. I defragmented my hard drives and it seemed to help a little. anyway, I installed all the Malware programs with nothing found and made the Highjackthis log file. hope someone can make sense of this.

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2

Scan saved at 1:10:29 PM, on 8/15/2007

Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

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:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MsMpEng.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe

C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE

C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nmapp] "C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe" -autorun -nosplash

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [COMODO Firewall Pro] "C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe" /background

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE

O4 - Global Startup: QuickBooks Update Agent.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.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

O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll

O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=39204

O23 - Service: Ad-Aware 2007 Service (aawservice) - Lavasoft AB - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

O23 - Service: Comodo Application Agent (CmdAgent) - COMODO - C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Net2Go Service (nmraapache) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\WebServer\bin\nmraapache.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Network Magic Service (nmservice) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooks Database Manager Service (QBCFMonitorService) - Intuit - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

O23 - Service: Intuit QuickBooks FCS (QBFCService) - Intuit Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\FCS\Intuit.QuickBooks.FCS.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooksDB17 - iAnywhere Solutions, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\Intuit\QUICKB~1\QBDBMgrN.exe

--

End of file - 4170 bytes

[sevenalive]

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

I would honestly get rid of all the anti this or that u got. They slow down your machine. You got like 10 programs. I recommend you get rid of those files i posted above and the related services. Then download ZoneAlarm Security Suite, or ZA Free and AVG Antispyware, Antivirus.

And do some scans with that. Also Here is my Recommendations:

Clean your registry and files with CCleaner then Regseeker, both free, all options on both, never had any problems.

Defrag.

Optimize Services, Services.msc

Optimize Startup, msconfig, Start>programs>startup

Also if your running Vista, Turn off Defender (look in options), XP just remove it.

Defender sucks, low detection rate.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Seven Alive

[2Balls]

I am having freqent lag, the longer I'm on the worse it gets. I defragmented my hard drives and it seemed to help a little. anyway, I installed all the Malware programs with nothing found and made the Highjackthis log file. hope someone can make sense of this.

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2

Scan saved at 1:10:29 PM, on 8/15/2007

Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

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:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MsMpEng.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe

C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE

C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nmapp] "C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe" -autorun -nosplash

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [COMODO Firewall Pro] "C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe" /background

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE

O4 - Global Startup: QuickBooks Update Agent.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.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

O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll

O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=39204

O23 - Service: Ad-Aware 2007 Service (aawservice) - Lavasoft AB - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

O23 - Service: Comodo Application Agent (CmdAgent) - COMODO - C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Net2Go Service (nmraapache) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\WebServer\bin\nmraapache.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Network Magic Service (nmservice) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooks Database Manager Service (QBCFMonitorService) - Intuit - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

O23 - Service: Intuit QuickBooks FCS (QBFCService) - Intuit Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\FCS\Intuit.QuickBooks.FCS.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooksDB17 - iAnywhere Solutions, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\Intuit\QUICKB~1\QBDBMgrN.exe

--

End of file - 4170 bytes

analyse this before you apply cleaner and anti virus.....

http://www.hijackthis.de/

[Tarun]

I am having freqent lag, the longer I'm on the worse it gets. I defragmented my hard drives and it seemed to help a little. anyway, I installed all the Malware programs with nothing found and made the Highjackthis log file. hope someone can make sense of this.

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2

Scan saved at 1:10:29 PM, on 8/15/2007

Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

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:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MsMpEng.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe

C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE

C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe

C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nmapp] "C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe" -autorun -nosplash

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [COMODO Firewall Pro] "C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe" /background

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE

O4 - Global Startup: QuickBooks Update Agent.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.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

O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll

O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=39204

O23 - Service: Ad-Aware 2007 Service (aawservice) - Lavasoft AB - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\aawservice.exe

O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

O23 - Service: Comodo Application Agent (CmdAgent) - COMODO - C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Net2Go Service (nmraapache) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\WebServer\bin\nmraapache.exe

O23 - Service: Pure Networks Network Magic Service (nmservice) - Pure Networks, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

O23 - Service: Pml Driver HPZ12 - HP - C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPZipm12.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooks Database Manager Service (QBCFMonitorService) - Intuit - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

O23 - Service: Intuit QuickBooks FCS (QBFCService) - Intuit Inc. - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\FCS\Intuit.QuickBooks.FCS.exe

O23 - Service: QuickBooksDB17 - iAnywhere Solutions, Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\Intuit\QUICKB~1\QBDBMgrN.exe

--

End of file - 4170 bytes

Mark, your log is clean.

What sort of Internet connection are you on? Dial-up, DSL, cable, etc..

Also, are you behind a router? If so, you may wish to check your router's settings.

Network Magic may be slowing down your networking experience. You may want to try to temporarily disable it and see if there is any improvements.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nmapp] "C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe" -autorun -nosplash

Also, what do you use Network Magic for at your network?

You do need to update your Internet Explorer, but that can wait until your problem(s) have been fixed.

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\cmdagent.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBCFMonitorService.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmsrvc.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe

C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe

C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe

C:\Program Files\Comodo\Firewall\CPF.exe

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

I would honestly get rid of all the anti this or that u got. They slow down your machine. You got like 10 programs. I recommend you get rid of those files i posted above and the related services. Then download ZoneAlarm Security Suite, or ZA Free and AVG Antispyware, Antivirus.

And do some scans with that. Also Here is my Recommendations:

Clean your registry and files with CCleaner then Regseeker, both free, all options on both, never had any problems.

Defrag.

Optimize Services, Services.msc

Optimize Startup, msconfig, Start>programs>startup

Also if your running Vista, Turn off Defender (look in options), XP just remove it.

Defender sucks, low detection rate.

I'm sorry but that is honestly the worst advice you could dare ever give a user. The fact that he chose to use Avast for his anti-virus and Comodo for his firewall and Windows Defender for real-time protection are all excellent choices.

Avast is one of the very best freeware anti-virus products available. In fact, it far surpasses numerous paid products in quality and detection. It goes above and beyond, because it also detects spyware and adware. Comodo does an excellent job at monitoring and protecting a computer. It will also tell you if a program is known to be malicious or not.

ZoneAlarm is well known for causing numerous slowdowns, blue screen issues and much more. This is both the free and pro versions. Why use a software that is only going to add more issues and slowdowns to his already existing issues?

AVG antivirus is also known for missing a lot of viruses. I've dealt with many computers that have had this anti virus with up-to-date definitions and had numerous infections. All of which avast caught and cured.

Registry cleaning has one benefit, and that is to clean up/fix the leftovers from incomplete/problematic uninstallers. Aside from that, there is no reason to bother the registry.

"A few hundred kilobytes of unused keys and values causes no noticeable performance impact on system operation. Even if the registry was massively bloated there would be little impact on the performance of anything other than exhaustive searches."

"Registry Cleaners can fix problems associated with traces of applications left behind due to incomplete uninstalls. So it seems that Registry junk is a Windows fact of life and that Registry cleaners will continue to have a place in the anal-sysadmin's tool chest, at least until we're all running .NET applications that store their per-user settings in XML files - and then of course we'll need XML cleaners."

Source: Registry Junk: A Windows Fact of Life

Now, as far as the services go. A user should never alter their services unless under direct instruction from a certified technician. The services are there and set for a reason. Disabling them does not increase performance on any noticeable level. If you believe there is an increase in performance, it is a matter of perception and nothing more. If you're concerned about slow performance, install more RAM. Remember, idle RAM is wasted RAM.

With his startup, there are a few things that he may wish to remove; but that is his choice. If he actively uses the programs then he should leave them alone. However there are two that would be safe to remove as they can be accessed through the Start Menu. They are:

O4 - Global Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OSA.EXE

O4 - Global Startup: QuickBooks Update Agent.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate\qbupdate.exe

He shouldn't worry about removing those as of yet. His problem needs to be resolved first.

analyse this before you apply cleaner and anti virus.....

http://www.hijackthis.de/

Unfortunately, that website will give a lot of misinformation and also mark perfectly safe entries as malicious. Users are suggested to avoid it at all costs.

[MarkJohnson]

Mark, your log is clean.

What sort of Internet connection are you on? Dial-up, DSL, cable, etc..

Also, are you behind a router? If so, you may wish to check your router's settings.

Network Magic may be slowing down your networking experience. You may want to try to temporarily disable it and see if there is any improvements.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nmapp] "C:\Program Files\Pure Networks\Network Magic\nmapp.exe" -autorun -nosplash

Also, what do you use Network Magic for at your network?

You do need to update your Internet Explorer, but that can wait until your problem(s) have been fixed. smile.gif

Thanks a bunch Tarun.

I do have Cable nternet connection. Comcast

I have a D-Link router. Not sure of the model, but is a Wireless G and brand new.

I only installed Network Magic as it came with the router and foolishly thought it'd speed it up. I will definately remove it.

I ran Windows Update after running HighJackThis and update to IE7, even though I use Firefox/Firetune with Thunderbird.

as for my office and QB files, I can remove them without issues. I normally do my own updates anyway.

[Tarun]

Keep us posted if your network speed improves or not. It may also be an issue with Comcast.

[MarkJohnson]

OK, I removed the Network Magic and took the Office and Quickbooks files out of the startup folder, but things are slow as ever. My internet and network seem to run fine and are not slow. it is Windows that is slow. I think it was around the time I installed Quickbooks. I remember it installing .Net 1.1. Will the .net file put a large load on windows? My other slower system runs fine and has the same files on it, except there is no Quickbooks or .Net 1.1. My hard drive sure does get a workout and thought maybe it was running low on memory and using the page file a lot. I pulled a stick out of my slower machine and doubled my RAM to 512MB total. but that didn't help. well, maybe slightly. not enough to really notice. I also defragged my drive and scandisk it with no error and no real improvement.

I'm not sure what else I can do. It sure seems Like I have a virus running in the background chewing up my process time.

Thanks for your help

-=Mark=-

[cluberti]

So, when you say things are slow, what do you mean? Is it that it takes a long time to copy files between folders on the same volume, or between hard drives? Is it slow copying files to another machine on the network (and define slow compared to....)?

One thing you can do is try things in safe mode w/ networking - does the problem occur there?

[MarkJohnson]

some of my problems are:

It takes like 5 minutes to get to the desktop

when I fire up My Computer it shows a flashlight symbol indicating it is waiting for the device. usual only a few seconds wait. but I never get the flashlight on any of my other systems.

actually, starting any programs take a little longer to start and can take a minute or more to fire up. my other slower computer takes about half the time on average.

Also, shut-down takes a couple minutes while it would normally take 30-45 seconds.

also, clicking the Windows start button can take a second or two to show up, and the sub-munes within also can take a second or two to show up. and it is the same with any other program run.

Hard drive access is fairly constant and seems to access for an unusually long time, which was what made me think virus. Comodo's firewall status shield is always at idle when I'm not on-line so it doesn't seem to be an on-line issue. just a Windows issue apparently.

My problem system is a 1.5ghz AMD Semperon +2200, 256MB RAM, 20GB ATA 133 HD, and an HP all-in-one photo printer.

My slower system is a Dell 2350 with a 1.8Ghz Celeron with a 20GB ATA 100 HD, 384MB RAM, and same printer.

They both have a fairly fresh install of Windows XP Home (Last 60 Days)

Thanks for the help everyone

-=Mark=-

ps. I was mistaken on the system getting slower the longer I'm on, it think it is more like the longer it's on the more things are running from opening several windows at the same time. Normally Office apps, Browser windows, and "My Computer" screens.

[MarkJohnson]

ok, after some more testing I found my hard drive was flaky and giving random errors. I then swapped my hard drive with the one in the Dell and it seemed to cure itself. I then went and bought an sata drive and dug out my old pci sata controller card and it is running smooth once again.

Thanks again for all your help.

-=Mark=-