Doug said:
I've recently reinstalled Windows XT and the mouse
pointer keeps "working in the background". The hourglass
keeps running on the mouse pointer and there does not
appear to be any program running. I reboot the computer
and the hour glass is still running. Any recommendations?
Of course something is working in the background. There are many
processes that run normally in Windows, and viruses and spyware also
run silently. Do the normal troubleshooting:
1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means a version not earlier
than 2002 but using updated virus definitions); 2) remove spyware with
Spybot Search & Destroy (
www.safer-networking.org) and Ad-aware
(
www.lavasoftusa.com). These programs are free, so use them both since
they complement each other. You may also want to run the latest
CWShredder from
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/index.html. Always
read the instructions before running a spyware removal tool. Be sure to
update these programs before running, and it is a good idea to do
virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode; 3) delete temporary and Temporary
Internet Files; 4) stop unnecessary services/programs from starting
with Windows - see
www.blackviper.com for services info and
www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm for programs info - 5) look in
Event Viewer for clues; 6) make sure you've visited Windows Update and
applied all security patches; 7) make sure you have a firewall.
Malke
