msmsgs.exe causes 100% CPU Use

[Guest]

WinXP 32 up to date (including WMF). AMD socket 754 Athlon 64/Sempron,
ASROCK K8, 1689 mobo, ZoneAlarm firewall & privacy with Symantec NAV 2005 AV
both up to date.
Last evening the WMD upgrade was installed & reboot. Later, scheduled DANTZ
backup ran --- apparently successfully. This morning I discovered that CPU
was at 100% with msmsgs.exe process listed as using 99% per Task Manager.
After 10 minutes I made warm reboot and saw both msmsgs & ccApp.exe (NAV) had
to be ended. I have had both these apps come up before involved in
efficiency issues(different machine). I do not use any IM product. I have
also lost audio on system.
QUESTIONS: any idea what is going on? Is this behavior due to malware? To
assist, I ran weekly AD-AWARE SE (results below and all quarantined). I then
also ran SPYBOT with results below. Given its identification of WINDOWS
SECURITY CENTER as one of the issues I have NOT accepted its suggested
actions. Thanks in advance.

AD-AWARE SE

TRACKING COOKIE
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
obj[0]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/cgi-bin
obj[1]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[2]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[3]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[4]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[5]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[6]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[7]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[8]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/
obj[9]=IECache Entry : Cookie:[email protected]/


SPYBOT - Search & Destroy version: 1.4 (build: 20050523) ---

--- Search result list ---
StarWare: Program directory (Directory, nothing done)
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\

StarWare: Program directory (Directory, nothing done)
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Starware\

Windows Security Center.AntiVirusDisableNotify: Settings (Registry change,
nothing done)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security
Center\AntiVirusDisableNotify!=dword:0

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "LinusF" <[email protected]>

< snip >

| --- Search result list ---
| StarWare: Program directory (Directory, nothing done)
| C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Starware\

| StarWare: Program directory (Directory, nothing done)
| C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Starware\


Download MULTI_AV.EXE from the URL --
http://www.ik-cs.com/programs/virtools/Multi_AV.exe

To use this utility, perform the following...
Execute; Multi_AV.exe { Note: You must use the default folder C:\AV-CLS }
Choose; Unzip
Choose; Close

Execute; C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT
{ or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS }

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to go
through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

C:\AV-CLS\StartMenu.BAT -- { or Double-click on 'Start Menu' in C:\AV-CLS}
This will bring up the initial menu of choices and should be executed in Normal
Mode.
This way all the components can be downloaded from each AV vendor's web site.
The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and Reboot the
PC.

You can choose to go to each menu item and just download the needed files or you
can
download the files and perform a scan in Normal Mode. Once you have downloaded
the files
needed for each scanner you want to use, you should reboot the PC into Safe Mode
[F8 key
during boot] and re-run the menu again and choose which scanner you want to run
in Safe
Mode. It is suggested to run the scanners in both Safe Mode and Normal Mode.

When the menu is displayed hitting 'H' or 'h' will bring up a more comprehensive
PDF help
file. http://www.ik-cs.com/multi-av.htm


* * * Please report back your results * * *

 

[Guest]

***The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and
Reboot the PC.***

I don't use any of these apps. I have only one AV app: Symantec Norton AV
2005. I also have three malware scanners: AD-AWARE & SPYBOT (which I run on
command, about once per week) and ZONE ALARM which runs auto each day. I
also have ZA's PRO firewall.

Should I still run this program?

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "LinusF" <[email protected]>

| ***The choices are; Sophos, Trend, McAfee, Kaspersky, Exit this menu and
| Reboot the PC.***
|
| I don't use any of these apps. I have only one AV app: Symantec Norton AV
| 2005. I also have three malware scanners: AD-AWARE & SPYBOT (which I run on
| command, about once per week) and ZONE ALARM which runs auto each day. I
| also have ZA's PRO firewall.
|
| Should I still run this program?

None of the AV scanners have to pre-exist on the PC.
The utility will download the needed components based upon what module you choose.

NOTE: You may have to disable your software FireWall or allow WGET.EXE to go through your
FireWall to allow it to download the needed AV vendor related files.

 

[Guest]

Okay. I ran all the AV apps in Normal Mode and then the DOS versions in Safe
Mode. It is a fair amount of text. How shall I send it on? I can ZIP it.
There is at least one indication of a virus.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "LinusF" <[email protected]>

| Okay. I ran all the AV apps in Normal Mode and then the DOS versions in Safe
| Mode. It is a fair amount of text. How shall I send it on? I can ZIP it.
| There is at least one indication of a virus.

You can email it to me in a ZIP file or not.

Just remove ~nospam~ from
[email protected]
or
[email protected]

 

[Guest]

Okay