White highlighting in toolbar on certain programs and slow startup

[Susan]

This hasn't happened before and I don't know what I may have done to cause
this.

In certain progams like Paint Shop Pro 7 and Notepad I've noticed that the
toolbar which has the File, Edit, View etc buttons, when the pointer goes
over them they turn white and stay white. For all other programs when I
mouse over the buttons they have a little raised outline and appear as
buttons but go back to a flat view when the mouse isn't over them any more.
Even with Notepad when I open the program the area right around the words
are white while the rest of the area is normally colored. When I mouse over
this area it all turns white.

I don't know if I'm explaining this properly but I don't know how else to
explain it. I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 notebook running Windows XP
Professional, 512 RAM, Pentum M 1.60 Ghz

I also noticed lately that when I boot up my notebook it seems to take
longer to boot up. When I first started using it, the bar in the Windows
XP window would have to slide over about 6 to 10 time before it got to the
"Welcome" page and start up. Now it takes about 20 to 25 or longer. I
don't think I installed anything that would cause it to start up so slowly.
Is there some program I can run to see if there a program lag or something
happening to cause this?

Thank you
Susan

 

[Cobalt2020]

You could easily have contracted a virus or a piece of malware that is
bogging your system's resources down. That would explain the graphical
issues that you are experiencing. Do you have any type of actively
running Antivirus or Antispyware software installed?

//Cobalt2020
www.aeicomputertech.com
www.aeiwebdesign.com

 

[Susan]

Yes I have LavaSoft AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy. If these aren't
enough then can you suggest one that works better?
Thanks,
Susan

 

[AEI Computer Tech]

Well let's try seeing if its a virus first. Go here and try a couple of
these free, online viral scanners and let's go from there:
http://www.aeicomputertech.com/walkthroughs.htm#question13

Also, here is a decent walkthrough guide for you:
http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/spyware06/

//Cobalt2020
www.aeicomputertech.com
www.aeiwebdesign.com

Let me know if those turn anything up.

 

[Malke]

Yes I have LavaSoft AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy. If these
aren't enough then can you suggest one that works better?
Thanks,
Susan

What antivirus program (name, version) do you have installed? Neither
Ad-aware or Spybot S&D are antivirus programs.

For virus/malware removal steps, see:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

 

[Susan]

I ran my AVG, AdAware, Spybot, CCleaner and went through some of the
programs listed on the website you showed me. But my computer is still
starting slow and the toolbar is still turning white. I was wondering, I'm
using a Dell Insprion 6000 which has the "PC Restore". Would it be easier
just to do this? Does that "PC Restore" actually harm the computer if you
use it too many times?

Thank you
Susan

 

[Susan]

I forgot to mention that I also use AVG. I ran through everything I have
and got rid of some stuff but it still starts up slowly and the "File, Edit"
toolbar still turns white when I mouse over it.

Susan

 

[Malke]

I forgot to mention that I also use AVG. I ran through everything I have
and got rid of some stuff but it still starts up slowly and the "File,
Edit" toolbar still turns white when I mouse over it.

Well, depending on how you feel about it, you might want to just do the
restore which will take your computer back to factory condition. Naturally,
make sure you back up all your data first since it will be gone after the
restore. Then if the problem still exists in a fresh install, you can be
pretty sure it is a hardware issue - possibly overheating, possibly the
video chip failing - and call Dell for replacement. Or you can just call
Dell for replacement now.

Malke