Computer logs on by itself

[Gordon]

I talked to a Microsoft tech and he suggested I post a
message with this anti-spyware being so new. Ever since I
downloaded Microsoft's Anti Spyware,my computer logs on
whenever it feels like or maybe when WHOever feels like
turning it on. I had it running a 2:30AM scan every day
but have changed to a manual scan--it still turns on.
There is no pattern as to when it turns on. I also use
McAfee anti-virus. When I run a scan on both
services,they come back clean.Normally I would let the
computer go into the sleep mode but unless I hear the
computer say something like "Good Morning,etc" I would
never know it was on---blank screen. I have a 4600 Dell
using windows home XP and MSN dialup.I have always had
my computer log on without using a password long before
installing the anti- spyware. Has anyone had this problem
or heard of this happening to anyone. I would really like
to get to the bottom of this. Thanks, Gordon

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Microsoft Antispyware isn't capable of logging into your computer. It
doesn't run as a service in the absence of a logged in user.

It has been reported to interfere with some power management functionality
on some machines--for example, preventing a screen saver from kicking in, or
preventing the machine from going into standby mode.

Do you really mean that the machine is turned off--i.e. powered down--and
then comes up on its own? This is quite possible, but the number of
mechanisms that can cause it are few--shouldn't be too hard to troubleshoot:

1) check through all the bios power management settings that you can find.
Many Dell systems, for example, have a setting to allow the machine to turn
itself on at a fixed time. This doesn't sound like your issue, since you
describe this as random, but it might be worth looking at, anyway.

2) In that same area of the bios, are settings allowing the machine to be
turned on (wake on lan, or WOL) by various network mechanisms. If you are
not knowingly using such mechanisms, or connected to a corporate LAN where
such mechanisms might be in use, turn this option off.

If that doesn't seem like the right area to be looking at--can you describe
a bit more what is happening? For example--when XP shuts down and is turned
back on again--a restart cycle--there is a "signature" of three events in
the System event log: Right click My computer, choose Manage, expand Event
Viewer (click on the PLUS) and click on the System event log. Look for
three Event Log source events in a row--thats a restart--you can determine
exactly when the computer has been restarted.

There are a number of possibilities here, including crashes leading to
restarts--none of this is in any way typical of an interaction with
Microsoft Antispyware that I'ver run into, but we can probably help you
investigate.

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Sounds more like a Trojan to me or Ghost of past.