Richie said:
When I drag the AOL instant messenger chat box across my
desktop it isn't smooth, is there a setting in the
graphics to adjust or is that a sign of the card going?
We need some details:
1. What is your video card?
2. How much RAM does your computer have?
3. Did this always do this? If not, what changed?
4. You may have way too many programs running in the background. Is your
Startup optimized and is the computer 100% virus and spyware-free?
To address #4 above, here are general troubleshooting/cleanup steps:
1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means a version not earlier
than 2003 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 CWShredder and HijackThis from
http://aumha.org/freeware.htm. Although CWShredder is no longer being
updated, it will still clean older variants of the CoolWebSearch
malware. A combination of HijackThis and About:Buster
(
http://www.majorgeeks.com) works well in removing homepage hijackers.
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. Make sure you are able to see all
hidden files and extensions (View tab in Folder Options);
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. Do not install driver updates from Windows Update;
7) run a firewall.
If you need more help, repost to this thread with requested details.
Malke
