Internet browsing slow - what's up?

[chris.fernald]

All,

I have a 1.8Ghz Compaq Persario desktop system running XP with SP2 that
is painfully slow when browsing the Internet. Some time ago I had
someone re-format and re-build it from the bottom up when it had become
irreparably infected with SpyWare. I'm an IT person so I could have
done the work myself but I just didn't have the time.

Since then I have counseled my family not to open email attachments,
not to click on popup ads and not to install stuff like WeatherBug,
etc. I have to admit that they have complied and have obeyed these
rules.

Right now, Avast tells me it has no viruses and Microsoft AntiSpyWare
tells me it has no spyware. I'll add that I have a laptop and another
desktop on the exact same network (this is all at my home, connected
via ComCast cable) that run great.

So, what's wrong with it? I had the re-build done a year ago and it's
been running badly now for about 5 months. I can't tie any specific
event from 5 months ago to the problem. It's a distrubing thought but
I guess I have to conclude that I have somehow 'caught' something that
is undetectable by Avast and/or MS AntiSpyWare.

I know deep down that I'll have to re-format and re-init in the near
future but I'm being a bit stubborn. I'd love to know what's going on
here.

Feedback or advice, anyone?

 

[Eric]

If you want to be sure you haven't got spyware, try the tool HijackThis. It
lists all things a possible spyware could do. But it also lists things that
normal plugins like Acrobat Reader etc. install too. Even Microsoft changes
are sometimes listed. So don't remove the entries it finds if you don't know
them. But with that tool you can find out if you have spyware installed or
not. If you post the log file it can write on some newsgroup for this, other
people may comment on it.