PC has suddenly started to crawl ? ("svchost.exe" lookssuspicious...)

[ship]

Hi

Any thoughts about why my PC is suddenly running dead slow?
It is running Windows XP Pro (SP3).

I last updated it about 20 days ago. And then it started running slow
about 2 days ago.
I have now installe dall the latest patches but it is still dog-slow.

I have various things installed but which I have now EXITED
including:
Windows Search,
Google Desktop,
Logmein.com and
SpyBot - Search & Destroy.

I notice in Windows "Task Manager" that even just after on a cold re-
boot, I have 7 copies of "svchost.exe". They are not taking any CPU
time though.

In fact the CPU is running at about 2-3%. But when I open FireFox, it
takes a VERY long
time to open (about 90 seconds first time, and still about 15 seconds
to immediately
re-open it with nothing else open). Whereas msInternet Explorer
(normally fairly slow
to open now opens in about 8 seconds and re-opens in about 2 or 3
seconds

I am running AVG Anti-Virus Free (v8.0.138) - but it can't find any
viruses.

Any thoughts?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[ship]

P.S. I always defrag quite regularly and there is plenty space in my
disk. (80GB c.25% free)

 

[ship]

I am also suspicious of the new Windows Search which I can't quite see
how to switch off!

Ship

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315

Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting your hijackthis log
to an appropriate forum.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis v2.0.2
(http://aumha.org/downloads/hijackthis.exe) is the preferred tool to use (in
conjuction with some other utilities). HijackThis will NOT fix anything on
its own, but it will help you to both identify and remove any
hijackware/spyware with assistance from an expert. **Post your log to
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30,
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html, or other appropriate forums for review
by an expert in such matters, not here.**

If the procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting this
isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA or Geek Squad) computer repair shop.

 

[db.·.. >]

the svchosts are not
always the problem
and there are a lots
of things that can
slow down the pc.

the two things to try
is:

1) is see if the o.s.
has become corrupted
by booting into the
safemodes and examining
the performance of windows

and/or

2) reboot normal/regular
windows in a clean state:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

------------
there is another technique
you can use as well while
in windows.

open the task manager
and simply begin killing/ending
any and all processes that
it permits you to.

if a process is the issue
then you will be closer
to identifying it.

incidentally, when you
kill explorer.exe you
will unload the registry.

so go to the first tab and
relaunch explorer.exe as a
new task.

 

[Gerry]

How much RAM?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

You should be able to gather more information from Task Manager. With
the Processes tab open select View, Select, Columns and check the boxes
before Peak Memory Usage and Virtual Memory size. What are the figures
for the 6 processes using the largest amounts?

Do you leave the computer on 24/7

I would be interested in seeing a Disk Defragmenter report. Open Disk
Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and
click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents
Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it
is more informative.



You might find HD Tune (freeware) gives you a clearer picture of what is
going on. HD Tune only gives information and does not fix any problems.

Download and run it and see what it turns up.
http://www.hdtune.com/

Select the Info tabs and place the cursor on the drive under Drive
letter and then double click the two page icon ( copy to Clipboard )
and copy into a further message. What mode is supported and what is
active?

Select the Health tab and then double click the two page icon ( copy to
Clipboard ) and copy into a further message. Make sure you do a full
surface scan with HD Tune.

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[witan]

I am also suspicious of the new Windows Search which I can't quite see
how to switch off!

Ship

I had a similar problem a sometime back, and it was because the
harddisks had slipped down into "PIO" memory access, rather than the
normal DMA. You can check this by right-clicking "My computer" >>
Hardware > Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller:and then Primary
IDE channel and Secondary IDE channel. The slipping into PIO happens
usually because of disk error, including too long a spin-up time.

 

[witan]

I am also suspicious of the new Windows Search which I can't quite see
how to switch off!

Ship

I had a similar problem a sometime back, and it was because the
harddisks had slipped down into "PIO" memory access, rather than the
normal DMA. You can check this by right-clicking "My computer" >>
Hardware > Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller:and then Primary
IDE channel and Secondary IDE channel. The slipping into PIO happens
usually because of disk error, including too long a spin-up time.

 

[Jim]

I am also suspicious of the new Windows Search which I can't quite see
how to switch off!

Ship

I had a similar problem a sometime back, and it was because the
harddisks had slipped down into "PIO" memory access, rather than the
normal DMA. You can check this by right-clicking "My computer" >>
Hardware > Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller:and then Primary
IDE channel and Secondary IDE channel. The slipping into PIO happens
usually because of disk error, including too long a spin-up time.


Also, the driver is permanently set for PIO mode. The fix is to remove the
driver and reboot. During startup,
XP will load the driver from the \i386 folder.
Jim

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi

Any thoughts about why my PC is suddenly running dead slow?
It is running Windows XP Pro (SP3).

I last updated it about 20 days ago. And then it started running slow
about 2 days ago.

A sudden unexplained drop in performance like that is extremely likely
to be caused by malware infection.

I have now installe dall the latest patches but it is still dog-slow.

I have various things installed but which I have now EXITED
including:
Windows Search,
Google Desktop,
Logmein.com and
SpyBot - Search & Destroy.

I notice in Windows "Task Manager" that even just after on a cold re-
boot, I have 7 copies of "svchost.exe".

That's normal.

They are not taking any CPU
time though.

In fact the CPU is running at about 2-3%. But when I open FireFox, it
takes a VERY long
time to open (about 90 seconds first time, and still about 15 seconds
to immediately
re-open it with nothing else open). Whereas msInternet Explorer
(normally fairly slow
to open now opens in about 8 seconds and re-opens in about 2 or 3
seconds

I am running AVG Anti-Virus Free (v8.0.138) - but it can't find any
viruses.

Viruses are only one kind of malware. Non-viral malware, such as
spyware, remains a distinct possibility (also note that no anti-virus
program is perfect, and even viral malware is still a possibility).

 

[Daave]

Any thoughts about why my PC is suddenly running dead slow?
It is running Windows XP Pro (SP3).

I last updated it about 20 days ago. And then it started running slow
about 2 days ago.
I have now installe dall the latest patches but it is still dog-slow.

I have various things installed but which I have now EXITED
including:
Windows Search,
Google Desktop,
Logmein.com and
SpyBot - Search & Destroy.

Something obviously happened 2-3 days ago. It might have been an
automatic update. It might have been something you purposefully or
accidentally did. (Do you recall anything in particular?)

If your issue is not malware-related (malware should always be ruled out
first), the first thing I would suspect is logmein.com. See:

https://secure.logmein.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=17525&mpage=1&#21956

I doubt exiting will fix your problem. A process or two are probably
still running in the background. Use msconfig or Autoruns to disable
logmein and see what happens.

Maybe the problem is with Windows Search.

Maybe the problem is with a recent Windows update. You can uninstall the
most recent updates (assuming they occurred in the past couple days) and
try a System Restore to three days ago.

 

[Unknown]

When was last time you ran disk clean up?

 

[ship]

No idea.
What exactly is "Disck Clean Up" ?
And is it safe?

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

:
: No idea.
: What exactly is "Disck Clean Up" ?
: And is it safe?
:
: Ship
: Shiperton Henethe
:
:
: > When was last time you ran disk clean up?"ship" <[email protected]>
wrote in message
: >
: >
: >
: >
: >
: > > Hi
: >
: > > Any thoughts about why my PC is suddenly running dead slow?
: > > It is running Windows XP Pro (SP3).
: >
: > > I last updated it about 20 days ago. And then it started running slow
: > > about 2 days ago.
: > > I have now installe dall the latest patches but it is still dog-slow.
: >
: > > I have various things installed but which I have now EXITED
: > > including:
: > > Windows Search,
: > > Google Desktop,
: > > Logmein.com and
: > > SpyBot - Search & Destroy.
: >
: > > I notice in Windows "Task Manager" that even just after on a cold re-
: > > boot, I have 7 copies of "svchost.exe". They are not taking any CPU
: > > time though.
: >
: > > In fact the CPU is running at about 2-3%. But when I open FireFox, it
: > > takes a VERY long
: > > time to open (about 90 seconds first time, and still about 15 seconds
: > > to immediately
: > > re-open it with nothing else open). Whereas msInternet Explorer
: > > (normally fairly slow
: > > to open now opens in about 8 seconds and re-opens in about 2 or 3
: > > seconds
: >
: > > I am running AVG Anti-Virus Free (v8.0.138) - but it can't find any
: > > viruses.
: >
: > > Any thoughts?
: >
: > > Ship
: > >ShipertonHenethe- Hide quoted text -
: >
: > - Show quoted text -
: