Problems cropping up: reinstall XP?

[paullie]

With XP, I currently use AOL Spyware Protection, and have used the free
download of MS Live One till the expiration date. Since installing McAfee
Security Center I've recently started experiencing slow logon. Since then,
problems have been developing, the most annoying of which are:

1) The harddrive continues to be continuously accessed for at least 5
minutes into the desktop, during which time no icons can open related links.
Eventually they work. I assume this is McAffee doing it's thing, but the wait
time is getting longer and the HD is getting older.

2) I'm using IE 6 with the Google toolbar. Every time I open it I get big,
fullpage ads from different sites. I click them off but after a while new
ones start appearing. Makes IE a PIA to try to use. Also getting popups
suggesting I download no-name 'spyware' and 'malware' removal tools.

3) I use CCleaner to keep the Cookie file clean of unwanted junk, but
cookies from the IE6 ads don't clear when cleaner run. I had to remove a
McAfee cookie (which is not on the CCleaner's 'do-not-remove cookie' list) to
remove the others manually.

4) Most troubling, I have several restore points set, and when I run System
Restore, it goes thru the process, then gives a message that the installation
failed due to incomplete data. Of the 4-5 dates, none will work. Today I
tried to use IE to access this site, and when trying to enter this message it
wouldn't go to the message page. Had to logon to AOL to write this.

I'm thinking about saving all my data files to external, then just
reformatting and re-
installing XP. Is this the reasonable thing to do? After 3-4 checkup tools,
the problems keep getting worse. I need some input! Any help would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Best, Paul

 

[Andrew]

1) The harddrive continues to be continuously accessed for at least 5
minutes into the desktop, during which time no icons can open related links.
Eventually they work. I assume this is McAffee doing it's thing, but the wait
time is getting longer and the HD is getting older.

I have no idea what could cause this. I've seen a Windows 2000 box
with McAfee provided by Comcast have the same symptom, though.

2) I'm using IE 6 with the Google toolbar. Every time I open it I get big,
fullpage ads from different sites. I click them off but after a while new
ones start appearing. Makes IE a PIA to try to use. Also getting popups
suggesting I download no-name 'spyware' and 'malware' removal tools.

This is a classic sign of "adware". You can attempt to install
"SpyBot" or "Ad-Aware SE" to attempt to remove it.

3) I use CCleaner to keep the Cookie file clean of unwanted junk, but
cookies from the IE6 ads don't clear when cleaner run. I had to remove a
McAfee cookie (which is not on the CCleaner's 'do-not-remove cookie' list) to
remove the others manually.

4) Most troubling, I have several restore points set, and when I run System
Restore, it goes thru the process, then gives a message that the installation
failed due to incomplete data. Of the 4-5 dates, none will work. Today I
tried to use IE to access this site, and when trying to enter this message it
wouldn't go to the message page. Had to logon to AOL to write this.

I'm thinking about saving all my data files to external, then just
reformatting and re-
installing XP. Is this the reasonable thing to do? After 3-4 checkup tools,
the problems keep getting worse. I need some input! Any help would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Best, Paul

I believe the best resolution is to save data and reformat. This has
happened to one of my clients, so much so as to where there were pop-
ups in Safe Mode. The only resolution, short of weeks of manual
removal (which may prove futile if there are enough shell hooks), is a
re-installation.

Andrew

 

[Patrick Keenan]

With XP, I currently use AOL Spyware Protection, and have used the free
download of MS Live One till the expiration date. Since installing McAfee
Security Center I've recently started experiencing slow logon. Since then,
problems have been developing, the most annoying of which are:

1) The harddrive continues to be continuously accessed for at least 5
minutes into the desktop, during which time no icons can open related
links.
Eventually they work. I assume this is McAffee doing it's thing, but the
wait
time is getting longer and the HD is getting older.

Download and run, and learn how to use, Process Explorer. This will show
you what Task Manager won't, and it may reveal that it is, in fact, McAfee
taking over the system.

It may also show that it's Microsoft Update, which can significantly slow a
system down at boot time, particularly if the system was off at the time
Automatic Updates is set to. Microsoft Update, which looks for updates
for other MS products besides Windows, can be incredibly slow compared to
Windows Update.

Between the A/V and the updates, your system can be unusable for some time,
particularly if they try to run at the same time.

Or, you may find it's something totally different.

2) I'm using IE 6 with the Google toolbar. Every time I open it I get big,
fullpage ads from different sites. I click them off but after a while new
ones start appearing. Makes IE a PIA to try to use. Also getting popups
suggesting I download no-name 'spyware' and 'malware' removal tools.

This would indicate an adware infection, and you should have a look at
HiJackThis. The specific name of the websites and the spyware remover is
a big clue as to how to remove it.

3) I use CCleaner to keep the Cookie file clean of unwanted junk, but
cookies from the IE6 ads don't clear when cleaner run. I had to remove a
McAfee cookie (which is not on the CCleaner's 'do-not-remove cookie' list)
to
remove the others manually.

4) Most troubling, I have several restore points set, and when I run
System
Restore, it goes thru the process, then gives a message that the
installation
failed due to incomplete data. Of the 4-5 dates, none will work. Today I
tried to use IE to access this site, and when trying to enter this message
it
wouldn't go to the message page. Had to logon to AOL to write this.

I'm thinking about saving all my data files to external, then just
reformatting and re-
installing XP. Is this the reasonable thing to do?

Whether it's reasonable or not is up to you, based on a comparison between
the time it will take to do the new install and the time it will take to fix
the problems. If you want to be sure you're starting clean, also delete
and re-create the partition and then format it.

I would suggest that if you are concerned about the drive's age, consider
installing a new drive. This has the added advantage of probably
increasing drive space at low cost - where I am, 500 gig drives are just
over $100. Your old drive would be removed and set aside during the
install, and used as the backup for restoring your data.

HTH
-pk

 

[SG]

Paul,
reformatting and re-
installing XP. Is this the reasonable thing to do?<<<

Reading over the troubles you are having I'd say yes. I also might add this
time DO NOT install that McAfee junkware. I think sometimes McAfee and
Symantec is having a contest between the two to see how many systems they
can screw up. No comment on AOL Spyware Protection as I've never used it,
but I don't like nothing to do with AOL either.

If I were you I'd clean install, make sure all updates are done. Install a
good Antivirus program, FREE AVG is one, install Spybot Search & Destroy,
install Windows Defender, install Adaware and that's it. One other thing, I
am and always have been a big fan of Google, but I don't run any of the
Google toolbars etc,etc. I'd also consider IE7 as it has it's own
Pop-Up-Blocker and Phishing built in and IMO works pretty well.

--
All the best,
SG
How to Write a Newsgroup Post:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Usenet
Need your OEM Restore Disk?
http://restoredisks.com/

 

[Struwwwelpeter]

Happened to me before, took me ages to find out just WTF is going on. Plus
it´s really hard to fix all the problems. I was looking for an efficient way
to handle this once and for all so:

Here is what I did:

- Back up all my data
- format c:
- set 2 partitons, one for system (and don´t call this one c:\), one for
data, leave some free space on the disc (maybe 40G for Acronis, max 10G for
Linux)
- do a clean install (with me it was a slipstreamed xp incl. at least SP2,
otherwise you end up with an infected XP right after clean install)
- install Linux as second OP. This will setup a bootloader like GRUB - takes
over the boot sector of your HD from Win thus making it safer plus you can
still boot your system and back up data in case WinXP is dead. Or do system
maintenance. Or do Virus checking.
- Install some programm like Acronis to do an image of your boot partiton.
In fact Acronis can put a secure zone on your HD and gives your the option to
restore WinXP at the time of your clean install with just one button during
startup. takes only 20 min, cool ejh?
- put your data on a separate partiton and redirect "myfiles" to this
partition. Exclude this partition from system monitoring.
- Now your set: the next time your system freaks, you just push F11 during
boot and Voila: you have a spanking new installation of Win XP on your
harddisk without loosing any data. (Of course you will have to reinstall all
programms and service packs that came after the initial install. But that´s
only half an hour - after which you do another systemimage...)

And of course: stay away from AOL or Symantec. use a simple Virus Checker
like Avira or something. It´s not as bad on system resources. Plus Spybot
Search and Destroy. I installed Firefox with the "NoScript" extensions to
block all scripts that do not belong to the original website for browsing and
modified my HOST file to block all known bad sites (but mind you: I´m totally
paranoid- Spybot actually already takes care of that), but if you can´t live
with IE: DISABLE ACTIVEX it´s the biggest security breach out there.

Bonus: If you do extensiv surfing on sites with known bad behaviour you can
do that with Linux and Firefox (much safer).

 

[paullie]

Wow. Some great info. Thanks all. My laptop is only 3 months old, and the HD
is got lots of time left on it. No prob there. I'm really leaning toward a
reinstall. Done it before on other machines, so I know the drudge/routine. A
couple of followup questions:

When first switched on, I get the option (F11) to re-install XP from the
laptop itself. No disk needed. I assume this is a clean, uncorrupted version.
Am I correct?

Will this install clean and re-use the 2 current particians
(restore/everything else), and if I decide to reformat will that also remove
this built-in XP install option? I don't know where that source code lives.
However I do have the XP disk in case.

I'm gonna go thru the list of suggested tools (thanks again), and would like
to know the best ones to use when and if I do the re-install; hopefully ones
that will stay resident. If any programs listed below actually offer virus
protection, etc. and can stay resident, that would be great. McAfee has had
it's last chance. Oh, I really like CCleaner. Got it on both my boxes. Anyone
else use it.. thoughts?

Here's the list of suggested tools. I might have missed a few:

Avira, Spybot Search and Destroy, Ad-Ware, Process Explorer(where do I find
this), HiJackThis, Free-AVG, Windows Defender.

Best, Paul