Runs like a slug!

[twbanter]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug. (WXP) I go
into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which bleeding
ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any
of them, but I know they don't all need to be there. But they all want to
run---- All the bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not
to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the first
place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0? How do I
know! (I know I could've "custom" installed, but other programs, or even web
sites are tricky about doing this. And once they're there... They look soooo
important you're afraid to tell them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

Tom W

 

[Alias]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug. (WXP) I go
into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which bleeding
ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any
of them, but I know they don't all need to be there. But they all want to
run---- All the bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not
to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the first
place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0? How do I
know! (I know I could've "custom" installed, but other programs, or even web
sites are tricky about doing this. And once they're there... They look soooo
important you're afraid to tell them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

Tom W

Start/Run/type MSCONFIG and hit enter. What's listed under the Startup tab?

In addition, download Crap Cleaner from www.ccleaner.com and do a clean
up after a reboot. When was the last time you defragged the hard drive?

Alias

 

[Roy Smith]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug. (WXP) I go
into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which bleeding
ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any
of them, but I know they don't all need to be there. But they all want to
run---- All the bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not
to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the first
place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0? How do I
know! (I know I could've "custom" installed, but other programs, or even web
sites are tricky about doing this. And once they're there... They look soooo
important you're afraid to tell them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

You might want to give this program called Win Patrol
(www.winpatrol.com) a try. What it does is monitors your system and
alerts you whenever a program tries to install itself to auto start when
you boot your PC. It also alerts you when your start page is change in
your browser, when file associations are changed, and a lot more. It
also has the ability to show you what programs are started when you boot
the pc, and gives you the ability to allow or deny it from doing that.

 

[Malke]

twbanter wrote:

Answers inline (with some rant snippage):

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug.

What are you doing to make your computer run badly? My XP boxen run just as
fast as the day I installed them and they are heavily used by teenaged
boys. The only time I've had to reinstall Windows is when a hard drive has
died. Perhaps you aren't practicing safe computing practices and your
computer is getting infected and/or perhaps you don't do any maintenance.
I'm not saying this is the case; just mentioning possibilities.

Safe Hex:
http://www.getsafeonline.org/
https://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/
http://www.getnetwise.org/
http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm - The Parasite Fight
http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldron/archive/2006/02/05/82584.aspx - MVP
Harry Waldron - The Family PC - How to stay safe on the Internet

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Maintenance

Slow or Sluggish Computer:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm
http://aumha.org/a/health.htm - Take Out the Trash

(WXP) I
go into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which
bleeding ones do I need?

You can Google the names to find out what they are and/or look on some of
these sites:

http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm - What loads at Startup?
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
http://www.blackviper.com
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/

How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the
first place?

It is always better to stop programs from starting with Windows from within
the programs themselves, so look in their Options before changing anything
with msconfig - you're just examining things at this stage. If a program
doesn't offer any way to control startup from its Preferences, then use
msconfig to uncheck the box next to its name, Apply and OK out.

Start>Run>msconfig [enter]

This brings up the System Configuration Utility. Look on the Startup tab and
find the probable culprit. Uncheck the box next to its name, Apply and OK
out. You don't need to restart immediately, but the next time you do you'll
get a dialog saying you've used the Utility. Just tick the box that says in
effect, "don't bother me about this again".

Important - Do not use the System Configuration Utility to stop processes.
Instead, use Start>Run>services.msc [enter] and do not stop any services
unless you really, really know what you're doing.

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560
The free Autoruns program is very useful for managing your Startup -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx - Autoruns

How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?

See answer above re Google, etc.

Is there a list somewhere?

See answer above re Google, etc.

I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0?

Yes, I agree with you that Adobe was gratuitous with installing Acrobat.com
and Adobe AIR alongside Adobe 9.1 (the latest version, which you need to
get if you don't have it). Uninstall both using Add/Remove Programs.
Googling "Adobe AIR" would take you to this page:

http://www.adobe.com/products/air/

where you would learn that AIR is another programming platform on which
developers can build applications, like Flash and Shockwave. Personally, I
don't want extra cr*p installed on my computers and if I ever get to a
webpage that needs AIR (haven't yet), I will be prompted to install it and
can make a decision based on whether I really want whatever I would need
AIR for.

Hope this has answered your questions. You can also post back with the names
of some startup items if you can't find what they are from Google or don't
really know if you need them.

Malke

 

[twbanter]

Thank you mightly for your suggestions. I will do that, and let you know what
happens!

TW

 

[Don Phillipson]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug. (WXP) I go
into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which bleeding
ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any
of them, but I know they don't all need to be there. But they all want to
run---- All the bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not
to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the first
place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?

Yes. WinXP calls many of these "Services" and most can be
turned on or off on the Services menu (Admin/System Tools).
Each is briefly described in writing. You can experiment by
(1) In the library or a good bookstore, reviewing advanced
manuals for WinXP with special attention to Services and
differences between WinXP and its predecessors;
(2) Check that System Restore is in good order and
keep it running while you experiment, so you can turn
back the clock if you do the wrong thing.
(3) Review on their menu each one of (approx. 80) Services and
keep a written record of what you do. You can experimentally
turn off those that seem unneeded, to see what happens.

When slow operation seems the general problem, check
beforehand whether you have as much RAM as your PC
can use. Maximum RAM usually speeds operation.

 

[Jake Marley]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug. (WXP) I go
into the task manager and there's umpteen programs running. Which bleeding
ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any
of them, but I know they don't all need to be there. But they all want to
run---- All the bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not
to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the first
place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0? How do I
know! (I know I could've "custom" installed, but other programs, or even web
sites are tricky about doing this. And once they're there... They look soooo
important you're afraid to tell them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

Tom W

It's time for your computer to find a new operator.

 

[HeyBub]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug.
(WXP) I go into the task manager and there's umpteen programs
running. Which bleeding ones do I need? They fool you with that crazy
WARNING! if you try to stop any of them, but I know they don't all
need to be there. But they all want to run---- All the bleeeping
time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not to stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in the
first place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed
Adobe.com, adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall
AIR because I don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary
for 9.0? How do I know! (I know I could've "custom" installed, but
other programs, or even web sites are tricky about doing this. And
once they're there... They look soooo important you're afraid to tell
them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

Ditch Adobe Reader. Use Foxit Reader instead. Free, smaller, faster, and it
doesn't call home.

 

[John]

I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed Adobe.com,
adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't uninstall AIR because I
don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it neccessary for 9.0?

If all you need is a PDF reader, no, you don't need those extra craps. The
latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader comes with extra junk that we don't
need. That is why I always get my copy of Acrobat Reader directly from their
FTP server at ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/

Take a pick of the version you want. As of today, they're still hosting
version 6, 7, 8 and 9. If you want the latest US English version, go to
ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/9.x/9.1/enu/

The smaller setup file does not have extra junks in it.

 

[twbanter]

No. I don't go to stupid sites, hell I don't even go to face book, or
youtube! Unless yahoo, gmail, and some few other well used sites are
dangerous, (including this one) I should be safe.
I have done a defrag.
I have done a disk clean up.
I have gone to uninstall and got rid of what I'm sure of.
I am very adept at MS office proffessional and all it's applications.
But I'm no software wizard.
(Instead of a new opperator, maybe you should just mind your own business.)
You guys have been amazing! Thanks for all the great suggestions, especially
the reader suggestions!
I'm going to config to see what I can do. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of 9.0
and trying some of the other programs suggested here.
Thank you all very much.
(I still wonder if there is a list somewhere that tells you what NEEDS to be
running for everything to opperate in XP?)
TW

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Friday, March 27, 2009 10:19:02 AM, and on a whim,
twbanter pounded out on the keyboard:

No. I don't go to stupid sites, hell I don't even go to face book, or
youtube! Unless yahoo, gmail, and some few other well used sites are
dangerous, (including this one) I should be safe.
I have done a defrag.
I have done a disk clean up.
I have gone to uninstall and got rid of what I'm sure of.
I am very adept at MS office proffessional and all it's applications.
But I'm no software wizard.
(Instead of a new opperator, maybe you should just mind your own business.)
You guys have been amazing! Thanks for all the great suggestions, especially
the reader suggestions!
I'm going to config to see what I can do. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of 9.0
and trying some of the other programs suggested here.
Thank you all very much.
(I still wonder if there is a list somewhere that tells you what NEEDS to be
running for everything to opperate in XP?)
TW

Hi Tom,
Try here:
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm



Terry R.

 

[Mark]

Get and install the free MS Process Explorer
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx
.... it is a much better process viewer tool than Task Manager. Make its
window as tall as you can to see all processes running, then just watch what
is using up the most CPU when you run various apps or while idle. You can
right-click on any task and Kill Process Tree to see if that helps.
Typically the tasks under services.exe are the ones that are started
automatically at boot or login, killing any of those may be problematic, but
it should not hurt anything to try. You may see a number of svchost.exe
processes, I would not kill any of those.

I am a power-user and have installed a huge amount of apps, utils, etc, on 4
of my pc's and have only had to reinstall XP on top of itself about 3 times
in the last 5 or 6 years - and most of those were due to unruly free games
that my wife installed causing the desktop (explorer.exe) to not load
properly.

I have found that most apparent slow-downs are due to some Windows Updates
downloading in the background - and yes these can be seen in Process
Explorer. In fact, the latest WGA update yesterday caused a laptop's cursor
to freeze every few seconds for many minutes during the automatic download.
Note that even if you select Automatic Updates > Download and let me
choose.. there are still some XP updates that will download AND install
which can unexpectedly slow down a PC (especially one with a slow hard
drive, slow processor or not much available memory).

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am sick of "restoring" when my puter starts running like a slug.
(WXP) I go into the task manager and there's umpteen programs
running. Which bleeding ones do I need? They fool you with that
crazy WARNING! if you try to stop any of them, but I know they
don't all need to be there. But they all want to run---- All the
bleeeping time! They say .EXE, or SYSTEM, and it warns me not to
stop process.
How do I manage my "start up" menu, so they don't get in there in
the first place?
How do I know which ones to stop, if they do?
Is there a list somewhere?
I recently installed Adobe 9.0. for instance, and IT installed
Adobe.com, adobe AIR, and I had to uninstall them. I didn't
uninstall AIR because I don't even know what the bleep it is! Is it
neccessary for 9.0? How do I know! (I know I could've "custom"
installed, but other programs, or even web sites are tricky about
doing this. And once they're there... They look soooo important
you're afraid to tell them to stop running.
Any help woud be greatly appreciated!

Not much to go on.

How about providing some computer specifications?

- CPU speed/type?

- Amount of memory/RAM?

(Might get "Belarc Advisor" and install/get the report from it for these
answers.)

- Hard disk drive total size and free space on the system (usually C
partition?

- What specific flavor (Home? Professional? other?) and version of
Windows XP do you have installed?
(Start button --> RUN --> type in: WINVER and click OK.)

- What antivirus solution do you have installed?

- What Office Suite do you have installed?

- What other applications do you have installed that are 'running all the
time" - like instant messenger applications, antispyware applications, third
party firewalls, remote control applications, dynamic DNS applications,
CD/DVD applications, mouse and keyboard applications, webcam applications,
etc...?

When installing applications - choose to do a custom install and actually
read the options presented to you and choose wisely. Only install what you
NEED to install and only have running what you need to have running (the
configuration of almost all applications allows you to control this.)

If you don't know what something is - don't install it until you do. You
live in a world now where you don;t even have to interact with people (if
that is something you don't want to do) to find answers.

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

You could use an Internet Search Engine like that to discover what something
is pretty easily (although you do have to read and attempt comprehension of
what you are reading.)

You only *know* by research or trial and error. That's true everywhere -
why shouldn't it be true on your computer.

Only install what you need - if you need Adobe Acrobat Reader *(you don't -
there are plenty of other PDF readers out there) - only install that and get
rid of anything else it installs inadvertently and contact the customer
support of said product to complain. The same goes for other things you
install. Quicktime is tricky too. iTunes will try to sneak another product
in on you as well. A lot of these popular programs have riders in them now.

I would say that if you have a Windows XP (Home, Professional, Media Center,
TabletPC, etc) with SP3 (or even SP2) installed and are using the Office
2007 suite of products - you should have 768MB or greater memory in your
system or you can expect some sluggishness. I would say that no matter
what - you should have at least 512MB memory in your system and you should
maintain a 15+% free space amount on your system (usually C) drive.

 

[Roy Smith]

No. I don't go to stupid sites, hell I don't even go to face book, or
youtube! Unless yahoo, gmail, and some few other well used sites are
dangerous, (including this one) I should be safe.
I have done a defrag.
I have done a disk clean up.
I have gone to uninstall and got rid of what I'm sure of.
I am very adept at MS office proffessional and all it's applications.
But I'm no software wizard.
(Instead of a new opperator, maybe you should just mind your own business.)
You guys have been amazing! Thanks for all the great suggestions, especially
the reader suggestions!
I'm going to config to see what I can do. Otherwise, I'm getting rid of 9.0
and trying some of the other programs suggested here.
Thank you all very much.
(I still wonder if there is a list somewhere that tells you what NEEDS to be
running for everything to opperate in XP?)
TW

Google is your friend, it can be very helpful in finding the answers to
your questions. For example, if you don't know what login.sys is or if
you need it, do a Google search and you'll get a long list of sites that
will explain what it is.

If you're concerned about safety, go check out www.mywot.org (Web of
Trust). There you'll find a small add-on program for IE or Firefox,
once that's installed it will warn you about risky websites.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Help! My computer is slow!
http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html

Then again, there is a very good chance are that you are seeing the affects
of a hijackware infection.

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

2. Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan (only!) in Safe
Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

3. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
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://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

**Seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums.**

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) computer repair shop.

 

[HeyBub]

twbanter wrote:

"So, Mr. Turtle, you say you were beaten and robbed by six slugs. Can you
identify your attackers?"

"I don't know, officer, it all happened so quickly..."