WinXP missing files/dll's - Is there a utility?

[Paulasaurus]

As per the subject, my WinXPHome OS has become clogged and slow. Is there a
WinXP utility hidden somewhere which will use the installation disk to
'self-diagnose' any problems it may be experiencing?
I have tried freeware Registry cleaner - RegSeeker - to do the obvious, but
this causes a crash before it has completed it's scan. I've managed to tweek
the performance a little by turning off many of the 'visual' features XP has,
but it's still taking an age to do many things. I've only got 512Mb RAM but
this wasn't an issue previously.
Any advice welcome...

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

As per the subject, my WinXPHome OS has become clogged and slow.

You say "clogged and slow" here, but you say "missing files/dll's" in
the subject line. Which is it? Just one? Both?

I know how you know it's slow, but tell us why you think it's
"clogged." In fact, tell us what you mean by "clogged."

What files and dlls are missing? How do you know?

Is there a
WinXP utility hidden somewhere which will use the installation disk to
'self-diagnose' any problems it may be experiencing?
I have tried freeware Registry cleaner - RegSeeker - to do the obvious, but
this causes a crash before it has completed it's scan.

Probably a lucky thing. All registry cleaners are scams at best. At
worst, they can completely hose your system.

I strongly suggest you avoid using any registry cleaning program. They
are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the registry isn't needed and is
dangerous. Leave the registry alone and don't use any registry
cleaner. Despite what many people think, and what vendors of registry
cleaning software try to convince you of, having unused registry
entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
it may have.

I've managed to tweek
the performance a little by turning off many of the 'visual' features XP has,
but it's still taking an age to do many things.

Which things? How long (at least approximately) is "an age"?

I've only got 512Mb RAM but

512MB is fine for most people running Windows XP. In general, only
those running particularly memory-hungry applications, doing things
like photo- or video-editing need more.

this wasn't an issue previously.
Any advice welcome...

When a system gets slower, especially if the change is fairly sudden,
one of the things you need to consider these days is the possibility
of malware infection. I don't know that that's your problem of course,
but you need to at least make sure it's not.

What anti-virus program do you run?
What anti-spyware programs do you run"
What firewall do you run?

Are they all kept up to date?

I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by going to MVP Malke's
malware removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and
following the instructions there.

 

[billdcat]

You may have already done this: Run Defrag utility. If not it might help.
Also, I have played with regedit and found that searching for files is not
always straight forward. I had a problem with finding some files to correct.
I could not find them. MS Support sent me a script that found the files and
fix the problem I had been trying to fix.

 

[Paulasaurus]

Ken - thanks for the reply.
*I was assuming the registry was "clogged" with useless crud left from
unused & uninstalled applications. From your reply, perhaps this isn't the
case.
*The system is very slow. Even running in Safe Mode it seems slow. My main
daily cussing is aimed at clicking links in Outlook email and then having to
go and make a coffee while I wait for IE7 to open, then locate & load the
page. It will literally take long enough to smoke a cigarette.
*I don't 'know' that dll's are missing specifically, but I do know the
system is unhealthy. I regularly scan using AdAware SE, Spybot (inc
TeaTimer), NOD32 is on constant guard for viruses, as is AVG Free. All
regularly updated and antivirus runs every day. The most invasive issues I've
had have been TAC3 tracking cookies, all easily deleted. I use Defrag every
month and have Cleaned 'C' drive today with no improvement in performance. I
have only yesterday's and today's (pre-registry clean, just in case) System
restore points. Firewall is limited to Windows own. Any other, more robust
applications have slowed the system to a complete crawl previously.
* I will investigate ElephantBoy's malware site.

Again, thanks for your advice.

**********************************************

 

[PA Bear]

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.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware with
assistance from an expert. **Post your log to
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, 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) computer repair shop.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Ken - thanks for the reply.
*I was assuming the registry was "clogged" with useless crud left from
unused & uninstalled applications. From your reply, perhaps this isn't the
case.

There undoubtedly *is* leftover useless stuff in the registry. We all
have it. However the idea that this in any way "clogs" the system or
slows it down is false. Trying to remove it is very risky and
accomplishes nothing useful.

*The system is very slow. Even running in Safe Mode it seems slow. My main
daily cussing is aimed at clicking links in Outlook email and then having to
go and make a coffee while I wait for IE7 to open, then locate & load the
page. It will literally take long enough to smoke a cigarette.
*I don't 'know' that dll's are missing specifically,

Based on what you describe, it's *highly* unlikely that your problem
has anything to do with missing dlls. Missing dlls would cause things
not to work at all; poor performance is not a symptom of missing dlls.

but I do know the
system is unhealthy. I regularly scan using AdAware SE, Spybot (inc
TeaTimer), NOD32 is on constant guard for viruses, as is AVG Free.

*Two* antivirus programs running at the same time? That's a very bad
idea, since they can conflict with each other. The first thing to do
is get rid of one of them (NOD32 is probably the better product, and
I'd keep that and get rid of AVG) and see if that doesn't fix the
problem.

All
regularly updated and antivirus runs every day. The most invasive issues I've
had have been TAC3 tracking cookies, all easily deleted. I use Defrag every
month and have Cleaned 'C' drive today with no improvement in performance. I
have only yesterday's and today's (pre-registry clean, just in case) System
restore points. Firewall is limited to Windows own. Any other, more robust
applications have slowed the system to a complete crawl previously.

* I will investigate ElephantBoy's malware site.

Although it doesn't hurt to try Malke's recommendations, and you
should do so, from what you say above, it's seems less likely that you
are infected. But first try getting rid of AVG and see if that helps.
If not, try Malke's recommendations.

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

running a registry
cleaner was a nice
try but not always
the fix-all method.

the other problem you
mentioned is that your
safemode is also
experiencing some
difficulties.

a repair installation
with your windows
setup cd can replace
missing or corrupted
system files.

however, the above is
based from a perspective
of missing or corrupted
system files that would
affect normal and safe modes.

unfortunately, there are other
factors that can contribute to
the issue you brought fourth, like
no more disk space.

however performing file and
disk maintenance regularly
would eliminate factors like this.
do you perform maintenance routines
on your disk?

in any case it is hoped a "repair install"
will be the easy "fix" in this case.


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