I'm a mess! :P

Hello, I've been referred from the Virus, Spyware and Malware Removal forum - http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?showtopic=119284

Hoping someone can help me before I throw my computer out the window and start all over from scratch!

It appears that all traces of the virus I had is gone, but I am still having major issues with some problems that started when I first got the virus alerts, don't know it it's a separate issue that coincidentally started at the time. When I am websurfing all of a sudden pages will not load completely, they just keep spinning even though my internet connection is fine - no lag in skype or e-mail, some pages still load lightening fast while others, such as this forum, hang.. The problem is intermittent but once it starts it lasts for hours. I frequently can't complete downloads, they time out and are cancelled, even very small files. I do know to clear my browser cache and flash cache on a daily basis, and I have been resetting my cable modem and my router. A few times my internet connection was knocked out completely and diagnostic error messages had to do with resolving DNS addresses or a problem in my LAN settings. I never had a problem with any of this in the past.

Boot time also seems unusually slow now and not everything is loading properly every time.

I'm at a loss and for the life of me cannot figure out what the problem is. Would greatly appreciate some help and direction trying to figure out what the problem is.

Thank you!

Hi Carey949, welcome to the "Bright Side" of WhatTheTech (as opposed to the "Dark Side" which is the malware area).

Please try booting to Safe Mode with Networking and run for awhile, see how IE behaves.

If it runs better (no hangs/drops) then something is starting at boot time that is causing the problem. Let me know what happens.

Note: I closed the 2ndthread on this same topic. Looks like a double post caused by all the network problems you're having. We'll work the problem here.

One more thought. Try the Internet Explorer Troubleshooters, see if they help.

Hi Carey949, welcome to the "Bright Side" of WhatTheTech (as opposed to the "Dark Side" which is the malware area).

Plus, I am on this side!

If no luck above, you might trying running without add-ons, the major cause of IE problems.

Click on the Start orb then in the search box, start typing internet explorer and when Internet Explorer (No Add-ons) appears, click on that. If you still have problem, you know one of your add-ons is causing it.

Also, I see you are running Windows 7, but are still at IE8. You should upgrade to the latest version. It is better, and more important, even more secure.

Hello Ztruker, thank you, I could use a little brightness right now haha. And hello to you too Digerati! Safe mode with networking - mixed results, pages are loading fast now and I was able to download one file very quickly, but then subsequent attempts to download files were extremely slow and one even timed out (I should have 25 Mbps download speed) and dragging a window across the screen while attempting file download causes ghosting. My tower sounds like it's about to take off when I'm in safe mode, is that normal?? The Internet Explorer Troubleshooter continues to say it doesn't find any problem with my connection, I have no lag in my ajax chatroom of my forum even when I was having problems downloading a file, no lag in skype…so my connection appears to be fine on the surface. I suppose I should mention that my primary browser is Chrome if that makes a difference, but I tested everything in Chrome, FF and IE to rule out a browser problem.

Let's have some more information on the HW, including the amount of RAM and the amount of free disk space.

It's a fairly new machine, only a few months old…Core i7 with 8GB ram, primary hard drive shows 1.04TB free of 1.35TB. The usual assortment of external drives, card reader, headphone and printers, only new hardware (within past few weeks) is Spyder3 Pro monitor calibration tool which replaced a Spyder2.

Maybe this will help? From the Event Viewer these are the error messages I am seeing repeatedly in Administrative Tasks that seem to apply to my problems: Errors: Event 7026 Service Control Manager The following boot-start or system-start driver(s) failed to load: RxFilter Event 7000 Service Control Manager The SessionLauncher service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the file specified. Event 315, Print Service The print spooler failed to share printer HP Officejet 6500 E710n-z (Network) with shared resource name HP Officejet 6500 E710n-z (Network).2. Error 2114. The printer cannot be used by others on the network. Event 31004, SharedAccess_NAT The DNS proxy agent was unable to allocate 0 bytes of memory. This may indicate that the system is low on virtual memory, or that the memory manager has encountered an internal error. Event 1, VDS Basic Provider Unexpected failure. Error code: D@01010004 Event 1002, Dhcp-Client The IP address lease 192.168.2.3 for the Network Card with network address 0x842B2B9DF812 has been denied by the DHCP server 192.168.2.1 (The DHCP Server sent a DHCPNACK message). Event 100, Bonjour Service Task Scheduling Error: Continuously busy for more than a second (I have iPad) Warnings: Event 4001, WLAN-AutoConfig WLAN AutoConfig service has successfully stopped. Event 1014, DNS Client Events Name resolution for the name dns.msftncsi.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded. Event 1014, DNS Client Events Name resolution for the name wpad.Belkin timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded. Event 1006, DNS Client Events The client was unable to validate the following as active DNS server(s) that can service this client. The server(s) may be temporarily unavailable, or may be incorrectly configured. 192.168.2.1 Event 1530, User Profile Service DETAIL - 5 user registry handles leaked from \Registry\User\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000: Process 1112 (\Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\svchost.exe) has opened key \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings Process 1112 (\Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\svchost.exe) has opened key \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings Process 1112 (\Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\svchost.exe) has opened key \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000\Software Process 1112 (\Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\svchost.exe) has opened key \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000\Software\Policies Process 1112 (\Device\HarddiskVolume3\Windows\System32\svchost.exe) has opened key \REGISTRY\USER\S-1-5-21-38544632-2117033096-1779847156-1000\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

Hi Carey949,
Sorry to hear of the problems you have been experiencing.
You must be getting a little fed up with this, as you have purchased a very powerful machine that should operate faultlessly and very quickly….

I took a brief look at your logs that you were working with Ken and it looks like you have used P2P file sharing, downloading/uploading some stuff by torrents…. It seems clear that you realise now that this maybe was a very bad idea and that the "friend" who advised you, was not providing you with sound advice…so I will say no more, other than to emphasize that it is a hugely effective method of spreading malicious code and many computer problems/issues can be laid at its door. Some folks don't realise that for P2P to work effectively it needs to open a pathway through your firewall….and some folks take pleasure in "spiking" what looks like a legitimate file with malicious code. There are legitimate uses for P2P but a lot are used for circumventing owners copyright and any file shared in this way can compromise your computer's security and performance….. P2P is best uninstalled ( Vuze) and any files shared where their provenance is not 100% should be deleted and the Recycle Bin emptied.

Ken has recommended in your malware topic that in view of the number of problems with your fairly new and powerful machine that a "Restore to Factory" is indicated. I think that the cost effective and timely repair of your computer may need this performed, it's a relatively quick procedure and very worthy of your consideration.

However if you prefer to take additional steps before embarking on a "Restore to Factory" I recommend you consider the following:

1 It's unlikely that a hardware fault in your new computer is at the root of the problem, particularly as your Skype works well and with no problems, however a good first move is always to check that the RAM in your machine is working correctly…so take a look here:
http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38201 download memtest, burn the bootable disc (you must burn it as an image, a copy wont do)
Allow the test to run overnight…any errors at all in the RAM and its back to where you got it from…

2 Next step is to do a disk check here's the details you need
http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-device…k-activity.html
You will find the log file via Event Viewer
(The hard re-boots that you have been forced to perform to get the computer working can often damage the file structure and corrupt important Windows system files)

3 The next step is to run the Windows System File Checker to check for and hopefully repair any damaged, missing or corrupted important system files.
Here's how:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

4 If after rebooting you are still having problems then the situation is definitely not looking good…perhaps before doing the Restore to Factory you could try a Repair install of Win 7…?
Here's some information on this:
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthrea…-repair-install

5 I have assumed that you have tried to use a System Restore Point created BEFORE any troubles started…. if not then it's worth a try, however be advised that any infections present on your computer at the time when the System Restore Point was created are likely to be reintroducedif you do this……..so it would be back to Ken for his professional advice on how best to do a clean from that point…

6 One final step that you may like to consider, might be to completely uninstall Norton ( make a note of the product serial key and copy the executable,) so you could reinstall it later if you wanted to) Download and run the Norton Uninstall tool from Symantec, to clear out any remnants, reboot and then install Microsoft Security Essentials ( its good and also free) and make sure that your Windows Firewall is engaged ( switched on) Then see if the problems remain.
Here's the link for MSE
http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx
Here's the link for uninstalling Norton
http://us.norton.com/support/dtree.jsp?pvi…;selected_nav=3

7 If you do "Restore to Factory" its important to know that this is a destructive process that will clear everything on your computer, all your files, music, photos, documents spreadsheets, your Phd thesis…everything, so please make sure your back up is good…accurate, comprehensive, kept safe on removable media, and verified reproducible…an extra copy is a wise idea….also make sure that any P2p files are not included in the backup…

Good luck and post back and let us know how you get on….as if the Restore to Factory doesn't fix it, then its time to send it all back to the retailer from whom you bought it and ask them for a replacement that works!
Regards
paws

Since Norton is installed on this machine, my guess is this is a factory made computer as most custom or self-built users would not use Norton. While I agree with paws, I caution that this machine may still be under warranty and if it is a hardware issue, it is their problem. And technically, if your OS is an OEM/System Builders license, they should be providing the Windows technical support for 1 year too.

Cautiously optimistic update: I started running through the steps Paws outlined (DSKCHK found some errors and cleaned them up) and and getting preparing for the probable need to restore factory defaults. Along the way i saw some browser error codes that made me think I had a problem with java, I remembered that my last autoupdate didn't appear to complete properly and I recalled that the source file of the virus was js1.exe…too many coincidences so i thought maybe java was corrupted and I deleted it, intending to reinstall clean. That was on the 7th. I haven't had any more of the problems since I removed java from my computer….three straight days now but I'm afraid to jinx myself. Today I got a call from a friend who works in corporate IT who knew a little about my problems (but not what I had done recently to try to fix) and he asked me what version of java I was running. He said he just got a heads up that three previous versions of java have been hacked and there is a new wicked virus that takes over your bandwidth to run malicious scripts. It only replicates when online and it replicates as a windows file. No more details yet, just that they were told to immediately make sure that everyone has Java version 6 Update 26. The symptoms he described were EXACTLY what I was experiencing. He also told me to go completely offline, unplug ethernet, and run offline scan.I have now installed Update 26 and if I continue to have no problems for another day or so I'm pretty certain this is what it was. Thank you for help everyone…not 100% sure I'm out of the woods yet, still looking for lurking trojans left on my machine, but it's looking very good right now!

That's good to hear that things are running better. There are security vulnerabilities in older versions of Java (and also other applications,) so that's one of the reasons why its best to keep them updated. If chkdsk found errors and corrected them….. that its' mixed news….. Its good that it corrected some errors but you now need to run it again…. you really need to get it to run with two successive runs of all 5 passes with NO errors being found. If you can do this then its good…… if you can't then its time to check your back up is 100% up to date accurate, reproducible and kept safe on removable media and to download the hard drive manufacturer's disc checking utility as there is a possibility that the hard drive is beginning to fail and will need replacing. Regards paws

You might check out JavaRA to help find and remove older versions of Java.

That's good to hear that things are running better.
There are security vulnerabilities in older versions of Java (and also other applications,) so that's one of the reasons why its best to keep them updated.
If chkdsk found errors and corrected them….. that its' mixed news…..
Its good that it corrected some errors but you now need to run it again…. you really need to get it to run with two successive runs of all 5 passes with NO errors being found.
If you can do this then its good……
if you can't then its time to check your back up is 100% up to date accurate, reproducible and kept safe on removable media and to download the hard drive manufacturer's disc checking utility as there is a possibility that the hard drive is beginning to fail and will need replacing.
Regards
paws

My mistake, it was not chkdsk that found errors, it was windows system file checker that found some problem files. I ran two different disk scan utilities and both came up clean.