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Extreamly slow...

7 min read

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Post #1
After trying numerous things myself including deleating alot of programs I diddn't use and defragging my hard drive, my computer is still running rediculously slow.

It all started one day when I had a few programs running and I accidently started playing music on both Itunes and WMP, my computer nearly froze.

After I closed both Itunes and WMP, I restarted WMP and played a song again but to my suprise the song "stuttered" (thats the best way I can describe it) I restarted and the boot time took way longer then it should have, seemed like 15 minutes, everything in general runs extreamly slow now, and audio still "stutters".

After trying a few things, I've gotten the boot time near normal, but the slowness and "stuttering" remain.

Heres my log:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 6:43:17 PM, on 12/30/2006
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.5730.0011)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MsMpEng.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Network Associates\Common Framework\FrameworkService.exe
C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\Mcshield.exe
C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\VsTskMgr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Shared\hpqwmiex.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe
C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Viewpoint Manager\ViewMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\QPService.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\issch.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\hpq\HP Wireless Assistant\HP Wireless Assistant.exe
C:\Program Files\Hp\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe
C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
C:\Program Files\HPQ\Quick Launch Buttons\EabServr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe
C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel\atiptaxx.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\hpq\Shared\HPQTOA~1.EXE
C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE
C:\Program Files\Network Associates\Common Framework\UpdaterUI.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Network Associates\TalkBack\TBMon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllhost.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Antonio Perfeito\Desktop\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&a…n&pf=laptop
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&a…n&pf=laptop
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Connection Wizard,ShellNext = http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&a…n&pf=laptop
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - {9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll
O3 - Toolbar: WikiSearch - {44E7EF6C-6F5C-4AAF-A080-7725A27878ED} - C:\PROGRA~1\WIKISE~1\WIKIPE~1.DLL
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows Defender] "C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MSASCui.exe" -hide
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ViewMgr] C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Viewpoint Manager\ViewMgr.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SynTPEnh] C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP\SynTPEnh.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Reminder] C:\Windows\CREATOR\Remind_XP.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RecGuard] C:\Windows\SMINST\RecGuard.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QPService] "C:\Program Files\HP\QuickPlay\QPService.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ISUSScheduler] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\issch.exe" -start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ISUSPM Startup] C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\INSTAL~1\UPDATE~1\ISUSPM.exe -startup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [hpWirelessAssistant] C:\Program Files\hpq\HP Wireless Assistant\HP Wireless Assistant.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] C:\Program Files\Hp\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ehTray] C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [eabconfg.cpl] C:\Program Files\HPQ\Quick Launch Buttons\EabServr.exe /Start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Cpqset] C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Default Settings\cpqset.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ATIPTA] "C:\Program Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel\atiptaxx.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ShStatEXE] "C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\SHSTAT.EXE" /STANDALONE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [McAfeeUpdaterUI] "C:\Program Files\Network Associates\Common Framework\UpdaterUI.exe" /StartedFromRunKey
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Network Associates Error Reporting Service] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Network Associates\TalkBack\TBMon.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [swg] C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier\1.2.908.5008\GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Google Search - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmsearch.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Translate English Word - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmwordtrans.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Backward Links - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmbacklinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Cached Snapshot of Page - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmcache.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Similar Pages - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmsimilar.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Translate Page into English - res://c:\program files\google\GoogleToolbar2.dll/cmtrans.html
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_09\bin\ssv.dll
O9 - Extra button: AIM - {AC9E2541-2814-11d5-BC6D-00B0D0A1DE45} - C:\Program Files\AIM\aim.exe
O9 - Extra button: Run IMVU - {d9288080-1baa-4bc4-9cf8-a92d743db949} - C:\Documents and Settings\Antonio Perfeito\Start Menu\Programs\IMVU\Run IMVU.lnk
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - %windir%\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe (file missing)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - %windir%\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe (file missing)
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O11 - Options group: [INTERNATIONAL] International*
O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://ie.redirect.hp.com/svs/rdr?TYPE=3&tp=iehome&locale=EN_US&c=Q106&bd=pavilion&pf=laptop
O16 - DPF: {02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B} (QuickTime Object) - http://a1540.g.akamai.net/7/1540/52/200612…ex/qtplugin.cab
O16 - DPF: {215B8138-A3CF-44C5-803F-8226143CFC0A} (Trend Micro ActiveX Scan Agent 6.6) - http://housecall65.trendmicro.com/housecal…ivex/hcImpl.cab
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99F7-4BB4-88D8-FA1D4F56A2AB} (YInstStarter Class) - http://us.dl1.yimg.com/download.yahoo.com/…nst_current.cab
O16 - DPF: {5D6F45B3-9043-443D-A792-115447494D24} (UnoCtrl Class) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/EN-US/a-UNO1/GAME_UNO1.cab
O16 - DPF: {5ED80217-570B-4DA9-BF44-BE107C0EC166} (Windows Live Safety Center Base Module) - http://cdn.scan.safety.live.com/resource/d…lscbase8460.cab
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdat…b?1163714833730
O16 - DPF: {8E0D4DE5-3180-4024-A327-4DFAD1796A8D} (MessengerStatsClient Class) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/binary/Messe…nt.cab31267.cab
O16 - DPF: {A364AF35-0CDF-41E8-8F3B-E0E55E15EBA1} (Zenturi Active Programs Control) - http://www.programchecker.com/dll/nixon.cab
O18 - Protocol: livecall - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL
O18 - Protocol: msnim - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL
O20 - Winlogon Notify: WgaLogon - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WgaLogon.dll
O21 - SSODL: WPDShServiceObj - {AAA288BA-9A4C-45B0-95D7-94D524869DB5} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\WPDShServiceObj.dll
O23 - Service: Ati HotKey Poller - ATI Technologies Inc. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Ati2evxx.exe
O23 - Service: hpqwmiex - Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\Shared\hpqwmiex.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service (LightScribeService) - Hewlett-Packard Company - C:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: McAfee Framework Service (McAfeeFramework) - Network Associates, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Network Associates\Common Framework\FrameworkService.exe
O23 - Service: Network Associates McShield (McShield) - Network Associates, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\Mcshield.exe
O23 - Service: Network Associates Task Manager (McTaskManager) - Network Associates, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Network Associates\VirusScan\VsTskMgr.exe
Post #2
hi mkid, your log looks ok as far as malware goes. this: Viewpoint Manager is a questionable item. you can remove it via the add/remove programs panel. iam working on a web page for slow computers. i will post it. you have done some of them may be of no help at all to you. Some Things That May Contribute to a Slow, Sluggish Computer. Malware seems to get the blame for lots of computer problems these days including a slow, sluggish computer. It could be malware related or it may not be. If you have scanned with up to date antivirus/antimalware applications and they come up clean, then you might start to look elsewhere. There are things you can do and there are things windows can do for you. First of all if you recognize this, it must not have been that way all the time. Did it happen over time or all of a sudden? WHAT YOU CAN DO: Have you installed any new software lately? Despite what software makers says, different software can cause conflicts with each other on your computer. If you have recently installed software, try uninstalling it. Be careful about installing "optimizers or software to speed up" your computer as a cure, most are worthless. Uninstall: I haven't purchased a commercial desktop in many years, but I know they can come with loads of bloat ware installed on them. The first thing I did with my laptop was reformat the HD. Look in add/remove programs panel and uninstall anything you don't really use. Free up some HD space. Antimalware software: Do you use the real-time protection components provided by anti-malware apps? Like Spybots Tea-Timer or AVG guard? If so keep only one active. Really, having two anti-malware apps is plenty. I see logs where people have 5 or 6. Use only a single antivirus application. Two is not better than one in this case. Control what starts up with windows: Have a lot of icons running by the clock? Software makers like to think there software is important and needs to run all the time. Not true, much of it can be started manually as needed. I have two icons as I type this, my antivirus and Look 'n' Stop firewall. All these applications are running in the background and use up system resources. Sometimes you can find options or preferences in the software not to start with windows. Startup items can also be controlled using MSCONFIG. You can learn how to use it here. Clean up Temp files: Overtime windows can amass quite a collection of temp files. Keep them cleaned out. This can be done manually, but its much easier to use software to do it for you. In windows I use ATFCleaner. One click does it all. Use it several times per week. Get it here. Registry Cleaning: The Windows registry can get clogged up over time with loads of old unneeded entries. The safest way to clean it up is with software. I use MS RegClean. It is not supported anymore by Microsoft. It wont clean a corrupted registry either. If you use any MS Office product on your computer see this about RegClean and Office products. Another product is CCleaner, which can help to clean the registry and also has other built-in features similar to ATFCleaner Windows Services: Changing the way services startup or disabling them is another way that may help a sluggish computer by freeing up resources. Many people can do without some of these services. Read carefully and don't change many at once. Make one or two changes than use your computer normally, before making more changes. Here is information taken from the now defunct Black Viper website and another here about changing windows services. Re-format? This may seem aliitle drastic, but one-way of wiping it all out and starting "clean" is to do a re-format of your computer. This can do wonders for your computer. I actually re-format my hard drive at least twice a year. Of course make sure you pull off or backup anything you want to keep. Installed Memory: Finally, make sure your computer has enough installed RAM in it. The bare minimum should be 128MB. For XP it should be 256MB. The operating system itself uses a lot of RAM, whats left goes to your computer. Installing another bank is one of the easiest upgrades for performance gains you can do. To check your installed amount: Start>Settings>Control Panel>Performance and Maintenance>System. To determine what kind of RAM your board uses visit Kingston Technology, Crucial or Corsair Memory and use there configuration wizard. WHAT WINDOWS CAN DO FOR YOU: A Orderly Hard Drive: When data on your hard drive is stored in a logical manner it can be accessed for use much quicker by your computer. Over time this data tends to get spread out. Using windows Defrag tool helps to keep it orderly. Defrag your hard drive at least once a month. Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter if you use the new XP start menu its Start>Control Panel>Performance and Maintenance>Pick A Task:: rearrange items on your hard disk…… Another tool to use is Windows Error Checking utility. This will attempt to find and repair bad sectors on your hard drive. Click Start>Click My Computer>Right click on your hard drive (C:) then select properties>then the Tools Tab. Check both options in the dialog box click start.
Post #3
I removed Viewpoint manager and Viewpoint media player, I never used it, came with the HP laptop. Like I said before the problem just started all of a sudden, not slowely over time, I hadent installed anything new. I'm sure my laptop came with a bunch of junk on it, but I don't feel that getting rid of it would fix the problem sence it worked fine before. As for antimalware software and the like, right now i use Windows Defender, Mcafee and Ad-Aware SE Personal. The only things that startup in the system tray are Windows Defender, Mcafee, AIM, my mouse driver tray icon, the wireless network tray icons and the Quick launch buttons tray icon. I ran and used ATFCleaner and checked all the boxes. Ran and used MS RegClean. As far as the Windows services go, do you have any reccomendations of what I should disable and how? I have 512 MB of ram… should be enough. I ran disk defragmenter as stated before, it said "some files could not be moved" or something like that, but never said which files, and when I Re-Analyzed it, it said it diddn't need to be defragmented again. I also tried to run the Windows Error Checking utility, but when I restarted and let it run it got through some of the phases but towards the end it stopped and a message kept rewriting itself onscreen so fast that i could barely read it. I think it might have said something like "not enough disk space to re-write damaged files to disk"… I'm not entirely sure though, it was hard to read it and I diddn't write it down so I'm just going by memory. So after doing all that, my computer has only gotten a little bit faster, and while I have managed to figure out how to play my music without it stuttering (having absolutely nothing else running while I am playing the files) It is very annoyingly slow, and shouldent be like this… any other Ideas? by the way, the things that "seemed" to have helped the most were the disk defragmenter and a program someone told me to use called Bootvis which optimizes startup.
Post #5
I disabled 2 services that I was sure I wasent going to use to no avail. But at last I finally solved my problem, and it was one of the most obvious things I could have done: System Restore I restored back to a few days before the problem started, and I was happy to hear the windows startup chime play smoothly the next restart. A few programs had errors after the restore, but nothing that reinstalling and updating couldent fix. Thanks for trying to help me shelf life, and also now you know one of the easiest ways to fix sudden computer slowness problems, just use system restore and restore to a few days before the problem started.
Post #7
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