53 replies to this topic

[eharri2]

Hey there, So, when I play World of Warcraft, I'm usually running at 30 fps, which is odd, because I've got 2gb of RAM and I have a 1.6ghz processor in a Windows XP OS which is more than enough to handle World of Warcraft. It's nowhere near games like Crysis that requires state of the art hardware in order to play. However, I consistently keep on graphically lagging throughout the game, and to make things worse, I consistently check my Task Manager to make sure services or applications aren't hogging resources which is never the case. Also, I defragment my computer every weekend if not twice a week, and continuously clean out my temporary files using CCleaner. Is there something that I'm missing here that might be causing my computer to lag in such a way? Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

Hi eharri2,

I notice that you have a HJT log posted today in the correct forum as well as this thread here in Hardware/Networking.

While you are waiting for the Malware fighters to answer your thread why not clean out your dust bunnies as if not attended to could cause all sorts of problems with your system.

You have had several visits to the HJT forum, please be vigilant in keeping your system clean of all nasties, and do not click on advertisements and suspect links which are loaded with Malware on the Internet. If you need more assistance with keeping your computer running fast and free, just ask. We are very happy to help.

kind regards,

[eharri2]

Hey Tallin, Yes. Unfortunately, my computer seems to be virus prone as the majority of Dell computers seem to be. I was wondering how to clean out dust bunnies on a laptop. I'm sorry if I forgot to mention that last time. Didn't mean to waste your time . Anyways, hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

Hello eharri2,

Yes, there are steps to take to clean the dust bunnies from your Laptop. However it is not as easy or really recommended for inexperienced folk to do so. I, for instance do not attempt to open my Laptop as it is a professionals job to do so in my opinion.

However, here are a couple of links that you can read about and decide for yourself just what you want to do. Don't forget you have a log posted, so need to be up and running to reply to the Malware Expert who picks up your log.

HERE

HERE

Good luck, but proceed with caution please.

kind regards,

[eharri2]

Hey Tallin, I think I'm gonna follow your attitude and leave it up to the experts with the dust bunnies. I don't want to further exacerbate things. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what happens in the malware forum, and then hopefully after that's resolved, we can figure out what's wrong with my ATI graphics. Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

eharri2, Wise move I think, when/if you eventually come back to this forum for assistance, we can venture further with the age of the Laptop, and if you have a trusted IT technician near you who could do the cleaning for you if the system is an old one. If it is newish, well then it most likely is not a dust bunny issue. I look forward to meeting up again with you if you find it necessary on the tech forums here on WTT. Best regards,

[eharri2]

Hey Tallin, I was conversing with IndiGenus, one of the Malware experts, and he thinks that this might also be a hardware issue as we're having trouble pinpointing any malware issues. I guess I'll brief you on the situation. Basically, whenever I start up my computer now, it takes like 10 or so minutes to boot up. It seems as though either the system32 boot files are having trouble being run or maybe it's my hard disk. I've never had a problem like this before, and it's not like I've had any physical damage to the computer. I'm not sure what to do here. Furthermore, my sound card and my network driver aren't working. Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

Hi eharri2, Your issue needs a more knowledged tech than me, so I am posting over in a private forum for more professional help for you. Please be patient as some of the techies are very busy. I will keep an eye on this thread to see you get the help you deserve. kind regards,

[eharri2]

Hey Tallin, Thanks man. I really appreciate this. Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

ehaari2, I have posted for assistance for you, so now we wait, maybe not for long. kind regards,

[eharri2]

Hey Tallin, Actually I think I'm just going to go ahead and reformat my computer. The only problem I'm anticipating is that I have problems fully reformatting my hard drive, and I have to do quick reformat it. Any solutions? Sincerely, eharri2

[tallin]

Hi eharri2,

Here is a link that you can read up about, but I do believe that you would be better to wait for a tech to come by to assist you. It cannot hurt to read of course as we all learn that way.

best regards,

[Doug]

Format and Reinstall is a solution, but not one that we look to first.
There are a few steps that we can take to get a better idea of what may be wrong.
Let us know what you intend to do, since it would not do you any good for us to formulate a plan that you did not plan to use.

To Get a better look at the overview of your machine's current performance please run the PCPitstop Full Tests.
It takes about 5 minutes, is safe and non-invasive, and should give us both static and dynamic information about your machine.

http://www.pcpitstop.com

Post a link to your Results (TechExpress) back into your next reply here for us to have a better look.
We'll help analyze and suggest steps you may benefit from.

PCPitstop site is quite "commercialized" with offerings of various good quality utilities to perform maintenance automatically.
We like the PCPitstop Full Tests, but most of what you may need to do to rehab your machine can be done with manual steps that do not cost money nor require you to buy automated utilities.

Let's have a look at the results.
Then we can begin on some repair strategies.

Best Regards

[eharri2]

Hey guys, I appreciate all the help; however, I still think there's a virus on my computer. I'm just gonna go ahead and fully reformat, if I can with the PC Restore feature on Dell, and if not with the fully reformat option. And after that, I'm immediately going to install the Online Armor Personal Firewall as soon as I have access to the internet. I believe my system is compromised, and I actually don't have access to the Internet anymore. I'm writing this post on my brother's computer. However, as soon as all of the drivers are reinstalled, I'm going to run PCPitstop and its utilities. What do y'all think? Sincerely, eharri2

[Doug]

Bottom line is that it is your PC. We're here to help you, but you make the decisions. Running a PCPitstop Full Tests after the Restore, can still give you good information about your machine's hardware. And there may be some auto-starts that you might overlook without the Pit Test review. Your Malware Removal expert indicated that no malware was present. That's pretty good news! running the Dell Restore without reformating and full reinstall is less than likely to clear your machine of any true virus/malware. Best Regards