Everythings gone wrong!!!

[xanthus]

Hi Guys, I'm having mojor probs with my pc at the moment, it started a while back when my side gadgets stopped working and went downhill from there. on my AOL i am unable to access videos on youtube or anything that requires flash player and certain web pages appear blank. thanks to one of your other threads i found out to download firefox, which everything works ok on, but at the moment everything is running really slow and occasionally freezing. i have run both super anti-spyware and malwarebytes which came up with nothing except a few tracking cookies. Any ideas please Guys?:confused:

[help4me]

First... I don't know how attached you are to AOL... but in my experience, AOL cause more problems than anything. If you can live without it... get rid of AOL. That of course is my personal opinion.

 

Aside from that... can you provide the specs for your computer, what kind, RAm size etc...

also what kind of antivirus software do you use?

 

is your computer software and antivirus software up to date?

 

depending on the age of your computer... when was the last time it was defragmented?

 

when do you notice the freezing and lag? While on the net? Running a certain program? before or after a certain program/operation? After a certain length of time the computer has been on? or is it random?

 

 

Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help is here for you, and we will stick by you and help you get your PC in good working order :)

[xanthus]

it is an acer aspire L320,

1.00 gb ram,

Genuine intel® CPU 2140 @ 1.60 GHz, 1600 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 logical processor

Version 6.0.6001 service pack 1 Build 6001

System type X86-based PC

Physical memory 0.99 GB

Available Phys Mem 301 Mb

total virtual Memory 2.24 GB

Available Virtual Memory 871 Mb

i am currently using CA anti virus software, i have had the pc less than a year , i defragmented the pc a couple of days ago and the freezing is quite random but it is slow to access programs and the internet most of the time.

[help4me]

Hmmm... what OS are you running? And was that the OS that was on the computer when you got it?

 

If you are running Vista (as shown in your computer specs on your profile), then I'd wager that the computer doesn't have enough memory to run Vista effectively. That would cause the lag and freeze ups.

[xanthus]

OS Name Windows Vista Home Premium

Other OS Description Not Available

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

The OS is the same as when I bought the PC

Is this the information you need?

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Did you run the scan from Eset xanthus?

[xanthus]

I tried to do this, i clicked on the website from your link, on internet explorer, ticked the box but the start button was faint and when i clicked it , it wouldn't start the install.

[Seth]

Since the issue does not occur in Firefox, then please reset Internet Explorer with the following procedure:

 

1.Open Internet Explorer 7.

2.Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.

3.Click the Advanced tab.

4.Click on Restore Advanced Settings, then just below that option, click Reset.

[xanthus]

Thanks Seth, I have tried this before but I tried it again and it still didn't work. I have also tried using security removal tools for anti virus programs i've used in the past and this has done nothing. I don't know if it'll help but I did once try uninstalling and re-installing my AOL software and now i frequently get a blank window in the top corner of the screen and the tab at the bottom on the taskbar is blank with the AOL logo on. I have e-mailed AOL about this and they haven't been able to come up with anything. Also thanks to help4me and Wolfeymole for their contributions as well.:D

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Xanthus

 

You were misinformed about the HJT aspect, we are no longer offering advice with regard to HJT logs for the time being.

[xanthus]

Ok, Thanks for your help anyway.

[AdvancedSetup]

If it is Malware try running this.

 

 

Your computer could be infected with Malware.

 

• Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent.
  It is a combination of the words malicious and software.
  The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code.
  

 

• Required Cleanup Steps
  
  1. Disable the Spybot Search & Destroy TEA TIMER if you use it and if it is enabled
     
  2. Run a Temporary file and cache cleaner (ATF)
     
  3. Run 2 Anti-Malware scanners (Listed Below)
     
  4. Run an Online Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware Scanner (Listed Below)
     
  5. Clear out old System Restore points
     
  6. If continued Malware type activity is present you may be asked to post a TrendMicro™ HijackThis™ Log file, do not do so unless requested.
     

   

The reason to run multiple scanners is to ensure that no single scanner is missing something.

The time it takes will vary depending on your system and your internet connection speed.

Typically the SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes scanners will take between 10 to 90 minutes.

The ESET online scan should take between 1 to 3 hours.

In most cases, these scans will suffice to clean and disinfect your computer.

Heavily infected systems or slower PCs can take much longer to scan and clean.

 

For best results print the following instructions and bookmark this Web page

To keep this guide printer-friendly, use your cursor to highlight the contents below.

From your browser select File - Print and in the printer dialog box under "Print range"

click the

Selection

choice to print out these instructions for removal of malware.

http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/printer-selection.gif

__________________________________________________

STEP 1

• Disable Spybot Search & Destroys' TEA TIMER: (if installed)
  
  
  1. Run Spybot-S&D in Advanced Mode.
     
     
  2. If it is not already set to do this Go to the Mode menu select "Advanced Mode"
     
     
  3. On the left hand side, Click on Tools
     
     
  4. Then click on the Resident Icon in the List
     
     
  5. Uncheck "Resident TeaTimer" and OK any prompts.
     
     
  6. Restart your computer.
     
     
   

__________________________________________________

STEP 2

• Follow these instructions carefully.
  
  
• Download ATF-Cleaner from
  Snapfiles.com
  to remove un-needed temporary files from your computer that may contain malware.
  
  
• You can also download it from
  Majorgeeks.com
  
  
• When you run ATF-Cleaner, check the items as shown below for Main.
  
  
• For FireFox, be sure to click on the FireFox tab on top and check the items as shown below for FireFox
  
  
• NOTE:
  If you don't have FireFox or Opera installed then they will be grayed out and can be ignored
  
  
• Then click on "Empty Selected".
  
  

http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner01.gif

.

http://kixhelp.com/wr/images-freepchelp/atf-cleaner02.gif

__________________________________________________

STEP 3

• Install and run the free version (not the Professional version) of SUPERAntiSpyware from
  SUPERAntiSpyware.com
  
  
  • Accept any prompts to allow SUPERAntiSpyware to install the latest rules and infection definition files.
    
    
  • You do not have to send them your e-mail address, just click next.
    
    
  • You can leave the automated check for updates on.
    
    
  • You can uncheck "Send a diagnostic report to research center" if you don't want to send the information.
    
    
  • DO NOT
    allow SUPERAntiSpyware to protect your Home Page settings.
    
    
  • On the
    Top Left
    select the
    Scan your computer
    button.
    
    
  • Make sure there is a CHECK MARK on all
    Fixed Drives
    .
    
    
  • Click "Perform a Complete Scan". Click "Next" to Repair issues found and reboot the computer when prompted to do so.
    
    
   

__________________________________________________

STEP 4

• Install and run
  Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
  from
  Malwarebytes - (direct download)
  
  
  • Accept all defaults for the installer
    
    
  • Allow the program to update the definitions
    
    
  • Click on the
    Quick Scan
    and click Next.
    
    
  • If any items are found allow it to clean them and then Reboot your computer.
    
    
   

__________________________________________________

STEP 5

• Run an online scan with ESET from
  Free Virus Scan: Use ESET's Online Antivirus Scanner
  
  
  • You
    must
    use Internet Explorer for this online scan. FireFox, Opera, etc will not work for this scan.
    
    
  • If your computer is running Window's Vista, then you
    must first
    start Internet Explorer as an Administrator. To do so, right-click on the
    Internet Explorer
    icon in the Start Menu and select "
    Run as administrator
    " from the popup context menu.
    
    
   
  • Accept the terms and click "Start".
    
    
  • Once the scanner is ready, check "Remove found threats" AND "Scan unwanted applications".
    
    
  • Click "Start" to begin the scan.
    
    
  • When completed restart your computer
    
    
   

__________________________________________________

Make sure your internet firewall security is enabled, and then please return to

Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help

and tell us how the computer seems to be operating.

 

 

 

 

.

[xanthus]

I did try this, apart from the ESET scanner because IE wouldn't let me do this and I have sent a HJT logfile but you no longer work with these at present.

[xanthus]

Vista sidebar gadgets

 

Something is blocking my sidebar gadgets, most of them go blank when I drag then over and the clock is just a black square with a red line on it. Anyone got any ideas?:mad: