Suddenly - Extremely slow system

Your problems do not appear to be malware. I will give you some steps to try to see if we can improve things some what. Remember this is not malware. It is just meant to address your complaint of a slow system.

But do note that older PCs have older processors that just cannot deal with the demands of current fully updated versions of Windows and other updated applications especially protection software (like ZoneAlarm). The demands that current software places on your system are significantly greater than even a year or so ago and they are growing with each update. Basically the straw that broke the camels back analogy.

Have you been running things like below? If so, don't!!!!!! They don't help that much and frequently can lead to more problems.

• Free Window Registry Repair
• Uniblue RegistryBooster 2
• Uniblue SpeedUpMyPC 3
• Uniblue System Tweaker

Also note the ntbackup.exe which you are running has been known to eat up lots of CPU time. This is a topic better discussed in the Software Forum though.


Run this Disable/Remove Windows Messenger to remove Windows Messenger. Do not confuse Windows Messenger with MSN Messenger because they are not the same. Windows Messenger is a frequent cause of popups.

Uninstall the below old versions of software:
Ad-Aware <-- too ineffective to waste system resources on
RegDefense <-- not recommended at all!!!

Now we need to use ComboFix

• Make sure that combofix.exe that you downloaded while doing the READ & RUN ME is on your Desktop but Do not run it!
  • If it is not on your Desktop, the below will not work.
• Also make sure you have shut down all protection software (antivirus, antispyware...etc) or they may get in the way of allowing ComboFix to run properly.
• If ComboFix tells you it has expired or need to be updated to a new version, make sure you allow it to update.
• Open Notepad and copy/paste the text in the below quote box into it:

• Save the above as CFscript.txt and make sure you save it to the same location (should be on your Desktop) as ComboFix.exe
• At this point, you MUST EXIT ALL BROWSERS NOW before continuing!
• You should have both the ComboFix.exe and CFScript.txt icons on your Desktop.
• Now use your mouse to drag CFscript.txt on top of ComboFix.exe
• Follow the prompts.
• When it finishes, a log will be produced named c:\combofix.txt
• I will ask for this log below

Note:

Do not mouseclick combofix's window while it is running. That may cause it to stall.

Now run Ccleaner. Only use the Run Cleaner button. Do not run anything else on any other forms.

Now run the C:\MGtools\GetLogs.bat file by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator).

Then attach the below logs:

• C:\ComboFix.txt
• C:\MGlogs.zip

Make sure you tell me how things are working now!

 

That is what happens when you stop running junk you don't need.

As stated above, you don't need them running at startup. You should only run them when you need them and not at startup. And when finished, you should shut them down.

I had a typo in the last fix I gave you with ComboFix which caused part of it not to fix some bad drivers. Please run the below fix. We will also remove a bunch of unnecessary active x controls.


Run C:\MGtools\analyse.exe by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator). This is really HijackThis (select Do a system scan only) and select the following lines but DO NOT CLICK FIX until you exit all browser sessions including the one you are reading in right now:

O16 - DPF: {0E5F0222-96B9-11D3-8997-00104BD12D94} - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/PCPitStop.CAB
O16 - DPF: {149E45D8-163E-4189-86FC-45022AB2B6C9} -
O16 - DPF: {193C772A-87BE-4B19-A7BB-445B226FE9A1} - http://download.ewido.net/ewidoOnlineScan.cab
O16 - DPF: {1F2F4C9E-6F09-47BC-970D-3C54734667FE} - https://www-secure.symantec.com/techsupp/asa/LSSupCtl.cab
O16 - DPF: {644E432F-49D3-41A1-8DD5-E099162EEEC5} - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/SharedContent/common/bin/cabsa.cab
O16 - DPF: {A90A5822-F108-45AD-8482-9BC8B12DD539} - http://www.crucial.com/controls/cpcScanner.cab
O16 - DPF: {B1E2B96C-12FE-45E2-BEF1-44A219113CDD} - http://www.superadblocker.com/activex/sabspx.cab
O16 - DPF: {BB21F850-63F4-4EC9-BF9D-565BD30C9AE9} - http://ax.emsisoft.com/asquared.cab
O16 - DPF: {BDBDE413-7B1C-4C68-A8FF-C5B2B4090876} - http://support.f-secure.com/ols/fscax.cab
O16 - DPF: {C2FCEF52-ACE9-11D3-BEBD-00105AA9B6AE} - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/SharedContent/common/bin/cabsa.cab
O16 - DPF: {CAFEEFAC-0014-0001-0001-ABCDEFFEDCBA} (Java Runtime Environment 1.4.1_01) -
O16 - DPF: {CC450D71-CC90-424C-8638-1F2DBAC87A54} (ArmHelper Control) -
O16 - DPF: {CE28D5D2-60CF-4C7D-9FE8-0F47A3308078} - https://www-secure.symantec.com/techsupp/asa/SymAData.cab
O16 - DPF: {E77C0D62-882A-456F-AD8F-7C6C9569B8C7} - https://www-secure.symantec.com/techsupp/activedata/ActiveData.cab

After clicking Fix, exit HJT.

Now we need to use ComboFix

• Make sure that combofix.exe that you downloaded while doing the READ & RUN ME is on your Desktop but Do not run it!
  • If it is not on your Desktop, the below will not work.
• Also make sure you have shut down all protection software (antivirus, antispyware...etc) or they may get in the way of allowing ComboFix to run properly.
• If ComboFix tells you it has expired or need to be updated to a new version, make sure you allow it to update.
• Open Notepad and copy/paste the text in the below quote box into it:

• Save the above as CFscript.txt and make sure you save it to the same location (should be on your Desktop) as ComboFix.exe
• At this point, you MUST EXIT ALL BROWSERS NOW before continuing!
• You should have both the ComboFix.exe and CFScript.txt icons on your Desktop.
• Now use your mouse to drag CFscript.txt on top of ComboFix.exe
• Follow the prompts.
• When it finishes, a log will be produced named c:\combofix.txt
• I will ask for this log below

Note:

Do not mouseclick combofix's window while it is running. That may cause it to stall.


Now run the C:\MGtools\GetLogs.bat file by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator).

Then attach the below logs:

• C:\ComboFix.txt
• C:\MGlogs.zip

Make sure you tell me how things are working now!

 

Okay one more time to get the drivers removed. Been too tired lately.



Now we need to use ComboFix

• Make sure that combofix.exe that you downloaded while doing the READ & RUN ME is on your Desktop but Do not run it!
  • If it is not on your Desktop, the below will not work.
• Also make sure you have shut down all protection software (antivirus, antispyware...etc) or they may get in the way of allowing ComboFix to run properly.
• If ComboFix tells you it has expired or need to be updated to a new version, make sure you allow it to update.
• Open Notepad and copy/paste the text in the below quote box into it:

• Save the above as CFscript.txt and make sure you save it to the same location (should be on your Desktop) as ComboFix.exe
• At this point, you MUST EXIT ALL BROWSERS NOW before continuing!
• You should have both the ComboFix.exe and CFScript.txt icons on your Desktop.
• Now use your mouse to drag CFscript.txt on top of ComboFix.exe
• Follow the prompts.
• When it finishes, a log will be produced named c:\combofix.txt
• I will ask for this log below

Note:

Do not mouseclick combofix's window while it is running. That may cause it to stall.

Now attach the new ComboFix log

 

You're logs are clean.


If you are not having any other malware problems, it is time to do our final steps:

1. We recommend you keep SUPERAntiSpyware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for scanning/removal of malware. Unless you purchase them, they provide no protection. They do not use any significant amount of resources ( except a little disk space ) until you run a scan.
3. If we had you use ComboFix, uninstall ComboFix (This uninstall will only work as written if you installed ComboFix on your Desktop like we requested.)
   • Click START then RUN and enter the below into the run box and then click OK. Note the quotes are required
   • "%userprofile%\Desktop\combofix" /uninstall
     • Notes: The space between the combofix" and the /uninstall, it must be there.
     • This will uninstall ComboFix and also reset hidden files and folders settings back to Windows defaults.
4. Any other miscellaneous tools we may have had you install or download can be uninstalled and deleted.
5. If we had you download any registry patches like fixme.reg or fixWLK.reg (or any others), you can delete these files now.
6. If running Vista, it is time to make sure you have reenabled UAC by double clicking on the C:\MGtools\enableUAC.reg file and allowing it to be added to the registry.
7. Go to add/remove programs and uninstall HijackThis.
8. Goto the C:\MGtools folder and find the MGclean.bat file. Double click on this file to run this cleanup program that will remove files and folders related to MGtools and some other items from our cleaning procedures.
9. If you are running Win 7, Vista, Windows XP or Windows ME, do the below:
   • Refer to the cleaning procedures pointed to by step 6 of the READ ME for your Window version and see the instructions to Disable System Restore which will flush your Restore Points.
   • Then reboot and Enable System Restore to create a new clean Restore Point.
10. After doing the above, you should work thru the below link:
    • How to Protect yourself from malware!

 

It is not an installed program. You just run it from whereever you downloaded and extracted it to. It you want certain columns to show, just set them up however you want them. See View -> Select Columns

While it is possible that you have gotten reinfected and may need to start over, let's start with a quick look at a new MGtools log. Download the current MGtools from the READ & RUN ME link and get a new log and attach it. We will go from there.


Also you need to be more specific about what is slow. Please explain what operations are slow! For example answer the below:

• Is boot up slow?
• Is shutdown slow?
• Is browsing/surfing slow?
• Is downloading slow?
• Is running any/every application?
• Is it also slow in safe boot mode?
• Also are any processes showing in Task Manager to be using a lot of CPU time?
• Anything else slow?

 

Perhaps you need to just click on the | separating the columns and expand them. You may be hiding columns behind each other.

Not really an issue unless it is interferring with Multilingual User Interface for you.

You could try it if you have checked what I said above and still have a problem. This is really more of a topic for the Software Forum since it is not really a malware problem.

You are not having malware problems. I suggest that as a test, you try temporarily uninstalling ZoneAlarm and then rebooting. See how things work after reboot.