Can't Update Windows And System Is Slow

Hi Tim,
I downloaded and ran both Junkware removal tool and AdwCleaner, please see the logs below. I also tried updating Windows after running the JRT and then after running the AdwC and still it will not do anything but show me a blank Window with a spinning cursor and cannot be closed down unless I use taskmaster. After closing it, in a few minutes a message will come up saying "Windows Explorer needs to close" so I clicked on close. I don't understand why this happens since like I said, my system is running Windows 7 professional.
The only file I see in the AdwC log is some coupon file and I do not mind removing it.
Thank you for your help.

 

Many of the recent problems related to updating Windows have been down to a 'log jam' caused somehow by MS pushing W10, once the W10 upgrade has been cancelled/blocked, updates are normally available again.

GWX Control Panel is a popular tool to remove/block the W10 upgrade.

In W7 there's at least one Control Panel item that comes up completely blank if the Desktop/System fonts are set too high (150% ?), the one I've experienced isn't Windows Update but it's possible that something similar could be happening.

For the general slowness, check the hard drive health and SMART using HD Sentinel.

 

Since Tim hasn't replied to me since he told me to post my problem in the software forum (I had it in the malware removal forum first) I went ahead and tried your suggestion Satrow of using GWX Control Panel. After running it and applying the changes it suggested, I tried to do a windows update. It took awhile but the screen finally changed to checking for updates, but it has been running that way for over an hour now. Should I close it and try again? I also don't see how to check my font size on my desktop but they are not unusually large and my icons are set to medium.

 

Ok, so since my logs are clean what should I do now?

 

Don't worry about the font size, I don't think that's an issue here.

Have you rebooted since using GWX Control Panel - if not, please do so and try WU again.

Check the drive health with HD Sentinel.

How long since you were able to run Windows Update?

 

The GWX seems to have solved the update problem. I left that checking updates running and was going to end it when I logged off this site to do a reboot, but low and behold it had changed to downloading updates, some 99 of them and that was just the important ones. Right now it has downloaded them all and is installing them. Thank you Satrow for the help and Thank you too Tim. Knowing that my scans were clean is a relief as well. Should I mark this post as solved or should I wait till tomorrow after booting the machine back up again, and can I remove all the scans and downloads. I will keep the Malwarebytes as I have it on other machines and like it. Thanks again.

 

You'll probably need to re-run GWX after you've finished updating, there's a good chance that 'something' will be reset or installed that could cause the issue next month as well.

Mark it as solved any time you like, it might help others with similar issues find it.

Did you run the cleanup routine suggested by Tim in your other topic in Malware?

 

My windows updates all loaded and the machine rebooted this morning. I reran GWX and it said there were no signs of any Windows 10 leftovers on the machine and I installed the monitor it provided. I followed through with the cleanup that Tim recommended except that there is no listing for MGtools in my drive C. There are three listings, a MGlogs.zip, MGtools(1).exe, and a MGtools.exe with the last one being older from 2010. I don't see it listed in the list of programs given in my remove programs page so I tried deleting it but get a message saying it can't be deleted because it is running in the system. Also if I try to open the older file, it causes the computer to hang up and then Windows explorer says it has stopped running and needs to restart. So I guess I am not ready to say my problems are solved yet.