Windows freezes after startup

You may be having problems with McAfee, but let's remove all the junkware you installed and see what changes occur.


Please download OTM by Old Timer and save it to your Desktop.

• Run OTM.exe by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, Win7 or Win8, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator).
• Copy the lines from the below codebox to the clipboard by highlighting ALL of them and pressing CTRL + C
  (or, after highlighting, right-click and choose Copy): Do not include the word Code: which is just a title line of
  the code box

Code:

:Processes
explorer.exe
 
:Files
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Spigot
C:\Program Files (x86)\Conduit
C:\ProgramData\Conduit
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\vdrmpvw9.default\CT3315826
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\vdrmpvw9.default\searchplugins\conduit.xml
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\SearchProtect
C:\Program Files (x86)\SearchProtect
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\SearchProtect
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\LocalLow\Conduit
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Conduit
C:\Program Files (x86)\InternetHelper3.5
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\LocalLow\InternetHelper3.5
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\PC Health Kit
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\browser\nsprotector.js
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Conduit
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\vdrmpvw9.default\bProtector_extensions.sqlite
C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Temp\*.*
 
:Reg
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{F3FEE66E-E034-436a-86E4-9690573BEE8A}]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar]
"{F3FEE66E-E034-436a-86E4-9690573BEE8A}"=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes]
"DefaultScope"="{6A1806CD-94D4-4689-BA73-E35EA1EA9990}"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes]
"DefaultScope"="{6A1806CD-94D4-4689-BA73-E35EA1EA9990}"
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{DE2041A3-B310-414D-BD8D-86A59465094B}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{3c471948-f874-49f5-b338-4f214a2ee0b1}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Conduit]
[-HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-124944108-2087374701-2801019263-1001\Software\AppDataLow\Software\SmartBar]
[-HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-124944108-2087374701-2801019263-1001\Software\Conduit]
:Commands
[purity]
[EmptyTemp]
[start explorer]

[Reboot]

• Return to OTM, right click in the Paste List of Files/Folders to Move window (under the yellow bar
  ) and choose Paste.
• Now click the large http://forums.majorgeeks.com/chaslang/images/MoveIt!.png button.
• If OTM asks to reboot your computer, allow it to do so. The report should appear in Notepad after the reboot.
• Close OTM.

Now navigate to the C:\_OTM\MovedFiles folder ( assuming your Windows drive is C). This is where your log will be
saved in the form of Date and Time mmddyyyy_hhmmss.log. Just look for the most recent .log file. Attach
this log file to your next message.


Now please download Junkware Removal Tool to your desktop.

• Shut down your protection software now to avoid potential conflicts.
• Run the tool by double-clicking it. If you are using Windows Vista or Seven, right-mouse click it and select Run as Administrator.
• The tool will open and start scanning your system.
• Note: That JRT may reset your home page to a google default so you will need to restore your home page setting if this happens.
• Please be patient as this can take a while to complete depending on your system's specifications.
• On completion, a log (JRT.txt) is saved to your desktop and will automatically open.
• Attach JRT.txt to your next message.

Also, please download SystemLook_x64 from one of the links below and save it to your Desktop.
Download Mirror #1
Download Mirror #2

• Double-click SystemLook.exe to run it.
• Copy the content of the following codebox into the main textfield:
  Code:

  :regfind
  Conduit
  BackgroundContainer
  :filefind
  Conduit

• Click the Look button to start the scan.
• When finished, a notepad window will open with the results of the scan. You can just close this notepad window since the log is already saved on your Desktop. Be patient! It may look like it is not doing anything, but it takes awhile for this to scan thru your whole system look for matches.
• Please attach the SystemLook.txt log found on your Desktop to next reply.

Now run the C:\MGtools\GetLogs.bat file by double clicking on it (Note: if using Vista, Win7 or Win8, don't double click, use right click and select Run As Administrator).



Then attach the below logs:

• the C:\_OTM\MovedFiles log
• the JRT.TXTlog
• the SystemLook log
• C:\MGlogs.zip

Make sure you tell me how things are working now!

 

As stated below, you may be having problems with McAfee or something else. Your logs are clean.

Suggestion: Uninstall McAfee and reboot. Then also run the below to make sure McAfee is cleaned up:

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/mcafee_consumer_product_removal_tool.html


Did that help with your problem?

 

You're welcome.

It would have better if you just left McAfee uninstalled completely during your debugging of the freeze problem. It would be less to contend with. This is not a malware issue so I will have to send you to the Software Forum. The steps you should take would be to selectively disable various processes using MSconfig and then reboot to see if you can find any particular item that is the cause.

And as far as the conduit home page in Google, you should be able to just change it to what you want. Doesn't that work?