Ried

Hi gsf,

AVG is a very good program. Myself and many other Security Analysts use it as well. You are correct that AVG is not the resource hog that Norton is. Uninstall Symantec via the Add/Remove panel. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to and delete the following folders if they exist:

C:\Program Files\Symantec
C:\Program Files\LiveUpdate

What I am trying to do is ascertain whether the problems this machine is experiencing are due to OS problems or malware. I am looking for malware. Since we are limited by the instability of the browser, I am using other methods to try to see what may be going on with this system.

You can perform my previous instructions from Normal Mode. If Webroot hangs during it's scanning process, at that time you would want to scan from Safe Mode.

It is acceptable to enter Safe Mode with Networking, but bear in mind the Anti-Virus program will not be running to protect the system while online.

Another check you can do is to invoke Windows System File Checker:

Go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in sfc /scannow (there is a space between sfc and /)

This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem. You would be prompted for the XP Install disc if any problems are found so, even if you are unable to carry out that step since you are working remotely, at least it would give you some insight into the issues you are facing.
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