grassi

hello, i decided to use these forum suggestions to clean up computer(tweak). However Im very computer illiterate, as i go through xp tips and tricks i will need help? I never know what is okay to delete? 1st Prefetch folder do i need anything in this? Dont understand theory behind prefetch folder? Please go easy. Although i can find it. 2nd deleting old restore pts Is this ok. I hear restore pts and get nervous? I recently made new restore pt with tetonbob after getting rid of smittvariant fraud. But i know there has been a few other attempts to restore, so there should be old restore pts located in my computer.

0S1R1S

If you want to clean out your computer from Temporary Internet Files and Cookies automatically etc.. I would download a trial version of Window Washer and let it do it's magic.. I have it set to run every 8 hours to clean out my computer of junk I don't need. You could also run Disk Clean up under the Properties of the HDD you want to clean. If you havnt ran a spyware scan in awhile/ever, I would download SpyBot and Adaware and let them clean out your comp. Other than that.. You could just go into Add/Remove Programs and remove anything you don't use. Let me know if any of that interests you!

0578dv

Cleaning up link-
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2007p162id97442.htm

grassi

okay first. "If you want to clean out your computer from Temporary Internet Files and Cookies automatically etc." doesnt your control panel do these things? also quoted "You could also run Disk Clean up under the Properties of the HDD you want to clean". say what?? ive cleaned up my computer c with diskceanup. I dont know hdd? Isnt c drive the only thing there to clean? I have spy bot and adaware but i thought they just clean spyware viruses and hackers etc. and lastly i dont know what can be removed in add remove programs. I am computer illiterate as stated above. These other directions\suggestions from the tech team seem simple and ill probably stick with them. I need specific help as stated in above post. Guiding me through. Oh yeah downloading any more programs to my computer is out of question. Thats why im here. thanks anyway.

grassi

thats funny. thats like sending me to find needle in haystack. Im sure that was good info but man COMPUTER ILLITERATE... THANKS i know you guys are just trying to help

PLEASE ANY MODERATOR REFER TO MY 1ST POST

oshwyn5

1st Prefetch folder do i need anything in this?
The prefetch folder is a list of what loads at startup and what programs and files you frequently use and exactly where on the hard drive they are each located. When windows starts loading, it uses this information so that while one item is busy using the cpu to load and configure things windows can grab the next items which will be loading and put them into RAM or at least swap file so that it takes less time to load them. Windows also uses the executive software diskkeeper lite tool as its defrag and disk manager. Thus it uses this information to determine what should go where. When it defrags the drive it puts things you use a lot in faster access locations than those you do not use. It compresses things you have never used to save space. Finally it uses this data to "optimize " your hard drive in the background. Moving things you are using to faster locations whenever it sees you are not using the hard drive so that you will not have to defrag as frequently. Now under normal circumstances; windows constantly updates this and it is rebuilt completely every thirty days or so. You can delete the contents,and they will gradually be rebuilt; but for the first several starts after you do it will boot more slowly and you should not defrag until it finishes or it will slow things down. Note that if you seriously alter your startup items list or uninstall a bunch of things you should delete the contents so that windows will begin rebuilding it now rather than wait thirty days to determine you are not using those things . Just go to start/ run and type prefetch and hit enter. Go to edit/ select all/ file/ delete

2nd deleting old restore pts Is this ok
Yes, this is fine. System restore is not a magic time machine and you really do not need more than the last one. Basically system restore works by creating a record of how big and how many ones and zeros are in each file in certain areas (windows system files, the hive files used to build the registry) . IT does not monitor every file on your computer, just certain vital ones. If any of them are changed, it creates a restore point and saves a copy of the original file before it is altered or replaced. This is so that if you install something and it puts in an invalid dll file or changes a windows system file so that windows cannot work, you can restore the one that was there. But if you have updated windows at windows update and it replaced a dll with a security hole with a new one and you have no problems, there is no reason to keep the original one around in a restore point. Also, often older system restore points will not work any more any how. So it is perfectly fine and actually good practice to periodically run disk cleanup and choose the more options to clean up old restore points. Note that if you turn off system restore and restart your computer all the old restore points should be removed automatically. Reenabling system restore and creating a new restore point just inventories things and creates a baseline to track changes relative to.

I dont know hdd
HDD is Hard Disk Drive, your C: in most cases, although it is possible to split (partition) one physical hard disk drive into several logical partitions (C: D: E: etc) either when windows is first installed or with partitioning tools like partition magic. If you had your drive partitioned, you would want to run disk cleanup on each partition. Likewise you would run scandisk(checkdisk in xp) and defrag on each partition.

I have spy bot and adaware but i thought they just clean spyware viruses and hackers etc
Yes, the primary purpose of these tools is to detect certain specific threats (Adware, Spyware, specific trojans) which are not normally detected and removed by major antivirus companies products. In reality you need one or both of these anti spyware tools, an anti trojan such as A squared trojan remover (Free) or ewido, and an antivirus like avast (free) or norton or mcafee etc.
Also , many of these tools have hidden features. Spybot for example if you click on mode/ advanced has a whole range of tools from a secure shredder (which not only deletes a file but writes random numbers over it to ensure no one can ever recover it ) the ability to lock your internet explorer settings, view and control startup items and much more.

grassi

Thankyou for reply. I decided to take this one step at time. As im confused already(didnt know it was that involved).
PREFETCH FOLDER FIRST.It sounds to me that deleting prefetch is not a good idea. In speedos tips and tricks it seemed like it worked? I download and install\uninstall lots of programs? you said "Windows also uses the executive software diskkeeper lite tool as its defrag and disk manager. Thus it uses this information to determine what should go where. When it defrags the drive it puts things you use a lot in faster access locations than those you do not use. It compresses things you have never used to save space" is this my option for disk clean up and defragment? cause i do that periodically. also "Now under normal circumstances; windows constantly updates this and it is rebuilt completely every thirty days or so." so i really dont need to do this?? SORRY IM A DUMMY BUT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS WELL.

411Seeker

That's very clear and great advice oshwyn, I learned something myself from your first paragraph. May I suggest following the instructions to switch Spybot S&D to advanced and using the "startup" and "running processes" features to identify unneeded applications. Most times if you type the name of the program into google (for example blablabla.exe or blablabla.dll) and search it you can find out whether it's essential or not. At that point I simply uncheck it (if I found it to be unnecessary) and leave it a while. If no adverse effects occur then I leave it unchecked and move on to the next one. If I'm absolutely positive I'll never need to reactivate it at startup, then I highlight it and delete it altogether. On a side note, if you identify what a startup progam is related to -such as msn, or yahoo for example- it's always better to first try disabling it at startup through the program itself, for example going into msn or yahoo options and telling it not to run at startup. Limiting what is allowed to run on your PC at startup will go far in keeping it running quickly and smoothly.


I have also found a site that is very useful in identifying and shutting off unneeded (and sometimes big security issues) "services". To find your services go to Start---Settings---Control Panel---Administrative tools---Services (note that you have to be logged on as an administrator to be able to effect the settings within). Use the following link to learn about each Service:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/alerter.htm

I have you starting at the first Service listed, simple click "next" under each one to see them as they appear in the list on your PC. I STRONGLY recommend reading through ALL of them before making any actual changes on your PC. All have very easy to understand "real world descriptions" and even if you end up making no changes to your PC at all, you will learn alot. I also VERY STRONGLY recommend -as I stated in my first paragraph- to do ONE service at a time (if you do decide to do any), save the service web page you altered to your favorites, and leave it for several days or more. If all is well then move on to the next, if not you'll know exactly what you changed and can easily set it back to it's original setting.

This is my first attempt at actually helping someone else through this site (I like to pass on the favor that I was given) and although I am very sure it's sound advice, if anyone thinks it's too much or too complex for a beginner please scream for a screeching halt. I will not be offended :-) .

I hope this helps...

grassi

that spybot thing "May I suggest following the instructions to switch Spybot S&D to advanced and using the "startup" and "running processes" features to identify unneeded applications.Most times if you type the name of the program into google (for example blablabla.exe or blablabla.dll) and search it you can find out whether it's essential or not. At that point I simply uncheck it (if I found it to be unnecessary) and leave it a while. If no adverse effects occur then I leave it unchecked and move on to the next one. If I'm absolutely positive I'll never need to reactivate it at startup, then I highlight it and delete it altogether. On a side note, if you identify what a startup progam is related to -such as msn, or yahoo for example- it's always better to first try disabling it at startup through the program itself, for example going into msn or yahoo options and telling it not to run at startup. Limiting what is allowed to run on your PC at startup will go far in keeping it running quickly and smoothly".
too much for me i could search in google and still not understand if i need it. I now only have to hit scan and simply wait. As far as that link http://www.theeldergeek.com/alerter.htm its too much i had no idea what they were saying when i came across the first thing i did not need. "I also VERY STRONGLY recommend -as I stated in my first paragraph- to do ONE service at a time (if you do decide to do any), save the service web page you altered to your favorites, and leave it for several days or more. If all is well then move on to the next, if not you'll know exactly what you changed and can easily set it back to it's original setting." NOT FOR A BEGINNER. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH. iM GONNA WAIT FOR MODERATOR.

ANY MODERATOR PLEASE REFER TO MY POST # 7

oshwyn5

Correct, there is no real need to clear the prefetch; it will clear on its own eventually. The only pressing reason would be if you had uninstalled or disabled something complex like norton internet security and this was causing a boot lag when it went looking to prefetch things that were not there.
Many folks over estimate the value of clearing a prefetch folder.




Regarding using msconfig or even spybot to control startup entries; I strongly discourgage this except as a last resort. Applications are much more complex now than they were in the DOS / win95 days when all you had to do was uncheck the msconfig entry. You have to ask yourself, if all that is needed is to uncheck this one registry entry with msconfig ; why did the software's author go to the effort of including an entry to control startup in the programs edit/preferences or tools/ options. Therefore, when controlling startups you should always look first to see if the author did go to this extra effort and you must assume he did it for some reason other than to get a good grade in class or make the program bigger and bulkier so that it would take up more space on your hard drive. These options were included because the software developer felt that this was the correct way to manage his program and because he included entries which do not show up in msconfig. They may be related calls for dlls (rundll32.exe ) or services (svchost.exe) note that if you were to take a process viewer like Pview or code stuff starter http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Starter/starter.html ( free program and highly recommended) and check one of the svchost or rundll32 entries in running processes you would see there are many different processes and services running under each of multiple entries. Unchecking the msconfig entry for a program does not remove these . Correctly disabling it does. (note also that starter , you can double click a startup or running process entry for more information as to what it is and what dependencies it has etc. Very useful .)


In the old days (Dos and win9x) controlling startup items and what was runnign was very important. Windows had a single page each (64KB of RAM memory is a page) on which to keep track of system resources and graphic resources. This meant that on that one page it had to keep track of what was running , what priorities it had over other processes, what memory addresses it had , which ones it could read and which it could write to , what other programs it could interact with and how etc. Everything about your system and graphic user interface had to be kept track of on just these two pages. If you had to much running , then you ran low on resources and windows crashed. Often when a program was closed, it failed to release the resources it had already been given, it did not let windows erase the entries from the page and kept taking up space. But with win2K and XP microsoft came out with a brilliant idea , Why not let windows open a second or even third page if it needs it to keep track of things? Voila no more low system resources and no more reason to not have things you use start up with windows.
I am not a moderator; but as you can see by my Green Title; I am a member of the windows Tech Team and am a professional in the feild. I have been giving free advice for years on other forums and just recently moved here to help.

grassi

I would have to be talked through downloading and running any programs as if it were an hjt log so ill save you time and skip your link for startup cleaner im that bad. thanks and i cleaned old restore pts there were 2 other areas with cleaning options. but ill get back to that first is there a way to get rid off the memory of a search ex. when you go to type a search in on yahoo search it will repeat last searches below for an option to quick search or something? can you get rid of these. Some could get me introuble hahahahh . also whats the easiest thing i can do to clean my computer. And i mean simple besides disc clean up and defrag,control options.

oshwyn5

There are two probable places this would be stored.
One is temp internet files , in a cookie for the site
So you could go to IE tools/ internet options/ general
Click on delete files / delete all offline content to clean out the temp internet files
Then click on settings/ view objects
Delete the ones from yahoo or google. Note that if you use a custom home page from yahoo, you should not delete this cookie as it is what retains your login.
Also click on clear history. This will remove the list of visited sites.

The other place would be in tools/ internet options/ content / autocomplete
IT may enter them in autocomplete forms , so click on clear forms.

It really depends on the exact searches you do and how you have things configured as to how the entries are remembered.

grassi

nice. My homepage is actualy msn. i found those yahoo searches in the content tab your first suggestion brought me to my objects in control panel settings and found some odd things. 1st these were found under program files;
active scan inst...
ckawebscan o...
cpbrkpie control (damaged)
java runtime enab....
java runtime enab....
msn messenger se...
shockwave activ...
windows genuine...

well what to do with damaged one? 2nd java time is a duplicate allthe way across board?? lastly my girlfriend does not want msn messenger and thought she got rid of it? However msn is our current home page and she likes this.

oshwyn5

These are browser helper objects or plugins and active x controls . You can also view them by going to IE
Tools/ manage addons
There you can enable or disable them.
But as for the damaged one. You go to tools / internet options/ general / temp internet files/ settings/ view objects
Select it and click delete.
It is something installed by a web site or web related programs to integrate it with Internet Explorer. If you run into a situation where it is needed, it will ask you if you want to let it reinstall.
In this case it is an active x control installed by coupons.com
http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_134314.htm
This is what mcafee antivirus has to say about it.
Personally, looking at what they have to say about it; I would get rid of it, and would recommend you follow the instructions for running hijackthis and post a log file for an analyst to review to ensure you do not have other malware on your system.
Especially since google returns no hits for ckawebscan





Please download
Mcafee stinger multivirus removal tool
Install and run

Spybot search and destroy
Ad aware personal form Lavasoft
Install, update,run, check for problems , fix problems .
A Squared trojan remover
Download, install, update, scan and fix.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/hija...ijackthis.html
First Steps at Removing Malware and Posting a HiJackThis Log
We will handle moving your thread to the HijackThis Log board at an appropriate time. Please keep your replies in this one thread so that the entire history remains for review.



The following are the steps recommended by Geekgirl TJ

On-line Scanners
Scan your pc with both of these free online scanners:
Panda ActiveScan
Housecall. Be sure to put a check the box beside AutoClean.
--------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------

Download / Install / Update / and Run:
Adaware SE check for any updates before running it.
Get the plug-in for fixing VX2 variants. You can download it at this SITE
To run this tool, install to the hard drive, then open Ad-aware->Add-ons and select VX2 Cleaner. Then click Run Tool and OK to start it. If it's clean, it will say Status System Clean. Otherwise, you will have to click on the Clean button to remove the VX2 infection.
---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------

Download and install Spybot S&D . Run Spybot and click on the 'Search for Updates' button. Install any updates that are available. Next click on the 'Check for Problems' button. Let it run the scan. If it finds something, check all those in RED and hit the Fix Selected Problems button. Exit Spybot. If you keep getting the DSO Exploit entries, even after you updated Windows and fixed them, then download the Spybot DSO Exploit Fix and install it over the current Spybot installation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Download and install: HiJackThis.

(Always create a Folder for HiJackThis anywhere but your Temp/Temporary Internet Folders or Desktop. A good place to make a folder would be in My Documents, as this is where it will save the backup files needed if there's a problem.)

Then doubleclick HijackThis.exe, and hit "Do A System Scan And Save Log". Make sure all Windows and Browsers are closed.
When the scan is finished, best to save your text file in the same folder as where you put HiJackthis.


Create a New Topic and include a fresh HJT log in HiJackThisLog Help Forum and Copy/Paste the info from your saved Hijackthis log file into your new topic.

A Moderator/ Security Team Analyst will give you instructions.


***DO NOT TRY TO FIX ANYTHING, MAJOR DAMAGE CAN BE DONE TO YOUR SYSTEM IF THIS TOOL IS USED INCORRECTLY, PLEASE WAIT FOR AN ANALYST/MODERATOR TO GIVE YOU INSTRUCTIONS***

Always describe your problem and any programs you have used to try to resolve your issue. Your description can go a long way to solving/repairing your particular issue.

------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
I do not mean to alarm you, but malware should be dealt with.

As for the tips and tweaks page
http://www.techsupportforum.com/wind...ps-tricks.html

Pay special attention to what the original poster said
This is good advice. The links provided there are not routine maintenance advice links for the most part. The majority of what is discussed there is for more advanced users who want to customize the appearance and behaviour of windows and their pc.
Many things can be done to improve performance of your PC ; and the first is proper maintenance and getting rid of malware.

grassi

real quick my option was to remove not delete damaged file? Is remove the same as delete?? sorry didnt know if this will remove totally?? Man this is great thanks for time i see i have work to do


Download stng259.exe v2.5.9 [1,122,311 bytes] (11/22/2005)
NOTE: The file has been renamed to circumvent anti-stinger tactics used by Sober@MM!M681
Download ePOStg256.Zip EPO deployable version (for EPO administrators), EPO 3.6 is not currently supported. Instructions for EPO 2.5X and EPO 3.X are available.


what do i click here???

oshwyn5

Remove, delete whichever option is there.
Generally you can select it with single left click and right click and delete then empty recycle bin to get rid of that sort of thing. Although you should run Hijackthis and post a log to ensure it is gone and see if they can identify that other entry .
You really probably need help with this one too since if you look at the steps mcafee included you need to remove the files it installed as well as registry keys it added and probably need to check your firewall for holes.
Although I could write a script to remove them; I am not supposed to get involved in Hijackthis and malware cases here at this time.

grassi

Although you should run Hijackthis and post a log to ensure it is gone and see if they can identify that other entry .
You really probably need help with this one too since if you look at the steps mcafee included you need to remove the files it installed as well as registry keys it added and probably need to check your firewall for holes.
Although I could write a script to remove them; I am not supposed to get involved in Hijackthis and malware cases here at this time.
__________________
understood removing process. could you rephrase this. You still want me to go on with post 14 instructions??? but im stuck on mcafee?? dont understand why you cant remove them??Who can remove them??

oshwyn5

Yes, I would feel better if you were to follow the advice and post a hijackthis log in the hijackthis board .
Include a link to this thread there so they can see what you posted here too just to make it clear. Or you can post it here and we can get this thread moved there.
But it is probably best to keep the two seperate.

oshwyn5

Index.dat is just an index of the contents of the folder, settings and a record of which files expire and should be deleted when etc.. Most of it will be in machine language and show as a bunch of blocks and strange characters if you open it in notepad.
Do not worry, you are not supposed to be able to delete this file. Just clear the cookies you want to clear and then restart the computer and it will be rewritten to reflect the new contents of the folder.

I think you are going way to far to fast; calm down a bit.
Unless one of the analysts there says otherwise, I would say your hijackthis log looks clean and normal.
O16 - DPF: {0EB0E74A-2A76-4AB3-A7FB-9BD8C29F7F75} (CKAVWebScan Object) - http://www.kaspersky.com/downloads/k...an_unicode.cab
Explains the ckavwebscan that I could not recognize and it is safe.
The other appears to be gone.


I would not bother uploading attached files here for now (the paper clip) what you did was adequate.

We can now get back to helping answer your questions.
Is there a specific problem you are experiencing (Slow internet, slow bootup,) or are you just looking for general tips to improve performance?

Do you have a windows CD or a Recovery CD from HP? Which?
Does your computer have a folder
C:\i386
or
C:\Windows\i386 ?
If so , could you right click and choose properties and tell me the size in MB of this folder?
I would like to recommend running a system file check, but we need to know what you have . I see from your log you have SP2 installed and that is good.

I would also like to have you go to your Norton icon in the system tray at lower right and double click it. Find the live update and run it manually (You could also go to start / all programs/ norton / live update) often if you are using automatic updates it misses a hidden update which will slow things down.

If you are referring to an internet speed slow down , please run the program access wizard in your norton firewall again . Often an update from windows alters a crucial dll and this causes the firewall to slow traffic. If you rerun the wizard it solves the problem.

grassi

http://www.kaspersky.com/downloads/k...an_unicode.cab link not working and found i 386 inc\kwindows and read file size 453mb and size on disk says 451 mb under prop. i deleted cookies and rebooted comp. and i still cant get rid of this folder it was not here before and created same time as smitty fraud.