Tool Bar Having New Item Saying "reduced Performance" Due To Spyware?
Oct 3, 2006
Okay, I need to know if I have a virus/trojan, and if I do, how to get rid of it.So, right now there has been some problems my PC. The minor thing is that my tool bar now has a new item that says that I have "reduced performance"due to spyware. It suggests I download a spyware tool.My homepage has also been messed up. Normaly, my homepage is Yahoo. Now, it takes me to this site: http://theuptodatesafety.net/ I know my homepage is still registered to yahoo, as when I start Internet explorer, it first goes to yahoo, then gets diverted to the link. I never reach yahoo, but I see the link change
My computer has been quite slow this past few days and my friend said low disk space can reduce a computer's performance. I installed Windows XP in a 20GB partition and it has 3GB free space left.
To get to XP Pro's Performance Options window I use: I use Control Panel > Systems > Advanced > Performance Options. There I find there is no yellow tooltip popup help information when I click the question mark in the top right of the window (next to the big red X) and then click one of the entries such as "fade out menu items after clicking". Is this true for all XP systems? Or is mine missing? BTW if I click the advanced to on the same window and then click the question mark and then an item such as "system cache", I *do* get the yellow popup tooltip info box.
I am running Windows XP SP1. I recently acquired a virus and my only option was to run a system recovery (not a restore but a recovery) It was the simple kind not the destructive one that erases everything. So my files are all still intact but before the recovery I had anywhere from 17-20GB of hard drive space. Afterwards I only have 7. What could have happened and is there anyway I can recover the missing space?
my C drive is showing some strange behavior these days.The free space in the C drive is getting reduced. C drive is allocated 10GB.the total space used by all the Files and folders installed in C drive is 5.2GB.but it says 9.2GB through Properties. and the worst thing is the free space is getting reduced each day.I have turned OFF system restore on all drives.but still what is the reason for this peculiar behavior?if this continues I could not even BOOT the system because of NO SPACE in C drive
I use to update my Xp SP-2 regularly from MS website. Now a days it is insisting to install "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool (KB892130)" first to proceed for downloading update files.Is it a FORCE or I can bypass this tool. I do not want to install it, as somebody told me this is a tool by MS to takeout personal information on my OS (XP) and MS Office and other MS Software.I know I use genuine legal copy.But why should I allow MS to take more information ? Is not WPA through internet is not sufficient ? Can this tool take information on other products/3rd party software like NERO,MS OFFICE and ArcSOft ?
I have installed MSIE ver 7, Kaspersky ver 7, and now, I cannot delete messages at comcast.net webmail. I uninstalled Kaspersky. Still no good. I do have spybot s&d installed. Its a new OS install. All critical updates are in place. An interesting side note is that if I log into the kids account, I can fully manipulate comcast webmail. Just not from my account (cannot delete messages). I have tried to purge cookies, files, history. No luck. I am suspecting some security setting.
There are two excellent spyware removal apps available and they are both FREE so there is no reason to not use them regularly. The two best apps there are for removing spyware are SpyBot Search & Destroy and Ad Aware. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU USE BOTH OF THESE APPS SINCE ONE FINDS WHAT THE OTHER MISSES AND VICE VERSA, YOU ARE NOT SAFE USING JUST ONE OF THEM. There is one other app that I HIGHLY recommend is for spyware prevention, SpywareBlaster. This app sets certain registry entries that prevent spyware from ever installing, it DOES NOT run in the background using any resources, you just set it and forget it. Once you have installed these three MUST HAVE apps you then need to update them and keep them up to date. I would recommend checking for updates weekly, it’s just like your antivirus app, you need to stay protected from the latest spyware out there. To update SpyBot just open the app from your start menu (use the advanced mode option) and select “search for updates” it will then show you what updates are available for download, always install all the updates. Another feature that SpyBot has is called “Immunize”, you will see an icon for it. Select the icon and under “Permanent Internet Explorer Immunity” select “Immunize” this works in the same way as SpywareBlaster in blocking new spyware. It also gives you the option of locking your hosts file against hijackers, I highly recommend using this option as well. To update Ad Aware just open it and select “Check for updates now”. For SpywareBlaster it is mostly the same, open it up and select “Check for updates” once you update this you then must select “select all” and then “Protect against checked items” so that the updates you just did take effect. Anything these apps find is spyware and should be removed, if you choose not to remove what is found then you have no one to blame if your pc crashes due to spyware or your privacy is invaded (including these companies stealing your credit card number and identity
I'm experienceing problems running the internet. Each time I try connecting tho the Net, despite changing the default homepage which has been changed to c:secure32.html I get a warning message about spyware I have also run Spybot Search and Destroy and the Lavasoft Ad-ware and removed all of the critical objects.
My PC is infected with some bad stuff and I'm not sure what to do. So far I have tried to run Spybot S&D, Registry mechanic, ewido anti-spyware, Spyware Doctor and SpywareBlaster all of these programs seize when carrying out a scan and I have no option but to close the pc down with the power button. I am pretty much at a loss as what to do next and was hoping one of you kind souls could help me. I am running xp.
I was installing security cables for the computer stations. when I finished and rebooted the computers(had to disconnect power and other cords to run the security cables) one of them had a display problem.
it seems that the display area has been reduced. the functional area of the screen is maybe 60% of what it should be. in this area it is complete with the full desktop able to be accessed and nothing is missing. but the right 20% of the screen is solid black (cursor stops at the boundary) and the bottom 20% of the screen(that's not black) is displaying a second image of the top 20% of my desktop. (cursor also stops at this boundary.)
an icon in the shape of a folder with what looks like the "gear" symbol is on my task bar. The "title" is that of the front page of my website. I have tried to remove the item, but when I either right or left click on it my laptop "freezes." Everything, including Task Manager, curser, the works. I have to shut down with the power on-off switch.
I have accidentally deleted something from my registry resulting in missing "add new item" link in all the menu windows (ie. my computer, desktop menu, file directory menu).
I am using windows xp sp2 and i have an item in the start menu called "reboot computer into safe mode". I don't know how it got there and i want to remove it because its useless and it doesn't work.when i click on it a message pops up "windows cannot find ........... click the start button then click search." yes, I've tried removing it by right clicking on the taskbar and clicking the "taskbar and start menu properties" but there's not option to remove it there. So how do I remove it from the start menu.I know how to reg edit.
I recently purchases a Toshiba Satellite laptop. I use an older version of Magic Tweak, and tweaked most everything I want. One this I can't get rid of is an item on the Start Menu "Buy From Toshiba Direct". It's located directly above the shutdown dialogue in it's own little category, below the Run button. There's no options I can find to remove this.
Is there a way to select the color of text and icons in a deselected item. The stuff in the appearance tab permits color selection of the text in a selectedbutton -- one that will do something it clicked, but I can find no way to select the color of the text in a button that WILL NOT cause an action if clicked.
Usually when I double-click a folder icon, the same window is used to open it, which is exactly the way I want it (I have set the folder options to do this) But occasionaly, it is desirable to open the folder contents in a new window. For this one has to start again from 'My Computer Is there a registry hack that will add a 'Open in a new window' item to the folder context menu ?
Like to change the bold item on the right click menu, how do I do that? For jpg images I want the double click behavior to be Preview which opens the Picture and Fax viewer, and not the Open item.
The improvement which I'd like to suggest is to change the behaviour of the recently used programs part of the Start Menu so that it doesn't include any programs which are already pinned. I have several programs pinned because I use them so often - Word, Excel, Outlook Express etc - so it's pointless and irritating to have them appear twice on the menu because they are on the recent programs list under the pinned list too. This is even more irritating when, as occasionally happens, it is a program which has a unique initial letter which I use to quickly start the program. For example on my Start Menu, Notepad is the only pinned item starting with N, and so I can press "Start, N" to run it. Unfortunately sometimes Notepad ends up in the recently used list, and then because there are two programs beginning with N, my shortcut no longer works.
One point worth noting perhaps, seeing as I've just tried this and it didn't seem to happen ... it only happens at bootup, if you do anything to modify the Start Menu - such as pinning a different item - then all duplicates get removed. And they won't reappear if you use the program again. However as soon as you do a restart, they reappear in the menu, and stay until they are forcibly removed, such as by pinning something else.
Just done a (belarc) analysis of PC and found that a security hotfix for the .NET framework is missing - item Q886903. It explains a lot as to why it won't work properly for me, but the question is: How do I get hold of it and install it? I've been all over the MS sites and can find lots of data,info etc, but nowhere to click on to download it.
I have the following startup item that when I uncheck it, it will check itself back on when I restart.Start up item: ctfmon Command: C:WINDOWSsystem32ctfmon .exe Location: HKCUsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversionun Like I said, I can uncheck it and then it will be mysteriously checked when I reboot the computer I was wondering if this is a potential problem (trogan) and how I can investigate this.
Im running XP, SP2, IE6.0-I like to keep my startup items down to a bare minimum, and this morning when checking on them in Spybot I noticed a new WinLogon had been added at the bottom (called "Schedule", file name "Schedule.exe"). Its the only one of that winlogon group that Spybot identifies, and what they say is it's by user preference. The official name is, Mercury EZ View TV Tuner Card--1, we do not have a tv to be used with this, 2., we never did. 3, my husband said he never installed this (much less heard of it) and 4, when I try to disable it, citing user preference, it won't go away. I know it's not spam or adware, but when something as apparently innocuous as this appears and will not disappear (no its not listed in the Add/Remove Programs) or at least allow itself to be disabled, I have to wonder why. It also does not show up in the HiJack list log, or as Badware in Spybot. Should I hunt this down and shoot it dead, or should I just ignore it?
When I click on My Documents and it opens, there is a bar titled "Music Tasks" - with a music note on the left of it that appears in My Documents folder above the "File and Folder Tasks" Bar (all in the upper left corner of My Documents Folder. This Music Tasks bar has a drop-down menu of "Play All" and "Shop for music online". I don't know how I managed to get it there, but I would like to remove it. Can anyone give me a clue
