shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 14:54:49 GMT -5
Need advice on something regarding your computer, smart phone, HD TV, Beta Max player, etc? This is the thread where you ask and (hopefully) get some answers.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 14:59:43 GMT -5
Though I'd been meaning to launch this thread, anyway, I really do have a problem.
For the past week, my desktop computer has suddenly and inexplicably been slowing to a crawl. As of this morning, it's almost entirely unusable. I've spent the past four hours doing the following:
1. System restore to a point before this happened (successful)
2. Removed Avast Antivirus in case it was the problem. Replaced it with Panda Free Antivirus.
3. Restarted the computer
4. Shut down all non-essential background programs.
5. Gone into task manager and determined that there is no logical explanation for why my memory usage is suddenly maxing out (over 1.6 gigs of memory being used, even when no applications are running).
6. Made sure my windows updates are all up to date
7. Used CCcleaner to clean up my registry
I'm currently:
1. running a full anti-virus scan
Next, I'll:
1. Run Malabytes Anti-Malware scan again, though I've been running it frequently since my computer started slowing down and found nothing wrong
But I'm at the point where I suspect I've run out of things to try. I could always wipe the entire computer and restore from a backup, but that's awfully messy and there's no promise it would solve the problem either.
Any ideas?
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Post by Randle-El on Nov 26, 2014 15:38:46 GMT -5
This is a bit of a brute force approach, but one thing you could try is using Task Manager to look at processes that are currently running, and noticing if there are either 1) ones with fishy sounding names, or 2) anything that looks like it's hogging a lot of CPU cycles or memory. Try googling the suspicious-looking processes to see if they correspond to any known malware. One more than a couple of occasions I've found strange processes that were running on my computer that virus scanners missed. Looking at just the running applications isn't an accurate picture of what's executing on your machine, since there are always lots of backgrounds processes running, and malware is usually made by people smart enough to not announce its presence as a running application. Also, sometimes legitimate applications leave behind zombie processes after you've closed them, so you want to make sure that there aren't any lingering around. You might also want to check for any auto-start processes that are running in system tray.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 15:51:11 GMT -5
This is a bit of a brute force approach, but one thing you could try is using Task Manager to look at processes that are currently running, and noticing if there are either 1) ones with fishy sounding names, or 2) anything that looks like it's hogging a lot of CPU cycles or memory. Try googling the suspicious-looking processes to see if they correspond to any known malware. One more than a couple of occasions I've found strange processes that were running on my computer that virus scanners missed. Looking at just the running applications isn't an accurate picture of what's executing on your machine, since there are always lots of backgrounds processes running, and malware is usually made by people smart enough to not announce its presence as a running application. Also, sometimes legitimate applications leave behind zombie processes after you've closed them, so you want to make sure that there aren't any lingering around. You might also want to check for any auto-start processes that are running in system tray. Absolutely. This is always my first go-to response when my computer begins acting strangely. Everything on task manager checks out, though, even the stuff that only shows up when you click the "show processes from other users" option. I figure I'm either dealing with a particularly elaborate registry problem that a scanner can't find, or maybe there's a hardware issue with my memory. Anti-virus IS finding a few things, but my computer is running so poorly that I can't even see what those things are. I'm beyond hoping an anti-virus scan will solve the problem, but there's no harm in trying. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 15:57:28 GMT -5
I am of no help.
But I just wanted to say that this is why I love having a Linux machine.
I have absolutely NONE of these issues.
Ever.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 16:23:37 GMT -5
Well we're back to some semblance of operability. I'm actually posting from the affected computer, which tells you something.
Still haven't identified the problem, and things still aren't working perfectly, but I guess I threw enough at the problem to make a dent. I'll keep working at it.
Suggestions are still very much welcome.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 16:35:48 GMT -5
Though I'd been meaning to launch this thread, anyway, I really do have a problem. For the past week, my desktop computer has suddenly and inexplicably been slowing to a crawl. As of this morning, it's almost entirely unusable. I've spent the past four hours doing the following: 1. System restore to a point before this happened (successful) 2. Removed Avast Antivirus in case it was the problem. Replaced it with Panda Free Antivirus. 3. Restarted the computer 4. Shut down all non-essential background programs. 5. Gone into task manager and determined that there is no logical explanation for why my memory usage is suddenly maxing out (over 1.6 gigs of memory being used, even when no applications are running). 6. Made sure my windows updates are all up to date 7. Used CCcleaner to clean up my registry I'm currently: 1. running a full anti-virus scan Next, I'll: 1. Run Malabytes Anti-Malware scan again, though I've been running it frequently since my computer started slowing down and found nothing wrong But I'm at the point where I suspect I've run out of things to try. I could always wipe the entire computer and restore from a backup, but that's awfully messy and there's no promise it would solve the problem either. Any ideas? So the main issue is the PC is slow? Have you checked to see what processes are taking up the memory? Sometimes I find a firefox plugin hogging up my RAM. Do a Ctrl+Alt+Delete to check on the processes. You may want to run PC Wizard just to make sure all of your PC components are up to par. Once that is confirmed, try this. 1. Uninstall your anti-virus programs (this is mandatory unfortunately). 2. Restart your PC. 3. Download and run ComboFix. 4. Let ComboFix do it's thing, might take a while. 5. Check ComboFix log to see what was removed, re-install anti-virus. 6. Check and see if PC performance has improved. 7. If everything works, you can buy me a beer later. |
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ironchimp
Full Member
Simian Overlord
Posts: 456 
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Post by ironchimp on Nov 26, 2014 17:05:43 GMT -5
any recently installed programs?
ran virus scan in safe mode?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 17:16:15 GMT -5
I've used the free antivirus programs before and they've always let me down. I pay for AVG now, and wouldn't have it any other way.
I don't have cable, and have been using shady sites to stream the few TV shows I watch with increasing frequency, and still virus free. I did get a virus once that I couldn't get rid of myself, and AVG got rid of it for me over the internet. All that for $60 a year.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 17:27:18 GMT -5
I've been fine with a combination of AVG Free and Malwarebytes for years. If those two can't do the job, ComboFix most always takes care of it. Only had one insane virus a few years ago that even survived a reformat. That was a tough one to get rid of!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 17:48:42 GMT -5
You all need a Linux OS.
I'm telling you: Issue free since 2006.
AND I run a windows partition on my computer. I just do not go online on the windows portion of my computer. I need the Windows portion, though, for my embroidery software and some other programs I use.
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Post by Jesse on Nov 26, 2014 17:53:57 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 18:32:14 GMT -5
As a guy that worked in IT for nearly a decade this is pretty hilarious. Sadly true when it comes to synching modems with routers. Even sadder is that 99% of the elderly have no idea where the power cord to their modem is. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 18:54:17 GMT -5
Well, I've thrown everything I have to throw at it, and it's back to normal for the moment. Only using 1gb of memory for background operations now as opposed to 1.6 gb. Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. Though I still don't know for sure what happened, my guess is that it was tied to both Microsoft and Oracle wanting to force updates on my PC simultaneously.
This might be the wake up call I need to once again update my PC's memory, though. It originally ran on 500 mb, and I figured a few years back that upgrading to 2 gb would solve all future problems. It's probably time to move to 8 gb. As the operating system, browser, plug ins, and security software continue to upgrade and update, they take an increasing toll on computer resources.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Nov 26, 2014 19:18:27 GMT -5
Just did a check, and my machine is actually performing better than it's been for at least a few months now. Previously, whenever I downloaded something via Chrome, no matter how small, everything would freeze up for a good 8 seconds. That hiccup appears to be gone, perhaps due to the Java update.
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