Windows XP

[Shoden]

Yeah Norton is dodgy, Took me a while to get it off though and I never used it willignly.


If this is happened do what Unne said, re install XP but search for a good Anti virus like Kaspersky or AVG.


I don't know that much on computers but I can tell by what you say that it's screwed up bad.

[Samuraid]

...don't install Norton. It's trash.

I disagree, at least with respect to the virus scanner. Although, most of the rest of the Internet Security suite is trash.

Is it really possible to change the file association for executables?

Yup. See HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile

[BackRoomKid]

lol, a lot of ur advice helped out

let's see:

PRGRESS REPORT
--------------------------
Processes down to 47 (used vyk's advice, yeap, there were more than just one "processes" renamed somethine else to fool me)

Just checked on something:


So many hosts...i'm honored

I but lil red dots to what i suspect to be spyware/adware

TO THOSE WHO HAVE SPYBOT?
what does it do?
is it worth it?

[Samuraid]

csrss, lsass are parts of Windows.
wdfmgr is a Windows Media player component.
ctfmon is part of MS Office.
wkufind is another component used my certain Microsoft programs.

svchost is the host for Windows Services. It's OK to have multiple instances of it running. (my computer has 8 instances of it running normally)

jusched is a Java runtime update utility. You can disable it if you like.

[rubah]

you can google those services to see if they're run by the system or if they're viruses. It's a bit quicker than waiting for samuraid xD

[BackRoomKid]

lol, actually i got a lil' smart

i went to norton support services online, typed in the either the .exe files or registry files i don't recognized, and they give me good info

Samurai, thank you for helping me before i did something stupid

still working on this....

[Dr Unne]

I disagree, at least with respect to the virus scanner. Although, most of the rest of the Internet Security suite is trash.

I believe that scanning for viruses is not the correct approach to the problem. It's like being OK with the fact that your boat has a hundred holes in it, so long as you have a really nice bucket to continually bail out the water just fast enough so you don't sink.

I can't help but think that if every file that passes through your system is scanned by Norton, you're looking at a massive decrease in performance. Basically looking at every file twice; once when Norton scans it, once when you do something with it. Even with a good heuristic in place so that most things are skipped, it's certainly going to slow a lot of everything down. If it stopped 100% of viruses, then I might think it was worth it, but it doesn't. It's limited in that regard by its very nature.

It can't stop a virus until it recognizes it; by then it's often too late. Before then it can just make an educated guess whether something is a virus or not. The false positives are annoying. I recall the old "Be sure to disable any anti-virus programs before installing this program" from legitimate programs I wanted to use or install. Not worth the hassle. I've also never experienced anything but problems with the other parts (firewall, etc.).

That and the fact that you must re-buy the program every year when your subscription runs out, or else it's all but worthless.

[Samuraid]

Ah, so you would rather not have a virus scanner?

The conclusion of this likely is: running Linux really reduces the need for virus scanners. Linux is cool.

[Cipher]

I find that having a healthy mix of AVG, SpySweeper and maybe SpyBot S&D (for the really pesky spyware) goes a long way towards keeping your computer free and clear of problems.

Of course, I also go into the registry to manually remove files, but then again I'm a professional.

Also, you might want to think about what sites you're visiting. How is the Spyware/Malware/Virii getting onto your computer? Do you search for BitTorrent sites, or visit keygen/hax0r sites? take a screenshot of your processes, and after a few weeks, go back and see how many you have. If there's malware or spyware or alot more processes, and you haven't voluntarily installed anything during that time...well, the problem is most likely a site or two that you visit frequently.

Just a suggestion, though.

[BackRoomKid]

^^^just got introduced to BitTorrent, so lately i've been looking up sum torrent sites

there was one that was just full of spyware, really slowed down my computer
another site was linked to me cuz a friend wanted to show me a vid, but it was one of those junky website with MORE AND MORE links that lead to, i'll be blundt, "sexy teens" website and all that

so yea, the websites most likely had to do with it

but there's more most likely than JUST the sites...i'm keeping watch of my processess

[rubah]

I find between using firefox and not being blitheringly stupid about what files I download *and open*, I don't need to run virus checks very often. Microsoft aside.

[Yamaneko]

Just buy a router that has a built in firewall. Open the ports / trigger the ports that are needed and block the rest. No need for bloated software that hogs system memory.

[rubah]

I think my modem is pretending to be a router, but still nothing I do with port forwarding lets me forward the stupid ports ;_;

[Traitorfish]

Wow, forty? What the heck do you guys run in the background? After boot up I have eighteen processes running.

I have 37 running right now. It just depends how much stuff you have on your computer.

[Dr Unne]

Ah, so you would rather not have a virus scanner?

Yes, I don't run a virus scanner, on the occassions I use Windows. Hardware firewall + being very careful is good enough. Only use webmail, never an email client; only use Firefox (obviously); don't even visit websites that seem shady; common sense etc. etc.

The conclusion of this likely is: running Linux really reduces the need for virus scanners. Linux is cool.

Yes.