The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: ellied on July 20, 2012, 06:11:52 pm
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Despite upgrading service packs, antivirus products and various other housekeeping tasks like defragging, deleting web cache etc, I have a problem :( It looks like the rundll32.exe file (a necessary library file I can't delete) is frequently overloading itself and taking up too much memory, up to 99% at times, and when this happens the AV performance monitor says it's running a dll file as an app :o but I can't work out how when it doesn't appear to have a virus, trojan or anything specific to be found..
I am sure I read about something that could hide in a dll file but I can't remember what the advice was, it was a year or more ago and I am not techie enough to really understand what all the files that run behind the scenes do let alone how to fix them ::)
There seem to be some programs also running multiple copies, things like svchost.exe, ccSvcHst.exe.. some are labelled system files, others network or local files and some have my name against them ??? Can anyone explain in simple language what if anything I can do to clean this up? It's Windows XP SP3 running web on Firefox, an old version of MS Office and Norton Internet Security.. Laptop is ancient, an IBM T70 but I love it even if it can't show a 3 second video clip without buffering for 20 minutes ::)
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No expert but regularly 'maintain' my machine. Apart from all the standard defrag and other tools I use a free anti virus (AVG) instead of Norton because older norton versions were notorious for slowing things down.
After that I would run a registry cleaner (again free) like CCleaner and Ad-aware (clears spyware). If you are feeling really brave I use Hijackthis as a more detailed check of what you have on your system and allows you to control the programs that are running in the background ( take care with this one though).
All these products are free and with a little confidence and a little knowledge are helpful but I wouldnt recommend to a total novice.
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The long way - back up all of your data, get it professionally wiped, reinstall Windows, patch it with latest Service Packs and Updates, install decent AV, spyware and malware packages, and reinstall all your software from scratch. Then restore your data. You can then sit back and enjoy at least 7 days of smooth performance.
The short way - buy a Mac. ;)
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very well said dan
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Well said Dan from me as well. We've had enough of this Microsoft junk and just bought a Mac. We were paying £60 a year for Panda anti-virus (updates twice a day and grinds the whole PC to a hault) and we still had one get through which overran the web browser. Had to 'system restore' to a few days before I noticed the problem. Then run the virus remover to clean up anything there -found loads! I can't understand how conman Bill Gates has escaped prison having knowingly sold a system that IBM refused to market because it was known to be far too insecure.
Norton isn't very good Ellied. Brother-in-law is an IT boffin and he runs a 'search and destroy' programme bought off the internet (something-bot I think?) to hunt out the stuff hiding on his hard drive. Takes out loads his antivirus doesn't stop. Might be worth finding that programme first before doing it the right way as Dan has suggested. Backing up your files may simply carry it across anyway.
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Quote "Laptop is ancient, an IBM T70 but I love it" .......... :innocent:
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OK, anything that begins "buy a.." isn't going to work terribly well for me ::)
As for loving the IBM I've had it a long time and its more frustrated than adoring now but the newer one (a mere 5-6 years old and I can't even remember what make it is ::) ) never really got going cos its keys are all wrong for me and it never got connected to my broadband before I forgot what all the ***s in the password box really stand for ::) and besides all my programs are no longer re-installable because I either no longer have the disks, or never did because they were relevant to my former workplace that had the licenses and were installed because I took my work home a lot in those days.. ::) I only got the Norton because my new lodger (another financial necessity) had a 3 users license with a spare going free and what I had before (McAfee VirusScan Enterprise) also belonged to my old work place and was updating merrily after I departed - until they changed to another provider which of course wasn't installed for me as I'd left.. ::)
I will have a look at the freebies suggested, starting with the easier ones and work up to hijackthis if I dare :o I used to have quite a good brain but it's out of practice and technology has way overtaken my past experience level.
ChrisMahon, if the (something)Bot program is that good can you give me the name perhaps? It may be beyond my budget, most things are these days, but it's always worth a look..
Thanks guys, somewhere to start anyway :)
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I used Windows XP happily for years, but an installation does become slower and slower as time goes by, the Registry gets clogged and software installations and deletions take their toll.
So I was serious about suggesting wiping it and re-installing Windows, it will make an enormous difference to performance (and will last more than 7 days before slowing down again). If you've got an external hard drive you can back all your data up to, the XP installation disks, a decent broadband connection to download updates etc, and the confidence to do it, it's a job for a long evening. :thumbsup:
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If you want to pack it up with your XP disk I'll have a look at it?
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ChrisMahon, if the (something)Bot program is that good can you give me the name perhaps? It may be beyond my budget, most things are these days, but it's always worth a look..
Thanks guys, somewhere to start anyway :)
The bot program may be a reference to SpyBot - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html)
HTH,
Mickey
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Despite upgrading service packs, antivirus products and various other housekeeping tasks like defragging, deleting web cache etc, I have a problem :( It looks like the rundll32.exe file (a necessary library file I can't delete) is frequently overloading itself and taking up too much memory, up to 99% at times, and when this happens the AV performance monitor says it's running a dll file as an app :o but I can't work out how when it doesn't appear to have a virus, trojan or anything specific to be found..
Probably won't help much but best to start with basics imho. Clear any caches so that only the correct instance of any recently installed software etc is trying to run, then check that it is rundll32.exe and not rundl32.exe
Is this occurrence hitting your CPU load heavily?
What is your AV program? I find Norton to be a huge problem in lots of situations, best one to get currently is the free Windows AV program 'Security Essentials' from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials. (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials.) Well there are better ones but this one is free, hasn't overloaded any machine I've used and gets updated regularly.
HTH,
Mickey
Make sure that you completely delete any other AV program before running the MS program as more than one easily results in a conflict.
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Nah! Scrub all that and do as Dan said - buy the Mac
Trust us you won't regret it
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buy the Mac or put windows 7 on its very good.
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My preferred choice is a Mac as well so the main machine at home is a MacBook Pro, sadly they are at least a £1,000 whilst you can pick up a very fast Windows 7 machine for £300. In reality most folk nowadays just need an iPad or similar to meet all of their home needs.
Whist the OP's machine is long in the tooth it may still meet their needs if some of the suggestions work, in particular the offer from TheCaptain may be hard to beat.
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Lovely as a new pc or Mac something might be, I don't have £300 spare, just a list of jobs needing done and no income to pay for it - my monthly income is probably around £250 including WTCs and a few quid egg money so it'll be a LONG time before I buy a new anything - I've to fix the boiler, the oven, the front garden wall, the shed roof, the 3rd broken field drain, the printer (both the B&W laser and the colour inkjet), pay up a 4 figure bill to the mechanic for keeping the car running, I've paid the tree feller and the field sprayer up to date now but more fencing needing done, a new shed for the chooks to find and all the usual running costs, laptop isnt near the top of the list let alone top of it ;) Oh and I have to pay for next winter's hay when the best prices are available or I'll be up the creek with nothing to paddle..
Reinstall would involve having the disks, XP was installed by my former employers IT department as was the MS Office suite and some of the other programs. I also have a typical Scottish rural broadband speed ie snailpace.
So, I have invested in a lottery ticket and would welcome supportive vibes, will happily donate to TAS badges for all if I win a 6 number share ;) but other than that it's the free downloads for me!
I've got the Norton free til December, might try the windows free one if it takes less space and can sort out the registry stuff, yes it's a rundll32.exe and currently hogging 96-99% of the CPU :o
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Have you tried searching the internet with your problem 'rundll32.exe using a lot of memory' for example?
There are hundreds of forums with similar problems and usually the techies ask to see your 'hijackthis' log which tells them a lot about whats running on your system.
Try not to click any adverts on some of those sites that claim to sort it out for you - it is a source of viruses.
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You must be able to buy a sealed copy of xp off ebay for very little , £10 or less now , or ask on freecycle , someone will have a disc they no longer use .
I live on £40 or less a week so i know how hard it is to get things .
Once you have the disc , do the backup bit , data and software , and then format the hard drive , if need be , then install xp afresh .
You can also download openoffice free . It does all that microsoft office does , and all updates are free too .
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Can't help much, but I've never had a problem with AVG (free version) for AV, so I recommend that.
I've notice that Firefox seems to be slowing my system down more since it's last update ~few days ago. I'm thinking of dumping it and trying Google chrome.
Have to disagree with the majority though - don't get a MAC - they're overrated and vastly overpriced. The principal advantages with a MAC are:-
1. most viruses are targeted at MS
2. if you're not 'IT savvy' you can take your mac to an applestore and they'll sort it out - no charge. But you do pay for it when you buy the MAC.
marcus
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Have to disagree with the majority though - don't get a MAC - they're overrated and vastly overpriced. The principal advantages with a MAC are:-
1. most viruses are targeted at MS
2. if you're not 'IT savvy' you can take your mac to an applestore and they'll sort it out - no charge. But you do pay for it when you buy the MAC.
Those may be the advantages for you, please don't presume you speak for everyone who ever owned a Mac. ;)
The principal advantages for me are that:
1. It is vastly more reliable than a Windows PC (uptime for my main desktop iMac is 4 months at the moment).
2. It allows me to do between two and three times the amount of work a Windows PC did. That's primarily because I'm a web developer and OS X being *nix based means I can do all sorts of things I couldn't do on a PC. But it's also because I find the interface much more attuned to my way of working.
3. Many of the applications I use for my work are not available on Windows.
4. Backup, sync with phone/tablet, video conferencing, all work out of the box as part of the OS.
5. I can run Windows applications using Parallels.
6. It's built to last. My Macbook Pro is 5 years old and still used daily, and is as fast as the day I bought it.
7. It's much prettier to look at.
There's a lot more, but I expect I'm getting boring now. :)
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Well it certainly is subjective :)
I have a cheap Acer laptop with XP and a macbook
1. It is vastly more reliable than a Windows PC (uptime for my main desktop iMac is 4 months at the moment).
If uptime is continuous 24/7 use, I can't compare as I never leave my machines on.
6. It's built to last. My Macbook Pro is 5 years old and still used daily, and is as fast as the day I bought it.
my acer is still working after 7 years with no major issues, 1 of it's 4 usb ports is a bit flakey. My macbook (5yrs old but I've had it 2.5 yrs) had a key stop working, one of it's 2 usb ports stopped working and the other's getting flakey, and the backlight flickers and I have to flap the display part to make it come back on. Oh the mac's battery is failing too. both machines have slowed down.
... But it's also because I find the interface much more attuned to my way of working.
Well I've used MS for most of my work & personal computing and find the mac cumbersome by comparison - so I guess it's what you're used to.
4. Backup, sync with phone/tablet, video conferencing, all work out of the box as part of the OS.
I simply backup my stuff to an external drive (or three); I have a basic phone and no tablet. I use computers for internet access and paperwork so don't see the advantage of the other stuff. I only keep the mac as a backup system now as I prefer the windows machine - if I ever do get a virus the mac should be immune as it's a completely different system.
Oh, and the acer cost less new than the 2nd hand macbook.
I'd better stop now as I'm probably getting boring ;D ;D
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Dan and Mab
Here folks we have the classic argument between Mac and PC user each will stand by his machine and swear by it almost to their dying breath.
My Mac has saved me loads of grief with the OH - I'm no longer waiting for updates, freezing, crashes, reboots, less wires all over the place, etc
Saving all that earache ...... Priceless ;D ;D
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The OP probably wants help with their problem not a MAC / PC face off
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The OP probably wants help with their problem not a MAC / PC face off
Fair enough :) But as there were a lot of folks advising that a mac would solve all ones IT problems, I felt I needed to add a bit of perspective
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I learned my computing on the HP 9845, if anyone remembers that marvel, and learned about spreadsheets using a VT125 into a VAX, Then I got an original Mackintosh, mid eighties I guess. But while I use an extensive range of Apple products to run my business I worry about a very large corporation devoted almost entirely to making money, a platform strategy aimed at making me keep spending more and some quite clunky products.
Dan I don't know how you keep your machine alive so long when there's a constant stream if updates coming in from Apple. I certainly shut down and restart my iPhone and iPad every few days otherwise they get badly behaved. No way will I install Mountain Lion until the first half dozen fixes are dealt with: Lion seemed to be just a stepping stone - except for Lion Server which was more jackal than lion.
Ellied, I suggest you uninstall Norton asap and replace it with free AVG. I then suggest you uninstall all programs which you don't actually need. Finally run some diagnostics on the disk.
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Well it certainly is subjective :)
My point exactly, which is why I was careful to say for me. As I said I was a happy XP user for years, absolutely nothing against Microsoft or PCs. ::)
Dan I don't know how you keep your machine alive so long when there's a constant stream if updates coming in from Apple. I certainly shut down and restart my iPhone and iPad every few days otherwise they get badly behaved. No way will I install Mountain Lion until the first half dozen fixes are dealt with: Lion seemed to be just a stepping stone - except for Lion Server which was more jackal than lion.
I check the details of the automatic updates and only update if there are any critical security issues. I've got 8 desktops setup just the way I like them, and although Lion does a reasonable job of remembering what was where, some applications don't. 10.7.4 didn't seem to offer much, but I will shut down completely sometime soon and update.
ellied, sorry to have ever mentioned the Mac option now ;) , hope you get your laptop sorted. :)
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ellied
i seem to remeber your not far from me, i can handle debugging a laptop, and i have just checked i still have cd's for xp sp3 with licence if its required.
if you would like me to have a look it would be next week (beginning of august) at the earliest and i'd probably need your laptop for a few days as i'd only be able to work on it evenings etc.
let me know if that would help you out...
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We use Windows XP and also had trouble with Norton so now we use Spybot. The one thing that slowed down our computer was using Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer email. I got so fed up with the lack of speed and the freezing that I now use Google Chrome for web and email and we no longer have any problems. :fc:
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Update - I went with the advice to uninstall Norton despite having 135 days of license paid up still ::) Scary as the 99% was still with rundll32.exe and when I tried to download the free AdAware it crashed, then downloaded and wouldn't run.. so I gave up and went to bed ::)
I've now spent much of today downloading it again and installing it on the same basis of 1-3% available capacity but it's done and AdAware found 1 thing that Norton hadn't but gave the rest, including the rundll32.exe a completely clean bill of health ::)
I've deleted everything spare (caches, temp files etc) all over again, run a cleanup program and defragged the C drive, to find it has only 10% free space despite all the programs I'd removed. I do have a couple of large things on there but in the process of double checking the defrag report I discovered a reason for having so little space free, other than my program/file sizes.. I'd forgotten way back when working there was a partition made for work files and I used to have to transfer from "my" partition to a smaller one that was a share with work's system ::) Light dawns, I have 2 copies of certain large programs and files, and about 80% of the other partition is free space because I don't transfer stuff to and from work systems any more :thumbsup: Now, how do I go about removing a partition or changing the relative sizes to reclaim some spare memory for my home partition space - I have to go through everything on the other partition obviously to see what is living there and what is copied to both sides, and may have to move some of the programs and files across before simply deleting, but I am also hoping that something of what I've done so far will let things run a little more smoothly, and I'm just waiting for the blasted rundll32.exe to dare take over again >:( after all the hours I've stared at this and waited to keep things going..
Bloomer that might be great, esp if you know about partition magic ;)
Mac vs PC is not a new debate, nor one either side will win as they fit very different users - back in the early days of working at the university the office staff needed PCs and the art college needed Macs but you'd never have imagined either persuading the other of the merits of their argument so I never got involved. In my own situation I can't afford to invest in a new anything and what I'm trying to fix is a PC so that's the parameter of my enquiry, free fixes of a PC. I'm grateful for all the ideas, some of which you'll see I've done my best to implement. I'm watching the task manager for signs of another takeover attempt by the library :o
I'm considering the hijackthis as my next option, but it sounds a tad beyond my comfort zone so will wait and see how this goes first ;)
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ellied i'll message you when i'm back from england and see if you still need the help...
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Thanks, looks like I might well - it's slower than ever and the rundll32.exe has taken over again :(
I fear I need to tackle the scary hijackthis download, and may wreck everything in the process but it's driving me nuts ::) I'm going to check all the files on the other partition too and see if I can delete them and maybe remove it or shrink it too.. never tackled that before so could be interesting!