Soze
Feb 4 2006, 11:08 PM
This may sound stupid, but the first 2 files listed in autoruns are userinit.exe and Explorer.exe
Both I assume are legit files, as microsft as publisher is verified for both, and there was a post earlier regarding the userinit.exe file.
Neither are listed in startup database-at least not with the same name (there are obviously 4 pages listing explorer.exe files).
In my case the name is also explorer.exe
Am I missing something?
Sorry in advance for my obvious ignorance.
I promise I'll learn...
edit-o.k., had I waited a moment I would have run across legit files in the startup DB.
Please tell me then how I should treat the exploere.exe file with name Explorer.exe
c:\windows\explorer.exe
Grinler
Feb 5 2006, 11:32 AM
Both of those files are legit. And you are right, we have not listed the default valid entries in the database. I will add them in a bit.
Soze
Feb 5 2006, 12:17 PM
Thanks Grinler.
I'll have to be very careful in removing startup items.
I removed a few last night, and now it is acting funny-lots of hesitations when using outlook.
I'm going to do system restore and start again.
Grinler
Feb 5 2006, 12:18 PM
Do you remember what you removed?
Soze
Feb 6 2006, 11:11 AM
I believe I removed ctfmon.exe (name ctfmon) and tbmon.exe (name Network Associates Error Reporting Service).
The first showed uo on the Startup DB as bad, the second as U.
However, ctfmon was a verified MS publisher files, so I kind of thought it might be a valid file.
tbmon.exe was not verified, and as it was listed as U I removed it from startup.
Good thing is, my system restore seems to have taken care of most of it, back almost to the way it was before I "cleaned it up".
I did several scans with Ad aware, spybot, Housecall, Bit Def etc. etc.
The only thing acting "slow" now is Outlook.
But I'm going to go back and attack the startup items in the next few days.
BTW- thanks to this site I have eliminated several trojans and such that were not being detected my my Mcaffee scanner. I am much indebted to BC and the tutorials!
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