BleepingComputer.com: XP Freezes After Startup/ Caused by BitDefender/ Moved

My computer has recently begun freezing about 10 seconds after I log in to my account on XP. Zonealarm will partly load, but when moused over in the taskbar it says "Protection is up, UI initializing". Bitdefender sometimes comes up and it occasionally tries to update. The mouse still moves, but the start menu won't open and neither will any programs or task manager. I'm fairly sure that it isn't a virus or malware because sometimes my computer will come up and I am able to run virus scans that come up empty. The clock also doesn't update and sometimes when i mouse over the task bar i get the hourglass that show the computer is thinking. The problem has been getting worse over the course of a couple weeks. When it used to only freeze for a couple minutes task manager would show cpu usage below 5% and less than 1 gig of ram in usage. The computer boots fine in safe mode. I have tried disabling automatic update and using system restore and restore to last known good config.

Windows XP Home SP3
Pentium D 2.8 ghz
3gb ram
XFX 7600 gt

You have done a big mistake installing both Zone alarm and bitdefender together. Also, next time windows work properly, unistall one antivirus.

I'm only using the free version of ZA so it's just the firewall.

EDIT: I do have a second antivirus on my computer: Ad-Aware 2007. I tried uninstalling it in safe mode but it said "Windows Installer Service can't be accessed this might be because you're in safe mode..." How can you uninstall programs in safe mode?

This post has been edited by Frustratedperson: 17 April 2009 - 11:40 AM

Quote

I think you will find that this is NOT an antivirus program

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q...mp;aq=f&oq=

Bit Defender appears to be your antivirus program

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q...mp;aq=f&oq=

??Of interest ,do you have the Windows Firewall disabled?

I think I have isolated the issue: it seems to be bitdefender. When i disable bitdefender from loading at startup the problem disappears. Does anyone know which process of bitdefender is causing this?

Bitdefender processes:
Bitdefender Arrakis Server
Bitdefender Virus Shield
Bitdefender Desktop Update Service
Bitdefender Threat Scanner

MY two suggestions might be; if you have Bit Defender on automatic update (?), and start up scan, try disabling those parts of it and do a manual update instead once you have booted up and got on line?

Frustratedperson, on Apr 17 2009, 12:21 PM, said:

My suggestion is to REstore the operating system to a prior date, using System Restore. This assumes that you had some "restore points". See Windows System Tools. 44 guy.

p.s. I had a lot of problems with xp and finally gave up and did a restore. It worked wonders. Then get rid of all the anti virus...you are putting too much conflicting stuff on your computer. 44 guy

Hello Frustratedperson

Now that you have isolated the cause of what is causing your system to freeze, namely BitDefender AV, try uninstalling and reinstalling the program. If that doesn't solve the problem, I'd suggest trying a different AV. Every computer set up is different, so what may work on one computer may not work on another.

Incidentally, Ad-Aware is an AntiSpyware program not an AntiVirus program.

Because this is related to security programs, I am shifting this topic to the AV forum.

Orange Blossom