Computer and browser slowness are not always malware related. Poor performance and other problems can be the result of disk fragmentation, disk errors, corrupt system files, too many startup programs, unnecessary services running, not enough RAM, dirty hardware, etc. As your system gets older it becomes filled with more files/programs and has a natural tendency to slow down so cleaning and regular maintenance is essential. Listed below are a few things you can do to improve speed and system performance. Many of the these suggestions will apply if your using Windows Vista but may be done a bit differently. Near the bottom of this thread there is a section specifically devoted to Vista Users.

• When was the last time you cleaned the inside of your computer? Dust restricts the airflow and prevents proper cooling. This in turn can cause CPU overheating and faulty processor fans which can result in unexpected shutdowns, random restarts, booting problems, etc. Open your machine and make sure the fans are working and the heat sink on the processor is not blocked with dust or debris. Remove the CPU's cooling unit and clean the fins on the heat sink that sits under the CPU with a can of compressed air. You can also remove the cards, RAM modules, clean the contacts and reset them. Check your connections and fans to make sure they are working properly and monitor the temperature. See "Cleaning the Interior of your PC"

• For browser problems, see "Its not always malware: How to fix the top 10 Internet Explorer issues" and "How and Why to Clear Your Cache". If your having connectivity issues or errors such as Page cannot be displayed see "Repair/Reset Winsock settings" and "Troubleshooting slow Internet connection".

If your using Vista or Internet Explorer 7, see "Why is my Internet connection so slow?", "Windows Vista - My Internet connection is slow", "Tuning IE7 for Better Performance" and "How to optimize or reset Internet Explorer 7".

Also, the Phishing Filter could be causing your computer to respond very slowly as it evaluates Web page contents. See "The Phishing Filter may slow down the PC" and "Phishing Filter FAQs".

• Clean up your hard drive by removing unused programs and transferring old data, pictures, music files to a CD or an external hard drive. When you have moved/saved the files you want to keep, run Disk Cleanup and let it scan your system for files to remove. "Don’t clean out the Prefetch folder" - This is a common myth that will not improve performance.

As an alternative to Disk Cleanup you can download and scan CCleaner.
(Starting with v1.27.260, the standard build installs the Yahoo Toolbar as an option which is checkmarked by default during the installation. IF you do NOT want it, remove the checkmark when provided with the option OR download the toolbarfree Basic version instead.)

• After installation, see the CCleaner Tour: Using and Understanding CCleaner.
• Make sure you go to Options > Advanced and uncheck the box to "Only delete files in Windows Temp folders older than 48 hours" before running a scan.

• Check for disk errors by running CHKDSK in "Safe Mode" or from the Recovery Console. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, click "Start" and have it repair anything it finds. As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors which slow down hard disk performance and make data writing difficult. Check Disk scans the hard drive and verifies the logical integrity of a file system by checking for system errors, lost clusters, lost chains, and bad sectors. When encountering logical inconsistencies in file system data, it will perform the necessary actions to repair the file system data.

• Check for damaged, altered or missing critical system files by running the System File Checker. If SFC discovers that a protected file has been damaged, altered or missing, it restores the correct version of the file from the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run sfc and it may ask you to insert your XP Installation CD so have it available.

• Defrag your system. Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when a file is opened. Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on the hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. This speeds up reading and writing to the disk. Read "The Importance of Disk Defragmentation" for instructions.

Note: It is recommended to shut down all applications (including your Anti-virus) before running Defrag to ensure that no programs attempt to write to the drive while it is being defragmented. Not doing so may cause you to have to restart the entire process. If you have disabled all running programs and still find that the defrag routine is constantly interrupted, you can defrag from "Safe Mode".

• Defrag the Page File. Standard defragmentation programs can neither show you how fragmented your paging files or Registry hives are, nor defragment them. Paging and Registry file fragmentation can be one of the leading causes of performance degradation related to file fragmentation in a system. A free and easy way to do this is to use the "PageDefrag" utility which also defragments event log files and Windows 2000/XP hibernation files.

• Check for any unnecessary running services. If you have a typical installation, many services are configured as "automatic"; that is, they start automatically when the system starts or when the service is called for the first time. Use Black Viper's "XP Services Configuration" or "Vista Services Configuration" to help fine tune this area.
Note: If you are not on a local area network (LAN), disable the Workstation Service which creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers and that should also help to speed up your boot time.

• Check for any unnecessary applications loading at startup when Windows boots with MSConfig. Some startup programs are necessary so be careful what you disable. If you are unsure what any of the startup entries are or if they are safe to disable, then search one of the following Startup Databases:
Startup Programs Database
StartupList Index

Note: MSConfig.exe is a troubleshooting utility used to diagnose system configuration issues. Although it works as a basic startup manager, msconfig should not be used routinely to disable auto-start programs. It is a temporary solution and not a good practice for several reasons. When uninstalling programs while disabled with msconfig, they may not be uninstalled properly and orphaned entries often will be left behind. When used to switch back to normal startup mode, these orphan entries can result in boot up errors. Further, msconfig does not list all applications loaded in all possible startup locations (some entry points are hidden and unknown to the user) and does not allow the complete removal of disabled entries from its list.

You should not use msconfig to disable startup applications related to a running service. Doing so alters the registry and there are services that are essential for hardware and booting. When you uncheck a service in msconfig, you completely disable it. If you uncheck the wrong one, you may not be able to restart your computer. You should only disable services using Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

A better alternative is to use a startup manager. If you have Spybot S&D 1.5 installed, launch it, go to Mode and select Advanced. Then go to Tools, select System Startups. You will be provided with a list of programs that load when Windows starts. If you untick an entry it will no longer run at startup. This will allow you to experiment and see how your system performs with any of them disabled. Other startup managers you can download and use for free are Startup Control Panel, Autoruns and Starter by CodeStuff.

• Remove any third party "Memory Manager" or "Optimizer". Windows XP memory management was designed to make the best use of Ram and these memory management utilities defeat that purpose. They push applications out of RAM into the pagefile, creating holes in the RAM and by doing so, slow down your computer.

• Disable some visual effects. While visual embellishments may be attractive, they don’t do anything else for you. Disabling some of them frees up system resources and makes the operating system perform better.

• Right click My Computer, choose > Properties > Advanced, click on "Settings"
• In the Visual Effects tab, select Adjust for best performance or uncheck all the visual effects, except for the last three.
• Click "Apply", then "Ok", then "Ok" again.
• Then right click your Desktop and choose > Properties > Appearance > "Effects.
• Uncheck the first two boxes and hit "OK".

• Add more RAM. This is a quick solution that can have a dramatic affect on your system's speed and responsiveness. You can check how much RAM you have by going to Start > Program Files > Accessories > System Tools > System Information and look at your System Summary. For more info see "Understanding, Identifying and Upgrading the RAM in your PC".

• Never use more than one anti-virus program. The concern with using more than one is due to conflicts that can arise when both are running in real-time mode simultaneously. Anti-virus software components insert themselves into the operating systems core and using more than one can cause instability, sluggish system performance, unresponsive behavior or crash your computer. Further, each anti-virus will often interpret the activity of the other as a virus and there is a greater chance of them alerting you to "False Positives".

• For more suggestions and performance tips read:
"Restore Your Computer's Performance with Windows XP"
"XP Performance Tweaks"
"Performance Boost for XP"

• For Vista Users:
Vista Features Explained: Performance
Vista Features Explained: SuperFetch
SuperFetch & ReadyBoost
Tips to boost Vista performance
Windows Vista Performance Tuning
Top 12 Tweaks To Improve Vista Looks and Performance

When you are all done be sure to Create a new Restore Point to enable your computer to "roll-back" to a clean working state keeping all the changes you just made. Then use Disk Cleanup to remove all but newly created Restore Point.

Vista Users can refer to these links: Create a New Restore Point and Disk Cleanup.

If you are still having problems after performing the above steps then you may be dealing with malware. In that case please follow the instructions in Preparation Guide for use before posting a HijackThis Log.

This post has been edited by quietman7: Apr 23 2008, 06:32 AM