Problem that only seems to affect certain programs

Please download MiniToolBox  , save it to your desktop and run it.
 
Checkmark the following checkboxes:
  List last 10 Event Viewer log
  List Installed Programs
  List Users, Partitions and Memory size.
 
Click Go and paste the content into your next post.
 
Also...please Publish a Snapshot using Speccy,  taking care to post the link of the snapshot in your next post.

   Go to Piriform's website, and download the free version on the left.  Click Download from Piriform.com (the FileHippo link requires an extra click). Or if you want to use a portable version of Speccy (which doesn't require installation), click the builds page link and download the portable version. You will now be asked where you want to save the file. The best place to put it is the Desktop, as it will be easy to find later.

    After the file finishes downloading, you are ready to run Speccy. If you downloaded the installer, simply double-click on it and follow the prompts until installation is complete. If you downloaded the portable version, you will need to unzip it before use. Right-click the ZIP file and click Extract all. Click Next. Open up the extracted folder and double-click on Speccy.
 
     Once inside Speccy, it will look similar to this (with your computer's specifications, of course):
 


     Now, at the top, click File > Publish Snapshot.

     Click Yes > then Copy to Clipboard

Now, once you are back in the forum topic you are posting in, click the ADD REPLY or REPLY TO THIS TOPIC button. Right-click in the empty space of the Reply box and click Paste. Then, click Add Reply below the Reply box.

Louis

http://speccy.piriform.com/results/4rNtFoz5WVjO8NChjaJrP1G

Edited by hamluis, 17 August 2017 - 12:24 PM.

Firewall disabled, AVast AV enabled...maikes no sense to me since I believe that a firewall is the most basic defense against malware.

AVG version of Video Studio 2008 installed, while AVG is not.  I can't say that it makes a difference, but...if I uninstalled AVG, I would also ensure that the AVG Visual Studio install left my system.

Zone Alarm Toolbar..not sure why this is installed since ZA does not appear to be installed...and the firewall is disabled.

Your Fatal Alerts.

It seems that you are using Creative drivers intended for Vista...and the results are your code integrity errors.  I would see if there are Win 7 drivers for the Creative device.

You have a svchost process that is probably worth investigating: 

Louis

Edited by hamluis, 17 August 2017 - 12:20 PM.

Yeah, I know it's a bad idea, but I just haven't found any free firewall that isn't intrusive, and Avast's shields, Spybot's immunizations, ScriptBlock and frequent scans have served me well over the years. 

I removed AVG's Visual Studio just now, and I'm honestly not sure what the Zone Alarm toolbar is there for. It's not in Programs and Features or Waterfox or Chrome.

My Creative drivers are dated February 2014 in Device Manager, and the latest drivers for my sound card on the creative website are also dated February 2014.

I don't see anything suspicious looking in that process's services or child processes, just a bunch of Windows services and two taskeng.exes.

Edited by F_a_C, 17 August 2017 - 01:39 PM.

Well...those errors may indicate that the Creative drivers are damaged...I would uninstall the current drivers and then reinstall the ones reflected on the Asus website.  Those errors are happening for a reason and it won't hurt to reinstall a new edition of the current drivers.

If all looks OK otherwise...I don't have any suggestions that I haven't made.  You might also consider posting a topic in the Am I Infected forum here at BC...to see if the possibility of adware/other malware exists.  I'm always suspicious of all those "free" download managers and file converters that slip adware onto user systems...it won't hurt to remove that possibility.

Louis