Can Someone With Computer Skills Help Me Out?

[Guest mbarz]

I downloaded some porn from a share site and ever since my computer has been running slower.

I've tried many different things, but it still runs slow. SpyBot, Registry Booster, Windows Defender, Norton Anti-Virus, I defragmented, did a system recovery, a disk clean up, and deleted the files I downloaded, but the fucking thing is still running slow. What the fuck?

I suck at computers.

What is a .dll file? What do they do? Can I/Should I delete them?

This fucking sucks.

I really feel stupid.

Can someone help me out?

Thanks,

mbarz

[Guest BostonGuy]

>I downloaded some porn from a share site and ever since my

>computer has been running slower.

>

>I've tried many different things, but it still runs slow.

>SpyBot, Registry Booster, Windows Defender, Norton Anti-Virus,

>I defragmented, did a system recovery, a disk clean up, and

>deleted the files I downloaded, but the fucking thing is still

>running slow. What the fuck?

>

>I suck at computers.

>

>What is a .dll file? What do they do? Can I/Should I delete

>them?

>

>This fucking sucks.

>

>I really feel stupid.

>

>Can someone help me out?

>

>Thanks,

>mbarz

My first advice is to relax. :-) This is a solvable problem.

Second, whenever you download stuff, especially from sites you don't know well enough to trust, you have to understand that you're very possibly downloading stuff you don't want as well. Actually, that can happen these days just by visiting the wrong sites, much less downloading from them. As you've found out, it can be a real hassle when that happens. But there are some things you can do to reduce the risk.

Third, in terms of your current problem, you've probably downloaded or otherwise gotten some kind of spyware or other malware on your system. We'll deal with that in a minute.

Fourth, a DLL is a kind of program that can be called by other programs. It doesn't run all by itself. Don't delete any files from your computer unless you are 100% certain what they are and what they do. Deleting some files will render your system almost unable to be used and can turn a bad situation into a much worse one. Having said that, you can Google most file names to find out what they do. Just include the full name (i.e., somedllfile.dll).

In terms of the current problem, I recommend that you download and run Spysweeper. I think it's better at detecting stuff than almost anything else out there. You can get it from the manufacturer (webroot). I just Googled it to get the link for you and saw that you can get a 14-day free trial here:

http://www.internetsecuritycorp.com/spysweeper.htm

Download it, run it and see what it finds. It will probably take 45 minutes or more to do its thing. Take all of the normal options. However, once it's installed, go to the Shields settings. Find the setting for the Keylogger and turn it off. It's a huge performance hog. (Actually, I think Webroot changed it really recently so it may be off be default now but either way make sure it's off.)

When you install it, it will probably ask you if it should check for updated software. By all means say yes.

Hopefully this will solve the problem. If not, let us know and we'll see what we can suggest next.

BG

[Guest BostonGuy]

Another suggestion: Once you get Spysweeper installed (and pay the annual license fee), you can delete or at least turn off all of those other anti-spyware programs. You won't need them and any of them that are left running all of the time take system resources.

However, do not delete your antivirus program. That's different. You want to have antivirus and spysweeper both running.

Good luck.

BG

[Guest mbarz]

Boston Guy,

Thank you for your helpful reply...it really helped and it did work.

I called my brother, who works with computers, he actually owns the program you recommended and came and installed it on my computer today.

I was up until five in the morning, fucking with my computer, and managed to screw up a few other things, so he fixed those too, in between calling me a "dumb ass" and an "idiot".

My boyfriend, who barely uses a computer, told me maybe this will break my porn addiction, but I doubt it.

Thank you very much. I really appreciated it. It is really nicer here, where we all do seem to be much more civilized, I'll keep that in mind in the future.

Thanks again,

mbarz

[TampaYankee]

>Thank you for your helpful reply...it really helped and it did

>work.

>

I'm sure it helped and happy to see that your problems appear to be resolved but...

In my experience none of the socalled antispy apps falls under the category 'One Stop Shopping'. In my experience no one package finds all spyware. Some are good for some kinds of malware and suck for other kinds. I have run several different apps in succession, some of which uncover previously undetected malware. None of which detected everything. Antispyware is only as good as its makers are smart, up-to-date, broad in their perspective and preservering in their quest. They are all human.

A good extra is to check out housecall.trendmicro.com. They provide a free internet-based antivirus AND a 30 day free antispyware tryout. The first time i ran both was quite interesting.

I don't mean to rain on your parade. Just hate to see people walk down the path fat, dumb, and happy in a world where misapprehension can put people (or their computers) in peril.

P.S. I own SpySweeper, SpyCop, and ISP provided spyware. I have tried spyhunter and the trendmicro app and think the latter is good. Beware of trying demo spyware apps. They can be trapware actually installing spyware on your machine, escpecially if you dont buy their "Spyware'. Before installing anything always seek a known credible company or recognized third party review/recommendation like PC Mag, ZDNet etc.

FWIW

[Guest BostonGuy]

You are certainly welcome. I'm glad it worked.

BG

[Guest BostonGuy]

TY:

All good advice but... (there's always a but)...

Webroot, the makers of SpySweeper are 100% legit. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to others any offer of a demo period that they make. Also, I've been recommending SpySweeper to other people for almost a year now. I've seen it really clean up totally screwed-up systems.

I personally run it on multiple machines and have done so for almost a year. In that period, I have found not one single example of a threat that made it past SpySweeper. Yes, I think it's that good.

But I have found that non-techie people who run a bunch of different spyware programs often end up with problems, sometimes caused by the supposedly "anti-spyware" products they were trying to run.

If someone is running a good antivirus program and SpySweeper, I think they're pretty well protected. But that's just my opinion. People who are constantly roaming the net and downloading who-knows-what may bump into something so bad that SS can't handle it; I'd never say it won't happen. It's like the Wild West out there.

BG

[TampaYankee]

>TY:

>

>All good advice but... (there's always a but)...

>

>Webroot, the makers of SpySweeper are 100% legit. I wouldn't

>hesitate to recommend to others any offer of a demo period

>that they make.

Why I own a copy. Highly rated by both review orgs i mentioned.

Also, I've been recommending SpySweeper to

>other people for almost a year now. I've seen it really clean

>up totally screwed-up systems.

>

>I personally run it on multiple machines and have done so for

>almost a year. In that period, I have found not one single

>example of a threat that made it past SpySweeper.

Try Loxee....

I could come up with a couple of others if I had kept a record or repeated the ordeals. Essentially it is blind to keyloggers -- not the most benign of malware. BTW, so are the antivirus packages.

>

>If someone is running a good antivirus program and SpySweeper,

>I think they're pretty well protected. But that's just my

>opinion.

I think that is true for those who don't stray too far off the beaten path. If one is more adventurous then I suggest your view is optimistic. But that is my experience. I may be unusually unlucky.

People who are constantly roaming the net and

>downloading who-knows-what may bump into something so bad that

>SS can't handle it; I'd never say it won't happen. It's like

>the Wild West out there.

>

Yes it is.

TY

[Guest BostonGuy]

>I could come up with a couple of others if I had kept a record

>or repeated the ordeals. Essentially it is blind to keyloggers

>-- not the most benign of malware. BTW, so are the antivirus

>packages.

>

This review, from July 1, is a review of a "near-final" beta version of Spy Sweeper:

http://security.webbuyersguide.com/reviews...ty_reviews.html

You'll note that the beta version caught and removed six of eight key loggers (but missed two). Since then, Webroot has improved the product again (the current build is 5.0.7).

I do disable the keylogger shield but run it occasionally just to see if it comes up with any hits. Leaving it going all the time slows down the system too much.

Your caution about being careful is certainly well-intended and well-heeded. But SS has been terrifically effective for me, so it's the one I recommend now to others.

BG

[Guest mbarz]

BG and TY,

When I was looking for things to try and fix this problem and before I did what Boston Guy suggested, I downloaded another anti-virus program called AVG. It totally fucked up my email account. I couldn't access it.

My brother said it had a "add on file" that attached itself to outlook even after I had deleted the program. I, of course, had never heard of it and didn't know what it was, but when he deleted it my email worked again.

So, because of that, I was going to ask you TY, if the program you suggested was safe. I was leary of downloading another anti-virus program after the trouble I had with that one.

Thanks again, you have both been very helpful, maybe if I hadn't had my brother do all my projects for me when I took a computer science course, I would have learned something.

mbarz

[Guest BostonGuy]

>BG and TY,

>

>When I was looking for things to try and fix this problem and

>before I did what Boston Guy suggested, I downloaded another

>anti-virus program called AVG. It totally fucked up my email

>account. I couldn't access it.

>

You'd be amazed at how often people ask me for advice on what to do and then, after receiving it, call back and say "well, I decided to try just more thing on my own before doing what you said and now I'm really screwed..." :-) I think it has something to do with the "guy" mentality.

>My brother said it had a "add on file" that attached

>itself to outlook even after I had deleted the program. I, of

>course, had never heard of it and didn't know what it was, but

>when he deleted it my email worked again.

>

>So, because of that, I was going to ask you TY, if the program

>you suggested was safe. I was leary of downloading another

>anti-virus program after the trouble I had with that one.

>

TY recommended housecall:

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Trendmicro is another trustworthy firm and housecall is a good product. You don't really download it the way you do other products. It doesn't provide live protection but it will scan your system for free.

I like Trendmicro a lot, not least because they do provide this high-quality service for free. I choose to run their antivirus program (PC-cillin) as my live antivirus on all of my machines.

>Thanks again, you have both been very helpful, maybe if I

>hadn't had my brother do all my projects for me when I took a

>computer science course, I would have learned something.

>

>mbarz

LOL

BG

[Guest jackhammer91406]

I have read this thread many times and have gone to the shields section to try and find the keylogger that was mentioned and cannot find it. Can you give me a bit more help in locating this so I can check to see if it is activated?

Thanks

[Guest BostonGuy]

You have to have v5 of Spy Sweeper installed -- I don't think previous versions had the keylogger (at least I don't remember it being there).

If you have v5, double-click the SS icon to open the program's interface. Click on the "Shields" tab. Then choose "Windows System". "Keylogger Shield" will be the last item listed under "Critical Shields".

BG

[TampaYankee]

>When I was looking for things to try and fix this problem and

>before I did what Boston Guy suggested, I downloaded another

>anti-virus program called AVG. It totally fucked up my email

>account. I couldn't access it.

>

>My brother said it had a "add on file" that attached

>itself to outlook even after I had deleted the program. I, of

>course, had never heard of it and didn't know what it was, but

>when he deleted it my email worked again.

>

You found your own example of what I mentioned. Another called something like: #1SpyKiller or close to that. Purports to be anti-spyware for a fee, but actually downloads spyware on your system. You don't even have to do the 'Free Trial' download. Visiting the site seems to be enough.

>So, because of that, I was going to ask you TY, if the program

>you suggested was safe. I was leary of downloading another

>anti-virus program after the trouble I had with that one.

>

Housecall is a free internet based antivirus removal tool by the same people that make PC-cillin, a very well reviewed AntiVirus Program (AVP) by the legitimate reviewing organizations. I have no reservations using their products or accessing their site.

Sometimes viruses(trojan horses) can infect an AVP to modify the way it works. If you suspect that might have happened then it is wise to bring in an outside AVP to check your system. That is one reason to utilize Housecall. Another reason is just to have an independent look occasionally. In return Trendmicro does suggest making a tax-decutable donation to schools online. However, it is not a requirement.

I find it a convenient sanity check from time to time. Because of my positive experience with it and because of their well reviewed software and a good reputation, I'm thinking of including PC-cillin and their AntiSpy software in my medicine cabinet.

[Guest BostonGuy]

I thought today's Dilbert was particulary apropos. :-)

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/...t-20060818.html

BG

[TampaYankee]

BG,

I regarded your initial SpySweeper update announcement at m4m with great interest that quicky deflated when you gave you assessment of the new keylooger capability. An anti-keylogging app that mires the performance so badly didn't seem of practical use. Thus I never followed up.

>This review, from July 1, is a review of a

>"near-final" beta version of Spy Sweeper:

>

>http://security.webbuyersguide.com/reviews...ty_reviews.html

>

>You'll note that the beta version caught and removed six of

>eight key loggers (but missed two). Since then, Webroot has

>improved the product again (the current build is 5.0.7).

>

Thanks for the link. The review is very interesting and informative. Most reviews fall short of this in breadth and depth. Even so I wish there was access to all the details. I suspect the virus makers do too. x(

Also, it pretty much makes my case stated above that no single application should be relied upon. That does not mean that this one should not be employed -- it is one of the very best. But the best are not perfect -- far from it. Yes, if you could only have one then this a strong candidate. Just know that it fails on occasion. If security failures are important to one then any one package alone is insufficient.

>I do disable the keylogger shield but run it occasionally just

>to see if it comes up with any hits. Leaving it going all the

>time slows down the system too much.

>

The performance is very unfortunate and caused me to shy away as I mentioned above. However, using it as you suggest, while much less than optimal, is a useful alternative to have in the bag of tricks. I am a registered owner so I'll try the update. Lord knows I have tried so many others.

>Your caution about being careful is certainly well-intended

>and well-heeded. But SS has been terrifically effective for

>me, so it's the one I recommend now to others.

If you can only have one then it is a good choice for most people. It is getting better too. However, it contains holes, critical holes if one uses the computer for online purchases and banking. People need to know that so that at least they can remain wary at the screen and not assume the fat dumb and happy path I alluded to above. I have walked that path. It holds some nasty suprises at times.

[Guest BostonGuy]

Agreed.

If someone is actively downloading from less-than-trustworthy sites (and I'd put virtually all porn sites into that category), more may be needed.

But, for the casual "normal" user, I think Spy Sweeper and good antivirus is generally enough -- with your caution in mind that something might slip through. I should tailor my advice to run these two products with a caution to keep a general eye on how your system is running.

Most people can tell when their system has gotten infected because it generally starts running badly or at least slowly. In this event, checking with another program might be a very good idea.

I just caution against regularly running lots of anti-spyware because I think it isn't necessary if you have one very good program running and because I just don't trust at all some of the programs that people download from the Net. And they all have similar-sounding names, so it's very difficult for people to keep track of who's a good guy and who's not.

Anyway, good discussion and I'm glad you chimed in with a different perspective. The points you make are good and surely should be kept in mind by any active Internet user.

BG

[TampaYankee]

> I should

>tailor my advice to run these two products with a caution to

>keep a general eye on how your system is running.

>

I believe this is critical to maintaing a clean system.

>Most people can tell when their system has gotten infected

>because it generally starts running badly or at least slowly.

Some indicators are more subtle than general sluggish behavior -- an unsual screen flicker when certain functions or apps are employed or the more apparent symptom when the computer activity light comes on and stays for a noticable period, all for no apparent reason. Sometimes the are background tasks like Microsoft sending updates without permission etc. Sometimes it is someone even more intrusive.

It's hard to say what to watch for except behavior out of the ordinary.

[Guest BostonGuy]

>It's hard to say what to watch for except behavior out of the

>ordinary.

>

Well, yes, but... most intruders are pretty noticeable. If you've got good protection on your system to start with, you're stopping most of the stuff before it can come in. Of the rest, most (imho) will be noticeable almost off the bat. So I think it's a rare instance, for most people going to reasonable sites, that they'll get something that won't be caught and won't be pretty noticeable pretty quickly.

Anyway, that's it for me, for tonight and for this thread.

BG

[TampaYankee]

>Well, yes, but... most intruders are pretty noticeable.

Agreed. Most intrusive software are annoyances and dont mind showing as long as they accomplish their goal. However, keyloggers go to great length not to be noticable.

Thanks for the exchange and good night, where ever you are.

[Guest jackhammer91406]

Thanks BG.

I had version 4.5 so upgraded. I wanted to thank you for turning me on to this software in the first place many moons ago.