Shaky, Jerky, & Jumping

[Vonnie]

Windows 98 SE - Get jerking and jumping when clicking and scrolling - especially when playing card games. Everything's kinda shaky. Repainting of screens/windows slow at times. Also, when signing on to AOL sometimes I'm already online and reading an email before the the welcome message and "you've got mail" functions or am already off line and get the "good-bye" from AOL. Things just seem to work slower than the action I'm attempting.
Running AVG anti-virus, Ad-aware, and Spybot helps a little but it soon starts up again.
Btw, awhile ago ran 4 AV scans and only AVG found that I had 2 trojans. However, the program doesn't remove them. Went to their site for direction to get rid of them and, of course, there were DOS instructions that as I followed step-by-step left me hanging when I didn't know how to proceed because the screen didn't match the instructions. Consequently, I just closed out DOS and they're still there. Don't think these are causing the above-mentioned problems though.
Thanks

[Phil Rabichow]

It could be the video card. There could also be something running & using resources. You can "probably" check the latter by running the resource meter (go to Start/Run & type <big><font color=red><code>Rsrcmtr.exe</code></font color=red></big> & press <Enter>.

Also, try Ctrl+Alt+Del & kill all running processes except Explorer & your game. See if that improves the speed. If so, you may have too many things loading at startup.

As far as trojans, etc., be a little more specific in what was found & what you did, but post it in the Spyware forum.

[Vonnie]

Phil: Thanks so much for responding. (1) By clearing the programs in the background (there weren't too many) has helped quite a bit. However, this isn't a permanent solution especially when working/playing online (AOL). Didn't know it but we have KazaaLite installed and perhaps this is the culprit? These kinds of programs are risky business, don't you think?
(2) Anyway, when I tried to run the resource meter (go to Start/Run & type Rsrcmtr.exe & press <Enter>, the following message appeared: (Red circle with an X) Cannot find the file Rsrcmtr.ext (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available. What does that all mean? I have no idea if all the required libraries are available or how to find them. Do we need a new Video card?
(3) Lost my wireless file-sharing capability with my laptop because an "ndis.vxd" file could not be found. Does this have anything to do with the Video card?
(4) Could I ask you another question? Are all the programs that are listed under Programs at the Start menu button actually loaded at start-up? I thought they were just shortcuts and the actual program was only loaded when you used/opened it. I believe every program we have on the PC is listed there. If the actual program is loaded, no wonder the PC is going bonkers. Should we get rid of some of those listed at start-up that are used only infrequently? Seems everything you load goes immediately to that listing.
Thanks, Phil.

[Phil Rabichow]

>>(1)Didn't know it but we have KazaaLite installed and perhaps this is the culprit? These kinds of programs are risky business, don't you think?

I haven't used KazaaLite, so I don't know if it uses a lot of resources. I've heard that only Kazaa has spyware. Hopefully, you have a firewall (see <!post=StarPost 407306,407306>StarPost 407306<!/post> by Jefferson Scher). You should have it set so that KazaaLite doesn't access the internet without a prompt. Then, shut it off & see if there is an improvement.

>>(2) Anyway, when I tried to run the resource meter (go to Start/Run & type Rsrcmtr.exe & press <Enter>, the following message appeared: (Red circle with an X) Cannot find the file Rsrcmtr.ext (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available. What does that all mean?

1. Click an empty spot on the taskbar & press F3.
2. Make sure that the look in box is your primary hard drive & that "include subfolders" is ticked.
3. Type
rsrcmtr.exe
in the "named" box & search. You should be able to find it.

>>Do we need a new Video card?
That's a possibility. I don't know if it's going bad, but I would try the other steps first. I would also go to My Computer, select it & press Alt+Enter. This will bring up a dialog box. Switch to the Performance tab. Under Graphics, see what the acceleration is set at. Generally, use Full unless you're having problems. You can always play with that & move it back if nothing improves.

Also, I should have said this earlier. Run scandisk (thorough); reboot & delete temp files, trash, & other garbage on your system, & then do a complete defrag.

>>(3) Lost my wireless file-sharing capability with my laptop because an "ndis.vxd" file could not be found. Does this have anything to do with the Video card?

Don't know the answer to this one. Maybe someone else can jump in.

>>(4) Could I ask you another question? Are all the programs that are listed under Programs at the Start menu button actually loaded at start-up?

No! What is loaded at startup is what is listed under msconfig/Startup tab. Except for some viruses, programs will either be those listed under Start menu/Programs/Startup & under certain registry keys. These are primarily:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVe rsionRun
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVe rsionRunonce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentV ersionRun
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentV ersionRunOnce
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentV ersionRunServices

Should we get rid of some of those listed at start-up that are used only infrequently? Seems everything you load goes immediately to that listing.

I start my machine with only the minimal apps loaded: my mouse driver & Explorer. You don't even need systray. But you might want to load your anti-virus at startup. After I've scanned by disk, I don't have anything running except a game, if I'm playing. Before I go on the Internet, I run a batch file which starts everything I need to connect to, & safely use, the Internet. I don't even run my firewall at startup because nothing can connect to the Internet before my Ethernet connection is activated.
Hope this helps,

[Vonnie]

Phil: My problems seems to be corrected based on what was done to correct it outlined below:

Still having problems in AOL with repainting of screens/windows and the sound is slower than the display. (It

[AlanMiller]

Hi Phil

That last one appears to be http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html, as opposed to startupinfo.php

Alan

[Phil Rabichow]

Thanks, Alan. I've corrected it both here & in my notes.

[Phil Rabichow]

<P ID="edit" class=small>(Edited by Phil Rabichow on 06-Oct-04 11:30. to correct php to html on the sysinfo page. Thanks for pointing this out, Alan.)</P>Glad it's working now. There are too many startup programs for me to keep track of. However, go to one of these sites to get information:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.htmL http://www.answersthatwork.com/Taskl...s/tasklist.htm http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html This last one lists dozens of programs & gives recommendations.
Here's one more http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/#startuplist]
Good luck,

[DocWatson]

Vonnie,

You have a few problems that may be causing your troubles by using up too many system resources to do their dirty-work. First you have to get rid of the junk and you can start with New.net Startup. Go here for removal instructions. You also have at least 2 other items listed in your Startup items that are adware/malware and should be removed from the system and not just unchecked. I'll review your attachment and see if I can come up with removal instructions. Meanwhile, get rid of that New.net thing.

Edited to add The entry for EbatesMoeMoneyMaker can be removed with a simple registry edit. Instructions are here. There's more information here, but I'd advise against going to the Ebates site or enlisting any assistance from them to remove their product. Use Symantec's Registry edit to be sure.
BarginBuddy's removal instructions are here.

Good luck and happy hunting !! <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15>

[Vonnie]

Doc: Sorry I

[DocWatson]

Hi Vonnie.

Hope you enjoyed your trip south and didn't get caught up in any of that hurricane mess. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15> It sounds like you have vanquished most of the malware on your system at this point. The only suggestions I can make at this point are to update both Adaware and Spybot to their most current versions (for Adaware that would be the Adaware se version and Spybot is version 1.3) then after you have them installed, update the definitions and run each one. Remove anything that they find and then Immunize your system with Spybot. That should take care of most all the malware and spyware. Now.............

I reread the thread and found some reference to you having Kazaa Lite installed. Do you have a teen with access to the PCs ?? This is a known source of a lot of the junk that you had on your system. Even the so called "clean" versions of Kazaa can be loaded with spyware. If it's still on your machine, uninstall it. If it refuses to uninstall, it's likely due to us removing the spyware it brought along. Let me know if that is the case. Also, are you diligent about emptying your Temporary Internet folder ??? Go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup and run the utility on your C drive, after checking Downloaded Programs, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files and Webclient/Publisher Temporay Files. This should help with system proformance. Then you should defrag your hard drive. The defrag utility is also in the System Tools folder. I'd suggest that you start this before you go to bed one night if you don't do it on a regular basis or have never done a defrag, and let the utility run all night (yeah, it could take that long). Leave the power to the PC on, but turn off the monitor and any other external devices.

One other thing, you mentioned not being able to share files with your laptop. The file you had trouble with are network drivers and you can get new ones here if that is still a problem.
That stuff should keep you busy for a little while. Post back with your results and if things aren't back to normal when you've finished, we can then consider the possibility that your video card is either inadequate or going bad. HTH. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15>

[Vonnie]

November 10, 2004
Here I am again. Did upgrade to the current versions of both SpyBot and Ad-aware programs. Removed everything

[DocWatson]

OK............ progress !!! At least the junk is gone, for the moment anyway. I'll try to get your questions answered here one by one.

Spybot will ask you to immunize when it needs to setup protection for new threats. This usually will happen after an update. I run Spybot & Adaware about once a week and go through a routine that covers all the bases. First Update, then run the scan, then check to see if it requires re-immunization (for Spybot).

I'm not the <img src=/S/cop.gif border=0 alt=cop width=15 height=24>Internet Police <img src=/S/stop.gif border=0 alt=stop width=26 height=24>, so use the peer-to-peer utilities all you like. Just understand what you are opening yourself up to both from the programs themselves and the content you get from your peers.

Sounds like you are on top of the temporary internet files. Leave the folders in the Windows>Temp folder alone. You can safely delete the files there if they end in the .tmp file extension. Same goes for the Content IE5 folder.

The results from the defrag fiasco may have a positive side to them. Although it reinitialized the problem, the fact that it only took 20 minutes to run it leads me to believe that you have a rather small hard drive. Is this true ??? If so, it would explain alot. By small I'm talking 8GB or smaller. If your drive is more than 75% full, this can cause problems, especially on the internet with all the content it has to load and unload. Also, is the system making any strange noises when it's working hard or just workig at all ??

Wish I could lay claim to all the knowledge you seem to think I possess. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15> My secret (and that of many others) is Google. Type the name of a file, part of a phrase, a word or even a question and see where it takes you. If it doesn't seem to be getting you anything useful, ask it another way or change the word order or add or leave something out. Greatest thing since sliced bread !!!

It's possible AOL is behind the problem, but I'd doubt it. I don't like their version of the internet, but that's a matter of presonal taste. You could upgrade, but I'd hold off as that may be a source of trouble. Upgrading software while not upgrading the underlying OS and hardware can eventually tax the older system to it's limit. Something I am beginning to suspect is happening here.

Your granddaughter shouldn't need to have her screen name on your PC unless she is communicating with you using Instant Messenger. OSU should provide her with internet access in her dorm and she can download and run the Instant Messenger software <img src=/S/free.gif border=0 alt=free width=30 height=15> without having AOL installed on her PC there at school or on you PC at home. Her email should come with the school provided internet access. She doesn't NEED AOL.

Reinstalling Windows might help, but let's wait on that untill we see about the free space situation on your harddrive.

If it turns out to be not worth the trouble at some point, I'd say a new PC is probably in order anyway. You can get something from Dell for about $400 that will make this box look like a toaster instead of a PC and as an added bonus, SP2 will come pre-installed almost like it was part of the OS !!![clap] Check th XP forum for the survey on SP2 by our fellow lounger Viking33. 93+% positive response on success and satisfaction with SP2 installs. It's almost painless if you follow the preinstall instructions on the MS download page. The only pain should be from you kicking yourself for not doing it sooner !!! <img src=/S/laugh.gif border=0 alt=laugh width=15 height=15>

What was it Dan Rather used to say at the end of his newscasts a few years ago...... "Courage!!" <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>

[Vonnie]

11/12/2004 Doc: Good morning. Don

[DocWatson]

Good Morming to you too. <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15> My little remark about the peer-to-peer utilities was in reference to KazaaLite, the file sharing utility. It uses a peer-to-peer network (you share all or some files on your computer with millions of other computers all over the world that are sharing all or some of their files) that helps to prevent the service from being prosecuted and shut down the way Napster was. It's mostly underground stuff and illegal to share most of the copyrighted content that is on the networks (music, movies, pornography, etc.). Thus my reference to the internet police. The software has been a known source of adware / spyware for some time and I wanted you to be aware that it could have been one source of your troubles and that if you had been using it, it was none of my business anyway, but you should know what it brings along with it to your computer.

The more I see the more I suspect your video card as the source of the strange behavior. If it occures both on and off line, we can pretty much eliminate the Internet or your IP as the cause. That leaves your software or your hardware. If your software hasn't changed significantly (Antivirus Updates, Office Updates, Windows Updates, New Installations), and the drivers for your video card and your monitor are current, then you have to look at either the monitor itself or the video card, and I'm afraid I can't do that from here. <img src=/S/nope.gif border=0 alt=nope width=15 height=15> <img src=/S/sorry.gif border=0 alt=sorry width=15 height=15>