Computer problems?

[LCE]

Hi,
I'm not sure if this is the place to post this or not?if not,Please excuse me.

Just recently whenever I turn my computer off I get a warning that there is a Corrupt/bad file on my computer and to Scan Now...
Before I get into this to far,I have Defraged my computer recently...

Anyway's,
I am using AOL Safety and Security Center to do the Scanning for Viruses,Spyware/Adware Protection.
up until recently I have never had a problem what-so-ever.

AOL Safety and Security Center goes through its routine first checking for Viruses and comes up clean but then when it gets to scanning for Spyware/Adware the scanning goes fine up until about 60% and then gets real sluggish and takes forever...it ran for close to 14 hours the other day and still wasn't close to being done?
I stopped the scan and ran it in Safe Mode and it finished scanning in under 2 hours showing that there were no viruses or Spyware/Adware...

So what's going on here?
How come I keep getting a Warning about a Corrupt/bad file and my Scanning for Spyware is extremely slow in regular mode?

If I have left anything out that may help you all help me,Please let me know

Id sure appreciate any help you all can give me on this
Thank You
LCE

[Soopafresh]

I wonder if you have a virus, rootkit, or some smart adware. That AOL spyware app is pretty weak. Just worked on a friend's system who had that app, but when I ran another checker, I found half a dozen painfully difficult to remove adware apps.

Try the free version of this - http://www.superantispyware.com/

[jagabo]

Try running CHKDSK with the "Automatically fix file system errors" and "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors" options enabled.

Go to My Computer, right click on the drive in question, select Properties, select the Tools tab, in the Error Checking box press the Check Now... button, enable the two options, and press Start.

If you're checking your boot drive you'll get a message that CHKDSK can't run the full test until the next boot. So reboot your computer. The test may take a few hours.

[LCE]

Hi Soopafresh,
I installed superantispyware and ran it...boy,were you right it found 167 threats. I Quarantined and deleted them but I still get a Warning from Mcafee that there is a Suspect file and that I should Scan Now.
It doesn't even tell me what/where the file is or anything?
And on top of that I am still having the same problems with the AOL Safety and Security Center Scan I posted about above?

Hi jagabo,
I'll try your suggestion next,I'm just a little leery since I have no computer knowledge at all.
In your instructions when you say to "Go to My Computer, right click on the drive in question" how do I know what drive to pick since I haven't a clue what or where the bad file/folder is?
Is there any risk of hurting the computer doing this?

I'm still open for other suggestions to try as well if anybody else has any?

I Appreciate the help Soopafresh and jagabo
I'll keep you posted
Thank You
LCE

[redwudz]

If you have a problem with malware on a hard drive, it would almost always be the boot drive, the C: drive. Error checking won't hurt anything, just help.

When you first described your 'warning', that sounded like a bit of adware. There are several that can pop up and say you have a system problem and you need to use their software to fix it. The 'system problem' is actually their popup.

But if it is a legitimate warning, you might want to unplug from the internet, start your computer in 'Safe Mode' and do the antivirus scans again from there. That keeps most malware programs from loading.

If you clean it all out and it comes back immediately, then you have more problems. Some of those files are deeply embedded and take a bit to remove. I also use Trend Micro's free online scan at times as it can sometimes find problems my other programs can't: http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp

After you get everything cleaned up, think about getting a good antivirus/anti-Trojan/anti-adware program(s) to keep it clean.

[LCE]

Hi redwudz,
Thanks,
I just ran CHKDSK and let it go through its steps. It didn't take long at all to finish.
I don't know if it did any good or not,is there a way to tell if it did?

(I also ran CHKDSK on my other computer and let it go through the steps,only it didn't restart the computer like it said it was doing? anyway's that off topic,I need to focus on one computer at a time)

I'm not sure if it is Adware or not...its a warning from Mcafee?

I have ran AOL Safety and Security Center scan with the computer in safe mode and it went through its steps like it should without the problems I mentioned in my first post taking 14 hours and still not even close to being done?
It came up as not having found anything.

When I ran superantispyware that Soopafresh suggested I did it in regular mode...should I also do this in Safe Mode?

If you mean by "unplug from the Internet" as not being signed on,all scans have been done while not signed onto the Internet.

I'll try out http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp that you linked to tomorrow and see what that comes up with. I tried to use it tonight but the site was acting funny.

I thought the programs I have been using were fairly good as I haven't had a single problem in about 3 or 4 years.
What programs would you all suggest I get to block all the nasty stuff?

and redwudz I'm also in NW California,behind the Redwood Curtain.

I'll keep you posted on what happens
Thank You
LCE

EDIT: The superantispyware scan(in regular mode-not Safe Mode)just got done and came up with zero threats.
I shut the computer down and the Warning from Mcafee ActiveShield popped up again saying there is a Suspect file and that I should Scan Now.

So nothing so far has done the trick
I should also mention again that this Warning only pops up when the computer is being turned off

[redwudz]

As long as CHKDSK finishes with no problems, that's good. If you run it on the boot drive, it won't run until you reboot as it needs full access to the drive.

As long as your popup is from Macafee, then it's OK. Some adware programs put up a similar popup.

If you have a lot of malware on the computer, Safe Mode is usually better for scanning with antivirus programs.

Trend Micro can be used in regular mode, even when hooked to the internet. It probably won't find anything more, but it can't hurt to check.

By 'unplug', I meant if you have a DSL or cable modem. Some adware is set to 'phone home' after you remove it and install itself again. It can also hide in the Restore file.

My computers use freeware for antivirus, antispyware and adware. I use AVG Free, Spybot S&D and Spyware Blaster. And I keep the last two updated every couple of weeks. But I also have a hardware firewall with my router.

EDIT: I just read the addition to your last post. What you may be getting is a 'false positive'. Some antivirus programs will identify valid programs as virus/spyware. But I would still do more scans. Make sure Macafee is updated, also. It's a pain that it doesn't better identify just what it thinks the problem is.

[bevills1]

Are you running Windows 2000 or XP, and have you tried running "SFC /scannow" from command prompt. This sould fix corrupt Windows system files if there are any. If you have serious virus or malware problems, you may need something like UBCD4Win (ultimate boot CD for Windows) to eliminate them. FYI UBCD4Win is a boot CD for Windows specifically designed to fix serious problems and has the advantage that none of the system files are loaded and thus no possibility of virus programs loading. I had to do this on a Win XP system plus had to fix a Windows update problem after that (SP2 install wouldn't complete) which was likely caused by those infections.

EDIT: The redwudz suggestion about false positive is a distinct possibility too, and his anti-malware is top notch as well. I elected to switch from AVG to free Avast anti-virus after I tried it when Avast detected 4 malwares AVG failed to detect. Try a Google search for the warning you're getting which I did when Avast warned of suspect file and found a known false positive in Avast for that file.

[Soopafresh]

The method which works really well is the Bart PE or Ultimate Boot Disk system. You basically build a simplified version of Windows on USB flash or CD from your original XP CD. Boot the system via the Ultimate Boot CD, and you no longer have to worry about spyware loading before you can kill it. The thing about spyware these days is that it has become as sophisticated as the apps which detect and clean it. Desperate systems call for desperate measures.

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/tutorials.html

[LCE]

Hi redwudz,
Well,I thought I had the problem solved but such is my luck,its not.

I ran CHKDSK and it went all the way through without a glitch.
I have ran several Malware scans and each are coming up virtually clean.

I'm not on DSL or cable modem but am on Dial-up

If I am getting a false-positive(what exactly is that?I have done several searches but am still not sure.) like you mention how would I go about identifying it as such and eliminating it?

I'm not even sure how to get to McAfee to do a scan with it,since installing AOL Safety and Security Center it pretty much overrode it.
I can find several folders that are McAfee on my computer but no Run Icon.

Like I mentioned before I haven't had any problems these past 3 or 4 years with what I have.

I was thinking about uninstalling McAfee and then reinstalling it(if I can find out how to?)to see if that cures the problem?

Hi bevills1 and Soopafresh,
I am running Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2.
I'm not sure what SFC /scannow now is and how I can run it from command prompt?
The rest of both your posts is beyond my reach.

If I had the money I would hire somebody who actually knows what they are doing to come and fix this problem and while they are at it clean this computer up so it can run faster but I don't

I was wanting to learn about computers anyway's so I guess this is just a good push to start

Thanks for all your help I Appreciate it
LCE

[redwudz]

false positive= a normal program wrongly shown as malware. Usually if that happens, the antivirus company will correct the mistake after a few complaints.

Could you post a screenshot of that warning? I'm confused if that's a Windows warning, a antivirus warning or just some sort of adware popup. Instructions here: https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=271697

That might be an idea to uninstall Macafee. Some antivirus programs don't get along with each other and can cause problems. If it's not working anyway, you don't need it at present.

With the scans you have done, it's sounding less likely that it is malware. One more place to look is in 'Task Manager>Processes. If you click on 'User Name' it will sort them by type. Look for one spelled with mixed case letters. like MaLwArE. Probably won't see that, but if you do it's suspicious. The image names are fairly cryptic, but if Macafee is there, it probably has a similar sounding name. My AVG antivirus is named 'avgcc.exe'.

[LCE]

Hi redwudz,
Thanks for clearing up what a False-Positive is...I was thinking that was what it was but wasn't 100% sure.
Unfortunately I cant post a screenshot of the Warning as it only pops up when the computer is being shutdown.
Now for the good part...
I'm about ready to declare Victory...Last night I went into the computer and uninstalled McAfee and then deleted some installers then I updated and installed again.
The scanning problem I mentioned earlier has been cured(although it takes about an hour and a half,but that's because there's so many files on my computer)and when I shut the computer down the Warning did not pop up.
This morning everything seemed to be running well but I wont know for sure if the problem is gone until I can go through my regular routines and shut the computer down a few times. My fingers are crossed.
If the problem comes back I will try and take a good clear picture of the Warning pop-up and post it here for you to check out.

Right now I am trying to go through and clean the computer out of files and programs that aren't needed but that's proving to be a chore in itself.
If you have any tips on cleaning out a computer and identifying what things needs to stay/go I'm open to them.

I'll keep you posted on the Warning problem in wether it comes back or not.

I really Appreciate all your help and for sticking in there with me
Thank You
LCE

[redwudz]

The first place I would look is in 'Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs'. That should give you a list of most installed programs and tell you when they were last used.

For files, a handy program I am trying is 'Folder Size': http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/ It's sort of a Beta program, but at least I can see my folder sizes without going into 'Properties' for each folder. If you click on the new 'Folder Size' column in Explorer, you can arrange by size and see what's taking up your hard drive space.

Also go into Internet Explorer and dump some Temp internet files. They can take up a lot of space.

[LCE]

Hi redwudz,
Well,scratch the McAfee Warning problem being solved...Its still popping up.
I think what I am going to do is call AOL up(I'm dreading that as you can never understand them and they really aren't much help and sometimes make things worse) and see what they can do as I think its on their side and not mine,all scans are coming back clean on my part.

As for cleaning up my computer Thanks for the tips...I did go to Add or Remove Programs and removed things I hadn't used in awhile but others refuse to be removed saying that they are not suitable for running windows or MS-DOS and others will say something to the effect of they cant be removed Make Sure The Disk Isn't full or Removed.

I book marked the 'Folder Size' program you suggested and will give it a try when I can get the McAfee problem worked out.
I'll go to Internet Explorer and see what Temp Internet Files I can delete...If I remember right last time I tried that(not sure if it was on Internet Explorer or not?)I wasn't able to log onto some sites.

Thanks for all your help
I'll keep you posted
LCE

[LCE]

Hi,

Well,I called AOL and they pretty much told me to do what I have already done(uninstall and reinstall)...I told them I had did that several times so they then tell me to uninstall completely and install another AntiVirus program and that will definitely cure the problems. Following their cure-all help and come to find out its a lesser setup then what I had so I put the old setup back in...I still get the McAfee Warning and the Scan is still slow(although faster then before)So I guess I will just live with the McAfee Warning.

Thanks Everyone
LCE

[balaku]

If you have problems with bad sectors I found something at SPAM Good luck I hope you will resolve your problem.