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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Slow Connection Due to Virus?
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 07-26-2005 06:22 PM
One suggestion is making sure System Restore is turned off when running some spyware and anti-viral scans. You especially need to do this when removing identified infections, otherwise System Restore may bring them back to life. It may be even better to open Windows in Safe Mode and then run the anti-virus and anti-spyware scans in that mode.
Unfortunately, formatting the hard drive may be the only reliable thing to do with certain infections. A friend's PC got infected with the Cool Web Search hack and formatting was the only thing that killed that piece of spyware. May whoever creates that hack get a .50 cal round to the face. They deserve it 100%.
If I can't figure out what's ailing a PC, I won't hesistate to reformat the hard drive. It's usually not very difficult to restore the OS and drivers on any recently built Dell system. It may take a good bit longer to reinstall the rest of your software. Still, the time you spend doing that will be less over the long haul than the time and productivity lost in trying to use a compromised PC. Honestly, if you think you may have some kind of spyware or virus infection on your Dell XPS, it would be ill-advised to use it for any kind of online transactions.
One of the best investments computer users can make is getting a copy of Norton Ghost and using it in conjunction with a large capacity external hard disc drive. You can ghost your boot disc to that drive. If the system gets compromised Ghost can get it restored pretty fast. However, Ghost is only going to be useful to anyone as long as they keep their anti-viral programs up to date and take other steps to secure their computers. Without up to date anti-viral and anti-spyware apps in use you'll very likely include viruses as part of your backed up boot disc.
AVG offers a free, personal edition of their anti-viral software.
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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 07-26-2005 07:05 PM
The Russians seem to be doing just that Bobby (at least for spammers):
link
Russia’s Biggest Spammer Brutally Murdered in Apartment
MosNews
Vardan Kushnir, notorious for sending spam to each and every citizen of Russia who appeared to have an e-mail, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Sunday, Interfax reported Monday. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head.
Kushnir, 35, headed the English learning centers the Center for American English, the New York English Centre and the Centre for Spoken English, all known to have aggressive Internet advertising policies in which millions of e-mails were sent every day.
In the past angry Internet users have targeted the American English centre by publishing the Center’s telephone numbers anywhere on the Web to provoke telephone calls. The Center’s telephone was advertised as a contact number for cheap sex services, or bargain real estate sales.
Another attack involved hundreds of people making phone calls to the American English Center and sending it numerous e-mails back, but Vardan Kushnir remained sure of his right to spam, saying it was what e-mails were for.
Under Russian law, spamming is not considered illegal, although lawmakers are working on legal projects that could protect Russian Internet users like they do in Europe and the U.S.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 07-26-2005 09:51 PM
Although it looks like your problem is software or malware related, still, don't rule out physical problems with your phone connection!
I have two specific stories about problems with dial-up that I spent hours trying to track down. Both of them turned out to be in the phone line.
Story #1: The modem disconnects whenever somebody flushes a toilet!
At first, I thought I was getting random disconnects. I called my ISP. I called the phone company. I went through every setting and parameter on the computer but couldn't find the problem. The phone company advised me to make notes of when the disconnects happened. That's when I started seeing a pattern.
I would get disconnected every time somebody flushed a toilet, used the shower, turned on the dishwasher or used a lot of water in the house. It took a couple of weeks before it dawned on me. We have a well with an electric pump! Whenever somebody used enough water to cause the pump to start running the modem would lose connection. I couldn't get a connection back until the water pump stopped running. (If somebody was using a WHOLE LOT of water it could be several minutes!)
I went to the basement to investigate. It turned out that the phone lines ran right next to the electrical line that fed the water pump. It was about 2 inches away and ran parallel for several feet.
This house was built in the 60's, before computers became standard equipment in the home. The wiring and phone line was installed with due care for the time period the house was built in but most people didn't think about computers back then. If you picked up the phone and could hear the other person, the phones were OK. Nowadays, as many of you know, with modems, this is not so.
I ripped out all the phone lines, replaced them with CAT-5 and made sure they were routed away from all electrical lines and the problem cleared right up!
Story #2: The modem runs slowly when the weather is wet and completely disconnects when the wind blows hard!
This happened in a different house. The one I live in now. I had previously ripped out all phone lines and replaced them with CAT-5. From my experience with the other house, I wasn't going to take chances! However, I didn't think to look at the piece of wire that comes from the junction box outside the house, through the wall and into the basement where I placed my terminal block.
What I eventually found was that the wire had come loose from its strain reliefs and the insulation was stressed at the point where the wire penetrated the wall. There were micro-fine cracks in the old rubber (vinyl?) insulation that grew from the stress put on the wire as it flapped around in the wind. If the weather was wet and water seeped into the insulation the phone connection was degraded. If the weather was windy, the connection would be completely lost for hours on end until the weather calmed down.
I replaced that 3-foot piece of cable and the problem disappeared. My modem is running as fast as it ever has!
What I'm saying here is not necessarily that you sould check your phone lines. If you haven't done a visual inspection in a while, it would pay to do so. What I'm really getting at is that, if you can't solve the problem with normal measures, it would be beneficial for you to engage in some lateral thinking.
(i.e.: Maybe the problem doesn't lie where you think it does.)
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 07-27-2005 09:29 AM
quote: Bobby Henderson
One of the best investments computer users can make is getting a copy of Norton Ghost and using it in conjunction with a large capacity external hard disc drive. You can ghost your boot disc to that drive. If the system gets compromised Ghost can get it restored pretty fast. However, Ghost is only going to be useful to anyone as long as they keep their anti-viral programs up to date and take other steps to secure their computers.
About every year or so I reformat my system volume and then reinstall Windows, drivers and applications. In fact, I do everything possible in the way of configuring the computer the way I like it without connecting it to the Internet. At that point I make a set of system image DVDs using Drive Image. Then I install Zone Alarm, Norton, connect to the Net and immediately download the updates for everything.
That way, the recovery process takes a little longer, because after restoring the image you need to reinstall Zone Alarm, Norton and then download a ton of updates. But because the computer was never connected to the net before the image was made, that image is 100% guaranteed to be free of viruses, spyware or any other nasties. If, after creating the image, I install new software or update the versions on there, I'll just make a note of what I've done on the DVD sleeve and add that to the recovery process.
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