memory problem

Ok heres the deal. I got rid of the "project1" thing... but its something different now. THe project1 thing didnt slow anything down. But a couple of days ago, the kid tried to install "rome: total war", system coudlnt handle it, so he unistalled it.

Since then, my memory is maxed out. i ran every antivirus and spy test I could. It came back clean..its not a spyware problem. So ran to pc pitstop.com awesome site, btw... well anyways this is what it said after the first test..

While still useful for some basic e-mail, word processing and web browsing tasks, this system lacks the power to run newer applications that require good computing or graphics performance. If you are not satisfied with its performance after making our recommended tune-ups, buying a new computer is more cost-effective than investing in upgrades for this one.

wow.... thats a kick in the nads... anyrate... I checked it out further.. and found this...

The processor performance of this system, 741 MIPS (millions of integer operations per second), is significantly lower than similar systems with the same type of processor running at the same clock rate, which perform at 2901 MIPS, on average.

and..

ram installed: 256 speed rating: 1610 MB/s (49% of 1277 similar)

video board performance: 19.96 MP/s (36% of 75 similar)

The system itself seems fine. No abnormal shutdowns, or program crashes. Just veeeerrrrrryyyyy ssssllllooooowwwww. My theory is that something is left over from that game being installed, then uninstalled. Or somelittle bit of spyware on the memory, yet microsoft and the rest havent found anything.

I ran scan disk, defragged, reg cleaners, tuneup ultilities, and nothing works. As we speak, the task manager says Im using nothing as far as memory is concerned, but as soon as I navigate away, or load a page, it will spike and lag.

I know this is a huge post, but its killin me. Ive done everything I can think of. Are there any memory repair programs (preferably free), or something? I'm stumped...

... while I sit here watching the kid play "Rome" on the new one....lucky little puke..lol

[edit on 16-12-2005 by spliff4020]

[edit on 16-12-2005 by spliff4020]

since it was about 3 in the morning when I posted this.....



****bump****

wow...with all this advice coming in, I dont know which one to try first....


**sarcasm..**

anyone seein this?


*** bump ***

What are you system specs? Ie, Processor, RAM, Video card (onboard or otherwise).

Also, I had issues with my comp that started when I downloaded a dodgy copy of The Day After Tomorrow. It would cause Windows Explorer to go mental and eventually shut down.

Have you tried a format and re-install of windows? Pain in the bum, I know, but it might not be that bad if you have you apps on a different partition.

Rome Total War wouldn't have installed anything that will cause your comp to go funny. I have the game myself and apart from the odd Graphics Card crashes (my card is a little creaky and runs hot), it runs a dream.

Another thing to consider is maybe the components are knackered. Any one of a host of things could cause them to fail.

Might be worthwhile looking into upgrading, beacuse if you can't run Rome, then you have no hope of running any other decent games. Even Civ 4 would have trouble, as it is pretty RAM intensive.

Try running something called Memtest. If there is an issue with your RAM, it will pick it up.

But my advice would be format your HD and re-install windows and then update with all the latest SP2 updates, then make sure your other devices (like graphics card) are updated with the latest drivers.

Then see how the system performs. If it is still poo, then looks like you may have a hardware issue. Then you can start using various diag tools to narrow it down.

But as stated, probably is time for an upgrade...

A decent 64-bit with a 256mb PCi express graphics card, 2 gig RAm should only set you back £600 or so, so it's not too dear and it will be able to run the latest games and apps no probs.

Ok, so the problem arsies when you LOAD A WEBPAGE?
I wouldnt look at any thing else other than the browser.

Download a program called ' hijack this '
ITs a excellent tool.

Ive seen this problem before. When you open IE, it has doens of processes that must run, you may be free of spyware and so forth, but if you run IE, and the spyware you HAD placed a code into here to run, then thatll explain the problems.

Download the program called hijack this, run it..
when you press scan it will show heaps of individual files taht run when u load IE.

there will be some in there that are nessecary, but you should be able to distinguish.

IE sexxx.dll or 97132jdifhf.dll are obviously files.
something like 203.0.178.191 DNS is a nessecary input.
also, if you see something loading from the patch C:\windows\system 9 outta 10 times its a virus.

If you get this program, and dont know what to delete and keep, simply take a screen dump, and post it.. ill go through and highlight when you need to remove.

I have great confidence this will remove your problem.

Its weird. Ive ran microsoft antispy, and yahoos. They say Im clean. This Hijack this, found some stuff, but says it cleaned it. Im going to describe what I THINK is happening, though this could be wrong. Here it goes.

Lets say I this bar is my memory..

ll----------------------------------------------ll

I think its using this much then hitting something thats blocking it, like this:

ll--------------***---------------ll. After the kid installed, and uninstalled that game, the problems began. Is it possible that something was left after the uninstall. Becasue PC pitstop said that my processor and memory are operating at half capacity. Again, the system is stable. Nothing crashes. When the puter sits idle, the memory doesnt spike, but after a little typing, or or page loading the lag starts. And any movie from Ebaum or anything will play, but the picture lags terribly.

If you could look at those specs I posted above. PC didnt say I had a virus or spyware. BUT... after I was downloading a 1000 different programs, it turns out that one of them WAS a little virus. The next run thru on pc pitstop told me so. I cleaned that off, ran it again, got the same results. Everything running at half capacity. No mention of a virus again.

Ok, i just ran another test on pc pitstop..

latest results...

cpu load: 31%
speed rating: 724 (25% of 1277 similar)

memory results:

Memory performance of this system 1590 megabytes per second, is significantly lower than average. Systems with the same processor and amount of memory typically perform at a level of 3292 MB/s.

speed rating: 1590 MB/s (48% of 1277 similar)

video:
performance: 24.91 MP/s (44% of 75 similar)



Now mind you, it has these flagged with a yellow flag, which means "minor problem". The processor is flagged red. But again, these are all related.

these are the running programs..


spyagent is a keystroke logger.
motive sb is verizon.

There's a lot more to look at, scroll down a bit and repost a screen shot of the rest.

The things that look sus to me are.

MSN6.exe
if that was the REAL msn messenger, it should be msnmsngr or something like that.
msn6.exe looks to sus.

Is your HDD activity light really going nuts when your CPU load shoots up?
is the light constant? or does it flicker so quick you'd be confused to say its a powre light?

Have you checked your Registry? MSCONFIG startup menu?

I can give you instructions on how to check these...

A good thing to do, is REBOOT your pc, and run hijack this AGAIN.
you MIGHT find an entry which you previously deleted.
If so, this will be a major part of the problem.
hijack this will tell you the location of that particular entry, its a good idea to use explorer navigate to it, and DELETE it..
you MAY have to load in safemode to do so.

IF none of this works, lets start again.
take me through a step by step catalouge of what your doing, what pops up, and when the problem occurs.

as soon as you open IE.. does the cpu load shoot up? or do you need to actually type in an addresss.. etc etc.

the more thorough you are, the better chance we can find WHEN the problem happens, and WHATS Causing it.
hope this helps.

The two HP........exe entries look suspicous because they are basically the same, accept for 1 letter.

Do you have an HP Printer or scanner?

If so, ignore this post.
If you DONT... then these two stand out..
MAINLY because they are a mix of letters/numbers.

Ok, heres the screen shot of the lower half of task manager.





Ya, theres an HP scanner and printer, and I dont use IE, I use msn.

The light stays a constant green.

Now heres the thing. Nothing pops up. I dont think Im running any spyware. Ok, like just now... I had to windows open. One for ATS, and one for image shack. The load was at 100%. As soon as I closed that window (image shack) it went back down to nothing.

Boot up seems normal. Nothing crashes. But say, like now I went to ebaums and tried to watch a movie, it would max out and the movie would lag. I can type fine. But as soon as I try to run a program or movie, it maxs the load out at 100%.

First and foremost, you will reduce system load and free up a significant amount of memory and system resources by removing any/all "instant support", "virtual assistant", and "verizon Support center" software from ADD/Remove in control panel

HP installs "instant support" with every printer/scanner software installation. It can take up excessive memory and system resources, and is NOT needed to operate the hardware.

Verizon uses "Verizon Support Center" which, again, is NOT needed to make a connection nor to maintain said connection.

Many of these "support" software installations use a component called MatCli.exe (hidden from task manager) and/or, as in your case, Motive SB. Both of these components have known issues with several Windows operating systems that often times lead to exactly the symptoms you are experiencing. Sluggish performance, excessive cpu usage, and in some cases will cause system freezes and crashes (WinME and WinXP SP2)

The premise for these "programs" is to expedite any troubleshooting required if/when you have to call them for "support". In the meantime they start each and every time you turn on your PC, collecting very detailed information regarding system software and hardware configurations, as well as quite a bit of personally identifiable info.

By removing any/all "instant support", "support center", and/or "virtual assistant" installations thru ADD/Remove in control panel you WILL realize a significant increase in "available memory" and "system resources".

Again, NONE of these installations are required for your internet connection nor your printer/scanner hardware to function properly.

If you need/want step-by-step assistance in removal, above and beyond ADD/Remove, please U2U me.

"instant support" my butt :shk:

[edit to add supportive link]
Matcli and MotiveSB Info


[edit on 12/22/2005 by 12m8keall2c]

1. backup all important files
2. reformat your hard drive

Originally posted by Laughing Man
1. backup all important files
2. reformat your hard drive

1) none

2) hows that again? do i make a new partition, or install over the old one?

here you go

www.cyberwalker.net...

ok... gonna give it a stab... if theres no reply in say...oh i dunno 24hrs... i goofed..lol thanks guys

workin out the bugs, but I think Im almost done... much better... i think


just different issues now. I think I got it handled though... thanks to all