Harddrive Worry

[callousdivine]

I'm working on removing adware and such from a friend's XP Laptop. for whatever reason, it won't stop accessing the harddrive when I'm not using it, as though there is a background process scanning it or something. I have yet to find out what it could be, since I've run Bazooka, Ad-Aware, SpyBot, py Sweeper, MS Anti Spyware, Spyware Doctor, and Norton CleanSweep / AntiVirus, along with a few bootdisc antivirus programs (AVG, McAfee, and a few others), and I'm pretty sure I've killed off every piece of malware. I even went in and manually removed a few things from the registry. I just want to know if there's any suggestios as to why the HDD is always being accessed for seemingly no reason. It countinues even when I'm not using extended memory, and all programs are closed, including system tray programs. Nothing should be accessing the drive. Any tips?

[mark2]

Is disk indexing enabled.

look here

[callousdivine]

I followed that link and I didn't find that option within either of the tabs. Perhaps that was a different distro? It has XP Pro. I don't know if that makes much of a difference. I'm running a defrag and error check in the meantime, since I doubt anybody has bothered with it. Do you know of any other folders in which I might find that?

[expertec]

How much RAM does the system have?

If it doesn't have enough, the paging file (virtual memory, on the hard drive) is going to get a lot of use! :mellow:

[callousdivine]

I'm not in virtual ram at all. It's a P3 @ 830-ish GHz with 256MB of ram. The actual ram usage is 195MB, but I'm running a defrag on it. I'm familar enough with Windows to know that this shouldn't be happening, sine my main computer is also a P3, but at .7 to 1GHz (mobile processor) with 256 MB of ram. When I had Win2000 Pro, I never had a problem like that, unless I had 14 IE windows open, AIM, Photoshop, and I forget what else I was using. The disc access on this drive is different on the 800MHz system. It's accessing it like there's a background process constanly accessing the drive, but there's nothing out of the ordinary installed. The anti-crap software isn't constantly scanning, nor are there any other kinds of things I can find in the programs list that would do this.

I'm wondering if it's slowing down the defrag, but I figure the defrag should help something. I'm also wondering if it's possibly related to the problem I'm having with Automatic Update, since it won't install, I can't install from the website, nor can I get any other update feature, regardless of how it's accessed, to download nor update any part of the OS without freezing up the applicatio I use to access it. If I use the system properties box > autoupdate, it freezes that form. IE freezes on the update page. Clciking the AutoUpdater from start > accessories > autoupdate doesn't do anything. I'm currently working with Microsoft tech support on that one, though.

[-pops-]

I always work on the philosophy that there comes a point where it is just not worth repairing, patching, fiddling and messing about with an errant computer. As I get older, my tolerance gets less and I am even more keen to do that.

Almost invariably, the machine doesn't work properly after these rescue attempts and you end up having to either go through the whole procedure again or, as I now do, make a fresh installation - meaning that you've wasted all that time and effort.

I assume there is no good backup.

There are a number of things malfunctioning on that machine so, if you have the original O/S disk, rescue whatever files are valuable and do a clean install - everything will be better for it.

[Scarecrow Man]

I am also assuming Indexing Service as Mark2 said.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Configure-Window...rmance&id=15827

[callousdivine]

I'm downloading SP@, which I've been fighting with AutoUpdate to get. I just found out about getting it from the downloads page under IT Professionals. The standard version requires AutoUpdate, and it won't stop crapping out on me.

Dows anybody know anything about how to configure the pagefile size? Somebody suggested it could be taht somebody set it way to low and that the processor is throttling between the harddrive and main memory way too much. Neither of these theories makes sense, though, since I'm not alterring any files for periods of over 17 hours or more a day. Why should the indexing service reindex unaltered files? Why would it be swapping memory on programs that are laying in memory unused? To my knowledge, memory only gets swapped when you actually try to do something. I'm staring at the desktop, looking through system windows, or reading up on stuff through my main machine, which leaves that laptop completely dormant on the side with the harddrive constanly running. I'm going to see what SP@ does, that is, if it doesn't also crap out on me at the rate this is going.

-pops-, you're dead on with the backup thing. No backups at all. I actually attempted a backup before I started the adware killers, and it failed when it tried to copy files Windows was trying to protect. Also, I don't own a valid copy of windows,especially now that I'm using Fedora 4. I'm not particularly happy with this distro, but it's got a lot fo stuff that beats the hell out of Windows. I also despise XP, personally. 2000 Pro was really good, ut I still has my peeves with hoe it managed system resouces when things got tight. Maybe I should just get newer hardware? lol.

Scarecrow Man, thanks for the link. I'm reading up on it now, but I've still got to wait for the SP2 download to finish before I try it.

Thanks for the help. I'll let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck...

[callousdivine]

SP2 failed. There was some kind of problem with the product code, which means that this copy is probably pirated.

I did manage to reinstall IE from a cd I had with the necessary files. Indexing is off and it's still accessing the drive, so I turned indexing back on, but low. Nothing has changed, really. Maybe it's the pagefile?

[-pops-]

What I would do is tell the owner the full situation - pirated XP, full of malware and so on and that the only way you see reasonable to get it up and running again is a fresh installation with a NEW copy of Windows.

Your friend then has a choice:

1. Take it back as it is and give it someone else to waste their time on.

2. A new installation of a modern Windows version with updates and SPs

[Scarecrow Man]

I'm downloading SP@, which I've been fighting with AutoUpdate to get. I just found out about getting it from the downloads page under IT Professionals. The standard version requires AutoUpdate, and it won't stop crapping out on me.

Yep. Download SP2 here

Dows anybody know anything about how to configure the pagefile size? Somebody suggested it could be taht somebody set it way to low and that the processor is throttling between the harddrive and main memory way too much. Neither of these theories makes sense, though, since I'm not alterring any files for periods of over 17 hours or more a day. Why should the indexing service reindex unaltered files? Why would it be swapping memory on programs that are laying in memory unused? To my knowledge, memory only gets swapped when you actually try to do something. I'm staring at the desktop, looking through system windows, or reading up on stuff through my main machine, which leaves that laptop completely dormant on the side with the harddrive constanly running. I'm going to see what SP@ does, that is, if it doesn't also crap out on me at the rate this is going.

Good pagefile info here

-pops-, you're dead on with the backup thing. No backups at all. I actually attempted a backup before I started the adware killers, and it failed when it tried to copy files Windows was trying to protect. Also, I don't own a valid copy of windows,especially now that I'm using Fedora 4. I'm not particularly happy with this distro, but it's got a lot fo stuff that beats the hell out of Windows. I also despise XP, personally. 2000 Pro was really good, ut I still has my peeves with hoe it managed system resouces when things got tight. Maybe I should just get newer hardware? lol.

No need for that. XP requires 128MB of RAM and 2GB of hard drive. I'm sure your computer meets these requirements.

If you do have a pirated version of Windows, you are unfortunatley out of luck. Your system will be full of holes and flaws which cannot be fixed, and you will have many other problems, such as this one.

[callousdivine]

I've gicen up hope for the system. I've already had this thing for three weeks, and I've more than cleared off the malware. If the owner decides to get a real version of XP, then I'll get her an OEM online. Otherwise, the owner's s.o.l. I've already laid out all of the problems, along with some of the vulnerabilities I found out about that shipped with the original XP.

Thanks a lot for all of your help, everyone. I've learned a lot about XP from this laptop and your help.

Thanks Again,

Dan

[-pops-]

Three weeks?? I really admire your patience :)

On repairs that I do, I give an initial assessment taking half an hour or so and report back. If I estimate that the work is going to take much longer than a format and re-install, I won't waste my time on it and suggest that a format and re-install is done.

[callousdivine]

I asked her (the owner) of the symptoms that she was complaining about before I even touched the laptop. I knew it was adware related, and so I decided to take her up on fixing it. I'm looking to transfer jobs, and one prospect would heavily involve adware removal. I haven't had much practice since I manually killed off Gain from a computer about three years ago. I didn't knw anything about adware, but I knew that it had been causing a lot of problems and it needed to be deleted from that system. This laptop had pornware and autodialers installed, which I don't have much experience with. The worst problem I've ever had on my own computer was a trojan. I forget what it was, but I didn't need much effort to remove it.

the main point is that I told her I'd fix her comp for her for free, as long as I wasn't held responsible for wrecking the system. knew I wouldn't, and she was glad to have somebody fix it for her. She hasn't minded the three weeks, since it gave her more time to yell at her little brother for putting so much junk on the comp to begin with, lol.

I wish I could have formatted and reinstalled, but she doesn't have an official copy of Windows, nor do I. formatting the drive isn't a problem for me. I'd sooner put Linux on there. I'm up for challenges. I'm only through my first year at college for Computer Science. I'm looking to switch up to a University sooner than I had anticipated, so any kind of extra information I can absorb I'm all for getting.

The main thing I have noticed between this Windows forum and my Fedora Linux forum is that most of the things here are adware related, whereas Linux is more about trying to figure out how to use Linux. I'm still a noob at that, too. I'm working on it.

While I'm posting, I wonder if any of you still remember the old Pentium Pro computers. I've got one that's running Windows 95 with a 4 gig hd and 64 megs of ram. I'm troubleshooting some minor problems, but I'm trying to figure it out on my own first. I figure I'll give you guys a heads up, since I'm sure I'll be posting something about it, sooner or later, lol.

[-pops-]

I built a few Pentium Pro machines with W95 but, the amnesia that comes with advancing years means that my recollection of it is very vague.

Regarding your comments about Windows/Linux and Adware well, it's because of the lower popularity of Linux that the lurgs and parasites haven't looked at it very much yet. You can be assured, though, it will come - especially if, as is rumoured, Google is giving thoughts to a Linux based O/S

[Scarecrow Man]

I've gicen up hope for the system. I've already had this thing for three weeks, and I've more than cleared off the malware. If the owner decides to get a real version of XP, then I'll get her an OEM online. Otherwise, the owner's s.o.l. I've already laid out all of the problems, along with some of the vulnerabilities I found out about that shipped with the original XP.

Thanks a lot for all of your help, everyone. I've learned a lot about XP from this laptop and your help.

Thanks Again,

Dan

Unfortunatley with a pirated version of XP, there is not much else you can do. There are just too many security holes, and even if you fix it, they are going to come back within days (if not minutes), making any repairs useless.