Gary - anybody - help please?

[1STLITE]

Craig,

It is definitely not USB 2.0 In fact I bought this computer just before that came, or just after and I was unaware. Yeah, considering all that I should have gotten a better deal - lol. This system is 4 years old and was and is absolutely off the shelf. I have only modified it (as far as hardware goes) by adding a dvd burner, but that was some months ago.

I know my computer is nothing to brag about, believe me. I can't afford what a lot of the pros here can, so I do my best with what I have. Someone had said something about not using the external drive for scratch, but I swear the way I had this thing running you never would know I only had (well am supposed to have) 512 RAM and was using an external drive connected through firewire for scratch.

BTW - on the whole FAT32 vs NTSC thing, my external drive came as FAT32 and I left it as that. It has worked just fine til now, but when I get the new drive and move everything over I am going to change it.

I had someone look into that RAM issue a long time ago, and they seemed to be under the impression that it had something to do with the graphics issue as to the full 512 not showing up? Not sure he knew what he was talking about though... lol

Thanks.
Dawn

[Kraellin]

dawn,

ok, i couldnt really tell if usb 2 or 1.1. but if you're sure, then ok.

as for the ram, i just remembered you have onboard graphics, so it may be borrowing/sharing some of your stick ram for that. i still would have thought dxdiag would have shown all that is installed, though. but, that could be it.

so, when you get the new external, let us know how things go. hopefully, that will solve things for the time being. have you had any more problems with the system with the external turned off?

[tived]

Originally Posted by 1STLITE

Henrik, I think you are right. I would be better off just replacing this dinosaur. I am working on that, but I was hoping to be able to do some work (to help pay for it). I have an 800 dollar order to get out asap, and working at this pace, without the external drive, has been ridiculous. But I can't just pull money out of the air to do what I need to do to make this better. I am definitely somewhere between a rock and a hard place on this.
Dawn

Hi Dawn,

I completely understand where you are coming from, been there many times, and most likely will be there again.

What I was suggesting was not for you to necessary to buy anything new unless of course you o, but to somehow backup your data. and then re-format and reinstall your windows and your application, when done, transfer back your data and continue to work.

I know it is simple if you know what you are doing and it can be a mountain to climb if you are unfamiliar with the process.

If you are going to reinstall and you have any questions, please ask away. You have a great bunch of very helpful friends here.

all the best

Henrik

PS: if you buy a new computer keep the old one, just in case!!

[tived]

Originally Posted by 1STLITE

I know my computer is nothing to brag about, believe me. I can't afford what a lot of the pros here can, so I do my best with what I have. Someone had said something about not using the external drive for scratch, but I swear the way I had this thing running you never would know I only had (well am supposed to have) 512 RAM and was using an external drive connected through firewire for scratch.
Thanks.
Dawn

Dawn,

don't be shy about your computer, it is not the size that matters but what you do with it! :-)

Some of the best images were created with the most basic gear.

take it step by step, upgrade when you can if you feel you need it. (I feel the need to upgrade all the time ;-) ) its never fast enough, but that is for different reasons all together.

it is unfortunately that some companies build PC with bad componets, or compenents that don't work well together. DIY is not everyones cup of tea either. You wouldn't see me with the bonet open on my car, I wouldn't have a clue what to look for under it! :-) but give me a computer and a camera.

if you need help shout!

Henrik

[1STLITE]

Thanks, Henrik. Sorry I didn't reply to this til now - I hadn't seen your replies.

To continue this mess -

Craig, Gary - I got more info for you. More symptoms rather.

I am thinking maybe that external drive is not actually going bad. Or hoping? Here is the thing. I haven't been able to replace it yet. Had the money and of course got caught by a bill, so here I am still same computer and have been keeping that external drive turned off. A couple of times I have had to turn it on to access a photo or a few stored there and copy them to the internal drive. This is the odd part. I turn it on, access it through the My Computer explorer thing, copy the files. Ok, cool. Now what happens when I do that is the computer continues to act busy in spurts, looks and acts idle for a few seconds, then busy for a second or two, and again , and again... until I shut the computer down and restart it. When it is doing this I can open the Task Manager and in the process list I organize by CPU usage. explorer will pop up at 2%, then stop, then 2%, then stop.... as I said this will continue til I restart.

Ok, weird I thought. Figured it was something to do with that drive and just keep it off. Now, new symptoms. My dvd burner I realize does not recognize dvd's any longer. Went through some serious headache with this!! Trying ot burn a dvd slideshow and it kept telling me to insert a disk and spitting out the disk that was in there. Restart the computer, put in a burnable disk, and nothing happens anymore (had been this way for a while I just never noticed that it no longer auto started my burning software). I go to My Computer explorer and try to access the dvd in the drive by double clicking, it works and works on it a minute or two the spits out the disk saying it is either a corrupted disk or a format not recognized by windows. I am thinking great, bad batch of disks (trying to be optimistic right?) try another and another, dvd+ and dvd- three different packs of disks, same results. I try a movie dvd in there, and try to access it. Nothing at all happens when I do this, other than the while thing just acts as though it is working. there is not even a process taking up any CPU at all when it does this. My mouse pointer becomes an hourglass and every now and again changes to a pointer with a disk beside it as though it were accessing a disk. But nothing ever happens, this just continues and continues until I restart. I even tried to get a test run through HP and the test got to 89% complete and froze with these same symptoms til I restarted again.

If any of you can tell me what the heck is going on I would SO very much appreciate it. I have tried searching for info online and maybe I just don't know enough about what to search for but I can't find what I need to know.

BTW - Happy New Year everyone!! I hope this is not what the rest of the year will be like, especially as far as my computer goes. I am planning to get a new system in February or March (sticking with PC for now but will make that switch to Mac as soon as I can afford it ), but til then I have work to do and this is MORE than aggravating.

Any ideas? Anyone? Aside from throwing this thing down a flight of stairs that is...

Dawn

[joey florio]

Why not take it in to a shop and have them diagnose it? 100 bucks.
How long can this back and forth long distance guesswork go on?
Sorry to be blunt, but are you getting anywhere at all with this?

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Dawn,

With regard to your DVD problem.

Right click My Computer click Properties > Hardware > Device Manager.

This will open Device Manager, scan down to your DVD drive and right click on it.
Click Properties.
Click Troubleshoot and follow the instructions given.

Also could be due to dirt getting on the lens mechanism for your laser, or the laser going out of adjustment.

When you first load a DVD/CD into the mechanism, the laser attempts to focus on the disk, if it can't focus (due to reasons above) it will spit them out. If it manages to focus it will run the disk, but if focus is marginal it may still fail to operate correctly.

Try cleaning the lens assembly with compressed air (you can get cans of it from most computer stores). Do not try to poke your fingers into the lens mechanism as it is quite sensitive.

If laser has gone out of adjustment I'm afraid its a shop job to re-adjust it.

NOTE: There may be software reasons for your problem as well, these are just the easiest ones for you to check.

[Cameraken]

Hi Dawn.

My PC has a very similar problem. I have a USB external Drive formatted NTFS which I mainly use for video and backups as my internal drives are FAT32

When I have my External USB drive plugged in I also cannot write or read DVDs (But I can still write and read CDs)

I have to unplug the USB drive and restart my PC before my DVD drive works again.

I did once spend a lot of time trying to find the problem and I think the problem was something to do with the ASPI layer but I never managed to get it working right.

I don’t use my USB drive too often so I just unplug it and restart my PC after I’ve used it.

Ken

[1STLITE]

Joey, thank you so much for your incredibly helpful suggestion. But, if I had $100 I would be putting it toward a new external drive so that I could back up the rest of my info before I do a re-install. I do appreciate your help, though. Seriously.

Gary, do you think that would be the problem even though I can read and write cd's? It is only dvd's it won't read anymore. According to everything I have checked, including the troubleshooting in the device manager, it says the drive is functioning properly, but that is obviously not the case.

Ken - that is very interesting. My external drive is connected through firewire, but something to try. The weird thing about that would be that I have always been able to burn dvd's with the drive connected so I wonder why it would do this all of a sudden. I am going to try what you suggested and let you know. Thanks so much!
Oh and my setup is opposite of that. My internal C: drive is NTFS but my external is FAT32.

Happy New Year, everyone!!

Dawn

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Dawn,

If it reads/writes CDs OK, then its unlikely to be a hardware problem, since essentially they use the same process to operate.

You didn't mention that your CD operation was fine in your last post.

Could still be a problem with the driver though, is there an update available?

Have you tried uninstalling/replacing it? (Make sure you've downloaded new driver before uninstalling old one).

What manufacturer supplied the DVD drive, have you checked on their website for symptoms/solutions?

Just as an afterthought, is your DVD drive set to correct region. (It can be changed a finite number of times, usually 4).

[Kraellin]

hi dawn,

quoting:

Now what happens when I do that is the computer continues to act busy in spurts, looks and acts idle for a few seconds, then busy for a second or two, and again , and again... until I shut the computer down and restart it.

this is just a guess based on past experience, but i'd say that's probably from windows trying to access the drive but because the drive cant spin up correctly or fast enough you get a sort of intermittent effect showing in the task manager.

if the drive used to work ok, then it's not a case of the drive wanting usb 2.0 or something like that. i suppose it could be a corruption of explorer itself (explorer here refers to a process which is basically your desktop and not internet explorer or windows explorer. it's a separate process.) it's possible that it could be a corrupted driver or in conflict with some other device, but also not real likely, especially if device manager is showing nothing. you could try calling up 'system information' and look at the conflicts list also. if there are no conflicts showing there with the drive, then i'd stick to my original thought that the drive is going bad.

on the dvd burner, the easiest thing to do there is to simply swap the drive out with another drive of the same (preferably) type or even another dvd burner or even just a dvd player. this will usually tell you pretty quickly if it's the drive or a software thing or windows. if your movies and thngs now work then your old drive is most likely going bad in some way.

i shld also warn you that any device that is physically going bad can put a strain on the rest of the system and cause failures in both windows and other devices. so, it's best to remove dodgy drives and things like that as soon as you suspect they are behaving incorrectly. get the data copied and then remove the drive. after that you can have the drive tested or use it as a doorstop.

any type of drive or device which has physical moving parts is going to be something that will tend to go bad first in a system. it's very often the physical parts that wear out, especially motors and bearings. it used to be drive heads, the read-write part, but i havent had to mess with a drive head in a long while now. they used to 'bang the head' against a stop as part of the operation of aligning the head or resetting it and when a drive used to go bad you'd get a lot of clacking from it as it did this. one of my drives in this new system was making strange noises and would then crash the system. so, noise can be one of the things you watch for. when i traced the noise in my system, it was coming straight from one of the drives. i removed it and the system quit crashing. it wasnt as bad as the old 'bang the head' clacking, but it was an inappropriate click on a fairly regular basis.

you've got an older system there, dawn. i only ever expect a system to last about three years. i wish they went longer and sometimes they do. but it's not surprising to have one thing fail, then another and yet another after a certain point. they really shld be more robust being that we're relying on them more and more, but three years is about the working life of a home computer these days. i am glad to see Seagate putting out a five year warranty. that's encouraging. but my expectations on a machine i use and have running almost all the time, is about three years. but drives and fans, with their moving parts, can fail fairly easily.

in the future, and perhaps not a too far away future, we may be able to do away with mechanical movement in a drive altogether. it's certainly hypothetically possible. but for now, i'm afraid we're stuck with the stuff.

so, bottom line here... swap out your drives and if things work right then, you've found your culprit. if not, then something else is going on. but, from what i can tell from your messages, the external is dodgy and the dvd may be. but, just swap them out and if the symptoms go away, you're all set.

good luck and happy new year!

[1STLITE]

Gary - here is my HJT log I have been meaning to get you to look at. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 3:59:28 PM, on 2/23/2007
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\ePerformance\MemCheck.exe
C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eRecovery\eRAgent.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\RTHDCPL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\sm56hlpr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\SysMonitor.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eDataSecurity\eDSloader.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\E_FATI9FA.EXE
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Internet Security 2006\pccguide.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcCtlCom.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\Acer.Empowering.Framework.Launcher.exe
C:\Program Files\Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle\ZDWlan.exe
C:\Program Files\Photodex\ProShowGold\ScsiAccess.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\Tmntsrv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\tmproxy.exe
C:\Program Files\Canon\CAL\CALMAIN.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\TmPfw.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllhost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WTablet\TabUserW.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\MOZILL~1\FIREFOX.EXE
C:\Program Files\Hijackthis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco...search/ie.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco.../www.yahoo.com
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL,(Default) = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco.../www.yahoo.com
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Yahoo! Toolbar Helper - {02478D38-C3F9-4EFB-9B51-7695ECA05670} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: AcroIEToolbarHelper Class - {AE7CD045-E861-484f-8273-0445EE161910} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Acer eDataSecurity Management - {5CBE3B7C-1E47-477e-A7DD-396DB0476E29} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\eDStoolbar.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Companion\Installs\cpn\yt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Adobe PDF - {47833539-D0C5-4125-9FA8-0819E2EAAC93} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ehTray] C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LaunchApp] Alaunch
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SkyTel] SkyTel.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ntiMUI] c:\Program Files\NewTech Infosystems\NTI CD & DVD-Maker 7\ntiMUI.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IMJPMIG8.1] "C:\WINDOWS\IME\imjp8_1\IMJPMIG.EXE" /Spoil /RemAdvDef /Migration32
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IMEKRMIG6.1] C:\WINDOWS\ime\imkr6_1\IMEKRMIG.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSPY2002] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\PINTLGNT\ImScInst.exe /SYNC
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002ASync] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /SYNC
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002A] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /IMEName
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RTHDCPL] RTHDCPL.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Alcmtr] ALCMTR.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SMSERIAL] sm56hlpr.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Acer Empowering Technology Monitor] C:\WINDOWS\system32\SysMonitor.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [eDataSecurity Loader] C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eDataSecurity\eDSloader.exe 0
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [eRecoveryService] C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eRecovery\eRAgent.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [WarReg_PopUp] C:\Acer\WR_PopUp\WarReg_PopUp.exe /idle
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [EPSON Stylus Photo R320 Series] C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\E_FATI9FA.EXE /P30 "EPSON Stylus Photo R320 Series" /O6 "USB001" /M "Stylus Photo R320"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [pccguide.exe] "C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Internet Security 2006\pccguide.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [updateMgr] c:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\AdobeUpdateManager.exe AcRdB7_0_9
O4 - Global Startup: Acer Empowering Technology.lnk = ?
O4 - Global Startup: Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle.lnk = C:\Program Files\Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle\ZDWlan.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O23 - Service: Memory Check Service (AcerMemUsageCheckService) - Acer Inc. - C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\ePerformance\MemCheck.exe
O23 - Service: Adobe LM Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe Systems Shared\Service\Adobelmsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AdobeVersionCue - Adobe Sytems - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Version Cue\service\VersionCue.exe
O23 - Service: Canon Camera Access Library 8 (CCALib8) - Canon Inc. - C:\Program Files\Canon\CAL\CALMAIN.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\1150\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service (LightScribeService) - Hewlett-Packard Company - c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Central Control Component (PcCtlCom) - Trend Micro Incorporated. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcCtlCom.exe
O23 - Service: ScsiAccess - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Photodex\ProShowGold\ScsiAccess.exe
O23 - Service: TabletService - Wacom Technology, Corp. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Real-time Service (Tmntsrv) - Trend Micro Incorporated. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\Tmntsrv.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Personal Firewall (TmPfw) - Trend Micro Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\TmPfw.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Proxy Service (tmproxy) - Trend Micro Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\tmproxy.exe

Gary - you are one awesome dude, you know that? Thanks!

Dawn

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Dawn,

Nothing really Malicious on your box.

One minor item you may wish to take care of.

Name: [alcmtr]
Status: X
File: ALCMTR.EXE

Realtek AC97 Audio - Event Monitor. Spyware file used surreptitiously to monitor one's actions. It is not a sinister one like remote control programs but it is being used by Realtek to gather data about customers
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-5306.html

If you want to stop this running on Startup, do the following.

Run a scan with HJT, when finished check the following item.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Alcmtr] ALCMTR.EXE

Close all open windows and click Fix Checked to remove it.

This will just remove the Registry entry that autostarts this programme, it will not have any detrimental effects on your computer. There is no need to remove the file (indeed this could have possible effects on the Realtek device).

There's probably a whole lot of things that don't need to be run on startup, but unless you're experiencing significant performance problems I wouldn't bother disabling them, and I haven't looked at your log with that intention. If you wish I can do so.

[1STLITE]

Thanks, Gary. I am heading to do that now.

And actually, yeah, if you could - I have disabled some of the startup items that I know I don't want running, but honestly the rest of it I am not sure what it all is or whether I can turn it off safely. If you could let me know which ones are ok to disable I would SO appreciate it.

Also, will disabling the Realtek event monitor also disable the Realtek Audio Manager?

Thank you so much, Gary!

Dawn

[1STLITE]

Here is my full list, with everything enabled at startup. I tried looking this stuff up at castlecops, but I could not find everything even when I accessed the full list.

Another question - when I go into startup list from msconfig, there is one listing there that is blank but has it set to run on startup - but there is no text there whatsoever saying what it is. What's up with that?

thanks again, Gary!

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 8:31:54 AM, on 2/24/2007
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\ePerformance\MemCheck.exe
C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eRecovery\eRAgent.exe
C:\WINDOWS\RTHDCPL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\sm56hlpr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\SysMonitor.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eDataSecurity\eDSloader.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\E_FATI9FA.EXE
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Internet Security 2006\pccguide.exe
C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe
C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Version Cue\ControlPanel\VersionCueTray.exe
C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\Acer.Empowering.Framework.Launcher.exe
C:\Program Files\Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle\ZDWlan.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Distillr\acrotray.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehRecvr.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehSched.exe
c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcCtlCom.exe
C:\Program Files\Photodex\ProShowGold\ScsiAccess.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\Tmntsrv.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\tmproxy.exe
C:\Program Files\Canon\CAL\CALMAIN.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\TmPfw.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllhost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WTablet\TabUserW.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe
C:\Program Files\Hijackthis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco...search/ie.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco.../www.yahoo.com
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://en.us.acer.yahoo.com
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL,(Default) = http://us.rd.yahoo.com/customize/yco.../www.yahoo.com
R3 - URLSearchHook: Yahoo! Toolbar - {EF99BD32-C1FB-11D2-892F-0090271D4F88} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: SSVHelper Class - {761497BB-D6F0-462C-B6EB-D4DAF1D92D43} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: AcroIEToolbarHelper Class - {AE7CD045-E861-484f-8273-0445EE161910} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Acer eDataSecurity Management - {5CBE3B7C-1E47-477e-A7DD-396DB0476E29} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\eDStoolbar.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Adobe PDF - {47833539-D0C5-4125-9FA8-0819E2EAAC93} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Acrobat\AcroIEFavClient.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ehTray] C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LaunchApp] Alaunch
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SkyTel] SkyTel.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ntiMUI] c:\Program Files\NewTech Infosystems\NTI CD & DVD-Maker 7\ntiMUI.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IMJPMIG8.1] "C:\WINDOWS\IME\imjp8_1\IMJPMIG.EXE" /Spoil /RemAdvDef /Migration32
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IMEKRMIG6.1] C:\WINDOWS\ime\imkr6_1\IMEKRMIG.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSPY2002] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\PINTLGNT\ImScInst.exe /SYNC
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002ASync] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /SYNC
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002A] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /IMEName
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RTHDCPL] RTHDCPL.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Alcmtr] ALCMTR.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SMSERIAL] sm56hlpr.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Acer Empowering Technology Monitor] C:\WINDOWS\system32\SysMonitor.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [eDataSecurity Loader] C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eDataSecurity\eDSloader.exe 0
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [eRecoveryService] C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\eRecovery\eRAgent.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [WarReg_PopUp] C:\Acer\WR_PopUp\WarReg_PopUp.exe /idle
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [EPSON Stylus Photo R320 Series] C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\E_FATI9FA.EXE /P30 "EPSON Stylus Photo R320 Series" /O6 "USB001" /M "Stylus Photo R320"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [pccguide.exe] "C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Internet Security 2006\pccguide.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AdobeVersionCue] C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Version Cue\ControlPanel\VersionCueTray.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [updateMgr] c:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\AdobeUpdateManager.exe AcRdB7_0_9
O4 - Global Startup: Acer Empowering Technology.lnk = ?
O4 - Global Startup: Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle.lnk = C:\Program Files\Acer WLAN 11g USB Dongle\ZDWlan.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Acrobat Assistant.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Acrobat 6.0\Distillr\acrotray.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Reader Speed Launch.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\Reader\reader_sl.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O23 - Service: Memory Check Service (AcerMemUsageCheckService) - Acer Inc. - C:\Acer\Empowering Technology\ePerformance\MemCheck.exe
O23 - Service: Adobe LM Service - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe Systems Shared\Service\Adobelmsvc.exe
O23 - Service: AdobeVersionCue - Adobe Sytems - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Version Cue\service\VersionCue.exe
O23 - Service: Canon Camera Access Library 8 (CCALib8) - Canon Inc. - C:\Program Files\Canon\CAL\CALMAIN.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\1150\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service (LightScribeService) - Hewlett-Packard Company - c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Central Control Component (PcCtlCom) - Trend Micro Incorporated. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcCtlCom.exe
O23 - Service: ScsiAccess - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\Photodex\ProShowGold\ScsiAccess.exe
O23 - Service: TabletService - Wacom Technology, Corp. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Real-time Service (Tmntsrv) - Trend Micro Incorporated. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\Tmntsrv.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Personal Firewall (TmPfw) - Trend Micro Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\TmPfw.exe
O23 - Service: Trend Micro Proxy Service (tmproxy) - Trend Micro Inc. - C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\tmproxy.exe

[videosean]

I've been using a western digital passport portable drive for almost a month now and love it. USB 2.0, no external power supply, and fits in the front pocket of my jeans - and I've been carrying it in my front pocket nearly every day since I got it 3 weeks ago without any problems. You can find them in 80, 120 and 160GB sizes. It has a 2.5" PATA notebook drive inside the enclosure. It's the first external hard drive I've had small enough to really be portable - not counting smaller capacity flash drives.
WesternDigital's site
It comes formatted as FAT32 and also has some things on it that will autorun when you plug it in to a machine that doesn't have autorun disabled. I took everything that came pre-installed on the drive and put it into a new folder on the drive. That way if I ever need them I have them, but really all I want to do is copy files from my computer to the drive so I can take them to someone else's computer... I don't need to have some fancy, secure, encrypted data backup app getting in between me and my files.

http://www.pro-clockers.com/review.php?id=201&page=2 - I also came across this yesterday. It's a front panel bay add-on that has a card reader, USB ports AND a removeable 2.5" hard drive enclosure/case. Very good idea IMO and that drive enclosue looks like it's not much bigger than the WDpassport but of course you'd have to buy a 2.5" drive to put into it which is going to add another $100 or so to the cost of things. The WDPassport is what I'd recommend if you aren't comfortable with taking apart your computer case and tools and wires

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Dawn,

Below is a list of items that can be disabled from Auto running on startup. Read through them, and decide which you don't need (your own needs will decide which to choose.

Easiest (and best) way to disable them is just to run a HJT scan, then afterwards check the appropriate items, then click Fix Checked. This will remove the appropriate registry entries which enable the program to run at bootup/logon. This does not remove the programmes, which can still be run if required by clicking on the appropriate executable.

The Advantage of doing it with HJT is that it creates backups, so that if you find you want to replace a removed entry you can do so easily.

In the text boxes below, Status U = User Decide N = Not Needed

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ehTray] C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe

Name: [ehTray]
Status: U
File: ehtray.exe

Windows XP Media_Center_Edition http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en...nformation.asp 2005. Enables the user to access Windows Messenger from within Media Center
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-1092.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup

Name: [NvCplDaemon]
Status: U
File: rundll32.exe NvCpl.dll

Intializes the clock and memory settings on nVidia based graphics cards. Enable if you overclock your card
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-6335.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install

Name: [nwiz]
Status: N
File: nwiz.exe

Associated with the newer versions of nVidia graphics cards drivers.nbsp; Allows you to immensely improve desktop layouts by setting preferences and optimizations.nbsp; However this isn't necessary for the operation of your system
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2564.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IMEKRMIG6.1] C:\WINDOWS\ime\imkr6_1\IMEKRMIG.EXE

Name: [IMEKRMIG6.1]
Status: N
File: IMEKRMIG.EXE

Part of MS http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/...me/default.asp Input Method Editor which is used to ease the input of Asian characters in MS Office (Chinese Japanese and this one is Korean)
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-1582.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSPY2002] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\PINTLGNT\ImScInst.exe /SYNC

Name: [MSPY2002]
Status: N
File: ImScInst.exe

Part of Microsoft's Input Message Editor (IME) for translating Japanese/Chinese text in IE Outlook and Word
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2301.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002ASync] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /SYNC

Name: [Phime2002a or PHIME2002ASync]
Status: N
File: TINTSETP.EXE

Part of Microsoft 's Input Message Editor (IME) for translating Japanese/Chinese text in IE Outlook and Word
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2708.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PHIME2002A] C:\WINDOWS\system32\IME\TINTLGNT\TINTSETP.EXE /IMEName

Name: [Phime2002a or PHIME2002ASync]
Status: N
File: TINTSETP.EXE

Part of Microsoft 's Input Message Editor (IME) for translating Japanese/Chinese text in IE Outlook and Word
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2708.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RTHDCPL] RTHDCPL.EXE

Name: [RTHDCPL]
Status: U
File: RTHDCPL.EXE

Realtek HD Audio Sound Effect Manager
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-11944.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit

Name: [NvMediaCenter]
Status: N
File: RunDLL32.exe NvMCTray.dll NvTaskbarInit

System Tray icon used to manage settings for nVidia based graphics cards. May be required for some 3D applications to recognize your card correctly - such as the game Everquest. Otherwise settings can be changed manually via Display Properties
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2559.html

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_06\bin\jusched.exe

Name: [SunJavaUpdateSched]
Status: N
File: jusched.exe

Checks with Sun's Java updates site to see if newer Java versions are available. Visit http://java.sun.com http://java.sun.com or just run the Java Plug-In Control Panel
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-3552.html

Whilst on the subject of Java, your version is well out of date, which just goes to show how useless this entry is. I'll post directions for updating your Java later.

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime

Name: [QuickTime Task]
Status: N
File: Qttask.exe

System Tray access to Apple's Quick Time viewer from version 5 onwards
http://www.castlecops.com/startuplist-2935.html

OK, lastly as regards to updating Java current version is JRE 6.

Older versions have vulnerabilities that malware can and are using to infect systems.

Please follow these steps to remove older version Java components.

• Close any programmes you may have running, ESPECIALLY your web browser
• Click Start > Control Panel.
• Click Add/Remove Programs.
• Check any item with Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in the name.
• Click the Remove or Change/Remove button.
• Repeat as many times as necessary to remove all versions of Java.
• Reboot your computer once all Java components are removed.

Download the latest version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6, and install it to your computer.

.

[1STLITE]

Thanks so very much, Gary!!

[Gary Richardson]

You're welcome, glad to help.