help needed with CPU consuming starting off apps

Question

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster

14 Years Ago

Hi,

several applications use as much as CPU as they can while starting up.
This takes one and sometimes several minutes.

I'm using WinXpPro SP3. I suspect it is the registry or a service that is not started but should or maybe a replaced driver/DLL.

It happens with and without firewall and AV and even in safe mode.

It happens to browsers, explorer.exe, and others. Not sure what the correlation is.

Once started the program is as quick as ever.

Please shine a light on this. Since I don't know what info you desire I'll wait on your request.

Obliged Bunnie

app-store windows-api windows-nt-2000-xp

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Latest Post 14 Years Ago Latest Post by gerbil

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

14 Years Ago

You my friend need to meet a good future friend of yours.

Right Click your main Drive(usually C: ) in My Computer and click Properties.

Goto Tools and Click Defrag.

Or just Give up on Windows and go with Linux, I recommend Ubuntu.

Edited 14 Years Ago by finito because: n/a

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

14 Years Ago

Hmm Your main drive ( C: ) is almost full that will slow down Windows almost cripple it.

Free some space there.

You should also be getting bugged by System Clean up.

Linux doesn't really have a learning curve. It took me 2 days to figure out what I was doing.
After which I have not had any problems such as slow down, viruses, bugs, etc. Solid Running for 3 Years.

Edited 14 Years Ago by finito because: n/a

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

14 Years Ago

Hmm, you can also run MSConfig by clicking start-> Run then type msconfig

Look at start Up tab for suspicious entries you may also check Services for the same

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

14 Years Ago

I Don't know of any service that would describe your symptoms, but then again I am Linux User and my MS knowledge is limited at best.

But if you do figure it out enlighten me.

If anything my understanding is that if a service is disabled then it isn't loaded in the RAM, which means more available RAM for the system therefore faster response time compared to if an additional service was on.

Can you tell me if it's only one particular app or is it the whole Machine.

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso

14 Years Ago

Hmmm, have you tried clearing your cache?

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dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 1 · 2010-06-15T00:04:10+00:00

Thx Finito, for your remarks. I know we must go from the simple reasons to the more complicated.

I defrag automatically using the taskmanager with ultimatedefrag.

The C drive is now 4.8% fragmented and 41GB of the 48GB is used
the D drive is 0.13% fragmented and 100GB of the 140GB is used

I don't want to go to linux since I think that will consume tons of time to learn that
Don't want to re-install winxp eather because I want to know what is going on instead of dealing with this repetively.

grtz Bunnie

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 2 · 2010-06-15T00:15:09+00:00

Will do that, but that would result in a generally slow PC, which is not the case.
But we will see and let you know. Will try to get 20% free space.

Bunnie

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 3 · 2010-06-15T03:44:58+00:00

OK, C: usage is now 33GB from 48GB; but the problem stays.

I already have cleaned the register with several programs, scanned for virusses and spamware, and minimised the running services.
With this link you can see my services.msc output

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByTFhwys9uu-OWU5YTJlNTItNDNiZi00NzUzLThiZjMtM2MwMjNmM2ZlZGJl&hl=nl

Could it be that a certain service is not running and it should be?

grtz Bunnie

oh: handmatig=manual and uitgeschakeld=stopped

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 4 · 2010-06-15T14:34:29+00:00

Again it is not the machine which is slow, nor the applications are slow when started.
Most and that means not all applications use lots of CPU during start for about one or two minutes. This varies per application.
What they have in common I'm not sure, but now I'm beginning to suspect that they all have the abillity to connect to the internet or LAN.

Finito thanks for your efforts so far.

I call on anybody on this forum to give me ideas where to look for the answer.

A search on other fora shows me slow applications and slow starting windows PC's. But that is not similar. The solutions there I followed without result.

The thing I need to do is undusting the interior, maybe this evening I'll find the time for that.
Furthermore it could be the hardware or memory. But how do I find that. Benchmarks are doing fine.

please help, Bunnie

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 5 · 2010-06-15T15:39:55+00:00

yes yes, cleared as much as possible using programs like ccleaner

gerbil 216 Industrious Poster · Answer 6 · 2010-06-15T19:24:17+00:00

Disconnect from the web [unplug, or use your firewall to block access temporarily], then turn off Avira. Try loading apps again.

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 7 · 2010-06-16T01:57:43+00:00

already did that. even uninstalled FW and AV. disconnected from the internet. No result.

gerbil 216 Industrious Poster · Answer 8 · 2010-06-16T07:11:50+00:00

Mm, okay, just thought your AV may have gone haywire, taking too long to check opening files. You've done a rootkit scan? GMER, or Rootkit Unhooker [v3.8 if you can find it], Ice Sword, or RootkitRevealer from technet.
Right, you seem pretty forensic by nature judging from the services you have running. I suggest you get Process Explorer and Process Monitor from technet.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sysinternals/default.aspx
Best you close all other applications first to avoid clutter, then.....
PM... it starts up running, so stop the scan. Clear those events, then retart the scan and open an app. Stop the scan when the app is fully open, use the buttons to show only processes, then look for any which cause an inordinate jump in Relative time. Check also File System activity with the relevent button.
PE... search for dependancies which should not be linked to that app. Tricky. Under View > Update speed is a Pause option to stop data refresh.

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 9 · 2010-06-16T13:39:54+00:00

rootkit scans are done earlier, but I will do it again with one or two of the util's you suggest.
then I'll monitor the process. I can tell you that there will be no extra file activity since the HD stays quiet (no light, no sound)

keep you posted

finito 46 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso · Answer 10 · 2010-06-16T14:18:55+00:00

How old is your hard drive is it FAT32 or NTFS?

How is your hard Drive activity Downloads, file transfers, etc.

Do you leave your computer on for extended periods of time?

Maybe your drive is showing signs of wear and tear?

But try the rootkit scans first.

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 11 · 2010-06-16T14:24:16+00:00

I suspect that if there are problems on that area, that the machine is slow more then only on starting up certain programs.
HD is acting normal(benchmarked) the format is NTFS

keep you posted, Bunnie

gerbil 216 Industrious Poster · Answer 12 · 2010-06-16T19:17:17+00:00

One other thing occurs to me.... what happens if you copy a LARGE file to anywhere else on your disk... say 1GB or more? does it slow down?
Loading an app involves a lot of disk activity, reads, writes... which means a lot of data transfer through the disk controller and through the mb disk interface. On an Intel system that would be the Southbridge chip. Thinking temperature rising too high when very active... I know that you have run Sandra but that is a quick test... give your hdd some real work.

dnBunnie 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 13 · 2010-06-17T13:52:13+00:00

Ok intresting things are happening. Maybe we are on to something.
downloaded GMER and renamed the random name to GMER.EXE and run it. That stopped with an error almost instantly. downloaded again and run it with the random name. Now it kept on running.
Started a scan for rootkits/malware. After hours it was still scanning and there were more then a hundred lines of output. Don't know what that means? Last time I looked a blue SOD was up. Then it was bedtime. This evening again.

grtz Bunnie

Mm, okay, just thought your AV may have gone haywire, taking too long to check opening files. You've done a rootkit scan? GMER, or Rootkit Unhooker [v3.8 if you can find it], Ice Sword, or RootkitRevealer from technet.
Right, you seem pretty forensic by nature judging from the services you have running. I suggest you get Process Explorer and Process Monitor from technet.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sysinternals/default.aspx
Best you close all other applications first to avoid clutter, then.....
PM... it starts up running, so stop the scan. Clear those events, then retart the scan and open an app. Stop the scan when the app is fully open, use the buttons to show only processes, then look for any which cause an inordinate jump in Relative time. Check also File System activity with the relevent button.
PE... search for dependancies which should not be linked to that app. Tricky. Under View > Update speed is a Pause option to stop data refresh.

gerbil 216 Industrious Poster · Answer 14 · 2010-06-17T16:06:46+00:00

"downloaded GMER and renamed the random name to GMER.EXE and run it. That stopped with an error almost instantly." Oh? Something was looking out for GMER.exe
Gmer gives you a good hint when it suspects a file - it redlines it and pops a warning window. You won't miss it. And if GMER locks up then it has hit a problematic file that is likely trying to protect itself.
Don't bother scanning pure data partitons... eg music, pics, docs. Rootkits are going to be in your boot drive with the OS, anywhere else -even an applications drive- and the file activity is a little obvious.