High CPU usage and BSOD

[dudeman007]

One of my buddies is have some comp trouble. I know she's got a crap load of junk on her computer and that there's some stupid stuff running in the background. Trouble is, she's nowhere near me, she just calls me as her tech support buddy. Anyways, we went through some stuff today and tried some programs, but I eventually gave up on being tech support. Anybody know any nifty little programs that can fish out extensive cpu usage/malware?

thanks

 

[vanvock]

AVG

 

[Billb2]

SysInternal's (now Microsoft's) Process Explorer.

http://www.microsoft.com/techn...s/processexplorer.mspx

 

[robisbell]

AVG http://free.grisoft.com/
AVG Anti-rootkit http://free.grisoft.com/doc/do...-anti-rootkit/us/frt/0
PC Wizard http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php
CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/
PC Decrapifier http://pcdecrapifier.com/
Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/
Housecall http://housecall.trendmicro.com

 

[mechBgon]

If she has old or ineffective antivirus software, I could suggest:

1) have her back up her important stuff

2) have her disable System Restore, wait for it to delete all the old SR points, then enable it again (which should set one Restore point) so she can back up if things go from bad to worse

3) locate her Windows CD and her license key in case she ends up needing them

4) uninstall the old antivirus, if any

5) install a 30-day trial version of Kaspersky AntiVirus 7 and let it update, then reboot as prompted

6) open Kaspersky and click Settings at the bottom

7) go down to Threats And Exclusions and enable the Riskware checkbox

8) go back to the top of the Settings and set each of the modules in the Protection section and the Scan section to Maximum

9) run a full Scan My Computer by right-clicking the red K icon in the system tray.

10) run a scan with the free version of Superantispyware: http://www.superantispyware.com



That should be a good opening move, at any rate. Results?

 

[robisbell]

"2) have her disable System Restore, wait for it to delete all the old SR points, then enable it again (which should set one Restore point) so she can back up if things go from bad to worse"

I'd just outright disable system restore, too easily infected, and the worse data backup utility I have ever seen.

and why use a trial when it's be better to get something that will not shut off on her in 30 days?

housecall would be a btter choice that the superantispyware, since housecall looks for spyware, malware, grayware, viruses and trojans.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: robisbell
"2) have her disable System Restore, wait for it to delete all the old SR points, then enable it again (which should set one Restore point) so she can back up if things go from bad to worse"

I'd just outright disable system restore, too easily infected, and the worse data backup utility I have ever seen.

Disabling SR might be necessary in the end, yeah, but it's nice to have some sort of bail-out option, especially when you can't be there in person.

and why use a trial when it's be better to get something that will not shut off on her in 30 days?

housecall would be a btter choice that the superantispyware, since housecall looks for spyware, malware, grayware, viruses and trojans.

Based on my experience, which includes collecting malware, infecting and de-infecting systems as part of my SiteAdvisor work, I suggest KAV7 for its high detection rate and excellent removal capabilities, not to mention rootkit-detection capabilities. Even if it only runs for 30 days, it's a good malware-removal tool and uninstalls quite cleanly when the time comes. After she gets some cleanup done, she can always switch over to a free AV such as AntiVir PE Classic.

As for SAS, same thing, I'm going from firsthand experience. Housecall is certainly worth a go too, of course :thumbsup:

 

[robisbell]

well, there's better options than SR, and for 25 years I've seen things come and go, and the list I provided in my opinion is the best solution and provides the least amount of hassles with trials and such, AVG even offers a very nice free anti rootkit tool as well. I will strongly suggest they use the tools I listed, proven and tested, and I rather not get into the corporate PR sites.

 

[mechBgon]

You might find my results in this thread interesting. It wasn't really intended as a detection-rate comparison thread (it's actually intended to emphasize the need to use best practices, including risk avoidance), but it does generally match my day-to-day observation: when it comes to detection rates, particularly on recent malware, Grisoft's detection rates are not as good as some others, including AntiVir in the free-for-home-use sector. The thread also shows SuperAntispyware's result, which was quite impressive for an anti-spyware app.

Anyway, those are all good resources, so whomever's advice gets followed, it should all be a step in the right direction :thumbsup:

 

[robisbell]

well, not to be biased, but here's a more fair view of the best Antispyware and Antivirus out there, and this is based on more than just one persons biased opinion.

2008 best Antispyware Poll

2008 best Antivirus Poll

this is a very fair and honest representation of the best of each.

 

[dudeman007]

Thanks a bunch guys! I'll check out some of this and get back to you.