Windows 7 login taking atrociously long after recent java update

[Menalaus]

Pretty much what it says on the tin. Previously booting up and logging in took about one or two minutes all together. Ever since I installed a recent java update, however, I sat at my computer for a full five minutes at the "starting Windows" screen and then waited another two minutes for the login to finish. Everything else runs fine. But clearly something is wrong here.

Any ideas?

 

[Bubbaleone]

Run a thorough virus/malware scan first to eliminate that possibility, then use Sysinternals Autoruns for Windows v11.32 to view all the unnecessary startup items that load when you boot windows.

The problem may be the java update but I suspect it's also the cumulative effect (that occurs slowly) of more and more useless startup items getting added that have finally begun noticeably impacting the boot process. Use Autoruns to disable all the junk that doesn't need to run when you boot, then test boot speed.

If you're convinced that the Java update is the problem it's easy to fix; just download and run JavaRa, which will remove every version and instance of the JRE from your PC. Test to see if removing the JRE improves boot speed. Reinstall the latest JRE and test it again to see if there's a difference.


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[Menalaus]

I finished a Symantec scan and it came back with nothing. however, after some time (an hour) programs began to lock up. I tried to bring up task manager but after about a minute with no system response I got an error (failed to display security and shutdown options). I tried it a second time and received the same error. nothing was responsive on my system (start up menu or anything). as you can guess I am writing this from my android while I wait for my computer to boot again.

 

[Menalaus]

I took a look at Autoruns. I really didn't have much coming up at autorun but I did disable some things that were unnecessary (like my android's autoupdate). I also took a look at JavaRa and uninstalled old versions of Java and then restarted. Boot up was more in line with how it was before, as was log in. Will keep you posted on whether or not my system decides to lock up after some time.

 

[Bubbaleone]

I'm definitely suspecting you may be infected with a boot virus that the majority of AV products (including Symantec) won't detect. When/if you get booted back into Windows, download Combofix to the desktop and run it.

If you can't get back into Windows, I recommend using another PC to download Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10, burn the ISO and boot it on the infected PC. Read How to start scan for viruses using Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10 before you run it.

Keep us posted :thumbsup:


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[Menalaus]

Got back in and installed combofix. I got a bsod within the first minute of the scan. now I'm trying in safe mode.

 

[techs]

I guess I should ask. Have you tried uninstalling Java?

 

[Menalaus]

Well i give up. ran the scan in safe mode for six hours with no luck. tried to boot again and I get stuck at starting windows (I let it gang there for 20 minutes) same thing with safe mode now, won't boot up either. trying a system restore before I downloaded the java update.

 

[Bubbaleone]

ComboFix should have completed in 15-20 minutes tops. All the symptoms you're describing are typical of a very bad boot sector virus; a rootkit. Some work very quickly to disable your PC and others work incrementally towards the same end. Since you don't know when you picked it up, rootkits a quite happy waiting for you in a handy system restore point as well.

You can't successfully attack a rootkit from within the Windows environment, including safe mode. That's why I suggested using the Linux based Kaspersky disk which can access the system and hidden files which the unmounted, hence, deactivated rootkit has written.

 

[Menalaus]

Yeah not sure what good it will do now. tried reformatting and it froze before it could finish. now every time I boot I get a ntldr is missing error and my keyboard is unresponsive. what do I do now

 

[techs]

You need to boot off a Windows disc and go to a command prompt and do a full format.
You may also need to run bootsect.exe to fix your mbr.

 

[Bubbaleone]

Yeah not sure what good it will do now. tried reformatting and it froze before it could finish. now every time I boot I get a ntldr is missing error and my keyboard is unresponsive. what do I do now

I'm curious why you're seeing the NTLDR is missing message, as NTLDR is for booting XP and not 7, unless perhaps you have or had a dual-boot XP and 7 setup.

Anyway, try this:

1) Insert either the Windows 7 Installation DVD, or Windows 7 System Repair DVD and reboot.

2) Select the correct keyboard input method and click "Next".

Note: If you are using the Windows7 Install DVD then at the "Install Now" prompt (Do not pick the "Install Now" option) instead choose the "Repair your computer" option located in the lower left of the display.

3) The System Repair tool will search for a valid operating system and will report that “Windows found problems with your computer’s startup options. Do you want to apply repairs and restart your computer?”

4) Click "Repair and restart" and reboot again into the Windows 7 System Repair environment.

5) Click "Next" at the keyboard selection prompt and when the "System Recovery Options" screen appears verify that the "Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows" is selected.

6) Now from the menu list select the "Command Prompt" option.

7) At the command prompt type the following three commands, pressing enter after each command:

bootrec.exe /fixmbr

bootrec.exe /fixboot (may return an "Element not found" message)

bootrec.exe /RebuildBcd

8) Close the command prompt window and click the "Startup Repair" option.

9) The repair process may take some time, so wait until the process completes at which point you will see two messages "Windows cannot repair this computer automatically" and "Startup Repair cannot repair this computer automatically".

(Important Note: As detailed below, Startup Repair must be run multiple times before clicking "Restart"; a minimum of 3 times.)

10) Close this message window by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the Send/Don’t send window. Next click on the "View advanced options for system recovery and support" option and from the main menu once again click "Startup Repair". This time the repair process may only take a few seconds, and when prompted with "Startup Repair could not detect a problem", click "Finish" and run the "Startup Repair" option at least one more time, click "Finish", and then remove the Installation DVD or the System Repair DVD and click "Restart". Reboot the computer.

 

[Menalaus]

I get recenv.exe corrupt files when trying system repair. I went forward anyway with the command prompt and when I did the last step (rebuild) it said bootrec.exe was corrupt as well. tried rebooting to see what would happen--no brief error message by
it it just hangs forever at the load up screen. tried booting up the install disc again and I am still met with the same errors as before (corrupt files).

 

[Bubbaleone]

Menalaus; post your computer specs and particularly the make, model, and age of the HDD. Also confirm my question about whether or not you have, or had, Windows XP installed on this same drive that Windows 7 is installed on.

 

[Bubbaleone]

In the meantime, get back to the Command Prompt and see if you can run CHKDSK using the following switches: chkdsk X: /x /v /f /r /b (replace X: with your actual system drive letter). If it doesn't run post the error message you get.

 

[Bubbaleone]

The system drive letter in the repair environment may differ from the drive letter (for example; C:\) which you would normally see in Windows Explorer or Disk Management. It won't do any good to run CHKDSK on the wrong drive.

To positively identify the system drive letter; at the Command Prompt run mountvol and it will list all available drives with a corresponding drive letter. To find out which is actually the system drive letter, run dir X: (again, replace X for each of the drive letters listed by mountvol. The dir command will list the contents for that drive letter.

 

[Menalaus]

In case it wasn't clear, I obviously gave up on trying to fix the problem. Eventually just took the hard drive and got it zeroed. Had to start from scratch but everything is fine now.

 

[Menalaus]

I'm not one for violence, but I wouldn't mind if the person responsible for rootkits/bootkits was flayed alive a thousand times until the end of time.

So we're back to square one again. I'm guessing the rootkit is actually on another one of my hard drives (I have a slave and an external, aside from my main). I don't even know if it's possible to be honest. Anyway, once again, can't access anything. Trying to reformat Windows with the Windows recovery CD just loads up Windows and brings me to a black screen with a mouse. I move my mouse around etc. nothing happens. So I can't even reformat my hard drives through that option.

Secondly, I obviously need to pull off information off my backup before I reformat it. How do I do that without unknowingly exposing another hard drive to this possible threat?

Lastly, how the hell do I fix this problem?

 

[AnonymouseUser]

This sounds a lot like a failing hard drive. Did you ever run chkdsk as was suggested earlier? I've had a hard drive with bad sectors that would pass diagnostics tests after zeroing it out, but the bad sectors slowly started showing up again. This, of course, makes the drive run like molasses.

 

[Menalaus]

I will never understand the voodoo magic that is computer hardware...

I got into safemode with the command prompt. I ran chkdsk and got the following (with /x):

The type of file system is NTFS. Cannot lock current drive. Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts?

I continued with the other parameters. /v ran chkdsk. At the beginning I got this message:

Warning! F parameter not specified.

Also, at the end of the check:

The Volume Bitmap is incorrect. Windows found problems with the file system. Run chkdsk with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

I did /f but I got the same as the first message, so I selected yes and restarted. The computer booted up and ran chkdsk again. It found no problems. Since it found no problems, it then attempted to boot up Windows, which it did in a timely fashion as it always had.

I doubt this has fixed the problem, but further guidance would be appreciated.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Now try running a more thorough drive test. Either some diagnostic software from the drive maker (eg, Seagate's DiscWizard), or something like the "Error Scan" (not quick) found in HD Tune.

 

[Bubbaleone]

I will never understand the voodoo magic that is computer hardware...

I got into safemode with the command prompt. I ran chkdsk and got the following (with /x):

The type of file system is NTFS. Cannot lock current drive. Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts?

I continued with the other parameters. /v ran chkdsk. At the beginning I got this message:

Warning! F parameter not specified.

Also, at the end of the check:

The Volume Bitmap is incorrect. Windows found problems with the file system. Run chkdsk with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

I did /f but I got the same as the first message, so I selected yes and restarted. The computer booted up and ran chkdsk again. It found no problems. Since it found no problems, it then attempted to boot up Windows, which it did in a timely fashion as it always had.

I doubt this has fixed the problem, but further guidance would be appreciated.

Sorry you misunderstood how to use chkdsk. I meant for you type the entire line at the command prompt, not run each switch individually. Run chkdsk again, on all your drives, exactly as shown below. When you run it on the other drives substiute "C:" with that drives drive letter. For example: chkdsk E: /x /v /f /r /b

Despite the fact that you're probably still infected, chkdsk will be able to correct the file system errors that are preventing your operating system from being able to process data correctly, and that especially includes antivirus (or any other programs) being able to function as intended.


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[Menalaus]

No, I wrote the command prompt in full. I just then went ahead and typed each one individually.

Anyway, we're back to square one again. When it happened for a third time I realized there was a pattern to getting safe mode to work (because it would always freeze and hang at classpnp.sys. Eventually, if I did this enough times, all of my peripherals would stop working (my USB keyboard wouldn't work at start up). I found a PS/2 keyboard which I then used to continue trying to get into safe mode (which worked the first time). I repeated the process again (this time letting the full chkdsk to take place on start up) and logged in just fine. Now, not even 24 hours after trying the workaround, I'm back to square one, and the "trick" to getting into safe mode doesn't work any more.

Also, just so we're also clear, system recovery doesn't work either. It eventually loads to a black screen where I can move my mouse around, but nothing else happens. Considering this has persisted after zeroing the hard drive and a clean Windows 7 install, I'm feeling convinced it's hard drive failure.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

When hard drives don't fail instantly, start clicking, or start showing bad sectors, they can be a real PITA. I pulled one last week which just became sluggish. AHCI mode took ~5 minutes to boot, yet IDE mode took ~2 minutes. No errors, no bad sectors, it's just slow. I wasted too much time dealing with it, testing, reformatting, virus scan, reading SMART data, trying to get it to work, but finally just pulled it. No more problems.

 

[Menalaus]

Pretty much described what I've been going through the last few weeks. Sometimes I wish you'd just get the click of death outright because at least then you know 100% what the problem is. Anyway, I managed to finally get into safe mode (I stepped away for 20 minutes hoping it would freeze and came back to it sitting at the login screen--running chkdsk one final time to pull all my information off of it). Also put in an order on newegg for a new hard drive.

I supposed in the long run I should have expected this. I've been using this hard drive for over five years now (I took it from the first computer I built and just kept using it as the hard drive for Windows...it had the appropriate space and I have a slave drive and external that took care of all my other space issues). Eventually all hardware fails. But still, I would've preferred the click of death.