Windows 7 - Programs Stop Opening (Intermittent - reboot fixes for a few days)

Hi Kevin, and welcome.

HJT logs are handled in the Malware Removal forum where the experts hang out, and you should re-post your problem there: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/virus-spyware/f/3521.aspx

Read the instructions in this sticky first: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/virus-spyware/f/3521/t/19251122.aspx

Good luck!

Hi Joe,

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for your welcome. I realize my problem description might have been flawed. The HJT log is only something I attached in passing, but I don't really think it'll provide much useful information relating to my problem - unless you are implying my problem sounds malware-related? Not sure where I would have picked that up - I've had real-time scanning (Avast!) in place for quite a while, I'm always behind  some kind of firewall (COMODO and my or someone else's router's NAT translation setup), avoid clicking on suspicious links, recently installed ThreatFire...etc. I know it's possible - it just doesn't seem like the most likely scenario given the security tools I've got in place.

If I don't get many other responses here, though, I'll take up your advice, read that link, and re-post this to the Malware Removal forum.

Take care,
Kevin

Kevin:

I'm no Malware Removal expert, but your HJT log shows evidence of at least 3 anti-virus programs: avast, Comodo Internet Security, and Threatfire.

You should use only one anti-virus in real-time; more than one leads to "duelling AVs" that can actually compromise your security.

I can't say that your log shows evidence of malware infection, but there does seem to be a lot loading and running that might account for your problem. The experts can advise you on this, even if you are not infected.

Hi Joe,

Thanks. I have the A/V disabled (actually, not installed) for COMODO and ThreatFire www.threatfire.com is a tool designed to be used with an antivirus - it's like a stopgap for stuff the antivirus doesn't know about yet. I also use this configuration on my desktop computer, a Studio 540 Desktop and don't experience any issues. As you say, let's see what the experts have to say.

Thanks,
Kevin 

let's see what the experts have to say.

Hi Kevin,

The trained analysts are over on the Malware Removal forum. Hijackthis rarely shows present day infections - especially on your version operating system. More advanced diagnostic tools will need to be run under the supervision of someone trained in their use.

Thanks Bugbatter - my symptoms generally don't seem to match those mentioned in the forum readme, though...so I am still not sure if cross-posting is the best option. I have more information that may clarify this issue. I just upgraded my memory to 8 GB today on the laptop (it was previously 4) - now the slowdowns happen much quicker, almost immediately. The CPU is pegging at 100%, and while things are still rather responsive, I wonder if that symptom may make things clearer. What kind of phenomenon would become worse with MORE memory? It seems like it must be something that is connected to the amount of memory - perhaps a caching process like Superfetch or something else that would respond to a memory increase. The symptoms are the same (and unhelpful) predominant CPU usage is by the WMI Provider service and/or svchost.exe (with a mix of services on the Services tab in Process Explorer), and DPCs can use a fair bit too, but really everything is using more CPU than normal, almost as if something is blocking it and they need to work harder.

It's rather strange; I wonder if it's heat-related? I use a docking station...I would guess that Dell would build them with fan placement in mind...but I'm not sure. The graphics card temperature tends to hover in the 60 degree (Celsius) range. The CPUs are better off, in the 40s or low 50s. I say maybe it's heat too because my desktop got a blue screen (one that it's gotten in the past and that I discovered was due to heat - poor case placement really).

It's so hard to say with intermittent stuff like this, but I guess at least it's a bit less intermittent now? :)

Help or advise, if you could. I'm just not sure the Malware Removal forum is my optimum next stop.

Thanks!
Kevin

I would post the log in the other forum if it were me. At the very least you might be able to rule out a malware/virus problem. While malware/virus identification and removal is the main goal over there....... They might be able to point you in the right direction even if it isn't an infection. I think it's worth 3 minutes of your time to repost.

Up to you..............

Jeff :emotion-22:

Hey Joe,

Sorry, kind of a newbie on the board,...I guess I'm just a stuck-up programmer ;) I'm re-posting to that board though now. Just haven't had time...I've lost hours to this darn slowness today, but through sweat and tears seem to have worked out a bit more about it.

Anyhoo...just thought to reply back before I re-post.

Kevin

Hi again,

I'm just wondering the usual response time over on Malware Removal so I can plan accordingly. I use the laptop for work, and I run a virtual machine on it, so the unpredictable CPU spiking makes this kind of hard. I've got a workaround (use another system for development...), but I lose the advantage of being able to do my work pretty much anywhere, online or offline. So I'm trying to get it sorted out by next week if I reasonably can.

Hope this post is not in bad taste, just didn't want to post on my own post over there because the board sticky said not to or I might not get a reply at all since the experts look for posts with 0 replies.

Thanks,
Kevin 

Hi Kevin:

The volunteers are swamped with requests in the Malware Removal forum, and delays of a few days in responding are not uncommon, particularly in the summer holiday season.

If your needs are urgent, other boards that handle logs and remove malware include:
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum22.html
http://malwareremoval.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

Kevin,

To (perhaps) clarify Joe's last comment --- to conform with HJT "etiquette" ---

you should be following assistance from ONLY ONE HJT helper site... trying to follow advice from two (or more) sites simultaneously can be detrimental.   It's like getting prescriptions from multiple doctors, without each one knowing what the other prescribed.

as such, when you actually receive help from a particular site, courtesy demands that you remove your logs from the other sites, so that the helpers there won't "waste" their time analyzing a log that's no longer "current" for your system.

Yeah, no problems with that. I have a workaround solution which lets me do my job and thus I can waiit. Hopefully, they will be able to respond today or tomorrow, and then I can rule out (or consider) malware as a part of the problem.

Kevin:

I am informed that some of the alternate malware removal forums I mentioned are also back-logged with replies, and that your best bet if you want a quick reply might be to post at 247FIXES:
http://www.247fixes.com/forums/forum/3-malware-removal-forum/?s=4662ac2c60eac1230f44ec6190a88a0c

Thanks to ky331 for clarifying proper etiquette about not working 2 HJT logs simultaneously. I was remiss in not mentioning that.

Thanks. I'll probably be fine. Can't wait for them to reply though so I can start tinkering...I like to do so and understand how things work.

I also have some additional info relevant to this forum.

I have noticed more about the symptoms of the issue. It seems that if I don't run my VirtualBox virtual machine, my CPU hovers around 20-40% while running Process Explorer, sometimes dipping lower and occasionally going higher. This still seems kind of high to me, but maybe it's normal for a laptop...especially since I tend to be a power user in terms of software, I guess. I'm the one who you'll always be telling, "what? 130 processes? that's too many!" But what can I say...I've got programs I like and tend to use them.

Anyway, I haven't gotten the massive slowdowns/freezes since not running VirtualBox, but what I notice is that my CPU usage seems to be really sensitive these days. Running VBox (shorter to type) did not cause this behavior in the past. I'm not sure if upgrading the RAM (and subsequently jacking up the RAM used by the virtual machine) had this impact or what. However, I also noticed that running NX Client for Windows, a graphical remote access program that connects to a Linux computer over SSH and displays its screen, used quite a bit of CPU, around 40%. The program is really just sending network data back and forth and displaying an image. I don't think it used to use that much CPU, and it's effectively using as much as my computer-in-my-computer VBox VM! So I wonder if the issue is graphics-card-related somehow. I should try watching a movie and see if that does it too.

Even if it is, though, I don't know how I would convince warranty support of the fact...and I don't know how to confirm itself. Maybe I should run the diagnostics tool that's undoubtedly somewhere on the recovery partition...hard to say...

I guess I could run performance logging too, but ugh...I used to work in support...and it just takes so long...and logs so much...and then to play back the logs is like...just a waiting game. It's no fun.

So yeah, if there are any ideas on what could make programs basically use more processor power than they really ought to...I am all ears. I hope I've described this well.

Kevin