Dimension 8200 (about 18 mos old)
Win XP Home


My connection speed has suddenly and drastically reduced.

I normally have an extremely good modem connection, averaging between 50.4kps - 52 kps. Only very occasionally has it been as low as 48kps.

A few days ago I had a disconnect. Not that unusual. No blue screen. Was in newsgroups and got a generic "disconnect from server for unknown reason". I have seen this message dozens of times in the past. But when I reconnected it was at 33.6.

At first I thought,well, the disconnect was due to some phone line problem, or some ISP problem. Did not worry. But it has become permanent. Can connect only at 33.6 And the screeching noises one hears during dial-up have become different, rather much longer, louder and wierder.

Have contacted both phone company and ISP, and am assured the cause is not with them.

I ran the Modem Troubleshooter. Reached a point where NAV said there was a "Malicious Script" HelpCtr.exe and I should block it. I do. Has no effect.

Tried System Restore to 3 different dates. No effect.

In searching for further information on this script, I have become more or less convinced that it is what is called a false positive. NAV does not give me the option to quarantine, which they clearly say means that the threat is not really a threat, and to disregard. (I hope they are correct, and that nothing else will happen!)

If there were a legitimatly "malicious script" NAV's script blocking would have caught it, I would think. And I am absolutely religious about keeping definitions up to date. Also use the XP Firewall, and SpyBot. Am very security concious. (Paranoid?) :)

I am stumped. And stuck in download hlll (I can't use he word for the opposite of heaven. Dell apparently thinks it is profanity!). I don't know how the math works out, but download time seems to have been cut by about 75%.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted...

Thanks

Grape Crusher