Strange acting Windows...

Hello all,
This is my first post here and I have an unusual question, I’m not even entirely sure how to ask it… but here goes:
First of all let me tell you, I’m running WindowsXp SP2 and I am not connected to the internet on the machine in question (and never have been, although I do swap files to the HDD with a flash drive so in effect it does receive files from the net)…

Everything runs fine until I either open up the Control panel or the Programs menu (from the start button)… the mouse cursor starts to run slow and then after a few minutes of it progressively moving slower it eventually locks up completely.
Now the really odd thing is that I can go to my Documents and zip around throughout normal folders with not a single little hiccup, but as soon as I go into the control panel it starts to act crazy.
I’ve ran Spybot and it found nothing, I also checked a lot of my exe processes and the only one I found that is "bad" is a Sony Rootkit for some DRM crap… so it shouldn’t be that, right?

What should I do? Keep in mind I’m not connected to the net on the machine so I can’t do any live-scanning…
Recommendations will be greatly appreciated as I’m at my wits end after a week of trying to figure this out!
My thanks in advance,
Jon

 

thanks for describing your problem , software and hardware clearly
If its spyware you might try running a number of different spyware / malware / greyware products - with updates
all find different parasites. Several that come to mind are adware, and the online scan from trend.
Do you have the same problems in safe mode ?
Also how much of hard drive is left. If very little then you can run into erratic
problems although yours seems a software issue.
With a lot of spyware it is deeply ingrained - almost like a cancer- that when removed with a program such as spybot , that so much damage has been done that in the end all you can do is save your data and reinstall windows

 

Thanks for the reply visionof, I've got over 70 gigs left on my HDD so space shouldn't be an issue... I just ran Adware and it came up clean, I've also used a few registry cleaners and still, the problem persists...

I'll check Safemode later to see if the problem still occurs there, if not, what could that mean?

I'm stumped and really do not want to do a re-install...

 

rimbaud,

You can find information on the Sony/BMG rootkit fiasco HERE.

There is also a tool to remove it HERE.

I would certainly remove it.

B

 

Whan is the last time the cache was cleaned and the drive defragged? Have you check for dust in the heatsink and fans plus any air vents.

 

Excellent, Thank you, THANK YOU Mr. B (gone?)... I will definitely remove that damned thing...


@Whiskeyman:
I had defragged a few weeks before this whole thing started and last night, out of pure desperation, I defragged again... so no luck there...
As for dust, I'm faily anal about cleaning the electronics, computers included, so there are no worries on that score either...
As for the cache, well I do not have any internet connection on said machine, remember... so if you're talking about a different cache let me know and I'd be more than willing to give it a try!

But thank you for all the suggestions so far...

 

For the cache I was thinking of offline files, if enabled, left over from using the thumbdrive on the PC.

 

suggest you try the free atf-cleaner; just select 'all' and 'ok'.