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Editing services.msc

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by tanya, 2009/05/12.

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  1. 2009/05/12
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi,
    Windows XP sp2 HP Pavilion a1100n, Celeron 2.93 GHz, 248 MB RAM.
    It has been overloaded since day 1 (2005).
    There are a lot of processes (control alt delete) and services.msc is full of automatic startups with a lot of warnings (which I think are overdone).
    I want to disable what I can safely.
    Where can I get information?
    (I have Avast! as an antiviral)
    Thank you in advance
     
    tanya,
    #1
  2. 2009/05/12
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    I would recommend that you leave the Services alone - disabling a few will make very little difference to performance. If you insist follow the guide lines at Black Viper

    To control your startup processes i suggest you use Starter
    With only 248 Mb RAM you cannot expect more than below par performance - XP needs 512 Mb RAM to function reasonably briskly.
     
    PeteC,
    #2


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  4. 2009/05/12
    surferdude2

    surferdude2 Inactive

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    I can't advise you as to what services you can disable since I have found that disabling services is a mistake in most cases. Some day down the line, you'll have troubles as a result of some disabled service and the error won't point that way.

    Although you didn't ask, I advise you to get some more RAM. That will improve your system performance more than anything you can do by disabling services. You have 250megs of RAM, which is considered a bare minimum to run XP at a reasonable speed. RAM is cheap of late so consider upgrading. Most systems need 500megs or else the paging file will get used frequently. I run 1gig and things go very smoothly with very little page file action.
     
    surferdude2,
    #3
  5. 2009/05/12
    fmwar2

    fmwar2 Inactive

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    I would suggest a utility called Belarc Advisor for showing your present setup.

    Then go to http://www.crucial.com run their free check of you system. More memory can be ordered from Crucial and easily installed. Your will love the improvement.

    fmwar2
     
    fmwar2,
    #4
  6. 2009/05/13
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    Pete C, surferdude2, and fmwar2
    Thanks for replying.
    In the interim I'd contacted H-P support who gave me a number of directions:
    www.pcdecrapifier.com

    www.gur.in/download (cleanup 451)

    · Type msconfig in run

    · Click on services tab

    · Check Hide all Microsoft services

    · Click disable all

    · Check all the Wireless and Antivirus services

    · Click on the Startup Tab

    · Click disable all

    · Check the Wireless, Antivirus, Printer and Synaptics

    Advanced Care Professional Free Edition (I did not use this one)

    But I did the others stupidly
    :eek:

    Can I restore the registry on XP?
    How?

    About the RAM, I realize it is low (below minimal) but the pc has slowed down recently more than usual

    Thanks
     
    tanya,
    #5
  7. 2009/05/13
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Run System Restore and restore the system to a date prior to the above actions.

    I find the rationale behind the advice given in your series of typed commands via msconfig very difficult to comprehend - if you go back into msconfig the appropriate Disable button should be greyed out and the Enable button active so you can reverse those changes.
     
    PeteC,
    #6
  8. 2009/05/13
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    PeteC:
    Thank you for replying.

    I don't understand what you mean above: aside from the fact that "Black Viper" states never to access services.msc from msconfig....But I just checked and the Enable button is greyed while the Disable button is active.... Maybe system restore reversed the changes?

    Are you familiar with "Advanced Care Professional Free Edition "?

    Thanks so much again for the advice!
     
    tanya,
    #7
  9. 2009/05/13
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    If you had already run System Restore before looking at msconfig that is what I would expect.
    No - I had not heard of it until you mentioned it.

    Is the computer running OK - apart from the slowness?
     
    PeteC,
    #8
  10. 2009/05/13
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    Actually it is not: It is taking far longer to boot (with no additional h/w or s/w)
    and also:
    When one starts it, one hears a <normal> sound (like maybe the PSU fan?) that is transitory; however it has been coming on while I am using it (well into windows) this is sporadic: It used to come on while running Symantec scans....(Symantec is no longer on the pc)
    I asked HP about this they did not seem to have an answer.......

    When the fan (noise) starts up, the CPU usage approaches 100% - this is why I wanted to remove unneeded applications...
    This is also why I have not added RAM since I want to make sure the other H/W is okay - I should look for the drive manufacturer (ST3100011A) which I just did and it is a seaGate (which is good).

    I can download their utilities (you in fact had posted various utilities here: http://www.windowsbbs.com/other-software/83404-office-word-2007-corrupt-files.html
    for a different computer)

    If the drive and RAM are okay (physically) I'll look into an upgrade for the memory...
    But I'd also like to remove items that I really don't need like games, ipod accessories, etc. and others

    Do you suggest any of the aforementioned items: www.pcdecrapifier.com, or www.gur.in/download (cleanup 451), and any *safe* registry cleaner. I read user reviews about the "Advanced Care Professional Free Edition" and some gave warnings about the program. I did run it yesterday (before restoring the system) but did not "allow" it to fix anything fwiw, there were > 600 registry errors yesterday.

    Thanks so much!
     
    tanya,
    #9
  11. 2009/05/14
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Tanya

    I am very leary of many of the so called cleanup programs on offer as they can often create more problems than they solve. I prefer to take the manual approach, but, used with care Ccleaner is OK, but ignore the Registry section - see below.

    Registry cleaners should be avoided unless there are specific reasons for their use, e.g. clearing out references to a previous version of a program which are preventing a current version to be installed. You will see no noticeable improvement in performance by cleaning out the Registry and may do more harm than good. If you are determined to go down this route I suggest the uncrippled 30 day trial of jv16PowerTools and be sure to accept the offer to backup any changes made.

    What is the size of the hard drive and how much free space is there?

    Start with a manual cleanup .......

    Empty out all temporary files .....

    Start > Run > %temp% > Enter

    The files in the Explorer window which are listed are all safe to delete - one or two may be in use and cannot be deleted.

    Empty the contents of C:\Windows\Temp - the same comment above applies

    Empty out Temporary Internet files and set the disk space allocated to them to 50 Mb which is more than enough. Then go in IE to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced tab and scroll down to and check 'Empty temp internet files when browser closed.

    In Add/Remove Programs uninstall any programs you no longer use or want

    In Add/Remove programs > Add/Remove Windows components uncheck any items you do not require.

    Empty the Recycle Bin

    Download and run Starter which I posted earlier and disable any startup items that are unnecessary - if something fails to work you can re-enable the startup easily.

    I would also run Malwarebytes - update before scanning - to check for any malware on the system which may be contributing to the CPU usage.

    Although you have uninstalled Norton some remnants probably remain - I suggest you run the Norton Removal Tool
     
    PeteC,
    #10
  12. 2009/05/15
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi,
    Thank you very much for the reply!

    The drive is: 86.1 GB and there are 64.2 GBs free (i.e. 21.9 GBs are used)

    It is set to 2384 MB!
    I do Disk Cleanup almost on a daily basis for that PC...


    done

    I ran it:
    Starter shows 4 items:
    C:pROGRA~1ALWILS~1Avast4ashDisp.exe -- antiviral
    C:WINDOWSsystem32ctfmon.exe - taskmanager?
    dumprep 0 -k (but it states "file not found" - isn't this non essential? (Just an error file?))
    C:program FilesGoogleGoogleToolbarNotifierGoogleToolbarNotifier
    I'll try removing the A/V (temporarily) and google toolbar (which I have been trying to remove - keeps coming back)
    I'm Running the full scan right now... It looks like it will be going all night.
    I'll post back with results tomorrow.
    Thanks very much for all the information!
     
    Last edited: 2009/05/15
    tanya,
    #11
  13. 2009/05/15
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Only required when the computer is setup to dump the contents of the memory to disk following a system failure - dump data.
     
    PeteC,
    #12
  14. 2009/05/15
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    Hi,
    Thank you for the information...

    It's removed.
    I don't know how to get rid of the google toolbar.... and I have not removed (disabled) the av yet...
    But:
    Although I'd removed Symantec via add/remove programs quite a while ago, The removal tool got rid of the fair amount remaining.
    It found the following:

    Registry Data Items Infected:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\AntiVirusDisableNotify (Disabled.SecurityCenter) -> Bad: (1) Good: (0) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\FirewallDisableNotify (Disabled.SecurityCenter) -> Bad: (1) Good: (0) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\UpdatesDisableNotify (Disabled.SecurityCenter) -> Bad: (1) Good: (0) -> Quarantined and deleted successfully.

    I did not remove windows components or any doubtful program because this computer did not come with a windows XP CD. In case I make a mistake, I would not be able to reinstall.
    One has to createI think 9 or so recovery CDs before using the pc (on day 1) and I don't even know where they are - but there are not many windows components.

    The C:\windows\temp folder had some data files and they are in the recycle bin. I assume they're okay to delete.... (even though the file extension is.dat and not tmp. (Once I ran into problems after deleting the temp files from the C:\windows\temp directory (on anotherPC) so I am cautious)

    Now I am going to disable the AV and google tool bar - after I post this

    Thanks again for the help!
     
    tanya,
    #13
  15. 2009/05/16
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    The Google Toolbar Notifier is a persistent beast - part of the Google Toolbar of course and I have had little success in preventing it from running. The Toolbar itself can be uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs.
    I guess you are referring to files such as Perflib_Perfdata_xxx.dat? These are performance logs and not necessary to retain - the latest may be in use and unable to be deleted.

    For an interpretation of what the Malwarebytes scan found I suggest you post in the Malware & Virus Removal forum when that reopens - currently closed due to an overwhelming backlog of logs.
     
    PeteC,
    #14
  16. 2009/05/16
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    I found this:
    What is Google Toolbar Notifier and how to get rid of it
    http://www.online-tech-tips.com/google-softwaretips/what-is-google-toolbar-notifier/
    I couldn't try it b/c I don't have the toolbar on either browser for whatever reason.
    Thanks again for all the help
     
    tanya,
    #15
  17. 2009/05/16
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Thank you for that URL - handy :)
    Maybe it is just not showing - in IE right click in a blank area to the left of the Home icon - is the Google Toolbar listed, but not checked?

    Alternatively if installed it will be listed in Add/Remove Programs.

    The Malware & Virus Removal forum has re-opened now that the backlog has been cleared.
     
    PeteC,
    #16
  18. 2009/05/17
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    On the problem PC, the Google toolbar is listed in add/remove programs but only for I.E. (and the notifier is again in msconfig | startup).
    I cannot activate the Google toolbar in IE though -- it is listed but checking it does nothing...

    I guess I could install the toolbar, remove the notifier (via the toolbar), and then remove the toolbar via add/remove programs; hopefully the notifier won't auto-install right away...

    Thanks!
    BTW the problem PC has improved!
     
    tanya,
    #17
  19. 2009/05/17
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    If you uninstall Google Toolbar for IE through Add/Remove programs that should remove all of it for IE. If it won't uninstall re-install it and then uninstall.

    Firefox is different - I am no expert on Firefox, but .....

    Tools > add-ons > highlight Google Tool Bar for Firefox and hit the uninstall button.
    Good :)
     
    PeteC,
    #18
  20. 2009/05/18
    tanya

    tanya Inactive Thread Starter

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    It is not anywhere on the browser(s).

    It is not in Firefox at all.

    I will try add/remove, and following this msconfig. But the real resource eaters are Avast! also I would like to disable ctfmon.exe
    This is what Microsoft has:
    Frequently asked questions about Ctfmon.exe
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599
    May try it.

    Finally, I have searched the 1st 2 'infected' register keys.
    But there seems to be some issue with Avast! and MBAM....

    In the registry is the value: 'zero' disabled or enabled (vs. '1')?

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\AntiVirusDisableNotify
    The above is set to zero (is zero disabled?)
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\FirewallDisableNotify
    Also set to zero
    and
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\UpdatesDisableNotify
    also zero.

    Thanks again!
     
    tanya,
    #19
  21. 2009/05/18
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    This is normal if antivirus monitoring is turned on.
    This is also normal - see here.
    See post #2 here
    Do you have the Avast Virus Recovery Database (VRDB) Generator running? - turn it off.

    Alternatively I would recommend Avira

    I run Eset NOD32 on my main desktop and Avast on my Vista box and Avira on 2 laptops.

    I don't think that the URL you posted re ctfmon.exe will work on later versions of Office - I had no success uninstalling Alternative User Input in 2003 - ctfmon.exe is still running.
     
    PeteC,
    #20
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