Abnormal Defrag - Win98se

Thank you, Coolwaters, for your suggestion too! I will keep it with all the other good advice and if I run into a problem, I'll have all the suggestions laid out for me right here. Adela

 

Hello everyone:

The last time I wrote was to report that I tried by chance the Norton SpeedDisk which did my defrag efficiently and then things seemed to work better and faster...However now again a number of little things were happening so I thought it's time to defrag again...but this time it did the same as the other defrags in that it kept going back and forth unendingly.

This morning I decided to use yoru recommended SpyBotSD and since I didn't see it on my desktop, I went to "find files & folders" because I knew I had downloaded it once. And I found not one, but 14 of them!!!

I typed them all and am taking the liberty of copying them below -would you so kindly tell me which ones I can delete and which ONLY ONE I should leave in, please?

(1) Spybotsd.lgc C:\windows\applog 26 KB lgc file

(2) spybotsd10.niaswiss.zip C:\windows\desktop\downloads 1,159 zip file

(3) shortcut to SpyBotSD.exe C:\windows\desktop\systemcleanup 1 KB short

(4) spybotsd10.niaswiss.zip C:\windows\application\data\IM\{C2BF7E CO... 1,159 zip file

(5) Spybot - Search & destroy 1.0 Program file File Folder

(6) SpyBotSD.exe C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0 1,754 application

(7) spybotsd.xml C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0 1KB XML Document

(8) spybotsd.ini C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0 1K configuraiton settings

(9) SpyBots.nfo C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\includes 50KBMSInfo Document

(10) SpyBots.sbi C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\includes 69KB Spybot-S&D spyware...

(11) spybotsd.xml.sig C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\Signatures 1 KB SIG File

(12) SpyBotSD.exe.sig C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\Signatures 1 KB SIG File

(13) SpyBotSD.nfo.sig C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\Signatures 1 KB SIG File

(14) SpyBotSD.sbi.sig C:\program files\spybot - search & destroy 1.0\Signatures 1 KB SIG File

I did take one and start the scan...but somewhere it said in big letters "AT YOUR OWN RISK" so I chickened out and canceled it. The reason being I don't know, AGAIN, which items are ok for me to delete from the result and which not. Any help here too?

I'd be so very grateful for your further help! Sincerely, Adela

P.S. I went to www.thescreensavers.com and printed out "Sarah's Windows Tweak: Delete Hidden Surfing Tracks (Clear index.dat files manually in Windows XP) ", and I hope to be able to do this sometime, though it seems it's only for WinXP and not 98...But I'm sure many of you could if you haven't already? Good luck!

 

Hi Adela,

You need to keep all of those Spybot entries but #1...applog, and it's not necessary to get rid of. Applog is one of those folders that you can periodically open, select everything inside and delete. It's a temp folder that tracks programs that have been used and helps load them faster when you use them again. It gets overfilled from time to time and actually slows things down.

This entry;
(3) shortcut to SpyBotSD.exe C:\windows\desktop\systemcleanup 1 KB short

says that there is a shorcut icon on the desktop. Is it not there? Go to C:\Program Files\Spybot, locate SpybotSD.exe and double click to start the program, click search for updates, get any offered and let it scan. Remove everything marked with red and already checked. It's safe! You can also right click that exe and send to desktop to create a new icon.

I also recommend you get Ad-aware if you don't have it, update it also before running, and delete everything it finds.

 

noahdfear:

As a FYI

Instead of periodically deleting all the files in \Applog (which is counter productive if you "really" want to use the feature), go to MSCONFIG, and UNselect TASKMON, which is the program that is maintaining them.
Reboot, delete all the \Applog files and they will never return!

 

Thanks for that bit of info WhitPhil. I didn't realize the connection between the two. I have always unchecked the TASKMON on my 98 machines but hadn't put together that was why I never had to empty the applog folder. Only knew that many others applog seemed to fill up alot.

 

Hello WhitPhil and noahdfear:

<<Instead of periodically deleting all the files in \Applog (which is counter productive if you "really" want to use the feature), go to MSCONFIG, and UNselect TASKMON, which is the program that is maintaining them.
Reboot, delete all the \Applog files and they will never return!>>

I'd like to do this before I use the adware and spybot (or should I do these 2 first?), but I'm a little confused as to whether I should leave in the \Applog since you say one may want to use them, or whether to follow the last part of your paragraph above: going to TASKMON, reboot and then delete all the \Applog files? I remember in the past unchecking the TASKMON but that was all I did.

As to the spybot entries, I'm surprised to have so many, but I'll certainly follow your advice to leave them alone (I won't bother them if they don't bother me...LOL!

noahdfear, you're right about the spybot in my desktop. I went back and found it inside a folder that's why I didn't see it before. I'll follow your advice to update this spybotSD first and then let it scan. Then, as you suggest, I'll remove everything marked with red and already checked. I will also update adaware and scan with it afterwards. I'm sure after all this, the system will finally defrag properly.

I appreciate a lot your kind help! Adela

 

It won't matter what order you do things in, and if unsure whether you want to clear the applogs and uncheck TASKMON, just keep in mind it's not permanent and it won't hurt anything. I just looked back thru the list of files and folders you have and did notice one that you could delete if you want...(2) spybotsd10.niaswiss.zip C:\windows\desktop\downloads 1,159 zip file
That is the original zip file from when you downloaded the program. I keep alot of my downloaded programs in a separate folder I call Setup Files in case I need to reinstall it for some reason. Can also be put on cd for reinstallation should you ever format, and would only need updated.

Make sure you have the current build of both Spybot and Ad-aware. You can find the version of Spybot by clicking help>about within the program. Current build is 1.2......Ad-aware's current build is 6.181 and can be check by clicking the i from it's start page.

 

Thanks so much, Dave. I'll go ahead and scan with spybot and ad-aware being sure of getting the latest updates that you so kindly gave me. Oh and thanks for letting me know I can delete the (2) spybot since I feel my computer is SO overloaded that every little bit helps!!!

As to the applog files, will it be sufficient to just uncheck periodically the Taskmon and let it go with that? Or should I also delete all applog files after unchecking? If the applog is a temporary folder, I wonder why WhitPhil said:

"Instead of periodically deleting all the files in \Applog (which is counter productive if you "really" want to use the feature), go to MSCONFIG, and UNselect TASKMON, which is the program that is maintaining them. "?

And for what purpose would this folder and/or its files be used?

But I've taken enough of your time, I'm off to do all that scanning, etc. and thanks so much again! Adela

 

The files are created/maintained by Taskmon everytime you run a program. And this info is used by Defrag when you select the option to "Optimize my program start ".
The improvement is nominal in relation to the increase in Defrag time.
I would UNselect Taskmon, reboot, delete the files and never bother with them again.

 

Thank you, WhitPhil! I'll delete those files. It will be one burden less...

Meantime, I'm still trying to run the spybotSD. I clicked on "select all" because I read on the site that the green, besides the red, also was safe to delete, and then clicked on "Fix all ", but it stopped in the middle. I started again and it did the same, only now it showed 2 items with a heavy mark of a circle and a X in the middle or something but I didn't see anywhere how to save what was scanned so I hope it worked... I didn't see either where they explain what that mark means, and also what the exclamation mark means....

The spybot site had only 1.1 which I couldn't use as it didn't work as a link, so I ran it with 1.0 version. Dave said it should be 1.2, so I thought I'd update and rerun it again...but,

I could swear I saw the spybot & ad-aware links in one of your, or Dave's, msgs here...but my computer must've driven me insane since I can't find them any more. I know I even clicked on it and did see the updated page showing 1.2...If not on spybot site, where else could I get the latest?

Thanks again, WhitPhil! Adela

 

SpyBot

 

Thanks, WhitPhil. I discovered that the reason I didn't see it again was that, apparently, they appear only BEFORE writing. When I finished writing and sent out the msg...I saw them again. Adela

P.S. I just scanned with Ad-Aware being that's the one that gave me less trouble and also it indicated that sending all the ones marked for quarantine could be retrieved if necessary, while the spybot talked only of "deleting" so I'm afraid. I'll try again to see if I'm more courageous this time...AND, if it doesn't freeze in the middle of the scan again...