help! computer going bonkers task manage

Subject: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: open mike
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 02:25 AM

sometimes my task manages works overtime.
when my computer bogs down i look and there
are dozens of little green boxes (taskmanager
icons) on the bottom of the screen. if i click
on control/alt/delete, and see the programs that
are running, there are many many task manager
files open and presumably active. when i shut
them down one by one (usually at that point i
have not got use of the mouse so must do so manually)
things work somewhat normally if i close all but
one of them.

does this sound like any thing that is familiar to anyone
out there? is it indicative of a virus, trojan, worm or
other problem? my virus protection scans come up ok, but
when i run adaware or spybot it gets to a certain point,
then freezes, i suppose it is from finding some problem file

thanks for any insight or advice.

Laurel

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 05:12 AM

Haven't heard of any such thing.

Have you by any chance added a "shortcut" to something using the keys "Ctl-Alt-Delete?" Since it's the system key-set to open task manager, it might do that even if you've set the same keys to do something else(?). (I think the "Ctl-Alt-Del" is generally "hard programed" in BIOS on most machines.)

Right clicking on a blank space on the Task Bar (bottom of the screed) and clicking on Task Manager (or hitting "k") will also open it.

The Command (DOS prompt) utility "schtasks" allows you to schedule actions that the computer does automatically. You can set it to repeat as often/frequently as desired, at fixed time intervals or when "something" happens. A slightly botched entry in the scheduler could open Task Manager repeatedly, one supposes. If this utility has been botched, it should keep a log of what it's done, or tried to do at Systemroot\SchedLgU.txt where Systemroot\ is your system drive, probably C:\. (May be a hidden/system file, and may require Administrator login to open?)

Start|Run, type "Command" (w/o the quotes) and click Go or hit Enter will get the DOS window. Typing "schtasks" and Enter will show what's been scheduled. (You may have to logged on with Administrator privies to get a result.)

At the Command prompt, type schtasks /? for help on the command; but be careful as it's pretty powerful.

(Type "Exit" and Enter to close the Command window, or course.)

I haven't heard of any malware doing what's described, but it might be "reasonable" that a spyware bot might want to know what programs you have open, and might open a new Task Manager each time it tries to call home(?).

Suggest the usual, update and scan with your AntiVirus, and with Ad-Aware and Spybot if you don't have other better(?) anti-malware programs.

John

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 05:27 AM

I was told that if my computer appeared to be busy when it should be doing not a lot, to suspect a trojan. I have also heard of PCs being partially taken over, and used to send out spam the owner knows nothing about.
Not that I am qualified to say if it sounds like either of those things, however I would be suspicious if it happened to me.
One thing does occur to me though, if your drive is fragmented then the PC may have to work harder to find files. So have you defragged recently?
Giok

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: 8_Pints
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 06:16 AM

Not all virus programs will be detected by AV since new instances will at first not be recognised until they are reported and included in the virus database list. Many infect your system by planting code in memory areas designed to hold data, for example the memory stack.

Windows XP SP2 allows you to inhibit this attack by use of the Data Execution Prevention facility. Do this by right clicking on "My Computer" short-cut and select "properties". then select "advanced" tab. Select the "Performance" settings button and finally the "Data Execution Prevention" tab. This will allow you to set an option in the "Boot.ini" file that controls this feature.

See also the microsoft documentation for this feature for more information.

Bob vG

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: open mike
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 04:23 PM

i did run spy bot and also updated the spybot program..
i had just been running it with out updating it...
but it sometimes has mystery things it wants to delete
such as anti-virus disable, or microsoft alert disable.
or firewall disable...i usually do not click these,as
they would like something i would like to have in place
to be notified about.

my adaware (lavasoft) scans some files then freezes...
it does not say which files it is scanning only how many
files it has scanned, but it always stops part way thru.

thanks for advice...will check further...
and defrag, and run system scan with anti virus, etc.

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: Nick
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 07:53 PM

If you are still worried go to Spybot Info Forum - the people there were fantastic helping me with a problem (this was my problem and what they did to help)

Subject: RE: help! computer going bonkers task manage
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 17 Oct 07 - 10:35 PM

Based on the format of your originating post.......

Your Internet connection is a piece-of-fruit.

1. Upgrade your system's controls (no cost - available world-wide)

2. Check your personal-machine's chache/buffer permition (if too low...you can buffer on-line.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

It obviously worked before.....It obviously needs a little "tweakin".......as we roll, like a scroll, into 2008......there will be "CONFUSIONS" to drive public consumers into the new system.....remain EDUCATED.....(even DOS 3.0 will work) if your will expend the time.