Thread: MsConfig help

I read somewhere online that by using this option to reduce the number of programs on start up could greatly increase my computers speed.

I already turned off a few things like Open office, and a few unneeded spyware programs, and my comp now starts off 1 minuet faster, but there is still a list of things listed under my windows (not system) that I do not know about. To list a few, CTHELPER, RCMAN, qttask, KHALMPR, and jusched. Can I turn these off? How do I know which ones are okay to disactivate?

Look them up on a site like this: http://www.processlibrary.com

That will give you info about each one, and whether it is a critical process or not. The ones you listed there don't look critical though. Most likely background processes for some applications you have installed. Look them up, and decide if you want it running or not.

First of all, install Ad-aware 2007 and scan. Second, install avast antivirus (whatever other antivirus you have is bound to suck ass) and scan.

Then, after all the malicious bullshit is removed, your computer will run tons faster.

(whatever other antivirus you have is bound to suck ass)

What about AVG Antivirus and Superantispyware? Do they suck as well? They havn't failed me as yet.

Originally Posted by KALSTER

(whatever other antivirus you have is bound to suck ass)

What about AVG Antivirus and Superantispyware? Do they suck as well? They havn't failed me as yet.

That's what you think. AVG's interface sucks ass, and it's slowly but surely becoming like Norton in my eyes. It's scanning is slow in comparison, and its detection is rarely up to date. For a full critique you could probably google. As for that other program you mentioned, I've never heard of it. But if the name is that ridiculous, I need some evidence to prove it ISN'T retarded. If you don't mind.

If yer slogged by adware, spyware, etc, yer absolute best strategy is to just reformat or ditch the drive.

However, if that's not an option (for obvious reasons) then get Lavasoft's Ad-Aware for ads, and get SpywareBlaster for everything else. Then pick up a decent virus scanner.

MSCONFIG is a startup utility which controls the processes Windows runs during and after startup. Most of it you DO NOT want to mess with, or you'll hose your startup script, but there are some things you can do to speed things up. A lot of applications have utilities and processes which may not be vital to running the system, or which merely make applications open faster. You can turn off a lot of those to speed things up.

MSCONFIG will also expose some spyware and virus crap that is running that won't show up in the Processes dialog. You can turn them off and/or hunt them down.

Your best bet is to examine any entries you see in STARTUP and SERVICES, then type the name of the object into a process search tool, to help you identify the process and make sure it's something you want to turn off, or something that is vital.

Some tools are:
ProcessLibrary.com

and

TaskList.org

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Wolf

If yer slogged by adware, spyware, etc, yer absolute best strategy is to just reformat or ditch the drive.

However, if that's not an option (for obvious reasons) then get Lavasoft's Ad-Aware for ads, and get SpywareBlaster for everything else. Then pick up a decent virus scanner.

Absolutely not, in any situation, is 'ditching the drive' the proper course of action for simple SPYWARE PROBLEMS. Neither, for that matter, is formatting if you know what you're doing. It's far from the "best strategy" for about 90% of us on this forum.

Similarly, ad-aware does more than search for ad-delivering programs. And avast has a very large database that searches for worms and such that install spyware. Furthermore, another bonus for Avast is that it scans EVERYTHING your doing with little or no performance impact. Plenty of times it caught viruses while in the MIDDLE of a download even.

MSCONFIG will also expose some spyware and virus crap that is running that won't show up in the Processes dialog. You can turn them off and/or hunt them down.

Something which I would like to add here. CTRL + ALT + DEL is a great way to spot both viruses and spyware. If you're the experimenting type, you'd check your active processes and see how many programs you have running. Then use rationality and experience to cross off things out of the list. If something you see registers as "odd", then you can google the process for further information.

This process ensures you don't remove something you shouldn't, while targeting viruses/malicious software you can then search for and remove.

Thanks for the links. I managed to shut down quite a few "helper" programs that I do not need.

I have a bootleg Avast that a friend gave me. I also have AOL security center and SpySweeper.

Actually, the last time anything was detected by any of those way over a year ago. Maybe I'll try the anti spyware that you suggested.

Originally Posted by Jeremyhfht

Absolutely not, in any situation, is 'ditching the drive' the proper course of action for simple SPYWARE PROBLEMS. Neither, for that matter, is formatting if you know what you're doing. It's far from the "best strategy" for about 90% of us on this forum.

If the machine is choked with spyware, adware, viruses, etc, your best bet is to just can the drive (reformat or ditch). Any computer so neglected as to be in such a state, is bound to have more trouble on it than you can find, and you'll spend far more time picking through and cleaning up, then you will just starting over (and hopefully being smarter next time around). It's also the safest method, if you're concerned about getting it all. If the machine is having trouble and has never been taken care of, it'll likely have more than just surface crap.

But some-spyware doesn't classify as a worst-case problem, does it?

(I probably should have used another word besides "slogged." Probably wasn't "screwed-up" enough.)

If the machine is only just now starting to show signs of problems, then clean it. Most spyware problems can be easily cleaned up.

I've seen some people's machines where they've never had any sort of protection or cleaning done, and everything was just hosed up. It wasn't worth spending time trying to clean it. And since I'm not going to claim to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every possible thing that might have run through the holes in a badly infested computer, I'm not going to put my reputation behind it being safe AND in optimal order after spending good time cleaning it. I've got better things to do with my time.

I don't think ill of anyone who doesn't know how to clean things up, but if you paid money for something, why not learn how to take care of it? And if you do, these problems won't happen.

Tinkering with the msconfig, boot.ini, etc, isn't hard, but it's not basic cleaning, either. It's good that Cold Fusion wants to sort some of it out.

Anywho, Cold Fusion, just as a note, the process"qttask" is one you can ditch, but if you use iTunes and you disable that process, iTunes will gripe for you to reinstall iTunes. It doesn't do anything bad, but it does take up a small bit of resources.

Be aware that some "bad" processes disguise themselves as legit processes. Also, some "innocent" programs come with back-door "features" which can give you problems. It's good practice to take note of how things look on a new machine, and watch what happens after installing non-mainstream software. Such as...bootlegged software meant to protect you from hackers...yeah...

Its only gotten a little slower over the years. I've always had anti-virus and spyware programs installed; and I never go onto to random websites either...mostly places that are legit, like this forum.

You may only think that my speed issues are odd b/c your so doped up on extreme speed that you forgot what it like to not have the money for an expensive comp. :?

Obviously you're a quitter, wolf. I take great joy in spending hours perfecting my methods when it comes to fixing a computer.

I've seen AdAware on friends' computers create problems... Not saying it is not a good program, but I am pretty sure that many people that create spyware or other malware have reverse engineered it to actually help them rather than preventing their work. This is just an observation I have made, I am not claiming it is a fact.

Other than that, I will agree on Avast! and Strongly recommend it. I use it since 2001 and I NEVER had a virus on my PC or laptop. It also has a beautiful interface and it is very fast. It downloads a virus database update EVERY time it is available (at least twice every 10 days) and shows a notification to the user. Another plus, it is absolutely free for home use.

(at least twice every 10 days)

It should be doing it daily. :?

Well, with the amount of viruses being passed out every day, you are righteous saying that. But I guess it would be close to impossible for them to do that... I am sure if they had the capability they would.

A viral infection largely depends on the intelligence of the computers user. I've not had a virus infection that I didn't purposefully do for years now. A large majority of infections come from illiterate morons using things like Internet Explorer. Or viewing attachments in their emails.

The ONLY exception to this is a direct attack from a very skilled blackhat. Highly unlikely. If that did happen, the poster wouldn't be posting.

My AVG antivirus updates daily and I'm sure yours would do the same if you set it (set, setted; need a past tense word for set :? )up that way. Don't do dodgy things on the net, and you should be ok, like Jeremy said. Don’t click those "you are the 1000000th visitor" flashing things, don't download so-called special viewers from questionable sources and don’t open just any email attachment. Also first scan any file you got from some ware else first before you open it. By the way, Jeremy, yahoo checks every attachment for viruses before you can download them. How thorough is scan?

Opening attachments is fine man, only you scan them with avast beforehand! But still, if the filename has an unknown extension, you still don't open it. Even if it is a friend.

Also beware that trojan servers and viruses can easily be attached to an image, a video clip, a powerpoint presentation, a PDF document and virtually to most known applications. If an image has a trojan attached for example, the only way to know is by opening it
or by having a strong antivirus detect it.

As for blackhats, to worry about them you'd have to have valuable assets online or on your hard drive. What would a blackhat want to steal from a virtual machine?

Originally Posted by Jeremyhfht

A viral infection largely depends on the intelligence of the computers user.

There. See? Something we agree on.

If you browse shady sites, download everything that pops up, and don't have your protection on properly (grins) you're just asking for it.

I had a friend who literally did whatever popped up on the screen in ads. If a pop-up came up saying "Your hard drive might be comprimised. Let us scan it for free!" he'd do it.

He also had just about every trojan and worm known to the civilian world because he installed tons of moronic crap for his machine, like screen buddies and stuff.

Well, Jeremy, you were right about Avast. I disabled AVG, installed Avast and scanned my drive. Found some bogeys. Thanks. I've got Ad-Aware as well and will use that from now on, as the free version of Superantispyware does not offer real-time scanning. Danke :wink:

Lavasoft's Ad-aware rocks.

Also have a look at SpywareBlaster

I find it does a decent job of locking down crap, too.

I haven't failed yet with

AVG Free
A-squared Free
Spybot S&D 1.5Beta
Windows Defender

The reason i got the beta of Spybot 1.5 was the new version of spybot that just came out had a bug that made it take ages to start even on fast systems

I used to use adaware untill adaware 2007 came out. I just ran into too many problems, hate the new interface, got tired of the bloatware ad-watch program it forces you to have even if you use the free version of ad-aware and ad-watch is useless to you. Besides, I found that A-squared found everything adaware was finding plus some.

Used to use ewido which became avg anti-spyware, but found that the process running for it was slowing me down too much and all it was ever finding were tracking cookies.

Windows defender is great for keeping stuff from starting with windows. Just go to options, then click software explorer. It organizes everything nicely and tells you exactly what company it is from and the name of the program, it even shows you the icon associated with it to help keep it simple.