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I have a problem with my Gateway DX4831-01e desktop computer (1 1/2 years old) which is running Windows 7.
Last week, something happened (I don't know if it was an upgrade or a virus) but Windows 7 (64) started running extremely sluggish. I restarted and it was extremely slow on start up. I can get into Safe mode but it takes a couple of hours to load all. I can still access my hard drive and files there and I can plug devices into my USB ports (to allow backups and to load files for running)
On start up it goes from the Gateway screen to the Bios screen and then starts acting slow. Pressing F8 over and over gets me into Safe mode but it is very slow and during driver loading, it seems to hang up on the ClassPNP.sys file, but it eventually loads all(after an hour or so).
I have tried many things including running System restore and repair and running sfc /scannow (took overnight), removing AVG 2011 free (my virus scanner) and all of the folders that the AVG removal tool didn't remove, and deleting Temp files.
One other strange thing I noticed is that in my Start up programs (I use selective start up) there were three checkboxes for starting up a Java update, and Adobe reader and Adobe acrobat.) I removed all checkboxes but the system gets slow before I even get to the start up files, but it was strange and might point to the cause of the big problem.
My questions are, what is happening between the Bios screen and the driver loading screen that would slow it down? Could it be prefetch or start up file loading? I don't think so because I haven't even gotten to the Safe mode choice screen before the slow down happens.
Should I erase Prefetch or remove and reinstall the button cell battery to reset Bios? Will it ask me for a password on restart that I know I don't have?
Thanks in advance!
Gwen
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
HI,
Gateway should have documentation on installing Windows on a new drive. And
they will sell the installation media cheap, if you need it, since you already own
Windows. Once you have the correct disk the installation is very straight forward.
The Repair Disk you made is not an installation disk.
Hope this helps.
Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle <- Mark Twain said it right.
It is running in Safe Mode. Can the other Malware software programs run in Safe Mode?
Security Processor Loader Driver is a Microsoft file. It does not load in safe mode. You will not see a questionmark if you look in Device Manager in normal mode.
Judging where a boot is can be misleading when you look at a list of files especially if the boot stops. What is displayed is the last item not the one causing the problem. The one causing the problem is the next item which appear but does not.
Another way to get an idea about what is causing a slow boot is to look at start up times in Process Explorer.This freeware utility performs a similar function to the Windows Task Manager but it goes much further.
For further information about Process Explorer see here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx
In Process Explorer please add a Column. Select View, Select, Columns, Process, Performance and check the box before Start Time. Next select "Show Processes from all Users" and click on the column header "Start Time". This will sort so that you can see start with the earliest first. You may need to click twice or three times.
On my Windows 7 box the first item I see is smss.exe =Session Manager. You should then see a long list of items loading over a brief period of time. The boot process ceases on my computer with the loading of two AVG files (my anti-virus is AVG 2011). Before these two files is a uns.exe file which loaded this morning 2 minutes 20 seconds after smss.exe. Usn.exe is an Intel file so it may not be on your computer.
How long does it take from smss.exe loading for the main files to load? What are the files arriving at and towards the end? How long does it take for them to appear after smss.exe?
Hi,
Yes let it run awhile longer. Try the others in Safe Mode first - repeatedly tap F8. If you
think malwarebytes is taking too long then you can abort it and run it in Safe Mode first
as well.
Hope this helps.
Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.
Malwarebytes is still running. I will try the others when it is done. I did see some Ghost Drivers and here are some of the non Plug and Play Drivers that are Ghosts:
04880478
14033760
28260386
75797388
90409657
AVG Anti-Rootkit Driver
AVG Free Network Redirector X64
AVGIDSEH
FS_Rec
PPROCEXP113
sptd
The AVG ones bother me because I did the AVG uninstall from their special remove all uninstall programs. And the AVGIDSEH was the one that the system originally hung on in regular reboot on the first day of problems. That's what made me think it was AVG related in the beginning. If the uninstall didn't remove these, should I remove them manually?
Should I let Malwarebytes continue to run for so long?
Some other ghost devices were 3 mice, 3 keyboards, and 3 generic monitors and a network adapter RAQS Async Adapter
Thanks!
