Member Avatar for RichWLocks

I have windows 98, on startup it takes forever to load. Same when I click on aol. When I go to web sites my hard drive runs for about a minute or so befor it settles down. Same when I click on something to view. I also get about blank and hotwire popup's. On my default I click off the about blank but it comes back. How do I tell if my hard drive is going bad? How do I know if I have a virus or spyware? I am new to the computer world. I am using a 33 modem and 32 bit memory. Computer is about 7 years old. I cleaned all temp files and defraged but still runs slow. Please help, thanks Here is my Hij log:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 10:37:18 AM, on 03/15/2005
Platform: Windows 98 Gold (Win9x 4.10.1998)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KERNEL32.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSGSRV32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SPOOL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MPREXE.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSTASK.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\mmtask.tsk
C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\TASKMON.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTRAY.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\HPSJVXD.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\STIMON.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\REAL\UPDATE_OB\REALSCHED.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DDHELP.EXE
C:\AMERICA ONLINE 6.0\WAOL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\TAPISRV.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RNAAPP.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\HIJACKTHIS\HIJACKTHIS.EXE

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = res://C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\sp.dll/sp.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = about:blank
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = res://C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\sp.dll/sp.html
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = about:blank
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = about:blank
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant = about:blank
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,HomeOldSP = about:blank
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,HomeOldSP = about:blank
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Window Title = Microsoft Internet Explorer provided by America Online
R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing
N3 - Netscape 7: user_pref("browser.search.defaultengine", "engine://C%3A%5CPROGRAM%20FILES%5CNETSCAPE%5CNETSCAPE%5Csearchplugins%5CSBWeb_01.src"); (C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\ks4b6pi1.slt\)
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {1BFEE961-5FCF-11D9-86FC-44456C727621} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\EANO.DLL
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\ADOBE\ACROBAT 5.0\READER\ACTIVEX\ACROIEHELPER.OCX
O2 - BHO: Starware - {CA356D79-679B-4b4c-8E49-5AF97014F4C1} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\STARWARE\BIN\STARWARE.DLL
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSDXM.OCX
O3 - Toolbar: Starware - {D49E9D35-254C-4c6a-9D17-95018D228FF5} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\STARWARE\BIN\STARWARE.DLL
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ScanRegistry] C:\WINDOWS\scanregw.exe /autorun
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SystemTray] SysTray.Exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HPSCANMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\hpsjvxd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [StillImageMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\STIMON.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [SchedulingAgent] mstask.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [BestPopUpKiller] C:\Program Files\BestPopUpKiller\BestPopupKiller.exe /startup
O8 - Extra context menu item: &AOL Toolbar search - res://C:\PROGRAM FILES\AOL TOOLBAR\TOOLBAR.DLL/SEARCH.HTML
O9 - Extra button: Related - {c95fe080-8f5d-11d2-a20b-00aa003c157a} - C:\WINDOWS\web\related.htm
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Show &Related Links - {c95fe080-8f5d-11d2-a20b-00aa003c157a} - C:\WINDOWS\web\related.htm
O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\Shdocvw.dll
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~1\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O18 - Filter: text/html - {1BFEE960-5FCF-11D9-86FC-4445033ED3BA} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\EANO.DLL
O18 - Filter: text/plain - {1BFEE960-5FCF-11D9-86FC-4445033ED3BA} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\EANO.DLL

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by dlh6213

Dani AI

Generated

— the symptoms you describe (very slow boot, heavy disk activity when opening pages, and persistent about:blank/popups) point to two likely problems working together: adware/toolbar infections that hijack the browser, and severe resource pressure from very low RAM. ’s suggestion to run an about:blank removal tool is a good first step; run it and save its log so helpers can see what it removed.

Immediate priorities

  • Backup any personal files now to removable media before making changes.
  • Test the drive health with a vendor or bootable diagnostic rather than relying only on Windows tools. Manufacturer tools and S.M.A.R.T. readers are best for an honest health check — for example, see Seagate’s SeaTools or the smartmontools project for S.M.A.R.T. info. If diagnostics report reallocated/pending sectors or a SMART failure, replace the drive and restore from backup.

Malware cleanup workflow (after backup)

  • Run the about:blank/adware tool recommended by and save its log.
  • Boot to Safe Mode (or use a bootable rescue scanner) and run an up-to-date on-demand anti-malware scanner. If the old OS blocks modern tools, use a bootable rescue environment or another machine to create a rescue medium. A good collection of boot tools and diagnostics can be found on the Ultimate Boot CD.
  • After cleaning, create a fresh HijackThis (or similar) log and post it so removals can be confirmed.

Performance fixes and caution

  • With only 32 MB of RAM, paging will cause heavy disk thrash; increasing RAM (to 64–128 MB where possible) or moving to a newer system will give the biggest real-world speedup.
  • Use msconfig to trim nonessential startup programs, but avoid deleting registry entries unless a trusted removal plan exists.
  • If malware has deeply infected the OS or diagnostics show hardware faults, plan a clean reinstall on a healthy drive.

Post the About:Buster log and a new HijackThis log after the above steps for targeted cleanup advice.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

Start with this:

Go here to choose a site to download About:Buster from:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4289.html

Unzip it to your desktop and run it. Then:

1.) Click "Update"

2.) Click "Check For Update"
(If no new version is available, skip to step 4.)

3.) Click "Download Update", and wait for it to be installed

4.) Click "Start".

(Wait for the initial ADS scan to complete.)

5.) Click "Yes", to shutdown any IE session currently open.

Wait for the about:blank scan to complete

6.) Click "Ok", to scan once more

7.) Click "Yes", to shutdown any IE sessions currently open

8.) Click "Yes", to begin the second scan

9.) Click "Save log" Copy and paste this log back back in this thread (along with a new HijackThis log)

10.) Click "Exit"

11.) Click "Exit"

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