My PC is new, yet it's lagging... HELP!?

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in my response! These steps took quite a bit of time...

Here is the ZHPfix report; however, when I executed this step at the very beginning, it got stuck, so I restarted everything at the end. I don't know if that has an impact on the rest... http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=20120516_y7v13j7s5i10

Also, I use Google Chrome, not Firefox (but the addons existed on Chrome, so I installed them on both)

I already had CCleaner and had disabled quite a few programs at startup, but I have disabled some others as well. However, it still finds the same error and doesn't seem to know how to fix it... here is a screenshot of its report: http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=20120516_e11o9z15s14i8

That's it, I still have to read the document you sent me.

However, I don't feel like my computer is much faster...

Good evening!

So, I followed all the steps:

1) Here is the link to the Adwcleaner report: http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=20120513_r7n12f713w10

2) Here is the link to the Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware report: http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=20120513_l9w8f710x11

3) Spybot uninstalled (I had installed it after researching forums before asking the question... but indeed, it wasn't very effective)

4) I couldn't find or check if "Cure" was checked in Kaspersky... and it didn't prompt to restart my computer, and no report was displayed... However, here is the link I found by clicking on "report": http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=20120513_g12y12w14q10v11

5) Here is the ZHPDiag report: http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=ZHPDiag_20120513_8k8q8c11k13

Thanks again for your help, that's very kind! (I would also like to know how to interpret the reports!)

Good evening!

Thank you very much for helping me! Here is the link: http://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=ZHPDiag_20120512_p5g10j13q8j12

Your computer is infected with adware... To avoid this kind of problem:
- Don't download any free program without researching it
- Don't download any programs offered in advertisements or on suspicious sites, prefer known sites or downloading directly from the publisher's site.
- Read carefully when installing a free program, and uncheck all additional programs that are offered, especially toolbars!

1) Use this specific adware removal tool:

¶ Download AdwCleaner (by Xplode) to your Desktop.
¶ Run it, click on Delete and wait for the scan to finish.
¶ Once the deletion is complete, a prevention message will appear, I advise you to read it carefully (feel free to ask me questions if you don't understand certain things in this message).
¶ Then, the report will open: post it in your next reply.

2) Next, use this general malware removal software:

¶ Download and install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
¶ At the end of the installation, make sure the option “update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware” is checked
¶ Launch MBAM and let the updates download (otherwise do it manually when launching the program)
¶ Then go to the "Scan" tab, check "Perform a quick scan" then "Scan"
¶ At the end of the analysis, click on Show Results
¶ Check all detected items and then click on Remove Selected
¶ Save the report
¶ If prompted to restart the computer, click on Yes
¶ Post the report appearing after deletion in your next reply

3) Uninstall Spybot which is completely outdated and useless.

4) To verify:

¶ Download TDSSKiller (by Kaspersky Labs) to your Desktop.
¶ Run it (if you are using Windows Vista or 7: right-click on it and choose "Run as administrator")
¶ Click on Start Scan to begin scanning.
¶ If harmful items are identified by the tool, make sure Cure is checked. If it indicates "suspicious," leave the option Skip.
¶ Then click on Continue and then on Reboot Now if necessary.
¶ A report will open upon restarting the computer.
¶ Copy/paste its content into your next reply (it can also be found under C:\TDSSKiller.N°version_Date_Time_log.txt)

5) Finally, restart your computer and post a new ZHPDiag report (remember to host it on pjjoint, like the previous one).

--
Clothes do not make the monk.
Knowledge is only useful if it is passed on.

(that said, even after all this, my computer is still very slow...)

This script will target certain elements to remove:

¶ Open this link, select the entire script and copy it (Edit --> Copy)
¶ Right-click on the ZHPFix shortcut and choose "Run as administrator"
¶ Click on the icon representing the letter H (“paste Helper lines”)
¶ The lines should automatically paste into ZHPFix; if not, paste the lines
¶ Click the "GO" button to start the cleaning,
¶ Copy/paste the entire report in your next reply

After that, your computer will be disinfected. Here are then the finishing advice:

1) Secure your computer

* Protection software:
Keep an antivirus (Avast in your case) and in addition, keep MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to perform occasional verification scans. No more, no less. I therefore advise you to disable Windows Defender if you haven't already.

* To browse the internet more safely and free from ads, I highly recommend installing and using the latest version of Mozilla Firefox (you have an old version). Once done, launch it and install the two following security extensions:
AdBlockPlus to block ads;
WOT, to warn you of dangerous websites.

* Java is not up to date, which is a security flaw.
You need to first uninstall the old version: Open the start menu --> control panel --> uninstall a program --> select all versions of Java present and uninstall them.
Then, download and install the new version from the official Java site (do not install the toolbar offered during installation)

* Check if Adobe Reader is up to date: Launch it (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 10.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe) then click on “Help” --> “Check for updates”.

* For the same reasons, update Flash Player: Close your browser, then uninstall all versions of Adobe Flash Player. Then, download and install the new version (you can uncheck the program proposed optionally during download).

* Vaccinate your removable drives using MKV (by ElDesaparecido and C_XX): just plug in all your removable drives (USB key, external hard drive, MP3 player, memory cards...) without opening them, then launch MKV and click on "Vaccinate".

2) Optimization:

* Download Ccleaner. Install it and launch it. Click on Cleaner --> Analyze --> Run the cleaning, then OK in the window that appears. Finally, Registry --> fix all errors, and repeat until it finds no more errors.

* To limit the number of programs that launch automatically at startup, click on Tools --> Startup --> Select all lines (EXCEPT Avast and SynTPEnh) and click on "Disable".

* Download this file --> launch it --> accept the Registry modification.

* Download Defraggler. Install it and then launch it. Close all your other programs, select your hard drive and click on "Quick Defragmentation" (accessible via the small arrow next to the "defragment" button).

3) You need to remove all the tools we used: Download DelFix (by Xplode) to your Desktop --> Launch it and click on Removal --> when it finishes, click on Uninstall.

4) To finish the cleaning, you must purge system restore (to remove infected restore points): for that, follow this tutorial.

5) Prevention: I highly recommend reading this article that will provide you with prevention and protection information against infections (approximately 15 minutes of very instructive and useful reading): Prevention and security on the internet

Finally, restart your computer and let me know if you notice an improvement.

--
Clothes do not make the monk.
Knowledge is only useful if it is shared.

Hello Anthony,

I have the same problem as Mariposa, my computer is barely a year old and it seems really slow. I followed the first step you indicated and here is the link to my report. Could you help me make sense of it, please?

https://pjjoint.malekal.com/files.php?id=ZHPDiag_20121210_e7u9s5b13v6

Thanks in advance, have a great day!

Too bad for you lol

It's strange, yet it's a very high-performing computer. I can only recommend some software to speed up your PC: Ccleaner, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, Spybot, Glary Utilities.

You can also clean your computer by typing "disk cleanup" in your start search bar.

Then there's also the option to reset your PC, but do some research on the internet first.

I hope I’ve helped you.