[SBE] Clarified question for the IT folks about IE add-ons - how many of the Java Plug-In updates does a computer need?

[Bob Reite]

Mike Langner wrote:

> Hello everyone !

>  

> Thanks for all the responses to my questions in the previous email below.

>  

> Yep, the reflector passes neither embedded pictures nor attached files.

>  

> So, please allow me to try to be a little more clear and descriptive 

> since the visual's not here, and since I could not "cut and paste" from 

> the "Manage Add-ons" box. I understand from the responses I've gotten 

> that Java updates are not cumulative, so removing early ones is not a 

> good idea, even though there are more than a dozen of them.

>  

> The problem stated more clearly:  IE7 locks up occasionally and also 

> occasionally suddenly launches many, may copies of itself within a few 

> seconds.  When either of these things happen, CPU usages goes to 100% 

> and response time to a keystroke or mouse movement changes from 

> essentially instantaneous to taking 10 to 15 seconds. Task Master 

> reports that IE is "not responding." A restart "fixes" the problem for 

> several days unless I've been "coming and going" and have had the 

> computer "Hibernate" more than two or three times in one day, when the 

> problem re-appears.  It seems to me if between cold boots I do not 

> "Hibernate" at all, I tend not to have the problem.


I've also found that "Hibernate" causes problems.  How full is your hard 
disk?  Hibernate takes a snapshot of RAM and stores it on the hard disk. 
  If you don't have enough room that could cause problems.  I also had 
some systems where the motherboard and installed hardware simply would 
not come out of hibernation cleanly.  You may want to consider disabling 
hibernate entirely; go to control panel, power options, Hibernate tab 
and uncheck the Enable hibernation box. If the system still acts 
strange, or your hard disk still seems too full in relation to the data 
and programs you have installed after doing a Disk Cleanup, look for a 
hidden file (folder options, view "show hidden files and folders to see 
it) named hiberfil.sys in the root directory of your C drive and delete it.

You may also need to reduce the amount of hard drive space used by 
System Restore.  Right click "My computer" select "Properties", open 
System Restore tab, click Settings and move the slider to the left.

System Restore is a double edged sword.  It has saved hours of grief 
many a time when a renegade program went into business for itself and 
made the machine unusable.  I find out from the client when the machine 
  first went nuts and have them restore to the day before and all is good.

On the other hand, System Restore points can also get infected, and if 
used, the worm or virus that you took all the time to remove comes right 
back.  That's why it's often advised to shut off system restore (after 
backing up all your data) before attempting virus removal.  You can turn 
it back on again once you are sure that the system is clean.


> Also, if in Outlook I hit ctrl-S to save a draft, then fail to wait at 

> least several seconds before hitting F7 to run spell-check, Outlook will 

> lock up immediately, again requiring a re-boot, and again with Task 

> Manager responding that Outlook is "not responding."


Outlook has always been a constant source of grief for me.  I use, and I 
recommend to all my clients that they use Thunderbird (free) for their 
email client.

I also use Firefox instead of IE 7 for my web browser, except for the 
few Microsoft centric sites where only IE 6 or IE 7 work properly. 
Fortunately, there are fewer of those as Firefox becomes more compatible 
and webmasters realize that Firefox is becoming more popular.


>  

> I'm running the latest Norton with the latest updates, XP with all the 

> available updates, not just the ones the Express install picks to 

> install, Windows firewall on, Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and the SammSoft 

> computer maintenance tool (the usual disc cleanup, registry cleanup, etc).


Norton does not seem to be as good a product as it used to be.  I've had 
Norton cause random lockups, and it's missed some malware.  The random 
lockups went away when I uninstalled Norton and replaced it with with 
Bit Defender, my current favorite paid anti virus program. I would also 
seriously consider Kaspersky Anti-Virus, because they have flatly stated 
that they would not cooperate with governments in allowing government 
created "backdoor" programs to be overlooked during a virus scan. 
Kaspersky is the better choice if you are using mail services such as 
Hotmail, since it will automatically scan files received via a webmail 
service, Bit Defender requires a manual scan. The only downside to 
Kaspersky is that it's $10 more expensive.

If you are on a tight budget, then get ClamWin a free GNU public license 
program, but be aware that Clamwin  does not have "on demand" scanning, 
you'll have to manually scan any new files that you receive, and/or 
leave the computer on overnight and have Clamwin do a full scheduled 
scan every night.  Also unlike Bit Defender and Kaspersky, Clamwin does 
not provide registry protection, but you can get that by installing the 
"Tea Timer" module included with the SpyBot Search and Destroy distribution.

>  

> The system is behind a router that has had its administrator user name 

> and password changed to lengthy, meaningless strings, so I doubt it's 

> been compromised.

>  

> When just sitting here not using the computer, no matter if the computer 

> is on or off, I do not see unexpected activity on the router link 

> lights, so it does not appear I've been "zombied."  It does, however, 

> seem that something's wrong. 

>  

> Another symptom:  if I install the Google Toolbar, IE locks up every 

> time it's instantiated.  I've tried several install-and-removal cycles 

> to no avail.  Some months ago it worked fine.  I removed it after 

> updating Windows and NAV one day when it started locking up the computer.


I personally do not install or use browser tool bars. Just more 
complication to slow things down or cause problems.  The only browser 
add on that I run is "NoScript" for Firefox.  It cuts down on a lot of 
the advertising garbage on web sites, some of which cause problems.  The 
downside is that it will often block scripts needed for the website to 
display things properly, you have to manually teach it to allow 
javascript from the domain of the website, for some people this is more 
trouble than it's worth.


>  

> And that's what I'd like to ask your opinion about how to fix -- if the 

> system can go back to its initial stability, that would be great.  If 

> not, I'll just keep treating it like DOS 2.0, CP/M and early 

> TRSDOS with their occasional printer lockups, and periodically save, 

> save, save!


Even if you have the most stable system around, it's still good practice 
to save frequently and backup your data files often.


> Thanks again in advance for any thoughts you're willing to share!

>  

> Mike Langner

> Albuquerque

>