Vista - Slow internet since last Vista Update

Hi all,

Last Thursday my pc downloaded and installed the latest set of updates and since then the Internet speed has been sluggish at best and non-existant at worst.

I contacted my ISP and they did all their tests and announced that the signal was good and I might have a virus, so I got a bit paranoid and ran scan after scan (after the nightmare of trying to get the latest updates). I ran these with Zone Alarm Extreme and Spyware Doctor (but not together) and all the results were clean.

So I'm wondering if the latest Updates are to blame; one of the kids' laptops has exactly the same problem (he uses a router while I use a cable) and he downloaded the updates at the same time.

Interestingly the other kid's laptop seems to be untouched, but he has 32 bit Vista as opposed to our 64 bit, and it appears that we're all using different browsers (IE8, Mozilla and Chrome)

Anyone else having this problem?

Hi ashtree50,
I'm not aware of problems, such as you're having, after the recent updates.
Just in case your ISP was on the right track I suggest you scan with SuperAntiSpyware & Malwarebytes. Both have a free version & have a good track record as far as flushing out anything suspicious. Reboot after running each scan.
Another thought. Have you done your computer "housework" on a regular basis? [ ie defrag, disk clean up, error checking.]
Let us know how you go.
SUPERAntiSpyware.com | Remove Malware | Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware!
Malwarebytes.org

Thanks for that; I'll give those two a go.

The pc itself is only about 2 months old so I haven't seen the need to 'house clean' ; out of 500gb on 4 drives I've only used about 70gb on one.

This morning I had a rush of blood to the head and uninstalled the last updates but that only had the odd effect of making going on line very unstable, i.e. sudden flashes then not opening at all, so I re-installed the updates and it's back to square one.

I'll give those sites a go and report back.

Wish me luck

This is getting even more frustrating; the download from SuperAntiSpyware keeps timing out before it's complete (though the internet connection itself is still there)

Interestingly when Kaspersky is downloading it's updates in the background (i.e as a setting rather than a 'Download now' decision) the download from SuperAntiSpyware goes well, but when Kaspersky is finished it hangs itself (as indeed I feel like doing)

I'll try downloading it onto a memory stick at work but I can't see Websense letting that slide by.

I read another post about Base Engine Filter Service being blamed for slowdowns, bearing in mind that every scan I've run has come up clean of virus and spywares (apart from a couple that had been on games since I got the pc) could it be this?

See if this online scan link helps.
BTW Did the new computer come preloaded with an Anti Virus prog? If so what was it & how did you remove it?
How is the other laptop behaving at the moment?
Good luck.

SUPERAntiSpyware.com - Online Scanner

Thanks for the on-line link; hopefully it won't be needed as Websense has obviously taken pity on me and let me download the program onto a memory stick, so I'll give it a go when I get home.

The PC came with Vista installed and nothing else,I disabled the Windows security programs when I installed ZoneAlarm Extreme and until last Thursday (10th Sept or so ) it worked fine. I've now uninstalled ZoneAlarm so I could reactivate Kaspersky to see if that could find anything (ZA Extreme and Kaspersky conflict of course so they have to be sperate.) but it's found nothing.

Of the other Laptops the one in the house (Vista 64 bit) is still running very slow (it's very hard to get accurate information as the kid is irritatingly vague when it comes to answering questions), the other one (Vista 32 bit) is now at Uni a few hundred miles away but apparently is still ok.

The reason I'm thinking now it's a Vista problem rather than a virus or spyware etc is that me and the kid don't go on the same sites and although we both use the same modem it's never at the same time as he uses a router running out of the same socket as my ethernet connection so we can't both be on-line together.

It's easy to see why some people hit the bottle.

[QUOTE=ashtree50;1141163]
Interestingly when Kaspersky is downloading it's updates in the background (i.e as a setting rather than a 'Download now' decision) the download from SuperAntiSpyware goes well, but when Kaspersky is finished it hangs itself (as indeed I feel like doing)
QUOTE]

You need a sense of humour at times like this.
Have you checked Event Viewer for messages re the last lot of Microsoft Updates? [ orb - start, type in "event viewer"] Check out what is listed in Administrative Events for warnings or errors.

Ashtree

As my collegue JMH suggested it always is a good idea to see if there is anything listed inevent viewer. While you are in event viewer take a peek ath ethe windows log> application tab and see if there are any erreors (they have red "X"'es in the first column.

the other thing you want to do is to disable IPv6 in network and sharing. goto network and sharing>change adapter settings>your adapter>right click>properties>uncheck IPv6

Also you want to run a system file checker (sfc /scannow) to verify your system files

then if you are still having grief do you have a backup we can restore from?

we can also try a repair install. therea re many things we can do

let Us know how it turns out we will be here if you need any help

Keep that sense of humor

Ken

Thanks for the reply

I disabled IPv6 and the QOS packet option above it, but it made no difference so I've enabled it again.

Exactly how can I access Event Viewer? I'm not sure what 'Orb' refers to.

And is sfc/ scan now done through the run box (I opted for the XP display when I got the pc simply for familiarity)?

As to a restore, I thought I'd set it to automatic but apparently not, which was a bit of a 'FFS' moment to be honest, so that's a non-starter.

I'll be off work in a few hours so will be able to test things out.

Well, I've now run SuperAntiSpyware and it came up clean, so I'm going to assume that there is no infection.

I found Event Viewer and for 3 of the updates in question (KB'S 970710, 967723 and 905866) there are about 50 Yellow Flag warnings about the update possibly not being suitable for my system. There was an instruction to see if they were applicable but I got an 'access denied' message even as the Administrator.


I'm in the process of uninstalliing them and then working them in all the permutations to see if there is a magic combination, but no luck so far.

Bloody Microsoft probably own 'Just For Men'; given the amount of grey hairs they must cause they'd make a killing.