re: Windows ME Fixes... 2004/1/16
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 5:42 am
Windows Me Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by lupino
(7 messages posted)
I'm glad I came here, this is the best bit of free information I've read about fixes
for WindowsMe.
Why is it that when doing a SCAN DISK it keeps stopping and starting and comes back
with a message to the effect that some other program is running and so cannot complete
the task? This happens every time I do a Scan Disk and DeFrag. Or is that just
me with this problem? I'm new to this forum so please excuse me if I'm asking about
something that has been dealt with elsewhere.
But thanks for the Fixes Jack...will try them as best I can, since some sound rather
complicated to do.
Thanks ~ Am˙
On Friday, January 16, 2004 at 12:44 am, Jack Gulley wrote:
>
>
>  By:
>
>name="Intro">
>
> Actually,
>Windows ME is very stable (well can be)
>if you remove a few default software modules from memory, clean up your disk drive,
>remove any/all
>Spyware_AD-ware, browser hijackers, virus, worms and trojans, then update
>all device drivers, install all target="_blank">Windows UpDates and make sure your hardware is OK.
>name="Memory Tests">
>
>Memory hardware problems: 
>First make sure your system memory (RAM) is OK.
> For example: memory failures can cause random program hanging symptoms. Or if
>you are overclocking and there is a random failure problem. This can happen without
>you realizing it on most system boards running Windows. So you must test memory
outside
>of Windows. Memory problems can also result in program files on the disk being corrupted
>during a Defrag. Use the system board BIOS CMOS Setup function to set memory values
>to default settings, and the CL setting to 3 (unless you know for a fact all your
>memory is rated CL=2). Setting the memory DRAM Timings to "Turbo" or "Fast" instead
>of the "Normal" setting can also cause problems.
> Run a standalone memory test from a DOS boot diskette. Get both target="_blank"> DocMemory_v2.0 and target="_blank"> MemTest86_v3.0, and make their boot
>diskettes. You should be able to run both for at least 12 hours without errors
>to test your hardware, before you suspect Windows ME is the cause of problems.
>name="512 MB">
> If a Windows
>ME system has more than 512MB of RAM, then to work around a
>design bug in the vcache management, per target="_blank">MS_253912, you must add the following
>to the [vcache] section of C:\Windows\SYSTEM.INI file:
>
>[vcache]
>MaxFileCache=524288
>If more than 1024MB (1GB) RAM, then a second entry in SYSTEM.INI
>may be required in the [386Enh] section per target="_blank">MS_304943 to limit Windows ME to
using
>just 1GB of physical RAM:
>
>[386Enh]
>MaxPhysPage=40000
>You do NOT need any memory managers or Optimizers with Windows ME. See
> Memory
>Resources and
color=#332288> Memory Management_vcache for additional
>information on Windows ME memory and vcache management.
>name="Standard Intro">
>
>Slowdown and hang problems: 
> Standard
>approach to this type of problem is to clean up the disk drive, run a full up to
>date virus scan, check for and remove Spyware - Ad-ware
>- Browser Hijackers, update Windows ME with security fixes, and then
remove
>some unnecessary programs.
>name="SCANDISK">
> First, run
>ScanDisk to make sure the drive is OK. If problems running ScanDisk, then
>reboot the system into SAFE MODE (hold Ctrl when rebooting, before
>the Windows splash screen) and run Scandisk. In some cases it may be necessary to
>boot from a Windows ME boot diskette and run from the DOS prompt: SCANDISK
>C: to clear errors. target="_blank"> MS Info.
>name="Disk CleanUp">
> To do a quick
>Disk CleanUp and clean out temp files that you do not need, run (Start - Programs
>- Accessories - System Tools - Disk CleanUp) on your C: drive. Run this
>every week to keep system clean. The first time you run it, select the "Downloaded
>Program Files" line, click View button, and manually removed all "objects" shown,
>in case one of these plug-ins are back level and causing problems. They will download
>again if required.
>name="Spywareinfo">
> Information on target="_blank"> Spyware and Browser Hijack removal
>tools, prevention tools, links and forums can be found at target="_blank"> SpywareInfo. You can get help identifying
>new hijackers, related programs and current news.
>name="CWShredder">
> A major
>problem today is new and rapid changing Browser Hijackers. Check for and remove
the
>newest of these with the CoolWebSearch Browser Hijack removal tool. OPEN
href="http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/junk/CWShredder.exe">
>CWshredder.exe by target="_blank"> Merijin. Close all Internet Explorer windows and then click
>Fix. When done, reboot your system and run it again.
- This program has
>updates almost every week.
- target="_blank">VBRun60 required on older versions of Windows.
- Some Browser
>Hijackers prevent you from accessing SpywareInfo sites through additions to the
Windows\HOSTS
>file. In that case, use different browser, or a working system to download the small
> CWshredder.exe
>program to a diskette and run it on the infected system.
>name="Spyware-SpyBot">
> Next,
>and most important step, is to install the target="_blank">SpyBot Search_&_Destroy
>tool for deleting Spyware/AD-ware and Browser hijackers. Read about this type of
>Malware at Spyware_etc.
>Malware comes hidden in "free" software, like KaZaA and Internet Accelerators, and
>can corrupt or slow down your system. Or can be installed by some hijack web pages
>that hijack your browser settings. After installing SpyBot S&D, use Search for
>updates to update the program and its file list, check items found. Change the
>UniDo(Europe) download site to USA or Australia, then click Download update.
>Click Check for problems to scan and when done, delete all items in red
>found. Leave the non-red items for later. Advanced users can do additional cookie,
>history list and Registry deleting with color=#110099>SpyBot later by using the other items. Be aware
that
>the Immunize function of SpyBot S&D can block your access to some Control
>Panel functions in Windows.
>name="Ad-Aware-Lavasoft">
> Another
>good, free and easy to use Spyware-Adware remover is target="_blank">Lavasoft's_Ad-Aware. It finds and
>removes a large number of ADWare programs and Porn Dialers. Purchase version includes
>real-time detecting and blocking of Spyware-Adware. Download the free version at
>
>Ad-Aware_6 to scan for and remove Spyware-Adware. Be sure to check
>for updates now before using every week. The first time you run it, you should
>select the Custom scanning options and enable all checks that you can. If
>any items are found, check them to remove them. Be sure to reboot when done if problems
>were found.
>name="DoxDisk">
>A quick check for Internet Explorer browser Hijackers can be done at target="_blank"> DoxDesk.com web site. If any are detected, then Ad-Aware or
>SpyBot should be used to remove them.
>name="Virus Scan">
> If you
>do not have a good up to date virus scan utility installed or there
>are problems with it, do a free online AV scan at target="_blank"> HouseCall_AV by TrendMicro.
>This will take a while to run but worth it to know that you do not have a virus
or
>common Trojan. If any are found and not removed, go to either target="_blank"> PC-cillin or target="_blank"> Symantec Removal Tools or target="_blank"> McAfee_AV sites for information
on
>the specific virus and removal tools and instructions. If HouseCall does not download
>and run, try getting the Klez removal tool at target="_blank"> Symantec Removal Tools or target="_blank"> Stinger and make sure this virus is not on the system. Or try
>the
>Panda On-Line virus scan.
>name="WINTOP tool">
> To understand
>what tasks and programs are running on your machine, may be causing problems and
>taking up the processor bandwidth, download target="_blank"> WinTop, one of the free Micro$oft Kernel Toys. It gives accurate
>%CPU idle time and usage by program. You can also use the Windows ME System
>Tools - System Information utility, expand "Software Environment" and look
>at the "Running Tasks" and the "Loaded Modules", to find all programs running and
>all programs, DLLs and Drivers loaded into memory.
> Program Close Sound>
>
>To help make yourself aware of background processes ending or aborting, go to Control
>Panel - Sounds and Multimedia Properties - Sounds tab and select the "Program
>Close" event and enable one of the program close sounds, and Apply it. Now every
>time a program closes or aborts you will hear the sound, and alert you to possible
>problems you were not aware of.
> >There is also a recommended update (patch) on the target="_blank">Windows UpDate for the Internet
>Explorer navigation sound (click) that is needed to avoid random hangs when using
>IE.
>name="PCHealth-TaskMonitor">
> To make
>Windows ME more stable and allow ScanDisk and Defrag to run without restarts,
>it is important to remove two Windows ME Startup tasks that often cause system
>performance problems, hangs and restarts. Use (Start - RUN - msconfig
>- OK, Startup tab) to un-check and remove PCHealth and TaskMonitor
>from your Windows ME startup list. They are not needed and if their data files are
>corrupted, they can slow down your system. PCHealth only collects system configuration
>change information, for use in remote problem analysis by Enterprise Network $upport
>desks. Is your company paying for that kind of remote online support?
>TaskMonitor collects information on what parts of programs are being loaded and
Tune-UP
>uses it to tell Defrag which 10 programs to leave fragmented. Drives
>are fast and you do not need this minor tweak for loading a select few programs,
>one time. Un-check the "show message box" when the system boots. Once this
>is done, reboot and go to System Tools - Scheduled Tasks and delete
>the icons for PCHealth and Tune-UP applications, the second part of
>these programs, again unneeded. Programs will load a little faster, the disk drive
>has to work less and Defrag and ScanDisk will not restart as often.
>name=Firewall-Defrag>
>Be aware, when a software FireWall logs hits it will do writes to the disk drive.
>This will cause ScanDisk and Defrag to restart. To get around this problem you either
>have to disable the firewall logging, disable the firewall during scans, unplug
the
>internet, or run them after booting into Safe Mode.
>name="LexMark Lexpps">
> The LexMark
>Z, A & P series printer drivers cause random program and shutdown hangs.
>If not sharing Lexmark printer to the network, one of it's problem drivers can be
>removed without effecting normal operation. Rename or delete the file \Windows\System\Lexpps.exe
>using Safe Mode or a boot diskette DOS prompt. The file, Lexpps.exe, may
also
>exist with some low end HP and Compaq printers that were OEM'ed by Lexmark, so search
>for it and rename. See target="_blank"> AnswersThatWork - Lexpps.exe. Reboot
>and test. In addition, for most LexMark printers, like the Z42, you can also remove
>Lexstart.exe from the Startup tab list with RUN - MSCONFIG utility, (keep
>LexmarkPrintTray). Test to see that removing it does not cause printer problems
with
>your model, other than slowing down initial printing of the first page.
>name="System_RESTORE">
> If your System
>_RESTORE files are corrupted, contain a virus or have grown too large, it can cause
>system slowdown problems. Often the STMGR.exe task will start running at 50% or
more
>in the background. This can be corrected by target="_blank"> Disabling System Restore and then
>re-enabling System Restore, to delete all the old restore points. Go to (Start
>- Settings - Control Panel - System - Performance tab - File System - Troubleshooting
>tab), and check the box for "Disable System Restore", click Apply
and
>exit. System will reboot. Allow STMGR time to delete all the old system restore
files,
>wait for no disk activity for at least a minute. Then run DEFRAG on the drive. Next
>go back into the Troubleshooting tab and un-check the box to enable System
>Restore again. Then use the Hard Disk tab to set the "System Restore disk space
>use:" slide bar to only use about 900MB (or less) of disk space to limit how
>much of the drive it might use. Also change the "Typical role of this computer:"
>to the Network Server option for better performance. - - Make sure system
>is up to date on the color=#0000BB>Windows UpDate site, as there is an old fix for
System
>Restore not working.
>name="Automatic Updates">
> If system slowdowns start after
>logging on to the Internet, then disable Automatic Windows and IE updates.
>Again, if their files are corrupted it can cause system slowdowns, hangs, or the
>mouse to freeze for 3 seconds every five minutes. Go to Control Panel - Automatic
>Updates and under Options, set "Turn off automatic updating. I will update
>my computer manually." Check this every so often as Windows will turn it back on
>sometimes. Then in Internet Explorer, click Tools - Internet Options line - Advanced
>tab, and un-check the box "Automatically Check for IE updates" and then click
>Apply. Use the color=#0000BB>Windows UpDate site to update manually. On the Windows
>Update site, there is an update for the Automatic Update program. Make sure you
install
>this update, and then go back to the Control Panel and Turn off automatic updating
>again. Trying to do automatic updates in the background can kill Dial-up performance,
>so you have to disable automatic updates in both places.
> Next go to Control
>Panel - Add/Remove Programs and look for "Critical Update Notification".
If
>found, Remove it. See target="_blank"> AnswersThatWork - WUCrtUpd.exe.
It
>can cause your system to check the Windows Update site every five minutes when online.
>name="NetCrawl">
>
>Slow system performance just after booting up and/or just after connecting to the
>Internet or a Network can be caused by the default setting for NetCrawl.
NetCrawl
>is a Windows ME feature that searches for Network Shares of servers and printers.
>See
> MS_Q256248. If not connected to a network or if
you
>never connect to a network server or printer, this function can be disabled. See
>color=#0000BB> MS_276322 or in "My Network Place", Tools, Folder Options,
>View tab, un-check the "Automatically search for network folders and printers" and
>click "Apply". This setting can require you to manually connect to local network
>resources.
>name="Fast Find">
>
>If you have MicroSoft's Office installed and have slow disk access problems, use
>
>Kill Fast Find MS_158704 procedure to disable the problem causing Fast Find
>function, and leave it that way.
>name="WinMgMt">
> If system slows down and System Resources drop after running System Information
>or HELP, check Task Manger (Alt-Ctrl-Del) for WinMGMT running. Or if you
use
>Adobe Reader to view a PDF document from inside IE and exit, check for ACCORD32.exe
>still running. Use Task Manager or WINTOP to select Winmgmt or ACCORD32 and End
Task.
>They do not always exit when they should.
>name="Power Management">
>
>If your system hangs while you are a way from it, it could be due to default Power
>Management settings, which are a problem with Windows ME. To disable Hibernate,
>in Control Panel - Power Options - Hibernate tab, uncheck the "Enable hibernate
support"
>option. Then on the Power Schemes tab, make sure the "System Stand by" option is
>set to Never. It is also recommended that you go into the systems BIOS CMOS
>Settings and under Power Management Setup disable "ACPI function" and "PM control
>by APM".
>name="Update Drivers">
> It
>is important to update all your hardware device drivers with the newest Windows
ME
>specific drivers. (System board chip set, Video adapter, Ethernet card, modem, sound,
>Printer, etc.) The default Windows ME drivers are too old and do not work with new
>adapters. Often the drivers that come with older adapters or system boards have
bugs
>and are not Windows ME specific. Use Device Manager and System Information tool
to
>help identify chip sets used and their ID numbers.
>
>- Reaktek has released
>updates for their Ethernet Network adapters that fix a random shutdown hang problem.
>
- VIA Tech provides
>its Hyperion 4in1 system board drivers and AC'97 sound driver updates for system
>boards with VIA chip sets.
>
-
>INTEL for INTEL chip set boards.
>
- System board vendor for SIS chip set systems.
>
- nVidia
>or ATI for
their
>video graphics adapter drivers.
>
- ROXIO
>ECDC/Direct-CD or NERO for
>CD-RW burner updates.
>
- Agere Systems for latest target="_blank"> Lucent/Agere LT WinModem driver.
>
>name="Shutdown Problems">
> If you still
have
>random hangs and shutdown problems, and all else has failed to help, try using Micro$ofts
>procedures for trouble shooting target="_blank"> Windows ME Shutdown Problems.
>name="DELINDEX">
>
>Security: 
>
> To really clean out unneeded
Windows
>ME temp files, the IE temp files, cookies and index files (which have a history
>of every web site you have visited), and corrupted work files, get a copy of the
>
>DELINDEX.BAT file and place it on your C:\ drive. Then boot from a Windows
>ME Startup boot diskette and run the batch file per its instructions. It
will
>clear out INDEX.DAT files junk and free up disk space, so that the system and IE
>can run better. Make a Windows ME Start up diskette in Control Panel, Add/Remove
>Programs icon, Startup Disk tab. Be aware that recent versions of McAfee AV will
>automatically delete the DELINDEX.BAT file!
>name="Security">
>
To
>improve Security and help protect your system from Trojans and Worms;
>
>- Remove SSDPSRV which leaves port 1900 and 5000 open, as part of Universal
>Plug and Play. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs -
>Widows Setup tab - select Communications - Details - and un-check "Universal
>Plug and Play". Click OK, OK, then Restart system.
>
- Go to the color=#0000BB>Windows UpDate site and download the Security updates
>for Windows ME and IE.
>
- When upgrading to Internet Explorer 6 SP1 or Direct-X 9.0b with Dial-Up, download
>package from target="_blank"> Download Center first to a work folder, then reboot into Safe
>Mode and do the install to avoid problems.
>
- Go to GRC.com and run
> Shields UP
>tests. Read about security there and try to follow advice on target="_blank">closing your ports.
> - After closing ports, if broadband Internet connection, consider getting a router
>with Firewall or a software firewall program like target="_blank"> ZoneAlarm.
>
- Remember to update your Anti Virus and Spyware programs every week!
>
- Additional security and Firewall testing, worm and trojan information can be
>found at PC Flank.com.
>
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