[WMP 11 slow to close.]

The codec packs have been there for a long time. Why would they suddenly cause this? Other thing is, of course, WMP without added codecs can be a little useless at some vids, and the "download codecs automatically" never seemed to work. Hence my decision to install a couple.

Will uninstall if you think it's really needed, for troubleshooting.

 

Re Comodo. There's a thread Here (Comodo forum) detailing the issue. It's not a big issue, but slightly irritating nonetheless. Warning: the thread runs to 4 pages, and concludes with the recommendation to reinstall Windows.

I'm putting that action off as long as I can, but have some of the programs I need to - for example - slipstream SP3. Just need to learn a it more about where/how to include current drivers etc in the installation disk I want to create, and think a bit more intelligently about what to include (and not) and how to only format the OS partition while leaving personal files/pics etc on the storage partition.

Since the 'pooter is currently running well (apart from the issues indicated, which I can actually live with) I'm in no rush to do too much. Next step will be to get an external HD, install Karens Replicator, and make a decent backup. Still. No rush.

I've had my run-ins with Comodo Support too. To be honest, they're not very good at acknowledging problems. It looks like you too got the run around. When I installed SP3 on one machine, I was able to install Comodo 3 without it hanging on boot or any of the other symptoms. There's a 2.x cleanup script also hidden deep in their forums.

 

I'd started to wonder that, myself. But, "Patience, Tarq," I thought, "Leave it a couple more days for a bump. Nobody's going to die if it don't get fixed."

 

You reckon installing SP3 might be related to this problem, perhaps? Or an example of a problem SP3 should have fixed? I only really noticed it after the last patch Tuesday. Might've started before then, I just didn't notice.

 

Thanks for the support so far, folks. Just so y'all know, I have also posted this at Wilders, and Scotts' forums, hope that's not a bad protocol. One has suggested disabling security software,as a troubleshoot (done); another has suggested uninstalling URGE, which wasn't installed anyway.

We'll see how this pans out.

Some passing thoughts, have you tried the Work Offline mode or just disconnected from the Internet to see if it still hangs? When it hangs, does it eventually unload or does an error occur.

 

I would go ahead and uninstall the codec pack and leave it uninstalled for now. Once we resolve the issue then you can start adding things back slowly to make sure it wasn't the item.

 

If worse comes to worse, we can generate a memory dump to see what's making it hang.

[another RAM tool I think you'll approve.]

There is no refuting Mark's credentials, however, if you read many of the posts in that thread it becomes quite evident that, depending on what applications are running and how you are using the PC, Windows doesn't always do the perfect job. It is quite analogous to the "old" carburetor on vehicles. They were manufactured and tuned to work in an "average" environment. e.g. temp, humidity, elevation, etc. Also, this thread was started in relation to an application that uses Windows feature every 30 minutes (or as often as one likes), maximizing the efficiency of the Windows tool.

That's true with Windows 9x/Me. The memory management was horrific. People believed in the "AlwaysUnloadDll" registry key, even for the NT kernel. I use multiple applications that often take about half of all of my 2GB of RAM, but you can simply minimize the window and the memory is freed. Try it with Firefox or any web browser. Before you could see 272,000 K in Task Manager, but when you minimize Firefox you can watch it drop to 11,000 K - 20,000 K. In case you're wondering, I often run over 30+ tabs in my Firefox, so the memory usage is higher than most people's would be.

 

Another point on this subject! I don't know if RAM defragers are different from optimizers (have never even tried one of them) but the numbers just don't back the theory that the defragers just move some of the process to virtual memory. I had a Subscription to Spy Sweeper and through work, Spyware Doctor. If I did a full scan with either one of those I would be left with less than 50% of my 1g of RAM. The RAM would never return all day. Then I discovered that a two minute memory scan with AVG Anti-Spyware would result in returning total RAM usage to only 20 some percent. I just enabled SD Starter Edition and scanned with it. After the scan I ended up with 46% of RAM in use and 40.1mb of virtual memory in use. I then ran a 38 second scan with RAM Def XT. After the scan I had only 27% of RAM in use and the page file in use actually went down to 39.9mb. Point is, this program didn't just move the processes to virtual memory. I suspect the MemInfo defrager and AVg do the same.

They are the same. I remember AVG AS and I believe ewido 4 doing this. After doing a bit of research it was an unfortunate side effect.

[Avast antivirus 4.8 home edition-(for Avast users)]

Windows XP on 256MB of RAM is slow regardless. Doubling the RAM to 512MB will make it feel really smooth.

[WMP 11 slow to close.]

I would actually use VLC for videos that wouldn't play with WMP.

 

As it's late and I've been programming all day, I'll check back on this in the morning and see if I can help you fix both of these issues.

[Friday 13th]

Probably went out to see Incredible Hulk or another movie.

[another RAM tool I think you'll approve.]

I saw no need to paraphrase, as the information is perfectly accurate and not the first time I've shared that snippit.

 

I have however updated my wiki Myths page to reflect what Mark says (links only).

 

http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Myths

[WMP 11 slow to close.]

Try uninstalling the codec packs. I've recently got a couple bluescreens that only happened with WMP during playback of certain videos. Just had to remove the codec pack and it's fine.

 

If you want to tell me about the firewall issues, go for it. I had some horror stories trying to go from Comodo 2 to 3. And it was on more than one machine. Ironically, SP3 fixed it on one machine, and the other (my main computer) I did a clean install (after 3 years!) due to a hard drive with some bad sectors.

[Scam for AV Product]

This is why people should get their files from a trusted source.

[Should I unistall Norton 360?]

Another vote here to trash Norton 360. I'll admit that it has improved from it's predecessors, but not by much. Uninstall it, run SymNRT and purge it from your system, then get avast and enjoy a faster computer!

[All offered Windows Updates will not install]

Dial-a-fix stops a service that's running though, so just emptying out Software Distribution might not work, i.e.; the service may just have to be stopped first.

Just running the WU/WUAU actually calls for a few (three) services to be restarted. WUAUSERV (Windows Updates Automatic Updates) and BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service). Of course, when you go to repair broken Windows Updates, you also have to fix the Cryptographic Services which Norton/Symantec is famous for breaking, amongst many other things. In fact, Norton broke so many things on so many computers I literally lost count within the first few months I worked at the shop. Plus a lot, and I mean a lot of DLLs have to be re-registered which can be seen in this DAF log:

 

--- Windows Update ------ Registration: Windows Update/Automatic Update DLLs ---12:26:26 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml.dll12:26:26 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml.dll12:26:26 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml2.dll12:26:27 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml2.dll12:26:27 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml3.dll12:26:28 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\msxml3.dll12:26:28 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\qmgr.dll12:26:28 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\qmgr.dll12:26:28 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\qmgrprxy.dll12:26:28 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\qmgrprxy.dll12:26:28 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\winhttp.dll12:26:28 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\winhttp.dll12:26:28 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuapi.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuaueng.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuaueng.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuaueng1.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuaueng1.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wucltui.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wucltui.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wups.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wups.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wups2.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wups2.dll12:26:29 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuweb.dll12:26:29 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuweb.dll12:26:30 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\ole32.dll--- SSL/HTTPS/Cryptography ---12:26:40 AM | Executed 'cmd.exe /c rmdir /q /s C:\WINDOWS\system32\Catroot2'--- Registration: SSL/HTTPS/Cryptography ---12:26:45 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptdlg.dll12:26:45 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptdlg.dll12:26:45 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptui.dll12:26:45 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptui.dll12:26:45 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptext.dll12:26:45 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cryptext.dll12:26:45 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\dssenh.dll12:26:45 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\dssenh.dll12:26:46 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\gpkcsp.dll12:26:46 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\gpkcsp.dll12:26:46 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\initpki.dll12:27:12 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\initpki.dll12:27:12 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\licdll.dll12:27:13 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\licdll.dll12:27:13 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mssign32.dll12:27:13 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mssign32.dll12:27:13 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mssip32.dll12:27:13 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mssip32.dll12:27:13 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scardssp.dll12:27:13 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scardssp.dll12:27:14 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\sccbase.dll12:27:14 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\sccbase.dll12:27:14 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scecli.dll12:27:15 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scecli.dll12:27:15 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\softpub.dll12:27:15 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\softpub.dll12:27:15 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\slbcsp.dll12:27:15 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\slbcsp.dll12:27:17 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\regwizc.dll12:27:17 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\regwizc.dll12:27:17 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\rsaenh.dll12:27:17 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\rsaenh.dll12:27:18 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\winhttp.dll12:27:18 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\winhttp.dll12:27:18 AM | Unregistered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wintrust.dll12:27:18 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wintrust.dll--- Registration: Programming cores/runtimes ---12:27:18 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\atl.dll12:27:19 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\corpol.dll12:27:19 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\jscript.dll12:27:19 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\dispex.dll12:27:19 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scrrun.dll12:27:19 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\scrobj.dll12:27:20 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\vbscript.dll12:27:20 AM | Registered: C:\WINDOWS\system32\wshext.dll

 

[ALL-ROUND SECURITY, ANTI-SPY. ANTI-VIRUS]

I would recommend:

 

• avast Anti-Virus
  
• Comodo Firewall Pro (Firewall ONLY)
  
• Windows Defender for free resident protection or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware if you'd like to support this excellent program.
  
• SpywareBlaster to protect your browsers
  
• Firefox
  

 

[What brand of wirless routers?]

I've got a Linksys WRT54GL loaded with Tomato and it works like a charm. In fact, the Tomato firmware works far better than DD-WRT. DD-WRT has problems with threading downloads (P2P) and can cause things such as surfing the Internet to slow to a crawl, forcing a router reboot.

[WMP 11 slow to close.]

Do you have any codec packs installed?

 

Also, offtopic but is there any reason why you have not updated to Comodo 3?

[Outgoing blocker]

If you need a firewall, go for Comodo Firewall Pro. I've never recommended Hosts files because it's not what they're used for. I wrote an article on how you can safely protect yourself from malware (adware, spyware, viruses, etc.) and block advertisements on my wiki:

http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Blocking_Ma...isements_Safely

[Avast antivirus 4.8 home edition-(for Avast users)]

Always been a fan of avast. They also have a rootkit detection software that is based on GMER, though it is in the beta stage.

[Restore XP]

I'd also recommend updating to SP3.

[SpywareBlaster 4.1]

Thanks YoKenny. This is definitely something that should be used on every machine.

[Browser speed test comparison]

I've wanted to use Opera for a while, but it lacked things I used actively in Firefox. I admittedly like Fx3, it'll be great!

[another RAM tool I think you'll approve.]

"RAM Optimizers have no effect, and at worst, they seriously degrade performance. Although gaining more available memory might seem beneficial, it isn't. As RAM Optimizers force the available-memory counter up, they force other processes' data and code out of memory. Say that you're running Word, for example. As the optimizer forces the available-memory counter up, the text of open documents and the program code that was part of Word's working set before the optimization (and was therefore present in physical memory) must be reread from disk as you continue to edit your document. The act of allocating, then freeing a large amount of virtual memory might, as a conceivable side effect, lead to blocks of contiguous available memory. However, because virtual memory masks the layout of physical memory from processes, processes can't directly benefit from having virtual memory backed by contiguous physical memory. As processes execute and undergo working-set trimming and growth, their virtual-memory-to-physical-memory mappings will become fragmented despite the availability of contiguous memory."

 

Sources: Page 1 and Page 2.

 

Mark Russinovich is definitely the best and most reliable source for Windows Internals.