Download without intallation

[MortgageGuy]

I was unable to find this thru the search, so please forgive me if it's been covered.
Virus problems with my home computer precludes me downloading off the interenet. Can I download AVAST at work, keep it in a file folder and transport to my home computer on my memory stick?

Thanks for your insights.

[Vlk]

Absolutely. All our installation packages are self contained. They don't require Internet connection to be active at the time of installation (but Internet access may be handy for proper updating of the virus database).

BTW what 'virus problems' do you have, exactly? There's a chance they're covered by the tiny "avast! Virus Cleaner" - a special tool designed to reliably clean a number of common infection. It doesn't even require a setup -- you can just run from from the memory stick. More info here: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_cleaner.html .

Thanks
Vlk

[MortgageGuy]

I don't know what specific virus my system has, but I can easily decribe the symptom: the computer acts likes it is always busy. When I check the task manager it shows a process titled “System Idle Process” is using almost all my CPU. I tried to shut it down, but the system won’t allow it.

Do you recognize the problem?

[Eddy]

Depending at waht problems you exactly have, you may wish to have a look at one of the webpages I made and get all applications mentioned there, put them on a (bootable?) cd and use them on the troubled system to solve problems.

If the troubles system is in a network (or can easily be hooked up to a network) you may want to scan the system from a clean system in the same network.

Some more information about the troubled system may give us a way to provide more/better help.
What os is on it?
What are the exact problems?
What have you tried sofar?
What did you do/happend just before the problems started?
Does internet work if you boot in safe mode with network options (XP)?

And things like that.

[RedSector]

The system idle process is a good thing, It is not using up your cpu.  To put it simply it is the amount of unused cpu resources

[Vlk]

“System Idle Process” is using almost all my CPU

Well...

Is this really the only symptom? Because let me tell you, this symptom is really no symptom at all. The behavior you're describing is perfectly normal. The "System Idle Process" is really no process -- it's just a name for being idle.

I.e. if all your active processes are taking N% of CPU, the System Idle Process will have (by definition), (100-N)%. That is, the more % the System Idle Process "takes", the better -- i.e., the less the real processes take (in other words, the lower the CPU load is).

Does that make sense?

BTW your from Bellevue WA? Amazing! I know this place real well!! What part of Bellevue do you live in?

Cheers,
Vlk

[MortgageGuy]

I live in Lake Hills. We've raised 4 sons through the Bellevue school system and are preparing to sell our home and start the next phase of our lives. Did you live in Bellevue? Where are you now?

I'm running Windows 2000 Pro.

The computer acts busy. Software open very slowly, if at all. When I check the task manager it shows that my CPU is very busy (event though no applications are running). System Idle Processis seems to be using almost all my CPU. It bounces from 99 to 85 to 30 and back to 99). I assume this is some kind of worm.

[RedSector]

The System Idle Process, is NOT using up your cpu.  It indicates how much free CPU resources are available.  The system idle process being high is normal, and actually good.  The higher it is the more free resources you have.

[Vlk]

I live in Lake Hills. We've raised 4 sons through the Bellevue school system and are preparing to sell our home and start the next phase of our lives.

Oh, congrats. Lake Hills is a very nice place.
So you're planning on moving out of the Puget Sound area?

Did you live in Bellevue?

No... I'm European, I live in Prague, Czech Republic. Actually the whole ALWIL team is based here (although this forum gathers people from pretty much all over the world).

It's just that I go to Redmond so often and always stay in Bellevue.
Have been there for about 12 times during the last couple of years.

System Idle Processis seems to be using almost all my CPU.

Open the Task Manager, go to the processes tab, and sort the processes by CPU usage (by clicking on the CPU usage header). What process takes the most, except for the "System Idle Process" (which is really not a process)?


Thanks
Vlk

[MortgageGuy]

OK, I understand that the System Idle Process is not using my CPU.  

I downloaded the home edition and the recomended cleaner. I will see if this clears up my problem and allows me to use the computer again.

I have two 18 year old sons still at home (for a little while) and in their searche for things they find interesting (breasts and muscle cars) they tend to find sites that I don't trust.

I'll let you know when I run this fix this evening.

Thanks!

[RedSector]

Hope everything works out well  

[Eddy]

The computer acts busy. Software open very slowly, if at all. When I check the task manager it shows that my CPU is very busy (event though no applications are running).

Ahum, a cpu can't be busy if there are no applications running

System Idle Processis seems to be using almost all my CPU.

That is a good thing   Idle means the system (capabilities) aren't used

As Vlk said, it is perfectly normal. If aplications still start up slowly, it sounds more like a hardware and/or driver problem.

What have you or was changed just before the problem started?

[Vlk]

What have you or was changed just before the problem started?

Well if there're two 18-year old guys with interest in "breasts and muscle cars" in front of the monitor I really wouldn't be surprised if there was some s*it injected to the machine - at least some spyware. What browser do you use? IE?

[MortgageGuy]

I came home for lunch to try what you described.

I'm running Internet Explorer.

I checked the Task Manager to look at processes and slowed down the refresh so I could read the items under System Idle (after selecting CPU to move them up).
Here's a partial list in order of activity: (may not be in caps)
EXPLORER.EXE
TASKMANAGER.EXE
INCD.EXE
WTOOLSA.EXE
WTOOLSS.EXE
VSMON.EXE
IEXPLORE.EXE
CRSS.EXE
HPGS2WND.EXE
HPGS2WNF.EXE
ZLCLIENT.EXE
ATIPTAXX.EXE
MNPOL.EXE
HPGNUFIS.EXE
WNSCRIPT.EXE (this on tries to get to the internet but gets blocked by Zone Alarm fire wall)
LMPDSRV.EXE
HPOPNZ08.EXE
PPOEVEM08.EXE

Recognize anything?

[Vlk]

E.g. TASKMANAGER.EXE is pretty fishy. I'd say it'll be one of the SpyBot/GaoBot variants.

And - no, it's not the Windows Task Manager. That one is called TaskMgr.exe...