Topic: Task Manager Dissapearing

[Kaz]

I have come across a problem.
When i hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete my task manger wont stay on screen it comes up and dissappears?  I did sort it out last night and it was working ok
I did have a virus have done all the scans and nothing is showing up now all is clear, I have looked at the web site for ''How To's'' and Iv done all the checks and still it wont stay on the desktop, can anyone give me some help please

Thanks

[Rik]

Hi Kaz

From MSKB 314227.

CAUSE
This behavior may occur if Task Manager is running in Tiny Footprint mode. If you double-click the empty space in the border around the tabs, Task Manager switches to this mode.


RESOLUTION
To switch Task Manager to its typical display mode, double-click the top border of the window.


MORE INFORMATION
When Task Manager is running in Tiny Footprint mode, you can resize the window.


Worth a try for starters.

[Kaz]

Hi Rik Bean,
I cant get the Task manager to stay on my desktop long enough to do this task

From MSKB 314227.

CAUSE
This behavior may occur if Task Manager is running in Tiny Footprint mode. If you double-click the empty space in the border around the tabs, Task Manager switches to this mode.


RESOLUTION
To switch Task Manager to its typical display mode, double-click the top border of the window.


MORE INFORMATION
When Task Manager is running in Tiny Footprint mode, you can resize the window.


Worth a try for starters.

[Rik]

Mmm.

Take a look at these, see if they help:

http://forums.aspfree.com/windows-os-15/task-manager-and-regedit-not-working-38826.html
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=2573

The only other thing I found at MSKB was:

SYMPTOMS
When you run Windows XP or Windows-based programs, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
?   Windows XP and Windows-based programs run very slowly.
?   Documents do not open properly, or when they open, they do not contain all the correct information.
?   You cannot start Windows Task Manager.

NOTE: To start Task Manager, right-click a blank area of the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.
?   Your antivirus program no longer runs.
?   You cannot view Web sites.

Back to the top
CAUSE
This issue may occur if your computer is infected with a variant of the W32.Klez worm virus.

Back to the top
RESOLUTION
Microsoft does not provide software that can detect or remove computer viruses. If you suspect or confirm that your computer is infected with a virus, obtain current antivirus software. For a list of antivirus software manufacturers, click the following article number to see the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
List of Antivirus Software Vendors (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/49500/EN-US/)

Back to the top
MORE INFORMATION
To determine if the W32.Klez worm virus is running on your computer:
1.   Quit all running programs.
2.   Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
3.   Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
4.   In the list of running services, determine if the following service is running WINKxxx where xxx is two to three random characters appended to the word WINK. For example, WINKAP, WINKZFU, or WINKNWK.
If this service is listed, your computer may be infected with a variant of the W32.Klez worm virus.

NOTE: After you remove the W32.Klez worm virus, you may have to reinstall your antivirus program.

[Kaz]

Hi Rik Bean,

You know I just cant say enough About the help I get on here.

I have found the problem, it seems (did I tell you I had a virus yesterday?) I have picked up a worm I will tell you more when the scan finishes, but I can now open Task Manager!!!!

Well I suppose It's my own fault I didn't put my Adware And Spyware back on my PC when I had a new hard drive put on, but having said that you would of thought KIS would of picked it up? I had a load of respect for KIS now Im begining to think twice any way It scanning now and picking up stuff so ill let you know when it finishes.

Thanks again for all your help  

PS while I'm here has anyone got any good places to download ring tones Iv got a new Samsung  Phone and need to change the terrible ringtones on it   Cheers

[Rik]

Glad to help, if it was any help. I'm a NOD32 fan myself...

Not too strong on ringtones, but if you can use MP3, why not record your own?

[Kaz]

Sorry Rik, but what is NOD32???

[Rik]

It's one of the best AV packages around (the best, imo).

http://www.eset.com/

[Kaz]

Ok, here is the result of the scan
Worm.Autorun.K

will download and install Perfect Keylogger onto the infected machine which will be used to record the keystrokes and actions carried out by the user on the computer. The recorded activities will be saved to a local file which will subsequently be uploaded to the authors private ftp server. This worm will also attempt to propagate via the means of creating copies of itself onto removable devices such as USB flash and hard drives.

There were some other, but only low risk stuff adware etc

[Simon]

Yikes!!    So, have you managed to get rid of it, Kaz?

KIS is as good as any suite, but none are perfect, and no single utility can guarantee to spot everything nasty that's out there.  Your trojan may have been set to activate on a given date ahead of when it found it's way into your system (I believe these are often known as "timebombs"), and as such, KIS may have found it to be 'safe' at the time.  One of the features of KIS is that it can be set to scan only new or changed files, and this can be a double edged sword, as while it makes your weekly scan a lot quicker, it doesn't scan all files, and if something slips through, appearing to be safe, and then activates itself between scans, it could fool your AV protection.  That said, KIS uses heuristic technology, which means that it constantly looks out for changes to your system, or programs acting 'suspiciously', so it does surprise me that it didn't pick this up.

It's often a good idea to have at least two different spyware scanners on your machine, as they can find different things, so reinstalling your stand-alone adware and spyware protections will probably be enough to back up KIS, and secure your system nicely.  Obviously, all of these utilities are only as useful as the latest signatures, so it's really important to keep them regularly updated.

[Kaz]

Hi simon,
yes I think Iv cracked it now, the only thing thats happening now is every move I make is double checked by Kis can't move for it asking me do you want to do this allow that oh the joys of computing 

[Simon]

That's one thing about KIS that I found too annoying to live with, and is why I switched to F-Secure.  You might find it calms down a bit, once you've got most of your regular permissions set.

[Kaz]

Now my Pc is running like a slug, have been to SpyDoctor forum site and a lot of them have the same problem it's eating my memory up and my cpu is so high I will have to take it off and go back to something else, my Pc was so fast before another Computer headache 

[Clive]

SpyDoctor is a dreadful piece of software Kaz.  I found it to be full of false positives and got rid of it myself.  AdAware and Spybot search and destroy
are probably the best combination to use.  Both are free whereas SpyDoctor will want to start charging you after the 30 day free period ends.

[Simon]

Spyware Doctor is problematic at the moment.  Try Super AntiSpyware.