SillyDog701

[jn2003]

Hello,

I'll start by saying that I'm not a techie, and I'm convinced that on some level these machines really are conspiring against us, but I can follow directions well if someone here can help me. I've gotten great advice here before so I remain hopeful. Thanks in advance.

Being a good computer and XP (reg not pro) user, I keep my critical updates currrent. So when I received notice to add SP2 about a month ago, I did so immediately. Almost as quickly, I began to experience extreme delays in my outgoing email speed. It takes 25 to 30 seconds for an email to be sent, regardless of length of email or number of recipients.

I use Norton antivirus. I tried to disengage it in terms of outgoing mail, with absolutley no improvement, so I turned it back on. It is only the antivirus, not Norton firewall or some other package security program. I use no other firewall but that in XP (I guess there is one there, again I am not a techie).

I have contacted my ISP, and they only report one other user with this problem. They suggested in must be my Norton antivirus. I informed them that Norton added a delay of a couple seconds when I installed it last year, but this is much much worse. They suggested cleaning my hard drive and starting from scratch. I think McAfee came preinstalled but I don't use it. I do have another antivirus on my machine. It's a freebie a local computer shop gave me called AVG (at grisoft.com). It does not run by default/automatically. I keep it updated, and run it manually once a week or so as a check against Norton (it actually picked something up once when Norton missed it, but that was quite awhile ago. I know, this is weird, too).

Wow! Cleaning my hard drive seems really drastic.

I use Netscape 7.1 and use Netscape mail. Since I use XP my machine has IE on it but I have never intentionally used it. OE is also on my machine, but again, I have never intentionally used it (it may have popped up if I was trying to send an email through a site I was visiting, but I don't think I've ever sent a message using it). I have a 56 K dial up connection through a local ISP (TICON is the name), which I've never been disconnected from (I know, I'm lucky). MY outgoing is smtp.ticon.net. I was told to give you settings but I don't know what that means, so if you tell me I'll be happy to tell you.

Again, I never had a problem until AFTER I installed Sp2 for XP.

Is there a fix, or would it be better to uninstall XP2? I'll add that shortly after I downloaded SP2, I was told to add (and did) another "critical update," this one specifically a fix for a security problem in SP2!

Thank you to any knowlegable computer folks out there who may be able to assist me.

Jeff

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Fulvio]

I have not allowed SP2 to be installed. And, my Auto Update tells that I don't need any update.
First of all I would disable the Firewall. Free Zone Alarm's newest version (zonealarm.com) actually disables the Windows Firewall.
As for the slowdown in sending mail, it looks that something is being checked. I would always suspect Norton, but it should be ok, if properly set up. I have AVG, and perfectly happy with it. It has automatic updates now.
I know of a few people who were slowed down enough by SP2 that they removed it.
Good luck.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax) (CK-SillyDog)

[jn2003]

I don't know why, but my auto update told me to add SP2.

Disabing the firewall--is this safe? Do you know if the problem is an interaction between the firewall and SP2? I would be happy to do it if this is the cause, but if not, it would make me a little nervous. I had no probelm before adding SP2, so the firewall by itself hadn't been a problem before.

As I said, Nortoin never really created much of a problem. But no one so far is able to tell me if Norton does not interface well with SP2. My experience with Norton Help is not good, so I doubt they'd be useful. My bet is that it is a combo of Norton/SP2/Netscape.

I think I will have to uninstall SP2, but this makes me leary, because I know how "embedded" differnt MS programs are with each other.

If anyone knows how to do this safely, keeping in mind that there has already been an additional update on top of it, I would be interested.

Thank you.

Jeff

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Edward]

You indicated that you have AVG on your system in addition to Norton. I'll guess that some portion of AVG is actually running in the background, along with Norton, and this could be causing the delays you're experiencing.

A system does not need more that one anti-virus software package on it.

I have not installed SP2 because of all the problems it reportedly causes. I've also removed Windows Update from the startup and found the system performance improved as a result.

UserAgent: Opera/7.54 (X11; Linux i586; U) [en]

[jn2003]

How do I know if AVG is running in the background? Again, it never caused a problem before I installed SP2.

Do you know how to uninstall SP2?

I forgot to say that I searched the MS site for some time, and could not find an answer there either.

THanks Edward.

Jeff

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Edward]

I've never used AVG, but Norton, McAfee, and ZoneAlarm have small icons to the left of the clock display in the lower right corner of the screen. Mouse-over the icons to see if any are related to AVG. Also, if you go into the Task Manager, you can see what programs are running in the background. Check for programs beginning with "avg" or "grisoft", as those might be one.

UserAgent: Opera/7.54 (X11; Linux i586; U) [en]

[jn2003]

How do I access Task manager?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Edward]

Press: CTRL-ALT-DEL at once.

UserAgent: Opera/7.54 (X11; Linux i586; U) [en]

[jn2003]

When I look in TM, nothing is in Application, and there is one listing under Processes that starts with avg (avgserv.exe) it takes up 1500 K. But still, all these probelms staretd after SP2. Do you think it is interacting with AVG?

You say no system needs more than one virus program. Maybe true, but AVG did once pick up a virus that Norton missed, sp I'm relauctant to get rid of it.

Thanks, appreciate your help.

JN

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)

[Edward]

A quick Google search took me to this page. avgserv.exe is a process that belongs to AVG, so yes, you are running both Norton and AVG at the same time, and it also means AVG was installed.

This is likely the cause of the e-mail delays, where both anti-virus programs are scanning your e-mail at the same time.

UserAgent: Opera/7.54 (X11; Linux i586; U) [en]

[Fulvio]

When I look in TM, nothing is in Application, and there is one listing under Processes that starts with avg (avgserv.exe) it takes up 1500 K. But still, all these probelms staretd after SP2. Do you think it is interacting with AVG?

You say no system needs more than one virus program. Maybe true, but AVG did once pick up a virus that Norton missed, sp I'm relauctant to get rid of it.

Thanks, appreciate your help.

JN

Check Start|Run|type msconfig, and check startup. Only the checkup items are active. I have AVG, and only avgcc is checked. And, it is in the processes from CAD.
The fact that AVG is installed is irrelevant, if you do not have it in the Startup. But, of course, you can do manual scans.
I know that the major AV programs will not tolerate any other major AV programs. So, Norton, McAfee, etc are mutually incompatible.
But, AVG sort of flies below the radar, but only one program should be at the startup. The important thing is that unless you have the fancier AVG, it will not do any Netscape scans, although it has OE and Eudora plugins. So, if you have v.6.0, it cannot be the problem.
But, I agree with you, the AV should have nothing to do with your problem.
In an earlier post, you were concerned about my suggestion to disable the Firewall. SP2 turns on the Wndows Firewall, so if you did not have it on on purpose, you were unprotected all along. The interaction is that the firewall is part of SP2, and you need to disable the firewall if you want to see what is its effect. Essentially my question is: did you have the Windows Firewall enabled before you got SP2.
I did not mean for you to disable the firewall permanently. Just to check.
In fact, I was suggesting that you get yourself Zone Alarm, which has been steady. And, you, probably, do not need a firewall, if you do not have an a;ways on connection, like I do (cable or DSL).

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; America Online; External 1.0.0.5; Browser Control 0.9.0.5; Windows NT 5.1; BCD2000; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

[Edward]

On the last few weeks of dialup access back in 2001 before AT&T Broadband (now Comcast) installed the cable modem, I decided to install Norton's firewall.

To my surprise, even on dialup, there were many instances where remote systems tried to gain access to my computer.

I am a believer in firewall software with the use of a router. See this thread.

I can't see how the installation of SP2 would cause the e-mail problem Jeff referenced. He could also try uninstalling SP2. I have not installed it because of the problems it causes.

UserAgent: Opera/7.54 (X11; Linux i586; U) [en]

[Fulvio]

As I said, SP2 turns on the Windows Firewall, and that can create problems. I never implied that a Firewall should not be used. In fact, I told JN to disable it, temporarily. But, I have heard enough about Windows Firewall, and would be a reason for not getting SP2.
Remorte system will try to accessthe system all the time. I like what Zone Alarm does. It tells me how many attempts where made, and, how many considered to be "severe". I installed this version less than one month ago, and ZA tells me that 2155 intrutions were blocked, 29 of which were severe.
I am in AOL now, and there have been many reports of problems caused by firewalls. All firewalls can cause problems.

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; AOL 9.0; Windows NT 5.1; BCD2000; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

[Lorraine]

A few years back I received a Virus, the Magstr28 or something like that, anyway I had 24 infected files.
I was running two AV's.
Sophos and McAfee.

Sophos was very helpful and told me which files were infected in Windows. They also said, "I should never use two AV's"

I have Zone Alarm Pro4 and I don't have any problems with my email.
Auto upgrade to SP2.
I also have McAfee AV. I have PopUp Stopper.
Spybot -Search and Destroy

-Lorraine

"Flying is the second greatest thrill known to mankind.
Landing is the first."

UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

[Fulvio]

Lorraine,
it is my understanding that Zone Alarm , v.5.1.033, which is the latest will override Windows Firewall. I would like to know who has an active Windows firewall, and is having problems with the slowdowns.
A friend of mine who even went so far as getting SP2 on a CD ended up removing. It caused a general slowdown.
He has Sygate Pro Firewall, which was overidden by the Windows Firewall. He never had Norton, nor any of the better known AV.
As for the AV programs, there is no way to have have two installed and active at all times programs. They are, purposely, made in such a way that other AV programs are detected as possible viruses.
I don't know if anyone experienced the removal of McAfee5.x or earlier( I do not think the newer versions are any better), but I assure you that it is a very unpleant experience.
I say this because I wanted to try Panda AV, and the first thing it asked me was to remove McAfee.
But, these mail slow downs are not an AV issue. They could definitely be anti-spam related.

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