I have been continuously struggling to solve endless Windows XP quirks. I suffer from slow shutdown and booting problem and frequent hijacking of websites or search engines although I care not to download, visit or install dubious websites/software.
I have Norton 360 v4.0 installed with all Firewall, anti-virus and other options enabled. My son is hooked on the Home Network but he, too, suffers from frequent Windows corruption, inability to boot or long in and other quirks that need continuous maintenance. ComboFix has been the most helpful malware removal tool as well as Spybot S&D.
Attached please find HijackThis and Uninstall_list files. I regularly schedule HDD cleanup and registry cleanup & compacting besides HDD defragmentation. Moreover, I use my PC for Internet research, self-study, entertainment and some office productivity while my son uses his computer exclusively for gaming and a little entertainment (songs) and educational software.
All software are legitimate or freeware/open source and downloaded from well-reputed sites.
Hardware specs:
Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz
Intel DG33FB motherboard
2 GB RAM
SATA 320GB and 160GB HDD
My son has a standard Dell GX280 with SATA 160GB HDD.
Please help us identify and get rid of malicious software and inform us how we can prevent repetition of such infections.
Thanks.