System crashed bad after using the Windows XP registery hack

[YndAznbnet]

After changing a couple things described on pages 3-6 on the tweaks section. When I restarted, I got a blue screen with alot of text that pretty much told me something was totally wrong with hardware or something I installed. I pushed F8 at restart like the blue screen told me to and restarted from the last time the computer was functioning properly. I got back onto my comp after that, even though i have system restore save files disabled on my comp. I seem to have fixed those changes back to default, but my computer told me I had a malicious script in my directory still. I was trying to run a www.dslreports.com test to see if my comp was running properly and I got a pop-up saying that I had a malicious code and had to cancel the test I was running.

If you need to know any other details to help me, just ask. I'd be very thankful if I can get some assistance on this issue, this is a brand new computer and I don't want anything to be tainted already.

Thx!, Dave

[asklepios]

do u have any anti virus software running on ur comp dave? if yes, is it updated with the latest files cos u seem to be having a virus probs.

[Darthtanion]

First off, anytime you make changes to your registry, you should always back it up beforehand so that if there are problems it can be reverted back to its original condition.

Secondly, the tweaks listed in the WinXP guide are simple tweaks that work on a vast majority of systems. There is really nothing hardcore in there to break a system down, but again, a backup should be done to handle any problems that might come up.

Thirdly, since these are simple registry changes, there is no coding added to your system. If you are receiving warnings of a malicious script, then you might want to check into some of the recent downloads that you have done. A good and thorough scan of your system would also be highly advisable. And if you use any sort of broadband connection to the internet, a firewall is essential.

Finally, whenever you make changes to the registry, or BIOS, or anything vital like this, you shoudl make sure that you only make a couple of changes at a time. While time consuming, it makes it much easier to pinpoint where a potential problem may reside.

[PersianImmortal]

Dave,

If you're referring to my WinXP Guide, then I can assure you none of the registry changes are "hacks" - they're simply advanced settings which optimize your system further than usual. A great many people have used them without problems, and they've been around for quite a while.

There is certainly no possibility of "malicious code" as that error will never come up from tweaking WinXP. None of the tweaks install any files or scripts on your system. It is probably a virus script you've picked up on a website, but don't panic - a good virus scanner will get rid of that.

My recommendation would be not to tweak everything on your machine without following my explicit warning at the start of the guide to back up your registry, and also not to disable System Restore unless you're confident of what you're doing.

In any case, if you give me more details (like the last bit of text in the Bluescreen) and the types of errors you're experiencing we can certainly help you fix up and improve your system.

[YndAznbnet]

Could it be the ram i installed a week ago? My computer doesnt seem to be affected by the malicious script. Although I do get these weird pop-ups from an unknown source. It seems to be a program of spyware that puts these grey pages of random messages . The messages are usually about a paragraph and say the most random things.
I defragged last night. The onlyt programs I recently downloaded were SisSoftware Sandra and DrTCP.

Thx again, Dave

[YndAznbnet]

And immortal, I am referring to the tweaktown.com guide.Here

I used these steps Tweak #3 ,Tweak#9 and Tweak#12 .

Just before I opened this thread is when I did these tweaks. Before I did the tweaks, I downloaded SANDRA and DrTCP.
After I did the tweaks, I restarted the computer. Then when I restarted the Blue screen came up. It asked if I installed any new hardware or software and that something wrong wrong. It was dumping all virtual memory. At the bottom of the page it said Contect your tech. if needed. I restarted again, pushing F8 and started it in safe mode. I couldnt start windows without doing this. I tried , while in safe mode, to change the registery tweaks, but couldnt remember the paths to the tweaks, so I restarted, pushing F8 again, this time I chose the option to restart in the format to when the computer was still functioning properly. I chose that and the windows started properly. (although i still sense something is wrong, because when I boot, the green progress bar on the WindowsXP screen pauses for a pauses for a nanosecond and slows down right before my desktop is booted). I then went back to tweaktown.com so I could locate the registery changes I made and set them back to default.

I got the "malicious code" message when I was trying to run a program from either This site- , or this site- , and it said it found a malicious code in a folder of mine, i cant remember exactly which folder. I'm going to find the test I was running and check again.

I'll get back here when i have more information.

Thx again guys!

[YndAznbnet]

I also ran full scans of C drive with Nortan Antivirus and found no viruses. Is it possible for viruses to hide from Norton? It doesnt make sense to me, if I have a malicious script, wouldn't Norton Anti-Virus would catch it, right?

[YndAznbnet]

Ok, I just ran Ad-Aware, and round two things in my registry.

The first, under system, it says "other", under details it says "software\acceleration software international corperation"
Why i hold the curser over it, a pop-up box comes up with this description - Entry: 1/2
Type: RegKey
System: Other
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
software\acceleration software international corperation

The second one, under system, it says "Alexa", ender details, it says "software\microsoft\internet explorer\extensions\{(large code of numbers)}
Entry:2/2
Type:Regkey
System:Alexa
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
"software\microsoft\internet explorer\extensions\{(large code of numbers)}

I'm guessing that #2 is from Tweak#3, but I have no clue what #1 is..

[Wiggo]

The first one I havn't struck before so maybe that's what ya prob is (a download manager of some sort?). Alexa is M$'s own spyware but is harmless to ya system. ;)
<center>:cheers:</center>

[PersianImmortal]

Hey Dave,

Thanks for more info, it certainly helps finding the problem. You can safely delete virtually anything Adaware finds, even Alexa (even tho it is harmless). Neither are from any tweak guide, nor are they from Sandra.

As for that XP Guide, it's not the one I wrote. Mine is This one which brings together all the working tweaks from previous guides such as that one, but is in more of a "walkthrough" style. I really do suggest you follow it as it will put all your settings in order.

Of course you have to have the latest Virus definitions for Nortons to work at its best (download em from here), but more importantly a malicious script could be a trojan not a virus, for which you'll need a trojan scanner like The Cleaner.

Try all the above then let me know if you still have problems.

[YndAznbnet]

I downloaded both of those you recommended, PersianImmortal. Then I scanned with The Cleaner. It found 0 trojans, but after it was done scanning, it said it came across a couple problems while performing the scan. I clicked on details, and got this message.
FILE: C:\hiberfil.sys

PROBLEM: I could not scan this file. Error Code 32: "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

SOLUTION: A common reason for this error is that Windows has locked the file for
SOLUTION: exclusive access. A swap file is a common example. Also, an antivirus
SOLUTION: program might be denying access to the file. In that case, you can
SOLUTION: temporarily disable the anti-virus to clean the trojan.

FILE: C:\pagefile.sys

PROBLEM: I could not scan this file. Error Code 32: "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

SOLUTION: A common reason for this error is that Windows has locked the file for
SOLUTION: exclusive access. A swap file is a common example. Also, an antivirus
SOLUTION: program might be denying access to the file. In that case, you can
SOLUTION: temporarily disable the anti-virus to clean the trojan.


But I just want to clarify one thing, my computer isnt exactly crippled. I wouldn't even know anything was wrong if I was going to judge by computer performance alone. I only had that boot-up problem that was a MAJOR scare, and that Malicious script message when trying to do a system test. Other than that, my programs are working fine, and I really don't know what the malicious script will effect, if anything. Do you have an idea of what could be the conciquences if I never find a solution ?

[PersianImmortal]

The two .sys files the Cleaner can't scan are system files which are fine.

I just looked at the sites which brought up your "malicious script" warning and it's actually nothing to worry about.

The sites are trying to run a Java-based script, and depending on your Internet Explorer security settings you may get a warning telling you a java script could be "malicious" when it's not. It's just a standard security warning based on your level of IE security and settings. The scripts on those sites should be completely safe to run.

I personally wouldn't use those sites to test my system performance. Use the benchmarking tools I refer to in my WinXP and System Optimization Guide. Also follow the advice in those guides and your system should be almost fully optimized.

Then just enjoy your system...sounds like it's already working fine!