Clogged Pipes
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I just bought a used PC running Windows XP. It had been really fast loading and running programs and accessing the web, but suddenly it slowed down to a complete stop. I had to unplug it just to shut it down.
So, I unplugged the Ethernet cable and it worked fine. I scanned the C: drive—no virus. Plugged the Ethernet cable back in and it slowed down again. Unplugged the Ethernet and it’s fast again. What’s going on, Doc?
—Tim
That’s definitely suspicious behavior, Tim. It sounds like something is trying to send or receive lots of data, and we don’t like it when programs do that without our explicit consent. You’re likely either the victim of some bizarre Denial of Service attack or you’re the victim of some sort of virus or other malware, even if you’re not detecting anything. It’s always good to do a clean install of Windows on an upgraded or new-to-you PC. Make sure you’re running both a firewall and antivirus software. Short of that, our Ultimate Malware Removal Guide can help you root out any nasties that might be responsible for this egregious behavior.
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SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION Are flames shooting out of the back of your rig? First, grab a fire extinguisher and douse the flames. Once the pyrotechnic display has fizzled, email the doctor at doctor@maximumpc.com for advice on how to solve your technological woes. |
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Shckr57
January 26, 2010 at 1:55pm
omg r u guys retarded, fucking ridiculous, this is a known XP problem , it is not a dam virus. especially on older computers, when you plug in the cable the os spends a shit load of recourses on trying to find a connection, unplug the cable problem goes away. i made the guy who answered you officially is a fucking retard and should be banned FOR GUESS WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE AND GIVING A FUCKING CLUELESS ANSWER< THIS IS THE SAME SHIT BESTBUY DOES. there are a few reasons why it might do this, bad port on either router or mobo/nic, this is the cause about 80% of the time, also make sure your cable isnt bad, kinks can do this, also interfence, from blacklights.... (that emit radiation, or microwaves) causing errors and lost packets/ corrupted packets. THIS IS AN XP PROBLEM, yes im mad, cause your fucking stupid, dont just assume shit, and a Ddos attack would not do this shit, as you would get a connection, just slow/disconnects every time, not slow your computer down. FUCKING RETARDS
iParkos
January 26, 2010 at 2:21pm
Shckr, has the radiation from your black light caused your anger issue?
Shckr57
January 26, 2010 at 2:24pm
no it has not, it a form of energy that can effect data being transmitted, hence why there is stp cable(sheilded twisted pair) to prevent this from happeneing. i just hate these type of people
COMMANDER_COOK
January 26, 2010 at 4:42pm
Many, if not most routers have built in DoS protection. So that wouldn't affect the machine.
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emzfrendcrisis
January 26, 2010 at 7:46am
It could be Windows Updating. I know when i done a clean install of Vista it took no less than a day for the updates to complete. And the computer i had was using 2gb ram, a 160 gb hd, and a 1.7ghz proc. ANd that was for Vista (non SP1), to SP2. Xp would have to go all the way to SP3.
The closer to the light the greater your shadow becomes.
dbighead77
January 25, 2010 at 10:34pm
If you've done anything like me, you probably transfered some sort of app or document to the computer with a flash drive. I had a near-undectectable infection that only an Ubuntu machine discovered. I never could find the actual files on my XP machine, but they were there, and they had the same symptoms. I'd suggest a reformat if it's hitting your ethernet port that bad.
COMMANDER_COOK
January 25, 2010 at 11:18pm
A bunch of the computers from ~2001 - 2003 have only 256MB of ram, which will make them just about stop when an AV client updates. I actually upgraded the ram on a relative's computer 2 days ago that would stop responding for 20 mins while avast updates.
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COMMANDER_COOK
January 25, 2010 at 2:39pm
1. Ethernet drivers are buggy OR
2. It's a weak computer with an AV client that's trying to update.
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ghen
January 25, 2010 at 1:38pm
First, do you have a router set up or are you plugging directly into a modem and getting a public IP address? If the latter, do the former. ;)
Second, just because your AV software says there's nothing doesn't mean you're clear. I suggest getting professional help from a dedicated hijack-this forum like bleepingcomputer.com or techsupportforum.com
paschal
January 25, 2010 at 2:14pm
1. Do you have other pc's that work ok on the network?
2. Do an ipconfig release ipconfig renew from a dos prompt Sometimes DHCP can allow two dupes and it will behave just like that.
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