Computer issue any help appreciated NT Authority\System

[leon]

Hi guys maybe someone could help with this computer issue i have been dealing with recently.

For some unknown reason i get this error message and the computer closes down and then restarts, this happens at least 3-4 times a day.

Anyway the message tells me the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service has closed unexpectedly and need to close, then it gives me 60 seconds and shuts down and restarts again.

Also it mentions at the top of this message about NT Authority\System.

Now the computer is running so slow i could go down the street and do some shopping before it reboots properly.

Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated.

Leon

[pw (Peter)]

Possibly caused by malware.
Download and install Malwarebytes and update it
Shutdown and boot to safe mode
Run Malwarebytes and do a "Smart Scan" <-- I think that's what it's called
Clean up the mess it finds
Restart

Once you're clean and running OK, think about what AV you are running
I've found AVG Free to be pretty decent, not a big impact on system performance and seems to keep web borne nasties out.

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

it depends on many factors but sounds like something bad if it keeps shutting down. I would do what peter has said.

here's what rpc handles .. technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc787851(v=ws.10).aspx

matt

or use a system restore back to when it was stable ..

[leon]

Thank You indeed, will try a restore first and then if all fails go with Peters suggestion.

The strange thing is when it is actually up and running the internet is still super fast, but things like documents and photos are as slow as a snail to load.

See how we go, thanks guys.

Leon

[leon]

I run Malware through it and it detected quite a few objects that it mentioned were infected or bad and has cleaned them up.

However as mentioned the internet is fine and fast, the start up is just painful and super slow, and photos are pixilated and very slow, documents are slow but not to bad.

It seems that it is not in a hurry to do anything quickly.

Leon

[killswitch (Edison)]

You got hit by the Blaster worm. It caused a ton of havoc over a decade ago.

How old is your PC and have you done any windows updates??

[leon]

Ed, the machine is getting on a bit, but it serves me well for what i want to do, and that is mainly Photographic stuff, XP dose it well for my needs.

However it might be getting past it's use by date, it is built for me by a very good computer friend in 2009.

Updates, well, no not really.

Leon

[leon]

Just one more question if I may, if my computer is infected with some worm of sorts, is the connected external hard drive also infected ??.

Leon

[brisen (Brian)]

Leon

The Blaster Worm caused quite a bit of havoc and from memory was invasive. I would be running a scan of the external drive to ensure that it is clean and not infected as well. I certainly would not be connecting it to a 'clean' computer until after the scan comes back clear just to ensure you don't get an infection of another computer.

Brian

[Jackson42South (Paul)]

The external may be infected, it depends on the virus, some will infect them and some won't.
Download Dr. Web CureIT, this is an on demand Virus checker, it does not replace your normal AntiVirus software, you just run it when you need to check the computer.
Best to download this on another computer and copy to a memory stick.
Then copy to the infected PC and run it.

Another thing that will slow XP down are temp files, I have seen PCs with many 1000's of them. These are located in the C:\windows\temp directory.
Just delete all files in the temp directory.
You will also find temp files in the user profiles under Documents and settings:
Documents and Settings/username/Local Settings/Temp folder: Delete all files in the Temp folder.
· Some files may be locked and can’t be deleted.
These folders are hidden and you will need to un-hide them first to be able to delete them:
Open Windows Explorer
· Tools/ Folder Options/ View
· Tick Show hidden files and Folders
· Un-Tick Hide Protected Operating System Files
Once most have been eliminated (Some will not allow deletion, don't worry about them) you should then Defrag the C: drive.
Always Remove temp/ junk files before defragging.

I do 2 or 3 PC's/Laptops a week, and it can make a huge difference to the speed.

Originally Posted by leon

Just one more question if I may, if my computer is infected with some worm of sorts, is the connected external hard drive also infected ??.


Leon

[leon]

Yea Brian you are probably right, i will do that.

Anyway the situation now is that the computer takes a very long time to boot up, and this has just happened yesterday, however when it has finished it start up secession all things like internet and browsing is fine, as fast as it used to be.

The main problem is loading photos, i have many thousands of photos, and some are large files, but it now takes for ever to open a folder and view them, it dose get there but painfully slow.

I was wondering if it may be a lack of RAM causing this, dont know really.

leon

[leon]

Thanks Paul seems we may be getting closer to the culprit.

leon

[noeyedeer (Matt)]

another possibility could be your cpu overheating. specially with the hot weather and a clogged up heat sink fan will cause the computer to crash. even if it's not the problem least it's clean.

while the case is off clean the power supply unit as well.

could be a long shot thou, but should be done periodically ...

matt

[leon]

Thanks Matt something else to look at will give it a good clean in the morning, you have all been very helpful, I'm sure we will get there.

Leon

[pw (Peter)]

Yeah, good idea from Matt, brush out all the vents, fans and heatsinks with something like a 1" paintbrush. Then fire it up with the cover off and check that all the fans are working.
Long term (and I mean next week), look into replacing it, that hardware is over the hill and your OS (Win XP) is about to lose support from MS so no more security updates, etc.

[leon]

Yea Peter I do know what you are saying, maybe the end is close LOL
Thanks for your assistance
Leon

[redbeard (Damien)]

The fact that your internet is good and the rest is slow is a sure sign that you have an infectioin of some kind. Run antivirus over everything. I also vouch for AVG free and Malwarebytes.

Also, do a defrag, clear your desktop of all its icons as this can slow startup and check you are not low on disk space etc.

Another thing I have found is don't ever install any toolbars for browsers. Always check when installing free software for the options. This even goes for AVG free, install slowly and uncheck all the extras.

BTW, a friend of mine had a similar issue running XP, after cleaning all the nasties, it was still a bit slow. I helped him out by reinstalling everything, not really a big deal, just time, and the old machine ran like a bullet afterwards. I rebuild my computer once per year cause Windows will always slow down over time.

Good luck.

Damien.

[doppler (Rick)]

Leon, I have xp on my desktop and run avast free antivirus and never install updates (except the antivirus) updates always seem to screw something up so I just run the software as is and all is good. I know the xp interface and dont wish to change.

Yeah, good idea from Matt, brush out all the vents, fans and heatsinks with something like a 1" paintbrush. Then fire it up with the cover off and check that all the fans are working.
Use a non synthetic brush (you don't want static electricity) and a vacuum cleaner

Bad ram will let a computer still run but can have some bad side effects too, especially randomly rebooting the system.

Rick

[leon]

Many thanks guys i have plenty to work with now, I am sure we will get it sorted, will let you all know how it all pans out.

Leon

[leon]

Well here we are again, the machine has been cleaned, kicked checked, all fans are running fine and all seems normal.
However it still boots up painfully slow, and has trouble opening large photo files, and the internet is still fine and fast.

So I wonder if it is the fact that it just has to many photos on board, or the ram is down and not working well.

It has 2x 2gig of Ram, but i did notice yesterday, somewhere whilst i was searching for answers that it showed only 2.175 or Ram, but i cant remember where i saw that.

How do i check to see if this is the problem please.

Thanks for your help.

Leon