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Cactus Computer Co. |
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Copyright © 2004 Cactus International, Inc. |
Removing Peer-to-Peer programs
In general it is not enough to quit running peer-to-peer programs. They must be removed to be inactivated.
To remove them, go into the Control Panel and choose Add/Remove Programs. Look through the list of programs and uninstall the offenders. Below is a list of programs to look for (the most common ones are in boldface):
PC Programs
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PC Programs
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Mac Programs
list updated 6/07 |
To check whether you've still got a problem,
In Windows XP, Start, Control Panel. If it says "Switch to Classic View" in the upper left-hand corner, click on Switch to Classic View. On the right, double-click on Network Connections. Double click on (usually) Local Area Connection. While you're on the Internet but not doing anything, look at the packets sent and the packets received. If the sent is increasing much faster than the received, you still have a problem.
In Windows 2000, Start, Control Panel. Double-click on Network and Dialup Connections. Double click on (usually) Local Area Connection. While you're on the Internet but not doing anything, look at the packets sent and the packets received. If the sent is increasing much faster than the received, you still have a problem.
If you're sure you've removed all of the above programs, the problem may be a virus or worm. In trying to infect other computers, they send out massive amounts of traffic. If you don't have a virus checker, it's time to get one. If you have one, but your subscription has expired, uninstall it and go to http://www.GRIsoft.com. Their AVG is a good, free virus checker. No matter which virus protection you use, be sure it's kept up to date.
To see if you have Niachi or Welchia (Windows XP or 2000), double-click on My Computer. Double-click on the C: drive, then Windows (or Windows NT) then the System32 directory, then WINS. It should be empty. If not, you have Niachi. svchost.exe and dllhost.exe. are the files it saves there. If you have this worm, first do a Windows Update (Start, programs, Windows Update) of at least all the critical updates. Then set your computer's date forward into 2004. Re-boot your computer. Wait about 5 minutes and set it back.
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