Mark Twain wrote:
With no other options at present I
thought it might be of some help to
run the various Avast scans to see if
they turn up anything ?

Smart Scan:

http://i64.tinypic.com/2j11mdw.jpg

Software updater:

http://i68.tinypic.com/16a6yvb.jpg

Quicktime 7.7.9 is the last version available.
It cannot be updated. The only "maintenance" possible
on Quicktime, is permanent removal. I'm surprised
the Smart Scan doesn't know this.

Thunderbird can be updated using the interface in the
preferences. It knows where to get the update.


I prefer to update manually from the
source like you suggested.

The way I find the 'source' is to go
into Programs and Features and find
the program and highlight it. It
usually has some sort of link with
'support', 'updates' etc. However, If
I'm doing it wrong or there's a better
way I would appreciate it if you would
point me in the right direction.

Well, unfortunately in the case of OEM computers,
the manufacturers "**** on" one anothers trade names.
Dell put their name on the Wifi installer, obscuring
whether it's a Realtek installer, and the Realtek
installer may have installed the three Cisco packages.
This makes it a bit difficult, when checking your
Programs and Features, to figure out how stuff got
there, and what is safe (or reasonable) to remove.

And some installers suffer from "overreach" now.
The Intel Management Engine, for example, decided it
would be cool to install a plugin in Firefox. As a result
of this outrageous action, I can no longer install
(or recommend) resolving Intel Management Engine
entries in Device Manager. The Intel package has
no tick box, to control the sections of the installer,
and the package is "all or nothing".


Networking:

http://i63.tinypic.com/2s66e5v.jpg

Clean-up:
http://i68.tinypic.com/34439g1.jpg

This is one of those awful cleanup interfaces.


http://i63.tinypic.com/2dsi9ud.jpg

When you see a list like this, and some of
the items are large, ask yourself why. For example,
if you saw an error log size which was simply
huge, a normal person would want to open the log
and see what was getting logged.

I would not be in a rush to delete stuff, unless
the stuff was true rubbish. Sometimes you get
hints from what is in the rubbish.


http://i66.tinypic.com/rw2m3p.jpg

browser helper object (BHO) can be adware.
Now, why couldn't the clever Avast people
label these BHOs ??? I thought they were
trying to be ever-so-helpful. When I look at
that information, I don't know if the items
are "good guys" or "bad guys".


http://i64.tinypic.com/2edwe4j.jpg

iphlpsvc (IP Helper Service) is for transitional
support of ipv6. It includes 6to4 and teredo IPv6
tunneling. It has been known to rail a CPU core in
the past. It is part of Windows and can be updated
by Windows Updates if there are bugs.


Sandbox:

http://i65.tinypic.com/6gzllt.jpg

Safe Zone:

http://i63.tinypic.com/9h8368.jpg

Are they running your browser in private mode ???
Are they faking certificates or what ? While they may
be well-meaning, on occasion they slip up, and the
result is more like a MITM (man in the middle) attack,
than actual protection (some other software has tried
the "faking certificates" trick in the past and screwed
it up). I'm guessing it is not turned on.


VPN:

http://i66.tinypic.com/28kh8hk.jpg

Secureline is not turned on right now.

*******

While I could come up with suggestions for modifications
to the software you're running, I have to temper my
enthusiasm with the possibility I might break your
setup. And that wouldn't be very good.

My philosophy:

1) Only take driver updates, when they're actually needed.
2) Examine driver packages for "cruft". For example, I didn't
do my due diligence on the Intel Management Engine
(because I've had good experience in the past with Intel),
and so I got their browser plugin as a reward. It broke
downloading capability in Firefox. I couldn't believe my
eyes.
3) Only enable parts of the machine you are using. On my
old machine, I kept the Promise chip turned off. That meant
not having a Promise driver in the OS, not having to worry about
driver updates and so on. In your case, if there is no
possibility of the Wifi being used, I might turn it off.

Paul