TeaTimer / TCPIP plugin freezing machine

[gazebo]

Hi. I have a problem with my machine freezing that I think is being caused by TeaTimer following a TCPIP plugin install.

Until recently I was running spybot 1.4 on XP service pack 2, and 2 weeks ago installed the TCIP plugin by downloading and running the file spybotsd_tcpip.exe. I'm developing in Java and occasionally things will crash and a rogue process will take 100% CPU. This has never been a problem, as the machine always remains responsive and I can kill the Java process with TaskManager. But shortly after performing the Spybot TCPIP install, the computer would completely freeze in such circumstances, and the TaskManager would take literally 5-10 minutes to appear when I Ctrl-Alt-Del to kill the Java process. If I don't have TeaTimer running, the behaviour is back to normal with no freezes.

So I completely uninstalled Spybot, downloaded and installed 1.5 and have discovered the problem remains: if a (non-Spybot) process goes bad and takes 100% CPU then the whole machine becomes unresponsive and it takes ages to get TaskManager up to kill it. Again, when TeaTimer is stopped, there's no problem.

Are the any solutions to this? Is there a way to disable the TCPIP stuff (whatever it's doing..)? Or should I just stop using TeaTimer, which would be a shame.

[drragostea]

Hello. Alright... can you try to install a fresh copy of Spybot-SD 1.5.2.20 at:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Following that... download all the latest updates and disable TeaTimer momentarily. See of that fixes the problem.

[gazebo]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Problems remain, unfortunately.

I installed 1.5.2.20 from your link and did full updates but told it not to run TeaTimer. Everything was fine: when a Java process takes 100% CPU, the machine remains responsive. But as soon as I ran TeaTimer, when a Java process goes bad, the whole machine freezes.

I thought it might be a TCP/IP issue, since I installed that plugin to 1.4 just before the problems started. And if I understand correctly, that stuff is built into 1.5.. So is there any way to disable it if, for whatever reason, it's causing problems with my setup? Is there a checkbox somewhere so I can turn it off? Or will I just have to abandon use of TeaTimer?

[drragostea]

TCP/IP? Are you referring to that option? Can you turn it off? Erm. Well I'm not to sure how to, if there is a way. I don't use Advanced options that often. From how I see it, Java functions fine with TeaTimer off... Wait. You said a rogue process comes up after you downloaded the TCP/IP plug-in? Can you recall the name of the rogue process? I just find it odd how it can take up so much CPU.

I'm developing in Java and occasionally things will crash and a rogue process will take 100% CPU.

>Edit: I apologize if I cannot help you with the situation. A Spybot-SD Advisor or Team Member may look into this.

[gazebo]

Sorry, I was unclear. The 'rogue' processes are Java ones I've written myself that have gone wrong. So one solution to this would obviously be for me to stop writing bad code. (I might look into that...) But when TeaTimer isn't running, it's really easy to terminate these processes with the TaskManager, even if they are using 100% CPU. With TeaTimer on the go (since I got the TCP/IP plugin), the whole machine locks up.

[drragostea]

I apologize if I cannot help you with the situation. A Spybot-SD Advisor or Team Member may look into this.

This might sound unusual... but is there a way to remove the TCP/IP plug-in? I'm asking this because I'm assuming you have the latest version of Spybot-SD with the latest updates...

[Greyfox]

I stand to be corrected, but I believe TCPIPAddress.dll is only used during an actual SpybotSD scan and should therefore not be a factor in what you describe, unless your Java process is in use at the same time as the Spybot scan.

Teatimer is however an active process, requiring CPU time. If your Java process goes rogue and takes up all available CPU time, then I guess things are not going to go well for Teatimer.

Whilst you are trialling your Java process, your could try disabling teatimer (as opposed to not loading it at all) by right clicking on the Spybot/Teatimer icon in the taskbar, and unticking "Resident Protection". Teatimer whilst still in memory, will no longer use CPU time.