How can I detect what is happening with PC, Laptop - any software available?

Question

I noticed transmission and receiving on both D-Link and cable modems frequently. Usually I find that McAfee is being updated, and sometime Dell and Microsoft.
The cable company provides spyware filtering, and anti virus checks.
But watching the modems transmit and receive persistently without me doing anything - I need a software or some advice about monitoring what is going on inside my PC and laptop (I have three computers networked to the D-Link wireless router).
I have kept all sensitive information off line on the CD, but this is very inconvenient. So I would like to ensure that my PC has not been compromised.
What can you suggest? What software is available?
Where do I get the tools I need to monitor what is happenning?
Thank you.

Answer 1

Process Explorer is a handy tool that might help. It will show all applications running and what is taking up memory. You can close programs. Anything you don't recognize can be found online by just typing in its name to a search. Maybe your spyware filtering is letting something through. Do you use adaware to check for spy/adware? I've tested spybot, adaware, and windows defender and adaware seemed to be the best but they are all good.
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html
http://www.lavasoft.com
Both are FREE.

Have you checked the settings of McAfee to see if you can turn off some sort of regular checks?
Have you turned off Microsoft automatic updates?
Have you turned off Dell's updates. You can uninstall that.

Answer 2

All networks constantly "ping"....that is, your PC's NIC sends out signals and the routers and switches in the provider's network do the same every couple of seconds. It's just an electronic conversation that says "Are you there?" and "Yes, I'm here!"
That's how networks know what and who is connected and it reserves resources, IP addresses for your link.

If you are connected to an ISPs network, you are likely getting pinged by other users as well, and some of those pings are malicious, so you need a firewall as well as anti-virus, anti-spam, etc. Windows provides a firewall but I don't trust it.

I use Time Warner Cable and they provide to all subscribers Computer Associates (CA) EZ Armour, which is a anti-virus, firewall, application filter, email attachment filter, etc. It has a control console that takes a little self-training to get the hang of, but is far superior to McAfee's offerings IMO.

My firewall to date (9 months) has blocked about 100,000 attempts to ping my PC. Now while that sounds scary, it's probably just the Time Warner network that's trying to ping as a regular network function, but some of those pings are no doubt someone trying to get in. You need your own protection running on your systems....not just trusting that your provider is doing this.

Answer 3

Hi:
First of all, go to Start => Run => msconfig => OK => the start up tab and clear out any unnecessary programs that are launching at start up. Then Re-Start your computer. Then go to, PCHell.com or Download.com and download Spybot Search and destroy and ewido. Update and run them. McAfee and Norton are good at viruses but they aren't too good at spyware and malware. Also, Microsoft has Windows Defender at their site. After that you need to immunize your system with SpyBot or Ewido or Windows Defender. I think Ewido is best. Then, if you don't have a firewall, you can use Windows Security Center, Zone Alarm or another one. Once you have virus protection, malware and spyware protection and a firewall, you should be clean and better protected than most people out there. Good luck.

Answer 4

ok i'm really confident i am going to fix your issue, it lies along with your instant community adapter. you probably did not provide the adapter call or the maker of the computer. although, bypass to the maker of your manufacturers information superhighway web site and bypass to drivers and downloads. kind on your pc serial call and it ought to arise with each and every of the available drivers which contain community, webcam, and so on. click on the instant adapter that you've, as an celebration once you've a Marvell community adapter click on it or different, make certain it really is the receive for the instant adapter it ought to assert on the container. click on it to receive and then it may arise as overwrite report once you click on it on the personal computer, click ok. and a study in ordinary words web page ought to arise and it ought to assert placed those words into the search bar, merely study it you'll discover it. in case you do it properly it ought to arise in courses. click on it there and after urgent ok a pair circumstances press restoration. it ought to artwork attempt it couple circumstances if not eliminate it and reinstall it. undergo in ideas when you're to do it do not deete the motive force which will seem on your human being computer because then you definately gained't also be able to get on with an ethernet cord. digital mail me once you've any questions.

Answer 5

there a lot of tools to monitor that this is the best that i found go to www.majorgeeks.com and download port monster that programs is gonna tell you with who r u connected it tell u the ip and port that the conection is using reeally good one

Answer 6

I suggest Peer Guardian 2. It blocks IP addresses. .you will know what ip is trying to get to your pc all the time!