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Euni
New Poster

Data usage dissapearing.

Hi , have not been on here to much, no need as all was going well until  a few  weeks  ago,  around Christmas time. Data disappearing again. Checked with  "Glasswire"  Now can someone tell me  what is   Explorer.exe  ?   C:\windows\syswow64\explorer.exe. That is how it is showing on Glasswire as the the first item using data. How do I delete it? where do I find it ? Counting on  you Gwalk,  or Birddog, hope you can help. I have a new computer since June of last year, windows 7 , if you remember, just the basics, no router or other items, get 500MB daily, used up in about I hr just looking at FB, ebay, newspaper. No gaming, no movies, no Netflix etc.
48 REPLIES 48
C0RR0SIVE
Associate Professor

Explorer.exe is your computers own internal file browser, can't delete it.  It sounds like you may have a serious infection... I suggest downloading and installing MalwareBytes Free Edition from the following link and run a full scan with it.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/thankyou/

The download is about 50MB in size, it will update definitions after install.
Euni
New Poster

thank you, I did that, ran scan, one thread found, deleted, I have Norton antivirus and check  that daily to see if updates are needed, figured that would take care of things.  Lets see  how it goes, I will post again. Your help much appreciated.  I don't do much with my PC, (senior) just FB, ebay  , reading  newspaper, email. that is all.
BirdDog
Assistant Professor

Euni, how do you get Window updates, manually or automatic? Make sure you're not stuck in an update loop where updates fail then keep trying again and again.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Hi Euni,

Definition of explorer.exe:

"explorer.exe is the Windows Program Manager or Windows Explorer. It manages the Windows Graphical Shell including the Start menu, taskbar, desktop, and File Manager. By removing this process the graphical interface for Windows will disappear."

As a file manager the process really shouldn't be using any data itself. That process however is a favorite target of virus and malware writers.

I have to agree with Corrosive in suspecting a virus or malware infection.

I suggest for starters you read this:

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-explorer-exe-virus/


I also suggest that you download, install, update and scan your computer with the free version of Malwarebytes:

https://www.malwarebytes.com/


Can you post a screenshot the Glasswire output showing the IP location(s) where explorer.exe is going?

Use this as a guide:

Usage Tab

Apps Button

In the left column click on the process (I highlighted Host Processes as I had no explorer.exe)

In the center window click on the top item, That will display where the process was connecting to.



Euni
New Poster

I did install the free version and ran scan, I threat was removed. Now since I have windows 7, forgot how to do and post snapshot, help.....
Euni
New Poster

Gwalk, I read  the instructions  above, can I print this out?  Are these  programs free?  Oh boy, lots of steps, sure hope I can print it out in order to follow  these instructions....
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Hi Euni,


 "Now since I have windows 7, forgot how to do and post snapshot, help...."

Instructions on using the Win7 Snipping Tool can be found here:

http://www.howtogeek.com/207754/how-to-use-the-snipping-tool-in-windows-to-take-screenshots/


To then post the screenshot here in the Community first click the highlighted "camera" icon and then use the highlighted "select a file ...." to select the Snip you wish to post:


Use the opening window to navigate to where you have stored the screenshot on your computer"


"Gwalk, I read  the instructions  above, can I print this out?"

Yes


"Are these  programs free?"

Yes







Euni
New Poster

Thanks Gwalk, I will work on this tomorrow during free time (6am) if I get a chance.  What's interesting, since I ran the Malware that someone suggested, the "explores.exe." no longer appears on Glasswire. Maybe  this took care of it?  I am watching  my Data and will do the things you suggested. You have been of great help as always. Thank you.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

As long as it is no longer appearing there is a really good chance that Malwarebyes took care of the issue and things only need to be closely monitored.

There is the free version of Malwarebytes and I run it myself. It is "reactive", that is to say an after-the-fact scanner. Only the paid version runs as a "resident".

As stated, I use the free version and once per week I will manually open the program, update it and do a scan.

I do a manual scan with my anti-virus program weekly also.


Amanda
Moderator

Hello,

First I would like to say thank you to our great champions and contributors for always being here to help! 

Euni - personally I use Malwarebytes on all my devices and swear by it. Even paying for a year's worth of proactive protection is worth it in the end - the cost of repairing or buying a new computer is a lot more than what a good anti-virus will cost for a year. 

Thanks
Amanda
Euni
New Poster

Thanks Amanda, I do have Norton Antivirus that I pay for,  considering  purchasing  the Malware,  but I can do so little  and paying a lot for HN internet,  don't know  if I can afford it, I am on a limited income, try to use the "free" options first for a while. I have no other devices.
Euni
New Poster

Gwalk, been monkeying for 1 hr now, looked at the  "how to geek" would need to download  snipping tool, tried x4, malware blocks it as a potential threat, quarantine,  Norton  says OK.
Euni
New Poster

statusmeter also uses a lot of data.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

The snipping tool is built into win7.
Click START and in the search window type in Snipping tool.
You can also find it under start, all programs, accessories , snipping tool.
Euni
New Poster

found it. Thank you.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

That doesn't look bad, Browser activity seems a little on the high side for no longer than the monitoring period was but it really all depends on what you are doing.

I would say just keep a close eye on things and make it point to open Malwarebytes once per week and run a scan. Do that with Norton AV also.


Euni
New Poster

I am checking daily at this point, run malware as suggested, Norton also.  HN is my homepage, I just sign on and to get  email, and FB , that's all in the am not for long,  just now  my data was at 73%, signed on to homepage and email and answer here, data went to 68 % . I think that's bit much just to GET to the email, have not done anything , besides can't do much anyway.   :0(      thanks Gwalk.
Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Hi Euni,

" HN is my homepage, I just sign on and to get  email, and FB"

Lets break this down a little bit.

Q:What is a Homepage?

A: A "homepage" is any webpage that you designate as a "landing place" when you open a web browser. It can even be a blank page ... that loads "nothing".

A web page is built up of many "segments". It used to be in the past that a webpage was mostly text based and once the page was loaded it was  ... static ... it was unchanging until you refreshed the page. With few if any images and very limited advertising content the amount of data consumed by opening a page was very small and pages loaded very quickly.

The things changed, drastically, and not for the better.

Popular webpages started selling advertising space on their webpages, first a little, then a lot. It got to the point that 90% of the page that was loaded was stuff that was not directly concerned with what the user wanted to actually see. More and more of the users data was being consumed by those "outside" segments of the website.

Then it got worse. Scripts and flash objects, auto-start video clips and an "auto-refresh" of the either the entire page or at least most of the "pieces" that made up the page.

When you said "HN is my homepage" I'm wondering if it is this one?:

http://myhughesnet.hughesnet.com/

If so that page will chew up data like a drunken sailor on a Saturday night.

If that page is left open it will eat data all the time its open. If you open another tab and that page is open in another tab .. it will eat data .... like mad.

The purpose of a "homepage" is to provide a landing spot on the internet when a browser is first opened. It should provide basic information that suits a users taste as an information "feed" but not be like the "tabloid lane" in a supermarket checkout.

As an example my "homepage" on first opening a browser was msn.com. It provided a quick "news fix" before I went to my intended internet destination. My browser is set to open subsequent tabs as "blank pages" that consume no data at all rather then open another instance of my homepage.

MSN has changed as time went on and now consumes more data on a simple opening and it is time to review my browser settings to reduce the data bleed or select another "landing spot" or perhaps even go to a blank page as a browser opener.

All browsers have a "favorites" function and this is truly your friend. You need to find "direct links" to where you wish to go (example: Hughes webmail) you do not HAVE to go to the data eating "HN homepage" when you can select a different link:

Example: Hughes "myAccount" page:

http://my.hughesnet.com/myaccount

That will allow you to click the "mail" icon and then log in:


When it comes to checking email, there are two methods .. webmail access where you open a browser and then access the email server in question or through the use of an email client program that does not require the use of a browser but accesses your email accounts on your behalf and downloads the emails to your local computer.

I seldom use the webmail interface. Instead I use the free Thunderbird email program from Mozilla, the makers of Firefox.

That right there would save you data by not having to open a browser at all

Thunderbird can be downloaded from here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/


That brings us to browsers themselves.

I use Internet Explorer for many of my tasks but not all.

I always use Firefox when accessing Facebook due to the number of browser extensions that help limit data usage in a number of ways.

 


Euni
New Poster

Hi Gwalk, wow,  I wish you lived next door,  learning  a lot from you. You are right, HN home page is constantly moving, streaming etc., I set it as home page to access my email, now I would like to set  my home page with the link "my account" to go directly to the email, how do I do that, there is nothing that says "set this as my homepage".   Like I said before, I pretty much can't do much  on here  with the data plan I have, 500 MB, but was told in the beginning that its plenty.  I look at facebook and communicate with friends that way, or email,  look at ebay, tried to sell something but could not get the pic. to load, HN was to slow or I was out of data. I read  my hometown Newspaper and look at craft patterns,   which I write down quick and have friend print out for me. and that is about it for $71.11 a month, contacted a wireless co. in my area, waiting for a call back re; tower close enough. ???? 

So , thank you Gwalk for all your input and helping me again, I really do appreciate it.  When I started with my PC  a long time ago, it was fun, now I have more frustration.  I know "Technology" rapidly changes, sometimes my little brain can't keep up, lol, .... but you are a Gem. Thanks.

Gwalk900
Honorary Alumnus

Hi Euni,

Al web browsers have a function called "favorites". Favorites is a "place" that the browser has that saves a list of websites that you want to return to by clicking on a named link that you have saved into the browsers favorites list. In that manner you don not have to type in the address of the website you wish to visit.

I'm on a old Windows XP machine at the moment which is the "same but different" from Win7 that you have but the screenshots I have will be close enough for you to get the idea. If you can stuck just post back.

I said above that you can save a "list" of places. You access that list in different ways depending on a number of setting you choose in the broswer. You seen to be using IE11 (that is the standard default browser for Win7)

Here is what my list looks like in my old XP machine. The list is built up over time:


The easiest way to access the Favorites List is from the FAVORITES tab in the MENU BAR.The MENU BAR in Win7 is at the very top of the browsers it consists of a line of words:

FILE  EDIT  VIEW FAVORITES TOOLS HELP

If those words already appear at the very top of you browser we are all set'

If those words are not visible we have to make them so.

Here is how we do that: Move your mouse to the very top band of the browser and RIGHT CLICK your mouse:


A pop up dialog box will open. Click the area where the check mark is next to LOCK THE TOOL BARS this will remove the check mark if it is there allowing you to make changes.
Once unlocked place a check mark in the area just to the left of MENU BAR (this will enable the FILE EDIT VIEW FAVORITES TOOLS HELP line of options to appear at the top of IE11

After doing so place, the check mark back in the area to lock the tool bar.

Once that is done the Menu Bar options should be visible at the very top of you browser.

If you then go to a website such as:

http://my.hughesnet.com/myaccount

While there click on the FAVORITES button on the top:


Move you mouse down to the option ADD TO FAVORITES and click

That will open up a box that will allow you to name that website anything you wish to call it and that name will be added to your personalized list:


After naming it click the ADD button to effect the change.

Anytime thereafter you wish to visit that site just op the browser or open a new tab, click the word FAVORITES in the top menu bar and select the saved site from your list.

As to data amounts and service plan limits I can feel your pain. I was a HN7000s system for years. In my location they finally did launch Echostar17 that had much greater plan and speed offerings.

Hughes last month launched a new satellite. It is still going though final testing for not only the satellite but also the Gateways that serve as uplink/downlink ground side facilities.
Hughes has yet to announce coverage areas and plan offerings but I'd bet my life on the present Spaceway3/ HN9000 users being in for a drastic increase in speeds, data plans and just general reliability improvements.

You mentioned the chance of wireless service and that is good. Just be careful of the terms. As it is now if you max out with Hughes you get throttled and money spent for additional data in the form of tokens is  .... optional. Some plans .. cellular based for example add extra cost data automatically without your knowledge, until the monthly bill arrives so do read and understand carefully the costs and limits.

I know the above is a bunch to swallow at one time. If you are unsure of something or have any questions please feel free to post them.