I don't know if this will help you but I've found some "hidden" little buggars with a program called "Search Everything". It's small, free and will find anything you type in if it's on your comp. Also will direct you to the root of the problem in the registry.
Good luck!
system restoring already fixed my laptop, but thank anyways
Search Everything has save my bass a few times. Today my Webroot anti virus would not update. Went on line to Webroot and did what they said. Remove W/R with Revo. W7 add/remove said it was gone and Revo said it was gone but it was still there. Using Search Everything I found the W/R unstaller and used it. Installed W/R again and we are okay again. Search Everything is a handy little tool I would recommend.
MacGyvr - sadly, this is true in 99.9% of the cases. Yet, there is also the ability within the OS to use the 'hide' function. When used, it doesn't matter if it is a System driver, System DLL, or any form of function designated as .SYS, .EXE, .DLL, etc. Up to and including threads that are triggered by a visible object which is executing.
In fact, while many of the obvious files may be corrupted by a virus, malware, or other nefarious and malicious type activity, there is legitimate uses for said capability: Law enforcement, keyLogers, etc.
Within NTFS (don't know about FAT/FAT32) there are methods to hide even from the 'Show hidden files and folders' option. For example, files (log files, etc.) used by the OS with a prefix of '$' remain hidden unless a special approach is used to unmask them (or make them visible.)
Yet, I'm faced with such an issue today. Given the behavior of my system, it seems that in all likelyhood there is a program that is executing, which I can't find. Such as a KeyLogger. It is sluggish when logging in (i.e. seems to have difficulty in finding my credentials.) Sluggish when attempting to do anything, even scan a file that has been downloaded.
Nothing can account for this behavior. Nothing found in Process Explorer; nothing in Task Manager; nothing in folder/file listings that are suspicious (even with the help of forensic tools); nothing in the way of a rootkit hack (that I can find).
Yet, been working this system for many years. Keep it clean of potential slower-downers... So, I know my system and how it 'acts' on a day-in-day-out basis... And this ain't it.
Every virus/malware/rootkit detection tool known to man has been tried - without success. Use of WinHEX to identify potential hidden files/folders has yet to reveal anything. Simply barren of any clues as to cause...
Are you so certain it is an infection? maybe fighting wind-mills :)
Did you try a clean startup? Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup
Does it happen in Safe Mode?
A CMOS clear/BIOS load defaults "may" be the solution too.
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