Slow Internet SOLVED: Disable USB Enhanced Keyboard Startup!
My Lenovo ThinkCentre was loaded with all the bells and whistles. Brand new it was too slow to even read gmail via the Chrome browser.
Finally, after a year-and-a-half or longer I INSTANTLY fixed the slow internet problem.
Search and start "Task Manager" > Start Up tab > and right click on top of "USB enhanced performance Keyboard" and select DISABLE .
I went from waiting 2-3 minutes for a blank google search page to show up, to it just instantly popping up like a normal internet capable machine!
Searching for anything on a google page would take a few minutes to give the results, now it's instant.
After I did this fix I also went in Google Chrome browser > help > About Google Chrome and updated Chrome itself.
****I had lots of trouble when I first bought my fully loaded Think Centre. They shipped the wrong computer to me (it belonged to another customer); they triple charged my credit card (so I had to cancel the card!); they took a while to refund me the overcharges; I had to spend weeks months arguing with various people to get MY computer shipped to me, etc.
I was so bummed out by that process that when I plugged my Think Centre in and couldn't even read an email I just gave up and didn't use it for over a year.
Well, I had a couple days off in a row so I was cleaning out cabinets and closets and came upon this tiny computer (which was awesome except you LITERALLY couldn't even read emails with it).
Well, disabling the USB Enhanced Performance Keyboard fixed it.
I've never done a change to a computer and had it work so dramatically and so quickly! I didn't even reboot! Now I have an actual desktop I can use. Now I don't hate my Lenovo desktop (although I still had to cancel my credit card because they just kept charging, and charging, and charging me for computers they never shipped)!
I really hope this helps someone else so they don't have to upgrade their Comcast speed, reinstall Windows, etc. to no avail. Supposedly, some hot key / launch keys on some fancy keyboards won't work if you do this: like the "launch my email" key that some keyboards have, etc.
Not only can I read gmail, I can read my gmail in the normal display. Before it couldn't even bring up the "gmail for slow connections" versions in less than 3 minutes. Forget about actually opening the emails and reading them. LOL!
Apparently, this .exe file harbored a vulnerability in the form of: SkDaemon.exe trojan / virus. SkDaemon stands for Silitek Multi-Function Key Driver Startup Daemon. The original file of that name was ok, but a virus was using that name as a back-door apparently? They "fixed" this piece of garbage software security-wise, but left it in the startup folder so it could still cause havoc. In response to the original threate, Lenovo gave the below information:
FROM LENOVO:
Potential Impact: Escalation of Privilege
Severity: Low Summary:
Lenovo’s “USB Enhanced Performance Keyboard” software has a known issue where debug code was accidently left in the application. The debug code includes information about which keys on the keyboard are pressed. Lenovo has released a new version of the software that removes the debug code.
Description:
The debug code exists in all previous versions of the software, and has been preloaded on ThinkPad and ThinkCentre systems since early 2014. The debug code, in SKHOOKS.DLL, calls the Windows API OutputDebugString to indicate which key has been pressed. The debug code does not store this information or send it anywhere. There is no possibility to exploit this vulnerability remotely. Only users with access to the system, and the ability to run a special tool to capture debug output, are able to intercept these calls to OutputDebugString. To eliminate this vulnerability, Lenovo has removed the debug code from SKHOOKS.DLL.
Mitigation Strategy for Customers (what you should do to protect yourself):
There are several ways you can protect yourself. Lenovo recommends that you take one of the following steps:
Starting from March 4, 2015, run Lenovo System Update and install the recommended USB Enhanced Performance Keyboard software update
Make sure you have the latest version of the software installed on your computer. The minimum version that corrects the problem is version 2.0.2.2. You can find the latest version of the software Here.
Alternatively, if you are not using the optional Lenovo USB Enhanced Performance Keyboard (73p2620), you may uninstall this software using the following steps:
Open Control Panel
Click on “Programs”
Click on “Uninstall a Program”
In the list of installed programs, find “USB Enhanced Performance keyboard” and then click on the “Uninstall” button
Acknowledgements:
None
Other information and references:
CVE ID: CVE-2015-3320
