Slow computer

[Guest Longshot1]

The old computer has slowed to a crawl. Was looking online at MAXMYSPEED,REGCURE and such and was wondering if anyone out there has experience with online software to help clean and speed up the old box? I am running Kaspersky but it doesn't clean files.

[Guest tnxdshooter]

Spybot search and destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

Ad-Aware

Ad-Aware Free Internet Security - Reviews and free Ad-Aware Free Internet Security downloads at Download.com

Microsoft Windows Defender

Download details: Windows® Defender

Keep these three updated and run them about once a week. Also, I recommend if you have not done so to go to symantec.com and purchase a copy of norton anti-virus and keep it updated and run a full scan at least once a week. On the spybot, adaware, and windows defender always run a full scan no matter how long it takes. If you want a free antivirus please see below.

AVG Free Anti-Virus

http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?tag=mncol

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The old computer has slowed to a crawl. Was looking online at MAXMYSPEED,REGCURE and such and was wondering if anyone out there has experience with online software to help clean and speed up the old box? I am running Kaspersky but it doesn't clean files.

Hi Longshot

How old is your computer, and what OS?

I program for a living and take care of my own stuff for decades, but I don't consider myself an expert at system optimization.

It has been said that on modern OS's, such things as registry cleaning and disk defragging are usually not beneficial.

In the past I've occasionally spent obsessive hours looking thru the system files and looking them up online, to determine which ones can be safely disabled to speed things up. But that is mainly to improve realtime performance for multichannel audio, video editing, heavy duty photo editing, that sort of thing. It isn't quite as big a deal for a general-duty home computer.

It is (IMO) a mistake to load fancy third party screensavers or lots of third party internet explorer toolbars, even the ones from 'legit' sources such as Yahoo or Google.

There are many shady and semi-shady mousemilk programs and websites that pretend to detect problems and fix them. Other than some of the mainline antivirus companies (including kapersky), I'd stay clear of them and not even visit their websites.

One free program that seems innocuous, and MIGHT clean up some stuff for you, is Spybot. Just google "download spybot" and pick a site from near the top of the list that looks legit. If your system really is loaded down with useless or dangerous spyware and toolbars, Spybot can find a lot of the stuff and remove it.

If you have restore CD's for you computer, one good (but labor intensive) thing is to backup all your data (buy a couple of USB ram drives if you don't have a lot of data, or a USB external hard drive if you do have a lot of data). Backup everything including installers of any programs you have downloaded and do not have install CD's for. Then run the restore CD's and restore your computer to the original factory state. Run Windows Update and let winders update itself to its satisfaction. Then install your data and programs into the fresh system, taking care not to install any junk.

When I run a lot of commercial legit programs, they ask permission to install Google toolbar or Yahoo toolbar and other crap. I always say NO. HELL NO.

On an aside, TGO is running real slow this morning. That ain't your computer's fault!

Everybody had different opinions, I agree with tnxdshooter about Spybot. Ad-Aware is OK, but I don't use that anymore. I used to use Norton, but do not like it any more. I have never liked McAfee, and if I buy a computer with McAfee pre-installed, I uninstall McAfee first thing.

Kapersky is sposed to be pretty good. I've been running an AVG site-license (several computers here) for many years and have not been unhappy with AVG, but there are quite a few nice anti-virus, anti-spyware programs.

You can download free Microsoft Security Essentials, which is sposed to be pretty decent.

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

[kb4ns]

On an aside, TGO is running real slow this morning. That ain't your computer's fault!

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed.

[DaveTN]

Format and clean install.

It’s free and your computer will run like it did when it was new.

[Guest Gopher6]

Lester, Is there anyway to tell which programs are necessary to run your system? I have a lot of programs that I'm not familiar with but I'm afraid to uninstall them because them may be an interdependent part of a needed operating program. For instantance, I uninstalled some HP programs that seemed totally unrelated to downloading and storing photos and I lost my ability to download photos until I went to HP's website and reinstalled them.

[Guest tnxdshooter]

This question is already been answered in my post reply. The only other alternative you have is a format and clean install. Heck I wouldnt even back up if it was me. I never save anything important on the computer I always burn to cd.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

One comment about Spybot-- Spybot offers to install a registry protection module that is one of its suite of tools. If you tell Spybot to use it, the registry protection thingie runs all the time and every time a program tries to change a registry setting, it pops up a warning dialog asking if this change is OK. If you don't say OK, it will block that write to the registry. IIRC, that piece of Spybot is called TeaTimer.

I think that part of Spybot causes more problems than it solves, but it is only an opinion. I don't recommend using that part. The rest of Spybot is pretty kewl. Programs write to the registry a lot. Some programs might write 10 or 20 little bits to the registry one after the other. It is incredibly annoying to click OK 20 times in a row just to operate a legit program which just happens to write to the registry a lot. Sometimes if you don't click the right answer, or the TeaTimer dialog doesn't pop up as it should, program installs can fail silently. It is a better idea in theory than in practice.

Lester, Is there anyway to tell which programs are necessary to run your system? I have a lot of programs that I'm not familiar with but I'm afraid to uninstall them because them may be an interdependent part of a needed operating program. For instantance, I uninstalled some HP programs that seemed totally unrelated to downloading and storing photos and I lost my ability to download photos until I went to HP's website and reinstalled them.

Hi Gopher. There may be some easy way, but I don't know it. Sometimes you install a package with one or more EXE executable applications, and also non-executable DLLs and Services which run under the control of other programs. So it can be that you might have installed a program where you rarely ever run the main EXE, but it also happened to install a DLL or Service that does very useful stuff in the background. Going to Windows Programs control panel and uninstalling that exe you never use, might also uninstall other stuff that is more useful than the exe. Not always. Just sometimes.

The Windows "Programs and Features" or "Add or Remove Software" control panel will show most programs (and even data files) which were installed via an Installer program. So you can go thru that list to see if there is anything useless looking that is worth uninstalling.

Spybot has a pretty easy to use function that will list all the startup background programs and services. There are a lot of them, even on a factory-fresh stripped-down system. You can enable or disable certain of those without removing them from the computer. So if you disable something that turns out more important than you thought, you can revisit the window later and re-enable that service.

Windows also has tools that let you do the same thing. This web page seems to describe the Windows facilities decently. I don't know whether the third-party tools he mentions are any good--

Managing the Programs That Run When Windows Starts Up

On some versions of windows, you can get to most of the functionality thru Start Menu | Administrative Tools | Computer Management

When I go looking thru the startup items looking for useless stuff, if I notice something that I don't recognize, I google it. You get a variety of opinion on some items, so sometimes you have to decide who to trust (whether an item is beneficial, harmful, or neutral). Those web sites that try to charge you money for imaginary problems can be on the google hit lists. You might google some bog-standard Windows files that your computer won't even run without, and find a few sites that tell you stuff like, "MSCONFIG.EXE is a very dangerous program. Pay us $30 via credit card and we will remove it from your system."

It is time consuming and annoying unless you enjoy trivia, or you have a specific beneficial goal in mind, or maybe you are just paranoid that there might be a keylogger somewhere on your system even though multiple tools can't find it. Lack of evidence is not proof of nonexistence. Even paranoids have enemies. Etc. :tinfoil::tinfoil:

[Guest Longshot1]

It is an old computer. Still running Windows XP. I wish I could understand all the info in the replies. Sounds like the consensus is to reload the OS.

[Oh Shoot]

It is an old computer. Still running Windows XP. I wish I could understand all the info in the replies. Sounds like the consensus is to reload the OS.

You could try a repair installation first.

Boot to XP CD.

Do not choose "repair console" but "install".

THEN, you'll get an option for "repair installation".

Will overlay all the system files and etc...might ferret out any changes that any spyware or malware might have stepped on, should preserve installed proggies and any personal files.

Might have to update again with Windows Update afterwards...

Worth a try, and much easier than a total wipe/ reinstall.

Oh, here's MS instructions for repair install, in case I told you wrong:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

- OS

[analog_kidd]

One thing I like to do, is download the free AutoRuns utility from Microsoft. It's a small utility that when run, shows all applications that start up automatically when your computer starts. You would be surprised how much junk gets started every time you reboot your computer. The cool thing about this program is it shows everything with a checkbox next to it. Just uncheck whatever you are not sure about, then later if you discover something that you actually needed, just go back and re-enable it.

You should be able to Google AutoRuns and find it on the Microsoft site.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Open the run menu and type in "msconfig". It will open a window called system configuration untility.

On the tab called "startup" it lists all the programs that are loaded at the system startup and continue to run in the backgrouns. Uncheck the ones you don't need. If you do decided you need to keep something, not to worry because this doesn't uninstall them it just doesn't load them at startup. All you have to do is go back and recheck the box.

On most of my systems all I have checked are my anyvirus related stuff. I uncheck all the other 50+ programs. This will get rid of all the programs running in the background next to your clock in the lower right. If it is a laptop you have to keep anytthing related to the pointing devices because they generally are the drivers for your touchpad.

Also, this doesn't prevent you from using programs in the list it only keeps them from running in the background and slowing your system down. You can still open all the programs like normal but they take a second or two longer to load up when you open the program.

After you click ok it will ask for a restart. Do this and when Windows boots again it will give you a message saying something about "you have used the system configuration tool". Check the little box otherwise you will see the same box every time you boot.

Most people who I have told to do this see dramatic increases in both their boot times as well as overall system speed. And again, if you uncheck anything and you decide you still need your computer to load at startup all you have to do is just go back in and recheck the item as it was never uninstalled.

I would not recommend changin anything on any of the other tabs. Most of the items in the other tabs are programs your system may need to function correctly.

After you have done this make sure to defragment your system. It is under accessories/system tools. If you have never done this before it will probably take a while depending on your system. A faster machine will still take 30+ minutes to do but older machines can take hours. I generally start the defrag on mine at night before I go to bed.

Install a decent antivirus, I use AVG. I would also recommend getting a spyware sweeper to clean you system out of all the stuff that is hiden and runnning in the background.

And finally, make sure you turn you machine off a couple of times a week. Windows is like a little kid, it will run fine and not be grumpy most of the time but once it has been up for too long it gets tempermental and not want to do what it is supposed to.

Dolomite

[hkusp40cal]

Since you asked about what starts, I recommend this site: Windows XP x86 (32-bit) Service Pack 3 Service Configurations by Black Viper . He lists all the services windows has and which can be safely turned off while retaining functionality. He has info in XP, Vista and 7 .

[Oh Shoot]

Open the run menu and type in "msconfig". It will open a window called system configuration untility. ..

IMO, some good advice about msconfig (from Black Viper's site mentioned by hkusp40cal:

"Do not use "msconfig" to disable services, type "services.msc" in the Run box instead! (Why?)

The reason is because with msconfig and Hardware Profiles, you can disable services that may be vital to boot your system. With the management console (services.msc) you cannot. Also, msconfig, while unchecking the box, is disabling the service.

The "Disable All" button also scares me. It should not even be there as no reason exists to justify disabling "everything."

Not "allowing" people to use msconfig reduces the flames and technical support questions in my inbox from people that fail to read the descriptions I offer with each service and the warnings I attach to them."

- OS

[Guest Longshot1]

Running much better already. Took the advice and did the Run, Service.msc deal. Helped the machine. When i can find my XP CD I will do the repair. Thanks to all that replied. I hope more folks than just me benefitted.

[Dolomite_supafly]

What kind of machine is it?

Dell has a ghost copy on the hard drive that you do a repair from.

Thanks for the advice OhShoot, definitely more information with the services.msc than MSCONFIG. I have used MSCONFIG for a very long time and as long as you don't do like you say and "disable all" I have not had any issues where the system will not boot. I will use the services.msc from now on to see if I like it better. MSCONFIG is definitely quicker although maybe not safer for someone not used to using it.

Dolomite