New Notebook? Make it Secure and Boost Performance for Free!

Originally published on TabletPCReviewSpot.com

Chapter 1 - A New Notebook!

So youjust spent a few hundred bucks on anewlaptop. You fire it up for the first time and are greeted by your "ninety day trial" of Norton Antivirus to keep your machine protected right from the start. (Or you didn't get any included trial antivirus software, so you just fork out another $39.00+for a one-year subscription with updates).Great, virus problem solved!

After using your newnotebook for a few days, perhaps you notice that it takes more time to boot up then you'd prefer. Or you notice that your new technological wonder randomly "slows down". Maybe your mouse pointer stutters for a few seconds. Or does bootingseem a bit too sluggish for a brand new machine? Oh and by the way, what's with all those little icons down there in the Windows task bar? Do you really need all that "stuff"?

Chapter 2 - "Friendly" Advice

You read up on some forums abouthow "reformatting your hard drive" and reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows will make yourlaptop run so much better. Your techie friends tell you "there's a bunch of bloatwear on your computer that you can't get rid of unless you reformat your drive and start from scratch." So all you need is a few hours of your time and some knowledge about device drivers and your "new"notebook will run the way it should right? Well MAYBE. But is this the right way to go? Read on for an alternative to this potentially frustrating goose chase that may lead you right back to where you started - being forced to reimage your computer with the manufacturer's recovery disk.

Chapter 3 - A Better Solution!

Perhaps you are the adventurous type, a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator or work for NASA. Reformatting your tablet is a piece of cake. Well then we say "go for it"! But if you're like the other 99% of the population, you just want your new computer to work the best it can, stay fast and secure without a big hassle. Sound like you? Read on...

Whether you just purchased a new laptop, already have one or plan tobuy soon, our tips willsurelyhelp you to get all the security and performance you need without a big hassle.Here we share the best software tools, antivirus software and Windows optimization tipsthat you need. Best of all, you don't need to spend a dime!

The Plan

When it comes to establishingbasic security of your data and privacy for your notebook, you need two basic tools.

1. Antivirus Software

2. Antispyware Software

Yournotebook may or may not have come with these tools. If it did, it is most likely that they are only trial or limited versions. Let's first touch base with your Antivirus software. You have probably used Norton Antivirus before and if your machine came preloaded with the trial version it seems prudent to simply go with that solution. However, this comes at a cost. Not only will you be up to payfor a subscription renewal in 3 months, but the fact is that the "industry trusted" Norton Antivirus slows down your computer. Not just a bit, but a lot. Think that'sa necessarytrade off to keep your computer safe and virus-free? Think again.



Our recommendation? Computer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus. Did you know that you can get a one year subscription for free? Oh and guess what. CA's eTrust EZ Antivirus just happens to be what Microsoft uses on their own PC's within the company. I don't know about you, but besides being essentialy "free", nobody knows what protects a Windows-based PC better than Microsoft! In final, this great solution is significantly less invasive then the others like Norton, McAfee and Panda. You would be amazed how much better your computer can run without being bogged down by resource hoggingsolutions byNorton or McAfee.

You can download your free copy of eTrust EZ Antivirushere.

Moving right along, the next essential you will need is an "AntiSpyware" application. There are many great choices of AntiSpyware software out there, but they are often costly and may be taxing on your system.

Our recommendation? Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta). This is one of the best things we've seen from Microsoft for free! You will enjoy three benefits from this application.

1. Solid, realtime protection from troublesome spyware.
2. Free, consistent updates.
3. Bonus: Easily optimize your Windows startup with a built-in tool!

You can download your free copy of Windows AntiSpyware here.


How to OptimizeWindows Startupwith Windows AntiSpyware:

On the top right corner of the Windows AntiSpyware home window, you'll see "Advanced Tools". Click Advanced Tools.



On the next screen, click on "System Explorers".



Under "Applications" in the tree menu on the left, click on "Startup Programs".



You will see a list of programs that start with your computer. Here you can choose unnecessary applications and block them from your Windows startup. Highlight applications you wish to block in the list, then click "Block this startup program" in the blue area on the right side of the window.



You'll be prompted to confirm your choice.



Finally, the dialog reassures you that the selected program has been blocked and that this process is reversible.

By blocking unnecessary programs from your Windows startup, you will have a clean booting system that won't be bogged down by unwantedautomatic updates and "bloatware" preinstalled by the manufacturer.


Final Words

Should you choose to go with the recommendations we have outlined in this article, you will get the most out of yournotebook without spending any money beyond the cost of purchase. Additionally, you will be protected from malicious code in the form of viruses or spyware AND you can stop unwanted programs from hogging the RAM and CPU power you paid to use your way - not for the bloatware your OEM decided to stick you with right out of the box.

 

Excellent article. Personally I use Avast! as my antivirus software because it's completely free and it doesn't bog down my computer, but CA's solution is excellent as well. MS antispyware seems up to par with most other antispyware programs from what I've seen, as well.

 

I was never impressed with MS Aspyware. I had it installed, along with Ad-Aware, on three of my systems for four months. I always used to run it before I did AAware, just to see if it would catch anything. It never did. AdAware caught everything, always found stuff that MS didnt.

So, I got rid of it, and I don't miss it one bit. It never helped my system, rather, it slowed it down. Waste of time.

Sorry, rambling . . . .

UFG, same here, Avast! is great . . .

 

friend of mine has the CA stuff on his desktop IIRC, seems to always be interfering with doing simple tasks. for example, he can't use eBay.

 

LOL - I don't think the virus scan is preventing use of eBay.

 

Hmm.

Provided you set MS AntiSpyware for realtime protection and keep up on updates, you shouldn't have any problems. Maybe you were using the it the first few months? I think it took time to make it what it is today.

 

Well, it's just my opinion of course.

I uninstalled it in December. Haven't missed it since . .

I had all the automatic and realtime protection enabled, it told me that much.

I might give it another chance if I encounter any more spyware.

 

They probably look for different things too. AdAware will always find something to remove it seems.

 

I agree with Brian. I find MS Antispyware quite useful. And it works. I like the TSR (realtime) agents.

Cheers,

 

once he disables it he can use eBay though. I believe it includes some firewall features as well.

 

Great thread...very informative!

And a 1 year free trial for that Antivirus program seems worth trying for sure...thanks for the heads up!

 

yeah i like ms antispyware just mainly for the other little tools it has on there, and ad-aware always finds the exact things on my computer always. but i just use ad-aware, spybot and have ms antispyware running, never a problem to be had.

i also use AntiVir XP because my school recommended it, i like it it works. woot

 

Good article, however I'm surprised you overlooked mentioning the system registry? I have found many programs that do not remove themselves from the registry after uninstalling.

In my experience if you you don't have any virus or malware issues and your system performance is bogging down, it usually can be attributed to bloated registry files from numerous programs.

Also, too many of us use cute software "utilties" that rob system memory through TSRs that don't shut down. Another problem for Firefox users can be the use of some extensions.

 

great thread barry ... i am definitely going to try it out when i open up my new 700m which came in the mail today

however, your link to the MS Windows AntiSpyware does not work. I searched the website for Antispyware and MS Defender' came up ... is this the same thing??

 

I think this is what everyone will be looking for. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Adam

 

I use AVG for virus protection (completely free)
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1

Ad-aware and Spybot (Search and Destroy) for spyware/malware removal.

All of these have free 'home' editions, and i havent had any related problems on my home machine.

 

Yes, MS Defender is the new name for their antispyware product.

 

Good guide, though I have some other tricks up my sleeve that im learning at university .

 

For those who use avast--does the virus recovery database thing that runs in the background affect performance? in other words, do you guys disable that feature, because it seems to be exactly the kind of resource hog we're trying to avoid, but I don't know?

thanks.

 

Is "Computer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus" really used by ms? And you are sure it does not slow your pc down? =)

i could free 100mb ram, now trying to get the program but it does not send me an email =(

now i ordered it to my aol mail and it works, googlemail did not work for some reason

lol there is no license key in the field, i am not blind!!!

Cool, today it worked... =)

 

Here is an article on choosing a new notebooks computer that may be useful for the newbies.

Find the Best Laptop for Your Needs

 

it asks for a license key that I dont have.. wtf?? help me out!

 

Can u name some spywares/ adwares missed by MS antispyware and caught by Adaware, except so called "tracking cookies".

And BTW, from where u are getting all these nasty things. On my system adaware has not caught anything so far( except cookies that I don,t care), so with almost all other scanners.

 

bump......

 

Who is asking for licence key?

 

the eTrust anti-virus thing.. I thought it was supposed to be free??

 

EZ antivirus is free for 1 year( I think EZ and eTrust are same) U get the key before ur download from the site. If u did not get process ur request again.

BTW " it" does not mean ETrust AV.

 

I didn't get any key and you don't download the file straightly from their site, you get a mail with a link to the download... and when I try to download it again it says that I've already used my opportunity! ****..

 

Don,t know about this as I never used it. U can mail to them and I think they might send u a key.

 

I do have a question, you mention Norton being a slowdown hog. I have found this to be true in normal personal version of Norton AV.

HOWEVER the CE versions seemed to be much less sluggish and felt like it wasnt hogging anything down. I use a combo of Norton Firewall 2003 and Norton CE 10. Seems to be quite responsive. Was wondering if anyone can confirm that thought too?

 

Any ideas on a free firewall?

 

Hello everyone!

This will actually be my first post on the forums, after months of lurking about, researching my next laptop purchase. I saw this article, and after reading it, decided I should go ahead and dive in, given that this is an area where I have some expertise.

I hope you will indulge me, as I expound on Barry's post.
I apologize in advance for the length of this article. There's a lot to go over.



For a bit of background, I am a Veteran Internet Support Specialist for a technical support outsourcing firm, based right here in the heartland of America. My company supports about 60+ different Internet Providers around the nation, ranging from small local co-ops, to large 50,000-user companies within major metropolitain areas. We support all forms of home internet connectivity including dialup, DSL, Cable, Wireless, Satellite, and Fiber-to-the-Home. When it comes to seeing and dealing with all of the 'nasties' out there anymore, myself and my fellow techs are on the frontlines every day.

Let me thank Barry J. Doyle for a very good article posted here. It brings to light what frustrates probably 50% of computer/internet users today. Keeping a computer working in an optimal fashion can be a daunting task, especially for beginners. I deal with these kinds of issues every day, and the first thing I tell people about keeping their computer running fast and happy, is to keep it clean!! Garbage-in, Garbage-out. So, if you don't put garbage in...

More to the point, you will find that nearly any tech-savvy person out there will agree... Norton, McAfee, and Panda are the WORST products on the market. Hands down. They do not just slow down your computer, but they have many other issues that you would think such large and expensive companies would have resolved over the past 10 years they've been charging people for this stuff. Nope.

- Note: Computer Associates products do seem to be alright. They don't have these problems, usually.

These programs will have random issues with blocking E-Mail, changing mail settings in Outlook (and other clients), fail to connect properly to mail servers, take control over mail ports and other internet services on the computer, and they will NOT clean up after themselves once removed. Mail scanning with these solutions is a joke, and is the chagrin of most internet professionals. These programs are the very definition of 'bloatware'. They are HUGE, eating up hundreds of megabytes on hard drives, in some cases. They add not just seconds, but MINUTES to the bootup process in most cases. When they update, they can either randomly break internet services, or change settings in other programs to their liking, on a whim. When subscriptions run out, they do NOT simply stop scanning...they keep control of the ports and other internet services, but stop allowing use of those ports (despite what their support may say). Worst of all, some programs, Norton in particular, do NOT turn off, even though you tell them to. That's right. Turning off Norton Personal Firewall doesnt open up anything. It stays running, and blocking. The only way to completely turn off Norton, is to uninstall it. Period.

For all of these reasons, our company (and many others) have a very hard policy when it comes to Norton/McAfee/Panda/(insert big-name AV here). We will help you turn it off, or uninstall it. Period. If you refuse, you can seek help elsewhere. This sounds harsh, but the truth hurts sometimes.



Now that's the low-down and dirty on Norton & friends... What can you do about it?


First of all, do NOT be fooled by all those advertisements you see out there for security software. In the realm of anti-spyware software especially, many programs are even hoaxes. It is perfectly possible to pay for software that will INFECT your computer, rather than protect it. Our list of trusted software out there is very short, for this reason. If we've never heard of it, we instantly don't trust it.

If you want to know more information about rogue or suspect anti-spyware programs, or if you suspect you might have one and just want to make sure, check out this website:

www.spywarewarrior.com

For more information on what spyware is out there, and what kinds of things spyware can do to your computer, check out this link:

www.spywareguide.com

For all kinds of security questions, and reviews of popular security software, there's no better place than this site, ran and frequented by security professionals. You can even post questions and scanlogs on the forums, and some of the best pros in the industry will respond.

www.castlecops.biz (Formerly "Computer Cops")



At our callcenter, we recommend the following programs. I will post them here with links to their websites, and useful notes and tidbits to help you tailor a security solution that keeps you safe, and does what all this security crap is supposed to do....Keep your computer running smooth and fast!

Oh..and by the way... these are all FREE for personal use!
Contrary to what anyone tells you, you don't have to spend a DIME to keep your home computer perfectly safe!

Here they are:


Recommended Programs



AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.1

Cost: NOTHING
Available at: http://free.grisoft.com
Home Website: http://www.grisoft.com

Tidbits:

This is the AntiVirus of choice, for most tech-geek-professionals, and if you download and install it, you'll see why. No one likes the task of spending hours on end, fiddling with an Antivirus. Grisoft seems to have clued into the long-elusive mystery that has eluded almost every other antivirus product to date. EASE OF USE! This program is easy for even novice computer users to understand. The main AV program has 3 huge, easy-to-read buttons. Thats it. Yes, even your grandma can understand it, so she wont call you to explain it. The control panel is broken down into sections, each marked in blue or red for functional status, with easy-to-follow button options at the bottom for performing tasks like updates and such (should manual intervention be necessary).

So all of this is great, but does it protect the system? You bet! AVG updates almost daily, and does everything the big boys do. Automatic updates, automatic scans, realtime protection, etc. In fact, it's realtime protection is BETTER than most, because it's alerts are, like everything else, easy to understand. Virus alerts pop up on the screen, and will continue to bug the user over and over until they do something about the virus. This sounds bad, but when it comes to having an infected computer...the more the AV steps in and grabs your attention, the better your chances of removing the infection. This is part of why we like it so much.

As far as E-Mail scanning, AVG's email proxy is rock-solid. In our experience, the only time it EVER breaks, is when there is a larger spyware or TCP/IP problem on the computer. Unlike Norton and McAfee's email scanner...it will NOT change settings in your mail client. It will NOT block your email, if something is going wierd. The proxy simply watches the files that go by, and if it detects a virus, will alert you, with options to clean it or block it. No one likes their email getting hung up because of their overly-zealous AV.

One thing performance enthusiasts will like, is AVG's very small footprint. It uses very little RAM (about 8MB total...eat that Norton), and has almost no effect on system performance. AVG is designed to run on any version of Windows, even Windows 95. Since it was designed with very old machines in mind, any semi-modern computer will notice almost 0% slowdown due to installing this program. Users switching from bloatware antivirus programs will notice a significant improvement.

The product license is for home, personal use. Businesses and non-profit organizations cannot use it for free, but Professional versions are available for purchase from their home website. This is a prevailing theme with all free software online now.



AdAware SE Personal Edition 1.06

Cost: NOTHING
Available at: www.download.com
Direct Link: http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10399602.html?tag=pop
Home Website: www.lavasoftusa.com
Tidbits:

AdAware is listed on www.download.com as the #1 download (over 1 million this week)...it has been there for 3 years...and for good reason! This program should be on every windows computer that has internet access. It has the most complete scanning database of any anti-spyware program we've tested. It can remove anything it finds, and scans a computer in just 5 minutes or so.



SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.4

Cost: NOTHING (Donationware)
Available at: www.download.com
Direct Link: http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10401314.html?tag=pop
Home Website: www.safer-networking.org
Tidbits:

An excellent swedish-made program, SpyBot has been around about as long as AdAware. Maybe even longer. It hangs out around #5 - #10 on download.com's Most Popular list, and also has been there for 3 years or more. This program performs the same basic function as AdAware, and has the 2nd most complete malware database we've tested. In our experience, if AdAware doesn't find it, Spybot will! Spybot also has features that further protect you, from Browser-lockdown features, to immunization features that block some known spyware with dummy-entries in the registry. With this on your system, the added functions of professional versions of other programs is unnecessary...Spybot takes care of it. If you don't want the additional protection, you don't have to use it either. The program only enables these features at your request.

The product is free for anyone, but if you like their software, you can make a donation of $10 on their home website. It's nice to see people doing this without capitalizing on others misfortunes! It's also nice that you can thank them in this way, for making and maintaining such an amazing program. The programmer has made this project his full-time job!



HiJack This! 1.99.1

Cost: NOTHING
Available at: http://www.download.com/HijackThis/3000-8022_4-10379544.html
Home Website: N/A
Tidbits:

Sometimes, you just need to get into the nuts-and-bolts of the computer, and dig malicious spyware out at the roots. HiJack This is just such a tool. Not for the faint of heart, this program helps advanced computer users get rid of browser infections and other browser hacks that spyware will use.

This program is not recommended for beginners. Only advanced, savvy people should attempt using this program. Again, if you need help, you can post your HiJack This! scanlog to the forums www.castlecops.biz and professionals can help you with what to remove.



Windows Defender

Cost: NOTHING (Windows XP Only)
Available at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Home Website: www.microsoft.com
Tidbits:

There is a debate on how effective Windows Defender really is. The truth is, it never has been very good at finding and removing spyware. What it IS good at, is PREVENTING infections in the first place, and this is where it can really shine. It integrates directly into windows, and has the ability to protect the Windows Registry and Internet Explorer better than any other program. It is mediocre on the performance scale, and it can cause some things to slow down, but not by a huge margin.

For people who don't get a lot of malware infections, or don't do much web browsing, this program is probably not necessary. If you have kids, public users, or other high-risk computing environments, this software can help stop problems before they start, and is well-worth the free download and slight performance hit.



Recommended Firewalls:



Windows XP Service Pack 2 Firewall

Thats right, we recommend the windows firewall! Despite all of the criticism that Microsoft has taken for it's lack of security, the Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall is quite robust, and is perfectly acceptable for home use. We recommend it because it is an application-based firewall, and because it is integrated into windows.

Whenever a program wishes to gain access to the network, that program must request access to the network from a program called the Windows Socket Controller. That program, even viruses, must identify itself to the "Winsock", so that windows knows what program to give the requested access to. Windows Firewall is able to use it's integration with windows to find out when a program wants access. Any program Windows Firewall has not encountered before, is automatically blocked, and by default prompts the user of the computer what to do. Block, or unblock. This is why we love it.

Also, Windows Firewall does NOT cause issues with OTHER firewalls. You can run it behind your router or NAT, without fear of your favorite program freaking out, because of multiple firewalls. This keeps your computer safe from other computers on the network, even when you are behind a router's firewall.

Thirdly, when 3rd-party firewalls screw up, or become corrupted (it happens more often than you might think, ESPECIALLY with spyware infections), the program must be completely removed, and reinstalled. This leaves you wide open during the time the program is not on your computer. Windows Firewall is easily repaired, while still remaining online! A simple command in your command prompt does the trick:

C:\>netsh firewall reset

Thats it!! Now isnt that easier, than uninstalling your huge, bloated, 3rd-party firewall, getting a virus after you reboot, then having to spend the next 3 hours cleaning it up? Yeah, we think so too.


What if I don't have Windows XP?


For those that still don't have XP, or want to run an old OS, really, we recommend you upgrade to XP. XP itself is aged, and previous OS software is out of date. Still, if your company requires you run Windows 2000, or some similar situation...you aren't out of luck.

First of all, you will HAVE to get a 3rd party firewall. It is required. Without it, you are extremely vulnerable to direct infection from the internet. There are several available, and despite our loathing of the program (because of aformentioned firewall corruption problems), probably the best one for home use is ZoneAlarm.

You can download a free version from: www.zonelabs.com




A note about Windows Updates:



None of the above solutions will do you a darn bit of good, if your windows does not have all of the latest service packs, and updates. Microsoft spends billions to make updates to it's software. They do that for a reason.

Some other articles on these forums encourage you to turn off your automatic updates to speed up your computer. Truthfully, the difference is somewhat negligible, and the risk of forgetting to update is just too high.
How many of us really go and check the Microsoft Windows Update Website once a week? Come on, be honest...

If you are not an obsessive-compulsive paranoid updater....you'll forget. As humans, we do that. Thats why we have computers in the first place, since they do not. Automatic updates should be kept on at all times, for nearly every home user. If you don't want it downloading in the background, you can set your Windows Update software to notify you when the download is done, or to notify you when one is ready, so you can initiate the download when you prefer.



Scanning Procedures


Ok, so you have all this great, free, slim software. That's great. As with any tool...having it is one thing. Knowing how to use it is quite another!

We always recommend running a weekly scan. Set aside a few minutes each week for your cleanup regiment. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This saying has never been more true.

Keep the following things in mind:
1. AdAware and SpyBot do NOT run automatically. You must do this yourself. They were designed this way on purpose, to help you determine patters in your browsing and usage habbits, and the spyware you pick up while doing it. These programs also distance themselves from rogue programs, in that they do nothing on your computer you do not ask them to. If you've ever had a spyware infection, you will appreciate this fact.

2. Updates must be done every time you scan...whether you've just done them or not. The update buttons are in the program for a reason. Its always a good idea to update them first. As a small Caveat, SpyBot will refuse to even RUN without it's first update. That should tell you how important this is.

3. When noticing symptoms of infections, its important to act quickly. Popup ads (especially if you have a popup blocker already...any popups will be caused by spyware in this case), browsers going places you didn't tell it to, settings or toolbar changes, and other such things are all symptoms of an infection. If you notice this, scan immediately. If you notice your computer get unusually sluggish in a short amount of time (starting up, shutting down, opening programs, etc), then its time to scan, even if you have no other symptoms. You wont find spyware on your add/remove programs list anymore. You wont be able to remove them yourself. Even the most savvy techs cant remove some spyware, its impossible, and designed purposefully so. You need help, thats what the above programs are for.


SO...how do you use them?

- ALWAYS run AdAware and SpyBot as a pair. Back-to-back, one immediately after the other. It does not matter which one first.

- Remove ANYTHING they find. Thats right. Anything. If they find it, you really dont need or want it on your system. If your favorite program gets listed...its time for you to get a new favorite program. Checkmark ALL listings, and nuke them. Quarrantines are useless, so don't bother.

- REBOOT IMMEDIATELY. This is the biggest mistake most people make. You MUST reboot as soon as you have finished the scan/remove process. Many malware programs will set themselves to reinstall on startup. Some have watchdog programs that reinstall them right behind you. Some will even re-download themselves and friends, and install without asking or telling you.

- As soon as the reboot is complete, SCAN AGAIN. Do this before doing ANYTHING else, and whatever you do, do NOT open your web browser before scanning again. Even if you removed everything, you absolutely MUST be sure it is all gone. Even 'tracking cookies'. These have been known to carry payloads that trigger spyware downloads, and/or screw up browsers.


- If you found things the second time around....Start at the beginning and do it ALL again. Scan, remove, reboot, rescan. Do this all at once, do not pause or let the computer sit idle, until ALL of your scanning software has found 0 Items. If you absolutely must leave the computer, then make sure you shut it down first, to keep malware from attempting downloads/installs while you are gone. You may have to go through the cycle several times. If you keep finding things, no matter how many times you reboot...your computer still has an infection. Tracking cookies and MRU lists especially. These are generated by other programs, so if they keep re-appearing, its because something else on the system is still there. At this point, you probably can get by with trying the system out...but if you notice the problem re-occur again within a day or two, you may need to consider backing up your files and re-formatting.

Note: if you must back up and reformat...COPY your files. Do NOT back up the whole hard drive. You'll need to move your important stuff manually. You'll have to re-install all your programs yourself, and set them up again. As with any virus or malware cleanup, you dont want to reformat, only to find that you brought the nastyware with you in the backup, and re-infected yourself.

Conclusion

I hope that this article gives you an idea of how to prevent one of the most frustrating circumstances for computer users today...malware infection. I also hope that this helps give you an idea of what your options are, and how you can save yourself time, money, and headache, with proper maintenance and procedures.


Enjoy the computer again!

 

Nice guide there.
However, I recommend Kaspersky Internet Security if u r willing to pay for a good protection package.
I find it fast, lightweight and pretty effective in detections.

 

I second the AdAware and Spybot suggestions - I've used them for years, back to when AdAware was free...

I'm astonished that nowhere in this thread is NOD32 mentioned - this truly is the geeks anti virus software. Automated updates, runs clean minimal resource requirements, easy to configure....absolutely the best program available.

Free 30 day demo: http://www.eset.com/

Nothing else comes close.

Lastly, if you have a Symantec/Norton product installed, you are looking at a reformat and fresh OS install before you will get all that crap out of your system...I learned that the hard way years ago back in the days of DOS.....

 

Wow, Chetkabak, that was suprisingly useful. Thanks so much man, heh.

 

Kapersky and NOD32 are both great programs, and highly rated by www.castlecops.com

Kerpesky is great, if you dont mind paying. NOD32 is really great, but nothing can beat AVG's simplicity and ease-of use. Generally we do not reccommend those to our customers, simply because of that. Besides, if you are tech savvy enough to know of these programs...you don't need my guide.

 

Informative post "chetkabec" my computer is slowing down and fliping pop-ups more than before. Think I'll get rid of my Norton and clean the sytem completely.

What is reformating? sounds intensive and risky. Just want to wash away the nasty Norton software and whever is lurking inside.

Lastly, What do we REALLY need in terms of safety, (the minimum) if we have no children operating the computer.

 

Reformatting the hard drive is wiping out all data and starting over fresh. (This includes the operating system.) By the sound of it, this does not seem to be the solution to your problem.

Well, anti-virus software is crucial... and a firewall would be recommended. Also, a virus detector would be necessary.


Matt

 

I recommend Avast! for the Anti-virus and AdAware SE or Spybot. The difference is that AdAware SE can't do real-time scanning on that version (you need one of the paid/subscription versions for that) whereas Spybot has some sort of preventive measure in it. Another alternative that I used on my parents machine is Spyware Blaster that sets up your machine in such a way that spyware can't install even if it wanted to.

 

ChetKabak,

Great post! Thanks!

You wrote:
Note: if you must back up and reformat...COPY your files. Do NOT back up the whole hard drive. You'll need to move your important stuff manually.

Microsoft has a neat little PowerToy to help make these copies easier:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx

I use this to backup my documents, pictures etc. with a single click.

 

Nice thread!
I'd like to ask, as well, which is better, Avast or AVG.
Many friends told me Avast is "lighter" has a stronger security, etc.
I don't know; what do you think?

 

My personal preference is AVG.

AVG uses a total of about 8 MB of RAM, total. It just doesnt get much lighter on the system than that. It works on Windows 95 machines, etc.

Working at Helpdesk, there are some programs we 'hear about' more than others, Avast seems to have more issues in general than AVG does. I have to admit that AVG almost never has a problem, so long as there is no spyware on the PC. Spyware will cause the email scanner to stop working, or updates to not download...but that would happen on any AV. Other than that, i've never experienced AVG crashing, or causing any other problems on any system I've ever worked with.

I've used AVG for about 5 years on my home computers...and it has saved me numerous times, and seems to find even very obscure viruses. I also don't like programs that 'do it all'. I want an AV program to be just that...AV...and nothing else. AVG does that, and does it well, IMO. I also like its uncomplicated use. I click it, click scan, viola! No muss, no fuss. For the ease-of-use, reliability, and quality of detection/removal, my money (If it werent free) would be on AVG.

 

Same here! Been using AVG for years and never had a problem. It even finds viruses that the junk called Norton doesn't.

 

Well it did make my system shut down because it was overheating my 2.66GHz P4 CPU, but other than that it has been great.

 

I honestly cannot see how this is possible. I think you would want to check for Malware, or other programs that could be reacting to/with AVG. AVG uses virtually no CPU, no Hard drive, and very little RAM resources. If it doesnt use resources, it doesnt create heat. If you have further information, I'd love to go over it with you.


EDIT: The ONLY possible thing I can think of, is that AVG somehow didnt react well with your power management software. Since I've been using AVG with Power4Gear with absolutely no issues at all, I doubt its a compatibility problem of the programs themselves, unless you are running a power management utility other than P4G.

It should be noted that Pentium-4 series processors were notorious for using massive amounts of power, and generating massive amounts of heat. What was the exact system and specifications?

 

Is it possible to block startup programs using windows defender? ms antispyware no longer available for download.

 

I think ms antispyware now become windows defender

 

Skywalker, I love the avatar! I'm a huge Star-Wars Fan

Yes, and no. You should go to: Start->Run->
Type: msconfig
Ok->

That will allow you to change which startup programs are activated on system start. If you don't know what a program does, don't disable it. Google the name of the process first, to learn more about it. That's what us pros do.

Why go to the trouble, instead of letting a program tell you? Simple. The more you know about what's out there and how it works, the less likely you will be infected by something in the future. Knowledge is power.

 

Chet,

Just read your excellent recommendations. I just bought a new HP notebook yesterday, with the Vista OS. It has the trial Norton on it, but I haven't activated it yet, because I can't get online. Can you just avoid activating it on these new machines?

I've used Norton on my other computers for about 5 years and I just bought NIS 2007 which I HAD planned to install. (But it was free after rebate, so no loss if I don't use it.) I'm used to Norton, but I guess it does slow things down. The weekly scan on my desktop that used to take an hour now takes 5hours!

I've heard that AVG is no longer free. But do you still think it is the best and leanest, worth spending money on?

Any other recommendations for a new Vista laptop, just out of the box?

 

I am trying a 'new' (ok its old and not supported anymore) tool for windows XP.

Its called TuneXP (from driverheaven and free ) it seems to be decent and with no bug (on my part). I'm just going to provide the link and let you decide if you are interested in it.

http://www.driverheaven.net/driverheaven-tools-discussion/44608-dh-tunexp-1-5-final.html