Freeware question

[moonguppie]

Unfortunately this forum's search function is down so I will ask a question I'm sure has been asked before.

What freeware apps do you all recommend to increase a machine's performance with Windows XP? I have two users with slow machines that come up negitive for Malware under Window's Defender and doesn't seem to be infected when I use Code Starter or Hijackthis. I know sysinternals has some good tools, and I have an old version of Keychain but I wanted this forum's opinion.


A little knowledge is dangerous.

 

[kestrel1]

Don't trust Windows Defender. Try Ad-Aware & Spybot S&D.
Also go to 'Start-Run' & type msconfig, go to the startup tab & stop anything running at startup that doesn't need to run.
How long have these machines been running without a full re-install? I would only run XP for a max of two years without a full re-install. I know it is a pain, but should increase the speed.

 

[ArizonaGeek]

I'd add a few things to kestrel1, when in MSCONFIG do not mess around with anything other than the Startup tab, you could cause yourself some real problems if you start playing around in there without knowing what you're doing. When going thru the list if you are unsure of what something is just do a quick Google search for the item. Things you need would be sound or video drivers and your virus scan of course anything you really need to start when you boot up your PC everything else can be unchecked.

Try not to load too much of all this software, the more you add the slower it can be. Best bet is if it isn't working for you uninstall it then install some other software. With the two versions of software mentioned above (ad-Aware and Spybot) should be all you need and maybe a good virus scan (AVG is free) and thats about it. You don't need 20 different spyware and virus scan softwares. Uninstalling programs you don't use helps a lot! If you are more than 50% full on your hard drive (depending on size) that also could slow your PCs down. Less is more!

I'd also agree with kestrel1 in that every couple of years it doesn't hurt to reinstall Windows XP. One suggestion to think about would be to buy a small second hard drive (maybe a 40 gig drive) and create Ghost image of your OS after you've got it to the point you like (updates and common programs) then store it on the second hard drive. When you need to reinstall it only takes a few minutes to restore to that point and then you'd just have to run thru a few updates.

Keeping up on a defrag every couple of months should help things a bit as well. XP Tweak Mechanic is a good tool to use for a better defrag and helps with the start up stuff as well.

http://www.jvwinc.com/xp-tweak-mechanic.html

http://free.grisoft.com

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!

 

[kestrel1]

Just had another thought. Are you running any Symantec Internet security software? ie. Norton Internet security, Norton Anti-Virus?
If so, do yourself a favour. Remove them, & use AVG as suggested above by Arizonageek. You could try Avast Anti-Virus instead or even Clamwin. Do not, install more than one anti-virus program though.
For a firewall, try Zonealarm.

http://www.clamwin.com/

http://www.avast.com/

http://www.zonealarm.com/store/cont...ily.jsp?dc=56pus&ctry=GB&lang=en&lid=db_trial

 

[burtsbees]

A freeware registry cleaner can also help quite a bit...read this post.

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1396604&page=1

Burt

 

[kestrel1]

I hate reg cleaners, can cause more problems than they are worth.
Try to stay clear of them.

 

[burtsbees]

To each their own, I suppose...

Burt

 

[cdogg]

Some RegCleaners are like some Spyware scanning apps - problematic. You can find some bad apples in any category.

I've used Registry Mechanic in the past and had a lot of success with it. The key is to clean out the PC as much as possible using apps like Spybot and PestPatrol, before using a reg cleaner.

I used to spend countless hours doing this for customers, friends, and family. But those days are long gone! You will often find in the end that you save the most time doing a clean install. You know that you can expect to spend about 2 hours on a PC (when you use a Windows XP disc that has a lot of the updates slipstreamed), and you will get the maximum performance increase possible running at stock speeds.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[firewolfrl]

I like CCleaner (crap cleaner)

http://www.ccleaner.com