Starting from fresh....... and keeping it fresh!

chrissyfp1

Hi there,
I don't have a problem as such but i'm after some advice from you helpful people.
I've just reformatted my hard drive and after installing windows xp and running live update etc, i let it just merrilly install what it said it wanted to.
A .Net framework user account was created (which i deleted) but i don't think i need anything to do with .net framework. I'm not a developer so i see no reason to have it. I saw it just in time to stop it updating to IE8 and then did custom updates from there.

I downloaded Adobe reader to have it kindly install Adobe Air as well but i don't think that is essential to my pc workings either.
Basically what i'm asking is what Windows componants are essential and what's the best way of getting my pc to do all the usual things.... play music, films, read documents etc without getting all of these add on's. My Microsoft Office pack is from the dark ages so if there's freeware that'll do the same i'll leave that out as well!

I'm going to do a quick format later because i downloaded Norton 360 instead of 08 and i know that Norton leaves a load of rubbish on the pc. I'm thinking of not bothering with Norton and downloading Avira, Malwarebytes and Superantispyware instead. I don't pay for Norton, it was remotely downloaded by them for free after a few discussions regarding my previous subscription and it seems that the subscription renews itself for free! CCleaner has always been a good friend to me, so that will also be added.

I will have a clean pc waiting to be used to it's full potential....... but i'm sick of all the rubbish that programs put on it.
What would you put on it to keep it as clear as possible. It's used for work, play and everything in between.
I have already been convinced to drop IE in favour of Firefox. DP is also trying to persuade me to ditch Windows for Linux but i'm going to do that on another pc as a project later.........

Thanks in advance for all of your wisdom. :T

isofa

.net Framework is used by quite a few apps and tools...

Avira a very good choice for AV.

Ensure XP is patched to SP3 with all the other updates, and add a good software firewall too.

totalsolutions

It does not stay fresh for long I'm afraid. In a years time re-install again. You can take a complete hard drive image to DVD for repairs.

-TangleFoot-

If it's in Microsoft's high-priority updates list, I install it regardless of whether I actually need it. As far as I'm concerned, they're security updates like all the rest. Why you're trying to avoid IE8 is quite beyond me.

This is what I use at present:

• Foxit Reader
• OpenOffice.org
• Google Chrome (optional)
• ThreatFire
• SpywareBlaster (optional)

I also install the latest version of the .NET Framework, which is 3.5 SP1 at the time of writing. I never install version 1.1; it's completely unnecessary.

As for that ASP.NET user account, it's there for a reason: to allow the ASP.NET Worker Process to run without administrator privileges, which would be a potential security risk.

U've_been_framed

If you are using windows xp have you checked out xplite?
You seem very keen to reformat when defragmenting would probably do the job. However, if I was starting from scratch I would put windows and program files onto one partition, and my documents and all other data onto another partition (or hard drive). That way you can reformat etc without losing any data.
Open Office will fulfill your word processing and spreadsheet needs; just remember to save files in microsoft office format if you are going to share them with anyone else.
Norton 360 is reported to be an excellent program which doesn't have all the junk that symantec used to include. If it's free why not carry on with it?
Ccleaner is excellent.
Good luck with your quest for a lean mean machine, but I get the feeling that you are more concerned with fine tuning than actually using your computer.

-TangleFoot-

U've_been_framed wrote: »

...remember to save files in microsoft office format if you are going to share them with anyone else.

Alternatively, you can export documents in Portable Document Format. Almost everyone can read those, right?

chrissyfp1

Thanks guys,

It's all been updated to SP3 and i'll add the .net updates. We don't have seperate accounts to log onto the pc, so how would i stop it asking what user account to log into if i need to keep the asp.net account? This is the first time i've been selective about what to allow and what not. The .net framework was there before format but has never created its own user account.

My Dp uses Firefox and i use IE, i did update to IE8 previously (may have been beta version) but that seemed to be really slow compared to IE7 so i uninstalled it. When i use Firefox it is a lot quicker than IE on this pc.

Isofa, do you have any recommendations for a firewall?

chrissyfp1

U've_been_framed wrote: »

If you are using windows xp have you checked out xplite?
You seem very keen to reformat when defragmenting would probably do the job. However, if I was starting from scratch I would put windows and program files onto one partition, and my documents and all other data onto another partition (or hard drive). That way you can reformat etc without losing any data.
Open Office will fulfill your word processing and spreadsheet needs; just remember to save files in microsoft office format if you are going to share them with anyone else.
Norton 360 is reported to be an excellent program which doesn't have all the junk that symantec used to include. If it's free why not carry on with it?
Ccleaner is excellent.
Good luck with your quest for a lean mean machine, but I get the feeling that you are more concerned with fine tuning than actually using your computer.

It's not Norton 360 that's free, it's 08, i just downloaded 360 accidently.
All of my files have been moved to the other drive and i have already formatted. I defrag regularly when it's needed but as the pc is used for soooo much and hadn't been formatted for at least 3 years i thought a format wouldn't do any harm. As it was full of bits and bobs from here and there and everywhere.
I am concerned with fine tuning my pc because we use it so much. I obviously want it to do the best it can do (which isn't that much, as it's old like me).
I'll have a look at the Xplite.... i haven't even heard of it before.... i knew i was coming to the right place for info!!!

DatabaseError

try foxit instead of adobe acrobat

savemoney

I use foxit, I get sick of programs that install bloated crap and other stuff like toolbars or install on sitting in taskbar

savemoney

I also use Acronis backup to back up c drive in case it goes wrong