HOW TO SPEED UP A SLOW PC OR INFECTED PC. (a mini guide)

mitch161

OMG i see some great tips here, and then some less so great tips.. CCleaner and cleanmem, actually use memory.

how about just use msconfig. which is a built in microsoft tool, click in the startup tab, and untick all the programs you dont want running.

teling people to untinstall live scanning antivirus programs to then instal 5 other programs of lesser quality by themselves is redundant. yes they each have their own skills but, just not required. and not warning them that their computer is no longer live scanning for nasty bugs but is required to do regular manual scans is defeating the object.

memclean and ccleaner can easily be ignored in replacement of just typing msconfig into microsft search (text box right above the microsoft start button). avast and avg are not live scanners and require superantispywareand all those other utilities just to get to the same minimum quality of norton. 5 programs to replace one.. lol yes its money saving but not as secure and requires you manually scanning many times a day.
still leaving your computer vulnerable from the time of infection till the time u do manual scans.

my advice is msconfig. disable browser add-ons, and install more RAM memory. works out as less headache then having to set 5 programs to do scans when you just want to get on with your work.

waddler_8

mitch161 wrote: »

how about just use msconfig. which is a built in microsoft tool

MSConfig intended use is as a troubleshooting tool. It was never meant to be used as a long term startup manager.

The System Configuration utility finds and isolates issues. However, it is not a startup management program.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950093

EDIT: Sorry, but the more I read your post, the more inaccuracies I see.

mitch161 wrote: »

avast and avg are not live scanners

That's incorrect. Both do have realtime/on-access scanners.

closed

mitch,

Assuming you are referring to post 1 -

all programs use memory, but only when they are running. Neither ccleaner or cleanmem would be running all the time if the guide is followed, ccleaner is run once, and cleanmem (which is miniscule) is set to run on a schedule - the idea of it is to free up far more memory than it will ever use (especially on older systems short of ram). then close.

As already pointed out Avast is a realtime scanner, and malwarebytes is a second opinion should you wish to use it. Paid for or free AV's miss things, that includes Norton. Don't know where you got the figure of 5 extra security programs unless you are referring to other posts, the guide suggests 1 resident scanner, and disable the extra security bloat, not increase it.

Using msconfig is not a replacement for ccleaner or cleanmem, they do different things. Advice on what to disable using msconfig comes when people post their logs, the guide has to be generic, safe, and short, disabling the wrong things can stop things working. Disabling browser addons is covered, and the gist of the thread is that ram upgrades are rarely needed, but an option at the end of the tuning process if the machine is still slow.

smos585

I haven't read all posts, but I would be surprised if I am the first to make the following comments.

This is a brilliant guide, but I do take issue with a couple of points.

The comment about defragging is I believe misleading. Why? Because, apart from the net, hdd activity is one aspect that can slow a pc, especially if the system is badly fragmented. It’s not unusual for a system that has never been fragmented, for many files being in 100’s of parts, requiring many accesses to retrieve. Badly fragmented hdd’s will make the hdd work harder, thus also potentially reducing the life of a hdd.

Secondly, there is no point defragging files that are unnecessary, and just taking up space, where it could be used more effectively.

Hence getting rid of all the crud that builds up over time, and defragging, will further assist in keeping yr PC in peak condition (and faster still).

madeupname1

Thanks for this helpful thread. I was able to do most of it, except the cleanmem. Whenever I clicked download it only seemed to invite me to download a music streamer! Anyway, was I was able to follow has seemed to help the speed of my netbook, so thank you!

Figment

madeupname1 wrote: »

Thanks for this helpful thread. I was able to do most of it, except the cleanmem. Whenever I clicked download it only seemed to invite me to download a music streamer! Anyway, was I was able to follow has seemed to help the speed of my netbook, so thank you!

You must have been clicking the huge green download button on the right of the page.

That is an advert for Groove Stream music streamer!




Scroll down the page and you'll see small buttons which are the ones you need, but to save you time, I've included a direct link


LINK

johnmcloud

Fantastic post, thanks!

Hopster_2

waddler_8 wrote: »

um... No, it isn't. Any perceived benefits are far outweighed by the potential pitfalls of such programs.

Agreed, a wouldn't recommend any novice mess around with the registry as they tend to check all boxes and trash their OS..
Same with ram optimizers, why bother with them, ram has never been cheaper and takes 5min to install..

A would give a shout to Ccleaner and Revo uninstaller which are both free and have some nice little utilities built in..

Windows does need a lot of maintenance which a lot of users are unaware off.
The best way i explain it to my customers is to think of your pc like a car, it needs serviced from time to time and after a few years its time to consider replacing it. (clean install)

bigfreddiel

my advice is simple - dump windows - the only os where failure is not an option, it comes built in!

load linux - its free - job done

oh you really must have windows,then run it in virtualbox or use wine

fj

gavpowell

bigfreddiel wrote: »

my advice is simple - dump windows - the only os where failure is not an option, it comes built in!

I'm a PC engineer by trade and frankly Linux drives me up the wall: quite apart from not being able to perform all the functions I want from my machine, it has a knack of being unintuitive in my opinion. I use Puppy when I want to pull files off a non-booting machine, but otherwise, I have never found anything that combines the ease of use and versatility of Windows with the security of a Unix box.

The only reason I even moved away from XP to 7 was for DX10, and given 8 is an abomination, 7 is the sweet spot for all-round use for me. When the Linux community starts producing a product I can use as intuitively as Windows(or even MacOS, which I hate), I'll play, but "to install this software, you need to open a terminal and use sudo apt etc etc..." - what's wrong with a GUI?