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Keep your computer clean!
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 Re: Keep your computer clean!
Posted by Wild Card on Thu Oct 28th at 1:16am 2004

I do coop at a computer repair shope (eh) and 9 out 10 computers comming in are for Adware, spyware, or virus infections or the "my computer is running slow" symptom. I figured if its happening so much I might want to post something about it, so I can share with you guys what I use, and you guys can share what you use.

I use the following:


  • AVG - free Virus scanner from Grisoft
  • Ad-Aware SE
  • Registry Mechanic
  • Disk Keeper

I also delete files from the following folders:

C:/Windows/Prefetch
C:/Windows/Temp
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/Local Settings/Temporary Internet Files
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/Local Settings/Application Data
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/My Recent Documents
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/Application Data
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/Local Settings/Temp
C:/Documents and Settings/(username)/Cookies

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Keep your computer clean!
Posted by Orpheus on Thu Oct 28th at 1:22am 2004

if you run spybot, AVG and regclean weekly, you will be fine..

scandisk is overlooked by many and its partner defrag, because it takes so long most times never gets used..

do these 5 actions, and you will never have problems..

i dislike adaware, it messed up my machine once.. perhaps they addressed this issue, but i am not chancing it again..

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Keep your computer clean!
Posted by ReNo on Thu Oct 28th at 1:23am 2004

I use Ad-Aware and PC-Cillin which came with my motherboard. I also defrag often - once every few days - which only takes a few minutes of my time (normally do it if I'm going to the toilet, or cooking, or something). Other than that, I basically leave it to its own devices
[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Keep your computer clean!
Posted by Hugh on Thu Oct 28th at 1:45am 2004

I use AdAware and defrag occasionally, though not on this computer because it would literally take days, it got 10% overnight. Luckily this computer isn't mine. The disk cleanup's always good to run before you run defrag too, somehow it's freed up hundreds of MBs at a time for me.

This one's also got Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus, it keeps 'er relatively clean, and the Internet Security tells me whenever some spyware tries to connect to an IP or something like that so I can just block it.

[addsig]



Quote
 Re: Keep your computer clean!
Posted by DesPlesda on Thu Oct 28th at 1:49am 2004

Hee hee. Spyware

What I'm running right now?
  • GNOME Desktop 2.6
  • RhythmBox
  • Mozilla Firefox - If you're using IE, I strongly recommend switching to Firefox. IE's insecure, slow, and a conduit for malware. Actually, I better repeat that.

    IF YOU ARE USING INTERNET EXPLORER, YOU ARE AT SEVERE RISK OF SPYWARE AND ADWARE INFECTION. USE AN ALTERNATIVE BROWSER.



    • Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Wild Card on Thu Oct 28th at 2:15am 2004

    Personally I dont like Firefox. There are a few sites it doesnt support for me. www.zone.com and www.pccyber.ca for example.

    I have yet to run a disk cleanup on my computer, too lazy

    Disk Keeper is a very nice utility that does a better job of defraging your hard drive. And while its defraging, you can still use your computer. Just dont be playing UT2K4 because it will lag like a biotch

    [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by ReNo on Thu Oct 28th at 2:41am 2004

    With windows XP's defragger you can continue using the computer too, but as you said, you shouldn't try anything too demanding.
    [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Orpheus on Thu Oct 28th at 2:59am 2004

    regclean is no longer updated so if anyone needs it, i have the laster version "4.3" in my briefcase.. gimme a holler. [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Gwil on Thu Oct 28th at 3:21am 2004

    The all purpose virus and trojan hunter (and cleaner) - especially useful for Safe Mode clean ups -

    McAfee Stinger - http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/

    Other than that, HiJack This! Good anti spyware hunter (have to know what reg keys etc you are looking for - lot of end user support for that though, dozens of forums cover it)

    HiJack This - http://www.hijack-this.net/






    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Forceflow on Thu Oct 28th at 6:12am 2004

    - CrapCleaner
    - Spybot
    - Ad-Aware
    - Stinger
    - TuneXP
    - Easycleaner (registry)
    - jv16 Powertools (registry)


    [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Kain on Thu Oct 28th at 6:57am 2004

    - AVG 6.0

    - Ad-aware SE

    - JV16 Power Tools

    -FreeRAM XP Pro 1.4 (I use this one when I'm using two or three very demanding programs in the same time)





    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by $loth on Thu Oct 28th at 8:01am 2004

    I've got adaware and Fsecure [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Leperous on Thu Oct 28th at 8:05am 2004

    ? quoting DesPlesda

    Mozilla Firefox - If you're using IE, I strongly recommend switching to Firefox. IE's insecure, slow, and a conduit for malware. Actually, I better repeat that.

    IF YOU ARE USING INTERNET EXPLORER, YOU ARE AT SEVERE RISK OF SPYWARE AND ADWARE INFECTION. USE AN ALTERNATIVE BROWSER.

    There isn't much point (right now) with XP Service Pack 2 out!





    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by scary_jeff on Thu Oct 28th at 9:05am 2004

    ? quote:
    There are a few sites it doesnt support for me


    There is no such thing as a an unsupported website, if you conceed that a website should always be written in W3C-valid html. It isn't the fault of firefox if the authors of those website's can't create valid html.

    Next time, please rephrase your reasoning to "I don't use firefox, because I like sites that don't use valid html"



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Leperous on Thu Oct 28th at 10:37am 2004

    ? quoting scary_jeff

    There is no such thing as a an unsupported website, if you conceed that a website should always be written in W3C-valid html. It isn't the fault of firefox if the authors of those website's can't create valid html.

    Next time, please rephrase your reasoning to "I don't use firefox, because I like sites that don't use valid html"

    Jeff, is it your view that Firefox is a perfectly W3C compliant browser, and that all others aren't? We're kicking a dead horse here, but IE is so much easier to position elements and get things how you want them to look than Firefox! (e.g. I have to use some margin:0 auto CSS nonsense in Firefox to centralise a DIV element)





    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Pvt.Scythe on Thu Oct 28th at 2:49pm 2004

    I use:

    *AntiVir

    *ZoneAlarm

    *Spybot Search & Destroy

    *Ad-Aware

    I had some performance issues so I did a small clean up. I found only 5 viruses and I eradicated them quickly. Remember to use Firewall!

    [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Orpheus on Thu Oct 28th at 3:21pm 2004

    you know, it says or said clearly, that adaware and spybot clash with each other.. if they have not addressed this clash, it might explain why so many of you have editor not working errors [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by fraggard on Thu Oct 28th at 4:10pm 2004

    My versions of spybot and Adaware dont seem to interfere, and both are new. So it's probably fixed.

    Security stuff I use:
    Norton antivirus 2002
    Norton Internet security 2002 (these two came free with my motherboard)
    SpyBot S&D
    Adaware
    Regclean
    Hijack This!

    I've had only two major infections in recent times. One keylogger trojan which was installed because of stupidity between the keyboard and the chair. And a virus from the JPEG buffer overflow vulnerability. Luckily, NIS detected both activities going on, and NAV and adaware cleaned them out.

    If anyone wants to continue the Linux-windows thing, I also use Fedora Core 1 quite regularly for class assignments and coding and the like. I've used quite a few Linux distros over the last few months and they are most definitely more stable than windows on the same hardware. They are also less easy to use, and hardware support is lacking. Same old, same old, same old.





    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by Orpheus on Thu Oct 28th at 4:28pm 2004

    ? quoting fraggard

    My versions of spybot and Adaware dont seem to interfere, and both are new. So it's probably fixed.

    thats great.. removes one more mystery about programs that suddenly stop operating.

    that message i saw, was a few years ago, stands to reason they addressed it by now..

    so, has anyone ever tested the two to see if one finds something the other missed? i used to use adaware myself, i am not against doing so again.. i would rather use the better of the two however.

    [addsig]



    Quote
     Re: Keep your computer clean!
    Posted by fraggard on Thu Oct 28th at 4:34pm 2004

    ? quoting Orpheus

    so, has anyone ever tested the two to see if one finds something the other missed? i used to use adaware myself, i am not against doing so again.. i would rather use the better of the two however.

    Yes. Spybot never caught the keylogger my PC was infected with while adaware did. It was called h@tkeysh@@k.dll or something. BUT spybot has a lot of cool features like the Winsock LSPs and the BHO detector thingy. IMO, they are both needed.






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