Keeping your PC clean

[hogleg]

I don't know about you guy's but its a constant struggle to keep garbage files off my pc. And is consuming more and more of my time.

I have my firewall active, I have Nortens active, and Adaware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

I also have running is AVG
http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php

I DL'd Security Task Manager, it's awesome!
http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/

It showed me running 82 services!
Half of those are garbage apps. But you have to purchase it but its worth it.

If any1 knows a better way I'm all ears...eyes.

[blue60007]

Another AWESOME one is Ad-aware.

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/


A while back I had maybe half dozen things of crap on my computer, I got rid of them and they didn't work, but it still left bunches of registry keys and files around. Try that software, it can be a bit confusing but do this:

Once you start it up, hit start, select custom scanning options. Click the custimize link. Check every option under this tab. Then hit next to start the scan. Once done if anything has been found, you can hit next to see all of the items. I'd select all of them, and hit quarantine. I think by default when you delete these items it backs them up, but just to be sure do it twice. You can always delete one of them. Then with all of them selected hit delete, and viola!

[hogleg]

huuuuuuuh... Ok I must have deleted something that I shouldn't have.

Now when I click on a link...nothing happens???
anyone know whats missing?
I must have disabled a process in the task manager but not sure how to re-enable it.

And on boot up I get a error box stating it can't find "Java Virtual Machine Launcher", if that has anything to do w/it.

[Ace of Spades]

Hey Hog.

How ya doin!

I know, it's me, the all outa control freak from the Berg post. But hey, I have a few things that might help.

If you haven't heard of it, WinCleaner is another nice program. It will clean every last bit of space on your hard drive; including your registry, temporary internet folder, cookies, and even your internet history! It also has a small program called Destroy-It which can be usefull but at the same time, deadly! It will clean the space on your hard drive that is supposed to be free and it has some other options that are usefull as well. Be carefull with this one. And if you use the WinCleaner, don't use the One-Click button. You will lose everything that you store on your computer like personal settings and such. Just use the WinJunk & Shortcuts, WinNet & Privacy, and WinReg Cleaner and you will be safe. It will ask you if you want to save the things you delete in a temporary folder and I suggest you do so for awhile to see if you need to restore these items if you find something not working correctly. You can get this program for cheap at this site. worldstart.com It's on sale right now for $12.97 down from $39.99. Do a search for it in the software section and you should find it. Again, it's called: WinCleaner

I use this in conjunction with Ad-Aware (which you use), Hi-jack this, CWShredder, SpybotSD, and Norton Anti-Virus and my system seems to stay clean. When you said you have 82 services running, did you mean that's what it showed when running Ad-Aware or you saw this in another place? Anyway, I hope some of this will help you. I will try to find an answer on the problem you said you had with the link thing not working.

[[-[usf]-] commando]

i have heard several reports from pple that nortons is missing virusses that other programs pick up i think its mainly to do with some of the lattest virusses
i use zonealarm and pc cillian and adaware

[hogleg]

Thx for all the suggestions , I just DL'd Netscape 7.1.
It's got a nice look and feel about it and I'll bet that most of the browser viruses are aimed at MS IE.

[blue60007]

About your startup problem.

Go into run and type in msconfig. In here go to the startup tab. Look through the list to find something that looks like it would be the java thing. Un check it and hit apply. Restart the computer and see what happens. If that doesn't do it you can re check that one (or not) and find another that looks like it and try that. I removed a dll once and I got a startup error saying the module couldn't be found. After removing it from the start up list, no problems...

[lizardkid]

also, to improve RAM, try doing this...

go to find
type in disk deframentor

it's either tor or ter.....
it gets your files in line, proggys find stuff easier.

i think it dumps the excess in one spot too.... like registry keys.

[m4rine]

Thx for all the suggestions , I just DL'd Netscape 7.1.
It's got a nice look and feel about it and I'll bet that most of the browser viruses are aimed at MS IE.

hmmmm.... not really. viruses are mor aimed at Windows as an OS, and it is easy to find a clients OS. some say Mac and Linux are immune to viruses. not true, though they are to 99% of viruses.

i think its cos lots of ppl hate microsoft's patents and backdoors etc. especially programmers... and they know how to make viruses. not a v. good combination.

[lizardkid]

i think its cos lots of ppl hate microsoft's patents and backdoors etc. especially programmers... and they know how to make viruses. not a v. good combination.

heh, yeah. ever wonder who made the 'i love you' virus so long ago?

people today have forgotten what viruses were, they're so comp illliterate that a simple worm, which doesn;t usually harm your comp in any way but create temp files, freaks them out.
if i got a virus i'd decompile it curously.

[M&M]

It also has a small program called Destroy-It which can be usefull but at the same time, deadly! It will clean the space on your hard drive that is supposed to be free and it has some other options that are usefull as well.

well,thats an eraser program .in other words ,if u delete using this program u will never be able to recover it again !!!.

people today have forgotten what viruses were, they're so comp illliterate that a simple worm, which doesn;t usually harm your comp in any way but create temp files, freaks them out

yeah ive seen that happen all to much.but usually if u dont do something about this virus leaving temp files around it can destroy ur system .fill up ur hard drive and mess up ur windows settings until the inevitable reinstall.
the blaster worm !! .although its very very simple it can cause a great deal of damage to any comp illeterate user .i know ppl who stopped using the internet because of that worm !!!

i think its cos lots of ppl hate microsoft's patents and backdoors etc. especially programmers... and they know how to make viruses. not a v. good combination

well,i dont think they "hate" it .i think hackers LIKE the easy backdoors and bugs .thats why they prefer working on an "easier" to hack system .

f i got a virus i'd decompile it curously.

and ? since im not good at programming languages yet i dont understand a thing about decompiling (its all scripting to me )

[m4rine]

well,i dont think they "hate" it .i think hackers LIKE the easy backdoors and bugs .thats why they prefer working on an "easier" to hack system .

i dont really mean that. i mean they don't like backdoors that sends info to MS, like the Windows Media Player one which beamed back file details to MS. Of course, they do 'like' them, as htey can send stuff back through in some cases, etc. but im more talking about the legal side of things, not the operating system. which is valid, in my opinion, to dislkie microsoft for that, though obviously targeting users is wrong, why not try to convert to another OS?

i have had loads of lethal viruses, and McAfee is easily better than Norton to deal with them. You can get a virus scanning tool from McAfee as a free d/l, and it works well, it detects everything commercial stuff would, and fixes it.