After reading the countless posts suggesting a brand new anti-virus topic (because the current one is, sorry to say, outdated), I figured I'd add my own informative topic in order to help people who are experiencing tech problems out. Windows XP (Home/Professional)
Slow Computer?
Here's a little checklist to look at if you ever notice that your computer's running a little slow.
[] Malware
The largest contributor to a poorly performing PC is most likely malware. Usually, this is associated with downloading an application (.exe) that contains spyware, by not having browser security settings high enough or by carelessly downloading P2P files. Even by failing to install security patches in a timely manner can result in a tricky case of malware.
Step 1 - First of all, update your virus definitions. For the tricky pieces of malware, you'll have to boot into Safe Mode and run the anti-virus software. At this point, doing something non-computer related would be advised, as it could be a long wait (depending on your AV and the amount of files your hard drive has).
Step 2 - If the slowness was recent and you just downloaded a program recently, your problem is probably inside of that program. Completely remove this program from your computer and see if a change is noticed. For prevention, don't recklessly download - do a couple of web searches to find out what the program's security status is.
Step 3 - While you're in the aforementioned Safe Mode, run all the anti-spyware applications you can; each company has a different set of definitions of what they describe as "spyware" and so each company's application removes different things. Please note, you should always have only ONE anti-virus program installed on your computer at any one time, as problems can occur when they conflict with each other. Spyware scanners don't usually interfere with each other, and so it is safe to have multiple spyware scanners installed at the same time.
Step 4 - Another problem could lie within the automatic application startups. If you think you're an advanced user, push the Windows key and R simultaneously (or go to Start > Run manually) and type "services.msc" minus the quotes. Take note of the location of the files and the application name. I'd advise you not to click anything you're not sure about, but instead use a utility called Windows Startup Inspector, which is a more "intense" alternative to the "services.msc" command.
Extra (Optional) Steps To Take
Cleaning up your harddrive will give your PC more 'space' to work with, so go through your programs and documents - remove the applications you haven't used in two years, the software for the old printer you've bought two replacements for, zip files you've already unzipped - it's all up to your discretion.
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[] Anti-Virus Scanners
- Antivir
- Avast Free
- AVG Free (at the bottom of the page)
- BitDefender Free
- Kaspersky
- NOD32
*note: Kaspersky is not free - the rest are.
*Steps to (legally) 'register' NOD32 for free
[] Spyware Removal
- WinPatrol
"WinPatrol uses a heuristic approach to detecting attacks and violations of your computing environment. It takes snapshots of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge."
- SpywareBLASTER
Prevents spyware from being installed on your system.
- SpywareGuard
Provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster's protection method.
- SUPERAntiSpyware
Amazing program, absolutely 100% effective (will almost always find traces of spyware if run in Safe Mode)
- Spybot: Search & Destroy
- IE SpyAd
- Ad-Aware
[] Online Virus / Trojan Scanners
- aumha
- BitDefender
- CastleCops
- eTrust
- F-Secure
- HouseCall
- HouseCall - Java (Does not require IE, it uses Java instead of ActiveX)
- Jotti
- Kephyr PopUp Killer
- McAfee
- PC PitStop
- Spyware Guide
- Spyware Info
- Symantec
- Spy Audit (Does not remove/add any files to your system)
- Windows Security - ..Trojan Scanner
More to come for different problems in a little bit.
Post edited at 12:46 am on April 5, 2007 by DefaultTo0
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Avg is not free anymore however there is a proof its not. 
