If you do defrag your harddrive (reorganize it so it puts files in order instead of little pieces scattered all over), be sure to exit as many "running" programs as you can first, including anything running down near the clock on the system tray. With the exception of your firewall of course.
I could bore you with all kinds of suggestions that would seem overhwelming because I use 7 different anti-spyware programs including Hijack This. Instead of throwing all of those at people, (plus more) the minimum I recommend is Spybot and Ad-aware because they are free, as well as Hijack This, but most people I've helped ignore that program.Originally Posted by GratefulBear629
I think my computer is nearing it's end. lol It keeps freezingand doing bad things. I have to restart it all the time to get online.
I hope it holds out until my birthday (in May) when I will be getting a new computer.
I want to get a laptop. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should get? I'll be spending about $1,000 or so.
Thanks!!
I've had this computer for a few years now and it would be in better condition had I taken better care of it as far as spyware and whatnot.Originally Posted by Hydroaxe
I could bore you with all kinds of suggestions that would seem overhwelming because I use 7 different anti-spyware programs including Hijack This. Instead of throwing all of those at people, (plus more) the minimum I recommend is Spybot and Ad-aware because they are free, as well as Hijack This, but most people I've helped ignore that program.Then we go from there. If your operating system is XP then download Microsoft's Anti-Spyware. It is free for a few more months. There's a 99% chance that Internet Explorer is freezing on you because you've accumulated trojans/malware/spyware/worms/blah blah blah etc. that your current programs haven't been able to detect. Defragging your hard drive may help performance, but a fragmented hard drive is less likely to be the cause of your problems.
Whether you buy a new computer or not it's time to start learning more about security because you will eventually accumulate all that garbage again on your new one unless you know how to prevent it.
1. What is your anti-virus program?
2. Are you allowed free updates for it?
3. When was the last time you updated your anti-virus program?
4. What is your firewall? Is it a software program like ZoneAlarm or do you use a router instead?
5. Do you use the Immunize feature regularly in Spybot?
6. Do you update Spybot regularly?
7. Has it been a long time since there's been an actual update available?
8. Do you update Spy Sweeper Regularly
9. What is your operating system?
One thing I've been inclined to suggest more often lately is to download the Firefox browser from www.mozilla.org so you can use that instead of IE. Microsoft's browser is always the first one to get exploited, so using Firefox can help avoid some problems. I have more questions and helpful tips, but it depends on how much time you are willing to invest in fixing your computer.
And I thought what I said was going a little overboard. That's not a blurb. There's absolutely nothing brief about it. Nobody is going to read all that. That's like posting the history of the computer when all someone asked was how to minimize a window. I could just post a link to spywarewarrior.com and say, "Hey, read all this crap!" but you have every other resource on there too. If someone asks you for directions, do you create scaled 3-D model and map of everything on the way?
