Optimizing a computer

[wvjules]

I got DD and DBF laptops for Christmas. I know all the crap they pre-install on them slows them down unnecessarily so I want to go ahead and optimize them before Christmas so they will be ready to go. (Moreso for DD since she will be super eager to use hers. I also want to go ahead and put on the parental locks and stuff.) Does anyone have any good recommendations on websites that have programs or instructions on doing this?

Thanks.

 

[FireDancer]

Whenever I get a new computer I wipe the drive completely and just install Windows with no add ons. You should have gotten a Windows disk with the PC. If not you can get one from the manufacturer since you are a license holder. You can also get the drivers from the manufacturer.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I got DD and DBF laptops for Christmas. I know all the crap they pre-install on them slows them down unnecessarily so I want to go ahead and optimize them before Christmas so they will be ready to go. (Moreso for DD since she will be super eager to use hers. I also want to go ahead and put on the parental locks and stuff.) Does anyone have any good recommendations on websites that have programs or instructions on doing this?

Thanks.

What I do:

Remove the pre-installed programs that I don't want and are bloatware. Trial versions of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are good examples of this.

Install AVG anti-virus, which is a good anti-virus and not as bloated as some of the security suites.

Install Malwarebytes anti-malware, which is a good anti-malware program.

Remove Adobe PDF reader, which IMHO is bloatware, and install Foxit PDF reader, which is a good PDF reader that uses much fewer system resources.

Install Mozilla Firefox, which is a more secure and less bloated web browser than Internet Explorer IMHO. I also use the AdBlock Plus and Xmarks add-ons for Firefox.

Install vlc media player, a great open source media player that is less bloated and plays lots of media files which Media Player and Itunes don't readily play.

All of these are free.

 

[Imzadi]

Whenever I get a new computer I wipe the drive completely and just install Windows with no add ons. You should have gotten a Windows disk with the PC. If not you can get one from the manufacturer since you are a license holder. You can also get the drivers from the manufacturer.

Is this how you do a Clean Install? I noticed in past posts that you and The Marquis both said you like to wipe the HD and do a clean install rather than do a System Restore if something funky happens to your PCs.

My AVG antivirus keeps alerting me every several days that there it found a Trojan Horse. It "fixes" it. But, since the warnig comes back, I'm thinking it's deeper in the registry.

I suppose I can get a RegEdit cleaner. But, my PC is going way too slowly, too. I'd like to reformat. But it it takes me several days to reformat, delete all the crap that came bundled with the system, then reload drivers & programs, then find the newest updates online and update Windows, HP, the drivers, the programs, etc. How do you two do a Clean Install so quickly?

 

[Lewisc]

Go to the control panel and un-install all the trial programs. Do you have a trial copy of Micrsoft office? Un-install it and install openoffice (free)

http://www.openoffice.org/

The free copy of avira anti-virus gets better reviews then AVG.

http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php

One of the compuer magazines has a utility on their website that automatically does all of it, I'm not sure which one.

Most computers no longer come with a copy of windows. Sometimes the necessary files are in a hidden "recovery" partition on your HD. I wouldn't re-installl windows.

I've never used this program but it will let your remove the stuff you don't want
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

 

[tasha99]

Is this how you do a Clean Install? I noticed in past posts that you and The Marquis both said you like to wipe the HD and do a clean install rather than do a System Restore if something funky happens to your PCs.

My AVG antivirus keeps alerting me every several days that there it found a Trojan Horse. It "fixes" it. But, since the warnig comes back, I'm thinking it's deeper in the registry.

I suppose I can get a RegEdit cleaner. But, my PC is going way too slowly, too. I'd like to reformat. But it it takes me several days to reformat, delete all the crap that came bundled with the system, then reload drivers & programs, then find the newest updates online and update Windows, HP, the drivers, the programs, etc. How do you two do a Clean Install so quickly?

You could have a rootkit virus. I've used ComboFix for one before, but the truth is you can never really be sure it's gone. A clean install is the only sure cure.

 

[Imzadi]

Not speaking for the OP, but I thank everyone for these suggestions.

Install Malwarebytes anti-malware, which is a good anti-malware program.

I have Spybot now, but it never seems to catch anything when I run it. I don't know if that means it is successfully blocking stuff, or it really doesn't catch anything.

Remove Adobe PDF reader, which IMHO is bloatware, and install Foxit PDF reader, which is a good PDF reader that uses much fewer system resources.

Install vlc media player, a great open source media player that is less bloated and plays lots of media files which Media Player and Itunes don't readily play.

All of these are free.

Oooo! Thanks, I've been hoping for a replacement for Adobe PDF. Right now, I still only have Adobe PDF Reader 6 installed. I think they may be up to 8. But, I saw version 7 has a gazillion more MB of bloat that I didn't want. I only need it to read PDF files. And version 6 still hogs up all these resources & slowing everything down and I end up rebooting later in the day to free them back up.

Same with Win Media Player. I still have v. 10 and V.11 or 12 is out now. But I barely use it.

Do you have a trial copy of Micrsoft office? Un-install it and install openoffice (free)

http://www.openoffice.org/

Thanks. I have never used the free trial I got as most of my doc files are in other formats. Any Excel files I can open with Google Docs. But I have been keeping Microsoft office "just in case." It's simply clogging up my HD.

You could have a rootkit virus. I've used ComboFix for one before, but the truth is you can never really be sure it's gone. A clean install is the only sure cure.

I'll check this out.

 

[wvjules]

Thanks everyone. I am bookmarking this page so I can refer to it when I attempt it.

 

[FireDancer]

Is this how you do a Clean Install? I noticed in past posts that you and The Marquis both said you like to wipe the HD and do a clean install rather than do a System Restore if something funky happens to your PCs.

My AVG antivirus keeps alerting me every several days that there it found a Trojan Horse. It "fixes" it. But, since the warnig comes back, I'm thinking it's deeper in the registry.

I suppose I can get a RegEdit cleaner. But, my PC is going way too slowly, too. I'd like to reformat. But it it takes me several days to reformat, delete all the crap that came bundled with the system, then reload drivers & programs, then find the newest updates online and update Windows, HP, the drivers, the programs, etc. How do you two do a Clean Install so quickly?

As a PP said the only really way to know you got rid of a virus is to reinstall Windows from scratch. There is malware that can get pretty deep into the OS and can be missed by most AV programs. Microsoft has a program called the Malicious Software Removal Tool that is very good. If you computer is up to date you will have the December 2009 version. Just click start -> run and type MRT. Do a full scan and let it run for a while. Microsoft does some checking of deep file system objects like dlls and the kernel and if they sense that there is something wrong they will at least alert you (many can't really be fixed because they are loaded into memory just to boot). I use either AVG or Avast free editions for the antivirus but Microsoft also has a very good free AV program now that is called Microsoft Security Essentials. Any of those 3 are a good AV once you get Windows reinstalled.

I also think Foxit is superior to Adobe. Because the PDF standard is vulnerable to problems it isn't bullet proof, no PDF reader is, but it is better than Adobe. Whatever PDF reader you use go into the settings and turn off Java Script.

If you have a Windows Live account (they are free) you can use a free web based version of Office. Open Office is good for most things but I use Access a lot as a front end to ODBC databases and need it.

Definitely go with Firefox over IE. IE8 isn't terrible but Firefox allows for plug-ins that can block ads and scripting. It also has built in spell check which is a godsend for things like message boards.

I use VLC also. I have an iPod (unfortunately) and use iTunes as nothing more than a drag and drop interface. All my music is un-DRMed MP3s sitting on Terrabyte drives. They are 100% portable and I can mirror the drive. Both things iTunes doesn't do easily.

Good luck both of you