i'm crying over a........computor!!

[sarah8]

my laptop has been getting slower and slower, constantly does not respond, won't let me shut down, or look at programmes......i'm now waiting minutes yes minutes for pages to load.......feel like throwing it out of the window.....

its about 6 months old, was all singing and dancing when new...now utter ****e.............

can i start again with it? or should i throw it out of the window?

thanks everyone....
ps....i am a dummy...yes!!??

 

[kevplumb]

try defragmenting the hard disk

if you check the old posts there are some links for spyware removers

i assume you have anti virus software and its up to date

 

[breezer]

its probably full of junk

have you tried removing "stuff you don't want" i.e that freebie prog you got cos it was free, but you found its not what you wanted anyway, or some progs you really dont use.

also you could try to "defrag" it (look in the o/s help section, or type in defrag, under search for......)

also get a copy of norton utilites for your o/s its amazing what junk it can fix / get rid of

o/s = operating system

desktops have the same problems too

 

[masona]

I'm not sure has breezer mention it, have you done the Disk clean up ? The temporary internet files can slow thing down. Look under system tool

 

[sarah8]

thanks everyone...will try these things later and let you know the outcome....


kevplumb....shower is fab, thanks!!

 

[TexMex]

It's well worth pressing Ctl+Alt+Del and looking at all the processes that are running. Take a note of them and then put each one, in turn, into a search on Google, to find out what they are. If you do this on a frequent basis, you will become familliar with the processes running on your machine. As soon as something different turns up, you'll notice it on your next check.

Personally, I check which processes are running each time I boot up my machine (once it's finished starting up all the services), and then again the first time that I open any web or mail browser.

Once you are familliar with the legitimate processes that are usually running on your machine, checking this list only takes a few seconds. I also do a quick check if I notice any suspicious delays.

Am I paranoid? Maybe but, I probably spend less than 20 seconds per boot on my obsessive behaviour. On the one occaision that I became infected with spyware, I had removed it within 10 minutes of infection.

 

[sarah8]

done the defrag thing...hasn't made any difference..........

internet is ok....abit slow for gold broadband i think....

its the other stuff....

i remember seeing something where i could reset the whole computor back to a previous time.....its true i promise....but i can't find it now obviously.....what about wiping the whole damn thing and starting again???

 

[Igorian]

As mentioned earlier, it's likely to be spyware. Go and get Microsofts Antispyware.

 

[breezer]

i remember seeing something where i could reset the whole computor back to a previous time.....its true i promise....but i can't find it now obviously.....what about wiping the whole damn thing and starting again???

you are thinking of "system restore" sorry it only available to new customers only

(seriously, if you have windows xp you have system restore, if you havent got xp, then no system restore for you) but i doubt that will solve your problem, as i said i think its full of junk

if you have the o/s cd rom, yes you can format and start again,you will also need ALL device drivers, its easy to do, but even easier to get wrong, i suggest you do not take that route

 

[pipme]

General clear up ? Go here the PC Andrews liver salts !!
http://ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
Download ccleaner .... let it do a cleanup for you ... Tis free and safe.

Wanna see what processes are running and all the associated stuff ? Go here
http://www.xmlsp.com/pview/prcview.htm
Download process viewer another safe small prog.
Run the prog, click on 'view' 'options' set as shown the pix below .. works nicely. Sits in system tray .. opens at start up .. etc
A picture of my Process viwer set-up (edited due to width affecting whole thread ):-
http://imagehost.darkernet.co.uk/i/prcvu-1.jpg

 

[VeRetired]

I have got to stick my ha'penny worth in here. I would stay clear of
C-Cleaner unless you understand how to configure it. I d'loaded it recently and in a single click, it wiped out my photos and other images in 'My Pictures', hundreds of them. All gone in a second, I am still trying to retrieve them with a file recovery application. up 'til now, no luck. Although I had transferred some to CD, many weren't and it looks like I've lost 'em
Try GOOGLE and download these freebies, these will shift most baddies;

Ad-Aware fom Lavasoft
AVG anti-virus from Grisoft (updates regularly)
Spy-Bot Search & Destroy 1.3.1TX
Spyware Blaster
Spyware Guard
Reg-Seeker, a simple and safe registry cleaner
If you do decide to get them, make sure you run them regularly.
Go here to configure AVG; http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/list.php?4
Best of luck

 

[Igorian]

I have to agree with Ve. Crap cleaner is not for those who just want a reasonable safe point and click cleaner. Having said that, with any application of this type you should always backup anything really important first.

Ve, I do a fair bit of data recovery, and have managed to recover stuff for another member on here. If you want to send me the drive i'll be happy to help if I can. It's important not to write to the drive (or as little as possible) or you will risk permanently damaging the files.

 

[pipme]

I guess one might be mindful of RTFM ... 'download and run' has to be a little dodgy.
I have looked through the Forum at CCleaner.com couldn't search out any complaints about lost files, checked Help for CC and cannot see how files would normally get deleted ...
Unless 'Custom folders' was used, that requires user input in terms of selecting a folder to be cleaned .. Or a subfolder was being used from a cleansable folder.
CC works as expected on my Win98se... Initially used 'Analyse' then had a shufty at what was selected to be removed. ... Would not continue if a whole list of files appeared .. other than *.tmp types. never seen other than *.tmp's though.

Norton utilities (from Norton SystemWorksyyyy) 'Norton Unerase' ... Another saviour for the toolbox!!
~~~~~~~~~
The progs suggested are mostly Spyware etc cleansers ... Other machine slowdown causes may not be addressed .. Like monolithic Internet, History and Cookies TEMPorary files ... etc
Have a look at this :-
http://www.spywareinfo.net/may26,2004#tip
~~~~~~~~~
This is a very good Spyware, adware resource .. Lots of info throughout the site. Comparisons, downloads etc. .. Enables one to read 'around' the stuff on offer and learn to DIY.
http://spywarewarrior.com/sww-help.htm

 

[kevplumb]

just a footnote just ran ms anti spyware and got a boatload

and it runs every day

frightening

 

[pipme]

just a footnote just ran ms anti spyware and got a boatload

and it runs every day

frightening

Take a real good look ... is it really spyware ? Or false positives ?

If you empty your Internet temp files cookies and history .. does it still see loads of stuff ?
Are they files like .exe or .dll .com .bat .pif and where are they situated .. ?

Be nice to know what is being highlighted ( MS anti-S ex Giant does not run on Win98 )

Unlike other forms of software, which tend to either be "good" or "bad," spyware often exists in shades of "gray." With the exception of malicious behaviors, many of the behaviors could have legitimate purposes. The potential for harm and disruption to the user's PC experience depends on the specific behaviors demonstrated by a given program ............... Microsoft researchers use the criteria categories described in this white paper to determine whether a program should be added to the definition library for detection, and what classification (type, risk level, and recommendation) would be appropriate. A program only needs to exhibit behaviors that fall into one or more of the categories for it to be included in the definition library.