PC is built – how do I take care of it?

[Jeri]

Successfully built 2 systems for home use. What beauties!

The system that the kids are using is starting to run slow. I’m convinced it has something to do with the sites they visit (but I could be wrong). I have Kaspersky AV, ZoneAlarm and the XP Firewall enabled.

What’s causing the slowing? Fragmentation? I have a brand new 250g HD and the systems have been up for only 2 weeks. Spyware? Adware?

Are there any on-line tutorials or some good books to teach me how to keep my babies purring???

Thanks!

Jeri

Asus A8N5X 939 Socket | AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego Core | eVGA 6800GS & eVGA 7600GT PCI-E | Antec Sonota II | 1 GB (2x512 MB) Corsiar VS PC3200 DDR400 | Seagate 250G SATA | LiteOn DVD/CD | WinXP Home SP2

[Alaron]

Fragmentation is unlikely on a drive so new.

I would guess spyware. Run scans with AdAware, Spybot, Ewido, AVG.

[Staren]

On a kids computer, the problem being spyware is amost a given. You could run AdAware and SpySweaper everyday, but 80% of the solution is behavioral. They have to know when pop-ups come up not to click yes, and that those offers to download fun new cursers or smiles are going to hurt the computer. Kids sites are notorious for having stuff like that, and it doesn’t take long to build up a major problem. There is a good article on spyware here: http://www.leoville.tv/radio/Main/SpywarePrevention

[786ARS]

you can put a parental blocker, or alternatively, use more securer browsers, such as firefox and opera. even ie7 beta, although buggy, is a massive step up from ie 6. with firefox, remember to get the ad block plugin.

[Cricket]

I'd use just one firewall, not two.

Install spyware blockers like SpywareBlaster and Windows Defender. Installing Ewido would be a good idea too. And if you use Spybot: Search & Destroy be sure to run the Immunize feature.

You might even want to give Sandboxie a try.

The Spyware Warrior web site would be a good site to visit for more information on spyware and how to keep it off your computer.

Cricket

[786ARS]

when you do use spyware blockers, remember to set up regular scans, like once a week, to scan for any new bugs.

[Cricket]

And make sure you update them very often. Doesn't do you any good if the scanner is using definitions from last year.

Cricket

[Jeri]

Wow – some great input – Thanks!

I read that you have to run the Spy Checking software individually - for each user on an XP. Do any of these programs allow me (administrator) to set up a nightly scan and hit the whole drive?

Free is great – but I wouldn’t mind paying for a good program that I can set up to run nightly.

Thanks!

[786ARS]

most programs have in built scheduling, or i think you can use task scheduler in windows to run the program whenever

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by Jeri Wow – some great input – Thanks! I read that you have to run the Spy Checking software individually - for each user on an XP. Do any of these programs allow me (administrator) to set up a nightly scan and hit the whole drive? Free is great – but I wouldn’t mind paying for a good program that I can set up to run nightly. Thanks!

All you need on your computer is MS Defender Anti-spyware and the PCMech highly recommended Clamwin Anti-Virus.
I have tried most and Clamwin hands down is the best, I am glad PCMech directed me to it.
So many viruses that Norton. McAfee and Panda could not even detect, Clamwin found and quaranteend, Clamwin uses very little of your system resources unlike the others which means it won't bog down your computer.
Windows firewall is all you need for a firewall.
Make sure and keep both computers updated from microsoft.com
I run nightly scans on all my computers.
I have tried many free anti-spywares but sadly they all include their own spyware or some kind of malware that seriously slows down your computer.
Why pay for it when you can get it free from the source, which is Microsoft.

[glc]

I have tried many free anti-spywares but sadly they all include their own spyware or some kind of malware that seriously slows down your computer.

That's news to me - Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D are clean as a whistle, as is Spyware Blaster. I install all 3 on every system I work on, along with AVG Free. I don't use Windows Defender because it's footprint is huge and DOES cause slowdowns.

[Staren]

Originally Posted by glc That's news to me - Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D are clean as a whistle, as is Spyware Blaster. I install all 3 on every system I work on, along with AVG Free. I don't use Windows Defender because it's footprint is huge and DOES cause slowdowns.

Same here. Ya, there are a ton of anti-spyware programs, but if you use the ones that have built up a respected name, they work as well as expected and are always clean (if downloaded from offical sites).

Now there are two reasons why you might have come across this problem Khalil. I'm going to just post them here since it's good information for everyone.

1. You downloaded the anti-spyware program from somewhere other then the offical website for that program. There are people out there that will load up a legit program with junk and offer it as a download as a convenice.

2. You or someone else on your computer downloaded an anti-spyware or anti-virus program from a website that advertises with pop-ups. We shouldn't even have to tell anyone how bad of an idea that is, but sadly we still do.