James G. Sack (jim) wrote:
<snip>
I read about a program
http://www.liveinformed.com/adfusion.aspx?UserFeedGuid=44bc5aa9-a896-4f2a-9bd8-b44074f14def&ArticleId=950&reload=true
that seems like it might do me some good. Should I try it.
"""
I did get asked about this one, and might like to know the proper answer
in this case..
I went to that site. They are selling a registry cleaner. The hook is
'Computer Slowing Down? What to Do About It'
What they do not tell you is that under M$ Windows your computer slowing
down can be because of adware, spybots, virii, and or a registry which
is bloated or full of entries which are no longer relevant.
To deal with adware and spybots there are two free programs for private
users that should be run regularly (I recommend at least once a week).
Adware can be identified and removed by Ad-Aware 2007 Free from Lavasoft
at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
Spybots can be identified and removed by Spybot Search & Destroy from
Safer Networking Ltd. at: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
These two together pretty much handle all the adware and spybots that
most people have trouble with. Spybot Search & Destroy removes cookies
that some people may wish to keep if they store personal information on
certain websites that they shop at regularly so they should always run
Ad-Aware first and then Spybot Search & Destroy. Personally, I always
recommend that users never store their personal financial information
i.e. credit card numbers, bank account numbers, etc. at any website.
Yes, it is a hassle to have to enter it in each time you want to buy
something on-line but it sure beats dealing with the horrors of identity
theft.
Another program which is pretty good about catching spyware is
Spysweeper by Webroot at:
http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-products-spysweeper.html
However, this is a commercial program which must be purchased and
renewed each year. Yes, it is a subscription service much like Norton
Antivirus, etc. If you really want to go whole hog you can buy it
bundled with Webroot's Spy Sweeper, Anti-virus, and Firewall at
http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer-products-antivirus.html
I use Spy Sweeper by itself at home. My wife likes Microsoft because she
uses it at work. The firewall and anti-virus programs on her computer
are by different companies.
I won't go into firewalls here but for anti-virus software I recommend
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition from http:\\www.grisoft.com/
Two other programs which can be run in the background are SpywareBlaster
and SpywareGuard from JavaCool Software at
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html and
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html
Again, they are free programs for personal use.
Now we come to registry cleaners. This can be done by becoming
intimately familiar with the internal machinations of each version of M$
Windows i.e Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista.
OR you can purchase a registry cleaner which will automate the process
for you and save your sanity. Whatever route you decide to take be sure
to back up your registry before doing any work on it. Otherwise you can
trash your registry and turn your expensive Windows Machine into a
decorative door stop.
Back when I was looking for a good registry cleaner I ran across Abexo
Windows System Utilities at http://www.abexo.com/
I bought their bundle which included a Registry Cleaner, Disk
Defragmenter, and Memory Defragmenter. I believe they sell this bundle
these days for $59.85 which is pretty inexpensive if you have ever
bought a few textbooks to teach yourself how to do all this stuff by
hand coding it.
There may be better programs or cheaper programs out there that do this
stuff so it may be worth it to shop around. At the time I needed it it
was considered 'good stuff' so I bought them (the Abexo programs) and
haven't regretted it.
Well, I hope I have answered your question and maybe helped you get some
ideas on how to set up friends and family M$ Windows computers so they
don't get bogged down with adware, spyware, virii and a corrupt or
bloated registry.
Good Luck!
Rick
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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