Step 1 - Remove Malware
Malware is a pain in the arse, it gets into your computer and hogs your resources while doing malicious things. So, we need to both prevent malware from infecting the computer and have tools to remove it when it does. I will start with some tools for malware removal...
Super Antispyware : The name almost sounds like it is malware itself, but it is not. I free version is great at removing malware after a PC has already been infected. It is also a great tool to run if you are not sure whether or not you have malware. Sometimes they will run quietly while collecting data and slowing down your pc. The user interface is straight forward, scan PC for infections and then remove them.
Malware Bytes : This is another program that I've had luck with. It is very similar to Super Antispyware.
Moving onto malware prevention..
Ad-aware : This is currently my favorite antispyware application. It's runs fairly out of sight and out of mind. I think this is geared more towards spyware than viruses, but I have head that ad-aware will cover viruses as well.
Threatfire : This antivirus runs in real time, it is supposed to analyze your behavior and prevent virus infections before they occur. Most antivirus programs have virus definitions that update on your PC once a day, then the antivirus scans your PC to check for an infection. Threatfire is supposed to update dynamically and protect against zero day attacks.
Panda Cloud Antivirus : Ok, I haven't used this one yet because it is only supported on 32 bit systems currently, but the concept is cool. Panda actually uses your Internet connection to scan for viruses. Rather than having the virus scanner running from your PC, the antivirus software runs on Panda's servers. It also updates automatically over the internet. This would be a very low overhead solution, I want to test this when / if a 64 bit edition become available.
For more tips on removing malware, check out this article.
Step 2 Remove Unnecessary Applications
Every program running on your PC is competing for CPU time and using up RAM. If we want to optimize our PC for peak performance, we should cut out the programs that we don't need.
Add/Remove : Head to your control panel and give add or remove programs a spin. It's a good place to start and you'll be suprised how many absolete programs might be loitering on your PC. It's best to get rid of the things that you don't need.
Revo Uninstaller : This can be used to remove programs as well. "Revo Uninstaller scans before and after an uninstallation to find all files, folders and registry keys left behind by the program's uninstaller."
AutoRuns : This is a nice utility by SysInternals, you can use this to view all of the programs that start when you turn on your computer. This can also show you scheduled tasks, services, drivers, etc. I'd consider this tool an essential one to have.
STEP 3 Cleaning up the Hard Drive
CCleaner : This is a great tool for deleting the temporary files off of your hard drive. It also clears out browsing history, fixes broke registry entries, and cleans out temp files left by applications. Think of CCleaner as the Roomba of your computer. It just doesn't make as much noise.
Defraggler : If you are write a bunch of files to your computer and then delete a few of them; new files written to the hard drive will try to fill in the gaps. Eventually things get jarbled and files get splattered all accross your hard drive. When the read/write head goes to access the files it has to position itself to what you want to access. So, over time your hard drive become fragmented (splattered) and it takes a long time to locate desired files. Defraggler helps defragment (what a play on words) you hard drive. It will put the files back in order! It's sweet, get it.
STEP 4 Cleaning out the PC
Dust is bad mmkay. When a computer does work it gets hot. When a computer gets hot it slows down. When there is dust on the heat syncs in your computer they don't cool the computer down as much as they could. The end result is a hot, dusty, slow computer. Crack open the case and spray it down with compressed air.
STEP 5 Don't Use Vista
No comment.
STEP 6 Easy Upgrades
Crucial : Head over to crucial.com and find out if your computer is eligible for an upgrade on RAM. Most PC's don't ship maxed on their RAM capabilities. This is typically the easiest thing to upgrade to boost performance. However, keep in mind that RAM will allow you to run more programs at the same time or run bigger programs. If you are looking for a pure graphics upgrade you may want to look at your graphics card or processor.
Well that's all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to leave any suggestions and I will modify the post accordingly. Cheers!
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