Slow Windows: Speed up PC

Have you ever purchased a computer which ran blazing fast, but which then slowed to a snail's pace 2 years later? In desperation, you upgraded the RAM and changed to a new hard disk, but the PC still remained very slow.

Based on my 12 years' experience with PCs, I have identified a few causes of chronically slow windows:

1. Parasitic Software (very common)
   
2. Startup Programs (very common)
   
3. Poor Maintenance (occasional)
   
4. Hardware Problems (rare)

----- Parasitic Software -----

Spyware, adware, worms, viruses and other parasitic software are the most common cause of PC slowness. While reformatting is the fastest way to get rid of them, they will come back within weeks if you do not take good care of your PC. Below is what I will do:


1) Uninstall unwanted software. Below is a partial list of software I will avoid:

• ALL browser toolbars
• ALL search / indexing software
• 123 Messenger
• 180 Solution / ZANGO
• 888bar
• Adssite Toolbar
• Bearshare
• Bonzi Buddy
• BSplayer
• ClipGenie
• Comet Cursor
• Crazy Girls
• Cydoor
• Direct Revenue
• Dollar Revenue
• Ebates MoneyMaker
• ErrorSafe
• Evernote
• Enzula
• Hotbar
• FlashGet
• GameSpy
• Kazaa
• MP3 Rocket Toolbar
• Mirar Toolbar
• MyWay Searchbar
• Oemji Toolbar
• P*rnDigger!
• Smiley Central
• VirusProtectPro (Displays fake error messages)
• WeatherBug
• WeatherEye
• WhenU
• WhenUSave Toolbar
• WinFixer
• Winzix
• Zango / Zango Toolbar
• Zwinky

2) Install a good anti-virus software. Among the thousands of different anti-virus products available, I personally only trust those from these 3 companies: Symantec (a.k.a Norton Antivirus), McAfee and AVG. The obvious choice to me is the AVG Free Edition, which is not costs nothing but has beaten Symantec in the range of viruses that it can detect.

3) Install a good anti-spyware program. I believe that Spybot - Search & Destroy is a great freeware that can fulfill this role. Remember to use its "immunize" function.


----- Startup Programs -----

Download and run autoruns.exe. (If the link fails, search for it on Microsoft.com)

You should see a list of all the programs that load when the PC starts. This is a non-exhaustive list of programs that I will disable (by unticking the check box next to it):

• ALL Quick Launch entries
• Acrotray.exe
• backweb-8876480.exe
• CALMain.exe
• COCIManager.exe
• EM_EXEC.EXE
• hpsysdrv.exe
• hpwuschd2.exe
• iTunesHelper.exe
• jqs.exe
• kbd.exe
• MDM.exe
• PCMService.exe
• Quickcam.exe
• realsched.exe
• RTHDCPL.exe
• sl_reader.exe
  
• Skype.exe (unless you want to use it all the time)
• Updates from HP.exe

Note: Disabling the startup entry does not delete or uninstall the program in general. It merely stops the program from running when you switch on the PC. Many programs re-enable themselves again when they are run, so you will have to check occasionally.


----- Poor Maintenance -----

Install and run CCleaner: It will remove most of the junk on your PC. Do not install the toolbar bundled with it though.


Check the hard drive for errors: The errors can accumulate and wreck your PC suddendly.

1. Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the hard disk that you want to check.
2. Click Properties, and then click Tools.
3. Under Error-checking, click Check Now. A dialog box that shows the Check disk options is displayed.
4. For a regular check, select the Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start.
5. For detailed check, tick both check boxes, and then click Start.
6. If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, you will receive a message:
   The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive access to some Windows files on the disk. These files can be accessed by restarting Windows. Do you want to schedule the disk check to occur the next time you restart the computer?
7. If you get the above message, click Yes to schedule the disk check.
8. Repeat the above steps for all other drives in your PC.
   
9. Restart your computer.

Defrag the hard drive: You can use the freeware Auslogic Disk Defrag or the commercial PerfectDisk. In my view, most users suffice with the freeware version. Power users like me will prefer the commercial version.

Note: Your portable hard disk, thumb-drive and even SD cards also require maintenance.


----- Hardware Problems -----

Rarely, slow windows is caused by hardware problems.


The most common culprit is a failing hard disk. Usually it is because the disk has problems reading your data from its bad sectors, so it keeps trying to read the data repeatedly, slowing down the PC. You must check your disk for errors (refer to instructions above). If the problems clear up, backup your data and change to a new hard disk as the existing one will fail eventually.

However, if you hear any clicking or ticking sound from your hard disk, this is a data emergency. You may be only minutes away from a total failure of your hard disk. Immediately backup all your files without switching off the PC. Your PC may not be able to boot into Windows again. If you check the disk for errors, the strain of the checks may cause a total failure.


The other possibility is faulty RAM, which you can use MemTest to check.

There are other exotic causes, such as the disabling of the L1, L2 or L3 caches of the PC. These are unlikely to trouble most people.


----- Best Practices -----

Other than the recommendations listed above, you should have separate PCs for work and play.

The PC for play:
- Can be reformatted any time without deleting any crucial data
- Can install games, shareware and other applications
- Should not contain any compromising information (e.g. credit card data)
- Suitable for your kids or teens to use, if they do not have their own PC

The PC for work:
- You must always backup the data on it
- Strictly only application needed for work
- All banking and other important transactions should be done on this PC only
- Password protect your PC: Never ever let your kids or teens handle it

For both PCs:
- Ensure that the antivirus and anti-spyware programs are always updated
- Do computer maintenance weekly
- Webcam and microphones should be attached only when needed

Vista UAC Disable

Tired of seeing constant nag screens like this when using Vista? One way is to use the freeware TweakUAC to disable such screens.


For those who prefer to do it themselves, simply follow the simple steps below:

• Go to Control Panel
• Type in UAC into the search box
• Click on the link for “Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off”

• Uncheck the box for Use User Account Control (UAC)

• Click on the OK button
• Reboot the computer

Kids & teens can bypass child protection software

Earlier, I wrote about giving teens and children their own computer to use. A fellow blogger then suggested using child protection software.

While child protection software may help, we better not underestimate the ability of teens and children to disable such protection, and then hide the fact that they did so.

After all, the information on how to do these is often publicly available - http://www.zensur.freerk.com/#3.5


I know a teen who disabled the anti-spyware software I installed for his parents so that he can install some questionable Peer-to-Peer software. The computer became infected with spyware and slowed to a crawl soon after.

The poor parents only knew how to check email, surf the Internet and type Word documents. They called me to fix their computer when some persistent pornographic advertisements started appearing (due to one of the many spyware the computer was infected with).

When I made known the sabotage, the teen was unrepentant and seemed more frustrated that his favorite program could no longer run. He was last seen trying to disable the anti-spyware software just before I left.

Ban children & teens from your work computer

I find it common that people, including some who work in the Army, letting their children and teenagers use their work computers for fun and entertainment.

The younger users often install their favorite games, chat messengers, file sharing, browser toolbars and other software without permission from their parents.

As a result, the computers become infected with spyware, trojan horses and other computer nasties, posing a major security threat. In addition, some of these software tend to mess up the computer, giving computer technicians like me extra business.

I believe that people who value their computer security should give younger members of the family another computer of their own to play with. With computers costing only a few hundred dollars nowadays, why not buy yourself some peace of mind?

7 steps to improve your computer security

I never failed to be amazed at how poor most people's computer security is. A computer should have a few layers of defenses:

1) Good passwords - Choose long, memorable and not easily guessed passwords. Even better, add numbers and punctuation to them. For example, 23WhatTheHeck!

Use at least 3 passwords, one for unsecured sites like mailing lists, one for medium security sites like web mail and the other one for high security sites like online banking. Keep them secret.


2) Install Antivirus Protection - A good antivirus software like Norton Antivirus or McAfee VirusScan is a must. If you do not have this protection and you frequently download or share files (like in P2P), then it is very likely that your computer will be infected within weeks.

Your antivirus protection is ineffective if you never update the antivirus definitions because hundreds of new viruses appear every day. If your software does not do so automatically, then you will have to remind yourself to do so, especially just before you download anything from the Internet.


3) Use a Good Firewall - Firewalls that are not annoying don't work very well because they are like dogs that don't bark. I recommend the free Sunbelt Personal Firewall, which has the option to ask you what to do whenever each software executes or establishes a connection to the Internet.

The Blackice Intrusion Detection System is more secure than most firewalls. It is easy and simple enough for most people to use.


4) Use a Router - You can also opt to improve your protection using a router instead of connecting their computer directly to the Internet.

However, this protection is not foolproof, especially if you enable DMZ to get your special chat or P2P program to work.

In addition, if you get a wireless router but never configure security for it, then it is like having your windows and doors wide open for everyone to tap into your network.

Even wireless encryption is not supposed to provide security, just privacy against accidental eavesdropping. The situation is improving though, but old WEP64 and WEP128 networks are still easily cracked with powerful computers and special software.


5) Install Anti-Spyware - This is fast becoming important because it seems like half of all websites have one of those annoying spyware programs that make your computer very slow and prone to crashes. Installing something like the free Spybot Search & Destroy and updating it often is a must.


6) Keep your work computer for your own use only - There are many businesspeople who work on their secret business proposals, and then happily let their kids play games on the computer.

It is useless to take all the security measures only to have a teenager ruin it because they wanted to download free cool games and cute chatting programs. Many of these are wolves in sheep's clothing, including spyware and Trojan horses. Once inside your computer, they may "call home" and let their master access your data effortlessly.

It is common for these youngsters to disable your security if it gets in the way of their fun. Watch out when your antivirus or anti-spyware raises alarms or refuses to let a dangerous application run.

The same warning goes for sharing your computer with other people.


7) Update your software - Use automated updating software or services like Windows Update. - Most people never bother to update. As a result they always get problems with worms and hackers.

Even though Windows XP has an auto update feature, Microsoft does not show you everything. You must select the custom option at the above website to see everything.