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How to Optimize Your Computer
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The Consumerist did a great job exposing Best Buy’s Optimization services scam last week but the real gem, besides having another reason not to buy computers there, was in the end where they listed free tools you could use to optimize your computer.
First, before you download or run any tools, use the ones that come free with Windows – Disk Defragmenter, Disk Cleanup, etc. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to bring in the big guns… all of which are free.
CCleaner
CCleaner is a very powerful free tool that offers one click cleanup of all browser data (temporary files, surfing history, cookies, download history, etc.) as well as, and this is where I think it really excels, a registry cleaner and third-party app cleaner. It’s great you can remove all those garbage registry entries and artifacts without having to enter your registry manually (and potentially mucking something up).
PC Decrapifier
PC Decrapifier is an app I didn’t know about until the Consumerist article but it lets you delete all the garbage new computers come with. All those trials and shareware packages you won’t possibly use, all can be removed with a click of the button. It maintains a centralized database of “craplets” and the app is free. I thought it was funny that the advertisement that appears when you visit the site is from Geek Squad/Best Buy. This beats going into Add/Remove Programs in Windows and removing things manually.
Spybot Search & Destroy
I run Spybot all the time. When you start using it, you’ll be amazed at how many websites drop cookies (basically all of them, including Bargaineering) and this will let you clean up a lot of that junk. More importantly, it will find and remove spyware like toolbars and hidden extensions to your browser.
Free AVG
AVG Free is a free anti-virus anti-spyware application that, at a minimum, everyone should have installed on their computer. If you have Norton or some other anti-virus application, you won’t need AVG. If you don’t have an anti-virus program and are considering buying something, give AVG a try. You’ll be impressed.
The Consumerist also mentioned Avira Anti-Virus, also free, but I’ve never used it.
If you run just those applications and the built in Windows ones, you’re bound to clean a metric ton of crap off your computer if you’ve never approached it. Then, every once and a while, run them again to make sure things are still nice and clean!
Is there an app that should be on the list but isn’t?
(Photo: vickispix)
{ 51 comments, please add your thoughts now! }
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I personally prefer Microsoft’s free anti-virus solution “Security Essentials”. I like it over AVG because it seems to not slow the system down as much and it only shows information if something is wrong. Other anti-virus scanners will usually tell you periodically that it has stopped XX attacks.
My Norton subscription ran out and I got AVG a few months ago. It runs cleaner than Norton, doesn’t use as much system resources, and best of all it free!
S_S
Ad-aware is another good one.
When I fix someone’s computer runs “slow”, I run what I call the Trinity.
Virus scan, spybot, and ad-aware. If the three don’t install/won’t scan, your only course of action is to wipe it.
There are other time-consuming things you can try, but I charged a flat flee, so I wasn’t going to bother trying all those various solutions. I’d just backup their music, data, photos, and bookmarks, then wipe it clean.
For the average users, wiping your computer and starting from a fresh install will work wonders if you do it once a year. The Windows registry gets clogged over time.
I’ve never wiped my computer, because it’s always sounded like an incredible hassle. I have several programs that are no longer available, or that I’ve lost the install CDs over the years, or that the current downloadable free version sucks and I want to stick with the version from a year ago.
What do you do about programs that you don’t want to lose, but don’t have the means to readily re-install after the wipe?
This won’t help your dilemma for now, but in the future when you download or install a program, always save the setup.exe on either a disc or a flash drive. A folder on an external HD is perfect for this (along with your backups).
There have been times when my computer has been so bogged down with crap these programmes won’t work for me either. Luckily I had loaded said programmes onto a flash-drive. There have been times when a programme has had a .exe file extension and malware has blocked it. I simply changed the file extension to.scr for example
I’m new to AVG having used an enterprise version of McAfee. McAfee seemed to consume too much CPU power. So far AVG has been good for me.
… OR… you could use Linux and never worry about cleaning your computer again! LOL
If you choose to stick with Windows, I would scrap AVG and Avira. The ads from both programs are a pain. Avira consistently gave me a lot of false positives too. I’ve been using Avast! on all my home PCs and it works beautifully. From the most recent studies I’ve seen, Avast is second only to Avira in terms of detection and ability to clean infections (referring only to free anti-virus programs).
Oh, and I second the plug for Ad-Aware! Excellent piece of software and a great compliment to Spybot.
I second the notion on Linux. In my side-line consulting business, I have been converting my customers from Windows to Linux whenever they will hear me out. I have, thus far, heard no complaints, and one customer, about half an hour into training her on Linux, even said, “I already don’t miss Windows.”
At home, I do not run Windows. Unfortunately, I don’t have an option at my day job.
Glenn, I hear you! I have a PC for my kids’ use that was constantly filled with malware and crashing. I switched them to Linux (Ubuntu) and haven’t had a problem since. My Laptop is Linux, and my desktop PC is dual-boot (I have a couple old Windows programs I like to run occasionally).
I wonder how many people will buy new pc’s because they think that theirs is too slow when actually it may just need to be cleaned up.
seriously, I want to find these people and have them sell me their old laptops for cheap because they think it is too slow lol
Post a note on your local Freecycle group and you will have your fill.
I had AVG Free for a while and it caused more problems than it solved.
Right now I’m using Trend Micro. $32 and zero issues.
Jim, why don’t you like Best Buy? I’ve had a really good experience with them over the years.
Microsoft Security Essentials is also free and uses far fewer resources compared to AVG which I previously used. Advanced System Care is another free system cleaner and utility suite that I have used with good success. Download it from CNET.
Agree with Advanced System Care..free, no problems.
Had used Avast Anti-Virus in the past (another free program), but had nothing but problems. Even my computer guy had a tough time getting rid of the stuff that got by that program.
Wow… How long ago was it? I’ve used Avast! on 3 PCs at home (plus some I maintain at our church) for years and never had a problem! They recently took 2nd place in PC World for free anti-virus programs’ performance in detection and removal of viruses.
Avast! has my vote also. I’ve never had a problem with it. It is highly rated.
cc cleaner istop notch and i am running avg currently on the pc i am on now.
CC cleaner is good stuff
If you work for corporate America, you can often get a free license of one of the commercial-grade antivirus programs for use at home from your IT department (as long as there is at least some reason to use your home computer for work). You can also get free Microsoft Office licenses the same way.
I use AVG and Spybot currently and I run PC Decrapifier on any new computer that I don’t build myself.
Hi
My pc took a long time to boot up and it crashed often. I did disk defrag, disk cleanup and a whole lot more and I still had the problem.
I subscribe to a newsletter at http://www.asktcl.com. She recently had an article about this. It said that it had to do with the way we view MY COMPUTER.
Try this.
Go to MY COMPUTER.
Click on any folder or file.
Change the view to LIST
Then click on TOOLS.
Then click on VIEW
Then click on APPLY TO ALL FOLDERS.
The reat is history. Let me know if you get the same results that I did.
Bill Snider
If you are looking to make the computer run faster then you must also check a few more things. Spyware and viruses will bring the system to a crawl but they aren’t always the culprit.
Also check:
1) RAM- Do you have enough? If the computer must constantly pull data from swap/paging file that will really slow you down.
2)Startup programs- do you have too many programs running or starting every time you boot up? Go into the settings or registry(with caution) to allow only necessary programs to start at boot. This will help boot time and performance. There is usually no need for most programs to run in the background.
3)Defragment your computer – this will opimize your hard drives so the computer can access your files faster and more efficiently.
I hadn’t heard about PC Decrapifier before, but it sounds great! My current computer was a gift, which means it came pre-built and full of loads of crap. I tried to get rid of as much as possible, but I know there’s still some there. Decrapifier sounds great!
I run Spybot and Ad-Aware occasionally, and AVG is my anti-virus of choice.
I’ll be writing about this as well soon as it pertains to Mr. Boomer’s computer and what we did to speed it up.
You have a couple of programs listed I didn’t use so appreciate the information and getting the word out (yes, I was going to pay Best Buy).
why did u reject my comment
Because it was a “recommendation” of a piece of software that costs $49.99 followed by a way to download it illegally.
Good practice, well done
Warez (illegal copies of programs from less-than-reputable sources) are a nearly surefire road to malware and headaches.
They are. I ironically got a virus from an anti-virus program I tried to download from bittorrent. Wiped my computer out. Luckily I had a copy of Linux.
Jim,
Thanks for this article. Quite informative. I knew about all the tools except “PC Decrapifier”.
A great addon if you use firefox is NoScript. It blocks all scripts from running(and in some cases blocks malware from auto installing). It takes some time to configure what to allow and what to keep blocked. But once you get it set up, it’s a great passive tool to have around.
I’m a longtime fan of spybot, which reminds me to run a scan. Also have had ad-aware but had forgotten to download it when I got my new laptop. Thanks for the article.
Huge fan of Firefox with NoScript, Adblock plus, flashblock and bugmenot installed. All free and make browsing a worthwhile experience!
Good suggestions everyone.
y’all should look into Opendns. It filters out malware, viruses and other crap before it reaches your computer. Best of all they offer a free service. I haven’t paid for a virus subscription since the Clinton administration.
Also I prefer to use LastPass as a password organizer.
Love NoScript. It stops pdfs from loading in the background and makes webpages easier to see by blocking many ads. You just have to step up your trusted sites once and then forget about it.
For antivirus, I have switched from AVG to Microsoft Security Essentials. I did this to stop AVG bugging me to buy their paid version during their upgrades. I set up MSE on my parents computer and it doesn’t bother them unless there is a problem.
I love geeky stuff hahaha.
I usually run PC Decrapifier on new computers that people bring me. It saves a lot of time for me. I love CCleaner too. I used to use Spybot (and it’s still a great program) but I like Malwarebytes’ Anti-malware these days. For AV, I used to stick with AVG but I’m liking Avira and Avast a lot these days so I have made the switch to either of those.
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, YOU ALL ARE THE BEST. PEOPLE GIVING YOU PEOPLE HAVE IT GOING ON, THANKS
VERY nice list. I recently bought a new desktop and was very annoyed at all the trial versions, etc. loaded onto it. Thanks!
I have 5 computers in use and 2 others given to me because they were “just too slow”.
Cleaning them up and passing them on where needed is a joy.
After clearing temp files and defragging, CCleaner is my first tool of choice and it also cleans and defragments the registry.
SpywareBlaster (free) and SUPERAntispyware ($19.95 lifetime license) for real-time protection are next and then Spybot Search and Destroy for twice weekly scans.
Avast! is my virus scanner of choice since AVG put their toolbar on the program.
I have it running on Windows 98, 2000, XP pro and home and Win7, and have never had a problem since installing it.
Free Malwarebytes can’t be beat for getting rid of all sorts of malware and the difference between it and the paid version is manual updating. It does not run continuously (that is not its purpose) but is called up for scans when desired. There is an update link right on the interface.
I use WinPatrol to show me (and configure) all startup and running programs, hidden files, ActiveX and browser helpers.
This program is amazing!
These programs leave me with clean and fast machines.
I use AVG Free but the best virus protection I’ve used is Kaspersky. In terms of free, they only offer a trial. I also use Malwarebytes for spyware.
The bottom line is if you have a virus infection, reformatting is the safest solution. It is the only 100% guarantee to get rid of the virus. There are tons of viruses designed to avoid detection and deletion. You might think you got rid of a virus but it already replicated into something else. Just make sure you backup all personal files and you have your windows cd and key ready.
The Ever-Growing Free Windows Software List
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=337890
To start with I fix PCs daily and on average do about 15-25 a week. The first step of ANY PC user is to ditch McAfee ant-virus/internetsecurity/total protection crap that you get from your ISP. Verizon Security Suite is another quick one to ditch (it seems to be based on ESods Nod32 or Kaspersky depending on the version but its a bloated POS) because of the relative poor job it does of protection as well as the massive resource consumption both have.
Step two would be to check your RAM. If you’re running Windows XP and have less than 1Gb, upgrade (yes 256-512Mb was fine at launch but you’re running alot more stuff now…memory is cheap). Vista you want atleast 2Gb, 3Gb is even smoother. Again, memory is cheap. Windows 7 runs ok on 1Gb but 2Gb is better and again…more is BETTER. You can never have enough ram and with 4Gb running between $60-70 for DDR3 (DDR2 will cost you closer to $80 and DDR will run closer to $100-120) its the cheapest upgrade you can do and will NEVER (unless its bad memory) treat you wrong.
Next, AVG? No, its become massively bloated and its default toolbar and safesearch capabilities are massively sluggish. Microsoft offers a free, amazingly good security solution called Security Essentials. It works as long as you have a valid, WGA certified version of XP/Vista/Win7. Great software. Avast works in a pinch as well (more so for fixing/recovery) and in a pinch Avira is nice too but its ads are annoying.
Ccleaner is good but its not going to fix massive problems and in fact Vista/Win7 offer similar space cleaning tools but dont touch the registry (and I’d prefer far more users to stay the hell away from registry cleaners. Ccleaner does ok there but the rest just LEAVE THE REGISTRY ALONE!).
Finally, Spybot is good but no malware tool by itself is perfect. Spybot + malwarebytes is about as close to perfect as you can get. AdAware is junk nowadays as is Spysweeper. Kaspersky AV does a decent job as an Anti-virus for removing malware but again, its somewhat bloated and not intuitive for a user app.
Seriously though, the absolute best thing you can do to improve performance is remove as many of the computer companies programs as you can at start but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AS MUCH MEMORY AS YOU CAN AFFORD!!!!!!!
LOL! It sounds as if we are very close to the same mind about this.
Recently, my computer started running real slow only online. It used to be super fast. My wife’s computer is working fine online so it’s not the connection.
I’ve ran a virus scan, spybot, & cc cleaner but to no avail.
Can someone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Neal
For starters:
R-click on ‘MyComputer’
R-click on Local Disk C
Click on ‘Properties’
Click on ‘Disc cleanup’
Clean it all.
Next click n the Tool tab
Click on ‘Defragment Now’
When this is done, try your Spybot and CCleaner again, and scan with an antivirus program. HTH
If you’re on a new pc, or just looking for a lot of this that you haven’t installed yet, check out http://ninite.com/ it’ creates a single installer with all of the apps that you check on the page! (And, it removes all the stupid toolbar options you are usually asked about.) You can let it run without having to wait for any of the accept pages – I usually have it run overnight after I build new laptops.
AVAST (free anti-virus)
Spybot (free spyware)
Malwarebytes (free anti-malware)
Glary Utilities (free for system management)
Open Office (open source version MS office)
Firefox (free web browser with excellent add-ons)
Gimpshop (open source similar to photoshop)
I came over from The Simple Dollar – great article! I’ll be passing this on to my hubs, the tech person of our household :>) and I linked to it on my weekly roundup, the post is under my name. Thanks!
Wow, this is good timing. We’re looking to replace our 7-yr, twitchy, virus-laden, slow-as-molassess, laughable RAM Compaq in a month or so, definately some good suggestions here. A bit off topic, but what would anyone suggest as a good replacement pc? We mostly use it for budgeting/spreadsheets, internet, music downloads, and the kids have tons of video on it. Anybody have any suggestions?
~Deby