My computer is running poorly, can you help?

Question

Hello there,

Backstory: I bought my laptop about 2 years ago and I've noticed recently that it's overall performance has dropped

ie: Slower processing, boot-up time, intermittent internet errors, and overall lackluster performance.

Now I know that no computer is always safe from virus infection and I know that after frequent use for more than a year that certain things compile and without proper maintenance (defrag, etc.) that it can get slower.

I'm just looking to (for the lack of a better term) clean it: help restore it's fast reliable processing, get rid of viruses and malware without jeopardizing my information and programs.

It's not to the point where it would need a cleansweep safe mode factory setting yada yada yada operation.

Now to the point: What would you recommend I do.... (It's okay if it costs money)

I was thinking of bringing it to geeksquad or something.

P.S. I have Norton Anti-V and I have done full system scans and it seems mildly effective.

Thanks,
Southpaw

Answer 1

Hi SouthPaw Snacka,



Please do the following:



Download and run Malwarebytes Anti-malware and run a quick scan. Allow it to remove anything that is found.



http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/malwarebytes-anti-malware/dl/7/



If any trojans or rootkits are found and cannot be fixed/ removed, please stop and ask for further help.



NEXT:



Download and run the following 2 programs:



Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode



http://general-changelog-team.fr/fr/downloads/finish/20-outils-de-xplode/2-adwcleaner



Double-click AdwCleaner.exe (on XP) or Right click and choose Run as administrator (on Vista and above) to run the tool.

Click Delete button.

Everything that was found will be deleted.



Follow up with the Junkware Removal Tool by thisisu



Please download Junkware Removal Tool to your desktop:



http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/junkware-removal-tool/dl/131/



Disable your protection software now to avoid potential conflicts.

Run the tool by double-clicking on XP or right click and select Run as Administrator on Vista/Win7 and above.

When the tool opens, follow the onscreen instructions for pressing any key to begin the scan and allow it to scan your system.

Please be patient as this can take a while to complete depending on your system's specifications.



NEXT:



Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop:



http://www.itxassociates.com/OT-Tools/TFC.exe



TFC (Temp File Cleaner) will clear out all temp folders for all user accounts (temp, IE temp, java, FF, Opera, Chrome, Safari), including Administrator, All Users, LocalService, NetworkService, and any other accounts in the user folder. It also cleans out the %systemroot%\temp folder and checks for .tmp files in the %systemdrive% root folder, %systemroot%, and the system32 folder (both 32bit and 64bit on 64bit OSs). It shows the amount removed for each location found (in bytes) and the total removed (in MB).



Before running, it will stop Explorer and all other running applications. When finished, if a reboot is required the user must reboot to finish clearing any in-use temp files.

-- TFC only cleans temp folders.

-- TFC will not clean URL history, prefetch, or cookies. Depending on how often someone cleans their temp folders, their system hardware, and how many accounts are present, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or more. TFC will completely clear all temp files where other temp file cleaners may fail.



TFC requires a reboot immediately after running. Be sure to save any unsaved work before running TFC.





NEXT:



Run System File Checker:



http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833



NEXT:



Run Disk Cleanup:



http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/delete-files-using-disk-cleanup#delete-files-using-disk-cleanup=windows-7



NEXT:



If you use Firefox:



Download SpeedyFox for Windows (570kb) that is found under Download: to your desktop.



http://www.crystalidea.com/speedyfox



Click on the download link then Save File button in the box that pops up..

Double click on the SpeedyFox icon (for Vista and above, right click and choose Run as administrator).

Next, click on the Optimize button and allow it to complete.

Shouldn't take very long depending on how big the Firefox profile is.



NEXT:



You may wish to try StartupLite. Simply download this tool to your desktop and run it.



http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/startuplite



It will explain any optional auto-start programs on your system, and offer the option to stop these programs from starting at startup. This will result in fewer programs running when you boot your system, and should improve performance.



NEXT:



Go to Start > Control > Programs and Features.



Go through the list and uninstall any programs you no longer use. You could also download the following programs. It will audit your system and display all the programs on your computer that are not of importance so you don't uninstall something that might be needed:



PC Decrapifier:



http://pcdecrapifier.com/



Stay away from Registry Cleaners. Modifying registry keys incorrectly can cause Windows instability, or make Windows unbootable. No registry cleaner is completely safe and the potential is ever present to cause more problems than they claim to fix.



Registry cleaners cannot distinguish between good and bad. If you run a registry cleaner, it will delete all those keys which are obsolete and sitting idle; but in reality, those keys may well be needed by some programs or windows at a later time.

Answer 2

Geeksquad won't be able to meaningfully help you. They will just trigger the factory restore system. Every now and then you really should rebuild the system to clean it out. Otherwise you can do things like remove toolbar programs. Prevent programs from auto-starting at boot-up which add to the system load time and eat your RAM ( Adobe Acrobat Reader is an example ). Maybe look at swapping the old hard drive out for a SSHD hard drive which has the capacity of a regular drive with the extra speed of flash memory.

Answer 3

your registry, temp files, and ram is cluttered!



do the following:

this link shows you how to improve overall pc performance with msconfig



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nAZxJrDQsg



then defrag hd, download ccleaner and clean registry files and temp files!



also make shure you never install 2 antiviruses on the same pc!!!! bad idea!



ccleaner is great and free.



do all of these at least once a week and you will be fine.... if ccleaner has a fault in clearing reg, then simply use rollback file.



also use manage add-ons in internet explorer to stop programs that are constantly running and creating poor pc performance!