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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 10:09
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I have had this computer for about 18months and its starting to get abit slow and lock up on some programs.
It is a Packard Bell iMedia P800.
I've done the usual defrag, virus scans and clean up. but not much difference.
Is there anything I can do to help fix this?
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Location:
Campbelltown, NSW
Registered:
November 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 10:11
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buy a new computer?
im full of help
NOLAN
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 10:16
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 Someone had to say it....
any real suggestions?
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Location:
Newcastle, Hunter Valley
Registered:
January 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 10:25
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full re-install
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Location:
Potts Point, Sydney
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 11:30
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yeh re-format...it's actually a pretty much need to do thing every 12-18 months as a recommendation 
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 12:16
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erase it, put linux on it, turn on the services you need, get open office, get firefox .. enjoy mostly virus/worm free computing
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 13:03
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have you used virus scan and all the anti-spyware programs?.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 13:57
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How user friendly is linux? I'm pretty computer literate, but the rest of my family aren't so lucky.
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 23 March 2005 16:35
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add some extra ram, overclock the cpu or add another one. Also format the hard drive and re-install everything.
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Location:
Sydney/Wollongong
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 24 March 2005 01:16
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Sorry for the hijack, but it's on the same topic 
I've got a similar problem but it's only happened in the last week or so. I can browse through my folders fine, but if I try to open or save something to my drive it takes a good 30 seconds to recognise the file. For example i'll right click a link, select the folder where I want to save a file and then the folder will hang. Often it'll be done downloading a couple of Mb before the download % even shows up.
It's the same when I open programs, i'll double click the icon, the computer will hang for a few seconds and then the program will open and run as normal. It's only when I read/write to the drive that I have the problem & strangely enough web surfing seems to work fine.
I've done all the usual stuff, defrag, complete virus scan, ad-aware & spybot all updated to the latest edition.
Just wondering if it's slowing down because the drive is almost full? I've only got about 5Gb left of an 80Gb drive, is it time to back up a few of the larger files? Maybe the drive is on the way out? Or do you think it's another problem altogether...
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Location:
Land of Oz
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 24 March 2005 07:24
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Hi,
If you know what brand HDD you have you may be able to download a HDD exerciser/tester for your drive.
I only use IBM hard disks 'cos they have some excellent downloadable files to test the drive, check and fix bad sectors and all that sort of stuff. When my computer goes wonky I run the HDD file and it works a treat afterwards.
Yes, run a defrag and spy-ware remover. Also make sure you got the latest AV software. I use to have Nortons/Sementec and couldn't wait for the yearly period to expire. It's a heap of shit and the AVG free AV software is faster and less invasive on CPU performance.
Get yourself some firewall software also.
Conquest, I'd start to get rid of some of your stuff on your HDD if it's that full and see if it makes a diff. Dump some non-often used stuff to a couple of CD-roms and see how it performs. Failing that, HDD are not too expensive, whack in a second drive.
Linux is good, but not the end-all be-all that it's devoted fanatics would like you to think it is. It has it's own problems and issues.
Dunno about reformatting and reloading your OS. I've had my system for nearly 4 years now and it goes just as good as it did the day I built it and has never needed a reload or reformat. Mind you, it's starting to struggle on the newer games 'cos it's a 1Ghz CPU.
seeyuzz
river
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Location:
Campbelltown, NSW
Registered:
November 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 24 March 2005 08:52
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| river wrote on Thu, 24 March 2005 18:24 |
Hi,
If you know what brand HDD you have you may be able to download a HDD exerciser/tester for your drive.
I only use IBM hard disks 'cos they have some excellent downloadable files to test the drive, check and fix bad sectors and all that sort of stuff. When my computer goes wonky I run the HDD file and it works a treat afterwards.
Yes, run a defrag and spy-ware remover. Also make sure you got the latest AV software. I use to have Nortons/Sementec and couldn't wait for the yearly period to expire. It's a heap of shit and the AVG free AV software is faster and less invasive on CPU performance.
Get yourself some firewall software also.
Conquest, I'd start to get rid of some of your stuff on your HDD if it's that full and see if it makes a diff. Dump some non-often used stuff to a couple of CD-roms and see how it performs. Failing that, HDD are not too expensive, whack in a second drive.
Linux is good, but not the end-all be-all that it's devoted fanatics would like you to think it is. It has it's own problems and issues.
Dunno about reformatting and reloading your OS. I've had my system for nearly 4 years now and it goes just as good as it did the day I built it and has never needed a reload or reformat. Mind you, it's starting to struggle on the newer games 'cos it's a 1Ghz CPU.
seeyuzz
river
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AHH good ol river,
full of knowledge again,
CHEERS
NOLAN
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 25 March 2005 15:09
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I had a look on the seagate website, they had a diagnostic tool but it wasn't much use, so I just did a full reboot with the system restore disk and its all good now....
But I have lost all my clips and pics  probably for the better.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 25 March 2005 16:31
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| river wrote on Thu, 24 March 2005 18:24 |
Hi,
If you know what brand HDD you have you may be able to download a HDD exerciser/tester for your drive.
I only use IBM hard disks 'cos they have some excellent downloadable files to test the drive, check and fix bad sectors and all that sort of stuff. When my computer goes wonky I run the HDD file and it works a treat afterwards.
Yes, run a defrag and spy-ware remover. Also make sure you got the latest AV software. I use to have Nortons/Sementec and couldn't wait for the yearly period to expire. It's a heap of shit and the AVG free AV software is faster and less invasive on CPU performance.
Get yourself some firewall software also.
Conquest, I'd start to get rid of some of your stuff on your HDD if it's that full and see if it makes a diff. Dump some non-often used stuff to a couple of CD-roms and see how it performs. Failing that, HDD are not too expensive, whack in a second drive.
Linux is good, but not the end-all be-all that it's devoted fanatics would like you to think it is. It has it's own problems and issues.
Dunno about reformatting and reloading your OS. I've had my system for nearly 4 years now and it goes just as good as it did the day I built it and has never needed a reload or reformat. Mind you, it's starting to struggle on the newer games 'cos it's a 1Ghz CPU.
seeyuzz
river
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or you could try spinrite 6.0 
also theres a few progs comming out that do a scan fo ya system and correct all the misc errors like corrupted fiels, partial extentions, cleans the registry etc
just after doing a fulll fresh install onto a fully formatted hdd i recieved 1167 errors with about 16 critical errors and thats from a fresh M$ install !!!!!!
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sat, 26 March 2005 11:30
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purge the pc from porn!!!!
Or spyware. 2 more malicious computer screw ups.
I've had my computer runing for 6 yeras with the same install.
Its not a matter of software. Good combinations of hardware are very tolerant. Seagate drives are the shizzle. Never had one die on me yet.
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Location:
Rockhampton QLD
Registered:
July 2004
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 30 March 2005 08:32
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!!UPDATE!!
After doing a reisntall the POS died on my so I baught a new
Compaq Presario SR1380AN
Its awesome, Now can ppl tell me what Firewall, AntiSpy ware and Anti Virus tools they use.
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Banned Again
Location:
Mt AKINA
Registered:
March 2005
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Wed, 30 March 2005 12:23
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I HIGHLY recomend McAfee
very good to use for all the protection you need
have it on my good computer...and it hasnt got a single virus in 6months
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Location:
Victoria
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 31 March 2005 02:16
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| 4AGE wrote on Sat, 26 March 2005 22:30 |
Seagate drives are the shizzle. Never had one die on me yet.
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Each to his own really, ive had a WD fail, IBM fail, seagate fail (the DAY I BOUGHT IT) and various others
I have had alot of bad luck with hard drives, but i do live on a farm and dust gets in everything, i just have to live with it unfortunatly 
U cant go wrong with any brand these days, unless u get one of the ones that come from a batch that is prone for failure (the 17gig seagate i had and 75GXP IBM were both from failure prone batches)
Im just unlucky really
OT: format and reinstall is the only way, and if ur usign XP stay away from SP2 it will make things worse even if u install it on a fresh install. My last install lasted 3 months before the thing was unusable (i have virus checker, free from spy ware etc and keep good maintenance on my registry)
It was grinding to a halt when my resources had only 4% CPU usage and 250 of 512mb ram in use, go figure - im trying just with SP1 at the moment and it seems fine
edit: just to add, my experiences with fucked HDD's has led me to get pretty good at rescuing data from drives that make bad crunching noises and dont even get detected in the bios, i have some cool tools i collected over the years for getting data back off them
[Updated on: Thu, 31 March 2005 02:21]
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 31 March 2005 02:55
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Eeew compaq.
All hard drives fail. SCSI raid is the best way to ensure data isn't lost. but it is a cost benefit. how much is your porn collection worth to you?
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Location:
Perth, WA
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 31 March 2005 03:30
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| river wrote on Thu, 24 March 2005 15:24 |
Hi,
If you know what brand HDD you have you may be able to download a HDD exerciser/tester for your drive.
I only use IBM hard disks 'cos they have some excellent downloadable files to test the drive, check and fix bad sectors and all that sort of stuff. When my computer goes wonky I run the HDD file and it works a treat afterwards.
Yes, run a defrag and spy-ware remover. Also make sure you got the latest AV software. I use to have Nortons/Sementec and couldn't wait for the yearly period to expire. It's a heap of shit and the AVG free AV software is faster and less invasive on CPU performance.
Get yourself some firewall software also.
Conquest, I'd start to get rid of some of your stuff on your HDD if it's that full and see if it makes a diff. Dump some non-often used stuff to a couple of CD-roms and see how it performs. Failing that, HDD are not too expensive, whack in a second drive.
Linux is good, but not the end-all be-all that it's devoted fanatics would like you to think it is. It has it's own problems and issues.
Dunno about reformatting and reloading your OS. I've had my system for nearly 4 years now and it goes just as good as it did the day I built it and has never needed a reload or reformat. Mind you, it's starting to struggle on the newer games 'cos it's a 1Ghz CPU.
seeyuzz
river
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river, your getting soft! how does half-life 2 on a 728 Mhz system with 256 MB of RAM sound?
my Graphics Card, Geforce 4 Ti4200 128MB AGP 8x cant even stretch its legs in my system!
and the game runs constant 20-22 fps, even in fire fights! hows that for IBM reliability!
Eldar.O.
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Location:
Victoria
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Thu, 31 March 2005 05:20
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| Squid wrote on Thu, 31 March 2005 12:55 |
how much is your porn collection worth to you?
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Funny that, out of the 250gig+ of crap i have i worked out that the shit that REALLY matters come hard drive failure would barely take up more than 50mb on a CD-R
But my music collection is very important to me which is getting on 35gig which i would cry if i lost it (lost it 2 times now when it was smaller) - all these hard drive failures make you wiser and good quality dvd+r's have made backups of multi gig collections much easier
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 01 April 2005 02:38
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Ok so i'm looking for McAfee for virus but what about spyware and adware?
Also After formating the old computer it no longer reads the recovery CD any advice ??
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Location:
Perth, WA
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 01 April 2005 03:44
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| Malicia wrote on Fri, 01 April 2005 10:38 |
Ok so i'm looking for McAfee for virus but what about spyware and adware?
Also After formating the old computer it no longer reads the recovery CD any advice ??
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recovery cd is specific to your computer, your parts, and your installation.
its essentially a ghost image made by the company to restore it to factory specs.
if it doesnt work, who cares, install win 2003 server with service pack 4
Eldar.O.
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On Probation
Location:
Hobart
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 01 April 2005 03:52
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put your PC in the boot of your car and drive 300 up the highway... then u will have a fast PC !!
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Location:
Land of Oz
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Fri, 01 April 2005 22:12
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Hi,
| Malicia wrote on Fri, 01 April 2005 12:38 |
Ok so i'm looking for McAfee for virus but what about spyware and adware?
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DOn't worry about McAfee or any other av software that you need to purchase. Use the AVG free av software. I use it and have got my family and friends yusing it. Not only is it free, but it's kept our machines free of viruses for over 18months now.
I use Spybot Search & Destroy, which is also free and it seems to do a good job - but you gotta run it daily 'cos there's always new shit and stuff that gets into your computer.
I'm looking out now for a good free firewall package.
seeyuzz
river
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Location:
NSW
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sat, 02 April 2005 14:42
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| river wrote on Sat, 02 April 2005 08:12 |
Hi,
| Malicia wrote on Fri, 01 April 2005 12:38 |
Ok so i'm looking for McAfee for virus but what about spyware and adware?
|
DOn't worry about McAfee or any other av software that you need to purchase. Use the AVG free av software. I use it and have got my family and friends yusing it. Not only is it free, but it's kept our machines free of viruses for over 18months now.
I use Spybot Search & Destroy, which is also free and it seems to do a good job - but you gotta run it daily 'cos there's always new shit and stuff that gets into your computer.
I'm looking out now for a good free firewall package.
seeyuzz
river
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I believe AVG antivirus sucks, work as a computer technician and regularly see computers infected with viruses that have AVG installed.
River for a good free firewall just use the free windows one which comes with SP2, assuming you have windows XP.
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Location:
Victoria
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sat, 02 April 2005 15:35
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if you are prepared to pay money (or know where to look) you CANNOT go past NOD32
I urge you all to flock to the internets and get it, it is the best virus scanner i have ever used
And the resident protection takes up bugger all ram but still works VERY good
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Frankston, Victoria
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sat, 02 April 2005 17:09
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Yeah best combo is:
AVG 7.0 Free edition
Spybot S&D + Adaware SE Home edition
Zonealarm Personal Firewall
Zonealarm takes a while to setup and comes up with annoying little windows asking to allow access to certain things for a fair while, but after you've set it all up it protects like a mofo. It's also a retail program but if you want i can send you my serial through PM.
Kev.
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Location:
NSW
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sun, 03 April 2005 02:40
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| Phrostbyte wrote on Sun, 03 April 2005 03:09 |
Yeah best combo is:
AVG 7.0 Free edition
Spybot S&D + Adaware SE Home edition
Zonealarm Personal Firewall
Zonealarm takes a while to setup and comes up with annoying little windows asking to allow access to certain things for a fair while, but after you've set it all up it protects like a mofo. It's also a retail program but if you want i can send you my serial through PM.
Kev.
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I would say that VET would have to be one of the best Antivirus programs around at the moment, doesnt use much system resources and definatly handles all viruses, was voted as the best antivirus software by APC magazine too. As I stated earlier, AVG antivirus isnt all that good.
For spyware go with Spybot S&D + Adaware SE Personal, also Adware Away is good for removal of browser hijackers.
I would personally just use XP SP2 firewall, The advantage over Zone Alarm is that it monitors programs sending data and receieving data rather than just monitoring received data.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Frankston, Victoria
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sun, 03 April 2005 04:03
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Lol man I've been using AVG for 18 months, and excluding the occasional virus found during scan (which is removed), ive had not one virus get past it. Keep it updated and it will do the same as VET, without the registration and membership fees. But your choice.
Also an argument towards Zonealarm, it does infact monitor outgoing traffic of each program and you can set EACH program to either receive from local network, send on local network, receive from internet, send on internet, or any of the above mixed, or all 4.
Cheers,
Kev.
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Location:
NSW
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Sun, 03 April 2005 13:04
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| Phrostbyte wrote on Sun, 03 April 2005 14:03 |
Lol man I've been using AVG for 18 months, and excluding the occasional virus found during scan (which is removed), ive had not one virus get past it. Keep it updated and it will do the same as VET, without the registration and membership fees. But your choice.
Also an argument towards Zonealarm, it does infact monitor outgoing traffic of each program and you can set EACH program to either receive from local network, send on local network, receive from internet, send on internet, or any of the above mixed, or all 4.
Cheers,
Kev.
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I work as a computer technician and regularly see computers with AVG anti-virus installed on there system that have viruses. Have you ever scanned you HDD on another system with different anti-virus software? You might be surprised.
Also regarding Zone Alarm, I am aware of that, I was stating that the advantage Zone Alarm has over XP SP2 firewall is that it monitors programs which send/receive whereas XP SP2 only monitors incoming programs.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Frankston, Victoria
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Mon, 04 April 2005 04:00
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Ahh ok sorry man thought u said xp sp2 firewall has the advantage over zonealarm, misread ya, my bad.
But yeah man I too have worked in the technician business and I've found that all anti-viruses do the same job aslong as you keep to date with the definitions. What people dont realize is that once a virus is found, some smart highly paid people create definitions and ways to kill them, then these definitions are spread to every anti virus there is. Therefore every single antivirus program out there has all the same definitions. If people don't keep their anti-virus up to date or dont scan regularily, they will have viruses...
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Location:
Perth, WA
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Tue, 05 April 2005 09:39
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i had a slow computer, ridded the HDD of the virus called Windows XP and chucked on Windows 2003, oh man, what a difference!
i highly recommend it!
Eldar.O.
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Location:
Land of Oz
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: Slow computer, any1 help?
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Tue, 05 April 2005 11:37
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Hi,
You should try Win98. It's faster again!
nyuk nyuk nyuk
seeyuzz
river
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