Question for you IT guys

[fat tom]

My PC has been noticeably slower as of late,so I just ran a complete scan with Microsoft Essentials. After scanning 1.7 MILLION files,no problems were detected. 1.7 MILLION????? How do I get rid of all of that ****? Got to be something that can be done. I just don't have a clue what it is or how to do it. HELP!
f.t.

 

[iouri]

Check out howto from Microsoft. It should help you get rid of at least some of those files I think it initially opens for Windows 8 family, but there's a dropdown that allows you to pick different version of Windows.

 

[SmokeStack Lightning]

I run Norton 360.

Opening the control panel gives you the option of dumping all interweb files under 'file clean-up'.

I pick up about 1,000 files per day from visiting various sites.

Dumps the cookies the various sites deposit onto your machine without your knowledge, too.

 

[LostintheOzone]

You need something other than MS essentials. That will only catch most of the viruses you come in contact with. I ran MS Defender for awhile and it let some stuff through. The guys that know virus software don't rate MS very high. Other than that go into your control panel/adm tools. In there is defrag drives. Also run clean up files as SSL suggested.

 

[Bob R]

I would download and run the "free" versions of the following software.

IObit Malware fighter

Advanced System Care

CCleaner (formerly known as **** Cleaner)

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Spybot S&D

I also run Ad-Aware Antivirus along with McAfee web based anti virus.

So far, using all of that, and running scans every week or so has kept me 'putering along just fine.

bob

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

When I had difficulty with a slow running PC I'd just wipe the dang thing clean and start over. Took a while to do reloading and all that, but I would end up with a PC operating like new. Otherwise, I would endlessly fool around with cleaners and sweepers and virus detectors... on and on and on... and end up with the same slow running PC.

 

[Comrad]

Delete temporary Internet files

Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go. I just can't imagine what is motivating people to put up with Microsoft in this day and age. Your PC, laptop, tablet what ever you use should run like a TV, turn it on and it just works. This constant tweaking and scanning and deleting and all the other "stuff" is just insane. The MacBook boots up ready to browse in about 5 seconds and that's it.

 

[LVSteve]

+100 on deleting temporary Internet files. I run Firefox which is very good at NOT storing lots of stuff. This is in contrast to Internet Exploder that bleats and whines whenever you say you want to delete anything.

 

[STCM(SW)]

"Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go."

At what cost?
I have been building PC's since 1980.
I can build 5 pc's for the cost of one apple.
Can't do that with the fruit or upgrade that well.

 

[Cdog]

Remove Essentials and add these.

Malwarebytes. https://www.malwarebytes.org/

Super antispyware. SUPERAntiSpyware | Remove Malware | Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware!

Avast virus protection. AVAST 2014 | Download Free Antivirus Software for Virus Protection

All free, all very effective. Pay attention as you install all these. Stay away from the trial versions, upgrades, and other tools.

Run a full scan using all 3.

 

[ckcc]

Windows Directory Statistics | SourceForge.net

this works great for finding where many temp files or large files may be hiding.

 

[bigfruits]

back up your files and reinstall windows.

 

[Comrad]

"Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go."

At what cost?
I have been building PC's since 1980.
I can build 5 pc's for the cost of one apple.
Can't do that with the fruit or upgrade that well.

Yes it's not cheap but.... I hit the power button and really within 5 seconds I am browsing. My wife the PC user is cursing and frothing at the mouth for 5 minutes waiting for virus scans, updates, blue screens, crashes and any number of the well know Microsoft features.
Most people read email and browse the web. There's really not much need for big horsepower for those activities.

Not picking a fight here with you just explaining what drove me to Apple. The MacBook I am on is about 4 years old and as good as the day I bought it. The cost of ownership drops the longer it runs and I expect it to run for quite a long time.

Extra added bonus, the Retina display can be seen outdoors in the sun.

No offense, just doing a little Apple evangelism.

Cheers.

 

[Cooter Brown]

"Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go."

At what cost?
I have been building PC's since 1980.
I can build 5 pc's for the cost of one apple.
Can't do that with the fruit or upgrade that well.

Most people don't build their own PCs. Most of us just want to turn the thing on and have it work. I don't enjoy fooling with computers--it's just a tool to me and I don't want a tool I have to mess with to keep working.

If you consider the time you have to spend fooling around with Microsoft's various issues (certainly not all MS's fault), and consider your time worth even just minimum wage, Mac starts to make sense.

I just replaced a Macbook from 2006--I never did a single thing to it, didn't spend a minute on maintenance, except for the fiberglass patch on the thing from when I dropped it years ago. I think I upgraded OS twice with no issues. The hard drive finally just gave up but with Time Machine it was an easy, quick process to get the new machine up and going. Back to normal without skipping a beat. So you can spread the initial cost of that machine over 8 years, with no "billable hours" for maintenance, waiting for bootup, etc. added to it.

Well worth it to me, in fact looked at this way it's cheaper. If i enjoyed building PCs that equation might change.

 

[fat tom]

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions. Some of the recommended downloads are already in place. A couple have been used in the past,evaluated and removed for one reason or another. I'm tech challenged,but I'm tryin'.
f.t.

 

[cmort666]

When I had difficulty with a slow running PC I'd just wipe the dang thing clean and start over. Took a while to do reloading and all that, but I would end up with a PC operating like new. Otherwise, I would endlessly fool around with cleaners and sweepers and virus detectors... on and on and on... and end up with the same slow running PC.

Unless you do an image backup to another drive as soon as you finish setting it up, that's BRUTAL.

It's almost NEVER necessary to wipe a PC unless it's got a SERIOUS virus or spyware on it like CryptoLocker.

It's much easier to scan it with multiple utilities and do a repair install of the operating system.

I'd MUCH rather restore a few settings than ALL my software, a good portion of which was downloaded from the publisher, and for which I don't have disks.

 

[cmort666]

Most people don't build their own PCs.

And they get what they get, at the price they pay.

A new trend I'm seeing is borderline spyware pre-installed on the machine from the factory. In the past six months I've seen PCs that were damned near unusable until all that garbage was cleaned off.

"Just turn it on" is largely a thing of the past. It's entirely possible that you're going to pay somebody to make your NEW PC usable... out of the box.

 

[quneur]

if you're finding your computer is slowing down while surfing the web then I would suggest using a different browser other than iexplorer. Firefox can do basically anything IE can like running flash, javascript, etc. I would then suggest to include an add-on called noscript. Noscript will block javascript from running which can slow down a page from loading like all these dynamic moving advertising.

Sometimes, these scripts will have a bug or it was initially intended for another browser. This will make the page un-usable. Noscript will stop it from running.

You can configure individual pages from allowing scripts to temporarily allowing scripts. Noscript is open software like linux, open office, etc.

If your computer is running slow from general computing then run a program called Hijackthis. This gives a snapshot of what your computer is running. Post the results in a computer forum.

 

[smokindog]

+1 on this AND running Disk Cleanup weekly (type Disk Cleanup into your start menu search.

I use two other tools, SpyBot S&D and Ad-Aware. Both have tools for controlling the **** added to your start-up lists as well as registry tools (beyond the OBVIOUS purpose of the tools). Be careful not to install the crud-ware they've recently included in the DL's

Your computer needs to be cleaned and maintained just like your firearms. And for the record, the MAC/PC thing is style/personal choice anymore (IMO). People quoting long start-up times don't have the newest PCs and/or have purchased budget PCs. There are in fact numerous new hardware features in the Intel lineup that are only available on PCs. And for the "quality argument", google IOS 8.0.1. Now that Apple is being forced to put out releases more frequently and to a larger base of systems, they have the same challenges others have faced.

Again, I don't take sides on the argument as I've had good and bad experiences with each. And also for the record, I was a UNIX kernel developer 36 years ago.

Delete temporary Internet files

Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go. I just can't imagine what is motivating people to put up with Microsoft in this day and age. Your PC, laptop, tablet what ever you use should run like a TV, turn it on and it just works. This constant tweaking and scanning and deleting and all the other "stuff" is just insane. The MacBook boots up ready to browse in about 5 seconds and that's it.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Unless you do an image backup to another drive as soon as you finish setting it up, that's BRUTAL.

It's almost NEVER necessary to wipe a PC unless it's got a SERIOUS virus or spyware on it like CryptoLocker.

It's much easier to scan it with multiple utilities and do a repair install of the operating system.

I'd MUCH rather restore a few settings than ALL my software, a good portion of which was downloaded from the publisher, and for which I don't have disks.

Brutal yes, but it always worked and that's the point. There is no troubleshooting involved. You are very knowledgable compared to the average PC user who might spend endless hours trying to figure out what the issue is and never solve it. Typically struggle with it until frustrated enough to buy a new PC. Tom sounds about like the typical PC user. He followed up with saying he's already tried some of the proposed remedies with no luck.

With the price of PCs today I would not bother spending much time trying to troubleshoot the PC we have. Going on two years ago, the wife wanted a PC for work. Win7 HP $249 from BestBuy. 4gig, 1TB. Works great. I think of it as disposable. Cost of that HP is $10/mo for two years... so far. My ISP is $45/mo . Of course that is of no help to the OP since he wants to fix his, but not everyone is a PC or car mechanic. Got other things to aggravate ourselves with.

"Not to gloat but Apple is the way to go."

At what cost?
I have been building PC's since 1980.
I can build 5 pc's for the cost of one apple.
Can't do that with the fruit or upgrade that well.

I'm guessing you don't build a lot of all-in-one, laptop or tablets, so you're referring to the $599 Mac mini, right? $120 PC build? Just the Microsoft Win7 or 8 OS disc is $100. That leaves about $2O to buy and put together the entire computer. Oh, and don't forget the bluetooth and wifi on the mini. How are you going to build these five $120 PCs other than relying on used parts and OS you already have? I can buy a new low end PC as cheap or cheaper than one can be built new. The HP I have is an example.

A new trend I'm seeing is borderline spyware pre-installed on the machine from the factory. In the past six months I've seen PCs that were damned near unusable until all that garbage was cleaned off.

"Just turn it on" is largely a thing of the past. It's entirely possible that you're going to pay somebody to make your NEW PC usable... out of the box.

Yup. Son of a friend of mine got a Lenovo. Just about unusable with all the advertising garbage popping up and polluting the screen. Took quite a bit to remove and still not 100% free of it all. Apple products arent sold like that.