what do you personally do/recomend to keep your PC at it's best? (2 Viewers)

[N.U.G.]

i now realise the importance of keeping your computer optimized and I try and do what I can to keep it running smoothly. my usual routine consists of;

1. every week running SpyBot and Ad Aware to clear all the spyware away

2. every month running disk check and defrag

that's about it really...

how about everyone else here?

 

[Templar]

Apart from the software aspects, open case up and clean up dust build up every month. Vital for a Prescott CPU that runs at 100% optimisation all the time in summer.

 

[STx]

try CrapCleaner CCleaner
It really gets rid of heaps of uneeded stuff, and it doesnt break anything dw, i've been using it for months.

Features

Program Summary:
CCleaner is a freeware PC optimization tool. That removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's Small, Fast and Free!

Cleans the following Windows components:

* Internet Explorer
- Temporary File Cache.
- URL History.
- Cookies.
- Hidden Index.dat files.
- Last download file location.
* Firefox
- Temporary File Cache.
- URL History.
- Cookies.
- Download manager.
* Recycle Bin
* Clipboard
* Windows Temporary files
* Windows Log files.
* Recent Documents (on the Start Menu).
* Run history (on the Start Menu).
* Windows XP Search Assistant history.
* Windows XP old Prefetch data.
* Windows memory dumps after crashes.
* Chkdsk file fragments.


Advanced Options allow cleaning of:

* Menu Order cache
* Tray Notifications Cache
* Window Size and Location Cache
* User Assist history
* IIS Log Files
* Custom Folders


Application Cleaning:

As well as cleaning up old files and settings left by standard Windows components, CCleaner also cleans temporary files and recent file lists for many applications. Including:

* Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...


Registry Issue Cleaning:

CCleaner uses an advanced Registry to check for problems and inconsistencies in your registry. It can check the following:

* File Extensions
* ActiveX Controls
* ClassIDs
* ProgIDs
* Uninstallers
* Shared DLLs
* Fonts
* Help File references
* Application Paths
* Icons
* Invalid Shortcuts and more...

 

[insert-username]

In addition to what you've listed, I run an optimising program similar to CrapCleaner once a month or so, as well as virus scan once a month.


I_F

 

[N.U.G.]

Apart from the software aspects, open case up and clean up dust build up every month. Vital for a Prescott CPU that runs at 100% optimisation all the time in summer.

yeah very good point. my computer fan was clogged with dust until i cleaned it out this last weekend

 

[STx]

In addition to what you've listed, I run an optimising program similar to CrapCleaner once a month or so, as well as virus scan once a month.


I_F

ahk, what optimization prog is this?

 

[N.U.G.]

I just tried CCleaner and cleaned 500MB worth of cookies and junk!

thanks for the tip guys

in terms of Virus Scan software, I'm not a big fan as I've seen them cause more problems than they solve

what do u guys reckon?

 

[STx]

I just tried CCleaner and cleaned 500MB worth of cookies and junk!

thanks for the tip guys

in terms of Virus Scan software, I'm not a big fan as I've seen them cause more problems than they solve

what do u guys reckon?

kewl, i use NOD32, recently changed from AVG 7 Free, its been pretty good so far and its supposed to have the fastest detection rate i think, and its pretty low on resources as well.

 

[insert-username]

ahk, what optimization prog is this?

Ashampoo WinOptimiser 2005.

kewl, i use NOD32, recently changed from AVG 7 Free, its been pretty good so far and its supposed to have the fastest detection rate i think, and its pretty low on resources as well.

I use AVG, and I love it. So much leaner than resource-hog Norton... and N.U.G., I'd definitely get an anti-virus scanner. They're almost vital. AVG is an excellent, well supported scanner that's completely free. I highly recommend it.


I_F

 

[N.U.G.]

^^^

cool, I'mma give AVG a go

EDIT: one question about AVG and anti-virus software in general... is it recomended to have the software constantly running or prefferable just to to a virus scan every no wand again?

 

[s1n1Ster]

Screw antivirus they're the number 1 culprit of decreased performance.

I use Trend Micro's online scan,scans for viruses and spyware and I don't have to worry about keeping it updated or hogging my resources.

 

[AntiHyper]

I keep AVG program running and actively scanning anything that I open/execute. It's somewhat essential since so far it has caught 5/6 viruses and trojans saved in the virus vault.

So according to this, you should constantly run it in the background. Then maybe run a full scan when you're planning to be away from your comp for an hour or so.

EDIT: oh yeh.. those 6 viruses were found over a period of around 8 months (when i first installed AVG)

 

[anti]

I recommend .. but don't necessarily do .. a reformat every six months - a year. Generally if you have your hd partitioned it shouldn't affect any of your files (and you should back 'em up anyway) and it gets rid of all the crap that accumulates without needing to install more programs

I run adaware/spybot/hijackthis, delete cookies, and defrag more often.

 

[santaslayer]

I recommend .. but don't necessarily do .. a reformat every six months - a year. Generally if you have your hd partitioned it shouldn't affect any of your files (and you should back 'em up anyway) and it gets rid of all the crap that accumulates without needing to install more programs

I run adaware/spybot/hijackthis, delete cookies, and defrag more often.

Yeah, reformat is really good for me coz it takes a maximum of 30 mins. I have a Toshiba ONLY DVD which reinstalls everything to it's default state.

 

[VanCarBus]

THe ultimate solution is to REFORMAT

 

[N.U.G.]

THe ultimate solution is to REFORMAT

good point. i'mma reformat every 6 months or so from now on

 

[guesswho]

Yeah, reformat is really good for me coz it takes a maximum of 30 mins. I have a Toshiba ONLY DVD which reinstalls everything to it's default state.

hey,

I've got a toshiba laptop too, - jus wondering when u reformat with that DVD,
do u then have to reinstall all the added programs eg Words, msn, etc.
What's removed/lost when u reformat?

thanks

 

[sunny]

Those kind of recovery discs will get your computer back to the factory state, ie, back to what it was when you turned it on for the first time, which might already have some applications preinstalled.

 

[guesswho]

Those kind of recovery discs will get your computer back to the factory state, ie, back to what it was when you turned it on for the first time, which might already have some applications preinstalled.

mmm. Isn't it a real hassale to reformatt then, if i have to re-install all those programs that I've added to my comp? Any easier way?

 

[sunny]

mmm. Isn't it a real hassale to reformatt then, if i have to re-install all those programs that I've added to my comp? Any easier way?

That tends to be the idea of formatting: deleting everything and starting from scratch - having a recovery disk is already a bonus for you, you don't even have to install Windows yourself.

The other option is to format, install everything you need, customise it, then create a Ghost image or something similar and reload that image each time you want to format. Problem with that is if you update the software you have you'll need to re-create the image anyway.