Keeping your pc healthy ! - Page 5

Ramrod · 23-02-2004, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffy_guts

What would you guys say is the best defragging software?

No idea but

why are your guts fluffy?!

Stuartbe · 23-02-2004, 22:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramrod

No idea but

why are your guts fluffy?!

Too much beer m8

carlingman · 23-02-2004, 23:55

Another top post by stuart and advice and tips from others.

As this thread is important and sticky though can the Mods/Admin clean it up and take out all the off topic posts (including this one) and strip it down to the 10 or 12 helpful bits.

Stuartbe · 24-02-2004, 00:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlingman

Another top post by stuart and advice and tips from others.

As this thread is important and sticky though can the Mods/Admin clean it up and take out all the off topic posts (including this one) and strip it down to the 10 or 12 helpful bits.

Thanks --- Thats a good idea... i think I will PM the admins after the thread hus run for a while... You never know when you will pick up some good tips

iadom · 24-02-2004, 11:17

This is an interesting little program that shows disc usage in a novel way, better than the pie charts.

http://www.werkema.com/software/spacemonger.html

DrAwesome · 25-02-2004, 00:40

Here is a util that might be useful to someone (Its just a checker) but it will at least hopefully tell you where a fault lies (its 2.4mb download)

We give you the diagnostic tool FREE & you only pay to lease a security key to unlock "PcDocRx OnCall" which fixes the problem - if no problems are found you pay nothing!

FREE diagnostic tool "PcDocRx OnCall" has been designed to seek out potential Windows problems on your PC, with simplicity of use in mind.

"PcDocRx OnCall" performs a series of diagnostic checks to locate file errors & problems, including all types of software errors, registry problems, leftovers from incomplete uninstalls (Norton Antivirus/works, Zone Alarm Pro etc), invalid registry entries created by viruses & much more.

An entirely new strategy called "LEASEWARE".

Here is the URL if anyone's interested...
PcDocRx OnCall

Semi On · 12-03-2004, 23:18

I would partially disagree with #7.

Defragmentation is much less of a problem with any Windows OS using NTFS, though it is essential on Win95/98/ME.

In most systems, the quest for "0% fragmentation" is a colossal waste of time... not to mention wear and tear on your HD. The performance "hit" of fragmented files is often nowhere near as bad as you think it is. (And of course it is vastly overstated by the various defragger vendors.)

Use PerfMon to watch the number of "split I/Os" on your HD, vs the total number of operations. If you find that the number of split IO's is less than about 10% of the total IO's, whatever file fragmentation you do have isn't bothering you much -- regardless of what the "% fragmentation" is.

I defrag once, maybe twice a year, if I haven't had to re-install XP in that time. If I have then I don't bother.

P.S: I've never used it, but a few peeps I know recommend O&O Defragger...there is a free version I think.

dragon · 13-03-2004, 21:02

well heres my opinion
i bascly go for a wipe and reinstall once or more durning the year and i dont defrag i dont scandisk and i hardly ever scan for virues

why?

quite simply it takes to long to do all that rubbish espcally on a regular basis.

i do real time scanning on the av, try to avoid spyware programs as much as possible, run spybot every so often and thats about it

ill do the odd defrag if im planning to leave my pc running for a while and be away from it.

but i certianly dont do most of the above regularly (except for updating windows/av which i will always do)

at the end of the day as long as i have a copy of anything important programs can be reinstalled at a later time,

that and i like to upgrade and play around with my pc a lot so an installtion wont survive several years use.

theman · 18-03-2004, 20:11

can you tell me where to find scandisc on windows xp because i went into system tools and it is not there

rockin_plumber · 18-03-2004, 20:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by theman

can you tell me where to find scandisc on windows xp because i went into system tools and it is not there

My Computer

Right-click on local disc (c)

Click properties

Select the tools tab

Its called error checking on XP

ntl customer · 18-03-2004, 23:56

Why is the scandisk under 2000/XP so basic unlike the Windows 98 one?

SMHarman · 19-03-2004, 09:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntl customer

Why is the scandisk under 2000/XP so basic unlike the Windows 98 one?

Because NTFS is a better disk filing system so needs defragging less.

dragon · 19-03-2004, 10:02

scandisk is nothing to do with defragging its to do with checking the drive for errors and tbh with ntfs i dont think ive ever incounterd lost clusters or that sort of thing

SMHarman · 19-03-2004, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon

scandisk is nothing to do with defragging its to do with checking the drive for errors and tbh with ntfs i dont think ive ever incounterd lost clusters or that sort of thing

Paul K · 21-03-2004, 15:35

If anyone is interested in taking precautions against spyware an article has just been posted on Neowin that might help you lock down your PC a bit better.
http://www.neowin.net/articles.php?action=more&id=81

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMagoo at Neowin

Spyware : it's a pain. We don't want it, yet it really wants us. Here's a great guide written by our member mAcOdIn on how to remove it, and protect yourself against it in the future.

This article is more of a preventive measure than a fix and will harden internet explorers security but at the same time retaining the functionality that IE has.

First in tools, internet options, advanced uncheck "Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)" and "Enable Install On Demand (Other)" and "Enable Third-Party Browser Extensions (Requires Restart)" and choose apply and ok. Also ensure your internet security setting is at least medium (unless you know what you are doing and have made it custom).

Goto http://www.windowsupdate.com and make sure you have all the latest updates.

Then download Suns Java JRE from http://java.com/en/index.jsp (the link you want to hit is the "get it now" in the top right). Running Suns Java protects you because it has less exploited vulnerabilities than microsofts Java. Lots of spyware use holes in Microsofts java to install thier spyware so switching to Sun's closes a lot of holes.

Download: Sun Java

Then download Spybot Search and Destroy from http://www.safer-networking.org/ run it and make sure to let it download the newest updates. Now goto Spybots immunize function and under "permanent internet explorer immunity" choose immunize, then under "permanently running bad download blocker for internet explorer" select "ask for blocking confermation and choose install.

Download: Spybot S&D

Next, download spyware blaster from http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html run it and ensure it's fully updated. Now choose "select all" and then hit "Protect Against Checked Items". Just for reference all the items that are in red are items that Spybots immunize doesn't protect you against that's why you should use both programs.

Download: Spyware Blaster

Both Spybot search and destroy's immunize function and spyware blaster are one time set things, these programs no longer have to be running to keep you from getting infected with the stuff the block against. What they do is disallow any activeX program that's was known to them at the time you immunized from even running. With both Spybot and Spyware Blaster it is important that you check for updates every two weeks or so and re-immunize yourself when new updates are released to stay current. Spybot's other immunize function ("permanently running bad download blocker for internet explorer") installs a BHO that will ask you for permission to block other known bad BHO's from installing. BHO's are really not needed and fairly rare and most people only have the adobe acrobat BHO. You could have set this option to always block but I chose "ask for blocking confirmation" for those people that use something that I do not that uses a BHO.

Now download both DSOstop2 and HTAstop2003 from http://www.nsclean.com/freebies.html and run both of those.

Download: DSOstop2. HTAstop2003 Both can be downloaded from links here http://www.wilders.org/downloads.htm

In addition there's another great free utility that you can run but unlike everything above it has to always be open just like an antivirus called spywareguard from javacool. You can download it and run it as well to further increase your security against spyware if you choose. It's available here: http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html

Download: Spyware Guard

That should beef things up considerably. Having a good antivirus is also helpful because many of them are starting to add spyware to thier definitions, for instance my McAfee 8 caught that spyware trying to install.

I hope this helps you guys because these settings are pretty solid but at the same time loose enough that you can still have active scripting enabled and activeX. Granted you could disable those as well but at that point you might as well go download an old version of Mosiac browser because it isn't worth using IE with everything disabled.