OHgirl0728

Maybe I misinterpreted instructions....Last night I downloaded Spyware blaster, IE Spyad and Zoned out as advised. Right away, I noticed serious slow down, online and even when I am just working in windows. It is really bad. I am afraid that maybe I have done something wrong. When I minimize things it can take up to 10 seconds before the window completely disappears into my toolbar.
Any advice would be so helpful. There are other things that you told me I should download to help keep my computer protected while family members are using it. I am concerned that if I try and add more, I will get so bogged down that I won't be able to get this site to load.

Thanks again
OHgirl

tetonbob

Did you also install the MVPS hosts file?

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tetonbob

With the McAfee package you have, it's using a lot of your system resources. Additional protections may well conflict with McAfee. If any addition causes an issue on your machine, uninstall it.

Also, at 512 MB of RAM, you're at the minimum needed to effectively run Windows XP. Yes, it will run with less, but modern applications use more and more resources all the time. McAfee is running 14 services on your machine. Each one uses system resources. 1GB of RAM is better.

That said, SpywareBlaster and IE-Spyad do not use system resources in the same way. They protect through the registry and the trusted zone.

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OHgirl0728

I didn't install the MVPS host yet, I was afraid that this would slow things further. McAfee was active at the time that this previous malware got into my system. I am wondering if it wouldn't be a better choice for us to just remove McAfee and use the programs that you have recommended. I perfer to do manual updates anyway. Do you know if this would have a pos or neg effect on our RAM?

By the way... what can I do to optimise or otherwise improve our RAM? This was our first computer and I think that we really didn't research our needs well.

Thanks again!

Glaswegian

The cheapest and quickest way is, as tetonbob suggested, to buy more RAM. It's not really expensive these days. The type of RAM will depend on your system specifications. What is the make and model?

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tetonbob

Well, first....know that no set of protection applications is perfect. If you've already paid for the subscription, I see no point in wasting that money.

Second, uninstall first one of those applications you just added, see how the machine behaves, if better, you've IDd the cause, and leave it off. If not better, uninstall the other. If better, try reinstalling the first. If still OK, you've IDd the cause (the second one). If not better, uninstall both, and accept that they just may not work well with your machine and McAfee.

Personally, I don't care for the suites, but I'm a bit more accustomed to taking care of my machines. Suites are a good thing for many users, as they are one-stop shopping, so to speak.

Add more. It's the easiest improvement any PC user can make on their own. The hardest part is figuring out which type to use, and how much more you can add.

The guys in the Hardware forum can easily help you with that.

You can use something like the crucial online memory scanner to help you determine what type your machine uses, and how much more you can put in:

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

You can then use that information to shop around for the best price for the type of memory you need.

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OHgirl0728

I have uninstalled the free programs that you had me get online, because things got so sluggish I was affraid that I wouldn't be able to get all of them (in order to replace McAfee) without the computer freezing on me.
McAfee is expired and I am considering removing mcafee and then downloading the programs that you suggested, just to try and replace it. I really can't afford a new subscription to McAfee right now.
To double check you suggested SpywareBlaster IE-SpyAd and MVPS Host?
Along with and antivirus and a fire wall?
My biggest Question is: Will my computer be more likley to run slow with just the McAfee or with all of these other programs instead.

I see in my Program list I have still got Kapersky loaded in my system from when I did the scan. Do I still need that?

When I did Panda Active Scan I also got Active Scan Pro. Is this considered antivirus software? It was inexpensive, but I am really not sure exactly what I bought.

tetonbob

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...activescanpro/

So, no, it's not a substitute for an onboard AntiVirus. We generally steer people to freeware products here, unless asked about pay-for solutions.

If you uninstall McAfee and replace it with a package of the free programs we've outlined in this thread

PC Safety and Security--What Do I Need?

I think you'll find that your machine is quite a bit happier. Each person's experience can be different, but from my experience, McAfee and Norton, while reasonably effective applications, use a lot of system resources and can bog down a machine when other applications are introduced.

If you uninstall McAfee, you may want to use this procedure:

http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocumen...107083&lc=4105

Yes, plus one AntiSpyware application such as Ad-Aware or Spybot Search & Destroy, or SUPERAntiSpyware. I use this sort of arrangement on all my machines, and they operate well.

No, that can be uninstalled.

Hope that helps.

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OHgirl0728

Yes, thank you. I am experiencing a couple of other issues, but I listed them in other areas of the forum, as one pertains to excel and the other to windows. I thought this would be the wrong forum for those. Can you tell me if I did the right thing and should leave them there? Or, should I have adressed all the issues together?

tetonbob

I think you've done the right thing by doing that. Different areas of the forum have members and staff who are versed in those particular areas of computing.

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OHgirl0728

thanks and have a great day!