Community weekly poll: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer
- 5/3/07 1:56 PM
Re: Systems Maintenance? Mac owner since 3/5/84
by Bronzit - 5/4/07 7:52 PM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I also recommend JkDefrag v3.8 be run on PC's monthly for high useage ones, quarterly for others. It is FAR superior to anything built-into any Windows OS.
GET RID OF THIRD PARTY 'PIRATES"
by 01archie - 5/4/07 8:19 PM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
XP/SP2 will run far longer with less headaches and freeze-ups when the extra baggage, third party 'addons' are skuttled.
Keep ALL MS stuff in updated order and run the 'quick scans' daily, schedule the longer runs of scans LATE/ @ nite very early in the morning. MS Windows defender has easy to use interface and the MS firewall fits and operates effortlessly.
Use a router. NO,3rd party firewalls.
Mailwasher Pro, Benign, Spy-bot,Outpost, AVG, Spy-Gaurd, Trojan killers like Tauscan from Agnitum is a worthless chunk of memory scavanger. I used to run ALL of the above plus a couple others I dont remember.
Dont wates your money, MS on board programs have gotten their act together.....and why not? They learned from the above mentioned;-)
MS-only apps?
by OttifantSir - 5/5/07 3:25 AM In reply to: GET RID OF THIRD PARTY 'PIRATES" by 01archieI would not recommend this to anyone. I know MS has some decent programs for protection, but some sides of the security issue are too complex to leave up to one app, no matter whether it is MS' own or third-party.
Anti-virus is not something I would leave to an MS-app. It may be worth running that MS-app alongside a free, daily-updated, antivirus (avast!, AVG, etc), but don't trust its ability to keep your computer bug-free on its own.
The built-in firewall seems OK enough when used in conjunction with a router. But I wouldn't feel safe if I didn't have a router. I have checked which ports are open even with MS' firewall, and the number is in the hundreds.
MS' malware programs aren't going to find them all. No single program will find them all. At least two are advised. There is a reason why Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware are some of the most used malware-apps out there: Together, they are a great team that will get 99.999% of all malware.
You say MS onboard programs have gotten their act together because they learned from all the other security programs. Do you even know the history of MS? They never wrote DOS, they bought it for peanuts. They never wrote Windows, Xerox did. What Microsoft is good at, is using other people's ideas. All the copyright lawsuits they have? Bill once said: The more people pirate Windows (3.1) and DOS (5.0-6.22), the faster the whole world will be running it. (Not a direct quote, so don't hack it because of that)
Back to topic: You don't necessarily need to have "live" security apps running daily. But you would be a fool not to have other than MS-only apps to run (in the very least!) once a month, preferrably once a week.
Not so Quick, Dude.
by 01archie - 5/5/07 6:43 AM In reply to: MS-only apps? by OttifantSirHey>> by OttifantSir - 5/5/07 3:25 AM
Dont even try to preach to the choir here. Just because I left out my AV program I have on board, dont go calling people 'fools'. Ive spent hundreds of hours, sweat, nerves and getting BS from people like you, WHEN 3rd Party, PIRATES are in the move to sell an Idea.
I scan my ports for open, and you know what, I find the ONES that are suppose to be open, MONITORED and running fine.
Look, you can come into a room like this and BS most of the people, BUT the day you can get a handle on the REAL idea of PC'ing, the JOY of hopping on the computer becomes a reality ....WHEN the riff-raff programs that only draw RAM and then you bank account are just that...BS!
OK?
IF you dont like what I said to you...REPORT ME!!
My PC will still be running, just fine with OUT the hyped up FEAR.
By the way, Firetrust programs have hit the doo-doo list......MS will NOT and I repeat....WILL NOT comply with their use of reporting thru an RMS. GEE!! Sounds like Billy Boy saved ALL alot of us BUT YOU, the headache and discouragement of BUYING JUNK to add, fiddle with and tinker around with BECAUSE???, People like you say the 3rd party addons WORK JUST GREAT!!
Hog Wash and you know it.
Get rid of 3rd party apps....bad advice
by debls - 5/5/07 7:05 AM In reply to: GET RID OF THIRD PARTY 'PIRATES" by 01archieI have been all over the net reading up extensively on security. You are the 2nd person I have ever encountered who has advised against a 3rd party firewall. Then to advise using just MS? Please! Just wanted to warn people who may actually try what you have recommended.
A bit of this, a bit of that.
by Brock Tungsten - 5/4/07 8:48 PM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I usually do all of the basic Windows stuff -- disk check (rarely the full surface scan) and defrag. I run a registry cleaner and a system tune up utility as well. The whole thing rarely takes more than a half hour. On those occasions when I need to do something more extensive (disk surface scan or a "deep" defrag) I will start it on Sunday night so that it will finish before I am up on Monday morning. Once a week. Every week. ;-/
I think I need a Mac.
Uniblue
by jimth - 5/4/07 9:48 PM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I downloaded uniblue registry for 30 bucks and found that my computer runs smother and faster as a result. Worth the money. I run it about once a month.
tune up utilities
by rifin2005 - 5/5/07 12:32 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
i use the tuneup utilities 2007 to speed up my pc every 2 days.please try it. worth!!!
Weekly, but also daily and monthly.
by generic - 5/5/07 2:51 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Pretty much every day I check for updates to my antivirus, anti-spyware apps, Firefox extensions, Windows updates, game patches, and any other programs I use. I use SysInternal's PageDefrag set to auto defrag the registry at every boot. I also clean out the TEMP folder.
Every week or so I'll do a system cleanup using RegCleaner, Registry Mechanic and CCleaner. I'll leave PerfectDisk to defrag while I'm having a shower or something. I'll also check for new drivers and firmware.
Roughly every month I'll do the whole hog, clean the dust out of the case and fans, defrag all disks, clean the registry, do a system file check, etc.
Unless the system is behaving badly without a way to fix it, I don't do a format and re-installation. It would be the ultimate system cleanup but I'm not spending hours reinstalling programs, games, drivers, updates and configuring everything. Just thinking about that gives me a headache.
sys maintenance
by shadowworks - 5/5/07 5:47 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
sys 1 never(runs security system)automatic(not on network)
sys 2 every day and weekly, bkup 2 weeks (networked)
sys 3 same as sys 2 (networked)
sys 4 same as sys 2 (networked)ALL (drivers,prog updates,scandisk,defrag(auto-disk keeper)IE clean, anti-stuff, memory clean (multi hourly) 1-4 custom built.
sys 5 Dell weekly same as sys 2 (networked)
sys 6 Wife's Dell (networked) monthly-bi monthly( doesnt do much on it)
this is the simple version, but none the less, every system is doing something 24/7.
PC..maintainance
by castingRod47 - 5/5/07 6:53 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer?
--Every day (What do you do?)
..
What I learned from a Tutor in the late 90's/was to use a correct Sign-Off and Shut Down procedure..
That was on a Windows 98 PC..when I made my purchase of a XP OS on a DELL Dimension I read about how XP(get to know it USER)..I think its called Pre-Fetch(now-a-days)..
..
That is pretty much the input for a standard Sign-Off and a Shut Down procedure..
/*/I don't use any short-cuts(Sign-Off-immeadiately)but let any ONLINE Configurations do their business..
/*/In MSN-settings I perform the CLEANING Operations they allow..
/*/after that..its DSK CLEAN UP..then MY DOC./gets ARCHIVED-or DELETED..
/*/ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS-Event LOG(gets DELETED)..
/*/CLICK-Set PROGRAM ACCESS and DEFAULTS(choose)Microsoft Windows..
/*/use the Defragmentation Program..
/*/Clean the START MENU-Clear LISTS..
......................................................................
I will do this each SHUT-DOWN....and START UP....
I might miss this procedure twice in a week because I'm in a hurry to run out the door..//but since its done at START-UP or SHUT-DOWN//I seldom have any PC problems..just Internet problems..
..
Also my McAFEE Product contains a component called CLEANER..I think its an ADVANCED component..but use that about 4-times per week..be careful about its configuration..
..
Mainly my Security Software has freedom to move because I don't leave FILES in MY DOCUMENTS/everything gets Archived(ext. HDD)..
This keeps my problems to near[zero]..
..
I use a 512 MB RAM Module..as minimum..and also SET a CUSTOM Pagefile(now)400/700 MBs for 512 MBs of RAM..
I use 700/750 MBs for my 1-GB RAM Module..
..and then use only a SINGLE RAM CHIP for OS re-installs..
..
That seems a simplified set of operations for a "smooth" machine..
..
It never really seems to end..it just falls in line.
Once a week
by thljcl - 5/5/07 7:53 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Free up disk in my hard disk. Check if my hard disk has beed defragmented recently. (Auto defragementation is enabled).
How much is too much?
by DRONPAUL - 5/5/07 8:14 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I also do a full maintenance check once a day - however I used to use a Diskeeper "I-FAAST" function that allowed for continuous defragmentation. It worked great and as time went on it learned my habits and rearranged the files so I have the fastest retrieval times. All was well until I had a catastrophic disk failure. I sent it away to get the files retrieved and the repair guy mentioned that having the defrag function on all the time may have caused this.
Food for thought - is there such a thing as too much?
Usually once or Twice a week
by windows_xp_hacker - 5/5/07 8:55 AM In reply to: How often do you perform system maintenance on your computer by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I usually do a defrag of the hard drive every Friday night so I always get the best performance. It's a fairly empty drive, with over 65% of the drive left, so the defrag takes only minutes. If I install a new program though (if it's large) I defrag right after the install finishes.
The family computer is a different story. It's hard drive is around 85% used up, and the defragger takes longer to work, so I do it every month or so.
For both computers, I rarely do a disk cleanup.
Once a week for the heavy stuff ....
by TheBigfut - 5/5/07 1:00 PM In reply to: Usually once or Twice a week by windows_xp_hackerI have my CA Security '07 set up to every day to check for updates adn make sure all active protection is on. I also run Speedfan to keep an eye on voltages and temps as my case is very crowded.
Once a week I run RegScrubXP, a full system scan with CA's AntiSpam, Antivirus on top of running Adaware SE. I hve now added JFKDefrag due to the comments I have heard about it, versus using MS's unit.
I have ran this setup for the past 5 years and not had issues. Also though, my WinXP is running inside of a copy of Ubuntu Linux. Also there are a total of 5 computers in the house all running behind a D-Link router. None of the cimputers have had isses and all run well. Also I have a small perl program that runs once a day in all machines that checks for updates in firmware and software.
MS has made Windows nicely, but I just have issues with relying only on their products. Isn't that like letting a hungry wolf guard your sheep?
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