Computer meltdown!

[HamaticBabylon]

Don't you hate it when your computer stop working due to viruses and Stuiped ad's that slow the computer. The last resort is to format the hard drive.

question is how often do you have to reinstall windows XP and start verything again!

 

[KaNick]

I've never had that problem.

 

[Inter4]

It happened to me once. I had to format the PC due to a tough virus.
I have a friend that formats his computer almost every month.. I dunno know why, he just likes cleaning it.

 

[Sanaz]

Don't you hate it when your computer stop working due to viruses and Stuiped ad's that slow the computer. The last resort is to format the hard drive.

question is how often do you have to reinstall windows XP and start verything again!

You'll probably get a better answer in the Computer Talk Forum. I reinstall the OS about every two/three years, when I upgrade my mobo/cpu. That's usually the time it takes to get a significant performance improvement for cheap, and the time it takes for things to get out of hand on my hard drive.

 

[stormbind]

My computer runs 24hours/day, 365 days/year, and this will be it's... 7th year I think, though it has only been doing 24/7 since WinXP came out.

It gets a pause every few weeks in the form a restart, and has obviously been off for longer when undergoing upgrades, but for the most part it's constant. It gets a nap when I'm out of town.

The oldest HD is really knackered. It takes 10 seconds or so to warm up now, it never used to be that bad... just wear and tear

WinXP is kept running smoothly through a policy of only installing trusted software, and ussually minimalist software. I don't upgrade at every oportunity because that seems to cause more problems than it solves; I use Word for Windows 5.0!!

I don't do much office work though, so no biggy

 

[Bamspeedy]

I've re-formatted a few times (probably ever 6 months or so), when I had so much garbage installed on my computer that I didn't need anymore, so I wanted to start over fresh. The real pain is re-installing all the stuff you really want (especially if it was stuff you downloaded so you have to go find it again on the net). And it's annoying when after you've re-installed you realize there was something you've made that was saved on the computer that you can't retrieve or replace (documents, saved game files, etc.). I'll have to upload this stuff on the internet somewhere before I re-install again (if I ever do).

I've had this computer for probably 3 or 4 years now. Only had real problems when I tried deleting stuff I didn't need (or didn't think I needed) and ended up deleting stuff I shouldn't have.

 

[HamaticBabylon]

I'm talking about very 2 months or so,...you guys are likely.

What the hell is wrong with my computer, it get busted very two months.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Do you have any firewalls or anti-virus software installed on your computer?

Do you regularily open up spam mail (especially 'attachments'). I never open any e-mail that looks like junk/spam.

 

[Goober]

On that topic, what is a decent free Virus Scanner and/or Firewall? I have NAV '04, but I am suspicious that it let something in.

Sorry is this is OT, but it does relate to the subject.

 

[stormbind]

I use ms firewall, and AVG. I have had NAV but the license expired and I wasn't very impressed enough to continue paying.

After swapping to AVG I discovered a virus, but not immediately so I don't know which product failed me!

I have only encountered 3, ever, but 2 were in this year

 

[stormbind]

I'm talking about very 2 months or so,...you guys are likely.

What the hell is wrong with my computer, it get busted very two months.

use the buil-in windows xp firewall, and only install trusted essentials. every install carries a risk (even trusted ones) so be very sparing

 

[Dell19]

Haven't had to reformat ever... The important thing is to update virus scanners regularily and of course the CT favourites, adaware and spybot should probably be installed...

 

[HamaticBabylon]

use the buil-in windows xp firewall, and only install trusted essentials. every install carries a risk (even trusted ones) so be very sparing

firewall how do i access this file?

 

[stormbind]

In WinXP, go to Start > Connections > Show All Connections

Right click on your Internet Connection, this opens a window.

Swap to the Advanced Tab and you will find the Firewall options.

 

[Hakim]

ZoneAlarm is a free firewall.

 

[HamaticBabylon]

In WinXP, go to Start > Connections > Show All Connections

Right click on your Internet Connection, this opens a window.

Swap to the Advanced Tab and you will find the Firewall options.

Great i found it,but is it a good firewall?

 

[marioh]

Don't you hate it when your computer stop working due to viruses and Stuiped ad's that slow the computer. The last resort is to format the hard drive.

question is how often do you have to reinstall windows XP and start verything again!

I almost never reinstall Windows. Just about any problems that come up with my windows install, I can fix.
I am a computer technician, by trade, so I do have a vast amount of knowledge of hardware, software, and most importantly, how windows works and interacts with all of the devices in a PC.
I'd say that 7 out of 10 reinstalls are unneeded, and can be easily fixed if the proper time and knowledge are available.

 

[shadowdude]

Don't you hate it when your computer stop working due to viruses and Stuiped ad's that slow the computer. The last resort is to format the hard drive.

question is how often do you have to reinstall windows XP and start verything again!

Never, When you have decent Anti Virus software,A friewall, and anti spyware
software like I do you don't have those kind of programs

 

[shadowdude]

Great i found it,but is it a good firewall?

I've used it and no trojan, worm, or other virus has infected my computer.This summer microsoft is going to release a second service pack for windows xp,which will include a revamped firewall that will be turned on by default,and a spyware blocker among other things.I'm not sure if the release date is set though.

 

[Nixnutz]

I've been running an Acer laptop (in addition to my Mac) since July of 2000 with Win98 and have never had to reformat, reinstall the OS or take any extreme measures.

Check out some of the other threads on adware/spyware for some good alternatives to reformatting.

I'll wager your machine is loaded with adware/spyware with a couple of virus's, trojans and worms thrown in.

First and foremost, instead of reformatting, run the XP update and make sure you have all the most recent patches. Make sure you keep it updated. Bill and the boys are now making those patches and fixes available once a month, so check early and often. You can load up your machine with all the firewalls, antivirus and antispyware software there is, but it won't do you any good unless you keep the OS updated. It's the holes in the operating system that are being exloited by this stuff.

Next...a good firewall. Activate your XP firewall. ZoneAlarm is one of the best freebies out there. If you're on a tight budget, get it and keep it updated.

Anti-virus...again a freebie...AVG at grisoft.com. It's as good as any of the biggies like Norton or McAfee. Again...keep it updated.

Anti-adware/spyware...being overloaded with this junk will slow your machine to a crawl. I work with this combination on a daily basis:

Spybot S&D - http://www.safer-networking.org/
AdAware 6.0 - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
CWShredder - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/index.html (standalone that deals only with CoolWebSearch software)
HijackThis - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/index.html

They are ALL freebies for home use...

One more thing on these programs...all together now...Keep Them Updated!

Now, before you go downloading and running this stuff willy-nilly, check out the following sites, especially the forums, for information on how to use them. For the most part, SpybotS&D, AdAware 6.0 and CWShredder are pretty straight forward, but...

WARNING - HijackThis is a great program, however it deals with the registry and you can get into a lot of trouble if you're not careful.

http://www.spywareinfo.com
http://boards.cexx.org/
http://forum.gladiator-antivirus.com/index.php?showtopic=8050 - adaware
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php?
http://www.computercops.biz/forums.html
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/soft6.htm - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Two other sites www.pestpatrol.com and www.kephyr.com both have good software available, but their real value is their listings of adware and spyware.