Page 1 of Q: When virus checks, spyware checks, and defrags lead to nothing...

...is your only real option to go for a clean format-reinstall?

We have a 2-year-old Dell desktop here (Dimension C521), and ever since it has ceased to be my main computer, it`s speed and overall performance has gone down the toilet. I`ve tried virus scans and malware scans, which pick up nothing, and I`ve also defragged the hard drive, to no avail. A good clear-out of unused programs, as well as a cookie and registry clean with CCleaner also hasn`t helped.

Is there anything else to check before just re-installing everything?

Thanks in advance. :)

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Brian Elliott is a British journalist, covering soccer, MMA, and pro wrestling. He has written for the likes of the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, and Fighting Spirit Magazine, and has also appeared as a guest on Fight Network Radio.

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I`d just back up your stuff and rebuild it.

Make an inventory of all programs and ensure you have the necessary installation files/serial numbers etc.
Make sure you have a backup of all your documents (don`t forget emails/Internet favourites etc. etc.)

Use a utility to backup the entire disk (e.g. Hiren`s boot CD - use Ghost to take an image of the drive)

Then use the Dell restoration disk/partition to rebuild it.
(OR - if you`re feeling adventurous - use an OEM copy of WinXP, preferably slipstreamed with SP3 on it).

Then log in and uninstall all the s*** that Dell install that you don`t want.
Then download all updates (Windows SP3 + others).
Install any essential programs/drivers.
Then take a new image of the drive (for the next time you want to rebuild it!)

"Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he`ll be warm for the rest of his life."
-Terry Pratchett.

The machine I`m typing this on is about two years old - an Acer desktop - running XP SP3. If I check how many files are on the system, Windows Explorer comes up with a figure of around 75,000 files. When I do a full system scan with Norton, it started out scanning around that number of items, but now is looking at nearly 600,000 items. It`s either scanning for malware, spyware etc a number of times, or there`s around half-a-million bits of crap in hidden files on my hard drives that`s been uploaded by Windows or Norton itself. Either way, my system regularly slows down to a crawl and sooner or later I`m going to have to do a full reinstall. I guess it just comes with the territory.

J Mark Oates

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I`m In A Silly Mood. Why Aren`t You?
sprockethole.myreviewer.com

I have Vista Business and thus the full version of the Backup and Restore Centre utility. Is this a good program for backing up system files?

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Brian Elliott is a British journalist, covering soccer, MMA, and pro wrestling. He has written for the likes of the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, and Fighting Spirit Magazine, and has also appeared as a guest on Fight Network Radio.

Please visit my website!

See I always assume people are running XP - need to get out of that habit!

I`ve no real experience with Vista`s backup/restore utility so I can`t really comment on that.
For backing up stuff I`d still rely on manually copying files to another drive and then using an imaging program (e.g. Norton Ghost etc.)

"Build a man a fire, and he`ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he`ll be warm for the rest of his life."
-Terry Pratchett.

i use windows vista home premium on a compaq presario laptop

i use tuneup utilities for all my mainteance

it has defrag, registry cleaner, service optomiser, internet optomiser, disk cleaner, disk doctor, reg defrag and startup process manager
its has sum costomising tools too to chage boot, logon and logo screens as well as the color of the program windows or `themes` as its called there are downloadable ones available
and the desktop icons can be changed/ with or without shortcut arrows ect

i use macafee for my spyware/ virus/ malware needs

hope this helps



the memory of you will bloom like the flower in the garden of my heart

Hmm.. the only times I`ve had this problem is when the hard drive is about to fail..

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I don`t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member