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Computer problems with my wife's computer

turtlefoot

Headstamp Addict
Joined
Jul 12, 2009
Messages
7,487
Location
The Ozarks
Hey all,

My wife has been having a lot of problems with her computer lately. It is running very slow. She thinks that there might be malware or something. She has also been talking to some of her friends and was told that she might have processes running in the background that are not needed.

1. How can we determine what is going on?
2. Is there a generic list of processes that have to run all the time, so we will know what ones to "stop"?

Her computer is running Windows 7. She uses AVG (free, but updated) for her virus protection as well as CCleaner and Malwarebytes.

She likes social networking sites like Facebook and Pintrest as well as Netflix.

Any suggestions that anyone can give me to help her computer speed back up would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Doug
 
I should have also mentioned that her computer is slower at booting up and tries to "lock up" on her fairly often.
 
Her Malwarebytes should have picked up any malware, if its something that just started lately & all else fails you could always do a system restore..
 
Her Malwarebytes should have picked up any malware, if its something that just started lately & all else fails you could always do a system restore..

Malwarebytes did not pick up anything and AVG did not pick anything either. It has been a gradual thing. It just seems to get slower and slower all the time.

We thought about a system restore, but were not sure if that would do anything or not. I guess we will give it a try.

Thanks!
Doug
 
Go to the windows button and search for "Add or Remove Programs" A list should pop up of all installed programs. If there are programs there that you know aren't used, uninstall them (don't uninstall ones related to the computer itself). I'd download and run a program called ComboFix if that doesn't seem to do much. How old is it? Computers are intentionally built to not last forever.
 
If youve had it for a long time i would just do the basics.
First hit start and search for a program called disk defragment and run that.(it should be a factory installed program)
Second hit start and search %TEMP% once youve found the file delete everything in it.(easier way is to select all Ctrl+A then delete)
Third clear the recycle bin.

These are just basic skills to delete files you would never use, but are still saved in your hard drive. Dont worry it wont delete anything important.

Phew....got lost nerding it up, my bad.:laughing:
 
Add Adaware, Spybot and Avast. If after running these three that you have any problems then it might be hardware. These are free programs and work great. I also use AVG but knowing I have to let my daughter and wife use my computer I too need the extra protection and they help drastically. Just allow auto updates and run scans in evening hours when nobody using. Will definitely help.









Hey all,

My wife has been having a lot of problems with her computer lately. It is running very slow. She thinks that there might be malware or something. She has also been talking to some of her friends and was told that she might have processes running in the background that are not needed.

1. How can we determine what is going on?
2. Is there a generic list of processes that have to run all the time, so we will know what ones to "stop"?

Her computer is running Windows 7. She uses AVG (free, but updated) for her virus protection as well as CCleaner and Malwarebytes.

She likes social networking sites like Facebook and Pintrest as well as Netflix.

Any suggestions that anyone can give me to help her computer speed back up would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Doug
 
My experience

I'm far from being knowledgeable about computers; but I've built several during the last 5 years. We have 6 of them in operation here in the house. (Large family) On all of these computers I have installed Microsoft Security Essentials. I has really worked well for us; and I have several cousins and friends that are using it with no problems. Regardless of what security you use, there's always someone somewhere that can hack into your system.
You can go through your control panel and see the various programs that are installed on the computer. There are also other places to look, but unless you're familiar with the program files and such, it might be best to stay out of those.
I've had some friends that have bought some security programs and then install some of the free protection programs. No, no. They work against each other. I've had to wipe some of their computers and reload the Windows operating system because the computer was so messed up.
I wish you were close by! I'd like to help; but hope you get the problems solved.
 
Backup what you want to keep from the PC to an external hard drive, do a Google search for Linux Mint click on there downloads link, download the correct version for your PC and burn it to a DVD, reboot the PC with the disk in the drive have it boot to your DVD drive, Install Mint on the entire drive. after install reboot and enjoy your new OS. If you need help installing programs or whatever just go to YouTube and search through the how-to's on there. NetFlix is a little odd getting going on mint but not impossible. I had a person I was helping remove Bugs virus etc from there PC every other month after changing them over to Mint I haven't heard from them since. Good Luck on whatever you decide to tackle your PC issue.
 
Thanks everyone, I have some things to try. I will get the specs up either tonight or tomorrow. I am heading to work right now.

Doug
 
Make sure to boot your computer in safe mode then do a complete scan with Malwarebytes. Booting in safe mode will only load the processes needed to load Windows.
 
I use software "System Mechanic", by iolo. Well worth the money. I was having registry errors, windows installer errors, you nmae it. Have used System Mechanic for 3+ years with absolutely no complaints. Also use another piece of iolo software, "Drive Scrubber", which securely deletes files, folders and drives IAW DOD specs.
 
Mine kinda does the same thing (slow booting, videos don't play well etc.). Of course I have XP but I was told that AVG is a memory hog and uses a lot of space like windows and between those two any computer will be slow and sluggish! But I can't afford a new computer so I'm stuck with it. Good Luck!
 
might be lack of memory...you had it long enough..it fills up because of age of computer and surfing...there are some programs that run a diagnostic on memory and can tell you what memory card you need and how much $$
 
to see what specs your computer has right click on Computer on the desk top, select properties and this will display basic info about your pc.

I know pc problems can really suck. If she has a laptop, make sure the battery is good. Hard to solve this problem but if the battery is dead even if your running off the power cord it will cause the pc to run slow. A old worn out barrery will need to be replaced.

Good Luck!
...Mark...
 
Add Adaware, Spybot and Avast. If after running these three that you have any problems then it might be hardware. These are free programs and work great. I also use AVG but knowing I have to let my daughter and wife use my computer I too need the extra protection and they help drastically. Just allow auto updates and run scans in evening hours when nobody using. Will definitely help.

I have a slow PC, my primary and I quit using it after downloading Avast. Avast detected a trojan that the other programs couldn't find. Avast hasn't gotten rid of it though.

I would certainly DL and scan with Avast if you haven't. My Trojan gathers personal info plus it made the PC terribly slow. Good luck!

BTW, AVG really is a resource hog.
 
One possibility not mentioned here yet, and could be solved by deleting some non used programs and temp files.

Hard drives become A LOT slower at read/write access when they are over half full. This is always a constant issue with video editing machines where the mass storage access speed is a critical spec. Once the drive gets past that magic point, it gets a lot slower.

Just one more thing to think about, since you mentioned the computer has gradually become slower. As your registry grows over time, that can slow the system down too. It's called Win rot.

Good luck and let us know if you find the cure.
 
It's just a matter of cleaning out the temp files, old set up files, cookies, and junk files, but don't use windows to do it.

Go to cleanup.stevengould.org and download windows cleanup.

Run that and reboot.

You will be amazed at how much better her computer will run.

I run it every Sunday and my computers run flawlessly.

Cleanup is a God send!
 
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