How many antivirus,rootkits etc do I need?

:confused I used to have Trendmicro internet security antivirus on my computer. However it took forever to load up or start up when first I turned on my computer. Additionally, it took forever to do a full computer scan (like hours and hours) and it slowed my computer overall to a crawl. I got so frustrated I uninstalled it after 6 months.

I recently tried a free antivirus program and it found 1,675 errors, but only fixed 100 then you had to buy the real program for $39.99. I then ran housecall ot AVG free and they found no problems.

My son said I must install an antivirus or my computer will crash. Just how many programs must I add to guard against or correct Viruses, spyware, adware, registry repair, rootkits, Trojans etc? Is their one (quick) program to do all of that? :confused

I mainly use my computer for hotmail, Facebook and news or research medications or illnesses. I am 61 and have given up trying to comprehend all this stuff. Help please
Grandma Beth

 

One of the advantages of Microsoft Security Essentials is that it is very light on resources, so it won't slow down your computer. You can get it here.

Computers can seem daunting at first, but they're not nearly as difficult as some make them out to be. A lot of the appearance of difficulty comes from the fact that there is an entire separate language for talking about them and what they do, with long complex-looking words that can be difficult to spell, and even more to pronounce. Once you get past the surface though, it's surprisingly simple to understand... to be fair, it takes some dedication and effort, but so does everything, the first time we approach it.

The important thing is to not let the appearance of difficulty intimidate and possibly prevent you from learning... no one can learn everything about everything. But if you give it a try, I think you will find that using your computer becomes both easier and more enjoyable the more you learn about it.

Sorry for the tangent. I just wanted to point out that there is absolutely no shame in being ignorant about something you are unfamiliar with. If anything, it's a sign of intelligence and wisdom to realize one's ignorance and to seek help from someone who does know and who is willing to share that knowledge.

Welcome to Major Geeks! :wave

 

I installed MS security essentials and my computer slowed to a snail's pace from a crawl. But thanks for the reply anyway.I uninstalled MS s essentials.

 

Version 2002 Service Pack 3

 

Greetings, Grandma Beth.

With all of the installs and uninstalls, there may be remnant files conflicting which may be slowing your machine. Did you use the proper uninstallers for the programs? Maybe a good system cleanup / registry check is in order.

What was the 'free' antivirus program that you tried, and from where did you download it?

 

If you uninstalled MSE, what antivirus do you have installed right now? To go online without a fully updated anti-virus is dangerous to your computer, and you should never do it.

I will echo Caliban's question: What was the "free" anti-virus that scanned your computer, and where did you get ti from? Sometimes those are actually a virus in disguise.

Also, with all the uninstalls and reinstalls, you'll want to cleanup and defragment your hard drive at some point. Once you have your anti-virus issues worked out, make a new thread about hard drive cleaning in the software forum, and we'll help you get that done.

 

To me it sounds like you need a tune up or optimization to take care of slowness. The information below will help.

I would like to add, that a program like CCleaner would perhaps be a bit more beneficial here. It is a utility that will help clean up junk and help with the boot times.

-->If you use it to remove / uninstall programs, it does an excellent job.
-->It will clean out alot of misc junk that may be accumulated such as temp files, or other junk.
-->It does have a registry cleaner built in.
NOTE: I personally do not like using the registry cleaners on VISTA, it seems to cause a lot of corruption and instability. It seems to be ok for windows XP though. I have not had a need to try it on windows 7 yet.
-->It will allow you to add or remove items from startup without using MSConfig. (Please look up the program or ask others what a program is before you use this feature on it.)

Also to help, please try the following steps to run the Check Disk Utility and Defragmentation Utility built into Windows:

1.) (Left Click)Start Menu
2.) (Left Click) My Computer
3.) (In the window that opens go down to where it says "Hard Disk Drives" and Right Click) C:
4.) (A menu will slide out, Left Click) Properties
5.) (Left Click) Tools
6.) (Under the "Error Checking" heading, Left Click) "Check Now"
7.) Let it run until the program finishes running. It may take a couple hours for a complete scan and repair, depending on system resources.
8.) (Under the "Defragmentation" heading, Left Click) "Defragment Now"
9.) Let it run until the program finishes running. It may take a couple hours for a complete scan and repair, depending on system resources.

Next, we will remove programs from your Startup folder:
1.) (Left Click)Start Menu
2.) (Left Click) All Programs
3.) (Scroll to the "Startup" Folder, and let the menu out) Right Click anything you see in here
4.) Select "Delete"
5.) Repeat steps 1.) through 4.) on all items in this folder until it is empty.
6.) Restart Computer.

Now PICK AN ANTIVIRUS AND INSTALL IT!

I could suggest using K7, NOD32 or a few others. These are light on system resources but not as effective as others. These are also only trial then buy programs.

You need an antivirus and firewall software. Without it, you run into a lot more complex problems than you may be willing to learn to fix, and will be difficult for us to explain how to fix to you. You may end up with problems that you could end up paying a tech to repair that may result in a higher bill than just replacing the computer. It is also possible to have your identity stolen, or have your bank accounts drained. It happens even to those of us that are tech savy and know a lot about computers.

It was wrong of your son to try to scare you into using one. He was right however that one is required to be safe. We are all trying to be helpful to you, however you need to be willing to help yourself before we can do this.

Consider bringing your computer to a tech or allowing a tech savy friend to take a look at it for an estimate on upgrading the hardware if it is too slow or replacing it with a newer model depending on cost. This is going to be the greatest help to solving the slowness problem.

Cheap reputable hardware can be found at the following locations:
newegg.com
tigerdirect.com

 

To clarify: if there are items in your Startup Folder that you deem necessary to keep, then do so.

And, if you are going to be uninstalling programs and cleaning file fragments, I'd recommend running any defragmentation routines after the removal process (when the greatest amount of fragmented space occurs).

 

Hi Grandma Beth.

Was wondering if, after you installed Microsoft Security Essentials(MSE), you did a "Quick Scan" or a "Full Scan"? In many cases running a "Full Scan" with MSE after installation has solved the problem you've described.

 

Thank you for pointing that out. Even the advanced user is prone to missing important details when trying to explain how to do something to someone that does not know how to do it.

I missed that when trying to simplify it down.:-o

I am currious as to the answer if a virus scan was done as well. The steps to optimize the OS are only a temporary measure if it is infected and will only make it worse by covering the tracks of some of them until they spread more.

 

Hello Grandma Beth :wave

I too have had problems with my computer over the years. I was very hesitant to try to do anything "Technical" with it or ... heaven forbid - to it.

But after a number of years & then finding this website where everyone, especially those who dedicate themselves to help us so graciously, giving up some of their family time, - I have learned sooooo much, that I am not so intimidated by my computer any longer! I am sure you too will get to that point, if you so desire to do so.

I have had very slow computers, and by listening & following the suggestions of these superb helpers, my computers once again were blazing along, just like the day I brought them home! And yet some of them were even better, when I followed the suggestion to upgrade. THE BEST PART, IT WAS NOT EXPENSIVE! WHAT THEY SUGGEST THE MOST TIMES IS - MEMORY! But not getting ahead of myself & I definitely do not want to be off topic with the thread or posting in wrong forum - (post in "Hardware" thread for Memory help, and "Software" thread for "Slow Computer" help)

Anyway, it might be of assistance to those who are helping you out, if you provided a little more information about your computer. By either:

• Right clicking "My computer" icon on your desktop, or
• Left click "Start" button, then
• Right click "My Computer" on right side column
• Left Click "General" Tab

You will see additional info, near bottom. What is the processor speed? (Measured in Ghz)
How much RAM Memory?

This info may help, to help you in advising & make suggestions re: your installed AntiVirus, AntiSpyware, & AntiMalware scanners?

If you are not already infected with either a virus, malware, spyware, adware, rootkit, etc. then it may be a hardware issue?

If you haven't already started, you may want to go thru the following:

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

Good Luck