3 small(?) problems: Download; Suddenly Slower; Remove Extra Icons...

WinXP Home SP2; OE 6; IE 6; Dell Dimension XPS T450MHz Pentium III; AVG Free Version 7.5.503; spybot S&D; ad-aware; cable; WordPerfect8; Lexmark Laser printer "Optra E310")

Hello, if anyone can, kindly help me find out and fix the following?:

(1) After a techi came to help me with certain things....I noticed my Lavasoft program disappeared from my computer completely. I went to download it, but it placed only one icon on my desktop and when I clicked on it to install it...it said something like: it's not in such and such link, or similar. Usually download places 2 icons. I tried 3 or 4 times with different download sites and it was the same.

(2) Also noticed that suddently my computer became VERY much slower each time I make a move, like opening a simple short message, going to a website, just everything is slower taking from 15 to 20 seconds for each move!!! I think memory is sufficient, had 128mb and a few months ago I bought a 256mb...

(3) I have some icons on my desktop which are duplicates of the ones I have in the task bar (bottom). I read they take up space so I tried to remove them but didn't work.

Will appreciate so much to receive any help on any of the above problems. Thanks a ot!!! Adela

 

1) the Lavasoft program you're referring to is AdAware. The newer version (2007) does put 2 icons on the desktop after installing the program. One of 'em is called AdWatch and it doesn't really do anything unless you pay for it. The free program is AdAware. You can download it from here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/Ad-Aware_2007_d506.html After the download is finished, check Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel and remove it if it's already there, then double click on the icon you just downloaded. Don't confuse the terms "download" and "install". Download means you get the setup program from a web site; Install is what you do with the setup program you just downloaded.
2) Was the PC this way before the techie came over? If not, call him up and tell him what's happeneing. Techie's are supposed to make things faster, not slower. Looking at your specs (Pentium 3, 450mhz), it's not surprising that the PC is slow, but it still shouldn't take over 20 seconds to open a window.
3) The reason you have some of the same icons down by clock and up on the desktop is because some of the programs are running in the "background". When they do this, they put icons by the clock. Click Start, click Run, and type msconfig and press Enter. Click the Start Up tab. Go thru the list and start unchecking things you don't need. In most cases, you can uncheck just about everything except for antivirus programs, firewalls, and maybe some driver programs (not printer programs; HP is famous for installing like 5 or 6 different printer apps that load at startup. You don't need them running all the time). Then reboot and see if that helps.

 

Hi dlb and thank you for replying!

among other sites, I also tried the majorgeeks for the free Ad-Aware (home, I'm retired) but it lists several downloads...which should one click? I clicked on the Texas one and the only icon it put on my desktop was a plain square that I couldn't get to install, instead of the typical red, round picture...but I'll try it again and hope this time it will take.

It was fine before but she's now abroad and I can't reach her. I had called her to export my files and folders from one Identity to another in my Outlook Express which another techi messed up (my luck, hence I try to do it myself with the help of the good forums people like you!). :^) She did things too quickly to tell what she was doing and found she also switched my "Start Menu" etc. on which I had to spend an awful long time to change back as I'm not familiar. Then...she tried but couldn't, export those files and folders after all!!!

I followed your kind suggestion and except my AVG, I unchedked: Microsoft Office; Google Toolbar Notifier; apdproxy; and TeaTime. Do you know what the last 2 are? But when I restarted the computer this msg appeared:

<<You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts. The System Configuration Utility is Currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup Mode, causing this message to be displayed and the Utility to run every time Windows starts.
Choose the Normal Startup Mode on the General Tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.>>

Surprise! So I changed to Normal Mode though I didn't put it on Diagnostic or Selective Mode in the first place..How can I uncheck without this msg?

While on printers subject: While my printer (Lexmark Optra 310) isn't in the StartUp page, when I click "Printer" it shows 3 identical icons of it: one shows next to its name: (MS); another: SP2; and the third one shows its correct name. Do you think I can delete the other 2 without negative repercussions?

I'm sorry about this big mouthful, but thanks so much again for your good help!!! Adela

 

Thank you TimW, I was surprised to see so many program "killers"! ) When I gather more courage to use one of them and to know, at the results, which to delete and which not, I'll use one of these programs. I'm keeping this good site for a future use....Thanks again! Adela