Wanderings of a RuinExplorer

It's quite common to hear about how you processor (CPU) or amount of memory (RAM) will impact your system's speed, but fragmentation, overstuffed hard drives, and a messy registry can be a drag on performance as well. Before beginning optimization, you will want to have already given your system a decent scub as malware and viruses wreck havoc on optimization efforts. But assuming you've got some virus software installed and up to date, a good protection suite, and a basic janitor program like CCleaner , you should be good to go. A Hard Clean: If you find that CCleaner wasn't able to get all the little pieces that you want removed in a scub session, I recommend Super AntiSpyware Free Edition . I use this program for deep malware cases and uninstall the program after it's completed it's task. The program is great for all kinds of things, but tends to be a little bit of a nagware itself in pushing its commercial version. The Registry: Trying to explain the window...

I'm frequently asked questions regarding computer cleaning, viruses, malware, spyware, and optimization. Often times it's due to either a perceived lack of funds or education required to do system maintenance. The surprisingly positive answer to many of these questions come in free downloadable tools you can use to address such issues. Now I openly admit that when it comes to tools used to address these kinds of problems, sometimes the tools themselves can be just as bad. Well, here is the fist in a couple of posts addressing some of the best tools I've found and since cleaning and optimization go hand in hand, the topics will be covered somewhat together. Basic Cleaning/Protection: Whether you have a new system you want protected, or suspect you have a system that could benefit from a good cleaning, this is where I would start. AVG Antivirus Free Edition : ( direct link ) A good approach to cleaning and protecting a system starts with a good antivirus pro...