OT: Speeding up a slow computer

[dogscoff]

Well, 2 gigs is plenty for XP, I really don't think your slowdown is due to insufficient ram (unless you have a bad mem stick in there, I suppose). I think it's just Windows rot.

If that's the case, you can defrag and clear the registry and uninstall unwated crap to get some of your performance back but you really need to wipe the hard drive and re-install the OS (or re-install some OS, anyway). It's the only way to be sure.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Nuke it from orbit!

[Renegade 13]

Indeed, the suggestions here have been quite useful, for which I thank you all. There is one more thing I'd like to ask though...I currently use Norton (I know, I know, it's the spawn of the devil), and would like to remove it and replace it with something less bloaty. However, I seem to recall hearing that it has an, umm...aversion to being removed. What would be the best and most thorough way of removing it? Also, if I'm going to remove it I'd like to have a replacement in place before I'm left anti-virus free As such, any suggestions on a quality, non-bloaty, (preferably free) alternative?

Again, thanks!

[Fyron]

That depends on whether you want a free AV, or a paid AV. AVG is a good free option, but like all free versions, its detection rates are not quite as good as commercial AV engines. This site has results of periodic AV engine tests (on the best commercial versions of each AV engine IIRC), very useful:

http://www.av-comparatives.org/

Avira and NOD32 tend to come out on top, especially in the proactive tests (which test detection of viruses with old definition libraries, testing the ability to identify new viruses).

As for removing Norton AV, Symantec bowed to pressure and released a complete uninstaller tool:

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...05033108162039

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I'm using Avast; it seems to work fine so long as you don't mind it listing every password-protected archive on your computer at the end of its scan.

[Xrati]

That, at least tells you that it's working!

Good luck with the Norton uninstall. Mine did not go so well. By the time it was done, none of the spyware or spybot programs would work right, even after a uninstall/re-install. Since the system was pretty much unstable at that point, I just reformatted the HD and installed XP from scratch.

Remember to backup anything that you consider VERY IMPORTANT, before you try to remove Norton.

[dmm]

Xrati said:
By the time it was done, none of the spyware or spybot programs would work right, even after a uninstall/re-install.

Huh?? You actually WANT spyware and spybot programs to work on your system??