My old computer keeps freezing – I need two hours a day to clean it.
[HUMOR]As a result everyone who could be enlightened by me suffers.[/HUMOR]
A PC should not be “freezing” constantly. This may be a defective hardware issue not a malware issue. What are the hardware specs and OS of the PC?
Not constantly – its just very slow. Is the combination of
- CCleaner
- SUPERAntispyware
- Malwarebytes
- TewakBit PCSpeedUp
OK?
I have SUPERAntispyware and it uses 25% of my CPU (Intel i5-750). I have to shut it off except when i run a scan.
No, it’s absurd to have that many resource heavy AV products running at once on an old PC. Keep malwarebytes, uninstall the rest, especially the PCSpeedup crapware.
If you favor sketchy sites and need multiple AVs running to block all infection attempts (and sometimes this is required) you are going to have to upgrade your hardware
The only surefire form of protection is complete abstinence. Don’t use the computer at all, and you won’t get malware. It’s the way the Lord would want it.
OUH! Why did I spend so much money on these programs?
Hype. The stuff the “speed-up” software does can be done by you with the program that comes with Windows, i.e., dumping your trash bin, getting rid of downloads and unnecessary files, etc.
Get a Mac. I spend absolutely no time on this and have absolutely no software for it. I can’t imagine going back.
because you didn’t know any better?
I use the first 3 (on occasion, as needed), but they are all available for free. The extra features added to the pay versions aren’t significant, in my opinion.
That last one I’ve never heard of, but the name itself screams crapware to me. Dunp it. (Use Revo Uninstaller to do that.)
A great way to prevent them from getting saved on your system in the first place is to run your browser in a sandboxed environment with something like SandboxIE. A sandboxed environment means the browser is running in an environment where it can read from your disk, but anything it writes goes to a scratch area which is thrown away when the browser closes. The browser thinks it’s running normally, but any viruses or malware only exists as long as the sandbox does. The virus thinks it’s infecting your computer, but as soon as you shut the browser the virtual environment goes away along with any bad stuff that got downloaded.
Any downside?
This. I’ve used Macs for years and haven’t had a malware issue since the Unix-based OS X debuted. I also run Windows in virtual machines on Macs, and haven’t had any issues with them (though I almost never use browsers in the virtual machines, only developer tools like Visual Studio and SQL Server).
Thanks – I will look at sandboxie.
The downside of using SandboxIE is that there are times when you want the browser changes to be permanent. Things like updates, installing plugins, adding bookmarks, remembering passwords, cookies, etc. are all forgotten when you close the browser. To make permanent changes to your browser, you need to open the browser normally and make the change so it will be remembered. If you download a program and run it from the sandboxed environment, any changes that program makes are also only in the sandbox and will be deleted.
However, SandboxIE does understand when you download something on purpose to your Downloads folder. When it sees a new file there, it brings up a popup asking if you want to save the file outside your sandbox. That way the file will stick around even after you close the browser.
So sometimes it can be inconvenient to have the browser in the sandbox environment, but you gain the advantage of keeping your computer safer.
Thanks. Does SandboxIE REALLY work?
Sure, it works. But in your case, it’s probably a bit like closing the barn door after the (trojan) horse got in.
Honestly, what really has to change here are your browsing habits.
- Identify which websites are inundating you with the pox
- Install an adblocker - I’m using uBlock Origin at the moment. I like it.
- Take your business elsewhere
That plus Microsoft’s built in anti-virus + firewall has kept me safe for years.
If some trashy website just will not stop thrusting malware at you - stop going there. There’s eleventy billion websites out there. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find it somewhere that isn’t trying to shiv you.
PS: Uninstall Flash
This has been my experience. I use a Mac for everything and have for many years. I have supported Windows, and it’s nothing but a headache. People have to examine what they are really using a work station for and decide if Windows is really running an application they can’t live without. Very often people don’t realize all the same applications run on the Mac.
Microsoft Office runs on the Mac, but I don’t even use it. I use OpenOffice (openoffice.org) which is free. It’s open-source. OpenOffice is free for Windows and Linux too. On the Mac you have Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome web browsers. If more IT departments switched to the Mac they wouldn’t have all these support issues, but many won’t do that because it would reduce their budget and power in the company.
What I do is run Ubuntu Linux in a virtual machine running on VirtualBox. I do all of my iffy web browsing in Firefox in the virtual machine. This is a way to get the benefits that the “Get a Mac” people brag about while not having to spend a dime on new hardware. If the virtual machine becomes corrupted you can recreate it or restore a clean backup.
The other piece of the puzzle is to browse safely. Don’t fall for clickbait (like the ads on this board). Don’t click on links in email unless you know exactly where the link is going. This can be tricky so for many people that advice should be shortened to “Don’t click on links in email”. Don’t open email attachments unless you were expecting them and know what they are.
Sometimes it not worth trying to clean a computer if it has gotten too messed up. You may need to reinstall Windows and start over. Then don’t let it happen again but browsing in a virtual machine.