newbie need help

[Technophobe]

Background processes. Dell likes to push Norton, and Norton is a huge resource hog.

Click Start, Run, type in MSCONFIG, hit OK. Click the Sartup tab. Uncheck everything (this will turn off your anti-virus, firewall, and everything else that may be running in the background). Click Apply, OK. Reboot. Once your rig comes back up, click the "Don't show this" box and hit OK in the big grey box. Try to run your game.

Be sure to go back and recheck your anti-virus and stuff you actually need when you finish playing and reboot.

wouldnt this leave me wide open to naughty ppl with nothing better to do than mess up my pc?

 

[GoodNews101]

Yes it will, but what Trotter is trying to determine here is if the background processes are causing your issues. And he is 100% correct about Norton being a system hog. There are MUCH better anti-virus, security softwares out there but that is a subject for another day.

Take his advice and see how it works. Stay offline until then and then reboot as he has suggested.

 

[Trotter]

Not if you are not online. If you are using a router you probably have a hardware firewall.

Just fire up your AV before you surf (as soon as you stop playing).

Oh, and my wife likes the CSI games. She's looking forward to the next one.