help most common problems why my machine is running slow?

[pettifors]

can someone please help to eliminate from the top down. i have got this machine from a friend who knows just about where the on and off swithch is on her computer. (as much use as boobs on a fish i guess) her computer is running really really I mean really slow. i have done housekeeping and the hardrive is 3/4 empty. there is also an up to date spyware doctor present. her kids use the internet, again housekeeping i have done. the computer is still sooooo slow. any ideas where what i could start off with?
thanks for your replies.

 

[Mentali$T]

Warez monster will know he has a huge list of all this software to download (he'll be on soon no doubt), i cant remember it though. Have you got any firewalls other than the windows one? Have you got any Antivirus software? You should have these things as well as antispyware.

 

[pettifors]

thanks

yes i installed free firewall, 2. i know about warrez monster, he seems a fountain of knowledge. i just wondered if there is something i should definetely do or be looking for? i am trying hard to learn about techie things.

 

[Osiris]

Follow these instructions carefully

Download ALL 8 programs and update if needed.

Ad Aware SE Personal Free

Spybot Search and Destroy Free

Windows Defender 2 Beta

HijackThis Free

Ewido

CCleaner

Cleanup!

Follow these steps

Delete the prefetch folder C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch, this folder will come back on next reboot.

Delete all cookies and temporary internet files in the control panel.

Go to Start, run, type msconfig, go to startup, disable everything except your antivirus, Firewall, click apply, dont reboot yet.

Download Msconfig Cleanup below

Msconfig Cleanup Free

Run Msconfig Cleanup after you unchecked the items you were told to uncheck and recheck, click "Select All", then click "Clean up Selected", then click "Quit". Make sure your antivirus and firewall are not checked.

Now run each spyware program 1 by 1. Running all 3 at the same time will slow most systems down.

When each program has finished scanning, remove everything.

Now go to the recycle bin and delete everything that is in it.

When finished with the scans, reboot, and go into Safe Mode and run these scans again, remove everything they find, and then reboot back into Windows in normal mode. You dont need to run Hijackthis! yet.

Then run HiJackthis!

Save the log, copy and paste the log on www.techist.com
Do not attach the log, copy and paste always. This will make things go much faster.

 

[Mentali$T]

Told you
Warez you got that as a file on ur pc or sumthing?

 

[Osiris]

.txt file

 

[pettifors]

many thanks

warrez monster, thanks very much will do

 

[Mentali$T]

Thought so