Reformat or RegClean?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack Bruss
  • Start date Start date
J

Jack Bruss

My computer has been acting up a bit for several months, slow to boot and
shut down, sluggish overall, Outlook errors and shutdowns, strange error
messages from time to time, etc. It has been almost 3 years since I
reformated, and I was wondering whether I ought to bite the bullet and do
that, or whether it's worth taking a chance that a $30 or so registry
cleaner would solve the problems.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Jack
 
Jack Bruss said:
My computer has been acting up a bit for several months, slow to boot and
shut down, sluggish overall, Outlook errors and shutdowns, strange error
messages from time to time, etc. It has been almost 3 years since I
reformated, and I was wondering whether I ought to bite the bullet and do
that, or whether it's worth taking a chance that a $30 or so registry
cleaner would solve the problems.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
3 years ?. sounds like time for a nice springclean.
Check you`ve got all you need for the re-install.
bw..OJ.
 
Jack said:
My computer has been acting up a bit for several months, slow to boot and
shut down, sluggish overall, Outlook errors and shutdowns, strange error
messages from time to time, etc. It has been almost 3 years since I
reformated, and I was wondering whether I ought to bite the bullet and do
that, or whether it's worth taking a chance that a $30 or so registry
cleaner would solve the problems.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Regclean has a very low probability of resolving your condition, time to
get out a bullet...
 
Do you have up-to-date virus and spamware detection/removal tools? If
not, that's where I would begin.
 
I have McAfee installed and paid for, but there is a problem with it also.
It tells me it has an old "detection signature file", but when I update, it
doesn't do anything.
 
I'd try to uninstall - reinstall McAfee, update it and then thoroughly
scan your machine. Alternatively, (after an uninstall of McAfee), is
some free anti-spyware -
Ad-Aware SE Personal from www.lavasoft.com
and/or
Spybot at www.spybot.info/en/mirrors/index.html

Excellent free AVG anti-virus at www.grisoft.com

You've got to make sure you're free of malware before even thinking
about a reformat.
Then, clear Internet Explorer's cache
(Tools / Internet Options / General Tab / Temporary Internet Files)
Delete temporary files (probably in c:\windows\temp)
Empty the recycle bin
Run Disk CleanUp and Disk Defragmenter
(Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools)
 
Bennett Price said:
I'd try to uninstall - reinstall McAfee, update it and then thoroughly
scan your machine. Alternatively, (after an uninstall of McAfee), is some
free anti-spyware -
Ad-Aware SE Personal from www.lavasoft.com
and/or
Spybot at www.spybot.info/en/mirrors/index.html

Excellent free AVG anti-virus at www.grisoft.com

You've got to make sure you're free of malware before even thinking about
a reformat.
Click to expand...

Why is that then ?
A re-format will wipe the drve.
 
beenthere said:
Why is that then ?
A re-format will wipe the drve.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean to suggest that a reformat wouldn't delete malware; rather
that a reformat is a last resort.
 
Bennett Price said:
I didn't mean to suggest that a reformat wouldn't delete malware; rather
that a reformat is a last resort.
Click to expand...
Snipped.

No offence meant Ben, but the OP did say he`d been going for
3 years, so I thought a nice clean, new, install would do him the
world of good.
It`ll be my turn to do that soon.
I`ve got stuff on here that`s been updated\upgraded, so many
times.
And there`s so much dead wood left behind....Yuk.
 
beenthere said:
Snipped.

No offence meant Ben, but the OP did say he`d been going for
3 years, so I thought a nice clean, new, install would do him the
world of good.
It`ll be my turn to do that soon.
I`ve got stuff on here that`s been updated\upgraded, so many
times.
And there`s so much dead wood left behind....Yuk.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the advice - I will reformat in the next week or 2.
 
My computer has been acting up a bit for several months, slow to boot and
shut down, sluggish overall, Outlook errors and shutdowns, strange error
messages from time to time, etc. It has been almost 3 years since I
reformated, and I was wondering whether I ought to bite the bullet and do
that, or whether it's worth taking a chance that a $30 or so registry
cleaner would solve the problems.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Jack
Click to expand...


Please do not post same message in multiple groups unless
cross-posted, thank you.
 
I have McAfee installed and paid for, but there is a problem with it also.
It tells me it has an old "detection signature file", but when I update, it
doesn't do anything.
Click to expand...

Try Avast which is free. You can set it for automatic updates, both
the engine and signature file. It handles several applications such as
email, web, p2p, messaging, etc. It will learn what apps you have and
restore them if infected.

http://www.avast.com/


--

"First and last, it's a question of money. Those men who own the earth
make the laws to protect what they have. They fix up a sort of fence or
pen around what they have, and they fix the law so the fellow on the
outside cannot get in. The laws are really organized for the protection of
the men who rule the world. They were never organized or enforced to do
justice. We have no system for doing justice, not the slightest in the world."
--Clarence Darrow
 
quite some time ago, macafee changed the update
side.

Mine reads:

click on virusscanconsole or start the console
from the startmenu:

select the "update" line,

select configure,

Highlight the site (should be only one entry),

Select edit.

Site: network associates, mark enable button,

Select ftp site.

Then set ftp site to: ftp.nai.com/commonupdater

mark "anonymous" button

mark "passive" button

deselect "proxyserver" button.

Those are my settings for update, and it works.

Under advanced configure I have "update scanning......"

Back at the console,
For the update time: Under update properties
program is autoupdate,
set the scedule to weekly,and choose a day/time.
 
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