When do you think it's a good time to reformat?

I heard you should reformat your PC atleast once a year because of all the crap you've uninstalled and reinstalled and etc. Is this true? My PC is still running in tip top shape, very fast, no problems, responsive.. I only have 23 processes boot up and I keep everything tight and clean with registry cleaners, spyware/malware scans and nod32 for virus protection.

Do you think it's worth a reformat?

Honestly, what would I be benefitting from with the current condition of my machine?

(Asking now because this week, I do have the time and effort to get it done)

Thanks in advance,

Dom

When do you think it's a good time to reformat?computer virus

If your PC is not showing any signs of strange behavior and has not slowed down then it is fine and you do not have to reformat. Reformatting is really for cleaning up when all is just going to bad to be easily fixed.

When do you think it's a good time to reformat?free spyware remover

Reformat? Viruses? Spyware? What are those? I use Linux.
Personally, I always reformat and reinstall my operating system. Mainly it is just to clean stuff out and have a new install.

It is not a requirement, just personal preference is all.

If your system is running great, then you don't need to do a reformat. But I would recommend backing up your system once a week in case you do have a problem.
You can go here; http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinte... and find some simple tools to help clean things up if you want, they free and fairly small programs. Things like a registry clean up etc.

Is it worth it to get a nintendo wi-fi usb adapter? (for ds and wii)?

I'm just a little concerned that my frickin comp virus protection won't allow it. Have you had any problems? What are some good wi-fi games? I'm thinking strikers charged for wii...I already have mkds...anything else?

Is it worth it to get a nintendo wi-fi usb adapter? (for ds and wii)?computers

try connecting directly to your internet with your wii and ds. those are some good games you suggested. If you have a lot of friends who you like to talk to, maybe Animal Crossing DS. Only get if you don't have wireless internet.

Is it worth it to get a nintendo wi-fi usb adapter? (for ds and wii)?hijack this

Id personally suggest a wireless router, it'll cost about an extra $10, but it has its own firewall and works when the pc is off
i think you should get, and dont worry about the virus protection, trust me, my bvirus prtection wont even let me on google, but i can still use the wi-fi, as for games get pokemon battle revolution, then any first person shooter games

Popups........Help!!!!!?

Is there a free safe download I can get to get rid of all the popups on my screen?..alot of them are about a virus protection and want me to purchase there software. It started more after a friend watched porn, can I get those sites visited erased or avoid those popups?...Please help It's driving me crazy....You can click my profile if you need to IM oe E-mail me also. Thanx everyone in advance for your time and help.

Popups........Help!!!!!?downloads

Yes u need to get rid of your spyware and malware..the latest updates of Internet Explorer have control measures to prevent spyware on your computer, however if for some reason you dont have all updates installed, the best eliminator of spyware is a program called 'SPYBOT SEARCH AND DESTROY' its free~

Popups........Help!!!!!?house call

Are you using Internet Explorer?

Use Firefox instead, and download and install recommended add-ons/extensions.

I've had ZERO pop-ups in the past 2 years.
I'm not sure if this is right but I think you can try getting rid of cookies. I know if you do that then your computer won't recognize previously visited sites. It's kind of like starting over. You definitely need more than me. I'm a mac person and don't have any of the problems that PC users have.
Download the Google or Yahoo! toolbar, they help block popups, delete your history and cookies, scan your computer for viruses and spywear.

You can contact me if you need any more help.

Need opinion's on computer software for Microsoft?

What is the best Firewall, Virus protection, and Anti Spieware combination on the market? I want an all in one package thats easy to use and works really well.

Need opinion's on computer software for Microsoft?ducati

Trend Micro gets my vote.

Norton is overhead heavy. McAffee is slow to update.

Trend is easy on the resources and as soon as a new threat is discovered they are updating your system to cover it.

Go here to read about it - http://www.digitalriver.com/v2.0-img/ope...

Need opinion's on computer software for Microsoft?hp

A lot of the answers to this question will be based on personal preference and not real facts. Fortunately for you most of the security software (McAfee, Symantec, Zone Alarm, etc.) companies will allow you to download trial versions of their software (fully functional) so you can install them and come up with your own personal preference. Just install one at a time and use it until it expires, or until you are tired of it, and move on to the next one. There are also some free products out there. Just Google anti virus.

I need a computer geek's help, PLEASE!!!?

My computer was without any virus protection for about three weeks and no it is slower than a....well I can't think of anything...but it's slow. Last time this happened I wiped my whole hard drive and started fresh. I would like to do this again, and I am fine with reinstaling everything, just don't know how to erase the hard drive again.

(It's a Dell Dimension 4100 if that helps)

P.S. If answer is to long you can contact me through my email superhomer1221@yahoo.com

I need a computer geek's help, PLEASE!!!?firewall

go to BIOS (rapidly press delete or f10 during startup) and set your computer to boot to cd. Insert your os cd and run through the installation. at one point, you should recieve a prompt about drive partitioning. delete all partitions you see here, then create a new one, format it using NTFS (either quick or standard, you should see a prompt or the computer will do it for you) and then reinstall your os.

Hope this helps!

I need a computer geek's help, PLEASE!!!?husqvarna

Go to http://free.grisoft.com to get a decent free anti-virus and anti-spyware program.

Install and run it to start cleaning out.

Also, you can go to http://www.safer-networking.org to get Spybot Search %26 Destroy to get another very good free anti-spyware program.

Benefits of owning a Mac?

Ok. Let's get something straight. I don't want this to be turned into a Mac VS. PC war. I am [i]getting[/i] a Mac. I just would like to know some of the benefits of owning a Mac. I know the great virus protection, and that's about it. I am seriously considering MacBook Pro. But are there any better Mac Laptops out there? I need huge amounts of space, so the MBP's 250 Gig sounds fantastic.

Benefits of owning a Mac?free adware remover

It's not really that they have great virus protection, there's just not nearly as many people trying to give you viruses and malware because most people use pcs. They are expensive and a 250GB hard drive is starting to become average. The benefits of Macs are media and looks, other than that I don't see anything that great.

Benefits of owning a Mac?internet security 2006

Ok, lets start. There's a lot of benefits of owning a Mac. Let me show you just a few!

-You always have a paperweight when you need one!

-You can play the Mac-exclusive game, "Lock-up!" It's really fun!

-You get to give Apple your hard-earned money for something that lacks in performance. (It really makes you feel good about yourself!)

My computer Freezes up or restarts while im on the Internet?

My computer start doing this after i had used my bellsouth virus protection I found a little over 1900 mainly w32/pcbot.A@PRP, a winprofile, a dinoxi worm and some other destructive programs which it didnt tell me what it was but after It got rid of this my computer started with this problem it only happens after the computer goes to a web page this is completly random it also has happend when i just boot it up and go to internet then it will simply just restart like i hit the reset button with no warning latey my scandisk has found so cross-linked files sometimes it freezes up insead or get a fatal excepation than becomes unstable and remains black the temperture is 'nt the problem can you help me my computer is a windows 98 se gateway essential and everything inside is the orignal except the harddrive which is new btw before this happend my computer would after so long mess up my toolbars miss buttons and then when i open internet it would want me to get me to donwnload box

My computer Freezes up or restarts while im on the Internet?free anti virus

hi , i think that not only do u have a virus problem,but its been a problem so long , that someone has moved in on your computer%26 is controling your computer from a remote location. a different %26 fresh security system ought to do the trick! hope it works out for you!!!

My computer Freezes up or restarts while im on the Internet?internet security software

sorry to say but you have the TROJAN virus
Thanks for your help but i just wiped the drive and made sure this time my virus, firewall, and spyware software are working and btw it also seemed when i did this some files were dameged one more thing i fot got to mention taht I could leave it on for any amout of time nothing goes wrong one more thing its dsl I let you know if it doesit

Using a username and password, why do I have to type these in every time even when auto sign in is c

I am having a problem with Yahoo mail that I am receiving. It was working until I upgraded my virus protection version. Thanks for any help!

Using a username and password, why do I have to type these in every time even when auto sign in is checked?free antivirus download

Ya that keeps happening to me, too. Sorry, I don't know how to fix it, but is there anyone else who uses your computer? If someone else signs in then the automatic sign in that you checked for yourself gets disabled. I don't know about your mail receiving problem, though. I hope this helps.

Using a username and password, why do I have to type these in every time even when auto sign in is checked?internet security

it could be you have a different username or password set on that if you have anyother email. you could also try to uninstall the sign in and try it again. or you could have it for messenger. for your mail problem go to options and for virus protection it could be it is blocking out your emails because it does not recognize it as safe.

Please help!!?

I will like to know what type of virus protection program you will recommend for my computer and where I can get it at? I have Norton Antivirus, but it will soon expire, before thay I had Spysweeper. Thank you all so much for your help, I really appreciate it.

Please help!!?free antivirus

You may be having a virus. Norton, AVG , Avast are

widely used and effective antivirus software. You can

download these free softwares at

http://fixit.in

Please help!!?internet

AVG- free click it%26gt;%26gt;

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl...

What ails my computer?

I have a desktop PC running Windows XP. I have a firewall, virus protection and Spyware cleaner. Until recently the computer was working fine. For several weeks now it seems to run out of memory soon after I start using it. I am speaking here of RAM (I think that's the correct term) - - - - what the computer uses to function, not hard disc space which is fine. In order to continue using the computer I must turn it off and reboot. Then the same thing happens again after about 30 minutes or so. I empty the temporary Internet files at least once a day so that's not the problem. Any Ideas?

What ails my computer?free spyware remobal

How much RAM do you have in the computer? Run AVG Antivirus, Spy-bot S%26D, Windows Defender, Ad-Aware. Dump your temporary internet files, cookies and history. Do some housekeeping, get rid of any programs that you don't use at all or use very little. Do a defrag.

What ails my computer?kawasaki

In the IE browser, go to the "Tools" on the uppermost menu bar, select "Internet options", under the "General" tab, tic the "Delete Cookies" button, the "Delete Files" button, and the "Clear History" button. Report It

Please help....mcAfee problem?

today i did system restore on my computer. and when it was done it restarted and i have mcAfee virus protection on my computer. it said virusscan was disabled. Personal firewall and privacy service are both enabled though. Every time I try to enable virusscan it says some components of activeshield are either missing or might not have been installed properly. it wont enable it. what should i do to fix this? i dont want to get in trouble with my parents. please help!!!!!!

Please help....mcAfee problem?free spyware remover

do you have MC Affee CD's? or did you download Mcafee from their site with Key....you must re-install it

Please help....mcAfee problem?ktm

Uninstall the bad protection. Then go to www.mcaffe.com and download it again. You will need the login information to do that.

Which is better, norton or mcafee?

I was just thinking about those two virus protection program.

Which is better, norton or mcafee?free spyware

Neither of them are good. They both are resource hungry (i.e use lot of memory (RAM) and CPU power. Though they are top rated antivirus, they updating for new virus database is very slow (take a week time to find solution for virus outbreak, updated after 2 or 3 days) and scanning speed is slow.

Go for kaspersky . It is acknowledge to have best research centre for antivirus and they find solution for any virus outbreak within hours. and everyday they send new update to keep your computer virus free. Scanning good and use less resource.

http://www.kaspersky.com/af/globalstore

Which is better, norton or mcafee?live update

both of them are know for slowing down a computer. if i need to choose i'd go for norton, cos my parents had it once and it worked great.

however i think both kaspersky and nod32 are better than mcaffee and notor security
Both R Sux....

Both R Fu*ked Up .. yup..

I have used Both....but when I was on my computer.....Hackers were just using my computer at the same time I was.....

They were sending me Viruses and Keyloggers....

Like there was no Anti-Virus Prog in my computer...

Need help downloading world of warcraft on windows vista!!!?

I just found the game world of warcraft and most people say it's really fun. I'm totally new with wow and i just made an account. I have a windows vista computer and when i try to download it i get the message "Your computer appear to be behing a firewall" then i click on more info to get helop but when i go to the page where they ask for me to use what virus protection i use, i click on mcafee but that's not the same one i have. So please tell me how to download world of warcraft on windows vista and how to allow blizzard runner so that i won't get the message "your computer seems to be behing a firewall" anymore. I'm totally new with computers and i don't know much about it so you got to give me the EXACT step. Please if you know please show me the exact step because i'm stuck at home right now with nothing to do.

Need help downloading world of warcraft on windows vista!!!?noton

World of Warcraft is really a huge game, you must pay much time on it, and at the sametime you should pay for it.

if you want to find some of these website ,there are some. hope it is useful.

http://worldofwarcraft-eu.igsky.com/

http://worldofwarcraft-us.igsky.com/

http://www.igsky.com/

Need help downloading world of warcraft on windows vista!!!?stinger

try disabling all of your anti virus that is what i do when i get that problem but i don't have vista thats what i suggest trying though
Go to your control panel to the security settings. You should be able to turn off your firewall there.
hm mm....i don't think u can download it in vista is only Xp 2000(i think) and 98.

VCOM Fix-it Utilities 8?

I heared this has a safe and god registry cleaner, also the built in virus protection is from PC-Cillin, is this right?

VCOM Fix-it Utilities 8?panda

I have never heard of this software, Gonna star this one so I can find it later;

Edit;

I have searched this tool and mcAffe site advisor gave it a green light so I feel that it would be a handy tool to have in your arsenal, see the results below,

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en%26q=vco...

SG

When I was shutting down my computer last night, it said someone else is accessing computer?

and shutting down may cause them to use any unsaved data.....do you want to shut dow.....

Ok have Fios ....I thought I had all the firewalls,Mcaffee.,virus protection...password protected stuff etc...can someone explain what was going on, was it dangerous to computer or my files/info..... is there anything should i do/install ....pls be simple and clear...not real great at this computer stuff..thanks

When I was shutting down my computer last night, it said someone else is accessing computer?pc security

i think you have access to the network or someone on your household access to ur PC or maybe some programs where still running that you havent notice try press CTRL+ALT+DEL then look on application or process if there is a program u didn't know that it uses the internet like spyware. try clean this by using ur virus softwares or spyware softwares.

When I was shutting down my computer last night, it said someone else is accessing computer?symantic

If you are useing a router then someone was useing your connection
You have more than one user accounts in your windows and probably one account was already logged in eg

Administrator + guest

This happens with windows XP often, It's not a security threat..
Are u in a local area network . (Probably yes ) and it means someone using your files etc... If they are acessign your shared files its ok bu if you dont have any shared data .Your computer may need a firewall or something like this. Be in safe :)
You may have left the computer long enough for it to go into sleep mode (usually in 15 min). The computer thinks someone else was using it, because you logged back in. Happens to me all the time.
I had that happen to me one time, thank goodness I have McAfee to protect my PC. other than that I don't know who or what is was it hasn't happened since.
DId it say Other people are Logged on to the computer...

Or Someone else is using computer.????

Big difference.

The first is normal for a computer the second has never been seen.

First one refers to logging into your own computer under own name or Admin...or Guest .

If it did say that the computer isbeing accessed by another then WEP your internet.
just means someone elts at ur house uses your computer and doesn't mean anyone outside your house is using it
It usually happens when two user accounts on Windows XP have been left opened, so when you decide to shut down your computer, it reminds you that the other account was still open as well.

Limewire question?

I know a lot of people recommend using limewire for downloading free music but I've also noticed they say you need to have a good virus protection program.

All I've got is spysweeper, is that ok?

I DON'T have limewire but I'm hoping to find a substitue.

Limewire question?photoshop

Not that I am picking on you..but I get so tired of people asking about LimeWire on here...it is the worst program you could ever put on yur computer. It doesn't matter if you have Fort Knox security on your computer...the viri will infect your computer. Being naive, I downloaded that program a few years ago and it cost me well over 100 bucks to clean my computer...I eventually had to get a new one. And yes, I had a well protected computer. Anyhoo...jsut look in my answer history and you will see numerous other questions and answers regarding LimeWire. I use iTunes now and love it. Yes, it costs money, but it is safe and legal!

Limewire question?symatec

no its not enough i suggest getting norton anti virus
NO its not, there are so many types of viruses popups pop unders single pixels worms gifs etc if ou use slime wire n get burned? well hey use at own risk is all I can say!
I have used limewire for years with Norton Anti-Virus and never had any problems. I have had other people tell me that they had other anti-viruses and got infected. I'm not sure which ones don't work.. but i definitely know that Norton is the way to go.
i have 360 share which is a limewire clone i use it alot and i use avg anti virus scan the file after download with avg antivirus and avg anti spyware both are free from www.grisoft.com be sure to scan each file before you open them if the file is infected delete promptly
Limewire made my comp. sooooo slow!
i use http://www.froswire.com i only download music no vids or files don't trust never had problem when u download a song go to library and rick clickon song u have saved and stop sharing u won't get any problems that way. They also have community chat if u need help etc

New video graphics accelerator, do I need to update driver?

I could not play Sims 2 at all, so I upgraded to 1 GB of RAM and had a new graphics accelerator installed. The game plays but crashes all the time. I get a VPU recover message or one that says it has crashed and the application will now terminate. If I need to update a driver, how do I do that myself and where do I go? I have tried closing background tasks and disabling virus protection, but nothing is working. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

New video graphics accelerator, do I need to update driver?pop up blocker

VPU recover is a feature exclusive to ATI cards. nVidia might have something similar, I don't know, but if so it's called something different. Anyway, go to ati.amd.com and go the the 'drivers and support' section and download and install the latest drivers. If you don't know what video card you have installed, right click on the desktop, go to properties, settings, advanced, adapter.

If updating the drivers doesn't work, contact whoever installed the card and tell them your problem.

It might be that your power supply isn't powerful enough to run the card. Modern graphics cards are very power hungry and it's not unheard of for one to have to upgrade their power supply to upgrade their video card.

New video graphics accelerator, do I need to update driver?systemworks

what is your video card and maybe i can help

Getting "messenger service, system error" messages?

Hi, i have been getting pop-ups from "messenger service" and says that i have to download something from certain websites (clean32.com) else it "may lead to data loss %26 corruption". I even deleted all programs that i don't use from the "add/remove programs" and i have the virus protection too....any suggestions as to how i can stop this pop up, as it has become very very annoying.

Getting "messenger service, system error" messages?product key

You are using an older version or (un-updated) of Windows (pre XP SP2). These type of popups exploit the Messenger Service in your Windows OS, which after XP SP2 is disabled by default.

A popup blocker "thingy" will be of no help in this case.

You have 3 choices to end the problem.

1. You can disable and stop Messenger Service by typing "services msc." (without the ""s) into your Run Box and then disabling and stopping Messenger Service.

OR

2. You can use the free utility called Shoot The Messenger to automatically disable this unnecessary service.

http://www.grc.com/stm/shootthemessenger...

OR (Best Solution)

3. Update or upgrade your operating system to at least Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).

Please note that Windows Messenger Service is not the same as any Instant Messenger program that you may have on your computer. Disabling it will not cause you to lose any IM functionality that you may have.

Good luck

Getting "messenger service, system error" messages?triumph

I would block the clean32.com address, so it doesn't popup anymore.

What does it mean when your computer pops up- Your remote record service is out of date?

I have been trying to look up what that means, and no luck. We Changed virus protection lately and that s when it started popping up. Thanks much!

What does it mean when your computer pops up- Your remote record service is out of date?security

Time to renew your remote record service license.

Have fun but be safe!

I cant get limewire to work with windows vista, limewire just says connecting any ideas??

limewire just wont connect to the gnutella network and its getting really fristrating, has anyone else had the same problem or knows what i can do??

i've looked on forums and they all blame Mcafee virus protection but i dont have Mcafee, and ive tried uninstalling and reinstalling, and ive tried running limewire in compatibility mode with windows XP service pack 2

I cant get limewire to work with windows vista, limewire just says connecting any ideas??software

Memory - Vista needs a lot and Limewire needs a lot too. You need 2 GB for Limewire to work.

I cant get limewire to work with windows vista, limewire just says connecting any ideas??vincent

could be your firewall. have u switched it off
Try right clicking the program and selecting run as admin
I just downloaded Limewire to my laptop with Vista and my mcafee window popped up and asked to allow or not so I allowed and everything is fine. Goodluck but watch out because Limewire is file sharing and you can get corrupt files. Open up your Mcafee in type in the Limewire http/ then click allow. Hope this helps. I hate Vista give me Xp any day.
Download U torent and go on isohunt.com from there type Limewire in. Youll be able to download Limewire Pro via U Torent it downloads really qickly too. Then you can delete U Torent if you wish coz you got Limewire.
Well I haven't actually tried installing it on vista (because it wasnt the best p2p client (has a lot of spam files)). But since it says connecting then I assume the problem is some kind of firewall, or if you have router you need to forward the ports. Vista has build in firewall that should asked you to unblock it (you can check at control panel to see unblocked applications)