I know a lot of this has already been mentioned, but I figured I'd go through some of it again from my experience.
First off, you'll have to clear out those spyware and browser hijack programs. Two programs I highly recommend downloading are Lavasoft's Ad-Aware (found
here - just look for the "Ad-Aware Personal version" in the menu and get that, it's free). Once you install that, also make sure to update the program -- there should be a link or a button on the main window. Another really good one is Spybot Search & Destroy (found
here). Again, make sure the program is fully updated after you install it by using the "Check for Updates" button that should be at the top of the scan window.
It will take a while to run these programs, so be sure you won't need the computer for a bit. Once you scan using either one (I tend to use both, back-to-back), select all the nasty things it finds and delete them. There might be some that it says are in use by Windows and you'll have to reboot to clear them (i.e. they're sitting in memory and can't be unloaded til you restart the system). I believe both programs offer the ability to do a full scan at start-up, you should probably do that too. It loads the scan program up the moment you reach the Windows desktop and runs the whole scan, all before anything else can load into Windows, so it can catch anything that tries to sneak its way back in via hidden registry entries.
Another good site to check out is
Mike Lin's Home Page which has a bunch of useful little programs and tips. Pick up the "Startup Control Panel" and install that, it'll add right into your regular Control Panel as a new icon. Using that, you can find out if anything strange is trying to load on Windows startup. You can delete or uncheck any entries you don't know... but be VERY careful you know which ones you are removing, as it also shows the regular programs you do want to launch (like anti-virus programs, firewall programs, etc). Best way to be sure is to look at each entry, and if there's some kind of executable (EXE) file listed, search your drive for where it's at. Most of the good ones will be recognizable by the folder their in, especially things like Norton AntiVirus or the like that install default into the Program Files directory area. The sneaky stuff often likes to hide in your Documents directory area, or in the Temporary Internet Files or Temp directories.
After all that, use whatever program you have access to (Norton, or just the stuff that comes with Windows) to do a ScanDisk and Disk Defrag/Optimize. If ScanDisk comes across any files that it cannot fix until you restart, reboot and let it run (it'll probably be a strange looking blue DOS-like screen that comes up before you fully enter windows) so it can fix anything that Windows can't play with while it's using the files during the Windows session.
Another thing... the strange video behavior might also be due to heat problems. Some video cards, especially older ones, did not come with adequate cooling. Most these days have a dedicated cooling fan attached right onto the video card itself. But even with this, if your computer doesn't have good ventilation it can still get really hot in there. If you notice a lot of heat coming out from it, and you can safely leave it open, take the case panel(s) off and set up a small regular fan nearby to blow into it. If you can't safely leave it open (like if you have dogs or cats or even children that might poke around inside) then go out to your local Radio Shack or CompUSA and buy some case cooling fans (they're usually black and about 4 inches across) and mount them inside behind the vents. Just remember that too much exhaust creates negative pressure inside and will cause a lot of dust to get in and pile up inside... best thing is to have some blowing out (removing the hot air from inside) and some blowing in (pulling cooler air in), to provide good air flow. Same applies to the monitor, make sure you don't have anything laying on it that can block the vents around the case, otherwise it can't cool itself off. I have a cat who loves to sleep on top of monitors since they're warm, and she drives me crazy. :P
That should solve a lot of the performance problems. If you're still having problems with the system, look for Hijack This! from
SpywareInfo, and there's some useful help on it at
this site . That should clear up any browser hijacking (stuff that steals your home page and search features).
I would also STRONGLY recommend you pick up a good firewall program. I use
Sygate Personal Firewall over anything else, as it's simple and doesn't use a lot of resources to run. I used to use ZoneAlarm, but once I switched from Win98 to WinXP, it gave me a lot of problems with EQ. Every time EQ would patch, ZoneAlarm would pop up and ask me if I wanted to newly changed program to access the internet -- which is good that it checks, but bad because I couldn't get out of the EQ window and release the cursor to be able to click on the "OK" button in ZoneAlarm. With Sygate all I have to do is hit CTRL-ALT-DEL to bring up the Task Manager, then click on OK, then after EQ goes past log-in I just use the normal command (CTRL-R) to release the mouse and close the Task Manager and return to EQ. ZA force me to reboot the computer just to get free of it.
But still, use a firewall program, since those can control just what does have access to your internet connection. If you see any strange program asking for permission, just deny it and later find out what it is and clean it out if you find it to be spyware.
And then there's of course the most obvious suggestion: keep your anti-virus program updated all the time. If you're using Norton and the subscription runs out, you might try switching to
Avast! antivirus software since it's free -- you have to register, but it's a free registration for home use, and it lasts for some 13 or 14 months before you have to renew (also free).
And someone above mentioned this. Switch to another browser, get away from Internet Explorer. That program has so many bugs and security holes (just go to Microsoft's support site and look through all the fixes they have to offer up for it). Switch to Mozilla 1.x or Firefox 1.0, both at
Mozilla.org, or try out
Opera. Both use a "tab" system so you can have multiple browser windows open without having more than one program window open (i.e. one program button on the task bar). And both have a lot more security and stability, and since they don't have the Internet Explorer program's security holes.
Well, good luck and hope this helps!
EDIT: Just remembered something else. Check out
PC Pitstop and run the tests they have there to find out if there are any other problems in your computer. It takes a few minutes to run all the tests, and I usually do use Internet Explorer for it since it handles the regular ActiveX scripts that PC Pitstop uses to scan the system. Just see what it says and follow directions there if you want to try to tweak performance.
Need help with my poor computer performance!
Linear Mode
