DDD Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I have a Dell desktop computer about 8 months old that has a Windows 7 operating system. After using a couple of months two things deteriorate. The first occurs when streaming music/videos and playing my own videos off the hard drive. The sound becomes slow and slurred. After another 1-2 months the pointer from my mouse drags ridiculously slow and is inaccurate with no percision. Doing a system restore to factory settings has fixed the problem which has occured twice now and I expect will happen again. The Dell rep suggested I purchase "system mechanic" softwear to prevent temporary/unwanted files from slowing down my computer but eliminating these did not fix the program without doing a system restore. Any thoughts on what is happening and will the systemic mechanic (whatever that is) prevent it from happening again? Please keep your answers on a "computers for dummies" level. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Installing something to speed up your computer is a bad bad thing...it never ends well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Stop going to porn sites? Only partially kidding. It sounds like you're going to some bad sites that are installing unwanted programs on your computer. Stop clicking every link you see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Spyware for sure. Reformat the hard drive and start over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Spyware for sure. Reformat the hard drive and start over. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Spyware for sure. Reformat the hard drive and start over. Don't have to be that drastic for some malware out there. Malwarebytes works nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 1) Use malwarebytes, microsoft security essentials for malware and anti virus. Both are free programs. Should be obvious, but make sure to update the databases to the newest version before you scan. 2) Delete any "extras" like browser toolbars, "optimizers", etc using the add/remove programs. 3) speaking of browsers, I recommend Google Chrome over internet explorer. 4) make your paging file a static size. Do a google search for windows 7 page file. 5) Delete any temporary files by using the built in windows disk cleaner or using a program like CCleaner. 6) Defrag your hard drive If your computer is still slow, you may have something that slipped by the scans. In that case, format and reinstall windows and your programs. Make sure to not install any toolbars or "extras" when downloading free programs like Java or adobe flash. Then follow the previous steps on a regular basis as preventative maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Don't have to be that drastic for some malware out there. Malwarebytes works nice. The problem is once you're infected, you don't know if everything's been cleaned up or not. The only way to know for sure is to reformat, and it really doesn't take that long to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The problem is once you're infected, you don't know if everything's been cleaned up or not. The only way to know for sure is to reformat, and it really doesn't take that long to do. /thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 /thread What does /thread mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 What does /thread mean? It means the quoted response was the pinnacle of the thread (in this case the solution to OP's problem). And the thread will only go downhill from that point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) It means the quoted response was the pinnacle of the thread (in this case the solution to OP's problem). And the thread will only go downhill from that point... God that would eliminate a lot of needless talking in the real world. But how would you say / whatever? Edited June 22, 2012 by Jim in Anchorage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike In Illinois Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) http://vimeo.com/24762526 Be sure to save your game of Minesweeper. Edited June 22, 2012 by Mike In Illinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 http://vimeo.com/24762526 Be sure to save your game of Minesweeper. We finely meet /dev/null Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 We finely meet /dev/null You're not the first to make the comparision between me and Nick Burns and I doubt you'll be the last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Blame Bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 You're not the first to make the comparision between me and Nick Burns and I doubt you'll be the last Well yeah. The spaghetti arms are a give away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICanSleepWhenI'mDead Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Don't really consider myself a "geek" but here are a few suggestions based on my own troubleshooting attempts: 1. Run a google search listing your computer brand, operating system, and symptoms - - there is some chance that this will get you to a computer help forum where someone has asked for and received a solution for the same problem. Try several ways of listing the symptoms in your search terms if necessary. 2. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407 Do not make the false assumption that this thread is old or out of date based on the date the thread was started ( 10-09-05 02:49 ). Look at the Last Edited date at the bottom of this message * * * * * * * Last edited by chaslang; 06-20-12 3. Do a google search on "Hijack This" and read a few of the search "hits" to learn how that program might be useful in getting true geek assistance. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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