New computer, seeking advice!

Well . after numerous times askin people i came up with this formula:
-----Avast! free version 6
-----Smart defrag 2 by IObit
-----Malwarebytes Antimalware (it's an expired trial version so i keep getting messages asking me if i want to upgrade, and it said that there are some features i cant use)
-----Advanced System Care 4 by IObit
-----I also DLed TuneUp Utilities in the advice of someone who said its better than Sys Care. I kept both TUU and ASC4, because i noticed that after running each program, the other program still finds problems.
----CCleaner (said to be good)

Now, it should be mentioned that AdvanceSysCare4 also defrags if it believes it's required so i don't know what to keep , add , change ?
BTW as for FireWall - Windows Firewall is on, is it good enough? (i'm kinda an average user )

And another question - Should i keep the Windows DEFENDER on? There's an info in the control Panel saying that having two anti-spyware programs at the same time can slow my computer down... ( avast + defender)




And something completely different - How can i stick a folder shortcut in my mission tray? Every time i try to do that, the PC automatically and ANNOYINGLY adds it to the right click menu of the "Windows Explorer" icon. I want it seperately, like Chrome.

Prisoner said:

Microsoft Security Essentials for an antivirus, Malwarebytes for anti-malware, Comodo firewall.
Defraggler to defragment your hard drive - it works better than the built-in defragmenter.
Back up your important stuff to a second internal hard drive or an external hard drive. The external hard drive is recommended, as it would make it easier to access your data from another computer should your first drive fail, and you need your data ASAP.

Really, maintaining a computer is easy. People make it out to be harder than it really is. You can set Windows to automatically run your defrags, scans, cleans, etc.. without much problem.

If you don't have a need to keep your system on for long periods of time, then don't. If it's not doing something productive, it's wasting electricity. I keep my machine on 24/7 because most of the time I'm either downloading something, rendering something, etc. It's given me no troubles to date, and everything's still in great condition.
Just remember that you wear your computer out faster if it's on longer, but not by much.

While I'm not new to computers I am new to Windows 7. I used Comodo for years on my XP machine but it caused me nothing but grief on Win7 and when updated on my XP system it crashed the system repeatedly.

My first windows 7 reinstall was the day I used defraggler. Totally trashed my system to the point of failing to boot. Don't know why but it did. My second reinstall was the morning after Comodo updated to the latest version. Nothing but repeated errors and all my restore points were gone and most of the Windows utilities were nothing but white screens. Just releating my experience with each of those programs. That's not to say that they are bad programs but rather that they just didn't work for me.

At the time I didn't have a useable back up nor did I know very much about Windows 7, heck of a way to learn.

I really don't think Comodo Firewall is the best thing to use if you are new with computers and do not have a fair understanding of how firewalls work. That which is easy for others can be difficult for some.

To the OP (OP = Original Poster) before you go changing things around that may cause you extended grief, please learn about Backups, system restore points and system restores as a first order of business. A backup can put you back to before you screwed up in an hour or so. A system reinstall can take hours if not days considering you will have to download and install all the Microsoft updates let alone get your system back to where you liked it before the screw up.

I keep two system images created by two different programs on a external drive and replace one weekly in alternating fashion. I also have two backups of my important data files. Twice burned to the bone keeps me a little over zealous on backups.

Prisoner said:

I keep two system images created by two different programs on a external drive and replace one weekly in alternating fashion. I also have two backups of my important data files. Twice burned to the bone keeps me a little over zealous on backups.

didn't understand that last paragraph...



damn, ur words are harsh, hee hee.... need to get another drive and back everything up. what progs should i use to create image? I had Norton Ghost on my previous computer, good enough?

Inuyasha said:

Prisoner said:

I keep two system images created by two different programs on a external drive and replace one weekly in alternating fashion. I also have two backups of my important data files. Twice burned to the bone keeps me a little over zealous on backups.

didn't understand that last paragraph...



damn, ur words are harsh, hee hee.... need to get another drive and back everything up. what progs should i use to create image? I had Norton Ghost on my previous computer, good enough?

Didn't mean to be "harsh" just relating my experience.

I've never used Norton Ghost so I can't comment on it's usability perhaps someone else with experience with the program will reply.

You already have Windows backup on your computer, from what I've read, it works very well.

I would suggest that you take a look at the Tutorials - Windows 7 Forums and check out the "Backup and Restore" section.

There is a wealth of information there that has helped me.

personally, i use Eset Anti Virus 4 (used to use be NOD32, but wanted a 64-bit AV). I also have Malwarebytes, Spybot Search & Destroy, Super Anti-Spyware and I have Ccleaner, but dont use it often (and I know how to use it, so no worries there) and also have HijackThis for those times when its needed.

I personally keep all my documents on a second drive and have all my programs pointing to that drive to save the docs. This is good in case you accidentally reformat and "forget" to back up your docs (made that mistake once).. Also use 2 external drives and use one as my image backup drive (I use Ghost, but there are plenty out there that work well)

MSE is good if you're looking for a free AV program. one of the better free ones out there. i dont personally like AVG as a free AV program

I just think that if you read pdf's a lot you should try a program called foxit, it uses a lot less memory and it's free!

what do u guys say about Smart Defrag 2? is it good enough?

and also what about the windows defragging tool?


and basically what defragging tool is the best? (sorry about the bump , seems more logical than a new thread )