Windows 7 ....ooops !

[BluePeter]

Hi Forum,
Two days into my new OS, which I was delighted with, I have suddenly failed to clear a hurdle on the course. Performance has slowed considerably..took for ages to get on the internet to-day.... and when testing it's speed last night, in Speedtest, the upload speed reported an error. It does seem to have rectified itself to-day however.
The only change to the system has been downloading around 83 upgrades and putting SP1 amongst them. Upgrade also has a Internet Explorer 9 awaiting download but I have declined this because, in the main, I use Firefox 5. My technician has recommended Google Chrome instead of this and he feels MSE and Malwarebytes are ineffective. You have to pay for Anti Virus he says. I ran a FULL scan to-day and an Adware item was found. Anything to worry about ? I hope my "honeymoon" period is not over yet with this OS.

 

[James Colbert]

It could have bogged down for any number of reasons, and now that it's resolved itself (even if temporarily), it's difficult to make a diagnosis. However, if it happens again, post back with more details about your internet setup, including if you use wireless, router, etc.

As far as AV, most here recommend MSE and MWBytes. Lately, I've come to appreciate the thoroughness of SuperAntiSpyware as well.

 

[Nigsy]

Hi Forum,
My technician feels MSE and Malwarebytes are ineffective. You have to pay for Anti Virus he says. I ran a FULL scan to-day and an Adware item was found. Anything to worry about ? I hope my "honeymoon" period is not over yet with this OS.

Get a new technician!!

I install MSE on all new builds now and also advise customers who are coming to the end of yearly subscription to switch. I do this for free for them if they bring the PC to me.

 

[sgage]

My technician has recommended Google Chrome instead of this and he feels MSE and Malwarebytes are ineffective. You have to pay for Anti Virus he says.

I think your technician is wrong. MSE and Malwarebytes are quite effective, as objective tests have shown. There's also the free Standalone System Sweeper from MS. You do not have to pay for AV software.

As far as Chrome vs. Firefox, that's just a matter of personal preference. I prefer FF, but I do try Chrome from time to time. I don't think your issues have anything to do with browser choice.

I suspect your slow Internet, which rectified itself, was a hiccup with your ISP. It happens.

 

[richc46]

Peter,
The technican is mistaken, MSE and Malwarebytes are among the best protection that you can have. As far as the system slowing down, that can be from any number of things and not a matter of concern if it has stopped. If it happens again, perform a clean boot to determine the cause.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

 

[BluePeter]

My technician has recommended Google Chrome instead of this and he feels MSE and Malwarebytes are ineffective. You have to pay for Anti Virus he says.

I think your technician is wrong. MSE and Malwarebytes are quite effective, as objective tests have shown. There's also the free Standalone System Sweeper from MS. You do not have to pay for AV software.

As far as Chrome vs. Firefox, that's just a matter of personal preference. I prefer FF, but I do try Chrome from time to time. I don't think your issues have anything to do with browser choice.

I suspect your slow Internet, which rectified itself, was a hiccup with your ISP. It happens.

Dear sgage,
You are correct. It must have been an issue with my ISP as my system is now back to all it's glory. Thanks.

 

[BluePeter]

Peter,
The technican is mistaken, MSE and Malwarebytes are among the best protection that you can have. As far as the system slowing down, that can be from any number of things and not a matter of concern if it has stopped. If it happens again, perform a clean boot to determine the cause.
How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

Hi Rich,
It was an issue with my ISP I feel and the system is now back in full swing. Peter.

 

[gregrocker]

You should try IE9 which is comparable to the others and safer. I use Firefox only because it allows me to drag bookmarks into these posts while the others strangely haven't gotten there yet. But I like them all.

Look over these basic troubleshooting steps for Win7 and how to Clean up factory bloatware to get best performance.

 

[essenbe]

Many people think if it's free it is no good. That is not always the case. I have used MSE and Malwarebytes for quite some time and have never been infected. Who knows the vulnarabilities of an OS better than the ones who made it?

 

[James Colbert]

Many people think if it's free it is no good. That is not always the case. I have used MSE and Malwarebytes for quite some time and have never been infected. Who knows the vulnarabilities of an OS better than the ones who made it?

Not only that, of great benefit (to me, anyway...) is the fact that the free versions are mostly unbloated...they don't have to keep adding useless feature on top of useless, bloated feature to try to retain their market. Fast, light and effective.

To the O.P.: There's a reason why these free versions are so popular. They work.

 

[gregrocker]

The only exception which comes to mind is one Typhoid Harry who I suspect's a porn addict and careless about what he downloads. After quite a few major cleanups I am having him buy the Malwarebytes real time version.

You could do that if you don't trust yourself or want extra assurance, since the Malwarebytes scanner is what we'd have you use to clean anything up that hasn't already eaten your System beyond repair.

I also think we owe it to Malwarebytes to start promoting their paid realtime version which really is far and away the best, since some users want to pay for something. Malwarebytes has saved many systems here almost daily for years.

MSE/Avast and Malwarebyes free or paid. Or paid ESET/Nod32 and Malwarebytes paid if you really want to pay for the best yet least bloated.

 

[richc46]

I had Mcafee, free, from my ISP provider. When MSE became well known I switched and found 2 trojans. YOu do no always get what you pay for.

 

[essenbe]

And most of the paid ones get entries in all of your registry files that you will never get rid of. Been there done that-Thanks Norton.

 

[gregrocker]

Mucafee is some of the worst crapware I've ever come across, damaging system files when trying to remove it's bloated infection.

 

[James Colbert]

I also think we owe it to Malwarebytes to start promoting their paid realtime version which really is far and away the best, since some users want to pay for something. It has saved the day here several times a week for years.

Good point. Actually, many should use the full version to their own benefit. Full time monitoring means they don't have to do anything but click 'remove'.

 

[essenbe]

Mucafee is some of the worst crapware I've ever come across, damaging system files when trying to remove it's bloated infection.

That's why they made a special McAfee and Norton removal tool. But, even that won't completely remove them.

 

[James Colbert]

And most of the paid ones get entries in all of your registry files that you will never get rid of. Been there done that-Thanks Norton.

Norton's blunder never dies, but somehow, neither do they. It's wrong. :shock:

 

[gregrocker]

Mr. Norton needs his new Rolls. Billions for bloatware = profit margins for low margin PC rigs.

Solution: Clean reinstall the PC you bought with a clean copy of the OS you own which came with it. They are your property to do what you want with.

Here's how: Reinstalling Windows 7

 

[essenbe]

No argument here. But, He's received the last dollar he will get from me. Clean install is the only way I got rid of it.

 

[James Colbert]

Gotta give it to him. His real genius is marketing. Anyone who can successfully market a product that is widely known as bloatware and problemware has something going for him. Too bad he uses his talent for evil...