OT more than virus protection

(I think) had a program called free registry repair 1.02, which seems to work well for me.

Because it's Norton.

Jon

Norton is the biggest resource hog I run into on the computer I refurbish.

I have found that file system compaction helps once in awhile, there some freeware apps out there that will do an adequate job. I create and release a lot of files in what I do, it all depends on how you use the machine. Don't log in and run as an admin unless you really need to BE an admin for what you're doing, create a regular user account and set up permissions on your files around that. Vista and later finally let you do what Unix has done for years, let you run admin stuff once supplying admin ID and password while logged in as a non- admin account. For older versions, you'll have to logon as the admin, do your thing, then swap back.

For the really paranoid, consider running a virtual PC session for internet browsing. Install the operating system flavor of the day you like, shut it down, make a backup copy of the virtual session file for later and proceed to surf. If you pick up something nasty that way, blow away the existing virtual session, copy the original and have at it again. I've got several versions of Windows, various distros of Linux and eComstation, all a click away. MS's virtual PC app is free but limited, other outfits have ones you pay for that can do other stuff, like talk to USB ports.

Shut down all unused services, there are folks out there just scanning to get hold of the Remote Registry one, on and active by default.

I use ERUNT to back up my registry periodically, it's free. It can also do registry compaction. There are a number of registry cleaners that can be used to clean out built-ups of crud entries from apps that get uninstalled but not fully. Not usually freeware, though, they're fairly involved to program. Nero and Symantec are two sets of apps I've had troubles with, along with ATI drivers. Take some snapshots of the system with the Silent Runners script, it's free. Shows what's actually started when the system boots. I've found several hitchhikers that way. Get familiar with HijackThis, too.

With the above, it's been years since I've been forced to reinstall the OS from scratch. I do image backups to another same-sized disk, if a drive fails, I just stick in the backup and keep trucking. Very nice removable drive bays are available for SATA drives now, pop the hatch open, stuff in the bare drive and shut the door. No sleds needed. Kingwin is one make. Wouldn't have a machine without them. Hard drives are cheaper than the same-sized tapes, faster, too. No restore needed this way. I use multiple disks, one OS disk that gets nothing but OS and related stuff on it, multiple work disks for video capture and all the other data-type stuff. The OS disk seldoms gets new stuff written to it, so if and when it goes down, most any backup will bring things back without losing a lot of work. The work disks take more effort to keep backed up to date, but most of what I create on there gets burned off or deleted anyway. Did I say disks are cheap? Get spares, NOW. On the average, I lose a couple a year. Got a bunch running 24/7, too. Turn on S.M.A.R.T. monitoring and see if you can locate a disk temp monitoring app for your tool tray, it'll save your ass some day when a fan goes down or a vent gets plugged with fuzz.

Stan

I installed most programs on a separate hard drive so the compressed backup of the OS fits a bootable DVD. Other drives can be simply copied, but not the Windows drive while it's running.

On this PC the second drive is USB, not the best idea because the letter can change. I just installed a drive sled on the other PC for the C: drive, it's the master and the DVD on the same IDE cable is slave. the original internal drive is now D: for programs and saved HDTV recordings.

I put Open Office on C: because I didn't notice the custom installation box, however it worked fine after cutting and pasting the whole program folder to the USB drive. The desktop icons readjusted themselves after one failure to link to the C: program.

BTW, here is the installation process for it. Despite all the verbiage for Windows you just click the .exe and lie to the questions, but look what Linux needs:

Next time it asks my name I'll be Charles Bukowski.

jsw

On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 06:50:58 -0800, the infamous "Jon Danniken" scrawled the following:

In the DOS world, Peter Norton was an absolute god.

When he sold his soul to the windows platform, his programs became virii, IMNSHO.

RIP, Peter Norton's reputation.

-- "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson

Despite all the verbiage, that's simply not the case in the real world, where you simply fire up synaptic, and click openoffice.org --> Mark for Installation --> Apply

Or in the CLI, it's as simple as typing "sudo apt-get install openoffice.org"

Cited instructions are completely irrelevant to 99% of Linux installations.