Spyware is a big threat to your computer which is why you
should have some programs on your computer to combat these things. I use two
free programs called AdAware and Spybot. Don’t run these scans at the same time
because they can affect each other’s scans. These programs should be run every day if not
more. Your computers can pickup spyware simply by visiting a website so you can
never be too careful. Since I had a coupon for AdAware I now have their Pro
version which provides me with a lot more features than their free version, but
their free version works quite well regardless.
Now let’s talk start up. When you turn your computer on does
it take forever for it to boot up? That’s probably because you have too many
programs starting up when your computer starts up. There are some things that
must start up when Windows boots up, but there are also a lot of things that
should only be opened when you’re using them. If you have a messenger program
like MSN Messenger or Yahoo, these programs will automatically start up unless
you change that. You can do this by logging onto your messenger and adjusting
your preferences, or you can adjust your start up menu on your computer. If you
have Windows Vista, they give you the ability to go to your start up menu and
change it, but if you’re still using XP then you’ll have to go into your
computer’s configuration and change the settings. This can be complicated so I
don’t suggest it unless you know what you’re doing. You could very well stop a
vital program from starting up. But no worries, there is another option. By
downloading a free cleanup program called CCleaner, you can not only clean up
your computer’s history, cookies and much more, you can change your start up
programs. To do this all you have to do is open up CCleaner, click on tools and
the start up button will be there. If you don’t know what you’re clicking then
don’t click it! But if you see something like QuickTime, AOL, ITunes or Yahoo, you can
simply disable (not delete) those from starting up and your boot up will be much quicker. There is no reason for programs such as those to boot up when you startup your computer. All it does is slow your system down.