So I inherited a new dell laptop - questions...

[tbone]

1. Its got zillions of programs running down in the tray that seem to open up on startup. How do I kill these things? Makes it slow...

2. Its got this Macafee software that always seems to be running and slowing stuff down. Do I really need this thing?

3. Whats the best sypware/adware software killer to get?

Sorry for the dumb questions. This is the first new personal PC I've had in a while. I have a Mac at home and IT guys taking car of the PC at work. Man they load these thing up with a bunch of crap.

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

Do a clean OS install and you don't have to worry about all that.

Go to Download.com and get AdAware and Avast for free.

And by the way... new Dell products don't come with all the bloatware.

 

[Kwisatz]

I'm assuming it has XP installed as the operating system. If you have a copy of XP the best thing would be to reformat the drive and do a fresh install.

If you aren't able to start from scratch I would start with "Add/Remove Programs" in the control panel and get rid of what you can. Next I would try opening each program that you don't want and try to find a "load on startup" type option in the preferences. If that doesn't work use Google to search for removal instructions for each particular program.

You don't need Macafee specifically, but its probably a good idea to have some sort of virus protection. Especially if you plan on having anything on that computer that you don't want to lose. As far as spyware/adware ... I see stuck at work already covered that.

 

[tbone]

ok thanks for the help.

Another question: When I open task manager, there are tons of processes running. Do I need all these? How do I tell what they are?

 

[flyingdoggystyle]

Don't worry about the processes running on the system until you get a clean copy of the operating system installed. That should be your first priority.

If you don't have a copy of the disk, don't worry. Here is a little-know piece of Dell trivia: you can pick up a copy of any Dell re-install software off ebay and it will work. In fact, it will work so well, the OS will will never ask you to enter the software key.

ebay auction

If there is any data (documents/pictures/songs) on the system that you want off, there is an application built-into XP to transfer them. Let me know if you want help.

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

I agree. When you do a format and clean OS install the computer will feel twice as fast.

Too many people get rid of perfectly fine computers thinking that they are slow... instead of just doing a fresh install.

My 6 year old Dell PC is still powerful enough to run Photoshop CS3. Granted, it was a beast of a computer when I got it... but it speaks volumes that it is still in tip-top shape. All it took was a format and clean install.