Just kidding! If your computer is slow, chances are that there are tones of programs that are hogging up your limited resources: unnecessary programs that were frequently accessed in the past but no longer in use today. And since this guide is for those who want to make their computer fast for free, buying up more RAM is not really a solution (but of course, I highly recommend this to everyone who has the money!).

So, now I’m going to reveal my way of quicken things up. First thing to say, the solutions produced here are not exhaustive, meaning to say, there may be other ways or solutions that perform better than mine. However, I assure you that mine do really work, based on my real experience. J

I’m just going to list out all tricks in my sleeve so brace yourselves.

All the tech-tricks in my pocket:

1. Update your anti-virus frequently
   1. As cliché as it can be, this is the fundamental move that you should do first. Viruses, Trojans, spywares and other evil beings can be really a pain in the neck when it comes to detecting and eliminating them.
   2. By having the latest protection, you will protect your beloved computer from these culprits who often will hog up your resources without you knowing.
   3. As for me, I use AVG Anti-Virus: Free Edition. So far it works and most importantly it’s free. :P
2. Install Firewall to Safeguard Your Computer from Unwanted Programs on the Web
   1. Firewall supplied by Microsoft is enough as long as you turn it on.
   2. But to be in the safe side, you should try to install other brands of firewall, since they perform better than Microsoft (logically, they specialize in building firewall, as opposed to Microsoft who has multitude of other things to do)
   3. As for me, I have used Sygate Personal Firewall (SPF) in the past and now have reverted to the old Windows Firewall. From my experience SPF is really simple but not as user-friendly to those who are not much of technical person. I have used it countless of times before and it works in blocking things that you don’t know about (it will ask you). There are also other famous brands like ZoneAlarm Personal, but I detest them since it’s too autonomous. Maybe it fits you. Who knows? Give it a try.:P
3. Spybot Search & Destroy (SSD)
   1. This is one of the must-have weapons in your combating inventory. SSD is very famous and its database is always up-to-date to include all the spywares out there (be it small or big).
   2. So, whenever you feel that something is wrong with your system, this is your first step: Scan with the Spybot Search & Destroy (with latest update of course J). Chances are that you’ll bump onto a lot of unknown spyware that have been breathing up on your resources.
   3. Another thing to do in SSD, is the Immunisation process. It works just like how it works on human body. Update regularly and immunize your system frequently.
   4. As for me, whenever I get a new system, I will do install this application first before moving on with other things.

   [caption id="attachment_33" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spybot Search & Destroy"][/caption]

4. Msconfig – Makes your computer to boot up fast
   1. Msconfig is not a software, rather it is a utility provided by Microsoft to those who want to customize their startup programs (programs which are launched automatically when you log on into windows)
   2. Here is how to launch Msconfig: Go to Start > Run > Type “msconfig” > Click OK
   3. Then, a new window will be launched. Click on the Startup tab. In there, you will see a list of programs along with a tick box for each program.
   4. You can browse the list and select programs that you think are unnecessary to be loaded near the startup time.
   5. In fact you can uncheck all the boxes if you want. Why? What happen if you uncheck an important application that must be loaded during the startup? The answer is, that application will be loaded regardless whether you uncheck it or not. So don’t worry.:P

   [caption id="attachment_28" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Msconfig windows"][/caption]

5. Install Procexp – Display and describe all the running processes in your computer
   1. Procexp or Process Explorer is just amazing. This application helps you to identify all the running processes in the background. There is a description given for every process that is currently running.
   2. So whenever you want to do spot-check, fire up this application and go through the list of running processes. If you suspect a malicious process is running, google up the name of the process to confirm your suspicion. If it’s true, time to spybotting (using Spybot Search and Destroy (no.3) and kill the process. In fact this is better, since you can save time from having to scan your computer all the time (in other words, you can only choose to scan when there is a problem).

   [caption id="attachment_29" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Process Explorer windows"][/caption]

6. Uninstall unused programs
   1. This is pretty much self explanatory.
   2. Why? Some of these unused programs will automatically launch their services/processes when you log on into the computer. And since you have no need of them, we indeed have no need of their background processes too!
   3. So, dig up your Program Files folder and try to find any software that you feel unfamiliar with. Chances are you don’t need that software anymore!
7. Clean your computer with CCleaner
   1. Another great application that I would like to share is CCleaner.
   2. You can do lots with CCleaner:
      1. Cleaning up temporary internet files
         1. When you browse or surf the internet some files will be downloaded into your computer without you knowing it explicitly.
         2. Most of them are not dangerous and are only used to aid your surfing experience.
         3. However, as time passes by, the files will grow in number and soon all of your space will be eaten up.
         4. Hence, it’s advisable for you to at least cleaning up your temporary file folder monthly or once for two months or so on.

         [caption id="attachment_31" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="CCleaner windows - Cleaning up temporary files"][/caption]

      2. Fixing up any existing issue
         1. This feature will fix up any broken links in your laptop.
         2. For example if you have a broken Shortcut, this feature will eliminate it, hence leaving your system all clean and sorted out.

         [caption id="attachment_30" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="CCleaner windows - Fixing up issues"][/caption]

8. [OPTIONAL] Get Hijackthis – This is an ultimate double sided weapon
   1. Hijackthis is very powerful that it can backfire to the user. It’s a program much like to Procexp but has very deep results shown up to the users.
   2. So deep that if the user accidentally delete an important application, the whole system can be corrupted.
   3. Usually, I turn to this for the last result. It is very technical and requires you to know every single process shown without any description given.
   4. However, don’t worry since there are experts out there that will help you using Hijackthis. Usually they will ask you to paste the result into the website for diagnosis. From then on, they will advise you on which program/process to delete and which to leave untouched.
   5. A simple google on Hijackthis will yield hundreds of website that offer free diagnose on one’s Hijackthis result.

   [caption id="attachment_32" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hijackthis windows"][/caption]

That is it folks. However, I sincerely believe that prevention is better than cure. It’s cost-effective, fast, better and saves you a lot of time. All the above methods do indeed work for me. So far, nothing worse has happened to my beloved lappy. If you are really worried, I would suggest that you make a restoration point so that if anything bad happens, you can roll back to your previous state. I’m not going to be responsible if your computer blows out or something, but I will try to help you as much as I can! J

Um colega veio e me disse que o seu PC tinha virus, por isso nao arrancava. Semanas antes observei uma 'avalanche' de virus no laptop dum outro colega. Hoje constatei mais algumas dezenas de PenDrives infectadas, e cheguei a conclusao:

Os virus nao estão para brincadeiras.

Mas fique descansado. O seu computador nao apagará, nem perderá alguma informação, ainda mais se ele tiver muito boa memoria RAM  e bom espaço em disco. Provavelmente serão baixados silenciosamente mais alguns programas no seu PC para servirem como transmissores de SPAM ou ponte de ataques contra outros PCs ou mesmo como servidores de pragas virtuais (Malwares).

Nao tenhamos duvidas que é assim que estão muitas redes por aqui em Luanda, tal é a quantidade de malwares que se vai encontrando nos dispositivos de armazenamento removivel (USB) e se você usa banda larga pior ainda.

Se ainda possui amor pelo seu computador deve considerar as seguintes opções:

1 - Usar um bom antivirus como AVG ou Avast.
2 - usar um browser como Firefox ou Opera.
3 - Actualizar regularmente seu computador.
4 - Usar uma conta que nao seja com direitos de administração.
5 - Usar um bom Firewall como o Sygate Personal Firewall.
6 - Limitar a visita a sites estranhos
7 - Evitar salvar e executar arquivos de sites nao confiaveis.

Sao requisitos minimos a se ter em conta, porque senao arriscamo-nos a entrar na lista dos cerca de um milhao de computadores controlados pelos Spammers com mais de um bilhao de mensagens de SPAM por dia a serem transmitidas.