On Thu, 2009-07-23 at 08:08 -0400, NEWBIETAYLOR@aol.com wrote: > Editors@windows advertised RegCure as a free scan. I downloaded it and ran > a scan which showed 2002 problems. It fixed 7 for free. Is this program > recommended or is there a totally free one that does as well? > Thanks, > Sara Good Afternoon Sara You might like to see the advice I sent recently to a member of my extended family on this sort of issue. I realise that it may be a bit over the top for a Newbie but honestly, the sooner you go down this sort of road the better for you. My one caveat is the Firewall: I would recommend you should switch on your Windows Firewall now, if it isn't on. I normally recommend Comodo Pro but you need to become familiar with your machine before you try it ... it can be a little tricksy. If you don't know how to check and switch the Windows firewall on, ping me and I will send you a noddy-guide off-list. Meantime here's what I do both for myself and for others. Firstly do install ALL the Windows Security Patches: and install Internet Explorer 7 [don't accept IE 8 Yet ... so when the Windows Update leaders come down don't Automatically install or you will get IE 8 but choose the second option Custom which allows you which updates to install and un-tick [or un-check in American-ese] IE 8 Now Download and store in a safe place where you can find them again the following, which are all Programs Free for Personal Use: AVIRA Anti Virus - it is the best www.free-av.com Advanced System Care - very very good www.iobit.com CCleaner - latest version www.filehippo.com SpywareBlaster - also from www.filehippo.com Install then update each one in turn and then Run it. First Iobit's Advanced System Care just run the <Maintain Windows> and then Scan: you can see it scanning the items on the list and it will show in amber things that need fixing. When all items have been scanned and the Blue timer has stopped hit Repair. It is very very good and if you do that every day or two you are likely to remain susbstantially clear and clean! Impressive and very easy to use. CCleaner - it used to be the Crap Cleaner until it got taken over the poshed up - easy to install, easy to run: look on the LHS and you will see buttons marked Cleaner Registry, Tools, Options. Hit Registry, then look to the bottom of the spreadsheet like window and hit Scan for Issues followed by Cleaner, time and again until there are no more Issues. Then do the same sort of thing with Cleaner until no more. Avira Anti Virus - it takes time but it IS good and pushes you through a scan during the initial installation process. Just be careful not to get an up GRADE which costs money, as opposed to an UpDate which is free. SpywareBlaster will save you much grief by blocking known hacking [et al] sites. It works in the background and is a good tool. Most people have Flash Macro Media or Adobe Flash which comes with Acrobat Reader: do be aware that it is now classified by many as spyware and it WILL open your computer to the covert downloading of 3rd party code from a hosting and apparently innocent website ... entirely without your knowledge or action - just viewing the website is enough! If you use the latest version of Acrobat, you have no option but to accept this intrusion. In earlier versions you can turn off the intrusion by using the controls on Adobe website. Please read the End Users Licence Agreement, the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions. Most people don't read that boring stuff but I most strongly recommend you do ... and make sure you can accept what they intend to take from you and what they intend to do with your personal data. Many of us take exception: but we still need a program to read *.PDF format files but instead of Acrobat Reader most in the know now use Foxit Reader - besides it is smaller quicker and very much cleaner! Just be aware that there are quite an number of websites which demand you install the most offence component which comes with Acrobat 9 - the Flash Player. If you want a program to view and do basic handling of images - and you will - I strongly recomment the Fast Stone Image Viewer. For serious manipulations and heavy graphics stuff I use Gimp. Those are the tools I'm currently using: all except Gimp 2 I have long loaded for others on WinXP and with considerable success. Please note I will not touch computers with Vista installed so I cannot say whether those programs will be OK with Vista or not: they should be, but I cannot personally guarantee that. My last caveat is: Beware of the limitations on YOU of Cloud computing and Google's GMail: Cloud sounds good but do remember that all your personal files will be held by someone else on their computers not yours. Further the application programs for spread sheets, word processing and the like which you use with Cloud computing are not on your computer but on their servers. All fine for travelling salesmen and at al ... but do you want all your letters, emails, private accounts and personal documents stored on some one else's computer. My answer is No Way. But that said there are big advantages for some ... just be aware. Yours aye Ike Dawson