Anti-virus, antispyware,anti-malware, hijack this! should i remove some of them?

[abe10tiger]

ok, i've got like an anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware, and a hijack this. Should i like remove some of these programs? Cause i need the laptop to speed up. any suggestions?? thanks.

 

[raybay]

There is excellent support here on TechSpot for major infestations.
In the meantime, if you need free software, I would download Avira Antivir, SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes, and the free Microsoft Security Essentials. Run full scans with each. If they find evil infestations, remove them, then reboot and rerun the scans one more time.

 

[pjamme]

The list Raybay is the one I would keep, (perhaps I would use Nod32 from Eset for AV as I have dialup). Uninstall everything else. Unless they are actively scanning it sholdn't slow your computer down.
Get ATF Cleaner and use it to remove temp files, run a defrag, pagedefrag (SysInternals) and then Checkdisk. If it's still slow start removing in msconfig.
More RAM will help also, XP 32 bit can handle only 4GB though.

 

[captaincranky]

The list Raybay is the one I would keep, (perhaps I would use Nod32 from Eset for AV as I have dialup). Uninstall everything else. Unless they are actively scanning it sholdn't slow your computer down.
Get ATF Cleaner and use it to remove temp files, run a defrag, pagedefrag (SysInternals) and then Checkdisk. If it's still slow start removing in msconfig.
More RAM will help also, XP 32 bit can handle only 4GB though.

The freeware versions of "Super Anti-Spyware", and "Malware Bytes", to the best of my knowledge, do not provide any real time protection. Super-Anti-Spyware" may run at startup, but it can also be disabled with any startup manager.

With that said, they don't load the system until they are launched, so it seems silly (to me at least), to waste time uninstalling and then reinstalling them if needed. If the programs are in the machine, it is also convenient to perform weekly updates, instead of hunting down the latest installer package.

 

[bobcat]

I am with the captain’s practical (as always) logic on this one.

What primarily slows down your computer is not so much what you have installed, but what is actually started and running with it.

As regards programs that start up with the system, you should trim those down to the minimum using any of many tools, the best one being Autoruns.

As regards installed programs in general, you should also reduce their number to those you actually use, mainly for system stability and decluttering purposes and less for speeding it up. In reducing the number of installed programs, I wouldn’t start from useful security tools but from programs your records show you don’t actually use.

Lastly, nothing is more effective for speeding up a system than adding extra RAM, which nowadays is dirty cheap.

bobcat

 

[pjamme]

Sorry,
I was referring to uninstalling the oldies, SpyBot and Adaware which have been left behind in the dust by SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes, and the free Microsoft Security Essentials

 

[captaincranky]

Sorry,
I was referring to uninstalling the oldies, SpyBot and Adaware which have been left behind in the dust by SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes, and the free Microsoft Security Essentials

First M$E isn't an oldie. It actually seem to be a decent AV / anti-malware solution. I'm guessing it's like any other AV product, and you shouldn't have 2 (or more) of them running at once.

I think Ad Aware could be done away with easily.

Spybot on the other hand, doubles as a startup manager, and it's "immunization" feature for web browsers is actually an implementation of the "hosts" file. In other words, it won't allow your browser any bad site. (OK, at least the bad sites it knows about).

 

[abe10tiger]

ok guys, ill try doing those... thanks for the suggestions