Novice, New to CC Cleaner

Fellow Forum Members please indulge me.

I have a HP PC (bought around 2000) with Windows XP Home Edition 2002 Version with Service Pack 3. My system recently crashed. I had my operating system restored at a cost of about $130. I couldn’t do it myself since my PC didn’t come with a restore disk and my Windows System Restore utility wouldn’t work.

I’m up and running with:
2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor, 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory
IE7 (Currently considering downloading Mozilla Fire Fox)
Outlook Express
Office 2003
Avira Anti Virus Personnel (this is the free edition, works great so far!)
Ad-Aware (free edition)
A-Squared (free edition)
Nero 7 Essentials

Okay, You can stop laughing now! I know my system is old, and has had to have a few hardware replacements. I would like to keeping it running at least another year and use it as a learning tool before upgrading.

The business that fixed my computer most recently told me to run my spyware programs at least once a week, and to run Windows Disc Clean and Defrag utility once a month. I already knew to do this; but Is this enough?

I was looking at the Registry Repair/Optimizer utilities to keep things in top shape, but after doing a lot of research on the internet I found that there is no real valid testing of these programs. A lot of people recommend Registry Utilities and a lot of people say not to mess with the Registry. Every program available (JV16 Power Tools, Reg Mech, Reg Booster 2, Win Cleaner One Click Clean Up, Glary Utilities, Advanced Systems Optimizer, Advanced Windows Care Personnel and etc, have just as many bad reviews as good reviews.

Then I came across CCleaner and Easy Cleaner. These programs are free and sound safer than most of the programs you pay for. Sounds like a lot of people trust both of them.

Excuse my rambling. I haven’t downloaded either yet, I’ve been reading their user guides and trying to make sure I understand how they work. I also saw some information on this Forum recommending ERUNT (The Emergency Recovery Utility NT) and NTREGOPT (NT Registry Optimizer).

Now for my questions?

1. As a novice should I be doing more to maintain my system other than running Windows Disc Clean and Defrag utility once a month to keep it clean and from getting bogged down with trash that I don’t need?

2. Since my PC doesn’t have a System Disc, is there a way for me to make a full system restore disk to boot and reload my operating system if my computer were to crash again?

3. Recommendations?

Did you buy it from a HP reseller?

If you did then it should have come with a recovery CD or at least a bootable floppy that will access the recovery partition for a fresh install.


Install IE7Pro as it comes with many of the memory hungry Firefox ad-ins:
http://www.ie7pro.com
I would not run both Ad-Aware and A-squared as they are a bit redundant.
As long as you aren't installing and un-installing applications then that is enough.

Run CCleaner at system shutdown available from Andavari:
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=16551

I'll let others recommend restore disk applications.

I highly recommend Acronis True Image Home. It enables you to make a backup image of your entire disk: includes Windows, all your applications, all your files, all user-defined settings and preferences ... the entire current state of your disk. I recommend you create your backup images to an external USB hard drive.

Even if you had a total hard drive failure, you just replace the dead drive with a new drive, then restore from your latest Acronis True Image backup image, and in no time at all your system is exactly the way it was at the time of your last backup. You don't even need to format the new drive.

I think we bought our system from SAMS Club. It definitely did not come with a recovery CD or bootable floppy. There may have been an option to purchase a recovery CD through HP after I got the computer but I don't know for sure. Even if this option existed I probably figured out of ignorance "why do I need that I've got system restore", but its so long ago I cant' remember.

Thanks for the recommendation on installing IE7Pro and the spyware applications

I'll check it out, thanks!
Tom

Hello Tom,
Also check out this link and related links.
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?s=&...st&p=102905

Also get SpywareBlaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
It is easy to update and uses no PC memory.

Good luck,
davey
P.S. This is something I am working on myself because I don't have my own "boot CD" yet.
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?s=&...st&p=108545

Davey,

Thanks for the links! They contained a wealth of information. It'll probably be a few days before I have a chance to do anything.

Tom

Hi Tom,
Take your time !!! If it ain't fun,why do it?
K.I.S.S.
Good luck,
davey

To the OP

1. Windows Defrag utility cannot defrag pagefile, system file, currently executed files, MFT data and MFT file zone. It simply defrags the resident idle files. So......its worth purchasing advanced defrag utility, I'll personally recommend you to try Raxco Perfect Disc, cuz its a Microsoft Gold Certified partner: a bit rare certification which Microsoft entitles upon vigorous testing. Download the trial version and run a system file defragmentation (the button on the top of the program window).

2. Use BartPE (freeware) to create an excellent rescue disk (works like a charm )

3. You're using Avira free edition, I hope you'll be knowing it has a stripped down detection bases...as compared with the paid versions. Take a look at the AV-Comparatives test, and figure it out which AV suites you needs....you should invest some money in purchasing AV .

Hi Tom,
Take your time !!! If it ain't fun,why do it?
K.I.S.S.
Good luck,
davey

I have been using Acronis for the last 3 years and love it! I cant count the numerous times it has saved me from disaster. I just thought I would outline my usage and why its such a valuable tool (and why people should backup their data regulary).

I do a clean install of Windows and drivers. Create an image named 'Basic'. Then I install Office, codecs and utilities and create another image named 'Complete'. Then I install the latest service pack and other updates. Create another image named 'CompleteFix'. Then I install Visual Studio and graphics apps and create a new image named 'Developer'.

So now if I need to roll back I have milestone drive images. It takes me 3 days to install everything, cleanup the file sys, and apply my tweaks+preferences. If I ever have a problem like a virus or or disaster I can reload an image and I am back to work. It takes about 15 minutes to reload an image which is much faster than format+reload windows and apps.

Beyond that I do weekly backups to an external drive and make use of shadow copy in Vista. With these safe guards I havent lost a file in over 2 years. If possible save your drive images to both external drive and a DVD disk(s). You just cant be too careful

Sorry for this long post.

Edit: I found a free drive image program here: http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

I personally defrag far more often. It doesn't take much effort or time to get some significant fragmentation. That will really slam on the brakes of your system. I use the latest from Diskkeeper cuz it will defrag continually in the background while I'm working.

You will need more than that. The BartPE disk by itself will not image or recover an image of your system. You need an imaging program to make the image and than put a plugin for that program on the bartPE disk and it to restore the image.