how do I stop windows going bad

[ianm2]

every time I get the same problem, not long after installing and same for software, windows slows down to a chug, is there anyway I can stop this from happening please? thanks

[mariush]

Install a proper antivirus and stop installing all the crap applications, video codec packs, toolbars and so on.

Use a player like Media Player Classic Home Cinema to play videos without any need to install codecs.
Use Firefox or Chrome to browse the net safely.
Use a proper antivirus like Eset NOD32 or Avira or whatever else is cool these days.

Set your Windows' page file to a fixed size of 3-4 GB and after a reboot, defragment your windows drive using a good software like o&o defrag.

[Shadowww]

Install a proper antivirus and stop installing all the crap applications, video codec packs, toolbars and so on.

Use a player like Media Player Classic Home Cinema to play videos without any need to install codecs.
Use Firefox or Chrome to browse the net safely.
Use a proper antivirus like Eset NOD32 or Avira or whatever else is cool these days.

Set your Windows' page file to a fixed size of 3-4 GB and after a reboot, defragment your windows drive using a good software like o&o defrag.

+1 on all above, except for defragmenter - O&O Defrag is shareware (and is quite pricey), SmartDefrag 2 is great free alternative.

[mariush]

O&O Defrag was one of the few defragmenters (at the time I evaluated software) that was smart enough to move the fixed page file to the start of the drive.

If the page file was not of fixed size, it moved it somewhere around the 60% of the drive, where it would make the most free space around it so that Windows could enlarge or shrink it with as little fragmentation as possible.

As for the price... I'm from East Europe... when I was younger and didn't have the good job I have now, I used to pirate a lot of software so I didn't care about the price. Nowadays, I tend to buy the software I need (windows, antivirus, programming tools etc)

[rafal_iB_PL]

Auslogics has a free defrag doubling as screen saver. Set once and forget.

[KeriJane]

You can't stop Windows from going bad.

It's just Bad to the Bone!

The best way to run Windows is from within a Virtual Machine being run under a responsible OS like Linux or Mac OSX.

This way, you can save snapshots of your Windows installation and easily restore it to a point where it was no Badder than usual, or maybe even Less Bad than Usual if you're lucky.


Never mind me, I'm an AntiMicrosoftian

[Baron]

My way of dealing with Windows, is to use WD True Image free software to clone my OS onto another HDD, and once done I disconnect it for safety. I will re-connect it about once a month to update it - MS/software updates etc. and then disconnect again.

Should the daily OS get broken for some reason, then I can just connect the 'master' HDD and clone it on to the bad HDD. Takes about 30-40 minutes, and all is well again.

This method has served me well for a few years, and not had to re-install an OS from scratch , which drives me nuts.

HDD's are pretty cheap these days, so it doesn't bother me to use a spare to keep 'master copies' on.

Others may disagree of course.

[quest for silence]

My way of dealing with Windows, is to use WD True Image free software to clone my OS onto another HDD, and once done I disconnect it for safety.

Unless you use that method also to back up large data like videos, any flash nand device would work about as well as a mechanical hard drive: for instance I use Clonezilla and a large USB pen on a laptop.

[ashiekh]

every time I get the same problem, not long after installing and same for software, windows slows down to a chug, is there anyway I can stop this from happening please? thanks

How long?

How much RAM do you have

CPU?

What version of Windows and are you installing from scratch

What extra 'utilities' have you installed

[softraj79]

Admittedly, much of this rot is self-inflicted. A lot of Windows applications, particularly device drivers, aren't well written. Add a pile of dodgy apps and a smattering of drivers to a clean Windows installation.