physical mem

[sicher]

Hi,
Just wondering which security suit to keep running as my memory seems to run short. Router firewall,Comodo f/w, Spybot S&D, Avir Anti-virus. Spyware Dr.
XP Pro which one to keep and which one to toss? My PC is slowing down to much. Any help is appreciated.

[LoneWolf]

What about buying more memory ?

[Climenole]

Hi Sicher :)

Check this:

Slow Computer? Check here first; it may not be malware (http://www.castlecops.com/postitle175256-0-0-.html)

:)

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> What about buying more memory ? <-QUOTE}
Thanks LoneWolf,
are sending me to the supermarket? I do not need a new Puter and there should be no need to put in new parts.

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Hi Sicher :)

Check this:

Slow Computer? Check here first; it may not be malware (http://www.castlecops.com/postitle175256-0-0-.html)

:) <-QUOTE}
Climenole,
I ran CCleaner, emptied cache's etc. and trimmed the start up menu to a bare minimum of four. just want to know which of the defend programs to choose for good security.

[WSFuser]

Are you running Spyware Doctor realtime? If so, dont. That should free up some resources.

And if you dont care about outbound protection get rid of Comodo. A router is excellent for inbound only.

[innerpeace]

How much memory do you have? I was running XP home 512MB and 128MB was for video. At the time I ran Comodo, Avast and Windows Defender and had no problems. A few months ago, I added another 512MB and it was one of the best things I've done. It was only $37 U.S. for the RAM.

Cheers

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Are you running Spyware Doctor realtime? If so, dont. That should free up some resources.

And if you dont care about outbound protection get rid of Comodo. A router is excellent for inbound only. <-QUOTE}

Thanks for this bonza advice WS Fuser. Can the router firewall be disabled as Comodo seems to do a fine job?

Do you mean disabling Spyware `Doctor which protects from rootkits?

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> How much memory do you have? I was running XP home 512MB and 128MB was for video. At the time I ran Comodo, Avast and Windows Defender and had no problems. A few months ago, I added another 512MB and it was one of the best things I've done. It was only $37 U.S. for the RAM.

Cheers <-QUOTE}
Hi innerpeace,
I read a number of your posts and admire your know how and experience. I will ask my Techy if he can put that extra mem into my Toshy laptop.
Sounds cheap as well.

Month ago when I downloaded Cyberhawk, my PC expanded memory by itself. I do have 512MB already double or stepped up.

The other day I tried Returnil and that really blew it. I got the dreaded blue screen, but managed to restart and delete it

[LoneWolf]

{QUOTE-> Thanks LoneWolf,
are sending me to the supermarket? I do not need a new Puter and there should be no need to put in new parts. <-QUOTE}


Sorry, just tring to help.
My pc did the same so I added RAM (memory) and all was well after that.
Good luck with your problem.

[19monty64]

You could open task-mgr to find your biggest mem-drain and start from there....

[Long View]

{QUOTE-> Hi,
Just wondering which security suit to keep running as my memory seems to run short. Router firewall,Comodo f/w, Spybot S&D, Avir Anti-virus. Spyware Dr.
XP Pro which one to keep and which one to toss? My PC is slowing down to much. Any help is appreciated. <-QUOTE}

Router Firewall + firefox may be enough. Remove everything else and if it makes you feel better run an on demand scan every so often.

Even better - do a clean install and then load Returnil. Even if something bad did get on it would be toast at the next reboot.

[WSFuser]

{QUOTE-> Thanks for this bonza advice WS Fuser. Can the router firewall be disabled as Comodo seems to do a fine job? <-QUOTE}
Yes it can be disabled but why do so? Routers do an excellent job of filtering incoming traffic and it wont affect your computers resources.
{QUOTE-> Do you mean disabling Spyware `Doctor which protects from rootkits? <-QUOTE}
I mean disable it entirely so its not running in the background.

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> You could open task-mgr to find your biggest mem-drain and start from there.... <-QUOTE}

biggest drain is M/S Outlook 42,700K
then FF 35,332K
IE6 uses 20,704K
Snagit 22,892K
SpywareDr. 24,612K
etc. I took a screenshot,but could not get it in here. 42 applications are running in task-mgr and many are so abbreviated that I cannot recognize them. Maybe I should get rid of a lot of programs I seldom use.

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Router Firewall + firefox may be enough. Remove everything else and if it makes you feel better run an on demand scan every so often.

Even better - do a clean install and then load Returnil. Even if something bad did get on it would be toast at the next reboot. <-QUOTE}

Thanks Long View
Router & FF will not stop adware and rootkits, keyloggers etc unless I am mistaken.

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Yes it can be disabled but why do so? Routers do an excellent job of filtering incoming traffic and it wont affect your computers resources.

I mean disable it entirely so its not running in the background. <-QUOTE}

Thanks WSFuser,

what's the use of having it if I disable it? Please enlighten me, maybe I am missing something here. How much can we depend on routers alone?

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Are you running Spyware Doctor realtime? If so, dont. That should free up some resources.

And if you dont care about outbound protection get rid of Comodo. A router is excellent for inbound only. <-QUOTE}

WSFuser
Thanks for helping. What are you suggesting running Spyware Dr. in unreal time? Does this mean disabling the software?

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Sorry, just tring to help.
My pc did the same so I added RAM (memory) and all was well after that.
Good luck with your problem. <-QUOTE}

Hi LoneWolf

Sorry i did not mean to hurt your feelings!!! I apologize cause you were right after all in sugesting I get more memory. just wondering if it can be done with a laptop as easy as on a desktop PC

[WSFuser]

{QUOTE-> Maybe I should get rid of a lot of programs I seldom use. <-QUOTE}
Yes or you can also replace them with lighter programs like use Thunderbird instead of Outlook and FastStone Capture instead of SnagIt.
{QUOTE-> what's the use of having it if I disable it? Please enlighten me, maybe I am missing something here. How much can we depend on routers alone? <-QUOTE}
You only need one firewall (either hardware or software) to protect you from inbound attacks. If you decide to use a firewall for outbound filtering that is your choice.
{QUOTE-> Thanks for helping. What are you suggesting running Spyware Dr. in unreal time? Does this mean disabling the software? <-QUOTE}
Just disable it from running at startup and use it for ondemand scans only.
{QUOTE-> just wondering if it can be done with a laptop as easy as on a desktop PC <-QUOTE}
It relatively easy; what laptop is it?

[LoneWolf]

{QUOTE-> Hi LoneWolf

Sorry i did not mean to hurt your feelings!!! I apologize cause you were right after all in sugesting I get more memory. just wondering if it can be done with a laptop as easy as on a desktop PC <-QUOTE}


No harm done here.
Was just tring to suggest the obvious.
Glad you have it sorted out.
Desktop is easy to add RAM.(at least on my dell it is) not sure bout a laptop.

[Long View]

{QUOTE-> Thanks Long View
Router & FF will not stop adware and rootkits, keyloggers etc unless I am mistaken. <-QUOTE}

Sorry I wouldn't know - I don't download such things

[sicher]

My Laptop is a Toshiba M30, 4yrs old, O/S=XP Pro 40 GB hd and recently replaced the cooling fan whilst on holidays.
I never use the Toshiba controls and like to know what if I could delete them.
25.3 GB free space so there is plenty of room now that I deleted Snagit v.8 and a lot of other programs. Yet taskmgr. tells me that there are 39 still processing/running.

Any idea on Toshiba Config free?

[WSFuser]

This page (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/security/page_3.htm) and this one too (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks6.htm) can help you disable some services.

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> This page (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/security/page_3.htm) and this one too (http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks6.htm) can help you disable some services. <-QUOTE}

Thanks WSFuser

I did this years ago and just spend time to see if it is still the way I configured it. It is running better now and will have to find out which are the least and best one to keep.

[ccsito]

{QUOTE-> Hi,
Just wondering which security suit to keep running as my memory seems to run short. Router firewall,Comodo f/w, Spybot S&D, Avir Anti-virus. Spyware Dr.
XP Pro which one to keep and which one to toss? My PC is slowing down to much. Any help is appreciated. <-QUOTE}

I haven't used some of the programs listed, but I think that Spyware Doctor and the firewall would be more of a "memory hog" than the other programs. There are more lighter firewalls and antispyware programs that might reduce your memory load. Since the MOBO determines the maximum amount of RAM that you can use, you either have to install another MOBO or juggle your software. You can sometimes add "virtual" RAM to your PC by using some utility programs, but "virtual" RAM is slower than actual RAM so it may not be useful.
You also listed MS Outlook which takes up a lot of memory. Not sure if you can remove different parts of the program from core and never heard of anyone trying that out.

[WSFuser]

Yes you can customize the components of Office; dont know if it would save memory though.

[innerpeace]

Hi sicher,

Thanks for your kind compliment sicher, but I'm far from experienced. I'm only sharing my experience as I gain more knowledge. I was also reinforcing the suggestion from LoneWolf. There's no cure for a slow computer like adding more RAM. It's was like night and day on my machine ;) . I've read that the 'sweet spot' for Windows XP is 1 gig of RAM.

When I added more RAM, I followed the instructions in my e-machines desktop manual. If you don't have your manual, you should be able to find it at Toshiba support. http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_home.jsp I tried looking up your model, but I didn't see just a plain M30 model. You can check under the Tech Support link and select the proper product.

Before I installed more RAM, I performed a couple of these tweaks. They change the way Windows looks and sounds a little bit, but it helps with speed. You can always change them back if you don't like it. Be sure to keep notes on what you change. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/OptimizeXP.html Scroll down to 'Step 4 - Tweaks' and try 1, 3, and 4.

Cheers, innerpeace

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> I haven't used some of the programs listed, but I think that Spyware Doctor and the firewall would be more of a "memory hog" than the other programs. There are more lighter firewalls and antispyware programs that might reduce your memory load. Since the MOBO determines the maximum amount of RAM that you can use, you either have to install another MOBO or juggle your software. You can sometimes add "virtual" RAM to your PC by using some utility programs, but "virtual" RAM is slower than actual RAM so it may not be useful.
You also listed MS Outlook which takes up a lot of memory. Not sure if you can remove different parts of the program from core and never heard of anyone trying that out. <-QUOTE}

Hi CCSITO,
I love my outlook mail client. The other day I tried Thunderbird again for the second time, but got so angry that I deleted it again. There was a specific addon I was after and after the download it turned out to be only for the earlier version. I think I need to close outlook when I am surfing with my FF which serves well.
Comodo is the only Firewall that is leak proof and at this stake I do not know of the routers are. Spyware Doctor supposed to be free but after the download they asked me for the creditcard. I may as well use it until it runs out and I am at a loss as to what to replace it with. They have added a process Guard since which looks after rootkits, a feature I also like.

Would you pleas explain to me about MOBO as I am ignorant.

[WSFuser]

mobo is short for motherboard.

[ccsito]

{QUOTE-> Hi CCSITO,
I love my outlook mail client. The other day I tried Thunderbird again for the second time, but got so angry that I deleted it again. There was a specific addon I was after and after the download it turned out to be only for the earlier version. I think I need to close outlook when I am surfing with my FF which serves well.
Comodo is the only Firewall that is leak proof and at this stake I do not know of the routers are. Spyware Doctor supposed to be free but after the download they asked me for the creditcard. I may as well use it until it runs out and I am at a loss as to what to replace it with. They have added a process Guard since which looks after rootkits, a feature I also like.

Would you pleas explain to me about MOBO as I am ignorant. <-QUOTE}

Hi,
Some do prefer using Outlook versus other email programs. Closing out programs on the task list should help a little with the memory problem. I am not surprised by the CC prompt by Spyware Doctor(they want your money). At many computer stores and some "big" magazine reviews, Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper have usually been rated very high. I have never used them, but I think that there are very good alternatives available. Comodo has a growing user base and I first learned about it when I looked around for a firewall program, but I haven't tried it out. MOBO(motherboard) is the circuit board layout inside the laptop or tower case. The manufacturer allocates a set amount of slots to add RAM sticks and the board can only recognize up to a predetermined amount of RAM (some boards will not let you stick any random amount of RAM into one slot in some cases). So you cannot keep increasing the RAM amount if you wanted to when you reach the board limit (which also applies to CPU chips, Hard drives, and nearly anything else on that board).

[sicher]

{QUOTE-> Hi,
Some do prefer using Outlook versus other email programs. Closing out programs on the task list should help a little with the memory problem. I am not surprised by the CC prompt by Spyware Doctor(they want your money). At many computer stores and some "big" magazine reviews, Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper have usually been rated very high. I have never used them, but I think that there are very good alternatives available. Comodo has a growing user base and I first learned about it when I looked around for a firewall program, but I haven't tried it out. MOBO(motherboard) is the circuit board layout inside the laptop or tower case. The manufacturer allocates a set amount of slots to add RAM sticks and the board can only recognize up to a predetermined amount of RAM (some boards will not let you stick any random amount of RAM into one slot in some cases). So you cannot keep increasing the RAM amount if you wanted to when you reach the board limit (which also applies to CPU chips, Hard drives, and nearly anything else on that board). <-QUOTE}

MOBO [lol]
Why did it not click with me. Yes, I did check with the part supplier. My Satellite M30 is expandable to 2GB. So I should have no problem and the 225 AUD should be well spend, hopefully. I like it to last another four years as my Son has an old one that is very aged and trouble free. Toshiba claims that they are the inventors of laptops.
Comodo are bringing out a new version v.3.0 and is in beta now. Anyone here is getting Scott's [Fenny] Newsletter? He has a lot on PC security etc. and people write to him about their problems. He answers very quickly. Comodo pro is free but uses a fair bit of resource.

Speaking of good alternatives available, I think that most software manufacturers and security vendors are expending their programs to cover all angles of attacks. It seems so by reading different reviews. Solong as we still can get good stuff for free or affordable. The constant daily updates must cost them something and one wonders how many of them co-operate and work together.

[ccsito]

{QUOTE-> So I should have no problem and the 225 AUD should be well spend, hopefully. I like it to last another four years as my Son has an old one that is very aged and trouble free. Toshiba claims that they are the inventors of laptops. <-QUOTE}
I don't have the foreign exchange rates handy so not sure if it is a good deal or not. ;D
Not sure if Toshiba invented the laptop or not, will need to check.
{QUOTE->
Comodo are bringing out a new version v.3.0 and is in beta now. Anyone here is getting Scott's [Fenny] Newsletter? He has a lot on PC security etc. and people write to him about their problems. He answers very quickly. Comodo pro is free but uses a fair bit of resource. <-QUOTE}
I think that is because they keep "piling" on the additives to the program and keep updating the components.
{QUOTE->
Speaking of good alternatives available, I think that most software manufacturers and security vendors are expending their programs to cover all angles of attacks. It seems so by reading different reviews. So long as we still can get good stuff for free or affordable. The constant daily updates must cost them something and one wonders how many of them co-operate and work together. <-QUOTE}
There might be some cooperation between the security companies since all need to update their programs when new malware becomes detected or else they will suffer the fallout of angry users who become infected by using their not "up to date" program. I am sure that the constant daily updates result in expenditures on personnel labor costs, computer maintenance costs, and utility costs at a minimum. Whether they can continue to offer free programs and updates depend on the economic picture of the company. Remember that back in 2000, the Internet (access) was widely available for free. Now that is almost impossible to find.

[sicher]

Thanks CCSITO

Does anyone know if signature updating increases the load on memory or do they replace some existing ones? If sig's are for ever keep increasing, that would be bad

[ccsito]

{QUOTE-> Thanks CCSITO

Does anyone know if signature updating increases the load on memory or do they replace some existing ones? If sig's are for ever keep increasing, that would be bad <-QUOTE}
That was something discussed in an earlier thread. If the signature keeps increasing, will it extend to the GB file size???? :o

[GES/POR]

{QUOTE-> Anyone here is getting Scott's [Fenny] Newsletter? He has a lot on PC security etc. and people write to him about their problems. He answers very quickly. <-QUOTE}

Interresting, never heard of it. Do you have a link please?

[GES/POR]

{QUOTE-> That was something discussed in an earlier thread. If the signature keeps increasing, will it extend to the GB file size???? :o <-QUOTE}

Sorry, another link request please?

[WSFuser]

Scot's Newsletter (http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/)

Heres a thread about signature size (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=104986).

[Paranoid2000]

Sicher,

Since you list both Spyware Doctor and Spybot S&D which cover similar areas, disabling one of these would seem a prudent choice.

I would also suggest that 512MB should be plenty for normal use and an upgrade is only likely to help if you regularly see more than this being used in Task Manager.

If your system still appears slow, try disconnecting from the Internet and then disabling all your security software (you shouldn't need it so much when you're offline). If your PC is still slow (and Task Manager isn't showing high CPU/memory utilisation) then a rootkit may be at work - in which case a Windows reinstall is the best course of action to take.

[sicher]

I have now installed the extra mem, which took only 4 minutes to do. Freshly downloaded Spyware Doctor v.5.0 which comes now with Antivirus as well. It is definetely the beast that devoures resources but has everything on board.

Comodo firewall and WinPatrol are also running. Problem with them is, they ask me permission after the deeds are done. Know what I mean? All is well now on the whole.