Noob's Guide to cleaning up your system

Ok n00bs, this is how to clean up your system and keep it running nicely. For all those pros who say "I know this already this guide sucks" then just go away :p

Now there are 2 things mainly that screw up your computer. Spyware/Adware and Viruses. Ok 3 whatever...

Spyware/Adware are programs that are not exactly malicious but are a big pain in the butt. They install those nasty toolbars in Internet Explorer and those ad toolbars and all the other crap. Also, you know those pop-ups that appear even when you are not surfing the internet? Those are Ad/Spyware.

Viruses you have probably heard of, they are nasty little buggers that can give access to your computer to a hacker. They also have various other effects.

I will start off by telling you how to clean up your computer and then how to prevent it. First up the viruses. GET AN ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE. What are you still doing here? Go get it. Anyway I use Trend Micro and I love it. Others swear by Norton, but by experience it takes up too much processing power(read: makes computer slower) and doesnt work so well. If you really dont have cash get the free AVG anti-virus software. The biggest disadvantage of this is that it does not have real-time scanning. e.g. it does not scan your computer while it runs. You have to scan your computer periodically just in case.

A List of Popular Anti-Virus Programs:

• Norton
• Trend Micro - Free Housecall utility works over the internet and is a good precheck
  
• Kaspersky - Apparently it updates every hour or something
• Panda
• AVG - Free!
• F-Secure
  

The most important thing about anti-virus programs is to UPDATE them. If you don't then there really is no point. My old com which I had when I was a n00b was not updated and we got 8 viruses... Catch my drift? Also get a firewall, i suggest getting one of those internet security suites, they usually include a firewall in them and other useful security tools. To use any of the programs just follow the instructions, even you can do that.

Now that your computer is virus free (hopefully) We get rid of the nasty spyware/adware. With spy/adware you want to have a few programs as there are many different types and some might slip through different programs. Also GET FIREFOX, I recommend it A LOT. In case you didnt know Firefox is a free web browser. What is cool is that it is way more secure than IE. Also there are tons of extensions and themes so you can customize your browser. There are many different anti-spy/adware programs. Currently there is the beta version of windows anti-spyware which is supposed to be ok. The two best free programs(in my opinion) are Lavasoft AdAware and Spybot S&D. Run these programs and clear all of the entries. Some of your supposedly 'free' programs you have might not work after the cleanup. This is probably because the ad/spyware was in them.

To keep your computer squeky clean, use firefox and dont download stupid things. If you want to use a download program use Limewire or even better bittorrent. You should be all set and good to go now. Have fun and good luck with your nice clean computer. =)