Utilities programs. Which are recommended?

Question

There are many listed on eBay for less than $10.00 making grand promises of doing great things for my computer.

Answer 1

10+ things you should know about troubleshooting a slow PC = http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=172694

Registry tweaks to accelerate Windows XP = http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/abstract.aspx?docid=173620&tag=nl.e138

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=122339

23 Ways To Speed WinXP = http://www.techbuilder.org/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=59201471
Game XP = http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=game+xp&spell=1
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/training_videos
Windows Powertools (exe) = http://software.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=276277&tag=nl.e138

Adding more ram may help. Go to and put in your system specs at = http://www.crucial.com/support/install.asp = "Eliminate the hassle and risk of getting the wrong memory — guaranteed or your money back! In just 3 easy steps our Memory Advisor™ tool will show you exactly the right upgrade for your computer."
http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner = " The Crucial System Scanner automatically detects your computer's information and gives you the details you need to purchase a compatible upgrade. To run the Crucial System Scanner, you need Microsoft Windows 95 or higher. " +
For a good price see: = http://www.newegg.com and/or

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Home.jsp - http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Home.jsp
http://www.memoryx.com/
http://www.4allmemory.com
Test your ram with these: Memtest86L= http://www.memtest.org +

RAM Reliability Test = http://hcidesign.com/memtest

Ram Idle = http://www.freewareweb.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?ID=1423
Adding more ram may help.
Also Control/reduce what loads at startup with = Codestuff Starter = http://www.webattack.com/get/starter.shtml .
Clear your cache and go to your local settings folder and empty your "temp" folder.
http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/WindowsXP.htm
Speed tweaks = tweaks and downloads to optimize PC speed without overclocking = http://www.setiathomescreensaverspeed.co.uk/index.html
http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/sgp-tweaks.ars
http://www.tweakxp.com/performance_tweaks.aspx

Windows XP Tweaking – Startup and General Performance Tweaks = http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/sgp-tweaks.ars
= "A guide for tweaking your system."

For desktop pc better performance, I suggest you set your desktop background/wallpaper and screensaver to "none", then right click on desktop, click properties, click 'appearance', choose ' windows classic style'.
Then Start/Settings/Control Panel/Display/display properties/screensaver/monitor power/power schemes/settings/turn off monitor after 10 minutes, and set the next 2 drop down boxes ( 1. Turn off Hard Disks, and 2. System Standby) to "never"/apply/ok/ok.

Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Advanced tab /under Performance click on Settings / Visual Effects tab/
Adjust for best performance / Ok / Apply / Ok
Then Start/Control Panel/Display/display properties/screensaver/monitor power/hibernate/take check mark out of "Enable hibernation"/apply/ok/ok. Do not to use hibernate on desktop
If I'm going to be away from the pc for more than an hour, or whenever there is lightning in the area, then after shutting it down properly, I unplug the UPS (which all the computer stuff is plugged into) and disconnect the cable.\

To manage your startup programs, use
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/starter.html = CodeStuff Starter

or
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

http://www.pcreview.co.uk/startup

also see = Autoruns = http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html =
This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.
Autoruns' Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.
You'll probably be surprised at how many executables are launched automatically!
Autoruns works on all versions of Windows including Windows XP 64-bit Edition (for x64) and Windows Server 2003 64-bit Edition (for x64).


http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_scriptuse.html = Silent Runners Revision 49.

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

Paul Collins START-UP = http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
http://sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

Process Explorer = http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

http://www.processlibrary.com/freetools/

Startup List 2.02 = http://www.techspot.com/downloads/3552-startup-list.html

http://www.netsquirrel.com/articles/index.html

What's Running is a product that gives you an inside look into your Windows 2000/XP/2003 system. Explore processes, services, modules, IP-connections, drivers and much more through a simple to use application. Find out important information such as what modules are involved in a specific process. Control your system by starting and stopping services and processes. Configure your startup programs easily. = http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/main.aspx
Version 2.2 of What's Running = http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/main.aspx

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

http://www.processlibrary.com/freetools

http://www.indiahowto.com/how-to-clean-up-windows-xp.html

Clean your cache, = http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup and/or
Disk Cleaner = http://www.diskcleaner.nl ,or
Open up IE and go to Tools/Internet Options/General tab and Delete Temp files and History, then Boot into safe mode, = http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406 , then enable CHKDSK, = Click your "My Computer" in the start menu, R-Click the C: Drive, go down and click on properties in the drop menu. When the properties folder opens, click on the Tools Tab, The first item in the list is to do CHKDSK. Put a check mark in all the boxes/start/yes/apply/ok . The PC should be rebooted in safe mode to do the scan. To view the results of a CHKDSK go to Administrative Tools > Event Viewer > Application, look for the most recent Winlogon event and double-click on it.

Then reboot into safe mode = http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406?OpenDocument&src=sec_doc_nam , or Start/run/msconfig/Boot.ini tab/check /safeboot - reboot. Afterwards uncheck it and reboot., then go to Start/all programs/accessories/system tools/disk cleanup , and run disk cleanup: Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disc Cleanup and put a check in ALL the boxes(Note: Only check the "compress old files" box if you are running very short of disk space, as those files which haven't been accessed recently will be compressed to save disk space, but at the cost of slightly slower access times to those files. Nothing will be deleted or "cleaned up" as a result of checking "Compress Old Files."). Click OK then Yes in the next little window. Let it finish.

Then run Disk Defrag from safe mode. After booting into safe mode go to Start/all programs/accessories/system tools/Disk Defragmenter. When you open "Defrag", click on "analyze", and it will tell you if you need to defrag or not. (or see = http://www.dirms.com ).

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/chkdsk.asp

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/tweaks
http://www.tweakvista.com
http://www.tweakhound.com
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
http://www.download.com/3000-2341-2830963.html?legacy=cnet
http://www.wown.info/j_helmig/wtweakui.htm
http://www.pctools.com/tweak-manager/features

http://www.econsultant.com/i-want-freeware-utilities/index.html
http://freeshell.org
http://users.pandora.be/ahmadi/nettools.htm
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com
http://www.dirfile.com
http://www.filehippo.com
http://www.softpedia.com/index.shtml
http://www.softwarepatch.com/index.html
http://downloads.vnunet.com/
http://www.filepedia.com/
http://www.lifehacker.com
http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/default.asp
http://www.flexbeta.net/main/index.php
http://www.internetinspiration.co.uk/index.html
http://www.download2me.net/boards/index.php
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/downloads
http://www.freeware-downloads.co.uk/new-releases.php
http://www.susanne-selsam.privat.t-online.de/freeware.html
http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html
http://www.gena01.com/software.shtml
http://www.paradiseprogramming.tripod.com
http://software.techrepublic.com.com/?tag=nl.e138
http://www.thefreecountry.com
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/downloads
http://www.winpcware.com
http://www.bluechillies.com/new/W/
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads
http://www.sourceforge.net
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads
http://rekenwonder.com/index.htm
http://freeware.brothersoft.com
http://www.onrpg.com/boards/free-mmorpg
http://www.photo-freeware.net/framefun.php
http://www.nonags.com/nonags/index.html
http://www.coolarchive.com/index.php
http://www.oltenia.ro/download/pub/
http://moneysavingexpert.com
http://www.scanwith.com/index-Freeware.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/wizard2/hkeylocal/Links.htm
http://shellcity.net
http://download2you.com/
http://www.internetfilesland.com/
http://www.dirfile.com/
http://www.soft20.com/
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/12/01/30-essential-pieces-of-free-and-open-software-for-windows/
http://www.scancomplete.com/software-downloads.phphttp://www.handyarchive.com/ = Be careful what you download from there. Some downloads on this site that some people consider adware, spyware, or other unwanted programs. Be sure to have your malware protection enabled.
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1231.entry = WINDOWS XP GOODIES http://www.echeat.com/ = Browse eCheat's Free Essay Archive
http://www.tcmagazine.net/modules.php?modid=4
http://www.versiontracker.com/windows/
http://www.filehungry.com/index.php?days=21&action=newlinks
http://www.komando.com/koolsites.asp
http://www.majorgeeks.com/
http://www.simtel.net/welcome.php
http://www.webhero.org/index.htm
http://www.filetransit.com/new.php
http://www.freewarehome.com
http://www.xaraonline.com
http://www.tucows.com/whatsnew.html
http://www.freewareweb.com/index.shtml
http://www.click-now.net/downloads.htm
http://v2.tlab404.com/index.asp
http://dl.winsite.com/bin/Browse?type=new
http://www.fileflash.com/
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/
http://www.voodoofiles.com/new.asp
http://www.freewarefiles.com/search.php?option=mostrecent
http://www.internetfilesland.com/
http://www.topshareware.com/
http://www.inklineglobal.com/links/shareware3.html
http://www.lucersoft.com/freeware.php
http://www.globalarray.net/user/shotzy/informativelinks.html
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm#10
http://www.bartdart.com/
http://www.vsisystems.com/
http://www.freewebtown.com/community/index.php
http://bluefive.pair.com/index.html
http://lists.thedatalist.com/pages/New_Links.htm
http://www.sofodown.com/index.php?&lof=1
http://www.handyarchive.com/Internet/Misc
http://www.intelliadmin.com/downloads.htm
http://www.winsite.com/
http://www.top20free.com/eservices.html
http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/freeware/
http://www.download32.com/
http://www.bartdart.com/
http://www.freefunfiles.com/
http://www.spychecker.com/
http://www.sysinternals.com
http://www.freeware.org.uk/gfx.htm
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads/
http://www.freeware.org.uk/index.htm
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rob.goldfish/freewareindex.htm

TheOpenCD = http://www.theopencd.org = "TheOpenCD is a collection of high quality Free and Open Source Software. The programs run in Windows and cover the most common tasks such as word processing, presentations, e-mail, web browsing, web design, and image manipulation. We include only the highest quality programs, which have been carefully tested for stability and which we consider appropriate for a wide audience.
http://osswin.sourceforge.net
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,1247,00.asp
http://www.download-by.net
http://freshmeat.net
http://savannah.gnu.org
http://www.freewarehome.com
http://www.freewarefiles.com
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_free_utilities.htm
http://www.versiontracker.com/windows/cat/internetutilities
http://www.bartdart.com
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2006/about2006PL.php
http://www.all4you.dk/FreewareWorld/links.php
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/freeware.html
http://sourceforge.net
http://www.pricelessware.org
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2006/about2006PL.php
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/2006/2006PL-CD-about.php
http://www.bartdart.com
http://www.versiontracker.com/windows/cat/internetutilities
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
http://www.sofodown.com/ = 31298 Freewares
TechRepublic's software library offers more than 50,000 software downloads in a wide variety of categories, including software tools for developers, collaboration and management tools, antivirus and spyware utilities, and games. = http://software.techrepublic.com.com/?tag=nl.e138
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130045/article.html?tk=nl_wbxnws = 101 Fantastic Freebies
http://www.sats-general.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=142
http://www.bestvistadownloads.com

Answer 2

There are a few good ones out there. The ones that I know of and have used before are System Mechanic and TuneUp Utilities 2006/2007. I had System Mechanic for over a year. It was good as it helped with cleaning out junk from your hard drive, optimizing your system, scanning for spyware/viruses, and defragmented your hard drive all with one option. I turned to TuneUp Utilties because it has a program in there called TuneUp WinStyler. This program lets you customize the way Windows XP looks, by letting you change the icons, the boot screen (the black screen with the Windows logo and the green or blue bar that is constanty moving sideways), the logon screen (where you pick your users), and the visual style of Windows (instead of having that blue, green, or silver toolbar with the green Start button, you can download different themes to use). Aside from that, it offers a lot of the tools that System Mechanic offers, with the exception of spyware/virus scanning and defragmentation of hard drives. This software has a registry cleanup tool and a registry defragmenter. Which ever tool you choose, it is up to you. Good luck :)

Answer 3

u should try to serch for it on google yahoo or msn for the top 10 products that they adertise and then whatever gets the highest should be the best!!

Answer 4

advanced windows care
adaware
free converter
Super converter
avast anti virus
media player classic
quicktime alternativ
real alternative
ffddshow
nero burning rom
flashget
freezip

yes the best apps are free

www.moneyrushonline.com

Answer 5

All the worthwhile utilities are free, don't pay the ebay conmen any thing.

AVG anti virus from http://www.free.grisoft.com
Spybot anti-spyware from http://www.spbot.info
Audacity audio recorder from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Flash from http://www.flash.com
Adobe reader from http://www.acrobat.com
Real player from http://www.real.com/player/?src=realplayer
These are really all you need