Why you should not be using MSconfig to control startups!! http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=149804 Many people frequently use MSconfig as a long term solution to control startup processes and services. You will also see many websites condoning use of MSconfig and teaching you how to use it for controlling startups. This is a very bad idea for many reasons. 1. MSconfig was designed to be used only as a temporary debugging/troubleshooting tool. It was not meant to be used for long term solutions. 2. MSconfig does not show all startups anyway. 3. If you uninstall programs while they are being disabled with MSconfig, they will not be uninstall properly and you will have to resort to manual registry editing to properly get everything removed. MSconfig will leave orphan entries if/when installed software is uninstalled while under the control of MSconfig . When/if MSconfig is turned back to normal startup, it will give errors on boot due to those orphan entries. 4. MSconfig and Services: o If you uninstall programs while you have some of the programs services being controlled with MSconfig, the programs will not be uninstall properly and you will have to resort to manual registry editing to get everything properly removed. o When you uncheck a service in msconfig, you completely disable it. If you uncheck the wrong one, you may not be able to restart your computer. o It is safer to control services by using Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services (this runs services.msc). 5. You can lock malware items into your registry that you may not see anymore until some point in time where you switch back to Normal Startup mode and now you can cause total reinfection of your PC with the malware. You need to remove the malware not mask it. If you still don't understand why not to use MSconfig, see what Microsoft writes here: The key point is stated as such: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

definitely in addition to your current antivirus program I recommend malwarebytes and superantispyware both are free, you update each prior to running scans and I also recommend the free version of spywareblaster, no scans just update it about once a week then enable all protection so the shield is green and it protects you in the background, Plus I add WOT to my browser to help keep me from going to unsafe sites. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (Win) - Detecting and Removing Malware SUPERAntiSpyware.com : Remove Malware : Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware! SpywareBlaster WOT What antivirus program are you running on the pc and is it fully updated? Is the spyware doctor you are using the one with antivirus and spyware removal or just the spyware version? what firewall are you using? I also urge using the secunia tool to make sure everything that needs updating on the pc is updated. Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI)

Hi everyone, I was unable to post because I couldn't log in. Apparently the cookie that it takes to get here was not there, so I emailed the forum and when I got back home walla I was able to log in and here I am. "Smiles" To answer the question is Auslogics an antivirus or a defrag program. It is a defrag program and is not an antivirus. I didn't know they had an antivirus. "LOL" I listened to the same thing you did about Norton and it definately has something in it which appears to be a firewall because it blocks things out and protects you like a firewall. I think the reason they made sure that the Windows firewall is on is because they aren't sure themselves. When I access a program Norton pops up and tells me it is safe to run. It happened earlier today but I can't remember what it was I was doing. I was in a hurry to do some things on this computer that I know they didn't do. I am a little nervous about CCleaner and I called them and one of the guys told me to take the check marks out of advanced so I did. I have never used CCleaner and it would be nice if I had more information on it. Can you all explain this program to me and what to look for, so that I won't delete something and my computer won't go boom? "LOL" Owbist you said this: I am amazed that someone as knowledgeable as yourself and willing to learn about computers would actually pay to have the computer cleaned or replace the CD player. If cleaning means removing dust a $3 can of compressed air fixes that pronto. If cleaning means removing programs (including those you wanted kept) then the simple Add/Remove feature does that for you. Replacing a CD player is a simple task also, even for those who have not tried before. You simply remove the old and reverse the sequence to install the new. The only reason that I took the computer in was because I have my grandchildren around 3 days a week and sometimes a little more because they love us. Ha! It is difficult for me to have the time to play by trying to install something and little ones that are 3 and 8 years of age want to play on the computer not watch me fix it. "LOL" Now when I got this computer back, it was running slow again and instead of calling them I did a scan disk and used Auslogics Defrag and walla it is running like a charm. I think they got lazy and didn't do it. I really like the Auslogics Defrag it is so fast and puts things back where they belong. They did check the hard drive to see if it was Ok and it is. This computer is going on 6 years old and I guess I haven't done to bad after all my very first computer I crashed several times but, that was ages ago. Remember the first packard bell computers? I had the 3.1 and then they sent me the CD for Windows 95. Well I learned fast that you can't put old on top of new because then it would crash. I still have that old computer and I need to get rid of it, I never get on it at all, it is just sitting there collecting dust. Ha! If there is someone here who has CCleaner I would appreciate a lesson on how to use it correctly. Thank You damccoy, zep516 and owbist, for your help and for your info. thirdfrt!!!

thanks everybody for your input. i installed super anti-spyware, updated it, and did a whole computer scan that resulted in no malware. thus, i disabled link scanner, resident shield, automatic update manager, and the e-mail scanner in AVG 8.0 and noticed a marked difference in the speed of the computer. i tried letting resident shield be active, but that still caused my computer to run rather slowly. it seems that the new AVG is quite a bit of trouble with its functions are inferring with spybot s&d and spyware blaster. as of now, only the anti-virus; anti-spyware, and the license components of AVG are 'active' on my computer; therefore, my questions become: is it necessary to have AVG running from start-up? since i've disabled the resident shield, will having AVG running in the background provide me with some automatic, subtle protection? i currently have win patrol, zone alarm (and AVG) running in the background. should i have super anti-spyware running in the background as well? thanks for all your input.