Need some good maintenence apps

[DeadlyAura]

I just need a few apps that I can used to help maintain PC speed and performance.

I run CCleaner, Spybot, Hijack This, and other apps to keep the PC clean. I defrag often and try to keep all my PC running at their best.

Am I doing all I can or are there some good apps that will help me maintain better. I will be using the apps on an entire network at my father's shop to help out the PCs that are slowing down. Goddamn Dells. After I discovered CCleaner, they sped up noticably, but they still aren't in peak condition as we would like them.

 

[br0adband]

Windows is a disk based operating system, and every single time you do something that touches the hard drive (booting up, installing software, surfing, playing a game, etc) you're going to change the entire structure of the operating system and how it functions. To put it bluntly, Windows will slow down over time just because you're using it. Memory leaks, crappy software, badly written applications, nothing can stop it from happening.

CrapCleaner is probably the best tool around these days for quick and clean "housecleaning." Running multiple spyware tools anymore is a bit pointless and overkill; Housecall does a pretty thorough job of ferreting out stuff related to malware/spyware also if you hit that site maybe 2-3 times a week.

Having a lot of RAM helps performance since it's the lifeblood a system. Nothing can so drastically affect the performance of a PC so quickly as not having enough RAM. Nowadays, it's so cheap that any serious PC user with less than 512MB of RAM needs to have their heads examined.

Fast hard drives are nice, as 7200 rpm is pretty much the standard and not everyone needs Raptors or RAID 0 setups - I personally think RAID setups in the home for anyone not doing non-linear video editing or NLE is just trying to show off, but that's just me.

Keeping the system updated with whatever is current is a good idea also, but remember that newer doesn't always mean better. Example: How many people practically had heart attacks (both normal folks and IT folks combined) when Service Pack 2 for XP came out? Yeah, I figured that would be a good example.

Do the best you can with what you have, then actually use the computer.

My favorite question I like to ask people is:

"How fast is fast?"

bb

ps
Dell is a system manufacturer. They use pretty much the same hardware as any other builder does, so don't go blaming them for Windows issues. Windows is the operating system and Dell has nothing to do with it after they put the box together. Blame Microsoft for creating an OS that's bloated from birth and just gets worse as it grows older.