"Mike Hall - MVP" wrote in message
...
"Josh Reece" wrote in message
...

"R. C. White" wrote in message
...
Hi, Josh.

The comments by Gordon and Ken are right on!

If you "had a lot of problem with Vista", then perhaps your computer was
not a good platform for Vista in the first place. In that case, yes, a
new computer would probably be a good idea. But we can't say that with
any confidence because you didn't tell us anything about your hardware.


HP Pavilion Entertainment PC.




Just be sure your new computer has adequate "horsepower" (by today's
standards) and you should get great performance with any version of
Vista or Win7. Most vendors include a voucher for a free upgrade to
Win7 with any computer bought between now and October 22. Don't skimp
on memory or hard disk space!

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX

Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8064.0206) in Win7 Ultimate x64 RC 7100

"Josh Reece" wrote in message
...
I've been one of the unfortunates who has had a lot of problems with
Vista (Home Premium version). Windows 7 won't be out till October, but
I need a new computer now. What is the general opinion about Vista
Business? Any good, or is it similarly plagued by problems?

Thanks for your input.






Josh

Go easy on giving specs, why don't you..


Sorry. I'm afraid my ignorance is second to none. I've given the full specs
in reply to Gordon.



There is more than one HP Pavilion Entertainment PC. Vista requires 2gb
RAM to get it on the move, especially if you have an integrated video
card..

Panda software is not one of the all time greats. Ensure that it is not
set to scan too frequently. A full virus scan can take hours to complete.

Re malware, one anti-malware program is not enough regardless of author.
Install and run Malwarebytes and Spybot S&D.

Have you used a registry cleaner? If so, which one?


Yes. Several. RegCure, CCleaner. I think there was a third which I
uninstalled. Which would you recommend?



Have you tried backing up your important data and run a full destructive
restore.


Sounds terrifying! What is this, exactly?


It might not be a bad idea. If you do it, install Malwarebytes and
SpyBot again and use them weekly

--

Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/

"Josh Reece" wrote:

Have you used a registry cleaner? If so, which one?


Yes. Several. RegCure, CCleaner. I think there was a third which I
uninstalled. Which would you recommend?

NONE. There will be plenty more replies on this, so I'll defer to
those who like to type.

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:13:22 -0500, Bill Daggett
wrote:

"Josh Reece" wrote:

Have you used a registry cleaner? If so, which one?


Yes. Several. RegCure, CCleaner. I think there was a third which I
uninstalled. Which would you recommend?

NONE. There will be plenty more replies on this, so I'll defer to
those who like to type.



I don't type answers to common points, I cut and paste. Here's my
answer:

Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the
registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and
don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and
what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of,
having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously
removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit
it may have.

Read http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000643.html

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:45:10 +0100, "Josh Reece"
wrote:


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:02:40 +0100, "Josh Reece"
wrote:


"Josh Reece" wrote in message
...

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...

OK, but let me point out that your original post made it sound like
you wanted a new computer because of the problems you were having
with
the existing one.


Well, it was another factor.

However, since my earlier posts things have got a lot worse.

I took the malware point seriously. I downloaded Spyware Doctor from
PC
Tools because they have a good rep. The first scan turned up 200+
infections, including an alarming Application.007_Keylogger, with a
High
threat rating. However, when I then bought the product in order to
eliminate the dangers, the programme re-ran itself somehow, and the
keylogger didn't show up afterwards. After eliminating all the
infections,
I rebooted, ran Vista Mail, and got a BSD.

I then tried to restore all the files in quarantine, only to find
the
quarantine hold was empty.

I then used System Restore to restore to an earlier point. I got the
message:

System Restore did not complete successfully. Your computer's system
files
and settings were not changed.
Details: An unspecified error occurred during the System Restore.

I tried a different restore point, and got the same message.



In Safe Mode I have successfully restored the system to a point before
the
installation of Spyware Doctor. Windows Defender says I do not have
malware.
What do you suggest I do about the slowness?


Three points:

1. No single anti-spyware program is perfect, and I always recommend
running two or more.

2. Neither Windows Defender nor Spyware Doctor are among the better
anti-spyware programs.

3. The best anti-spyware program is MalwareBytes Anti-Malware. Second
best is Super Anti-Spyware. Both are free. I strongly recommend
downloading and running both.

Ok. I'm going to follow your advice. What measures should I take to
prevent
all the problems I have had with Spyware Doctor? What other programmes
should be switched off to stop incompatibility problems?


You don't need to turn anything off. Just run the anti-spyware
programs one at a time, not both at once.

I've attached the readout of the first scan. I haven't deleted anything yet.
After bad experiences with Spyware Doctor on 3 machines, I'm afraid to.

Does the fact that the vendor is Adware Ascentive indicate anything definite
about the type of file it is?

Josh

Use of registry cleaners is not to be recommended as they can short circuit
a Windows installation, leaving some parts paralyzed.

Memory requirement for Vista is 1gb, but if your computer has an integrated
video card, that will detract from the 1gb, leaving less available RAM than
Vista needs. Thjis is why it is best to install 2gb RAM.

All new computers are supplied with a means to reset back to factory
default. The proceess wipes out all user data, so you must back this up
before taking the option. Rather than back up per se, it is probably better
to save your data by burning to a CD/DVD. Better still, copy it over to an
external drive.



--

Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/