This guide, i will guarantee personally, will make your computer better, faster, and more stable with the operations of these programs.

****Disclaimer***** By reading my guide you agree to my terms and conditions which are as follows.... any misuse of these programs or damaging results from them is not my fault and you do here by at your own risk use these programs which are mere suggestions on my part which I have found to be very beneficial. I have never had a problem with any of these so you should be good : ).

All the programs will be freeware or will have a time duration on them. I do not want you to buy anything this is strictly for your benefit. But if you should so choose be my guest, it will only help you more if anything though the general use of the these programs can be used without the need to pay for the upgrade.

Some of these programs will have install yahoo toolbar or something to that effect do yourself a favor and un-check them. You don't want that stuff on your computer it makes everything icky.

Also i recommend checking out another very good guide that has many other suggestions is the Windows XP guide here on instructables...

https://www.instructables.com/id/WinXP-Overhaul-Guide-How-to-make-it-look-like-Vis/

With all of these minus the boost speed (will explain) I would suggest regularly looking for updates and running the scans to keep everything solid and organized!

Lastly, all the links i provide are safe and not to dangerous places, so no worries in that department..

Step 1: Malware Removal

1. My favorite malware destroyer and general icky remover, Malware Bytes. Here's the download link,

http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button

This program is free don't be fooled by it wanting you to buy it, you can maintain full usage of it just without the constant protection aspect, it is merely for scanning your computer and locating, and by your choosing elimination of harmful malware from your computer. I have found this to be more effective than most of the leading professional malware removal programs. Even if you think you do not have anything on your computer you might be surprised what it picks up. Malware comes from many different sources mostly the web. Its safe to assume most people don't try to get infected but certain links are contagious, or are downloading harmful files in the background without your knowledge. This helps to eliminate that threat. To work with this program you should go to the update tab near the top of it once you finish installing. Then run a full system scan, this may take a while even if you have a fast computer. I recommend running before bed or if you go out for awhile. When it finishes scanning it will pop up and tell you if anything was found. Then it will start up a notepad showing you specifically what was scanned and what the program returned. If anything is found it will give you the option to remove said infection. Enjoy!

Step 2: Anti-Virus

2. My favorite anti-virus that trumps all in my personal and very long experiance with anti-virus programs is Avast Home Edition. Here is the link as follows,

http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html?part=dl-AvastHome&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlPid=10998297

Avast is free and when the license expires all you need do is register in 60 days and they give you a free code again (not a very intrusive registration either). Avast offers automatic (yes just like the professional programs) daily virus updates against the latest threats, analyzes all incoming downloads and general activity on your computer which can be adjusted to your liking with the resident protection sensitivity. It offers a very nice settings saver that generates when your computer is idle., in case you lose them during an attack (VRDB, or Virus Recovery Database).

It also offers a very effective scanning tool which can root out the nasty virus's that just won't budge : ). When you start up the program it will scan all your start up functions or programs and controls that start when you start up your computer, this can be skipped if you want but recommended for first time start up. When it finishes you finally get into the program to work some magic on your computer.

To scan simply click the disk looking button on the right hand side to select your drives to scan, this will pop up a sensitivity bar to ask you how thorough to be in your scan i recommend checking the scan archive files button, and pulling the bar up to its highest setting. You can then click the options below the disk button to scan removable media, or even specific files or folders if you don't want to run a full system scan. Then all you do is hit "play" literally the universal button for play . This will begin the scan which can take a long time depending on disk size and how fast your computer is. If anything is found it will sound an alarm and ask you what you want to do. You can delete, ignore, or place the virus in a virus vault. Its completely up to you.

The options can also be tweaked if you spend some time with the program, and set everything to your liking, even options like ignoring the start up scan whenever you activate avast and things of that nature. Enjoy! : D

Step 3: Programmed to Kick Ass

3. Advanced System Care, it's a fantastic optimization program that offers a lot of great tools. Here's the link as follows,

http://www.download.com/Advanced-SystemCare-Free/3000-2086_4-10407614.html?part=dl-6271865&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlPid=10996922

It offers a one click problem solution button which scans your computer for all sorts of slow-me-down-naa-naa-na-boo-boos that you do not want and effectively fixes them. It also offers a wide variety of tools/shortcuts in its last tab such as, Smart Defrag (see number 4), an easy link to the disk check function, a more in-depth disk cleaner, a registry defragmentor, all of which you should use at your own volition, I highly recommend running the registry defragmentor with either this program or the program in step six. Lastly there is a AWESOME internet optimizer that auto optimizes your internet making it a lot faster on page loads and in some cases download speed. Simply click on the Firefox TCP optimizer in the utilities tab, and go to the auto optimize, there is a drop down menu to select what your connection speed is for the best possible optimization, find it and click boost now. You will see a very nice increase in page speed load and general surfing. Now go down one more tab inside the firefox optimizer and select the best options for you computer speed to internet speed ratio. After all this hit apply and enjoy your new found speed and reliability.

Step 4: We Can't Always Get What We Need, But We Do Have Smart Defrag

My favorite defragmentor and hard drive optimizer is smart defrag. Here is the link,

http://www.download.com/Smart-Defrag/3000-2094_4-10759533.html

You can defragment, fast optimize, or deep optimize. I recommend deep optimizing which takes a little while or even a long time based on your computers overall speed. This can be done by clicking the drop down menu and selecting that function. You can also adjust if you have multiple hard drives on your computer which ones you want to defrag or deep optimize depending on what you pick. Then you simple hit Start located next to the drop down menu and watch it work its magic. When it finishes it tells you how defragmented your hard drive was and how it is now along with a list of the files that were fragmented and there current state. This program if allowed to run at start up or if you don't close it will auto defragment your computer when it is idle. This is very nice and keeps your computer in tip top shape.

Step 5: Crap Cleaner

5. CCleaner is one of my all time favorites and most used applications world wide and is renowned for its ability to clean crap up! Here is the link,

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/downloading

A simple download and install and check and un-check the installation options you want, when you start it up you should look through the different options under clean up in case you don't want something to be deleted like your browsing history or something to that effect then click analyze, review what it wants to get rid of and see that it not kicking anything you don't want. Then run cleaner and boom all the crap is gone! : O. Next click the registry cleaner, run scan, fix selected issues, when it prompts you to make a back up just click yes and designate a location (only really necessary for the first time through in my personal opinion, but can be done as many times as you want to insure maximum safety). There's also a nice feature on the left side bar called tools. This shows you a list of the program entries on your computer and lets you uninstall, delete the entry, or rename it. It also has a nice save to a txt file option to save a list of all your programs to a text file for later use. Then of course the options tab to customize the scan settings and even if you want to have more than one overwrite when you are doing the disk cleaner. Enjoy!

Step 6: Boost Speed...

6. Last but most of all not the least. Auslogics boost speed. Now this program only runs you on a trial basis for 15 days, I would recommend you get your use out of it then uninstall if your like me and don't want to pay, but if you do its your choosing.

Here's the link,

http://www.download.com/Auslogics-BoostSpeed/3000-2094_4-10358299.html?part=dl-10358299&subj=dl&tag=button&cdlPid=10992276

Now install and use all the components you want that the program has to offer, I recommend one button check up, advanced registry scan, and the registry defrag here if you haven't already. The track eraser and disk wiper are also nice, I would stay away from the memory optimizer and internet optimizer functions because they are not that effective, and annoying in some respects, but everything else is pretty solid. Don't be afraid to check all the options under advanced registry scan, also be careful with the disk cleaner, because disk cleaners in general are pesky at removing things in some instances that you would prefer not to be removed. Enjoy!

Step 7: Conclusion

On my final note i hope you have enjoyed this guide. If you have any questions or comments i will check the instructable daily. Everything here if used properly should speed up your computer substantially and make everything more efficient to say the least. I wish you all a happy day, live long and prosper and....

may the force be with you ; 0