[VeedeeBee]

I've learnt my lesson from my HD crash on Friday (see Hard Disk Full NOT). I'm getting a new Samsung Spin point 60 GB disk or Hitach IBM disk to re-install Windows XP. (New OEM version SP2'd with kosher licences).

I own web root washer and Sophos (kosher versions), I use Ad-aware and Zonelabs, Spybot S&D 1.3, CCleaner and Grisoft AVG7.

You guys swear by Tuneup (I might try that)

I intend to give 30 GB to XP and all the disk relevant software and 30GB to my applications, leaving the 120GB drive for data, scratchfiles and games. My pagefile will be 756Mb to suit the 512RAM.

Any suggestions on the perfect XP set up and programmes that kill virus and spies and clear waste files without the horrible bloating that killed my disk ?

How do I know when something is down to XP upgrade bloatware, viruses, hardware glitches or the log files from cleaning antivirus programmes and is there an ideal period for re-installation. Better still are there known problems like Cleansweep?

Thanks in advance

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My advice would be to get a decent Antivirus, Firewall, and SEVERAL spyware programs installed and updated and NEVER surf with internet explorer.... Use Firefox. Almost no pop-ups, does not support active x and is not integrated into windows... With this type of setup as long as you don't open "questionable" E-mails and don't go to any "questionable" sites, then you should be fairly safe...

[Ensomniak]

My advice would be to get a decent Antivirus, Firewall, and SEVERAL spyware programs installed and updated and NEVER surf with internet explorer.... Use Firefox. Almost no pop-ups, does not support active x and is not integrated into windows... With this type of setup as long as you don't open "questionable" E-mails and don't go to any "questionable" sites, then you should be fairly safe...

[VeedeeBee]

Thanks Ensomniak (like the name).

Except for Firefox thats exactly what I thought I was doing with Sophos and AVG, they are both good antiviruses. I used Spybot S&D along with Ad-aware, Yahoo's anti-spy, Webroot's Spy sweeps (as I updated washer) and all I still crashed and burned in a week after months of steady XP use. I used Hijack this to check for changes and even the new (not often updated CWShredder), had Zone labs updated all the time and I did often check if any files had introduced themselves into both the trusted zone for Zonelab or into the ignore lists for S&D.

My e-mail is web based and with an Industrial strength spam killer. I check and clean the bulk mail every day. Never open attachments or follow weblinks sent by my friends unless confirmed by conversation or subsequent e-mail.

My only thing with Firefox is whether my ISP supports it.

Beyond that does anybody know what I can do, sounds hopeless as XP has been really great after OS's that I want to forget like DOS 5, Win 3.1, Win 95 and I'm falling out of love with Win98 as I forgot how clunky my laptop was (the machine I'm typing this on). I'm not using my desktop on the internet until I've replaced the HD and installed a new version of XP.

[Ensomniak]

Trust me, get Firefox web browser... Your ISP WILL support it. I myself prefer Opera (Paid Version not the free one) but Firefox is free. Both are 10 time less vulnerable to adware and popups... Just install it and try it. You will still have IE. If you don't like it you can just uninstall it. You can import your IE favorites, and make it your default browser...STOP using IE! You will be better off.

Good luck...