Hey... I've seen alot of you having problems with your computer so i thought i would post some stuff to help make it better.... feel free to add anything i dont have!



Startup Utilities
Never use MSConfig to disable startup programs no matter what others have recommended. MSConfig is for troubleshooting purposes only. If you use it to disable startups and then run the program, you may cause what is known as a "memory leak" which does all sorts of strange things to your system. And disabling programs and services with it can get you into trouble that only a repair install can get you out of. Please note the warning found on the Microsoft Site concerning this
00.. Codestuff starter is a highly configurable startup manager.
01.. Mike Lins Startup Control panel -is an easy way of controlling the startup programs.
02.. Pacs Portal Startup -tells you about most of the programs you have running at startup.
03.. Greatis Startup -uses a database of allowed and disallowed startup programs and processes. It now can help fight against trojans and viruses.

Hardware and Software Utilities
Need to find out something about your computers hardware or software?
10.. Everest -Reports on Hardware and gives links for updates.
11.. Belarc Advisor -Reports on Software and processes.
12.. Memory diagnostic -Tests your physical memory
13.. PcPitstop.com -checks many things from disk fragmentation to Internet speed tests and gives recommendations.
14.. Driver Detective -will check your drivers and report what updates are available. This program is not free, so we generally recommend people to simply write down their results and then manually get the updated drivers.
15.. SiSoft Sandra -A very powerful system audit tool and benchmark testing program. The free version has many benchmark test modules for normal users while the Pro version is more for developers and is not free.

16.. Ethereal -is a troubleshooting and reporting utility for networks.

Internet Security
Keeping your computer secure is your first line of defence against hackers, viruses, trojans, hijackers, spammers, and adware. These programs and sites will help you make the job a little bit easier. They will also educate you about the threat and your computer, and is one of the most important parts of computer maintenance you can do.
20.. Windows Update is the most important security measure you can do.
21.. Windows Xp service pack1a -Now you can download and save SP1 on your computer or burn it to disk instead of having to download it every time you reinstall Windows XP
22.. 826939 Update Roll-up 1 for Windows XP -Microsoft has released Update Roll up 1 for Microsoft Windows XP. An update roll-up is a cumulative set of hot-fixes, security patches, critical updates, and updates that are packaged together for easy deployment. Update Roll up 1 for Windows XP is a single package that includes many previously released critical updates for Windows XP.
23.. Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 SP1 -This download wraps up multiple security patches from Microsoft into a single download. There are other security patches available as well. See Microsoft's Protect Your PC page for more details.
24.. Windows 98 Critical and Beneficial Updates -Get them while Microsoft still supports Windows 98. Save them to your computer and burn them to CD.
25.. Shoot the Messenger -Disables windows messenger service for you.
26..Kellys-Korner -has a fix if you use shoot the messenger and Outlook Express or Hot-mail slows down.
27.. DCOMbobulator -Disables DCOM (a security hole)
28..Auditmypc.com -tests for internet security leaks.

29.. Sygate Security Scan -tests for open ports on your computer.
2A.. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyser
2B.. Unplug and Pray -Disables the Rarely used UPnP service for you.
2C.. DirectX Buster -fully uninstalls DirectX from your computer.
2D.. Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer sp1 -Now you can download all the updates and save them to your drive or burn them to CD.
2E.. Sun Java. -More secure than MS version of java and still supported.
2F.. Hacker eliminator -can prevent worms and hijacking and gives recommendations on your Internet browser settings.
2G.. Setting Up Security Zones in Internet Explorer shows you how to set up security zones to protect your computer.
2H.. Start Page Guard prevents your home page from being hijacked. If it gives you an alert, you should also scan for hijackers and viruses.
2I.. Random Password Generator -allows you to generate single or large numbers of secure, random passwords

Free Personal Firewalls
Never have 2 or more software firewalls running on the same computer. They often conflict with each other and cause problems
30.. Sygate Personal Firewall
31.. Tiny Personal Firewall
32.. ZoneAlarm
33.. Outpost firewall

Free Web Browsers
It's generally recommended that you have more than one browser available to you even if you use one exclusively. That way, you can check to see if a problem is unique to your browser or a more generalised problem.
40.. Mozilla
41.. FireFox - highly reccomended
42.. Opera
43.. Flashpeak SlimBrowser
44.. Avantbrowser
@#.. MyIE2 - suped up version of IE... basically same as firefox

Adware, Spyware, and Hijacker Scanners
If your anti virus program finds nothing and you are experiencing virus like symptoms or unwanted advertisements, these programs may help.
80.. Spybot Search and Destroy -removes advertising and spyware from your computer.

81.. AdAware -removes advertising and spyware from your computer.

82.. Hijack This is a highly useful program for finding computer hijacking.
83.. A2 free scans your computer for trojans, worms, spyware, dialers, etc..
84.. Win Patrol -alerts you to programs that are installed on your computer without your knowlege.

85.. Spyware Blaster -prevents some spyware from being installed in the first place.
86.. Browser Hijack Blaster prevents some browser hijacking.
87.. KazaaBeGone - removes Kazaa and all of its spyware components.
88.. IE Spyad -places advertisement sites in the restricted zone and disables many of the tools they use to hijack your computer.
89.. Mike Lin's Startup Monitor -monitors what runs on startup and alerts you to new additions.

I'll add more later... i have to go! hope this helps some of you