My 2?

[David Baxter PhD]

To view (with the option of disabling) what loads automatically when Windows starts, you can download Autoruns 9.5 - this is freeware, part of the Sysinternals suite which was bought out by Microsoft. Alternatively, download the entire Sysinternals Suite which includes a number of other useful free utilities.

The nags about running programs (UAC or User Account Control) is a safety check in Vista which is part of what adds to its increased security. However, it is the single most annoying feature of Vista, so that many people simply turned it off.

Symantec has released a free replacement for this (NUAC) which is able to "learn" (the first time you run a program that Vista would intercept, you're given an option to "always allow this program" so it doesn't nag you again about that executable). I use this on my Vista laptop.

A similar and also free program is available as Smart UAC from Security Stronghold. I haven't tried this simply because I became aware of the Symantec version first. However, it has some additional features missing in the Symantec version, so in all likelihood I will give it a try soon:

The other great feature is that Smart UAC automatically scans each run program with large database of 400,000+ threats and blocks the program if it is considered to be malicious. When Smart UAC identifies malicious program, Red Prompt window appears and asks you weather you want to kill detected threat or allow it (you always have your free will). Of course, you will have an ability to make Smart UAC always kill detected threats of this kind automatically, without asking. Don't worry about your system's performance! Scanning takes only several milliseconds and you won't notice any delay in running programs. Actually, Smart UAC works much faster than the standard UAC. By installing Smart UAC you will free up system resources and make your system faster and more stable.

 

[Retired]

Here's what I do every couple of weeks:

1) Start | Run| %temp%

Delete all those files, but skip any files Windows reports as being currenty in use

2) Search | Files and Folders| *.tmp

delete all .tmp files as many of these are not picked up by disk clean up.

3) Start | Programs |Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup

Delete all temporary files, temporary internet files, recycle bin and any other remaining unnecessary files.

4) Start | Programs |Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter

Don't even bother asking for a report, just go ahead and defragment. Windows is much too liberal in demanding a defragmentation.

5) If you do not use Windows Messenger, you must disable it in the Windows section of Add / Remove Programs otherwise it runs in the background.

6) Use utilities such as Windows Defender or some firewall programs to locate programs or processes working in the background.

7) Disable unused add-ons in Internet Explorer

8) Disable unused or unnecessary programs running in Systray