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Personal Tech

Solutions: 2 spyware programs can slow PC's speed

Q: I downloaded Windows Defender and have Windows XP. I also have McAfee AOL security suite. I disabled the spyware program in the security suite. I receive errors from MacAfee saying I am not fully protected. Should I re-enable the spyware suite with MacAfee? My hunch is that the spyware program integrates with their other programs. On the other hand, I do not want to slow my program with too many applications running.

By John Torro, Times Correspondent
Published August 13, 2007

Q: I downloaded Windows Defender and have Windows XP. I also have McAfee AOL security suite. I disabled the spyware program in the security suite. I receive errors from MacAfee saying I am not fully protected. Should I re-enable the spyware suite with MacAfee? My hunch is that the spyware program integrates with their other programs. On the other hand, I do not want to slow my program with too many applications running.

A: I see no reason why you shouldn't run the McAfee spyware program, especially when you're running all the other programs in the suite. If you do this, then uninstall or disable Windows Defender. You could run both, but why slow down your system and/or further complicate your environment? Just make sure you keep everything autoupdating successfully.

Q: I have a Dell Dimension 8100, which is a fast computer with lots of RAM. During normal operation, the system stops two or three times for periods of 20 to 30 seconds over a two- or three-minute span. I'm running Windows XP with Windows Defender and Windows Live Care, both of which are up to date. I wondering if my hard drive could be failing or if my system is being hijacked?

A: Run the Windows Task Manager right-click on the bottom task bar and select Task manager. Click the Process tab. Click once where it says CPU. This will sort the highest-capacity users, top down. Resize the window so you can still see the Processes/CPU and move it to the side. It will always stay on top of any other open window. Go about your normal computing and when the unresponsive periods occur, check the Task Manager to see which process is the culprit. It is a good idea to check the system event log file to see if it can give any clue as to what is happening. You can find it in the Control Panel under Administrative Tools, Event Viewer. Check the System log and look for critical errors (marked in red).

Q: I have a Dell Pentium 3 that's about four years old running Windows ME, Outlook Express and 256 megabytes of RAM. After I go on the Web (Internet Explorer) and then use Outlook Express, I can no longer send mail. A box comes up saying "An unknown error has occurred. ... Error number: 0x800C0131." I can always receive mail fine, and before going on the Web I can send it. But once I connect to IE, I can't send out mail. I'm getting tired of restarting my computer to send out mail. I've had an "expert" try, but nobody has been able to figure this out yet.

A: This error is usually caused by a missing or damaged Folders.dbx file. Close Outlook Express if it is open. Click Start, Find, and then click Files or Folders. Type folders.dbx in the Named box. In the Look In box, click your C drive and then click Find Now. When the file is found, right-click it and select Rename. Rename it to folders.old, then click OK. Start Outlook Express, which will create a new folders.dbx file.

Send questions to personaltech@sptimes.com or Personal Tech, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Questions are answered only in this column.

[Last modified August 10, 2007, 17:28:13]