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Trick seems to be speeding up my low spec HP MS214 AIO (Win 7 Pro) with 4GB DDR2 RAM. More RAM is in use, while Swap is reduced. Short virus scans are faster, plus VLC, which always has been slow on it, now runs w/o breaking up.

Only have used the trick for 30 minutes, will evaluate it further. First impressions are good, as any improvement at all is a positive for that PC. I don’t need it on my more powerful systems, but thought I’d put it to use on the HP.

Cat

You’re welcome, Mr T! That’s what we’re here for, is to give honest advise.

Sign up for promos at online sites such as Newegg & Fry’s, 7 Home Premium & Pro are often ran on promo, have seen Pro for as little as $89 (System Builder, formerly OEM version).

Cat

Apps such as MBAM Pro & SuperAntiSpyware Pro (both are also available as free) plays well with most AV/IS suites. F-Secure IS is one exception to the rule.

All are looking for different types of infections. SAS is excellent for purging the system of tracking/ad cookies that many will state is begien (harmless), however anything that tracks usage is & should be considered a threat. These type of cookies builds up, the user gets more ads & performance eventually suffers. SAS also catches some trojans.

MBAM is among the best malware defenses on the market & is used by both technicians/home users. I have mine set to update hourly & a flash scan is ran, plus a short scan is ran daily w/o me having to do anything. Similar with SAS, only I also run a short scan before & after making transactions & before shutting down at the end of day. On a SSD attached to a SATA III port, this scan takes only 28-35 seconds. MBAM’s short scan takes about 65-70 seconds.

Along with smart computing habits, which has been pointed out, MBAM/SAS are great tools to use & both keeps logs. Both also kicks in in realtime to block/quarantine threats.

As far as verifying they’re working, just open the Task Manager & view Processes & Services. Processes will show how much memory is being used, an indicator that it’s working. These will also be listed as a Service.

Cat

A few years ago, I bought Perfect Disk, from Raxco Software. It’s pretty good, but I always image before letting it run – it’s never good if somethings goes wrong and I prefer to play safe.

P.S.: They are offering a 35% discount as a cyber week promotion.

This is the defrag software that I use on my few non-SSD installs & has performed wonderfully.

Raxco does offer a 15 day trial on most of their software. It will likely take 3 defrag passes to fix this, plus a boot time defrag to begin with. The system & page files cannot be defragmented during Windows operation.

After install, it will likely run an auto analysis to determine the fragmentation status, then suggest which operation to perform first, usually a Boot Time defrag on new installs or badly fragmented ones.

Then normally a basic defrag, followed by SmartPlacement, then a Consolidate Free Space pass. Sometimes it’ll repeat an operation if needed. It may be best to allow this auto operation to take place while sleeping or at work, as it will likely take several hours on a heavily fragmented drive.

Was going to take/post a screenshot of mine, but Print Screen works differently on this HP w/7 Pro than on my newer Dell.

EDIT: Believe I found it!

35686-Capture

Cat

Also, many schools offers Windows products at very little or no cost, as long as the student has a verifiable email address associated with the school/university. Lots of choices of software are available to students enrolled in the MS DreamSpark program. Check with the school to see if this is offered.

https://www.dreamspark.com/institution/subscription.aspx

https://www.dreamspark.com/Support/FAQ/Default.aspx#FAQ

Along with Jerry’s advise above, if this install has been activated, Belarc Advisor (free for personal use) can retrieve the key, which may be different than the one on the affixed label. My HP that shipped with Windows 7 Home Premium wouldn’t accept the one on the label for a clean install, but did accept the one from a printout by Belarc that was created prior to formatting the partition. It’s good to have this printout, as Office keys are shown as well.

However, if this is a fresh, unactivated install, this will be of no use.

Has recovery media for the computer been created (usually a 3 to 5 DVD set or optionally on a 16GB Flash drive)? This task should be performed on Day 1 of ownership, as it’s too easily forgotten if delayed. If so, then reinstall the OS if needed.

As far as key selling goes, it’s illegal to sell keys w/o the software. MS may allow such purchased keys to activate/validate initially, but months down the road, many will boot to a black screen, with a notification that the user may be a victim of software piracy (or similar wording).

This is likely why MS has trashed the TechNet program, due to the abuse, especially the online selling of OS/Office keys.

Cat

In the right hands, it can be a great tool to use. In inexperienced ones, ASC can torch a Windows install, as by default the registry cleaner is overly aggressive. Yes, ASC does rate the potential damage of repairing these entries, but too many 1st time, inexperienced at these operations, blindly clicks the “Repair All” or similar worded click tab & the damage is done. I once had the Pro version of ASC, won a copy on another forum, but since has been uninstalled. The scans for errors would lead one to believe my computer was about to crash at any time, though it was running fine then & still is w/o it.

It does perform a backup prior to cleaning, but if the wrong key or critical file is deleted, then Windows may not reboot. Then the user may have to boot into Safe Mode (if that’s possible) to undo the damage.

I’m not going on a limb & state the software is useless, but a full system backup should be made prior to running ASC (whether or not the computer is running properly) to at least guarantee one can get back to the point before it’s ran. Also, visually check at what’s going to be repaired. Backups should be regularly made anyway, we shouldn’t have to be even discussing backup so much, but many of the topics created on these tech forums are due to the non-creation of images.

CCleaner is a safer alternative & is considered by many to be “disk cleanup on steroids”. There is also a registry cleaner in that app, one should create a folder (preferable on a Data partition or Flash drive, or both) labeled “CCleaner Registry Backups”, followed by the OS install name/PC model if more than one computer or dual boot is used. CCleaner offers the option of backing up the entries, point it to the created folder. That folder than then be copied to a Flash drive/other external for safekeeping.

As far as these all-in-one cleaners/tune up suites goes, anyone can download a random pick of the many offered. All will show lots of “needed” repairs, even if a similar utility was just ran. Some are just outright snake oil & can install spy/malware on the computer. My personal opinion is that the average computer owner doesn’t need these, unless recommended by someone reputable (verifiable) whom knows what they’re doing. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Just my two cents worth.

Cat

You can only get an activation key (COA) with a purchase of Windows 7. Either from the MS Store or online retailers such as Newegg & Fry’s, which runs frequent promos on current Windows software.

Do NOT buy keys on eBay, many are stolen ones.

Cat

I use EaseUS Todo Workstation (version 5.8) on 2 computers, it’s loaded with features. Version 6 is even better, having all of the support for Windows 8.1.

It is often offered at promo pricing at around $28USD, one simply needs to sign up for their promotional offerings by visiting the EaseUS site, or registering when installing an app such as EaseUS Partition Master Home. I receive at least one weekly email from the company.

Support is fantastic, with fast response times & there is also a support forum. For instance, I had an issue with upgrading from 5.6 to 5.8, it was fixed inside of 2 hours. Updates within the same version (currently 6) are at no cost to the customer.

Like Acronis, WinPE is built into EaseUS Todo Workstation (hence the huge 200MB download), one has 2 options to create images outside of the Windows environment. First, it can create a WinPE ISO to create a rescue/backup CD, or Flash drive (those 1GB SDHC cards works well too), secondly one can activate PreOS, which adds an entry to the boot options.

It is also great for cloning to SSD’s, there is the option to check to optimize for SSD, which will ensure partition alignment & greater success of booting the 1st time w/o the need of other tools. Though with any such operation, this isn’t 100% guaranteed, but has performed flawlessly the 3-4 times that I used the clone from HDD to SSD function.

I always keep the 1st backup taken after installing & updating a newly installed OS, after defrag and a virus scan with the ESET Online Scanner, but before installing other apps. It’s optimized to work with IE, but there’s also a downloadable version that can be saved to scan other computers with & can be removed after scan, though it consumes no resources when not used. Keeping this 1st image of the computer can give anyone a clean or “bare bones” install of their OS in much less time. Plus w/o apps installed, they can be installed fresh, rather than upgrading them possibly years old.

These 1st backups, I keep on a separate HDD to prevent possible deletion, as EaseUS by default will only retain a certain number of images, though this setting can be changed. By keeping these critical disk images on a separate HDD, these type of accidents shouldn’t happen. I have a partition for each computer on this HDD for extra safety & also image that HDD when another image is added.

Note that I’m not employed by EaseUS, it’s just that I’ve have great results with their software, which does have a money back guarantee.

Cat

RetiredGeek, I have the same make/model of PC as you & Macrium rocks! Was able to clone the OEM 1TB HDD to a 120GB Samsung 840 EVO with the app. Macrium downloaded the needed WinPE files from MS to create the ISO, which I boot from a no longer needed 1GB SDHC card. Good to keep these when upgrading to larger cards, they can be used just as Flash drives.

On the subject, when one creates needed boot discs (CD/DVD’s or Flash drives), the app sees that the computer is UEFI & will create the proper media. So far, this has been my experience with the computer.

Therefore, it’s important to create bootable media with the computer that one wants to use it on. Bootable media created on BIOS/MBR computers often won’t work on those with UEFI/GPT.

Cat

To answer the OP, yes, MS software is still needed. There’s some things, such as high performance gaming, those who requires MS Office at work/school, & some (mainly AMD) video cards. This isn’t to be considered an all inclusive list, but it’s some of the obvious. Windows is going nowhere for years to come. However, the folks at MS is going to have to realize that the company is in the wrong direction. Although Windows 8 certainly isn’t a Vista, many customers aren’t impressed at all with it, & are downgrading to Windows 7. Of course, this is even more cash in MS’s coffers, however how long can MS depend on Windows 7 sales? BTW, Office 2010 is still going strong. No, it can’t be replaced.

That being said, my “go to” OS is now Linux Mint 14 “Mate” x64 edition. Runs better than any other OS (including Windows 8) on my HP desktop in my specs below, & did so from the very first install. I’ve had this computer since November 2009, no OS has ran or looked as good as Mint 14 “Mate” does. Did try Cinnamon, while they’re some that loves the OS, I couldn’t stand the window switching all of the time. The mouse was way too sensitive. And it just wasn’t my style. Mate is plenty stable & is my flavor of Linux.

One thing that sets it apart from Windows is it’s snapiness. Without the overhead of an AV & other utilities, it’s fast at startup through shutdown. It takes on Windows 8 nicely. Don’t take my word for it, Google it. Mint 14 kicks butt!

And for those with XP machines, Mint 13 Mate or Xfce will both run on them. Far more secure than XP, at no cost to you. Both of my 10 year old computers, a T42 Thinkpad & Dimension 2400, runs Mint 13 very nicely. Not as nice as the HP runs 14, but a modern, 5 year supported OS on 10 year old computers…who would expect that just 3 years ago?

Cat

Normally, I simply click the middle (+) symbol on the outer VM screen, that usually works for me. A few times I had to adjust the resolution, but that’s been a while back.

Cat

For those who are having issues with Ubuntu 12.04/12/10 & Mint Cinnamon, I use & highly recommend Linux Mint 13/14 Mate version. Up to Mate 13 (built upon Ubuntu 12.04) runs on older XP machines that with Ubuntu 12.04 & up requires PAE to install. Mate 13 (5 year LTS) runs like a charm on two 10 year old computers, a T42 Thinkpad & Dimension 2400.

Linux Mint Mate 14 (which requires PAE) runs like a charm on my desktop that also runs Windows 7 & 8 Pro, & I was able to install it w/o messing up my Windows bootloaders. I removed the DVD drive, replaced it with an adapter usually used for SSD’s, it contained a 160GB WD Scorpio Blue that I had laying around. Removed the main drive, via a USB adapter for slimline DVD/CD drives, installed Mint 14 Mate in a matter of minutes. Once installed, I rebooted & updated, then replaced the HDD containing Windows, at startup I press the ESC key to access which drive I want.

Normally the install process picks up the hardware, however sometimes it takes a reinstall to get it right. Even with VM’s.

Cat

First off, it’s always best to backup the drive before making major changes to the machine, such as adding a OS.

When I remove a Linux OS from the HDD, I use a partitioning boot disk, Mini Partition Tool Home will do. Delete the Linux OS, then click onto the very left of the hard drive scheme (where the size is usually stated). Then select “Rebuild MBR” & Apply. This, 9 out of 10 times brings the Windows partition back & it’ll reboot into Windows afterwards (the installed OS doesn’t matter).

As a rule of thumb, just as with Windows, updating Ubuntu is normally a disaster in the making. It’s so much easier & a lot faster to backup the drive, & install the later version by the DVD, making sure NOT to format the /home partition (unless you want to install from scratch), this preserves the settings. The upgrade takes a long time in many cases & often leaves a lot to be desired. Usually, the user has to reinstall anyway.

Cat

For those who wants to know, the Linux swap file is the equivalent of the page file in Windows. If in Windows, we tap out on physical RAM, most of us has the page file to pick up the slack, & it shouldn’t be removed.

Same with Linux. The rule of thumb for a swap file with a Linux OS is twice the amount of physical RAM, below 2GB. Example, if one has 1GB RAM, create a 2GB swap file. If the amount of physical RAM is 2GB up to 4GB, the swap should be half of the installed RAM. For systems with over 4GB of RAM, normally 2GB will suffice, however with the size of today’s hard drives, it’s OK to give 4GB. More than 4GB is overkill, period. Even with a VM running, I’ve yet to see the swap running a GB.

It’s no big deal, really. Many users simply gives it 4GB & says the heck with it. It’s highly unlikely to be missed, the exception being those running SSD’s. In that case, my guide above applies. If one is running 8+GB RAM & tight on space, chance it with 1GB. I doubt there’ll be problems at all. The speed of the SSD is going to help a lot.

Cat

Yes, Wubi can be used to get the feel of Linux, however it’s not a full fledged experience. This was my first attempt at Ubuntu, inside of XP. Used it for two weeks, my inexperience & lack of knowledge of Linux caused my XP Pro install to be toasted. I installed in Ubuntu an app called “Computer Janitor”, once I ran it, I was no longer able to reboot into Windows, although Ubuntu was installed inside of XP as a program.

At the time, I was not as experienced as today, & was slack on backup. I had always counted on System Restore to bail me out of trouble. No such luck here, as I couldn’t get into the OS, period. Not even the MS rep could assist me in the matter, although she spent 50 to 60 minutes (at no charge) to do so. She did hook me up with Dell & helped me to obtain a recovery CD at no charge.

So if you’re going to run Wubi, first backup your entire drive that your OS(s) resides on. As a rule of thumb, everyone should be doing this anyway, monthly. More often for data & if a SSD is being used. Then, make sure that the partition where your Wubi install is going to be is thoroughly defragged (this excludes SSD’s). The Wubi install will perform like total crap if this step is skipped, & the real problem comes later when Windows is booted into & the OS cannot be defragged any lower than 25 to 50+%. So both OS’s will run like crap until Wubi is uninstalled.

Personally, although I feel that Wubi can be better than running in a VM, if the user has plenty of RAM (4+GB & a 64 bit computer), the VM is the safer & better option. VirtualBox & VMWare Player is totally free. Keeping in mind that this is just “getting a feel” for whatever version of Linux is being ran.

One suggestion that I’d like to make, & even Ubuntu 12.04 doesn’t offer this, for those with older computers, Linux Mint 13 (Mate version) is the latest full fledged OS that can run on non-NX equipped computers (Linux calls it PAE, a must for Ubuntu 12.04 or greater). Thing is, Mint 13 is based upon Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (5 year support) & is far more secure than XP. If one can run the Firefox, Google Chrome or Opera browsers, you’re well on your way to learning the Linux world. BTW, Linux Mint is now the 3rd most used OS worldwide, behind Apple (all) & Windows (all). It is pulling away from Ubuntu very fast, amazing when one considers it wasn’t even born until 2006.

Mint 13 is easily dual booted with any of your Windows OS’s & requires very little space to run. A realistic amount of space is 20GB, 12GB for the OS (/), 8GB for Home (/home) & 2GB for Linux Swap (same as pagefile for Windows). This is assuming a non-power user (not creating VM’s, etc). Linux is very easy on storage, & many of the things that Windows needs, like defrag, isn’t needed. The more you run Linux, the faster it gets (really!). Many says no AV or security is needed, however I go against those statements/claims & run security on my Linux OS’s. The options are free & takes only a couple of minutes to run. Also, run adblockers in your browsers. NoScript for Firefox is just as important for Linux as it is for Windows.

And keep in mind, just because 99.999% of Linux users brags about no security is needed, doesn’t mean that one should download everything on the planet, nor visit every seedy corner of the Internet. Your ISP is still watching you.

In closing, there is no true replacement for Windows. Nor is there for Mac or whatever version of Linux one runs. The OS is going to be different, & there’s going to be a learning curve. It may take a day to get the hang of the browsers, & getting started on the feel of the new OS. However, it will likely take weeks or months, depending on what all Windows is being used for, apps & all, to get in the groove of Linux. If you’re one that only uses the computer to web browse, send & receive emails, make purchases (not a power user), you’ll feel at home with Linux Mint 13 Mate in days. Not to mention a faster computer due to the low overhead.

Did I mention that you DON’T need driver CD/DVD’s for Linux? Most hardware installs itself during installation, which is why one should install from the Live CD/DVD. Your Ethernet connection will connect & you’ll need to enter your passphrase for your wi-fi card. The most likely issues are some GPU’s (mainly AMD) & some Broadcom wireless connections. Nothing that can’t be overcome.

Cat