The programs below will help you fix your computer.  I try to only provide programs that can be downloaded and used for FREE.  If you find yourself being asked to pay for a program then make sure you are downloading the right version.  Many vendors charge for professional versions while offering a suitable free version for download.  If you’d feel more comfortable having a PRO install and run the tools for you then give us a call.

Antivirus

More is not better.  Having more than one antivirus program running on your computer can cause your computer to run slow and have problems.  Choose any one of the free antivirus programs below and uninstall your old antivirus.

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/best-free-antivirus-1321277
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp

Cleaners

Cleaners are used to remove and clean temporary files from your computer.  Windows has a built in disk cleanup tool that works moderately well but it isn’t nearly as thorough as the tools provided below.

Malware Removal

Malware, Spyware, and Adware are a class of software that is not entirely covered by antivirus software.  Run any of the programs below to check your computer.

Firewall

If you have a computer running Windows XP Service Pack 3 or newer (Vista/Windows 7) then you have a built-in software firewall.  If your have a router, you have a hardware firewall.  You don’t really need to install any more firewalls.  Less is more.  Most firewall software causes a lot of connection problems.

Other

Autoruns – Remove items from startup

Tweaking – A great tool from tweaking.com to repair registry issues etc.  I’m normally not an advocate of these types of tools but I was encountering an Error 1068 when trying to start the windows firewall on a Windows 7 machine.  I ran the the following repair options in tweaking and it resolved it:  Reset Registry Permissions, Reset File Permissions, Repair WMI, and Repair Windows Firewall.

AIDA 64 – Useful for trying to identify hardware and find drivers.  This software is only a demo.  Not free.

F.lux – Automatically adjusts your screen brightness and color tones.  Great for when you use your computer at night.

HDD Health – Tool to monitor the health of your hard drive, will alert you if beginning to fail

Passmark PerformanceTest – Useful for testing components of the computer and speed.  Also just a demo. Not free.