... and you're faced with the daunting task of getting it in tip-top shape for all of your gaming and productivity needs. The list of things you'll need to do to optimize and secure your computer is long, and this guide is here to answer any questions you may have, and maybe even some you don't have but should know the answers to anyway.

1. The first step is to reformat your hard drive. This is completely optional, of course, but it can go a long way towards speeding up your computer and freeing up valuable hard drive space occupied by unnecessary programs preloaded by the manufacturer. If you have a copy of Windows XP, or are willing to purchase one, this step is a must. Alternatively, if you are unable to reformat, then you should use the Windows "Add/Remove Programs" utility in the "Control Panel" to uninstall all unwanted programs.

2. The next step would be to update/install drivers for all of your computer's components. In most cases, the manufacturer will provide a disc with all of the stock drivers for the components, but you should also go to the manufacturer's support site to download the latest drivers for your system.

Some device drivers may need to be obtained elsewhere if you want the most current updates. Graphics cards in particular demand the most recent drivers, though this applies to other devices such as external sound cards as well.

For ATI X700 or X800 Notebook Graphics Cards or any desktop ATI Radeon Cards
(To see if your laptop is compatible with this driver download this)

For all other notebook ATI Graphics Cards
(Note that these are not official drivers but are modified and will work with ATI Mobility Graphics cards as well as desktop cards)

For NVIDIA Graphics Cards
(Omega Drivers are also available for NVIDIA Graphics Cards)

3. The next thing to take care of is loading up programs that you do want on your machine. I know, I know... just a while ago I had you uninstall all those programs, but there are good ones out there that will help your computer to run smoother and add some extra functionality as well. Please note that all of the programs that I link to are Freeware and thus completely free to anyone who wants them. I will not provide information on how to obtain illegal copies of any software whatsoever.


Adware & Spyware Detection/Removal Programs - Get rid of all that crap screwing with your system! ESSENTIAL!

Spybot - Search & Destroy:
Spybot - Search & Destroy is an adware and spyware detection and removal tool. This includes removal of certain advertising components, that may gather statistics as well as detection of various keylogging and other spy utilities. In addition, it also securely removes PC and Internet usage tracks, including browser history, temporary pages, cookies (with option to keep selected) and more. The program offers an attractive outlook-style interface that is easy to use and multi-lingual. SpyBot-S&D allows you to exclude selected cookies, programs or extensions from being reported, allowing you to prevent false positive messages for items that you dont want to be alerted of every time. It can even scan your download directory for files that have been downloaded, but not yet installed, allowing you to detect unwanted programs before you even install them. SpyBot produces a detailed and easy to understand report before it deletes any files and allows you to deselect any item that you do not want to be processed. In addition, a recovery feature allows you to restore your settings if needed. Very nice. - SnapFiles.com


Anti-Virus Programs - Keep viruses out of your system! ESSENTIAL!

avast! Home Edition:
avast! Home Edition is a complete anti-virus package, that is is free for registered home non-commercial users. It contains an on-demand scanner with two interfaces (simple for novices and advanced for experienced users), an on-access scanner with Standard Shield (which protects against execution and opening malware programs) and an embedded e-mail scanner which scans incoming and outgoing email messages. avast! Home integrates with the Windows Explorer right click menu and also includes a special screen saver which is able to scan your system while your computer is not in use. Updates are incremental and frequently made available for manual or scheduled download. You will download a 60 days demo, if you would like to continue free usage beyond that time, you`ll need to register from the home page to obtain a free activation key by email. - SnapFiles.com


Firewall Programs - Secure your computer against unwanted visitors...

ZoneAlarm:
ZoneAlarm provides essential protection for Internet users. Combining the safety of a dynamic firewall with total control over applications Internet use, ZoneAlarm gives rock-solid protection against thieves and vandals. ZoneAlarm makes ironclad Internet security easy-to-use. ZoneAlarm gives you control over the door to your computer. With Stealth Mode enabled, ZoneAlarm s Firewall renders your computer invisible to the Internet and potential intruders. If you can t be seen, you can t be attacked. Because you tell ZoneAlarm how you use your computer, the firewall only allows traffic that you understand and initiate. ZoneAlarm s firewall provides the ultimate intrusion security for your personal computer. ZoneAlarm also introduces MailSafe which enables users of ZoneAlarm to detect and control Visual Basic Script attachments to emails they receive while ZoneAlarm is running. Free for personal and non-profit use. - SnapFiles.com


Startup Managers - Extremely handy for making sure your system has all of the available resources it needs to perform at its best. Can also decrease boot time substantially.

Startup Control Panel:
Startup Control Panel is a nifty control panel applet that allows you to easily configure which programs run when your computer starts. It s simple to use , very small and won t burden your system. A valuable tool for system administrators! (once installed, you can access it from ...the Windows Control Panel). This is an excellent tool for managing programs that are started automatically. - SnapFiles.com

Browsers - Surf in style and security.

Firefox:
Simply the best browser out there. If you don't use Firefox then you are a bad person.

Email Programs - Outlook? Think again.

Thunderbird:
Excellent, full-featured e-mail program.

Productivity - Create stuff.

OpenOffice:
Excellent software suite that contains MS Office equivalents of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The best part is that you can save the files in MS Office standard formats so that you can create documents in OpenOffice that can still be opened on a machine using Office.

ZIP Tools - For true control over your compressed files.

ZipGenius:
ZipGenius is a powerful zip tool that offers support for more than 20 different compression formats, including 7zip, ZIP64, UPX and many others. It supports drag and drop, 5 compression levels, full customization and integration in Windows Explorer. The program also comes with a built in FTP client that allows to download and upload files from within the software. The signature features allows you to add your signature and contact information to any zip file you create. ZipGenius also supports the creation of self-extracting exe files, complete with custom setup launch and icon. ZipGenius also comes with additional features like encryption, scanner support (acquire pictures and zip them into files), backup, statistics, download time calculator, disk spanning, file export, support for OpenOffice and more. It can also interact with your Pocket PC device. Very nice! - SnapFiles.com

Multimedia Programs - Look and listen like never before.

Quintessential Player:
Quintessential Player (QCD) is a very impressive MP3 and CD player that has all the popular functions combined in a very attractive skin interface. The interface has different size modes, depending on the functions you are using. If you thought "Sonique" was a cool looking player, you should take a look at this one! Quintessential Player supports CDDB, playlists, artist information, plugins, visual effects, a full set of mixer controls and much more. Overall, one of the very best MP3 players you will find! - SnapFiles.com

VLC Media Player
Excellent video player! Minimalistic in style, but full-featured and it can play virtually any video file you throw at it with no problem.

For software I will stop here. I know that I have left off many types of programs, such as photo editing software, but I figured that I should only include software that everyone will get use out of. Otherwise, this guide would get even longer than it is! Another glaring omission is laptop monitoring software. This is an area where I am admittedly inexperienced. I don't even have my notebook yet! (I'm using my experience with desktop systems to provide all of this information universal to ALL computers.) If anyone can make some suggestions for laptop-specific programs, or alternative programs to the ones I listed above, I'd be happy to edit this guide to include them.

4. The next step is time consuming, but very helpful: defragging your hard drive. This can be a very long process depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of files you have stored on there. The best way to go about it is to start before you go to bed and let it run overnight. This will go a long way towards cleaning up, and speeding up, your hard drive so that you get the best possible performance out of it. If you're one of those unlucky notebook owners with a hard drive that runs at less than 7200 rpm's, then this step is especially important!
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Give yourself a pat on the back! You have successfully prepared your computer to withstand any internet security threats and run all of your applications smoothly and quickly. Just don't forget to maintain this state. Routinely use your spyware removal tool and don't forget to scan for viruses either. You should also defrag at a regular interval. Once a month at least, and once every couple of weeks if you can remember will help keep your system in tip-top shape.

I hope you have found this guide helpful and that you will help me to improve it and make it even more comprehensive.


Source: http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=90239