Question for you PC experts

[Superbals]

Backing up things like "My Documents" to an external HD is great. But the problem is if you have a O/S melt down or a system drive failure, your going to have to reload windows, and the 200 or so updates PLUS all your programs like Office. Your also going to lose all your settings.

I would suggest your check out a disk image/cloning software like Norton Ghost to get a complete image of your computer for a worse case senario.

I agree but as a person who removes viruses for a living i worry about people backing up viruses, corrupt registry info, junk, etc when using a program like that

 

[kj4lxw]

I haven't had any issues in a long while and do regular scans with Malwarebytes, Super AntiMalware, TFC Temp File Cleaner, Windows Update Remover, Hijack This, Hostman, and Avast.
I know its not easy to get everything and easy to have invasions get past you but I am also very careful about what I load on the pc. I would think cloning should be ok wouldn't it?

 

[zadane]

I would only clone after running a complete virus scan, malware, spyware, the works... running windows update and everything else. a "registry optimizer" do the whole works and then cloning will be as safe as it gets (besides cloning a fresh install of windows)

and probably best to defrag before you clone also

 

[Superbals]

I haven't had any issues in a long while and do regular scans with Malwarebytes, Super AntiMalware, TFC Temp File Cleaner, Windows Update Remover, Hijack This, Hostman, and Avast.
I know its not easy to get everything and easy to have invasions get past you but I am also very careful about what I load on the pc. I would think cloning should be ok wouldn't it?

Two other tools i recommend using.....Ccleaner, and Combofix. Combofix is just made of pure awesome trust me!

 

[zoiDman]

I agree but as a person who removes viruses for a living i worry about people backing up viruses, corrupt registry info, junk, etc when using a program like that

The goal is to get a clean image as I'm sure you know. But ANY image is better than none if your system will not boot.

If I'm going to have to FDISK a drive to do a fresh windows install, it is nice to be able to take one last look at the HD for something I might have missed that I need before I wipe the hard drive.

What I tell people is to consider doing a fresh windows install on a second HD and then load all the updates and user programs. Configure it all up the way they want it and THEN do the disk image. Now you have a clean install that you can fall back to at any time.

One other thing for people who might consider using imaging software like Norton Ghost. Be sure to have any Anti-Virus software turn off and not set to start at boot BEFORE you do an image. Ghost, and many others kack when you try to restore an image with A/V running at startup.

 

[Sallana]

WOAH.

First of all ... Hijack This is not for average users. It's more for debugging and fixing malware than a preventative measure...

Second of all.. you only need ONE Malware scanner and ONE Anti-Virus scanner. Any more than that and you're just putting junk on the cogwheels. These programs all have an "Always On" portion of their system files which is constantly checking and scanning your PC. If your computer is performing like a heard of turtles stampeding through peanut butter, this is why.

And thirdly... Why did our token PC Tech 1.) Not point this fact out and 2.) Recommend MORE?

*blown away*

 

[zoiDman]

Two other tools i recommend using.....Ccleaner, and Combofix. Combofix is just made of pure awesome trust me!

BTW - I have used cCleaner and like it. What is Combofix and do you have a link to it's web site?

 

[kj4lxw]

Hmm, here we go, lol. PC debates seem to get heated sometimes.

 

[Sallana]

lol, no no. I won't let it get heated. But, I've fixed a lot of really slow/messed up computers because of that issue!

 

[Superbals]

I've always recommended having on AV and having tools to remove malware if it gets thru (like combofix and malwarebytes).

Hijack this isn't for newbish users but at the same time it's not all the complicated either

Here's the link for combofix A guide and tutorial on using ComboFix

 

[kj4lxw]

All good!

I only run the avast constant and do regular scans with all else and make every effort to be realy careful what I put on the pc and where I go.
Funny thing is my pc was really bogged down and slow before I started using these programs even after adding 1G of ram.
Did same on the laptop and tons better performance now.

Did a little more reading about cloning and found some freeware for cloning but apparently some issues with partitions involved. Fix given was to get program to clear and optimize partition after cloning.