PC Suddenly Slows Down ?

What would have happened if your PC have suddenly slowed down ?

It could be hardware problem. However, this would usually showcase in the form of unexpected PC restarting and system crash.

Most likely, it could be your software.

For instance, I have just installed Dr. Web for its ability to trace trojans and also active shield (known as SpIDer Guard). Dr. Web looks more promising that the following products:
  1. Windows Defender
  2. Spyware Doctor
  3. Norton Security Scan
  4. AVG
However, the downside is that having Dr. Web installed and SpIDer Guard enabled, it will slow down the system considerably. This is particularly noticeable when I was backing up my source codes into compact disc. Somehow, it will take longer (really longer) time for SpIDer Guard to scan through complex objects especially program binaries (for patterns).

The solution is to disable SpIDer Guard temporarily while burning source codes into CD.

But active shield is important because of one reason, it would take a longer time for you to perform a full scan to track down the culprit in case your PC is really infected with something be it viruses or malwares. And to take note, AVG free edition really sucks at full scan (it could take whole day) while the bundle from Google Packs which offers Spyware Doctor and Norton Security Scan offer no active shield (you have to pay to get one).

So, how would the trade-off be countered ?
  • While moving complex objects (like source codes) into storage media, disable active shield
  • Enable active shield when you are copying data from other storage medias
  • Don't enable active shield all the time, only when necessary
  • Turn on active shield when necessary (i.e when you are hooked to an unknown network environment
  • Since enabling active shield would slow down the process of copying data between media storages, why not perform a full scan on the storage media desirable data source such as a particular folder, then disable the active shield and copy the data over. However, this would defeat the purpose of the active shield (no perfection here).
Points to consider when choosing an anti-malwares software.
  • How fast does it able to perform full scan ?
  • How effective does it able to perform full scan (would it be able to check hidden files ?) and how well it can cure infection ?
  • Does it come with active shield and can it be disabled quickly ?
  • Does active shield also scan for emails?
  • How much memory is required to run the program ?
  • How frequent will the updates be available ?
  • License renewal fees
More about malwares

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