OT Cleaning up Windows computers

[Brian Kelsay]

It won't hurt you to delete cookies.  Both progs list tracking cookies that are used by progs. like 
Alexa and other ad trackers.  I haven't lost any acceptable cookies like those from my.yahoo.com.

If you followed the discussion, we were talking about fixing other people's PCs.  You can also 
offer to install Linux and rid them of the majority of the existing problems (they'll likely run 
into another set with Linux), but most people just say, "Put it back the way it was, I don't want 
to learn anything new."  The Lady who I fixed the PC for last week said exactly that and so did 
Leo's friend.   I'm just suggesting tools I have used that I know actually work.

Even though these tools do their job, occasionally you have to manually cut out chunks of registry 
files to get to the point that you can even run an app or get internet connectivity to get the prog 
and its updates.  I almost always take my laptop and LiveCDs with me as a fall back position.  I 
also carry a CDR that has Win9x and ME cabs, for a known good replacement.   You do what you gotta 
do to get the job done.

Brian Kelsay

>>> Jonathan Hutchins <> 02/24/04 11:55AM >>>
On Tuesday, February 24, 2004 10:37 am, Brian Kelsay wrote:

> Besides running AVG Antivirus, run Spybot
> Seek & Destroy and AdAware 6 or his PC.  

I've found that AdAware 6 is a little bit alarmist about cookies - it seems to 
object to most of them, flagging them as spyware.  It makes you feel good 
that it's catching a lot of stuff, but if you look more closely it's not that 
big a deal.  

I haven't run Spybot.  I'm running out of systems to apply Windows solutions 
to!