Optimal protection program

[jbischke]

I'm sure this varies quite a bit depending upon a number of factors but I'm wondering what some good rules of thumb are for protecting and optimizing one's system (I'm running windows xp on a thinkpad t43). For example:

Run adaware programs 1x/month
Run full virus scan 1x/week
Back up computer 1x/week
Run disk defrag 2x/week
etc.

I'm sure those numbers are off but I'm looking for a good list of suggested actions that I can program as tasks into outlook (or auto-schedule) to put this stuff on relative auto-pilot. Any suggestions?

[odietamo]

1. Defrag is overrated. I run it maybe once every 6mo - 1yr.
2. My favorite AV problem is Symantec CORPORATE 10. Most consumer products are bloatware.
3. Spyware Programs I use are Spybot, Adaware, and HijackThis!
4. Backing up is always a good idea. Usually just mydocs, pics, and music. Just keep your install media and do a reinstall if you have a HD crash
5. Occasionally, I go through my MSCONFIG.EXE and clear out any unnecessary programs that run on startup. Such as Quicktime, AOL, Adobe, etc.

And here's the real secret to optimizing an XP machine, especially laptops:

1. Disable System Restore. (this feature is a total laptop KILLER!!)
2. Remove all backgrounds (go with a static color.)
3. Go to SYSTEM PROPERTIES -> ADVANCED -> PERFORMANCE and set it to "preformance."

It will be like you were just given a new computer. Ok, well maybe not quite. But the effects are noticable!