Software for disc clean up & converting video files. Any tips?

reply to post by dadgad


yeah it's because you have no room left on your Hard Drive. If you download alot then dont worry about CPU or RAM but you really need more internal HD storage.

You can pay anywhere from $100-$200 for a 500Gb internal and it may seem like alot but it will be worth it and your PC will run much better.

If you werent downloading so much you could probably go with a 250Gb HD but if you downlaod alot, then you need it.

I am the same, i have a 200Gb net usage allowance a month and i go through it quite alot, with aloooooot of surfing but also for movies, audio and games. I regulary clean my my temp files and history abd remove old games etc but after almost years i still have over half my main HD free, the other drive is for movies and audio that is linked to my tv etc.



The best thing to do is to get into a habit of cleaning your PC once a week, i have quickclean that came with McAfee and it cleans everything and i can opt for either standard clean or shredder which wipes the HD upto 7x over.

It doesnt matter how you do it, whether you use a good third party program or Win software, but get into a habit of cleaning your computer regularly.



Also in disk clean, you can wipe your previous restore points (all except most recent) that frees up alot of space temporarily.

The last time i did that it freed up almost 50Gb.

Originally posted by glitch88
reply to post by dadgad

 

Well, how computer literate are you? If all you are going to be doing with it is internet and downloading, you should be fine. It's when you want to get your Logitech mice working as perfectly as they do in windows (like using all the custom buttons for what they were original meant to do) that you might have a problem if you are not comfortable with using a terminal.

Write down the programs that you must have. Go to their websites and see if they offer a Linux version. If they don't go to the forums and see if there is an equivalent. That's one of the biggest problems. Software companies don't often cater to the Linux crowd, but the community is usually able to develop a work around (using something like wine) or creating a similar program.


Go to this particular thread. It is geared towards the new user and has a wealth of information on how to get started and used to it:
ubuntuforums.org...

edit on 6/17/2011 by glitch88 because: add a link

I am not that computer literate, but hey, I love to learn and I learn fast, nothing is impossible right?

I will check out the thread and find out what I need to know. Merci beaucoup

reply to post by dadgad


That link is the best source of getting started information. Of course, you are welcome to send me a message on here if you get any problems. Also, make sure you get the right one for your system. If I remember correctly, you said you have a 32-bit system. Make sure that matches.

Oh, one question, what kind of graphics card do you have? It could affect whether or not you will be able to use the "Unity" panel.

ETA- Take a look through this. It will tell you whether or not you can run it successfully on your system: help.ubuntu.com...

Originally posted by Havick007
reply to post by dadgad

 

yeah it's because you have no room left on your Hard Drive. If you download alot then dont worry about CPU or RAM but you really need more internal HD storage.

You can pay anywhere from $100-$200 for a 500Gb internal and it may seem like alot but it will be worth it and your PC will run much better.

If you werent downloading so much you could probably go with a 250Gb HD but if you downlaod alot, then you need it.

I am the same, i have a 200Gb net usage allowance a month and i go through it quite alot, with aloooooot of surfing but also for movies, audio and games. I regulary clean my my temp files and history abd remove old games etc but after almost years i still have over half my main HD free, the other drive is for movies and audio that is linked to my tv etc.



The best thing to do is to get into a habit of cleaning your PC once a week, i have quickclean that came with McAfee and it cleans everything and i can opt for either standard clean or shredder which wipes the HD upto 7x over.

It doesnt matter how you do it, whether you use a good third party program or Win software, but get into a habit of cleaning your computer regularly.

 

Also in disk clean, you can wipe your previous restore points (all except most recent) that frees up alot of space temporarily.

The last time i did that it freed up almost 50Gb.

I see, good info.
But Im going to see if I can change to Ubuntu and once and for all say goodbye to the corporate slugs. Doing that would free all the disc space again right? (probably a very silly question)

reply to post by glitch88


I have no idea about the graphic card, i cant find that information, still trying,

reply to post by dadgad


control panel > device manager > display adapters

there should only be one. If it doesn't show the full name, click on it to show the properties.

reply to post by glitch88


Thanks, it says Mobil Intel(R) Express Chipset Family , is that the name of my graphic card

reply to post by dadgad


Hmm i cant really comment on Ubunto, although i think it is based around Linux which i used along time ago but i always prefered Windows. Not so much for the corporate side of things but because the majority of popular software and games are built for either Win or Mac.

Windows may be large and corporate but at the same that can be good thing when they put more money into updates and fixes.

Also if you dont increase your HD you will come to the same problem eventually and run out of space.

Before you do anything else, have you downloaded MS Security Essentials? It's free and can also held not only for real time scanning but can also remove alot spyware, addware and malicious software that can be clogging up your system.

It's actually a really great free Virus program

MS Sec Essentials


Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home or small business PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and is automatically updated to protect your PC with the latest technology.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

I posted a thread about this a couple months ago and it was amazing how many things it pocked up on my system that McAfee missed.

Even the current Java versions had been corrupted and had trojan downloaders in it, this was the screenshot from my first scan and keep in mind i have had the full version of McAfee (purchased) on my system and it had missed these problems;



[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/3b85311929aa.jpg[/atsimg]





So i reccommend trying it out

reply to post by glitch88


Well the more I read about it on their website, the less reason I see to not do it.

And its not that I plan on doing highly technical stuff. Al I basically do is surf the net, download lots of movies, documentaries, music and books. Now and then I make a youtube video with a video editing program and thats about it.

Im going to the stores now, if you replied to this, know that I will read it when i get back.

Later,

reply to post by dadgad


Do you see any numbers there? Like 945GM or something similiar? It has been a while since I've done any troublehsooting on Windows and I can't remember where the properties screen give the exact name.

For what it is worth, I believe those will work but I would be able to find exact information if I had the exact name (number).

reply to post by dadgad


It's a generic display adapter.

Another way to know if you had an upgraded version such as Nvidia or AMD is that when you right click on desktop there will be an Nvidia or AMD control panel. If not then goto ''personalize'' and then ''display settings'' and then you should see a selection of either screen 1 or 2. Dont adjust anything but on the selection box it will have details of screen one and normally has your graphics card info.

For example mine looks like this;


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/bf9b941e4aa2.jpg[/atsimg]


But it's possible that you only have a generic or basic graphics solution. If your not a hardcore gamer or doing HD video editing then it's not something you need to worry too much about especially if your on a budget.



Just one more tip, have you ever used the performance rating tool in control panel?

It will give you an idea on how your PC rates - goto control panel - system and main - performance info and tools and it should gove you a rating, maybe click update and it may take a couple minutes.

Anywhere from 5 - 5.9 is great.

There is button you can click that sez ''what do these numbers mean'' click that to get idea of scores and ratings.

reply to post by Havick007


Nope, no upgrades, just the generic Mobil intel 965 express chipset family.

Nope, I don't ever game(very rare). So this should do no?

reply to post by glitch88


only 965 ....

reply to post by dadgad


Yeah if you havent had probs watching movies or listening to music and using visualisations etc then you wont need it.

some think simple!
empty your trash bin.
you dont get the space.
untill it is deleted from the trash bin.
the best thing you can do after 3 or more years.
is get a second hard drive.
put what you wont to keep to it.
fonts game files e-mails.
and start your operating system from the start.
I mess about with all kinds of soft wear.
and what ever I do it slows and messes up my PC.
Ubuntu 11 can be run from a CD.
you dont need to add it to the hard drive.
but that way its slow to boot.
have a look at Comodo, cleaner.

Originally posted by buddha
Ubuntu 11 can be run from a CD.
you dont need to add it to the hard drive.

I think you can even run it from a USB drive, if the USB drive is big enough, at least you could with the older versions like this. And I haven't tried Ubuntu since version 8, but version 8 was WAAAYY smaller than windows (Vista, or windows 7). But there were one or two specialized programs nobody was able to run on Ubuntu so I had to stick with windows until they get those working. But for most people just surfing the web and doing e-mail, Ubuntu looks like a good solution.

Regarding MS security essentials (if you decide to stick with windoze), its advantages and disadvantages are compared against the other most popular free antivirus programs here: dottech.org... e-you-should-use/#finalverdict

If you think your system might be infected probably the best cleaner is the free version of malwarebytes www.techspot.com... but if you're going to run Ubuntu from the hard drive, you don't need to worry about that. If you want to run Ubuntu from a USB drive and keep windows, then you should run free malwarebytes scan, then once your system is "clean", install one of the free antivirus programs.

reply to post by glitch88


I dont know what went wrong, although it was custom it could have been the hardware that was used. If your gonna build a system yourself, you need to know everything about every component.

I found Dell really good, although it's commercial it allows you to build your own system but at the same time they make sure all your components are compatible and work well together.

If you have the budget then i recommend Alienware

The new Alienware™ Aurora™ — Overwhelm the enemy with overclocked power and expandability with the most upgradable desktop in its class.

* Factory-overclocked2, liquid-cooled processors
* Ultraperformance dual graphics and optional high-definition (HD) 3D gaming
* Chassis designed for easy upgrades and optimal thermal control

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ad7c403df189.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f1dc7c56e226.jpg[/atsimg]

Although Alienware is a preferred gaming PC it is great for veryday and media use I have to be honest i am in love

The AW Area-51 ALX Desktop is amazing!!!!!

You can customise your own system whether it be Dell standard or Alienware but it all works and remains compatible.


Vista wasnt a dud, it worked quite well with the right system specs.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


The main problem the OP has is 3 fold - 1st he is running Vista on 2Gb of RAM which is the bare min spec, 2nd the HD is too low, even chaging OS the same problem will come up eventually with alot of downloading and temp cache etc and 3rd the processor is still a pentium.

I am only running an Intel Core 2 Duo and that is far behind the most recent Intel products such as I3,I5 and I7.

Back to the HD;

His HD is only 184 Gb and now he only had just over 1Gb spare.... thats not good at all.

The HD is just about at 100% capacity.


As the Op said he cant budget in a full upgrade but it's the only solution moving forward. Even if the PC isnt used for gaming, an OS switch is a bandaid solution and to be honest anyhitng but Windows or Mac will eventually fail.
The other OS such as Linux, Unix and other similar products were never marketed properly and were pushed out by the larger companies that have better software teams and better ongoing support and updates.

Thats why they get paid so much..................

reply to post by dadgad


A good video converter that I have used called AVS video converter.

avs.videoconverters.us...

You may be better to get a cracked version off bittorent, since they are not freeware for most features.

Also have you tried doing a registry cleanup? That is one way to fix stubborn slow computers on Windows systems.

www.regcure.com...

Also I used a cracked version of Regcure, but I cant update it. Works pretty good, computer runs like new after Scan Disk, Registry cleanup and the temp files deleted from disk cleanup.

Scan disk is pretty simple just click on tools under my computer and its under there.

Start>My Computer> C: drive right click> properties> tools> error checking or Disk cleanup.

reply to post by dadgad


I 100% recommend handbreak for any video conversion needs-
Handbreak