PC Is Constantly "Working" After Boot-Up...Very Slow!

[manooly]

Each time I boot-up my pc the red light continues to keep running. It is like some big program is running in the background. Ever since I installed the CA Security Suite it has started doing this. It just will not go idle. Before this was installed the system would boot-up after a minute and then sit idle. Windows would open and close with ease. Now they stall and take a long time to open up or right click on anything and there always seem to be a bunch of stuff running in the background when I haven't started anything. Is there anything I can check or do to make my problem go away?

BTW: I am currently running Windows Vista Home Premiun Edition (32 bit) on a system with an AMD quad-core 9500 2.2 GHz processor with 3 GB of RAM.

Thanks for your time!

- manooly

[AnnMarie]

Well the problem is obviously CA Security Suite so uninstall it manooly. If you want to keep this software, you need to speak to their tech support staff. We cant help with this.

[renegade600]

I am not that familar with ca secuity but check the settings and see if you have it set to scan your system at startup.

[ups4]

I've never been a big fan of any Security Suite. Any of them I've ever tried have been big bloated resource hogging pieces of ummm....software .

Personally, I prefer to choose which security software is least intrusive, yet does the job it's intended to. I have separate AV, anti-spyware, and firewall programs that are free and have kept my systems clean and shiny for years.

Paul

[manooly]

Thank you for you replies. If I uninstall it will my system be safe? I will not have any other programs to protect it. Could you recommend some of the free anti-virus/anti-spyware/firewall programs for me? I would be interested in using these and getting rid of the CA Security Suite if need be.

Maybe the CA Suite is set to do some kind of scan at startup. Do you know where I could look to find this setting? I wish I could tell exactly what it is doing when my system boots up. My system seems so slow and it really should not be.

If I do decide to uninstall it, is there any safe procedure to make sure I have completely uninstalled it correctly?

Thanks again!

- manooly

[AnnMarie]

Hi manooly, talk to the CA support team before making any decisions. This might be a known issue and there might be a fix for it. I dont work with this software and I have never used it personally so I cant offer any useful help.

[ups4]

Originally Posted by manooly

Thank you for you replies. If I uninstall it will my system be safe? I will not have any other programs to protect it. Could you recommend some of the free anti-virus/anti-spyware/firewall programs for me?
- manooly

manooly,

If you do uninstall the CA suite, you will be sorely unprotected...unless you have something else going on that you didn't mention.

I use AntiVir as my antivirus. SpywareBlaster and SuperAntiSpyware for spyware nasties, and Comodo for my software firewall. I am also behind a router with NAT, which acts as a hardware firewall.

These are free versions and work very well for me on my system. I've been using them for years without problem.

Paul

[manooly]

Thanks for your replies. I've been hearing good things about AVAST. I may download that. I believe I should be covered then. I unistalled the CA Security Suite last night. My PC is up and running well again. It must've been CA that was slowing it down. Vista has a built in Firewall so if I install AVAST I should be covered. Does this sound ok?

[ups4]

manooly,

You should be fine with that setup. I'm not real familiar with Avast, but make sure you have some type of spyware scanner or/and spyware prevention in place. I like SpywareBlaster for prevention because it uses NO resources but prevents spyware from getting to your system via the HOSTS file found in Windows.

I have heard mixed reviews about Windows firewall. At least now the version shipped with Vista has outbound protection as well.

If your surfing habits are prudent you should have no problem.

Paul

[cbo0485]

I have been using Avast Antivirus for years, as well as ZoneAlarm. Great free utilities, and work absolutely great. Avast has it's own "On-Access Protection", where it quickly scans all files coming into your computer, and it works very well. I haven't had a single issue, or noticed slow down.

Now when I play on-line games like Counter-Strike, I turn the on-access protection off to speed it up.

[AnnMarie]

Vista has a built in Firewall so if I install AVAST I should be covered. Does this sound ok?

Sounds good manooly. You should be fine.