Repairing parental computer damage

[mbpark]

#1. Get at least 256MB RAM in there. XP is a pig and 128MB is not enough. 256MB or 512MB makes it run better. Seriously.

#2. Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org). It clears out what Ad-Aware doesn't. I've run the two against each other, and Spybot wins hands-down each time.

#3. AOL messes with your network stack immensely. Norton probably is crapping itself over that.

#4. Kerio Personal Firewall. It's free, and better than Norton. $30 to register it is a good thing. It does much more than Norton does.

#5. Copy the Office CDs to the hard drive and reinstall from there. Saves you time and the MS Installer for Office is evil incarnate every time you need a patch. You'll be glad you did this because it bugs you less .

#6. Reinstall the programs that don't work.

#7. Norton Systemworks 2004 to clean up the other issues.

Mitch