i had to run this cd inorder to log onto my campus network and it downloaded mcafee.... after i let the whole security cd run my computer claimed 93% system resources free. i dont want mcafee so i deleted it. its back down to 80% system resources. mind you i havent turned it on all winter break before i ran the cd. wouldnt another program running in the background make system resources lower not higher? and does my computer run a little slower when system resources are lower? yes, i do all spyware and adware. yes, it is at 80 when i close all open programs - even weather, aim, etc. that run in system bar.

anything i can unclick under system configuration to make my computer run faster?

Sounds like something is starting up with Windows and eating up some resources. Please install Startup Control Panel and report back with the results. We may be able to find the program responsible. HTH

Please don't use msconfig to control starting programs, there are programs like the one I linked to above that do a far better job.

Yes Rauschit, a Windows 98 system with 80% free system resources will run a little slower than with 93% free system resources. Incidentally, 93% was particularly good.

I may have misunderstood your thread but it seems that you're saying your system had McAfee security software automatically installed off of the network and, after that, your system had 93% system resources. You then deleted the McAfee software (which might be seriously breaching the security rules of using your campus network by the way). After McAfee was removed, you'd expect the free system resources to be higher but you're saying it was then only reporting 80% free? How did you delete the McAfee software?

Note that you can only benchmark your free system resources at the same point in time after booting up your laptop. For example, logging into Windows and then seeing that you have 93% resources is not a fair comparison against 80% free resources if that was after using Word, Excel and the Internet for several hours. The longer you use your PC, the lower your free system resources will get. Windows 98 isn't as reliable as newer operating systems at giving you back your system resources when you close programs down.

What you are saying is correct. It was higher AFTER I deleted McAfee. If it is a breach, then they can yell at me and I will reinstall. This thing is 5 years old and running strong. I want to do my own antivirus handiwork... I have had many friends here download the McAfee security and then get viruses from the campus network... virsuses so bad their entire system malfunctions. I can't take that chance, hence the uninstall of mcafee. besides, what does it do that norton, search and destroy, spybot, and adaware dont do?? maybe if i knew more about it i would put it back on. anyways is 80% system free less than normal computers?? esp a 5 year old windows 98 laptop??

I downloaded the evaluation version of winzip and i tried to download your recommended startup program and it said that it was potentially harmful to my system. now what?? anything else to do??

Winzip is 100% definitely not harmful to your computer. Run it, you'll be fine.

80% certainly isn't unusual for a 5-year-old Windows 98 system. If you've done the usual quick clear-up bits (delete everything in C:\Windows\Temp, clear your cookies and temporary Internet files, run Scandisk and Defrag, etc) and it feels like it's running OK, then I would recommend just leaving it alone and not messing about with it. Running a 5-year-old Windows 98 system that's going OK normally goes hand in hand with the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy!

My sister's always giving me updates about her old 266MHz Windows 98 PC. "I've just installed xyz and I didn't like it so I deleted it and installed this other thing that didn't work and I think I deleted that OK and now I've got this error message and .....". Makes me wanna just say "For God's sake, it worked OK when I gave it to you - just LEAVE IT ALONE" !!!

i didnt mean winzip was saying that, i meant the startup program you mentioned is saying that. and i dont know what to do with it once i download it. i cant find a folder for it anywhere and i cant find an icon for it anywhere. actually, i dont even see it anywhere other than the zip file i downloaded.

??

from the download site:

Installing

Control Panel Applet: Run the setup program from the zip file.

EXE Version: Just extract the executable wherever you want.