My speedup process yesterday didn't go quite as well as I wanted to. Some unknown DLL file went missing and I had to do a standard system restore. Only did a partial replacement though, in order to keep all files intact, but the system was still bugging when I logged in and thus I had to go through safe-mode to retrieve the files I wanted to keep, run them all over to an external drive, and then wipe the hard-drives clean for a clean install of Windows. It took me a few hours, and a couple more to install all old and new updates/other programs, but I'm happy for the opportunity. PC runs faster than I can remember it's ever done before, boots up in about 15 seconds and shuts down in less than 5. I installed Opera as my default browser as a change, and I think I'll be liking it more than I did FireFox before, maybe, it's blazing fast and filled with a fleet of neat features.

System is still a bit awkward, among other things there is no sound, and I'm wondering if maybe I should have just wiped out the C drive and not that other one as well... oh well. Made the mistake of surfing online to grab myself a firewall and a free Anti-Virus before I actually had one installed, big mistake, now a Trojan is winding its way through my system and I'm doing both an automatic scan/removal and a manual such where "Some files cannot be healed", no doubt some of my programs will start malfunctioning again with some files missing here and there, it's a bummer. I think I'll just leave most of my stuff on my external drive and buy myself a brand new spanking stationary PC after summer, this one no longer has the sufficient resources I need. 512MB Ram and a 160GB drive no longer cuts it, even though it was the best of the best seven/eight years ago. I can't run GTA 4, nor the latest Adobe CS4 suits, not even my modded version of GTA SA any longer! Figure it's best I get a drive big enough to keep all my files on as well, so the external can be used for backup purposes only, would be a shame if it gave up on me whilst being the only source to my gigantic archives of files.

Bad things always come in trilogies, so I guess these were the ones for me this May. Three accounts hacked first, Invoice overdue second, Computer crashed third. Sounds reasonable? Only one of the three proved fatal, but it's a bit irritating that all this tough lucking comes now. I really really have to finish all studies before summer, I have times scheduled for all three driving tests (risk/theory/official) the coming two weeks, and my buddy Andreas apparently has a short one week vacation this time of this month as well, won't be able to spend as much time with him doing muchly nothing as I would have liked, had I been in time with things.

When I woke
Up this morning
The rain was falling
Upon my porch

I could see lines
But I saw no straights
There were times
I had to search

For a meaning
That I was worth
Living out
On this foreign turf

The sandy soil
Where blood does boil
Even if your calm
Like an unlimbed arm

When I spoke
Just a warning
To my fellow foes
I kept

It was as though
The were mourning
They restless answers
Which seldom slept

Under bed sheets
With big black ants
Crawling into
Your underpants

It was hell
But it did mean well
So I lit a lantern
For every soul

That passed away
That glassed out
By my window
Beyond control

PC all booted up and ready to go? Connected to the eternal net? Harddrives hacking and spinning around viciously after seven years of non-stop digital action? Then lets go.

1.) Get CCleaner @ ccleaner.com
It's free to download, the full version, and has been for years. This is a multifunctional and very reliable utility you really do need if you want to get your old busted up PC functioning perfectly again. Once you have it downloaded, be sure to install it to, setup should be a breeze.

2.) Get Lavasoft Adaware @ lavasoft.com
The free version is free, but if you can get your hands on the full version, it is reccomended. This program will get rid of any spyware you have hanging around polluting your digits. Install it and move on.

3.) Get Spyware Doctor @ pctools.com/spyware-doctor
It's all free, and a useful addition to the ^. Install and get going.

4.) Run a full scan with Lavasoft
Not much use if it's not put to use is it? Found me 470 ugly things. Quarantine everything it finds, and then get rid of the record.

5.) Scan the Registry for issues with CCleaner
Just click the button to scan, and the "fix all" when it's done. Not going through these manually might mess up some programs, but if you have over 3500 errors like I did the automatic option is definately the pick of choice.

6. ) Run a full scan with Spyware Doctor to get all the crap that Lavasoft missed
Run! The program may go a bit slow though, but it only slows down your PC when it's running. Found me about 90 more of the vicious spies.

7.) Get PerfectDisk @ perfectdisk.com
Not free, unfortunately. Not legally . . .

8.) Run CCleaner Cleaner on both all "Windows" and "Applications"
I had files worth of 4 585.7MB under Applications, and around under Windows. Good way to free some unused space. No worries, only temporary files and some other unused settings are removed.

9.) Get AVG Free @ free.avg.com
If you don't have a good Antivirus already. It's free and easy, install it and keep it running.

10.) Get ZoneAlarm @ zonealarm.com
No worries, the free version is free. The better version is reccomended though, of all the firewalls I've tried this is my favorite. It combines speed and security better than most others. Keep it running all the time you're online.

11.) Run a virus scan with your Antivirus
If you've had it on it'll probably have detected any malicious beings creeping onto your drives a long time ago, but a checkup doesn't hurt.

12.) Check Firewall access lists
Some programs that shouldn't be there might be there, and might be clogging up a good deal of bandwidth for you.

13.) Run PerfectDisk Defrag
Oooh, your PC will run like a charm after this, hopefully. All defrag does is reorganize the file structure, tidy it up a bit. You won't notice a thing though, everything that happens does so under our graphical interface borderlined. If you can't get your hands on this program, the built in Defragment tool will do just fine, though not as fine.

14.) Check Startup Programs in CCleaner
Most of the ones listed you can probably do without, so just delete all the ones you know you won't need. Be careful though, deleting system processes might mess up your system completely.

15.) Get rid of any unused Programs
This here is usually the real big source of spacewaste. Anything you don't use, won't use or shouldn't use. Get rid of it. Specially the big programs. Collective updates of for example JAVA also take up a great deal of space, and are not needed once the new versions come along. So if you have updates 1-11, get rid of the first ten (they take up about 150MB each). Lots of programs work this way, and there are probably a shitload of small applications you never use anymore stashed away you can save some space on.

16.) Get rid of any useless files
Tidy up, check folders you haven't checked before, get rid of early version of things you now have later versions of. Source files for things you don't need source files for, images you don't know why you downloaded in the first place, crappy music, bad video, all the stuff you don't need.

17.) Remove any Duplicates
Search Google for "Duplicate File Search" or "Duplicate Image Search" or any other filetype or format, a great deal of good programs will pop up. If you have large archives of files, finding duplicates manually is a pain in the ass, so let these goody programs do the task for you.

18.) Keep it going
Defrag at least once a month if you use your PC daily, conduct a spyware search regularly and clean up unused programs once in a while. It'll save up good speed. I'm no educated expert on this subject, but it works wonders for me. If all else fails, backup your important files and reinstall your OS. And whatever you do, don't get Vista, XP still has both the support and speed needed.

Nothing wrong with my wits
We get along just fine
Run along and get hit
Beyond the finishing line

It seems to be diminishing fast
So you better beat it
You better dash like a blast
Surpass it undefeated

The hourglass is falling
The sand has reached the floor
And I don't think I'll hold
Your conscience anymore

For myself, or anyone else
For that matter
I'll leave it be, and you can leave to me
All the choices that batter

You down

So, I bought two air guns/rifles, as displayed below. The rifle on Saturday, the Pistol this Monday.  I went out shootin' (at recyclable cans) with a friend and fired the rifle maybe twenty-thirty times before a bolt just fell off, I brought it home, tried putting it back into place, no deal. So on Monday I went back and got a refund, and thus decided to buy a pistol instead. Maybe such a small and compact device would last longer, I thought, Nope. The grip just split in half whilst reloading after not even the same amount of fire-times as the rifle. I went back and got my money back.  Moral of the story? Nah, I don't think I learned it, an even cheaper offer caught my eye and I'll be buying it next week.

Just don't buy one or two of these, you. ^

I lie awake
And I'm thinking
I might be late
To the train

For this sake
I should be running
Instead the lake
Is in my brain

It's waves are golden
The wind is fresh
I think I missed it
Now one time less

But I'm persistent
I just hop on
In my dreams
As they roll along