OH's new laptop is flaky - any ideas?
Discussion
k up a machine : install two AV. 
It's doing it again. I've told her about the most recent post. She's just done some some digging and it was McAfee that was already on. The person she spoke to earlier said they'd heard of the problem before but not so much on Asus machines. They gave her instructions for doing a factory reset which is apparently the next step.
techiedave said:
mp3manager said:
Make a note of your product key and make a backup of any important files you have.
Download Windows 10 from Microsoft, format the drive and install a fresh bare-bones edition of Windows 10, which doesn't have all the crapware and 30 day free trail garbage that Asus have installed from the factory.
Activate it with your product key and re-install your important files from your backup and don't install any anti-virus software ever again.
With it being a Windows 10 machine you may well NOT have a physical product key Download Windows 10 from Microsoft, format the drive and install a fresh bare-bones edition of Windows 10, which doesn't have all the crapware and 30 day free trail garbage that Asus have installed from the factory.
Activate it with your product key and re-install your important files from your backup and don't install any anti-virus software ever again.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/win...
mp3manager said:
techiedave said:
mp3manager said:
Make a note of your product key and make a backup of any important files you have.
Download Windows 10 from Microsoft, format the drive and install a fresh bare-bones edition of Windows 10, which doesn't have all the crapware and 30 day free trail garbage that Asus have installed from the factory.
Activate it with your product key and re-install your important files from your backup and don't install any anti-virus software ever again.
With it being a Windows 10 machine you may well NOT have a physical product key Download Windows 10 from Microsoft, format the drive and install a fresh bare-bones edition of Windows 10, which doesn't have all the crapware and 30 day free trail garbage that Asus have installed from the factory.
Activate it with your product key and re-install your important files from your backup and don't install any anti-virus software ever again.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/win...
MitchT said:
It's confusing.
She bought the Norton & 365 bundle because she didn't think it came with any antivirus software installed. It appears to have McAfee pre-installed but she can't work out if it's active or not.
I just bought an Asus PC, which was offered with extra 'deals' of Norton and 365, even though Macafee is already installed. I didn't take the extra deals just let the Macafee do its thing. She bought the Norton & 365 bundle because she didn't think it came with any antivirus software installed. It appears to have McAfee pre-installed but she can't work out if it's active or not.
It was all working okay yesterday, but I woke up 7am today and it is on a major download fest of upgrades...... so I can't use it....been 5 hours now...still on 32% ..... even with 50mbps Broadband up its bunghole.....
If you uninstall Macafee be very careful, I did just that within a week of buying my O/H an Asus laptop then found I was billed for annual renewal twelve months later using the credit card I'd used when I bought the laptop from PC World. We get Kaspersky for around £6 p.a. with my bank account so use that on all our computers. Like many here, I'll never go near Norton or Macafee ever again.
Riley Blue said:
If you uninstall Macafee be very careful, I did just that within a week of buying my O/H an Asus laptop then found I was billed for annual renewal twelve months later using the credit card I'd used when I bought the laptop from PC World. We get Kaspersky for around £6 p.a. with my bank account so use that on all our computers. Like many here, I'll never go near Norton or Macafee ever again.
How does uninstalling it reflect on them charging you? Sounds like they actually billed you for having it when you bought the PC. You may be billed next year too. 
I have just installed a freebie PDF reader program and noticed a couple of small ticked boxes confirming I wanted to instal Chrome as my main browser and some other rubbish as my virus scan. Soon un-ticked them, but they hide that stuff all the time. Usually if you click 'normal installation' you don't get to see the boxes at all.
Years ago my dad had Macafee on a PC and they refused to stop billing his card even after he got rid of the PC. His bank told them he had to call the company in the USA, as it was an agreement directly with Macafee, which required an international phone call with 30 minute waiting period...... I sorted it out for him when I was working over there.
King Herald said:
I just bought an Asus PC, which was offered with extra 'deals' of Norton and 365, even though Macafee is already installed. I didn't take the extra deals just let the Macafee do its thing.
That would have been the sensible option with hindsight, but she wanted 365 and in the absence of any indication of an anti virus being included with the laptop she logically took a 365 and Norton bundle that would have cost less than buying 365 and an AV separately.I will also vote to remove Norton. IME Norton and Mcafee are the worst offenders for performance out there. I stick with Avast free, with occasional Malwarebytes scans. New computers are often loaded with many free bits of software that you'll never use (paid by the writers to be there) sometimes as many as 80 or so. All of these shall start up when you turn on, slowing start up speed - in the industry these programmes are known as bloatware. There are programmes out there that seek and remove programmes that are unnecessary, although I'm not up to speed with the names of the best current ones.
CCleaner by Piriform is also a great free tool to optimise PC performance, just make sure you make a copy of the registry if you go near this feature!
CCleaner by Piriform is also a great free tool to optimise PC performance, just make sure you make a copy of the registry if you go near this feature!
Edited by Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah on Sunday 22 January 23:22
King Herald said:
Riley Blue said:
If you uninstall Macafee be very careful, I did just that within a week of buying my O/H an Asus laptop then found I was billed for annual renewal twelve months later using the credit card I'd used when I bought the laptop from PC World. We get Kaspersky for around £6 p.a. with my bank account so use that on all our computers. Like many here, I'll never go near Norton or Macafee ever again.
How does uninstalling it reflect on them charging you? Sounds like they actually billed you for having it when you bought the PC. You may be billed next year too. I have just installed a freebie PDF reader program and noticed a couple of small ticked boxes confirming I wanted to instal Chrome as my main browser and some other rubbish as my virus scan. Soon un-ticked them, but they hide that stuff all the time. Usually if you click 'normal installation' you don't get to see the boxes at all.
Years ago my dad had Macafee on a PC and they refused to stop billing his card even after he got rid of the PC. His bank told them he had to call the company in the USA, as it was an agreement directly with Macafee, which required an international phone call with 30 minute waiting period...... I sorted it out for him when I was working over there.
MitchT said:
King Herald said:
I just bought an Asus PC, which was offered with extra 'deals' of Norton and 365, even though Macafee is already installed. I didn't take the extra deals just let the Macafee do its thing.
That would have been the sensible option with hindsight, but she wanted 365 and in the absence of any indication of an anti virus being included with the laptop she logically took a 365 and Norton bundle that would have cost less than buying 365 and an AV separately.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff