I often see "my PC is slow how do I fix it?" questions. Here's my answer:

1. Install and run CCleaner. It will delete tons of temporary crap from your computer, which will speed up the following scans. (Less crap to scan = shorter scans.) Their downloads page has a small link to the "Other Builds" page (here). Download the "Slim" build, because it doesn't come with the Yahoo toolbar.

2. Update and scan your entire computer with your anti-virus software. Performing the scans in Safe Mode works best. If you don't have any Antivirus software, get the free edition of AVG Antivirus here.

3. Delete all but the most recent System Restore point.

4. Install and run at least one anti-spyware app. Ad-Aware SE and Spybot: Search & Destroy are two popular ones. Again, scanning in Safe More works better.

5. Defragment all your hard drives.

6. If it's still too slow, get more memory. Kahlon's website has a useful search function which tells you what kind of memory you need to buy. (You don't have to buy from them.) You should have at least 1 GB for XP, 2 GB for Vista.

7. If it's still slow, and you have a second physical hard drive (not a second partition), you can get a bit of a speed boost by moving your paging file off your system drive. (It's where Windows writes temporary information for virtual memory.) You can find a tutorial on moving it here.

8. Load up msconfig (Start -> Run -> msconfig), open the Startup tab, and disable things you don't need to load at startup. (Quicktime taskbar helper, Adobe Gamma Loader, blank entries, things that have to do with Office...) Reboot. If you experience problems running any of your programs, re-enable some processes by checking their boxes. This will reduce memory overhead and boot times.

9. Don't use file sharing programs. They're virus freeways.

10. Take your PC outside, open the case, and blow all the dust out with an air compressor or those cans of air. (You can get an air compressor tank from Harbor Freight Tools that you can refill at the gas station if you want, but for a one-time thing you're better off buying a can of air.) More dust = more heat = harder-working fans = slower PC (it slows itself to keep from overheating). It's a good idea to do this at least annually.

That's it.

Leave a comment if you found this useful, or have something to add!

Revision History:
3/3/08 - Initial Version
3/19/08 - Fixed a couple messed up links

No Christmas flash this year. I started way too late on one, got bored of it and tried another, and barely got any of that one done before I realized I was in far over my head. I figured it would be better to enjoy the holidays than stress over getting a project done on an unrealistically tight schedule. Everything's been zipped up and put away. Maybe next Christmas one of them will see the light of day.

Back to the original one that has been a slow, back burner project for months. (It would help if I could figure out how to draw well...)

Oh well. Happy holidays, everyone!

EDIT: Also, hilarious newbie.
http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/84 1405

Thanks to some bad calls and gold mines, my whistle has been on a roller coaster ride this week.

7/7/05 - 11/8/07 Normal
11/8/07 - 11/11/07 10:00 AM Garbage
11/11/07 10:01 AM - 11/11/07 10:45 PM Normal
11/11/07 10:46 PM - 11/20/07 Bronze!
11/20/07 - 11/23/07 Silver!!
11/23/07 - ??/??/?? Gold!!!!

Big thanks to everyone who posts abusive reviews in the BBS thread! It's not your fault I slipped to garbage, but without you guys I'd still be there! (Or wouldn't have gotten there in the first place, I don't know... Thanks anyway!)

Original post:
--------------------

Oops.

I only flagged reviews that personally insulted the authors or said how much the movie sucked without being constructive. What the crap? At least it was normal a few hours ago so I shouldn't be in too deep a hole...

Also, I'm working on a Flash animation. It's tough when you don't have too much free time and suck at drawing.

EDIT 11/10/07 : yay! Normal whistle again! Big thanks to everyone in the abusive reviews thread who found spam and abuse goldmines!

What's up with all the gullible idiots posting things like this all over the place?!

"PLEASE DON'T READ THIS. You will get kissed on the nearest possible Friday by the love of your life. Tomorrow will%uFEFF be the best day of your life. However, if you don't post this comment to at least 3 videos, you will die within 2 days. Copy and paste this, to be saved"

"DONT READ THIS!!!1 Copy and paste this into 5 videos or your balls will shrivel up, fall off and die."

What the hell do they think this is, YouTube?! If you see one, mark it unhelpful! The campaign starts here!

Newgrounds needs a spam flagging system for comments.

Don't mind me, I just signed up so I can review.

Why haven't I made anything in the past 2 years of Newgrounds membership? Because I'm not a good artist, that's why.

Work + classes = no time for Flash. :C