computer AV question? Microsoft SE?

[Kingcreek]

Lenovo all in one running windows 7 pro.
It has been running slow and acting up lately so I decided to run some cleanup utilities and scan everything.
It usually runs Avast AV which sometimes pees me off so I disabled it and ran a Glary update and utility (minor fixes etc). Then I ran Malware Bytes (clean). Then I turned Security Essentials ON and scanned (clean).
Now, I can't seem to disable or turn off SE.
Should I leave it running? AND resume my Avast or other AV?

It seems marginally faster but not significantly faster and hasn't locked up on me so somewhat better.
Thanks, I'm kinda dumb with this stuff.

[lee n. field]

Lenovo all in one running windows 7 pro.
It has been running slow and acting up lately so I decided to run some cleanup utilities and scan everything.
It usually runs Avast AV which sometimes pees me off so I disabled it and ran a Glary update and utility (minor fixes etc). Then I ran Malware Bytes (clean). Then I turned Security Essentials ON and scanned (clean).
Now, I can't seem to disable or turn off SE.
Should I leave it running? AND resume my Avast or other AV?

It seems marginally faster but not significantly faster and hasn't locked up on me so somewhat better.
Thanks, I'm kinda dumb with this stuff.

Specs?   What CPU?  How much RAM?  32 bit or 64 bit Win 7?  What I'm trying to a handle on with these questions is how fast I would expect it to be.

Avast and Security Essentials?   Remove one, preferably SE.

Run a hard disk diagnostic (try Seatools for Windows).  When a computer comes in dog-ass slow, that one thing I like to check.  

[Kingcreek]

64 bit. Not sure on ram but I can check Monday
SE was disabled before I used it to scan now I can't turn it off but I can remove it.
Thanks

[Cliffh]

For slow running I like to see what's running at startup, usually by using MSCONFIG.  Start - run - msconfig  If I don't recognize something, an internet search on the name is usually helpful in determining whether or not it should be/needs to run at startup.

[Phantom Warrior]

Ditto what has been said about RAM/CPU, checking MSCONFIG, and a hard drive check.  I like HD Tune for hard drive scans as well.  Very user friendly.  You might also check for Windows Updates.  I have sometimes seen Windows 7 computers that fail to update regularly.  Once there is a sufficient backlog one of the processes involved can slow down your computer.

[Calumus]

I'll second hdtune, and would suggest running the health check before any more scans. As for the av, for clients who want or need free I'll only recommend two. Kaspersky free, or bitdefender. Security Essentials is next to useless, and Avast can be a resource hog. How old is the PC?

[Kingcreek]

its a Core i5 @ 2.90 GHz and 4.00 GB Ram
I frequently have issues when I'm running a SQL program hosted on my in-house server.
I have another identical machine installed on the same day that only rarely has an issue. The somewhat wonky machine had the free Win 10 upgrade which I didn't like and reversed it back to 7 pro. Didn't notice any problem at the time but now I wonder...

[lee n. field]

its a Core i5 @ 2.90 GHz and 4.00 GB Ram

Should run decent.  I'd bump the RAM to 8GB if possible.

I've got one on the bench right now that's similar.  Win7 era i5, customer complaining of it being slow.  It is slow.  Malwarebytes is taking forever to get through a scan which normally doesn't take this long.  I suspect it will turn out to be a hard drive problem.

I frequently have issues when I'm running a SQL program hosted on my in-house server.
I have another identical machine installed on the same day that only rarely has an issue. The somewhat wonky machine had the free Win 10 upgrade which I didn't like and reversed it back to 7 pro. Didn't notice any problem at the time but now I wonder...

[Calumus]

It is slow.  Malwarebytes is taking forever to get through a scan which normally doesn't take this long.  I suspect it will turn out to be a hard drive problem.

If you suspect a hard drive issue, it might be wise to pause Malwarebytes and look at the drive's health status with hdtune before you continue. Unless you already have a back up of everything you'd want to keep on the drive, it would be a shame to potentially use up the last couple hours of a drive's life scanning it instead of recovering what you need.

Kingcreek, you could be seeing some Windows rot made worse by the upgrade and downgrade. Try running a command prompt as administrator, then typing   sfc /scannow   hit enter and let it run.

[Kingcreek]

Running HD Tune now.

[Kingcreek]

Kingcreek, you could be seeing some Windows rot made worse by the upgrade and downgrade. Try running a command prompt as administrator, then typing   sfc /scannow   hit enter and let it run.
[/quote]
Done. All clean. I'm leaving avast off for now and not connected to Internet. Seems to be running ok.

[Hawkmoon]

I'll second hdtune, and would suggest running the health check before any more scans. As for the av, for clients who want or need free I'll only recommend two. Kaspersky free, or bitdefender. Security Essentials is next to useless, and Avast can be a resource hog. How old is the PC?

I didn't know there was a free variant of Kaspersky. But aren't we worried that Kaspersky is a back door the KGB [successor] into the Internet through American computers?