Split from this thread.
WITH REFERENCE TO YOUR REPLY SMITTY
1. I see Windows Defender listed in Control Panel > All Control Panel Items. Maybe I should uninstall McAfee on this Windows 8.1 and use Windows Defender? Is Defender available for my other to PCs which are both Windows XPs?
2. Would Windows Defender really help my PC run better than the free McAfee that Time Warner gives me?
3. SLIGHT CORRECTION: Control Panel > Programs & Features (NOT Uninstall Programs) > Turn Windows Features On and Off. I just disabled Remote Differential Compression API Support and YES it did take a few minutes for it to happen.
4. Tips on Cleaning up the Hard Drive - I'm going to run ScanDisk that site recommends and it says in red "When you're finished cleaning-up your drive, always run ScanDisk again" So is it saying to run ScanDisk twice in a row?
What are the "lost clusters" that are mentioned? Are they parts of DOCS, programs, Windows OS or all three?
How would I know if I need Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Network? That word Exchange brings to mind that I've seen it lately in my Outlook which I have set up to access my Outlook.com profile.
I don't find Microsoft Fax on that list on my PC as this list is probably from an older machine but I've never used this new Windows 8.1 PC to fax anything so I don't care. I've only faxed things years ago from my old Windows XP Tablet.
HERE'S FIVE NEW THINGS:
1. I have the max RAM of 16 GB in this 64-bit PC.
2. I sure could use some help getting my year old Windows 8.1 ACER All-In-One Aspire Z desktop PC to boot on the bootable SpinRite CD even though I've got it set in the boot order for the CD drive to be first device to boot from. You may know that SpinRite finds bad places on the hard drive and makes a LOT of attempts to copy the data written there and then move it to a good spot and mark that bad spot so that Windows won't EVER use it again. This CD works fine on my other two PCs which are both Windows XPs.
3. Also, I've seen some weird things listed that aren't starting.
I run the free Process Explorer that I've set to replace
Task Manager since it gives me more details of a computer's performance. I wanted to get the name of it and
this PC is even slow to get to the screen when I hit Ctrl/Alt/Del
which makes no sense. Here's what I see with it paused and set to display with alphabetically on the PATH column so that the ones that aren't opening are at all together at the top. It also shows a box that pops saying
ERROR OPENING PROCESS. ACCESS IS DENIED when I try to highlight one of them and then select KILL PROCESS in the Process item at the top.
.
Or if I highlight one of them and then select RESTART in the Process item at the top, it pops this saying that this process is running in a different acct than Process Explorer (?) and offers to restart it anyway.
.
If I click [ YES ], like NOTHING seems to change and it just pops that same ERROR OPENING PROCESS. ACCESS IS DENIED box.
4. I run cCleaner at every startup / login and have it set to get rid of TEMP FILES, empty the RECYCLE BIN, delete most cookies except for a few that certain sites need so they know that it's me logging in,
5. Even a CTRL/ALT/DEL is stupidly slow to bring up the screen that offers LOCK, SWITCH USERS, SIGN OUT and TASK MANAGER (which on this one brings up Process Explorer).
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I realize that I've ventured into some other stuff here but in my defense, so did you with your response Smitty so if you could kindly give me some direct help on this other deal that I just added, I'll even fix the Question's title a bit so that you and I know how it has changed.
