hubris

Spoke too soon. Opera kablooeied too, and then when I went to uninstall the 8 latest Java updates, the control panel blued up too. I won't bore you anymore, but I feel like if I get rid of enough Java/Flash updates, stability will return.

FAIL

I don't know quite why, but the latest update of Firefox (3.0.5?) broke my computer something hard, with a string of BSOD's (Blue Screens of Death) and gory reboots.

I've been running XP on this sucker without the need for rebooting for years, and so I was gravely concerned that my trusty Fujitsu might be finally giving up the ghost. I'm now writing this via Opera, and so I can jury rig my way to a few more years of lightweight web surfing. Yea!

I did not know that

Win + E opens Windows Explorer and More. Put that and Launchy together, and the XP experience is a little more polished. And once you get it that way, here's how to make XP last seven more years.

System Mechanic

Re cleaning windows, which despite what my resume says is something that I do, System Mechanic is useful if you don't mind dropping a little cash on the cherriest of all window cleaners.

CCleaner

I like my laptop a lot, but it's Mobile Pentium III was starting to wheeze under four years of built up detritus. And this was with Norton AntiVirus and the very handy NoScript plugin. So despite my best efforts there was a 3 second pause anytime I opened up a folder in desktop explorer.

My IT guy at work, a gentleman and a scholar, recommended I run CCleaner, which is a freeware system cleaner and optimizer. It helped a lot.

Known Unknowns

Those of you running OS X or Kumbayunto or whatever can go laugh into your sleeves, but for those of us out here in the real world, here's a better mousetrap: How to Identify Unknown Processes in Windows.