Cleaning up a slow computer

[Denis]

The real reason I need to keep it running is AutoCAD Civil3D 2009. I let my subscription go years ago, so I'm not sure how easily this will reinstall if I re-install the operating system.

If you hadn't said that, I would have made my usual recommendation - save your documents to an external disk, format the drive and install some flavour of Linux from a live CD-rom.

I just got a new* no-OS Asus Vivo (basically a laptop innards in a box without the screen and keyboard - it looks like a kitchen scales), and I will be doing just that to it as soon as I can find my external CD-rom drive in the mess...

* This unplanned acquisition was prompted by the eternal computer curse - necessity and house renovations forced me to break my usual rule, and I powered down my main PC, which promptly decided never to come back to life. Never turn off a running system!

[Weetabix]

Let's say I'm playing with another computer. What flavor of Linux is the current one for dummies?

[Cobar]

Mint is ubuntu with the stupid taken out.

I can second that. I am no Linux genius, but what I little have used it, Mint is pretty nice.

[Draven]

Defragging helps Windows computers, since they use sequential-seeking instead of elevator-seeking when gathering file fragments.

For 7 and later, it is nowhere near as important to do that.

Depends on what you do with the PC and how critical file access times and absolute drive speeds are. Spinners still need defragging, but do NOT defrag an SSD. you're wasting write cycles if you do.