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I thought it would be a good idea to get a list of useful programs that we could keep here. If a mod comes across this - could you sticky it please. It would be quite helpful. I'm bound to have missed some programs, so if there is some that you think should be on this list - post here or PM me and I'll add them to the list.
With all these programs, there is no right or wrong one to use. Many of these programs are free or at least will offer evaluation periods. Try a few of them and see which one you like the best.
Virus Scanners
If you don't have a virus scanner on your PC - get one and fast. New viruses are released every week and some scan spread all around the world in a matter of hours. The news nowadays is constantly filled with talks of new viruses trying to do this and that. The best way of putting a stop to them is to have a virus checker constantly running on your PC. Here are a few to select from:
Firewalls are another great way to stop many threats out there on the internet today. A firewall will only let programs send/receive if you say it can. This way you can make sure that your internet browser can access the internet, but any nasty spyware that sneaks in won't be able to. Windows XP comes with a built in firewall but if you don't have XP, or want more control, consider the following.
Do you keep getting annoying adverts popping up while surfing the internet? Does your browser keep setting your homepage to some rubbish? Well then you have some spyware on your PC my friend. Try downloading one of these bad boys to get rid of it,
Adaware - Along with Spyware: S&D, a must have on your PC. Looks good, updated regularly. Spyware: Search & Destroy - Another great spyware removal tool.
Combined with Adaware, your PC should be adware free.
Also check out the sites for McAfee, Symantec (Norton) etc. for Spyware removal tools as well. You will have to pay for these ones I'm afraid though.
Internet Browsers
Firefox - Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you should have heard of Firefox. It's a free internet browser that is rapidly taking away market share from IE. It's faster, safer and has a number of nice extras like themes and extensions. Internet Explorer - Out of fairness I put this here. I think Firefox is much better but IE is still the most widely used. Opera - Another alternative to IE. Avant Browser - Before Firefox, this was my browser of choice. It is actually just a wrapper round IE adding some extra features to it like tabbed browsing.
Email Clients
Fed up with Outlook Express? Well why not try on one of these email clients for size.
Mozilla Thunderbird - Firefox's sister program. Lovely email client with tonnes of features. Like Firefox you can download extra themes and extensions to make the app even more appealling, Pegasus Mail - Some nice features like allowing you to OK attachments before they are downloaded from your email server.
I'll add some more useful programs on here later, but for now - this will do. Some linux programs may also follow I guess. Finally, sorry for being so bias towards Firefox/Thunderbird. As you can tell I'm not Microsoft's biggest fan.
I must tell you, your either the luckiest person in the world or full of crap, because some websites, can attach trojans just by going there, and how the heck can you be careful, when they come hidden in emails, websites, you name it.
I used kazaa 2 yrs also, lite version, fought it constantly, does your system run as smooth as the day you bought, do you use kazaa or surf all that much, if you do and can maintain a pefectly running system with no crap on it, then like I said, your either the luckiest in the world or full of crap, I wonder which it could be.
I'll tell you. My privacy settings are set to medium, I don't block cookies, I don't filter URLs, I don't use popup blockers or adware, and the biggest threat that I have had in two years is Nimda.
You asked if my system runs as well as when I first got it? No. It runs better.
I hacked the registry, and msconfig file so that 60% of the crap that Windows likes to load with no real purpose, doesn't load now. So I start out with lower overhead when I first boot.
As for dodging viruses. I am not a 14 year old video game player, porn addict, or illegal software connoisseur. So just by choosing a particular lifestyle I dodge many bullets.
But, for the music, ebooks and freeware that I download, I have dogded the bullets for years just by using AVG and Zone Alarm. Thats it.
If people are proned to download hazardous material, illegal material, or if they are a porn addict. Then I suggest beefing up your software arsenal with as much protection as you can find.
Oh, and another safety tip, is becarely of which attachments that you open.
If you don't know the person, or if the title of the attachment is suspicious, then delete it. Or scan it with AVG, and it will weed it out if it's a virus.
Smart has nothing to do with it, many viruses, trojans and other problems are nearly unavoidable, if you surf much at all, download files, use email, chat, or anything else with your computer.
So of course if it's true, then Lucky of course is the correct choice, also the LUckiest SOB, I have ever known, and in the 16 yrs. I have dealt with having, fixing, building, selling and playing on computers, I have never met anyone that lucky.
Thats why I have questioned it, you must only visit a very minimum number of websites, and only download a select few files, either that or your computer has spyware, adware, viruses and or trojans on it, and you just don't know it, I repair computers and i run into that all the time, most people think everything is fine, and that just the one little problem that cropped up is why they call me, then I run my programs and check their computers and find out, they are corrupted in more than 1 place.
Anyone that tells me, they have not had any computer problems in 2 yrs, well, LOL, is all I can say, it's impossible, if you do much of any of what I wrote above.
I like to surf a lot, download many files, I download 100s of files a yr. probably tops a 1,000 easily, for my own use and for testing, new ones out.
And even at good sites, like Tucows, zdnet, download.com and other reputable download sites, I Have found a virus or trojan infected file, and on 1 occasion, from zdnet, yrs back, it disabled, my Mcafee anti virus, thats another reason I no longer use Mcafee or NOrton or Panda.
But anyway, I also, use chat programs, peer 2 peer, tons of email, from many sources, so I expect to have problems, but if you had visited, zdnet and downloaded the file I did and recieved that virus, then you would have had the same problem, the ones that did not get that problem were lucky, some were not, so you must be in the lucky category, anyone that claims being that smart is the reason is absolutely diluted and dilusional and I feel sorry that they really believe their own ego is so big, but then again, I have known a lot of men, that have that it was big, and then I found out later, that it really was not all that big as they thought, so you are probably one of the ones, that actually have a smaller one, but just either don't know it or want to admit it.
Have a good day, and this is my last post on the subject, this post, has covered it all, you did say in your post, LUcky or smart, well I guess, LUcky, LOL, yeah right.
yes i would recommend avg free to anyone. since 98 when i used win98 i have only contracted 3 viruses though. but avg weeded em out. of course i had over 200 peices of spyware that thanks to webroot i got out. but i keep s&d as a extra measure. but that was surfing alot of the time. not illegal sites or porn, just free download sites etc. oh and tucows, good dl site
yep, couldn't have said it better, zip files are not open, they cannot be opened till you open em, if they are decompressed and they contain a virus you are hereby screwed. if you take precautions to scan em first before you open them then you are protected from the virus, if its in the file. common sense will tell anyone who's had atleast one virus to scan everything coming in, matter of fact if the computer starts acting a little abnormal, i make sure i'm updated and then scan. one step in the fight against such stuff is to use firefox while browsing. oh and i've had a few bad ones, almost got hit by (mydoom) virus as well. only three in all those years, and well from taking measures to protect myself. all three were java bugs basically
I have also heard that McAfee misses viruses, but... I have used McAfee antivirus for a lot of years now and have cleaned viruses out of a lot of other people's computers with it and frankly I still believe it the best.
I have never had a virus get past McAfee and a lot of them tried. Your settings make all the difference in the world and mine are set to the max.
Another good cleaning program is window washer. Its made by the same company as Spy Sweeper and is very good at cleaning the unused stuff on your computer.
You can download it at www.webroot.com
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