UPDATE: You can now access this page by typing http://computer.asuh.com into your address bar in your web browser.
Ah.. ‘Tis another season to be jolly. Every year this season blows by with so much potential and thus we live out our joys by shopping for the perfect gift, for others and for ourselves. I might take a stab at posting my Christmas desires at another time, but I thought it would be the perfect time to post a similar, less selfish list. I present to you “Your Personal Computer’s Christmas wish list”.
- Firefox – You might or might not have heard or read about all the hype surrounding this amazing web browser for your computer (PC and Mac).
Firefox, invented by the folks at Mozilla, is the hottest thing among the really geeky tech community this year, but is steadily increasing in popularity among the mainstream. In my opinion, this is the future of browsers and I highly recommend you using it (instead of using Internet Explorer). You can attach extensions such as Adblock which can get rid of annoying ads and flash ads. You can add search engines to the search window, such as searching through Amazon, Google, IMDB, eBay, and MANY other sites. Instead of going to the website to search for a product, just use the included search bar in Firefox to perform a quick search directly to the site! And many, many more functionalities that Internet Explorer doesn’t offer yet.
For more information on essential extensions for Firefox, go visit my Firefox Reloaded writeup.
- AVG Antivirus (FREE) – Are you paying money for Antivirus services? Do you even HAVE antivirus software on your computer?? (You better!) Grisoft’s AVG, which is completely free to you, is a powerful and free software package to download and will keep your computer as virus free the same as Norton or McAfee can but for none of the cost!
- Spybot – Search and Destroy – In this world of evil programmers, spyware is rapidly becoming the number one threat to Internet users, even if you’re still using the slower dial-up! Dell even reported that spyware issues are becoming the number issue that callers complain about to their customer service! This software is an essential in today’s Internet environment. Make sure you check for new version. This means downloading a new Spybot file, uninstalling your current Spybot and installing a new version. Current version is 1.4.
- Adaware – Spybot does a wonderful job, but it’s completely necessary to run more than one program to help keep spyware and adware off of your computer. Adaware is another essential program that you should be running! Make sure you check for new version. This means downloading a new Adaware file, uninstalling your current Adaware and installing a new version. Current version is 1.06.
- SpywareBlaster – Again, an absolute must. Same as above. It’s like triple reinforcement to keep your computer clean and usable. Make sure you check for new version. This means downloading a new SpywareBlaster file, uninstalling your current SpywareBlaster and installing a new version. Current version is 3.5.1.
- Windows Defender – I just downloaded this recently, and guess what? Even after running Adaware AND Spybot, this program found even MORE adware on my computer! For real! So download it, NOW. You know you want to. Just remember that it’s only compatible on Windows 2000 and XP, not Windows ME or 98. Just remember that you must use Microsoft’s Genuine Advantage License checker (which is a complete hassle and wasteful step) before you can install Defender. Make sure you check for new version. This means downloading a new Defender file, uninstalling your current Defender and installing a new version. Current version is Beta 2.
- IE-SPYAD – And yet another way prevent all this crappy adware and spyware from appearing! IE-SPYAD goes into your registry and adds a bunch of sites to the block me list, so that whenever your browser points to a forbidden site, it won’t actually let you go.
- HijackThis – Not too long ago, as I explained in a previous post, this software saved me and my friend a lot of grief. What it does is searches your computer in special places for any spyware or malicious software that’s tagging on, usually hidden from Spybot or Adaware, and exposes it for you to take care of it. The absolutely wonderful thing about this software is the website I linked it to has a box where you can copy and paste a log of your scan and it will automatically analyze the results for you to make your own decision about whether something needs to be fixed or not. So, if you’ve run Adaware, Spybot, Spyware Blaster, and Windows Defender and still have some problems, HijackThis will probably be your final solution for stabilization. Either that or just reformat your computer. Make sure you check for new version. This means downloading a new Antispyware file, uninstalling your current Antispyware and installing a new version. Current version is 1.99.1.
Bloglines – Do you use Livejournal as well as MySpace? What about Blogger? or another online blogging software out there? I even have my own website.Bloglines has changed my viewing habits for other people’s sites, and I don’t have to spend all my time visiting each homepage anymore. I can just go to Bloglines and see everyone’s new posts and entries all at once. Even if you update it, I know within minutes if it happened!- Azureus – Have you ever heard of BitTorrent? If not, this might not apply to you. If you’re curious, BitTorrent is a new system of filesharing, similar to Napster and Kazaa, but different enough to be original. BitTorrent is likely to be the next biggest target for litigation among the overlords at the RIAA and MPAA. However, it’s probably one of the most innovative software packages out there to find what you need. Azureus is a BitTorrent software that I highly recommend if you want to try out the BitTorrent system.
- Trillian – Do you frequently use AOL, Yahoo, MSN, and ICQ for means of communication? I know how involved and annoying it can be to have to download and install every single one of these software files. Trillian is awesome software that allows you to use every single one of these in one file. It’s such a time saver and is free, although you can purchase the Pro version for a minimal fee. I personally don’t use it because I’m sorta picky about a few things (being that I’m a big techie nerd), but I highly recommend it for your usage to save you time!
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) – Now, I know there’s been a lot of controversy since this service pack was introduced, but I can only speak for my experience. Once I installed a fresh copy of Windows with SP2 preloaded, virtually ALL the troubles I was having before disappeared. Seriously! I could not believe how stable my computer was after having installed this service pack. I mean, we’re talking rock solid because before the installation my PC was pretty fickle. And make sure once you install SP2 that you completely update your computer’s security updates at WindowsUpdate.com.
Most of the software that I have recommended here is either free or very cheap and mostly just for the PC. Sorry to any Mac users out there. There are so much other software that I could highly recommend to other PC users but just don’t wanna spend the time listing them on here. So, feel free to go to this website for everything I mentioned plus MUCH more. I’m not advocating every single piece of software that this website recommends but it at least is a good basis for free alternatives to keep your computer running very smoothly!
As usual, if you have any questions about any of the software that I’ve listed and described, if you see a typo or you think I should add something else not listed, let me know!! I think this Christmas we should all give our PCs some much needed help. This list is just a touch of great software available.
