Carson
Well-known member
Some Basic Computer Concepts
A lot of this is about freeware you can download. I've written it just becuz there have been a few people here who've been ensnarled with some basic computer problems. Now, for you savvy users of computers: of course my choices are just my choices. You know that and I know that. But they work, they do the job well, and I've listed them below so beginners can get the idea. Yup, I've tried dozens of other programs for years. So my choices are arbitrary; true enough.
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-- You need a firewall. Just one. Firewalls don't like each other.
-- You need anti-spyware programs. One or more.
-- You need an anti-virus program. One.
-- You haven't been cleaning things, have you? For, um, two years? Oh, three. BAD computer user! Well, the good news is that you can make your computer run so fast you'll think it's new again.
Concept: Freeware can be as good or better than expensive programs. It depends on the program.
Concept: Pop-ups can drive you crazy. However, pop-ups are not in themselves bad or good. They are not considered a problem per se, so you won't find them automatically eliminated by protective programs. And if they were totally eliminated, your ability to browse the web would also be eliminated.
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This is just a general, basic info post, guys. Everybody has his favourites. But these ones will work for you just fine, and you can play around after the fact, if you wish. NO, I don't work for any of these guys:
Here are 5 free programs. One Anti-Virus. One Firewall. Three killers. I suggest you get four of these, or else get your own personal favourite equivalent to them.
Firewall: Windows XP now packages one. (Is it Avast? I forget.) If you want to use your own, the free, basic ZoneAlarm is still a very popular program that works very well. ZA would prefer you pay for one of its more sophisticated offerings, but their reputation is solidly based on the free program which they still offer--ah, if you look closely. If you run ADSL, ZoneAlarm can lock your system off the Internet anytime you wish. You don't need to update your Firewall very often; Zone Alarm will let you know when. (In the old days, ZoneAlarm and Norton occasionally didn't get along. If you use an older system like Windows 98SE or ME, see if you can find ZoneAlarm 2.6, I think it was. If you're using XP, just get the latest ZA.) http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp
AntiVirus: If you like paying, Norton is very thorough. If you like not paying, AntiVir Personal is very thorough. And there are others. I recommend AntiVir Personal. You should update your program once every week or two. AntiVir Personal is easy enough to update, but about once every month or two it will download main program files, and when it does, it will pretty well take over your computer for awhile (10 to 30 minutes) unless you know how to get around that. So, update when your other work is finished. http://www.free-av.com/index.htm
Bad Guy Killers: Ad Aware and Spybot are the main two. I prefer Spybot, myself. Run one or the other, or both (not necessary), at least once a week. Update every week or two; very easy to do.
Spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Ad Aware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
"The Other" Bad Guy Killer: Spyware Blaster. Highly recommended, As Well As. This one keeps a list of thousands of bad guys you never want to meet. So, instead of killing them in the living room, it stops them from ever coming in the front door. An extremely easy program to keep--too easy; remember to update once a month or so. http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
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What is the Registry? How do I keep it clean? I have a deep-rooted fear of blowing up my computer and laying waste to at least a city block. I'm afraid for my life, my cat's life, and my lover's disdain. Please help.
If you know nothing about your registry, you can use this program free of charge for a month. After that, it will stop working for you unless you pay about $40, which, yes, it is worth. This is a friendly, pretty-looking, absolutely easy program that will not wreck your life or destroy your computer. If you just haven't got around to doing this before, and your computer is two or three years old, you will love this program: TuneUp Utilities 2004: http://www.tune-up.com/
-- If you want something a bit rougher and tougher, and a bit more dangerous, you might try Ace Utilities. It's very good too, but if you're not quite sure about things, go for the previous one. Ace is at http://www.acelogix.com/
-- If you know what you're doing, you're not reading this. But in case you just got lost, I'll remind you that one of a number of extremely good free registry cleaners is RegSeeker. It contains no instructions. It just does the job. If you're new and uncertain, this one is a bit chancy for you; but this is what we TweekGeeks love to use. By the way, when you check out this site, take a good look, because HoverSnap is also here, and it is a really superb screenshot program. Here you go: http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
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Browsers: This is like discussing religions. About 89% popularity resides with Internet Explorer, mainly IE6. Using Windows XP's SP2 (Service Pack 2), IE6 can now be easily tweaked to be very hard on popups and other potential nuisances.
-- Firefox has gained a lot of popularity. It is recommended to people who enjoy fooling around with their computers. Firefox works just fine "out of the box", and it attempts to tell you it is just as good as IE6 like that. Hmmm.... Truth is, Firefox is not Firefox until quite a bit of time has been put into its myriad "extensions", which are its crowning achievement and also its curse. That's why it is a fiercely defended browser by folk who really do enjoy working on their computers just for the fun of it. If you aren't one of them, then you might well be the person Bill Gates designed IE for. That's not a sin nor a crime. (If reading this post is hard on your nerves, stay with IE. If reading all this is easy as pie and you disagree with everything I say, then, as you well know, IE isn't for you; maybe Opera or whatever on your lovely Linux system. But I didn't write this for you--as you know! )
-- As Firefox is to IE6, so K-Meleon is to Firefox. Well, I just had to put a word in here about tiny, brilliant, superbly fast K-Meleon. It's ideal for older systems, but I love it as my favourite on any system. K-Meleon is Gecko-based, and is related in some ways to Firefox; in some ways to IE. But this little guy looks like nothing at all until you give it some TLC. K-Meleon is not even in the competition, so, if you would prefer to be free from hearing quasi-religious rants about browser bests, you might want to check out http://kmeleon.sourceforge.net/ . Anybody can work with it, but, hmm. I suppose you need to think computer work is FUN, because K-M is a long way from IE6.
-- Avant Browser, SlimBrowser, and at least half a dozen others are "shells" for IE6. These are not stand-alone browsers; they depend upon your having IE on your computer as well. Take your pick; there is nothing wrong with them. Just be aware that you are still running IE, only it is dressed up differently. I think for beginners I should recommend Avant, because it is extremely quick to download and set up; and it has very, very easy tools to use to tweak it nicely for your needs. Avant Browser, as I said, is not a browser. It is free and very fast from http://www.avantbrowser.com/ . I recommend it especially for newcomers who are trying to tweak away popups or whatever, and don't really know what they're doing.
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The rest is: Good Luck. I hated computers when I began in 1986. Now I love them. But they are just a tool, and, like a sharp knife or a dull knife, they work according to the Zen of the beholder. . . . Have fun!
A lot of this is about freeware you can download. I've written it just becuz there have been a few people here who've been ensnarled with some basic computer problems. Now, for you savvy users of computers: of course my choices are just my choices. You know that and I know that. But they work, they do the job well, and I've listed them below so beginners can get the idea. Yup, I've tried dozens of other programs for years. So my choices are arbitrary; true enough.
-------------------------------------------------------
-- You need a firewall. Just one. Firewalls don't like each other.
-- You need anti-spyware programs. One or more.
-- You need an anti-virus program. One.
-- You haven't been cleaning things, have you? For, um, two years? Oh, three. BAD computer user! Well, the good news is that you can make your computer run so fast you'll think it's new again.
Concept: Freeware can be as good or better than expensive programs. It depends on the program.
Concept: Pop-ups can drive you crazy. However, pop-ups are not in themselves bad or good. They are not considered a problem per se, so you won't find them automatically eliminated by protective programs. And if they were totally eliminated, your ability to browse the web would also be eliminated.
-------------------------------------------------------
This is just a general, basic info post, guys. Everybody has his favourites. But these ones will work for you just fine, and you can play around after the fact, if you wish. NO, I don't work for any of these guys:
Here are 5 free programs. One Anti-Virus. One Firewall. Three killers. I suggest you get four of these, or else get your own personal favourite equivalent to them.
Firewall: Windows XP now packages one. (Is it Avast? I forget.) If you want to use your own, the free, basic ZoneAlarm is still a very popular program that works very well. ZA would prefer you pay for one of its more sophisticated offerings, but their reputation is solidly based on the free program which they still offer--ah, if you look closely. If you run ADSL, ZoneAlarm can lock your system off the Internet anytime you wish. You don't need to update your Firewall very often; Zone Alarm will let you know when. (In the old days, ZoneAlarm and Norton occasionally didn't get along. If you use an older system like Windows 98SE or ME, see if you can find ZoneAlarm 2.6, I think it was. If you're using XP, just get the latest ZA.) http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp
AntiVirus: If you like paying, Norton is very thorough. If you like not paying, AntiVir Personal is very thorough. And there are others. I recommend AntiVir Personal. You should update your program once every week or two. AntiVir Personal is easy enough to update, but about once every month or two it will download main program files, and when it does, it will pretty well take over your computer for awhile (10 to 30 minutes) unless you know how to get around that. So, update when your other work is finished. http://www.free-av.com/index.htm
Bad Guy Killers: Ad Aware and Spybot are the main two. I prefer Spybot, myself. Run one or the other, or both (not necessary), at least once a week. Update every week or two; very easy to do.
Spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Ad Aware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
"The Other" Bad Guy Killer: Spyware Blaster. Highly recommended, As Well As. This one keeps a list of thousands of bad guys you never want to meet. So, instead of killing them in the living room, it stops them from ever coming in the front door. An extremely easy program to keep--too easy; remember to update once a month or so. http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
-------------------------------------------------------
What is the Registry? How do I keep it clean? I have a deep-rooted fear of blowing up my computer and laying waste to at least a city block. I'm afraid for my life, my cat's life, and my lover's disdain. Please help.
If you know nothing about your registry, you can use this program free of charge for a month. After that, it will stop working for you unless you pay about $40, which, yes, it is worth. This is a friendly, pretty-looking, absolutely easy program that will not wreck your life or destroy your computer. If you just haven't got around to doing this before, and your computer is two or three years old, you will love this program: TuneUp Utilities 2004: http://www.tune-up.com/
-- If you want something a bit rougher and tougher, and a bit more dangerous, you might try Ace Utilities. It's very good too, but if you're not quite sure about things, go for the previous one. Ace is at http://www.acelogix.com/
-- If you know what you're doing, you're not reading this. But in case you just got lost, I'll remind you that one of a number of extremely good free registry cleaners is RegSeeker. It contains no instructions. It just does the job. If you're new and uncertain, this one is a bit chancy for you; but this is what we TweekGeeks love to use. By the way, when you check out this site, take a good look, because HoverSnap is also here, and it is a really superb screenshot program. Here you go: http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm
-------------------------------------------------------
Browsers: This is like discussing religions. About 89% popularity resides with Internet Explorer, mainly IE6. Using Windows XP's SP2 (Service Pack 2), IE6 can now be easily tweaked to be very hard on popups and other potential nuisances.
-- Firefox has gained a lot of popularity. It is recommended to people who enjoy fooling around with their computers. Firefox works just fine "out of the box", and it attempts to tell you it is just as good as IE6 like that. Hmmm.... Truth is, Firefox is not Firefox until quite a bit of time has been put into its myriad "extensions", which are its crowning achievement and also its curse. That's why it is a fiercely defended browser by folk who really do enjoy working on their computers just for the fun of it. If you aren't one of them, then you might well be the person Bill Gates designed IE for. That's not a sin nor a crime. (If reading this post is hard on your nerves, stay with IE. If reading all this is easy as pie and you disagree with everything I say, then, as you well know, IE isn't for you; maybe Opera or whatever on your lovely Linux system. But I didn't write this for you--as you know!
)-- As Firefox is to IE6, so K-Meleon is to Firefox. Well, I just had to put a word in here about tiny, brilliant, superbly fast K-Meleon. It's ideal for older systems, but I love it as my favourite on any system. K-Meleon is Gecko-based, and is related in some ways to Firefox; in some ways to IE. But this little guy looks like nothing at all until you give it some TLC. K-Meleon is not even in the competition, so, if you would prefer to be free from hearing quasi-religious rants about browser bests, you might want to check out http://kmeleon.sourceforge.net/ . Anybody can work with it, but, hmm. I suppose you need to think computer work is FUN, because K-M is a long way from IE6.
-- Avant Browser, SlimBrowser, and at least half a dozen others are "shells" for IE6. These are not stand-alone browsers; they depend upon your having IE on your computer as well. Take your pick; there is nothing wrong with them. Just be aware that you are still running IE, only it is dressed up differently. I think for beginners I should recommend Avant, because it is extremely quick to download and set up; and it has very, very easy tools to use to tweak it nicely for your needs. Avant Browser, as I said, is not a browser. It is free and very fast from http://www.avantbrowser.com/ . I recommend it especially for newcomers who are trying to tweak away popups or whatever, and don't really know what they're doing.
-------------------------------------------------------
The rest is: Good Luck. I hated computers when I began in 1986. Now I love them. But they are just a tool, and, like a sharp knife or a dull knife, they work according to the Zen of the beholder. . . . Have fun!
