Computer Tune-up (Windows PCs)
Please Note
These various computer sections are now becoming out of date in 2007 and you must regard any advice as being at your own risk. They are unlikely to be updated for the Vista operating system. However, the 'Free Software' Items below will be updated from time to time, as they are particularly useful.
Computer Tune-up and Maintenance
Ok, so you lot surf the net and download the odd program, JPG or MP3 file - but
how much maintenance do you do to the computer to keep it in fine fettle? I'm
not a top computer expert but here are a few tips which work for me.
Just by using your PC, or after installing and uninstalling software,
minor slow-downs will add together and gradually nobble performance without
you really noticing each reduction. You just get the feeling that it used to be faster. You can tune up your computer with a little care and attention. Have a look
at what I do - but don't touch a thing unless you know how to get
out of trouble and - most important - don't ask me. If your copy of XP is old, I recommend the Service Pack 2 update.
It is a good policy to make changes only one at a time and reboot the
computer between changes, then you can undo things more easily. Windows XP has a useful 'roll-back' feature. First thing to do is install an antivirus
program and a firewall make sure that they are updated (they all have an update facility).
Free Software
Open Source - These are all legal, free programs which were written and updated by the 'Open Source' community:
- Open Office - Near-equivalent to Microsoft Office but originally from Sun Microsystems before they set it free. High compatibility with MS Office formats (reads/writes: docs, txt, xls, ppt, etc.) and 'exports' Acrobat 'pdf' files. Macros are different but you might regard that as virus resistance.
- Art of Illusion - 3D modelling.
- Gimp - Advanced image editor, if a bit fiddley.
- XnView - View and convert a wide range of graphics formats. Useful for moving files about and sorting photos into folders. Built-in video viewer includes flash (flv).
- Audacity - Record and edit sounds in this basic wave editor. Add the 'VST enabler' - to enable VST plug-ins.
- Scribus - Desk Top Publishing (DTP) for your newsletters, ransom demands, etc.
- Camstudio - Capture on-screen events for powerpoint, etc.
- Monex - Personal finance manager with double-entry bookkeeping.
- VLC Player - Play DVDs, etc.
Other Free Software (the first group are 'must haves' for computer protection). Always keep security software up to date (as in 'check for updates').
- 'Free AVG' - My favourite antivirus - or -
- Antivir - Another free antivirus. Look for the 'Classic' version.
- Spybot - Reputable spyware scanner
- Windows Defender - Free spyware scanner from Microsoft. (Vista has it built-in already)
- Zonealarm - The famous firewall that's better than XP's. This link goes straight to the file download (it's hard to find on the website). Right-click the mouse over the link and then click 'save target as'. During install, stick to the free options. They want you to buy the advanced version.
- CCleaner - Decent cleanup utility. But I advise against using the more advanced options, only the first cleanup bit.
- Paint.NET - Image editor developed by a small team of ex-students. Requires .NET Framework 2.0 to be installed first.
- Foxit Reader - Reads Acrobat pdf files without the slow performance of Acrobat bloatware or the constant nagging to download more bloat.
- Picasa - Picture editing utility from Google.
- FLV Player - View downloaded 'flv' files.
Free Web Browsers:
- Opera - This was the first tabbed browser. Best feature: it continues from where you were last time. A very quick browser and my favourite. Versions for every kind and quality of computer, including all variations of Windows, Mackintosh and Linux.
- Firefox - Straightforward browser with a lot of enthusiasts. Just have a look at my stats page (18%). It made Microsoft sit up and take notice.
- Seamonkey - Looks like the old Netscape Navigator and takes about as long to load. Insists on putting an irremovable starter app. in the taskbar. I don't like it.
- Safari - Primarily a Mac web browser but also available for Windows. I found it to be buggy and nasty to use.
- Konqueror - I'll just mention this in passing because it is an important part of the K Desktop Environment, as part of a Linux operating system (not for Windows). It is a web browser, file viewer and filemanager. It does a great job too but you can't install it on most PCs. You can tell that I dabble with Linux a bit.
NB. Browser Wars (wiki): Most browsers generate additional page hits by refreshing webpages when the user navigates 'Back' through page history, a few browsers (like Opera) reuse cached content, without resending unnecessary requests to server. This tends to 'penalise' Opera and keeps it low in the statistics.
Sort-of Free:
- Serif Software - These sell software but give away their older versions.
Tweakers:
