Summertime Computer Care
Right now, during the summertime, it's a great time to get your computer in order for the coming school year. When exactly was the last time you ran a defrag? If you cannot remember, you are long overdue. (BTW, you can run a defrag of your PC by going to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter.)
Below, I have listed some programs I downloaded and installed on my computer that have keep it in tip-top shape for the last few years.
I have provided links to where you can read all about the programs and download them, along with the blurb about the product provided by the company. Best of all, each of these programs are free!
All the best to you and your computer!
Denise :)
ZoneAlarm - http://www.filehippo.com/download_zonealarm_free/ (Always running)
ZoneAlarm is an easy-to-use firewall that blocks hackers and other unknown threats.
- Intrusion Blocking systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts.
- Stealth Mode automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet.
- Automatic Program Configuration provides safety and simplicity by automatically configuring programs. Automatically decides whether to allow or deny Internet access to individual programs.
- Expert Controls give savvy users precise control over security settings.
This free version is for non-commercial use only.
AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).
Highlights include:
- Automatic update functionality
- The AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run
- The AVG E-mail Scanner, which protects your e-mail
- The AVG On-Demand Scanner, which allows the user to perform scheduled and manual tests
- Free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product
- AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files
CCleaner - http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ (I run this almost every day)
CCleaner (formerly Crap Cleaner) is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it's fast! (normally taking less than a second to run) and Free.
Cleans the following:
- Internet Explorer Cache, History, Cookies, Index.dat.
- Recycle Bin, Temporary files and Log files.
- Recently opened URLs and files.
- Third-party application temp files and recent file lists (MRUs).
Including: Firefox, Opera, Media Player, eMule, Kazaa, Google Toolbar, Netscape, Office XP, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinRAR, WinAce, WinZip and more...
- Advanced Registry scanner and cleaner to remove unused and old entries.
Including File Extensions, ActiveX Controls, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Shared DLLs, Fonts, Help Files, Application Paths, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts and more... Backup for registry clean.
- Windows Startup tool.
Ad-Aware - http://www.filehippo.com/download_ad-aware/ (I run this about once every few months or when needed)
Ad-Aware provides protection from known Spyware including: Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.
With the release of Ad-Aware SE Personal edition, Lavasoft takes the fight against Spyware to the next level.
With Lavasoft's all new Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology, you will not only be protected from known content, but will also have advanced protection against many of their unknown variants. To further protect you, Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition also has the capability to scan and list Alternate Data Streams (ADS) in NTFS enabled volumes. In combination with the new scanning engine, Ad-Aware SE will scan your computer faster and more thoroughly than ever before!
Spybot Search and Destroy - http://www.filehippo.com/download_spybot_search_destroy/ (I run this about once every few months or when needed)
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something snooped into your computer, too :)
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