My desktop has been through countless upgrades; program purges, defrags and reformats so that its capabilities will always be able to accommodate my ever growing needs. Needs which increase in hunger as something new pops along which requires a more stable, more powerful platform. The way in which I care for the performance of my desktop is something I’m quite proud of.
In contrast many of my friends, have an innumerate number of problems which plagues the health of their computers and it pains me every time whenever I have to borrow a friend’s laptop, that I’ll have to slay waves of pop ups that’ll rudely nudge you to schedule in some tender loving care for the computer.
Whether it’s a reminder to update a piece of software which has never been utilised in the life of the computer, a request to backup all of a computer’s memory to Iomega ZIP disks (yes this has happened) or a prompt to update a piece of spyware disguised as anti-malware. The vast majority of these issues I encounter on one off occasions and issues which my friends have to face every day are completely avoidable.
So while jotting down the list of my most valuable applications that protect my computer from these problems, I also felt inclined to include my favourite applications even if they were recreational because I feel that maximizing the capabilities of what a system can do, is just as important to the life of a computer as staving off its obsoletion. What I love most about the list I wrote down? All the programs are free!
Spybot S&D
The greatest fear that users have for their computers is malicious software getting onto their systems, messing everything up and causing havoc. A program which hogs up all the resources of a system or prevents it from performing desired functions will just evoke a reaction of doom and gloom. It’s why anti-malware software is deemed and agreed upon as essential for any system. The big problem though is that most commercial anti-malware software is based on a subscription model and not everyone has the luxury to dole out cash every year to keep a subscription running where you don’t witness the results. Without an improvement to your system, users aren’t even sure if the antivirus software is even necessary and then that’s where the repeated pop-ups come up that remind you that your computer is vulnerable to a sea of malicious bugs which will end the world unless you break out your wallet and hand over your money.
Well here’s my solution, Spybot Search & Destroy. A free, popular spyware and adware removal program with a badass name that runs on Windows. Ever since I installed it, I have never had unwanted programs appear that try to trick me into installing more fake programs that will cannibalise all of my information or programs that appear that I never recalled installing. This is the first application which I install on any new and clean system. I keep a setup file on my backups as obviously to get at it I need to access the internet however without a direct address to the site (and even then), my computer will already be vulnerable.
The only downside is that it slightly encumbers the resources on your system and that now and then it will prompt you any time a program tries to alter your computer’s registry file which includes whenever you intentionally want to install a program. This is however a rare issue and a petty one at that. Also the program’s footprint is far smaller than any of the other anti-virus programs I’ve used and the alternative to run a naked computer on the internet would be far more problematic.
Spybot S&D GB-EN site:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Also see: Trend Micro’s “HouseCall” site, a browser based anti-malware scanner.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/
WinDirStat
Anyone who’s run out of hard disk drive space will encounter the problem of trying to locate where their most bloated files are. Window’s own capabilities to locate the big boned files and folders; I find are woefully inadequate. WinDirStat provides an elegant solution. It will in a relatively short space of time scan through a targeted directory and provide you with information of where and what proportion of your disk space is being occupied.
Armed with these statistics, you’ll be all the better informed of where and what to get rid of and before long your hard drive will be a lean, mean, memory storing machine.
WinDirStat site:
Firefox
Firefox isn’t new and I’m sure many people reading this blog will be reading it using a Firefox browser. The great thing about Firefox which I love the most though is the wide variety of add-ons. To be honest I don’t see much difference in function between Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. None of them are handicapped in their capabilities compared to the others and to me they’re all equally as useful. However some were made more equal than others and for me that’s where Firefox stands out. It’s the community add-ons which you can incorporate from skins, to toolbars, video players and little scripts. All of a sudden your browser can be customized to become your browser. On mine I have the ‘NASA Night Launch theme’, various video player plug-ins, the invaluable BlockSite and probably my recent favourite add-on, Flashblock which replaces Flash objects with a button which you click on if you want to view them. This severely saves on system resources and prevents a lot of annoying adverts.
Treat yourself a bit, go check out what add-ons you can put to your browser to make internet browsing that little bit more fun.
Firefox:
Firefox Add-on site:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/
Rainmeter
A brilliant hybrid of practical and recreational, form and function; Rainmeter is a desktop customization platform. This is a lot different from changing the theme of your Windows. Rainmeter changes your static desktop into a hub of interactivity and a brilliant facet of Rainmeter is the numerous gadgets (skins) you can compile together.
Rainmeter essentially acts as an interactive overlay for your desktop. On mine I have a large skin which displays the date and time on my desktop as well as numerous little tools which include information on my network traffic, how much of my computer’s resources are being used and quick links to some of my most used applications. Everything looks gorgeous, slick and it always impresses people when they see it.
I haven’t personally indulged in everything which Rainmeter has to offer which includes an RSS reader and Twitter feed however I’m sure in the near future I’ll get around to searching for those and educating myself in their use.
Rainmeter isn’t without its flaws though. The bare UI has left much to be desired and you’ll frequently have to navigate a complex Jenga of right-click hover menus and text based settings which can be intimidating. The results when performed correctly however are truly spectacular.
Rainmeter:
http://rainmeter.net/RainCMS/?q=About
Spotify (Free)
While not an essential piece of software; as mentioned in a previous blog post, Spotify truly offers a vast library of music which no single (or chain) of record stores can offer. At your fingertips will be all the music you can consume and barring the occasional advert, it’s all free.
The library at your disposal is not just limited to tracks either. Spotify comes equipped with tons of information about artists. A feature which I find remarkably useful is the “related artists” links when I feel that my appetite in a particular genre of music just isn’t quite sated. You can add that single track you love from an obscure artist to an already comprehensive playlist. And once you’re done you can then share your collage of music with friends on Facebook who can conversely subscribe and have a quick link to your mini-masterpiece. This also performs a fantastic function for when you’re at a friend’s house and you want to listen to your playlist(s).
On more than several occasions I have formulated the perfect concoction of tracks for a particular event such as for a Poker evening or themed party. I couldn’t handle having to queue up tracks on Youtube on request or be limited by the confines of the library which was available on my iPhone which may or may not have had the ideal mood music. Spotify offers a simple and refined solution to both problems.
Spotify:
Msconfig.exe
Now unlike the other programs and tools on this list, msconfig.exe is one which every Windows user already has. Do some research on it and you’ll realise that it’s quite a powerful program.
The Microsoft System Configuration Utility (MSCONFIG) is a tool that can help you troubleshoot program related problems with your OS via a small and to the point interface. Although intimidating at a glance, even a fair understanding of MSCONFIG will be able to help you cull those annoying start-up notices you get from various programs and even customise which programs you want to boot-up when you turn on your system. A useful hour or two spent on educating yourself about MSCONFIG has the potential to near enlighten your digital experience when using Windows. Not a bad option when that hour would otherwise be spent wasted watching the X-Factor.*
The downside however is that MSCONFIG is as previously mentioned a powerful tool and when utilised clumsily can cause a whole mess of problems. Many items which you may deem as essential to the everyday running of your computer are perceived as optional by Windows and you might accidently turn off a process or service that is required by your applications to function sooner or later. So do a hint of research on what you should or shouldn’t turn off. It’ll be worth it.
Discovering the existence MSCONFIG has just made the boot-up process remarkably smoother. No more notifications to update oft-unused pieces of software, or intensive programs that run in the background during the whole operation of my computer that I only need to use them for 5 or 10 minutes.
MSConfig Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSConfig
Honourable mention:
Steam
This is a much more niche program when compared to others and is targeted directly towards the gamer inclined demographic, so if you have no interest in PC games, there will be little here of interest.
Steam released by Valve Corporation is a digital distribution platform. It’s a very simple concept which feels incredibly foreign the first time you use it. On Steam you can buy video games however instead of paying for delivery of a disc via good ol’ van and stamp or braving the hostile outdoor environment** to get to a retailer, the Steam client will download the game straight to your computer. Not only that but wherever you log onto the internet and have access to the Steam client, you can download and install your game. Gone are the days of having to keep a disc in your disc tray or carrying around with you books of CDs and DVDs. Now it all comes right through the wire (or air even!).
While the digital distribution aspect of Steam is the meat of the client, the garnishing really tops it all off. Through the Steam platform you become part of a community where you can add each other, befriend fellow gamers both in and out of game, chat with them, invite them to play other games in your mutual libraries or compare stats for bragging rights. User formed communities’ spring up for fans of certain games and forums are provided to really get your nerd on with other fans.
The Steam client also provides you a portal to gaming related news specific to the games that you buy and will automatically patch your games for you. The arduous task of having to navigate the internet for the specific patch for a game with the specific version number is all handled for you by the trusty Steam platform. You don’t need to worry about whether you need to install a series of incremental patches or a big beefy patch or whether whatever it is that you’re downloading is even legitimate!
The crème de la crème of the Steam platform though is the Steam sales. Often the good folks over at Valve Co. will feel generous and just slash games up to 95% off. The prices on Steam adjust itself and games will get cheaper over time just like how they do in a retail store. Currently on Steam is their Winter Sale and for 21 days they’re offering unheard of discounts. If I thought I had a large backlog of games I wanted to get through last month; If only I had known what was to come. The list has now tripled itself in size with all the indie games at bargain prices I got and various publisher packs on offer. This is even with restraint! I could have easily bought 5 times the number of games that I have, I just had to draw a line somewhere. Of all the downsides to have, this is a very nice dilemma to have. To be offered too much for your money.
*Apologies to the creators of X-Factor. I do not mean to slight your obnoxious show in any way.
**Research done on the internet has revealed that The Outdoors contains various dangers which include avalanche, bears (BOTH the Polar and Grizzly variant!), Poisonous Jellyfish and venomous insects. Most alarming of all is that The Outdoors also contains a 1.392 x 106 km wide burning ball of hydrogen which has been known to be the culprit of uncontrolled nuclear fusion reactions causing numerous cases of cancer.
Directory Report is a good program for showing your folder sizes. It finds duplicate files too.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.file-utilities.com