MAP and CHEESE

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Programs I want to try

I have come across several programs that sound interesting...but haven't yet has the chance to fully try out. Here are the ones I'm interested in:

Comodo Cleaning Essentials

http://www.comodo.com/business-security/network-protection/cleaning_essentials.php

This program can run from a USB to remove stubborn malware.

Comodo Antivirus

http://antivirus.comodo.com/

I like this antivirus because its EULA is less restrictive.

Norton Power Erasier

http://security.symantec.com/nbrt/npe.aspx

Can supposedly remove malware other AV miss.

SUPERAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/index.html
Another potentially good spyware remover.

DriverMax

http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/

Find, download, and backup drivers.

Wuala

http://www.wuala.com/

LaCie's service with 2GB of free online storage.

Stellarium and Celestia

http://www.stellarium.org/

http://www.shatters.net/celestia/

Star and space simulators

LibreCAD

http://librecad.org/cms/home.html

SpiceWorks

http://www.spiceworks.com

Networking tools.

Axence NetTools Pro

http://www.axencesoftware.com/en/nettools

Networking tools.

Wireshark

http://www.wireshark.org

Networking tools.

PrinterShare

http://www.printershare.com

Allows for printing to any printer on a PC that has this program.

HP Universal Print Driver

http://h20331.www2.hp.com/hpsub/cache/343033-0-0-225-121.html?jumpid=ex_r2845_go/upd

All you need is this one driver to be able to print to any HP printer

CCleaner

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

Good for cleaning out unwanted junk and clutter

Recuva

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Recover deleted files.

GIMP and Inkscape

http://www.gimp.org/

http://www.inkscape.org

Graphic editing software.

My must have (free) programs on any PC

Whenever I get a new computer or work on a computer for any length of time, I always end up installing a bunch of programs. So I thought I'd list my "go-to" free programs. These include antivirus, malware removal, file compression, audio stuff, pdf viewers, graphics, encryption, email, office-type programs, RSS, etc.

Firefox

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

My favorite browser. I know Chrome is popular and Opera is cool...but this is still my favorite.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/

Lots of antivirus options out there. Panda Cloud is easy and quick to install, doesn't seem to suck up resources, and has worked well for me.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Must have program. Removes just about any malware you come across.

PeaZip

http://peazip.sourceforge.net/

Great and opening and compressing files...in a variety of formats.

Audacity

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Use this to pull audio from computer....from things such as YouTube.

PDF-XChange Viewer

http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer

I really like this for two reasons. The first is that there is an 'Export to Image option'. The second is that for really big files/printing...the average pdf viewer crashes. But PDF XChange Viewer has worked everytime.

Paint.NET

http://www.getpaint.net

My go-to graphic program. I've heard lots of good things about Gimp and Inkscape...but this is still my favorite.

PosteRazor

http://posterazor.sourceforge.net

So you want to print a large poster....but only have a desktop printer....this is the program for you.

KeePass Password Safe

http://keepass.info/

Over the years I have accumulated a ton of passwords. This is by far the best way I've found to keep track of them all.

Glary Utilities

http://www.glarysoft.com/glary-utilities/

There is a lot this program can do....sort of a "swiss-army knife" of computer utilities.

LibreOffice

http://www.libreoffice.org

If you don't want to spend the money on Office...this is a must have.

skype

http://www.skype.com

I hesitated putting this on the list....as everyone knows about this program....but it is a must have. It is also a great way to transfer large files.

Zimbra Desktop

http://www.zimbra.com/products/desktop.html

I am on a quest to find an adequate replacement for MS Outlook. So far, this is the closest. It is great for viewing all your emails from multiple accounts in one place.

TeraCopy

http://codesector.com/teracopy

Sure, you can right-click, copy, and paste. But this program gives you a little bit more information for copying files.

Bullzip PDF Writer

http://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php

I've also used cutepdf...but Bullzip has been a favorite.

ImgBurn

http://www.imgburn.com

When I need to burn ISO files...this is what I use.

Belarc Advisor

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

This program is great to run because it lists all the install codes for the programs you have installed. Very handy if you are getting a new computer but lost your install codes.

Netvibes

http://www.netvibes.com/en

Not a program to install....but when Google Reader went byebye, I had to find something to use. Netvibes has worked out great for me.

join.me

https://join.me/

Another non-program....but if you need to work or see another person's computer...it doesn't get much easier than this.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

My top Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Free Software

Being in IT but not being an IT expert or professional, I have had to deal with viruses and malware fairly regularly. I thought I would make a list of the things I have used to deal with these problems. All of these items are free to download. If you are an IT professional, this is "kid stuff" but if you are like me and have to fix these things but don't have any experience....I'm going to share what I did and learned.

I have tried and used several anti-virus suites of software. I would have no problem recommending any of the following: AVG, Avast, Panda Cloud, Avira, and Microsoft Security Essentials.

Of course, things get more difficult when a nasty virus/malware slips thru and disables your anti-virus.

My go to program is Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free. I install this on any computer I sit down and work on. Awesome tool and is the first thing I use to try and remove malware. If you don't have any luck with it, be sure to try using it in Safe Mode (with networking).

8 out of 10 times, Malwarebytes solves the problem. But ocasionally it doesn't get everything. I have found Combofix to be my next weapon. It is a little intimidating (and very powerful). But follow the directions and it will work.

I cam across some other anti-malware that I haven't' used before (but will):

emisisoft emergency kit 2.o

Norman Malware Cleaner 2.1

Norton Power Eraser