Windows Repair and Tech Support Software

Sarah Scrafford at Web Design Schools Guide has posted “Top 20 iPhone Apps for Entrepreneurs”. If you have an iPhone you really owe it to yourself to check this out. There are many useful utilities that actually make me wish I had an iPhone instead of a BlackBerry. =)

Patricia Turner at Online University Reviews has posted “Top 20 iPhone Games You’ve Never Heard Of”. Some of them appear that they aren’t quite out yet but they sound fun none the less. And to all you Nine Inch Nails fans out there with an iPhone… There is a game here for you. Enjoy!

Marcelo Emmerich of byte things has posted that he has released a new version of Grazer. Since the post doesn’t say much about Grazer, I will assume that Grazer fans already know what it is.

Free Software Lounge has posted “TVersity Streaming Media Server for Windows”. TVersity can handle almost any media format and streaming protocol whether it is coming from your home network or the Internet including live and on-demand Internet streams. Sounds like Fun!

Mad Kane at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog has posted “Life-Saving, Spam-Fighting WordPress Plugin” which I think all of us that use WordPress could definitely use! I will check this one out as soon as I am done with this post!

The Guru at Satellite TV Guru just posted “Netflix 2 Week Free Trial” which (obviously) tells you how to get a free 2 week trial of Netflix. But the software angle here is that you can watch movies and TV shows online for Free. This is a Trial so please understand that the service will charge you after your 2 weeks have expired.

Fiona King of Masters in Criminal Justice just posted a list that is right up my alley. Her post is on the “100 Best Open Source Security Tools” and it includes monitoring, antivirus, firewall, encryption, remote access and networking tools. Check it out!

written by Tim \\ tags: Free Software

I just want to let you, my readers, know that for the next couple weeks (maybe longer), I will not be posting as much as I have been. I have decided to do a series of posts that require a good amount of testing.

I am going to test a series of Spyware Blockers to see which Spyware Blocker program really blocks the most spyware. These must be Real-Time spyware blocking programs. Simple removal tools are NOT being tested here.

I am going to test freeware applications but I am also going to test paid and commercial spyware blocking packages in this test because I really want to see which one is the best and see how much spyware the freeware blockers are able to block in comparison to the commercial programs. I especially want to see if the freeware and commercial versions of the same program fare differently!

Methodology: To test these spyware blockers, I am going to use my test Windows Vista PC (fully patched) in an Administrator’s login with UAC and Windows Defender turned off. I will use Microsoft Internet Explorer and it will be set to accept all cookies as well as pop-ups the security tab will be as low as I can go (medium). I will create a complete system backup so that I can refresh it to the same settings after each test. I am then going to install a single spyware blocking program and search around the web for spyware. I am then going to use a series of spyware removal programs to see what I was infected with. By comparing which programs found which spyware on my system, I will be able to see which blockers fared best. I am going to do this with as many spyware blocking programs as I can find. I am going to use the same websites in the same order to get infected and I am going to use the same spyware removal programs in the same order to see how infected my computer becomes.

Programs: I am going to test Spybot S&D with TeaTimer, Avira AntiVir Premium, AVG, MalwareBytes Anti Malware Professional, SuperAntiSpyware Professional, Spyware Terminator, and PC Tools Spyware Doctor, Windows Defender. I will add more to this list as I think of them or become aware of them.

Submission: If you have a real-time spyware blocker that is not yet on the list, please share it with me by leaving a comment HERE.

Once I have completed the test with each software I will post a short review (with screenshots). When I have concluded my tests, I will put together a monster post to compare the PROs and CONs of each program.

I can’t wait to see the results!

Thanks,
Tim, the Free Downloadable Software Fan

written by Tim \\ tags: AntiSpyware, Spyware Blockers

Avira AntiVir Personal is (in my humble opinion) the best free antivirus software available. It is what I use on my own PCs.

Description: Avira AntiVir Personal is a free antivirus program. It performs updates every day and catches a higher percentage of viruses than almost any other antivirus program. Just check the latest test results from AV-Test.org at Virus Bulletin.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP 32 and 64, Vista 32 and 64

Necessary Info: AntiVir Personal is a free antivirus program from German software manufacturer Avira. Avira consistently ranks in the top 2 or 3 in Antivirus comparison tests by AV-Test.org. Check the latest test results. Of course this is the free version of the commercial software and they want you to purchase the full version but the free version is good for at least 1 full year. I haven’t had it for a complete year yet so I am not certain what happens after the year is up but I am sure that they want you to purchase the full version.

PROs: Great antivirus software that scans every file that is opened or saved. It does not slow your PC down nearly as much as McAfee, Norton, AVG, or most of the others. It is quite lean in comparison and catches more viruses. This is a win-win situation! It updates every day to ensure that your virus definitions are as current as they can be. It can be configured to perform a virus scan every day.

CONs: If you want it to perform a virus scan every day, you have to configure it yourself. When the program updates it’s virus signatures it puts a pop-up on your desktop to encourage you to purchase the commercial version of the software. Simply click “OK” and it goes away.

Rating:

Conclusion: Avira AntiVir Personal requires less of your systems resources than most antivirus programs and catches more viruses than most of the competition. Get it. The only reason that I give it 4 thumbs instead of 5 is the pop-up that encourages you to purchase the commercial version.

Avira AntiVir Personal: Download free antivirus software HERE.

Thanks,
The Free Downloadable Software Fan

written by Tim \\ tags: 4 Thumbs-Up, Antivirus, Free Software, Security, Tech Support Software, Windows 2000, Windows Repair Software, Windows Vista, Windows XP

AutoRuns is a free software utility that allows you to control which applications start when you boot up your computer. You can download AutoRuns HERE.

Description: MSConfig on steroids.

Compatibility: Windows 2000 SP4 through Vista

Necessary Info: When I say it shown you the programs that start up, I mean It shows you EVERY single process that starts up. This is great software for solving problems and speeding up your computer.

What AutoRuns does, essentially, is scan the registry in all places where files can be started. It then lists all possible startup programs and allows you to select which startup files to prevent. You have 2 options if you want to prevent a file from starting upon boot up. You can simply click and uncheck the box with the green check mark in it or you can right-click on an entry and choose to delete it. The difference is that, though both options delete the entry, unchecking the box moves the entry to another location in the registry where it will not be run. Simply rechecking it will put the entry back in its original position and upon reboot that process will start again. If you choose to delete the process there is no easy replacement of it. Be careful.

To speed up your computer, start AutoRuns and click on the “LOGON” tab. Then remove the programs that you think aren’t necessary. BE CAREFUL! Clicking on the wrong box with this tool can prevent your computer from booting up.

When used in conjunction with Process Explorer you have much more information available to you. We will discuss process explorer at a later date.

Rating:

Conclusion: I give this program 4 out of 5 thumbs because it is great but dangerous. With great power comes great responsibility. Use this one wisely.

Download Free Software HERE.

Thanks,
The Free Downloadable Software Fan

written by Tim \\ tags: 4 Thumbs-Up, Add new tag, Computer Repair, Free Software, Registry Editor, Tech Support Software, Windows Repair Software