Guide to Great FREE Internet Goodies
The place to find FREE Internet resources
The Information Age has dawned on us in this day and age. No doubt the Internet has played an important role in the arrival of the Information Age. It has made communications around the world easier by connecting each of us together. Given the widespread usage of it for varying purposes, it is no wonder some may have taken the Internet for granted.
While we use the Internet regularly, we should not overlook taking care of the very device that allows us to access this global network that spans almost the entire Earth. Here is the comprehensive list of utilities which you will want to have in your computer. They act just like the immune system of your body to keep your computer in a state of good health. The best thing about them is you can get these programs for free…over the Internet.
| Anti-virus protection As the name suggests, any of these programs once installed keeps your computer free of malicious viruses. Do keep in mind to scan your computer using the software at least once every fortnight if you had not set it to do so automatically. Also configure it to routinely update its virus definition whenever new versions appear. -Grisoft: http://free.grisoft.com -Antivir Personal Edition: http://www.free-av.com -Avast Antivirus: http://www.avast.com |
| Anti-spyware
defence Have you ever encountered irritating ads that always pop up no matter which websites you access or is your web browser always redirected to a different website other than your customized homepage whenever you start it? If you answer yes to any of the questions, your web browser is likely to be infected with spywares. Utility programs below scan your hard drive for spywares ranging from viscous malware to oblivious surf-tracking cookies, and then recommend action for deleting them. Acting just like anti-virus programs, remember to set it to automatically update itself with the latest spyware definitions. -Lavasoft Ad-Aware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ -Spybot Search and Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/ -CWShredder: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html The last freeware, CWShredder, is one of the most recent spyware used specially for removing variants of the difficult-to-remove “CoolWebSearch” spyware For expert users, more information about spyware and troubleshooting can be found at http://www.spywareguide.com Tip: You can try out alternative free web browsers which are less targeted by current spywares. A highly-recommended one is Mozilla Firefox, which also lets u surf the web faster.
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| Firewall
safeguard A firewall act as a control barrier between your computer and the cyberworld by ensuring only traffic permitted by you can pass through. Most operating systems offer firewall protection but for more control these are the more popular programs you can consider. The first two are freewares but the last two are trialwares, which means the software is free to try for a limited period of time. -Comodo Firewall: http://www.comodo.com/ -Kerio Personal Firewall: http://www.kerio.com -Sygate Personal Firewall: http://www.sygate.com -ZoneAlarm: http://www.zonealarm.com |
| Upon installing a firewall, you might want to
run these two tests to see if the firewall is working
effectively a) Port-scan tests check if your computer is invisible to unauthorized users like hackers and blocks incoming attacks. Below are recommended port-scans that scan for holes in your firewalls: -Shields Up: www.grc.com -Quick Test: www.pcflank.com -Firewall test: www.auditmypc.com b) Leak Test check if undesirable data, for example passwords or personal details, are coming out from your computer lest a hacker wants to steal such information. Check out this site which bring together all the current different leak tests: www.firewallleaktester.com |
| Registry
cleaner Clean up the junk in your registry that can cause problems in your system. Run the programs using the default cleaning options which back up your registry by default before they tidy up your registry files. -Ccleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com -EasyCleaner: http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm -RegSeeker: http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm |
| Uninstaller
support The problem for most uninstaller programs and operating systems’ uninstalling function is that bits and pieces of the uninstalled application programs like DLLs (dynamic link library) and registry entries are left lying in your system. To tally remove traces of such uninstalled programs, download and run these programs: -Your Uninstaller: http://www.ursoftware.com -Advanced Uninstaller Pro: http://www.innovative-sol.com |
| Tune-up booster Lastly, this nifty program cleans up temporary files, left strewn across your hard disk. In addition to clearing up the mess in your registry, it helps your computer system by clearing the clutter and making it run faster. TuneUp: http://www.tune-up.com |
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