Programs we install on new PCs or freshly installed Windows: Part 1

Programs we install on new PCs or freshly installed Windows 07/03/2012 0 Comments This question was asked in our Yahoo Group, My Computer Headaches: Q: Is there a preferred order of doing things to secure a newly reformatted computer? I have already formatted the drive and reinstalled the OS (Windows XP Professional) and am wondering what to do next. What I am asking is what do I do to expose my unprotected PC to the internet for as little time as possible? The reason I am asking is that I have a couple of teenage stepsons and with their computer use, I feel like I should probably be familiar with reformatting and what goes with it. A: Having teens using your computer is a good reason to install programs in your computer that will minimize damage to your system caused by careless online practices by less knowledgeable users. By all means protect and secure your system to the max with software. I mostly use freeware on my Vista machine which includes an antivirus, several anti-malware, a firewall, a HIPS program (not a freeware) and several utility programs. Here are some of them: Ad-Aware Many computer owners use this anti-malware. However my recommendation: Skip this one. It is taxing to your system resources. Read reviews of users here: http://download.cnet.com/Ad-Aware-Free-Internet-Security/3000-8022_4-10045910.html MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) This is both an antivirus & antimalware from Microsoft. It is free. Forget Norton. Why spend unless you hate money. Official Site - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/default.aspx REVIEW - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2376220,00.asp#fbid=XU05xT1Lr9f Malwarebytes AntiMalware Official Site - http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free REVIEW - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363509,00.asp#fbid=XU05xT1Lr9f This tool is so fast and worthy that support people from other antivirus vendors will even suggest a check with Malwarebytes. Stick with the free version, as PCMag's tests of the Pro version indicate the "real-time protection" it offers isn't worth the money. Spybot Search & Destroy Official Site - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html This is not just an install and forget it program. It has to be updated regularly. You have to activate the immunization features too everytime you update it. You have to configure it for maximum protection. Read up on how to use it using Google. If you're still in the dark on how to use Spybot, let me know. SpywareBlaster Official Site - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html You can close this program after you update & configure it. It doesn't have to be running to give you protection. It is a silent protector. After you update it, click the "Enable Protection for All Unprotected Items". Then close it. It will protect your system in the background by immunizing it with kill bits. CCleaner Official Site - http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/ Here's a guide on how to use this program: http://www.guidingtech.com/824/ccleaner-cleanup-windows-pc/ CCleaner Enhancer Extends the reach of CCleaner by expanding its database of programs and the digital debris they leave behind. It adds support for more than 500 new programs to CCleaner. REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/CCEnhancer/3000-18512_4-11916406.html Official Site - http://thewebatom.net/software/ccenhancer/ Windows Update Update your Windows. Use Internet Explorer when doing so. Google Chrome Official Site - http://www.google.com/chrome?&brand=CHMB&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk&utm_medium=ha This is an alternative internet browser. It seems to be the fastest browser for me. a. WOT add-on Official Site - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bhmmomiinigofkjcapegjjndpbikblnp While using Google Chrome, go to the link above and install this add-on. b. McAfee SiteAdvisor Official Site - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dckheglehcdhpjkdmmmghbgkcdebhhae While using Google Chrome, go to the link above and install this extension. c. Adblock Plus Official Site - http://adblockplus.org/en/ d. Bitdefender's TrafficLight plugin Official Site - http://trafficlight.bitdefender.com/extensions.html There is a long list of 101 Best Chrome Extensions here: http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-chrome-extensions Opera Official Site - http://www.opera.com/ This is a very secure alternative (if not the most secure) browser. a. WOT add-on Official Site - http://www.mywot.com/en/download/opera While you are using OPERA, go to the above link and install WOT. b. McAfee SiteAdvisor Official Site - https://addons.opera.com/en/addons/extensions/details/mcafee-siteadvisor-for-opera/1.1-1/?display=en While you're using Opera, go to the above link and install McAfee SiteAdvisor. Firefox Don't install too many EXTENSIONS because if you do so Firefox will become sluggish. Official Site - http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ a. WOT for Firefox Official Site - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/wot-safe-browsing-tool/ Go to the site above using Firefox and install WOT. b. McAfee SiteAdvisor for Firefox Official Site - http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/windows.html Using Firefox, go to the bottom of the page and click "Download Now". Then install SiteAdvisor. c. Adblock Plus for Firefox Official Site - http://adblockplus.org/en/firefox d. Bitdefender's TrafficLight plugin Official Site - http://trafficlight.bitdefender.com/extensions.html Bitdefender's TrafficLight can also be installed in Safari browser. For tips and suggestions on which extensions or plugins would be useful to you, go to this page: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=ie7&q=best+most+useful+firefox+extensions&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:{referrer:source?}&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7TSHB_en I use the Firefox extensions Adblock Plus, Better JTV, Video DownloadHelper and a few others. Better JTV makes chatting in Justin TV a better experience. If you do not go to Justin TV, then there's really no need for Better JTV. There are a couple of versions of Better JTV: For Chrome - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/njnnheckmeppnahikljofploeeodidhj For Firefox - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/better-jtv/ A similar extension/addon is Extreme JTV: For Chrome - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jnelmgfndgoanoffkkkacajkhogifonh For Firefox - http://www.jtvdev.com/addon.php Vixy Freecorder Official Site - http://vixy.net/ This is an alternative to the Firefox extension Video DownloadHelper which is used to download embedded videos in any website like YouTube. When you install it it adds a toolbar to both Firefox and Internet Explorer. You have to first watch the video you are interested in before you can download it. To learn more on how to use Freecorder proceed to http://applian.com/freecorder4/help.php#youtube. Freecorder is very easy to use. Firewall Every version of Windows after XP SP2 has a software firewall. If you like to use a third-party firewall, you can try Comodo Personal Firewall. Comodo Internet Security combines the well-regarded Comodo Firewall with their antivirus and anti-spyware programs and a system monitor to create a comprehensive and free Internet security solution. The Comodo Firewall remains the strongest part of the package, and it beats all comers in the most demanding testing we found. The rest of the suite draws mixed reactions. If you only want the Comodo Firewall, you can choose to install that on its own. Select the "Firewall only" configuration during installation. Make sure to enable rule creation in 'firewall behavior settings' (so you can modify program rules later). Comodo Personal Firewall Download Links http://majorgeeks.com/Comodo_Personal_Firewall_d5033.html http://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/firewall.php Comodo Internet Security Review - http://download.cnet.com/Comodo-Internet-Security/3000-2239_4-10460704.html ZoneAlarm Free has gotten terrible reviews here from users: http://download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm-Free-Firewall/3000-10435_4-10039884.html I would not recommend it. Early users are getting BSOD. You can improve protection by using a hardware "firewall" (such as a router) and a software firewall in conjunction. Modern routers usually have a built-in firewall; consult your router documentation for more details. You can find other good software firewalls here: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm VLC (VideoLAN) Official Site - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ This player plays just about every video format. VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols. Microsoft Silverlight Official Site - http://www.microsoft.com/getsilverlight/Get-Started/Install/Default.aspx This is a powerful tool for creating and delivering rich Internet applications and media experiences on the Web. Netflix uses Silverlight. TeraCopy (get the FREE VERSION; there's a payware PRO version also) REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/TeraCopy/3000-2248_4-10671835.html Official Site - http://www.codesector.com/teracopy.php TeraCopy is a compact program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed, providing the user with a lot of features. Foobar2000 This is an advanced free audio player. The days of Winamp are long past. For audiophiles with massive music libraries, foobar2000 is the chosen alternative to the memory-intensive iTunes organizer. Created by a former Winamp developer, foobar2000 has won the hearts and minds of savvy album collectors with its highly customizable interface, comprehensive audio format support (including OGG, Flac, and AAC), and gapless playback. There's even a rich SDK for third party coders to tinker with to add more functionality. Sure beats sorting through all your music in long playlist. REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Foobar2000/3000-2139_4-10235595.html Official Site - http://www.foobar2000.org/ Other Recommended Audio Players These players are some of the best media players you can find. PotPlayer - http://www.dvbsupport.net/download/index.php?act=view&id=230 This is Gizmo's new King of Media Players. KMPlayer - http://download.cnet.com/KMPlayer/3000-13632_4-10659939.html SPlayer - http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,82850/description.html JetAudio Basic - http://download.cnet.com/JetAudio-Basic/3000-2141_4-10013740.html Adobe Flash Player Official Site - http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ Go to the link above USING EACH of your INTERNET BROWSER. IOW, if you have Google Chrome, go to the link above and install the player. Then close it. Next, go to the link above using Internet Explorer then install the player. ETC... JAVA Official Site - http://java.com/en/download/chrome.jsp?locale=en If you have older versions of JAVA, uninstall ALL of THEM (you might have multiple versions installed). Then download the latest version and install it. PDF-XChange Viewer REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/PDF-XChange-Viewer/3000-10743_4-10598377.html Official Site - http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer Download Page - http://www.tracker-software.com/product/downloads Dexpot Official Site - http://dexpot.de/index.php?lang=en REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Dexpot/3000-2346_4-10580780.html Creates multiple desktops. Soluto Official Site - http://www.soluto.com/ REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Soluto/3000-18512_4-75446583.html What makes this an unusual free program is it's an ANTI-FRUSTRATION software. It can speed up system boot & fix system slowdowns. It monitors your PC to find the things that are likely most annoying to users. For example, it tracks down printing problems, crashy apps, resource hogs — all the good stuff. That alone is interesting. But more interesting is that it offers up solutions for how you can fix your computer issues. And the data they’re (anonymously) collecting about PC problems should be useful across a range of industries and services. Peerblock Official Site - http://www.peerblock.com/ REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/PeerBlock/3000-10435_4-75328692.html This can block communications with other undesirable computers or even entire countries. They can't get into your computer. CintaNotes Official Site - http://cintanotes.com/ REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/CintaNotes/3000-2351_4-75173018.html A free, lightweight & user-friendly notes manager. Freemake Video & audio converters Official Site - http://www.freemake.com/ REVIEW - http://lifehacker.com/5600735/freemake-is-a-rmarkably-simple-yet-feature+filled-video-converter-and-editor RevoUninstaller REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html Download Link - http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html (do not choose the PRO version; download the FREEWARE version) Here's a guide on how to use this program: http://www.guidingtech.com/457/revo-uninstaller/ Recuva Official Site - http://www.piriform.com/recuva Recuva is an excellent software to recover deleted files. Why do you need it now? That's because there's a lot of deleting and uninstalling happening with CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, PC Decrapifier and all. If you suddenly delete something that you shouldn't, and then want to recover it, you would have this tool to fall back on. From start to finish, Recuva holds your hand through the process of getting your data back with a user-friendly Wizard. The first prompt asks what type of files you're looking for (pictures, music, documents, video, or all files), followed by where you want Recuva to look. If you don't know, select 'I'm not sure' and Recuva will rummage through your entire computer. Alternately, you can limit searches to the Recycle Bin, My Documents, a media card, or any other specific location you specify. This tutorial on using Recuva will provide more information on using this tool: http://www.guidingtech.com/2154/recover-deleted-files-recuva/ System Repair/Recovery Disk (for Win 7) You should follow this tutorial to create one: http://www.guidingtech.com/3816/system-repair-recovery-disc-windows-7/ EASEUS Partition Master Official Site - http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm The personal edition of the tool is free. EASEUS partition manager is a nifty tool to create and manage disk partitions on Windows systems. Even if you created partitions during the setup process, and know how to use the disk management console to create partitions, I'd recommend you download and keep this tool. That's because it offers some amazing features like resize, merge or split partitions, convert FAT to NTFS, convert primary partition to logical and vice versa, and much more. PC Decrapifier Official Site - http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/home Most of the branded laptops and desktops come bloated with proprietary (and useless) software which you should get rid of if you want your computer to function properly in the long run. Hence the old and trusted PC Decrapifier becomes a must-install software for new Windows computer owners to weed out junk software and make space for better stuff. Here's a guide on cleaning up a new PC with PC Decrapifier: http://www.guidingtech.com/1416/clean-up-new-system-pc-decrapifier/ Macrium Reflect or Windows Backup and Restore Official Site - http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Macrium-Reflect-Free/3000-2242_4-10845728.html Windows backup & restore center may not be available in all editions of Windows. A worthy, and more powerful alternative is Macrium Reflect. Use it to create an initial system image, and for other such tasks as you start using your new PC. Here's a guide on how to use this program: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/7363/macrium-reflect-is-a-free-and-easy-to-use-backup-utility/ Other alternative free drive imaging programs are discussed here: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm Paragon Backup and Recovery (Advanced) Free edition is Gizmo's top pick as mentioned in the above link. How to create a system image using the built-in Windows backup and restore center: http://www.guidingtech.com/5382/system-image-windows/ Ninite Official Site - http://ninite.com/ REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Ninite/3000-20432_4-10972595.html Ninite will cover the "how to install" part when installing new stuff on your PC. This all-in-one installer lets you pick software and install them at one go. Ninite currently includes 58 freeware and shareware applications in 12 categories. Select which programs you'd like then just Click Get Installer and Ninite will package all the software installers in a single installer and install them all automatically. Here's a guide on batch-installing programs with Ninite: http://www.guidingtech.com/1369/how-to-batch-install-programs-on-your-pc-with-ninite/ A similar program is InstallPad: http://installpad.com/ A guide on how to use it is here: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/maximum_pcs_32_totally_essential_apps?page=0,6 Secunia PSI Official Site - http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/ Every geek knows to make sure that the OS and browser is updated but what about the version of Flash, Java or QuickTime that you're running? Not to mention the dozens of other applications that you have installed. Secunia.com's Personal Software Inspector tracks a massive amount of security exploits in applications and will monitor your PC for known exploits. If one is found, it will point you to any known patch. Even among our paranoid members we have yet to find a machine that PSI didn't find something with an exploit. Audacity Official Site - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Planning on recording your own podcast (and who isn't, these days?) or creating a customized ringtone from your favorite dance song? You'll need Audacity, the best free audio editor on the internet. Audacity lets you drop in audio files of any format (or record from any hardware source) to cut, copy, and add to an unlimited number of tracks to mix. Built-in effects and pitch adjustment let you manipulate your samples, and you can output your compositions at up to 96kHz. Glary Utilities Official Site - http://www.glaryutilities.com/ REVIEW - http://download.cnet.com/Glary-Utilities/3000-2094_4-10508531.html The installer will attempt to install the ASK toolbar by default; to avoid installing this requires a manual double opt-out during installation: unchecking option box #2 first, then option box #1 (simply unchecking #1 still allows #2 changes to your search). Here's a video on how to use Glary Utilities:  Gizmo's Freeware lists alternative to Glary Utilities here: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-pc-tune-up-utility.htm Glary DiskSpeedup Official Site - http://www.glarysoft.com/products/utilities/disk-speedup/ Instead of using the builtin Windows defragger, install this freeware from Glary. After using this freeware to defrag your hard drive, use this same software to Optimize (click the drop-down menu). This program is very fast. I have tried several defragging tools and so far this is the fastest one I tested. WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) http://windirstat.info/ Have you ever sorted a folder by file size, hoping to track down a hard disk hog, only to be frustrated by the fact that Windows doesn't let you see the size of nested folders' contents?  WinDirStat is an application which analyzes the composition of your hard drive, allowing you to identify which files are eating up your disk space. It presents this information in a size-ordered directory view, or as a colorful treemap, making it a snap to see exactly what is using up your hard drive space. Once you've figured out which files are taking up more than their fair share of your drive, you can get rid of them with WinDirStat's built-in cleanup operations. Here's a screenshot of its interface: http://windirstat.info/images/windirstat.jpg Foxit PDF Reader http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/ Acrobat Reader, as a program and browser plugin, is notoriously cumbersome and drains not only your time but gobs of memory as well. That's why I prefer Foxit Reader, a free lightweight application that weights in only at 3MB. The program launches with the speediness of a roadrunner, and gives you access to welcome features like text extraction and comment annotation. Just be careful when you install Foxit to uncheck the Ask.com toolbar and eBay icon options. GIMP  Official Site - http://www.gimp.org/ When it comes to image manipulation, there's really only two options right now: Photoshop and GIMP. GIMP doesn't quite capture the usability and polish of Adobe's offering, but where it does beat Photoshop is in price—totally free and open source is a whole lot easier on the pocketbook than the $700 or so that a legal copy of Photoshop will run you. And even if it's not totally perfect, GIMP is full-featured enough for almost any photo manipulation needs you might have. Video Card & Motherboard Drivers Install the video card drivers (normally comes in an installation CD) and the motherboard drivers (chipset - all mobo drivers usually come in one installation CD...choose everything that applies to your motherboard). RipBot264 Download & Info Site - http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=127611 Ripping Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs used to be a perplexing affair, requiring multiple applications and hours upon hours of ripping, demuxing, transcoding, and remuxing before finally, often as not, you ended up with a file that was broken somehow. RipBot264 has made the high-def ripping game much, much easier. Install the application, as well as the three helper apps it requires, and you'll be up and ripping your Blu-ray collection in no time flat. While it's not as easy to use as Handbrake, we've found you typically get better results because the app uses a more recent version of the X264 codec than Handbrake does. While it's definitely not perfect (RipBot264 lacks an easy way to convert on-disc subtitles to a format that works with ripped video), but it's the easiest Blu-ray ripping app we've tested. Here's a guide on how to rip blu-ray discs: http://gizmodo.com/5161848/how-to-rip-blu+ray-discs Virtualdub Official Site - http://www.virtualdub.org/  Need to capture or process raw video from your digital camcorder? Virtualdub is the go-to application for converting AVI files into a large number of encoded formats and container packages. You won't be able to mix or significantly edit video files like you can with Adobe Premiere or even Windows Movie Maker, but for quick capture and encoding of your family vacation, look no further than Virtualdub. TinySpell Official Site - http://tinyspell.numerit.com/ Firefox already offers built-in spellcheck for text windows and forms, but what about every other Windows app? TinySpell is a free spell checker that monitors your text input in any program (including any words copied to the clipboard), and gives you replacement suggestions from its database of 110,000 words. The free version, unfortunately, doesn't give you a visual indicator of your typos (like a red underline). Instead, your mistakes are pointed out with an audio cue, which we eventually found to be a bit too annoying to keep on all the time. Maybe it's training us to be better spellers. AutoHotkey Official Site - http://www.autohotkey.com/ This saves time spent on repetitive typing, prevents typos & makes logging into sites a breeze. KeyScrambler Official Site - http://www.qfxsoftware.com/ KeyScrambler is an anti-keylogging program that encrypts user keystrokes at the keyboard driver level, deep in the operating system. The scrambled keys are indecipherable while they travel to the destination app so that no keylogger can steal your passwords or other crucial information.  See Part 2 for continuation.