Arkay
Lunatic Member
Since we are all using computers of some kind (even if they're built into phones... 
) to access AK, and computer questions come up at regular intervals, I thought I'd post about a few programs (or extensions or apps) that I've found quite useful in keeping my system going with fewer hassles than I've ever had before. If you don't know these, you might want to check them out.
OPEN DNS. This will, in many cases, improve the speed and performance of your Internet connection, while helping to add some extra firewall protection. DNS is the system that looks up and connects you to URLs, and this will bypass the service your local provider is giving, and route you through with a DNS system used by "the big boys". It's free for individuals; the larger corporate installations pay for it.
SECUNIA. This program automatically and regularly checks all the programs on your computer, to see if they are fully updated in terms of available versions, updates and patches. A lot of updates are made to correct newly-discovered weaknesses that can be exploited by viruses, hackers or malware, so this is important for a safer browsing experience. Most of the time, the programs are automatically updated in the background, but sometimes you'll be prompted when a manual install is appropriate. Secunia will give you a score after each scan, up to a perfect score of 100, which means everything is completely up-to-date. You can click through and manually correct anything that is keeping your computer less than 100 percent up-to-date, usually with one click. If you haven't been running a program like this, you'll be surprised how behind-the-times and vulnerable some of your programs may have become. The program is available for free, or at least in a free version.
GHOSTERY. This program tells you which tracking programs are being used at different websites, and can block them automatically, if you tell it to. For example, when I visit AK, I can see that my visit is being tracked by Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and SkimLinks. That's not very many; some sites like the NFL site may have around 15-20 different tracking programs in operation on one page! Since I have Ghostery set to block all such tracking (for maximum privacy about my actions online), they aren't getting any information about me. You can choose which tracking programs to allow, and which to block. Without this, you'll never know to what degree "big brother is watching"... and if you really want these things to work so they can recommend the best dildo brands for you after you accidentally visited a porno site when looking for Nude Vishays, well, you can still let them... but at least you'll know WHY you are seeing that advertisement! This one is free, too.
ADBLOCK / ADBLOCK PLUS. These are almost self-explanatory. Install them (they are browser extensions, as is Ghostery), and you'll have no more annoying pop-ups or annoyingly distracting flashing advertisements. Plus you won't accidentally click on an ad that sends you away from the page, to somewhere you don't want to be. If you are watching some ad-sponsored sites that overdo the advertising a bit, these will give you back your peace of mind when on those pages. Free.
WISE REGISTRY CLEANER. There might be a better registry cleaner out there now, but this one was free, and strikes a good balance between getting rid of everything that is safe to get rid of, while not getting rid of stuff that might cause problems. It definitely keeps the computer running better, yet has never yet caused a problem. Another free program.
CCLEANER. This is what the name suggests: a cleaner. It will clear out things like cache memory and temporary files, that can clog up your system and slow it down. There is also a "clear with one click" option, but I don't use that because a few things, like stored passwords, I like to keep; the regular version allows me to select what is cleared, and what is kept. It's freeware.
REVO UNINSTALLER. This program goes well beyond the usual "uninstall" function, and roots out all the bits and pieces that may be left behind in the registry and elsewhere, when a program is uninstalled. The best way to completely and thoroughly eradicate an unwanted program that I've found yet. Also free (Detect a pattern, here? I'm cheap!)
I probably have a few more running, that I'm not thinking of. For virus protection, I run BOTH AVAST AND MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS, and the combination not only "plays together nicely", but they also do an excellent job of keeping my computer safe from viruses. Nearly every time I've tried to click on a trojan-horse or phishing type website, they both block the site and pop up a warning, at almost the same instant. On very rare occasion, only one will catch something, so it pays to run both (since unlike most anti-virus programs, they do not conflict with each other). They update frequently but inconspicuously, and don't seem to hog resources or slow down the computer. Other programs I tried in the past (Norton, AVG, McAfee, Kaspersky) were not even remotely as good, and eventually let so many viruses in, and/or left problematic stuff behind when I deleted them, that I was very disappointed. Not so with these; they're genuinely and consistently good. I'd highly recommend running both of these together, over any one anti-virus program alone, and prefer this combination to anything else I've tried.
I have MalwareBytes, which I used to like, but I never get any Malware showing up any more with the scans (except once when I stupidly opted to install a program that I suspected was fishy, in order to watch some illegal streaming videos of copyrighted shows... :nono
, so it's basically a redundant extra, now.
I hope these suggestions can help anyone who is struggling with computer issues. I did for a long time, but these programs have kept me fully functional and smiling for over a year now, in complete contrast to every previous computer I've owned. Inevitably, they got slowed down, buggy, prone to crashes, etc... My computer now runs as well or better than when it was new, and the only time it "crashes" is when Microsoft decides it's time to do an auto-update and restart my computer, without asking me first. A lot of people must have complained about that, though, as I noticed that with/since the most recent update, it actually prompted me and let me postpone the restart until I was ready for it. (And I think you can turn off auto-updates for Win7, anyway.)
What programs, browser extensions or the like have YOU found exceptionally helpful for keeping your computer running smoothly, and would recommend?
EDIT/UPDATE: See Post #16 for an additional way to "tweak" Google Chrome for better performance, as well as getting a clearer look at what is happening "under the hood" when you are using it.
) to access AK, and computer questions come up at regular intervals, I thought I'd post about a few programs (or extensions or apps) that I've found quite useful in keeping my system going with fewer hassles than I've ever had before. If you don't know these, you might want to check them out.OPEN DNS. This will, in many cases, improve the speed and performance of your Internet connection, while helping to add some extra firewall protection. DNS is the system that looks up and connects you to URLs, and this will bypass the service your local provider is giving, and route you through with a DNS system used by "the big boys". It's free for individuals; the larger corporate installations pay for it.
SECUNIA. This program automatically and regularly checks all the programs on your computer, to see if they are fully updated in terms of available versions, updates and patches. A lot of updates are made to correct newly-discovered weaknesses that can be exploited by viruses, hackers or malware, so this is important for a safer browsing experience. Most of the time, the programs are automatically updated in the background, but sometimes you'll be prompted when a manual install is appropriate. Secunia will give you a score after each scan, up to a perfect score of 100, which means everything is completely up-to-date. You can click through and manually correct anything that is keeping your computer less than 100 percent up-to-date, usually with one click. If you haven't been running a program like this, you'll be surprised how behind-the-times and vulnerable some of your programs may have become. The program is available for free, or at least in a free version.
GHOSTERY. This program tells you which tracking programs are being used at different websites, and can block them automatically, if you tell it to. For example, when I visit AK, I can see that my visit is being tracked by Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and SkimLinks. That's not very many; some sites like the NFL site may have around 15-20 different tracking programs in operation on one page! Since I have Ghostery set to block all such tracking (for maximum privacy about my actions online), they aren't getting any information about me. You can choose which tracking programs to allow, and which to block. Without this, you'll never know to what degree "big brother is watching"... and if you really want these things to work so they can recommend the best dildo brands for you after you accidentally visited a porno site when looking for Nude Vishays, well, you can still let them... but at least you'll know WHY you are seeing that advertisement! This one is free, too.
ADBLOCK / ADBLOCK PLUS. These are almost self-explanatory. Install them (they are browser extensions, as is Ghostery), and you'll have no more annoying pop-ups or annoyingly distracting flashing advertisements. Plus you won't accidentally click on an ad that sends you away from the page, to somewhere you don't want to be. If you are watching some ad-sponsored sites that overdo the advertising a bit, these will give you back your peace of mind when on those pages. Free.
WISE REGISTRY CLEANER. There might be a better registry cleaner out there now, but this one was free, and strikes a good balance between getting rid of everything that is safe to get rid of, while not getting rid of stuff that might cause problems. It definitely keeps the computer running better, yet has never yet caused a problem. Another free program.
CCLEANER. This is what the name suggests: a cleaner. It will clear out things like cache memory and temporary files, that can clog up your system and slow it down. There is also a "clear with one click" option, but I don't use that because a few things, like stored passwords, I like to keep; the regular version allows me to select what is cleared, and what is kept. It's freeware.
REVO UNINSTALLER. This program goes well beyond the usual "uninstall" function, and roots out all the bits and pieces that may be left behind in the registry and elsewhere, when a program is uninstalled. The best way to completely and thoroughly eradicate an unwanted program that I've found yet. Also free (Detect a pattern, here? I'm cheap!
)I probably have a few more running, that I'm not thinking of. For virus protection, I run BOTH AVAST AND MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS, and the combination not only "plays together nicely", but they also do an excellent job of keeping my computer safe from viruses. Nearly every time I've tried to click on a trojan-horse or phishing type website, they both block the site and pop up a warning, at almost the same instant. On very rare occasion, only one will catch something, so it pays to run both (since unlike most anti-virus programs, they do not conflict with each other). They update frequently but inconspicuously, and don't seem to hog resources or slow down the computer. Other programs I tried in the past (Norton, AVG, McAfee, Kaspersky) were not even remotely as good, and eventually let so many viruses in, and/or left problematic stuff behind when I deleted them, that I was very disappointed. Not so with these; they're genuinely and consistently good. I'd highly recommend running both of these together, over any one anti-virus program alone, and prefer this combination to anything else I've tried.
I have MalwareBytes, which I used to like, but I never get any Malware showing up any more with the scans (except once when I stupidly opted to install a program that I suspected was fishy, in order to watch some illegal streaming videos of copyrighted shows... :nono
, so it's basically a redundant extra, now.I hope these suggestions can help anyone who is struggling with computer issues. I did for a long time, but these programs have kept me fully functional and smiling for over a year now, in complete contrast to every previous computer I've owned. Inevitably, they got slowed down, buggy, prone to crashes, etc... My computer now runs as well or better than when it was new, and the only time it "crashes" is when Microsoft decides it's time to do an auto-update and restart my computer, without asking me first. A lot of people must have complained about that, though, as I noticed that with/since the most recent update, it actually prompted me and let me postpone the restart until I was ready for it. (And I think you can turn off auto-updates for Win7, anyway.)
What programs, browser extensions or the like have YOU found exceptionally helpful for keeping your computer running smoothly, and would recommend?
EDIT/UPDATE: See Post #16 for an additional way to "tweak" Google Chrome for better performance, as well as getting a clearer look at what is happening "under the hood" when you are using it.
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