Some easy to use and useful sotware to maintain your PC FREE

[thatguy]

Auslogics browser cleaner  - Lets you set home pages, search engine and select active addons for your browsers.  Nothing you can do in the browsers themselves, but many people will find it easier to use.

Auslogics reg cleaner  - Cleans your registry (windows record of settings and installed software) for errors, and fix them

Ccleaner  - Cleans up your hard drive for ya.

Defraggler - A faster and better defrag program to replace windows in built one

MAlwarebytes Antimalware - Finds and removes nasties like viruses and malware.  Even works when malware disables you AV software

Of course there are the usual AV programs such as avast, avira and AVG as well.

Feel free to add more to help those who either dont have this kind of software, or pay for it.

[Fagsareus]

thatguy wish I'd known you were a computer man ....before I tried to reset my laptop.......:-( it's not playing lol

[Mev]

Speccy is a good app too from Piriform. Advanced System Information tool for your PC.

[jeffc]

Microsoft Security Essentials, is a free download, which keeps your PC/Laptop free of virus, and mixed up registers.

Try it, you`ll see an immediate improvement in speed of your unit.

[Q]

Sept 11, 2014 23:42:49 GMT jeffc said:

Microsoft Security Essentials, is a free download, which keeps your PC/Laptop free of virus, and mixed up registers.

Try it, you`ll see an immediate improvement in speed of your unit.

I've only got one thing against that one.... the very first word

[thatguy]

Sept 11, 2014 23:53:55 GMT Q said:

Sept 11, 2014 23:42:49 GMT jeffc said:

Microsoft Security Essentials, is a free download, which keeps your PC/Laptop free of virus, and mixed up registers.

Try it, you`ll see an immediate improvement in speed of your unit.

I've only got one thing against that one.... the very first word

It's a common mis-spelling of microcrap. Even software they buy from others (such as skype) takes a nosedive once microcrap get their filthy mittens on it.  Perhaps I've seen one BSoD too many to trust them with anything more than crayons.

[robby]

CCleaner is excellent, It`s amazing how much crap you gather over a few days browsing the web, it`s not unusual for it to find half a gig of rubbish. It also has a Registry checker/cleaner which works very well, you can also disable some "Start up" programmes that you dont really need eating up resources. You can also "system restore" from there and uninstall from it. As mentioned earler, Defraggler is a excellent defrag programme.

Beware of any free programme that wants to install "free" toolbars and search engines. They are usually more trouble than they are worth

[VapingBad]

Sept 11, 2014 23:58:34 GMT thatguy said:

Sept 11, 2014 23:53:55 GMT Q said:

I've only got one thing against that one.... the very first word

It's a common mis-spelling of microcrap. Even software they buy from others (such as skype) takes a nosedive once microcrap get their filthy mittens on it.  Perhaps I've seen one BSoD too many to trust them with anything more than crayons.

You have obviously never seen Sybase SQL Server then.

[thatguy]

Sept 11, 2014 23:58:49 GMT robby said:

CCleaner is excellent, It`s amazing how much crap you gather over a few days browsing the web, it`s not unusual for it to find half a gig of rubbish. It also has a Registry checker/cleaner which works very well, you can also disable some "Start up" programmes that you dont really need eating up resources. You can also "system restore" from there and uninstall from it. As mentioned earler, Defraggler is a excellent defrag programme.

Beware of any free programme that wants to install "free" toolbars and search engines. They are usually more trouble than they are worth

AS Robby states, these "bonus" additional software packages should be given a rude finger and told not to install themselves.  Pay particular attention to download managers, search engines and other toolbars.

Fortunatly, if you do install any of these, browsercare will let you get rid of them, and if that doesn't then malwarebytes will snag them.

Long story short...read your installers, and ALWAYS refuse the installation of any additional software.

[robby]

Sept 11, 2014 23:06:22 GMT Mev said:

Speccy is a good app too from Piriform. Advanced System Information tool for your PC.

Didn`t know about that one, like it !

[thatguy]

Yup, speccy is a good way to find more info on the internals of individual components such as processors and graphics/sound cards. It is capable of displaying not only models but versions, giving valuable info on which revision of hardware components you have.

An aside... as for disabling software at startup or turning off services the START>RUN>msconfig command is a great tool to have in your aresnal(or chelsea, or spurs)

[VapingBad]

If you want some free pro (not for the causal user) windows tools: Sysinternals

[thatguy]

VapingBad trying to keep this for those who need the advice and help, the ce4 users of PCs in a way. Well all know the scary number of nasties out there, and how quickly a system can accumulate trash. Was trying to give less computer literate users a list of software that will "decrapify" and "disinfect" their systems.

And yup, Sysyinternals is a great piece of software for more experienced users.

[Ripshod]

Viruses? Don't get them.
PUPs. Don't get them.
Registry errors. Fix 'em myself.
Browser addons - manage them myself.
Firewall software? Noone needs it, you've a perfect firewall built into your router - just need to learn how to set it up.

It's all about good practice and common sense. Never had an infection - all my systems have been clean for at least 8 years.

The information is freely available on the net - and in your head.

It's a shame I haven't got the patience to teach

[leo]

Sept 11, 2014 22:54:05 GMT thatguy said:

Auslogics browser cleaner  - Lets you set home pages, search engine and select active addons for your browsers.  Nothing you can do in the browsers themselves, but many people will find it easier to use.

Auslogics reg cleaner  - Cleans your registry (windows record of settings and installed software) for errors, and fix them

Ccleaner  - Cleans up your hard drive for ya.

Defraggler - A faster and better defrag program to replace windows in built one

MAlwarebytes Antimalware - Finds and removes nasties like viruses and malware.  Even works when malware disables you AV software

Of course there are the usual AV programs such as avast, avira and AVG as well.

Feel free to add more to help those who either dont have this kind of software, or pay for it.

Some very useful software there.
Should be noted that people with SSD's (solid state drives - as found in more and more laptops these days) should not be defragging their drives. It's unecessary and can potentialy shorten the life of the SSD