Ah bliss, sheer bliss, the time when we install fresh new copies of Windows and see how simple and elegant our computers are. Only to be suddenly attacked by a horde of nasty viruses and malware, performance starts becoming sloppier by the minute, internet speeds keep deprecating, and it’s back to square one – sheer bliss! Every computer needs a good assortment of software to be able to survive for vast periods of time. Heck, I still have the same Windows 7 installed which came with the PC! It’s because the software I chose to install (AND NOT INSTALL) on my computer has helped it be healthy for more than a year now.
Following is my personal list of the software I use on my computer, some are shareware but majority of them are free. Check it out as we go one by one according to the following sections:
1.SECURITY
For protection against threats and malicious activity, I use the following three products:
1. For Viruses – Avast Antivirus
Avast Antivirus has made my favorites’ list after much testing and competing. This software is free forever, of course it has a premium version with added features, but the free version has worked just fine for me! It has a pretty awesome detection rate and seriously makes sure your PC stays a 100%.
Get it at: www.Avast.com
2. For Spyware – Malwarebytes AntiMalware
Yes, THIS is THE best antispyware product out there! I have tried them all, Spyware Doctor, SpySweeper, CounterSpy, Viper, ALL OF THEM! But MalwareBytes comes out on top on account of being extremely light on RAM usage and extremely effective in detections. It has a paid version which enables the monitoring system but I personally use the free version.
Download it from: www.Malwarebytes.org
3. For USB Protection – USB Disk Security
How many people remember using “that one friend’s USB” and soon after experiencing a Windows error or total crashing of the operating system? It has happened many a times with me, especially when I plug my own USB at school and put it back in my own PC. Your USB can be your worst enemy, of course the new Sandisk USBs out right now has U3 which can operate portable antiviruses on its own. Usb Disk Security has been the best help ever. It is a USB firewall for your computer which stops autoplaying of the USB and scans it completely before letting your PC use it. It does have a trial version which expires soon after, I use the paid version which costs around $55 for a lifetime license.
Get it here: www.zbshareware.com
That is all for the security, your PC is virtually impenetrable now!
Pro-Tip: ALWAYS keep your security products up-to-date, when Avast or Malwarebytes nag you about updating the virus definitions, DO IT! They’re nagging you for a reason, for your own safety.
2.PERFORMANCE
Computers require a very maintained and clean environment to function at optimum speeds. There are a number of software out there which help you maintain just that, but there is one which comes on top of our list.
Tune-Up Utilities
This software always brings a smile to my face when it shows me that “Green Arrow” that my PC is at optimum performance. It has that famous One-Click Maintenance which scans the entire computer and cleans any dirt it might have in the registry or anywhere else. The latest version, 2011, also has a Turbo Mode for that tough time when you’ve opened up 20 tabs in your browser and Photoshop and Flash and more heavy software! This product is not free, but it can be tried without limitations for 30-days.
Get it here: www.Tune-Up.com
Pro-Tip: Even though Tune-Up has a hard disk defragment option and there are thousands of other defragmentation products out there, I will always recommend USING WINDOWS DEFAULT DEFRAGMENTATION system for maximum results.
Just keep using Tune-Up on a weekly basis and you will never use the term “SPEED THE F*CK UP!!!” to your monitor screen ever again.
3. BROWSING
Here’s where the flame wars start. I have a group of friends who love each other but hate each others’ browsers. There are two market leaders right now, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Now the thing is, both of these browsers represent different things, Firefox is more of a heavier browser, has a bigger addon library and is designed more for the power user! Chrome is a very light browser, doesn’t have as big a library as Firefox but still has sufficient addons and options. Chrome even has many Google features pre-installed such as Translator and such. Now, both of these browsers are awesome, so which one to choose?
I go with Google Chrome. The idea here is to make the PC happy, and Firefox uses too much memory (RAM) for our purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I love Firefox too. But Chrome just wins when it comes to being fast and light.
4. DOWNLOAD MANAGER
I still have those “tech-impaired friends” in college who use the default browser download manager. It is a given, browser downloaders are NOT download managers! If you want to utilize every last KB of your internet speed, you need to use a download manager. Download Accelerator used to rule these parts a decade ago, but is now a dead product. The one I recommend, and million others too is:
Internet Download Manager (IDM)
IDM is an amazing piece of work, I have a 4MB internet connection right now, and IDM makes sure I get all of or close to 400 kbps when I download anything. Compare this to the default browser downloader, it gives me 40-50kbps max. IDM is not free, but getting the license is totally worth it, it is a one-time fee of $30 and you’re all set. You can, however, try it for 30-days If you like.
Get it here: www.InternetDownloadManager.com
And you’re done, you now have a powerhouse of a PC!
The Golden Rule: KEEP EVERYTHING UP-TO-DATE!
Pro-Tip: I personally never update my Windows, I believe updating Windows just makes it heavier and more sluggish.
Now that we’re done with the utilities, let’s move on to the media side! Audio and Video players.
 5. For Music – AIMP Audio Player
AIMP is a Russian piece of engineered work. It is the lightest and most efficient audio player I’ve ever used. It is totally free and has a nice collection of skins and addons. The player’s interface is pretty tweak-friendly and can be embedded anywhere in Windows.
Download it here: www.Aimp.ru
6. For All Video Formats & DVD – HomeCinema
There are so many video formats to play, RM, Quicktime, WMV, MKV, AVI, the list goes on. There are plenty of programs that can be used for each format one by like, most people still use Real Player, this article is targeted to having a lighter more efficient PC so I would give my own personal recommendation. I use HomeCinema, a totally free and awesome video player that would play every video format known to man. It comes pre-installed with K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. Stray far away from installing stand-alone programs and just use this bundle.
Download from: www.codecguide.com
And that’s it, your PC is fully functional and highly efficient now.
Final Thoughts
Technology is not without flaws. Computers are meant to die after a certain time of usage and it’s normal if the computer starts getting sluggish after 2-3 years of use, it’s probably time to get a new processor anyway. But this article will make sure your computer performs well for the maximum amount of time possible by its hardware.
Here are some final tips for the road:
- Always keep your desktop clean, the more icons it has the slower it’ll be.
- Limit the amount of programs launching at the startup.
- Avoid installing useless programs of little value.
- Always clean your PC externally, don’t let dust settle in the CPU.
- Make sure the wiring is safe and renewed after every six months to ensure maximum security.
Did you enjoy the article? If there’s anything that you have on YOUR list and would like to add to it, please feel free to comment below. Thank you for reading.
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