Software you just must have

15lsp

my must have software is

adobe creative suite 2
quark
suitcase
macromedia 8
safari
itunes
toast
eye tv
word

I use these everyday and I would be lost without them... sad but true!

Quincy_3

Internet Explorer
Opera
Firefox
Sharp Handset Manager
Audacity
CCleaner
Ulead Programs
Xara Programs
UBCD
Sygate
AVG
AdAware
Common Sense

Gizmoleeds Is it the same one I use Media Player Classic thats bundled
within the K-Lite Codec Pack

T4i

Opera
Thunderbird
Winrar
Nero
Office
Winamp 2.71
MSN 7.5
CCleaner
Paint Shop Pro X
PowerDVD
Newsleecher
Quickpar
CuteFTP
InternetCalls
Quicktime/Real Alternative
Kerio Firewall
Daemon Tools
Ad-Aware SE
SpywareGuard
SypwareBlaster
Redshift 4

windym_2

sevlow wrote:

My PC came with a utility accessed by pressing F10 during boot up. This then provides the option for a "clean" installation of XP(i.e the PC is restored to the state when purchased) or you can opt to keep a copy of your current set up - in which case your pc is restored but this time with a folder containing a copy of your drive including windows, programmes and my docs.

Is there a way of establishing if I have this option on my PC? Its a MESH.

Quincy_3

windym wrote:

Is there a way of establishing if I have this option on my PC? Its a MESH.

No........ and please start another thread for your setup as it may become confusing, I expect that you have a restore CD that does the same job.

tomd84

T4i wrote:

Opera
Thunderbird
Winrar
Nero
Office
Winamp 2.71
MSN 7.5
CCleaner
Paint Shop Pro X
PowerDVD
Newsleecher
Quickpar
CuteFTP
InternetCalls
Quicktime/Real Alternative
Kerio Firewall
Daemon Tools
Ad-Aware SE
SpywareGuard
SypwareBlaster
Redshift 4

Ive been looking at spyware Guard, but if you use that with a virus scanner wont it start to slow your computer down noticably if you have more then one real time scanner activated?

Thanks Tom :-)

T4i

tomd84 wrote:

Ive been looking at spyware Guard, but if you use that with a virus scanner wont it start to slow your computer down noticably if you have more then one real time scanner activated?

Thanks Tom :-)

Not sure, I don't have any virus software running as it annoys me! Anti-Virus is a great idea, but it doesn't do anything for me, apart from take up resources - which for some reason I don't like.

Not done bad either, not had a virus since about 98-99 when I first got BB and went mad on the net not really knowing where/what I was looking at. I've even got my OH using the net without any problems (now that's class)

tomd84

T4i wrote:

Not sure, I don't have any virus software running as it annoys me! Anti-Virus is a great idea, but it doesn't do anything for me, apart from take up resources - which for some reason I don't like.

Not done bad either, not had a virus since about 98-99 when I first got BB and went mad on the net not really knowing where/what I was looking at. I've even got my OH using the net without any problems (now that's class)

But surly you do the odd virus scan using online tools now and then?

Thanks Tom :-)

sevlow

Thanks for all the comments. Over the last 48 hours I have set about loading the best security & browser client software I could find on a clean XP installation. During the process I have tried lots of applications and have formed some opinions on what's the best - at least for my requirements.

Of course I have no means of comparing the relative merits of individual applications in terms of there measured abilty, so I spent some time googling with the intention of getting the "best of breed"(BOB) Firewall, Virus Protection, Internet Clean Up Utility and, anti - spyware and browser.

I am not going to list all the trial products I installed - but one common theme emerged after many hours of experimentation.

Conclusion - BOB HAS NO FRIENDS!

I was unable (without any limit on the amount of money I would have had to spend to purchase the 30day trials I was testing) to get ANY applications to work togethor without conflicts and system crashes. So I could load and run a Firewall but within 10 minutes of adding VP my system would crash. You could almost see from the application alerts that the products seemed to be competing - with the distinction between one application and the next being blurred.

I thefore had no alternative to look at bundled suites of apps from one software house. And the WINNER for me is Zone Alarm Security. It works, it's stable and gives you the minnimum amount of fuss and bother. From what I have read the Firewall is top notch but the VP lags behind the best, however they are updating this component mid 2006.

I have been a Firefox convert for over a year but decided to give Opera a try after a comment in an earlier post. So far I am impressed - comparable with FFox, probably faster and leaner. I have also installed it on an older Win2k laptop where it works a treat.

Incidenly I have also opted for a free VP application to trial on the Win2K laptop - Bitdefender V8. The retail version (9) gets great reviews and the Scan on Demand V8 offering seems to do a great job.

I also decided to "upgrade" to XP service pack 2. As my PC was now clean except from the security apps just mentioned I guessed it would be an ideal time to get updated. But God what a pain. Took damn ages and on several occassions my Pc crashed during or just after installation. It took 4 attempts any many hours to finally move to SP2. I'll post latter on long term stability.

My main reason to move to SP2 (as I did not need the inbuilt security measures) was so that I could try Windows Media Player 11(beta). Reviews look promising and I want to compare it with the current versions and Winamp etc. again I'll post on this soon.

Let me know if your experiances are similar or if you want me to try a product I may have missed.

IvanOpinion

sevlow, you would have been better upgrading to SP2 immediately after doing an XP install and before loading anything else. I have found that trying to run some modern applications on pre-SP2 is a waste of time (which might explain your problems). I have managed to get SP2 loaded on top of fully loaded systems but they have always been a bit flakey whereas when loaded onto a clean XP install the systems seem much more stable.

Ivan