Note: I now recommend the LibreOffice (LO) suite over OpenOffice.org (OO.o) due to improved performance and licensing issues. LO is a fork of OO.o and is on a faster development track.
Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, and OpenOffice.org are roughly equivalent-- like MS Office, OpenOffice.org is a suite of applications. The main parts of each suite are similar: a word processor (MS Word vs. OpenOffice.org Writer), a spreadsheet (MS Excel vs. OpenOffice.org Calc), and presentation software (MS PowerPoint vs. OpenOffice.org Impress). The difference? OpenOffice.org is free of cost and open source software-- MS Office is neither free nor open. OpenOffice.org is also cross-platform--versions are available for Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and others.
One has to wonder why school systems (especially in low-income areas) continue to teach Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office. Many students' families may have problems being able to afford MS Office packages costing between $100 and $350 (and more). For these users (and most others) a free equivalent like OpenOffice.org begins to look pretty good.
To a considerable extent, once you have learned any word processor, that knowledge is useful for any similar program. In fact, most Windows-using beginners would be well-served by starting with the WordPad application included with Windows and working up from there-- especially when differences between the different versions of MS Office are taken into account.
Read the full article here (My Articles page).
Go to my relevant download links page.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, May 23, 2009
"Cleanup on Drive C, Track 56"
(Revised 23-April-2013)
One of the main problems with Microsoft Windows (besides the issue of malware in general) is the accumulation of detritus of several types. This leads to a typical Windows installation slowing down over time, as well as potential security threats. Microsoft supplies a Disk Cleanup utility as part of Windows—but that doesn't solve the entire problem.
The Windows Registry is a well-known single-point-of-failure issue for all versions of Windows. Not only is this group of files an index to the entire Windows installation; it also stores settings, serial numbers, program keys, and individual program installation information. A cluttered, fragmented, and disorganized Registry can lead to slowdowns and weird errors. For several years, a number of companies have provided "free" Registry cleaners, but until now most of them would report, say, 800 errors--then only fix a dozen or so unless you pay for the software.
This has changed in recent times. There are now a number of free software suites that will do the job of the Disk Cleanup utility, do it better and also provide a useful Registry clean-and-repair and (in some cases) a basic malware scan. This article will briefly discuss three of these suites, along with an easy-to-use Registry-backup tool. The three suites discussed here use somewhat different techniques for checking and cleaning the Windows Registry—so running each of them sequentially works well. For safety's sake, we'll start with the Registry-backup tool.
There are those that say that Registry clean-up makes no difference in performance. I know otherwise—here's an example: I had a Windows XP PC that took ten minutes to boot up, fifteen minutes to shut down, and nearly half an hour to load the "installed programs" list. After performing the following procedure, all was well.I want to stress this important tip: before you make any changes to the Windows Registry, be it by manually editing it with RegEdit or by cleaning it with any tool, a bit of preparation is in order. I back up the Registry with a free tool called ERUNT (The Emergency Recovery Utility NT), which makes backing up and restoring the Windows Registry files extremely easy. The ERUNT package also includes NTRegOpt (The NT Registry Optimizer) a Registry optimizer which I will discuss last.
Note: ERUNT works just fine under Windows Vista and Windows 7. Just right-click the program icon and select Run as Administrator. You can make this change permanent by right-clicking on the program icon and selecting the Compatibility tab, then checking the Run as Administrator box.
I now usually start with the Comodo PC TuneUp. I use it primarily for its Registry-cleaner mode, though the other included tools are useful too.
Next is the Glary Utilities. This suite seems (to me) to be the safest for the average end user, especially in the default 1-Click Maintenance mode—it's quick, effective, and seems to not remove stuff that the user actually wants to keep.
Last on this short list is CCleaner. If you are using more than one package, I would skip the Cleaner function and go straight for the Registry Integrity part. If you do use the Cleaner, carefully look over the Windows and Applications tabs to ensure that you save (for example) your cookies, history, or anything else that you don't want to delete by checking or unchecking the appropriate boxes as needed.
Note: Users of any of these utilities will benefit from running their Registry cleaners multiple times. This is because certain Registry errors can be masked by other errors.
In summary, all users will benefit from using all three to clean the Registry, since each will find issues that the others miss.
To wrap things up after cleanup, I reboot the affected system. I then run ERUNT again to get a snapshot of the newly-cleaned-up Windows Registry. I recommend adding the letter "a" to the end of the directory name to prevent overwriting the earlier backup and to distinguish the first version from the newer version. Now it's time to run the second utility in the ERUNT package, NTRegOpt. After optimization, reboot again then use ERUNT to create a third backup of the Registry with the letter "b" at the end of the dir-name (you can delete the first two backups later, if you wish).
The overall process takes longer to describe than it does to implement, it sure beats repeated reinstallation of Windows—and it's just as effective.
Links:
One of the main problems with Microsoft Windows (besides the issue of malware in general) is the accumulation of detritus of several types. This leads to a typical Windows installation slowing down over time, as well as potential security threats. Microsoft supplies a Disk Cleanup utility as part of Windows—but that doesn't solve the entire problem.
The Windows Registry is a well-known single-point-of-failure issue for all versions of Windows. Not only is this group of files an index to the entire Windows installation; it also stores settings, serial numbers, program keys, and individual program installation information. A cluttered, fragmented, and disorganized Registry can lead to slowdowns and weird errors. For several years, a number of companies have provided "free" Registry cleaners, but until now most of them would report, say, 800 errors--then only fix a dozen or so unless you pay for the software.
This has changed in recent times. There are now a number of free software suites that will do the job of the Disk Cleanup utility, do it better and also provide a useful Registry clean-and-repair and (in some cases) a basic malware scan. This article will briefly discuss three of these suites, along with an easy-to-use Registry-backup tool. The three suites discussed here use somewhat different techniques for checking and cleaning the Windows Registry—so running each of them sequentially works well. For safety's sake, we'll start with the Registry-backup tool.
There are those that say that Registry clean-up makes no difference in performance. I know otherwise—here's an example: I had a Windows XP PC that took ten minutes to boot up, fifteen minutes to shut down, and nearly half an hour to load the "installed programs" list. After performing the following procedure, all was well.I want to stress this important tip: before you make any changes to the Windows Registry, be it by manually editing it with RegEdit or by cleaning it with any tool, a bit of preparation is in order. I back up the Registry with a free tool called ERUNT (The Emergency Recovery Utility NT), which makes backing up and restoring the Windows Registry files extremely easy. The ERUNT package also includes NTRegOpt (The NT Registry Optimizer) a Registry optimizer which I will discuss last.
Note: ERUNT works just fine under Windows Vista and Windows 7. Just right-click the program icon and select Run as Administrator. You can make this change permanent by right-clicking on the program icon and selecting the Compatibility tab, then checking the Run as Administrator box.
I now usually start with the Comodo PC TuneUp. I use it primarily for its Registry-cleaner mode, though the other included tools are useful too.
Next is the Glary Utilities. This suite seems (to me) to be the safest for the average end user, especially in the default 1-Click Maintenance mode—it's quick, effective, and seems to not remove stuff that the user actually wants to keep.
Last on this short list is CCleaner. If you are using more than one package, I would skip the Cleaner function and go straight for the Registry Integrity part. If you do use the Cleaner, carefully look over the Windows and Applications tabs to ensure that you save (for example) your cookies, history, or anything else that you don't want to delete by checking or unchecking the appropriate boxes as needed.
Note: Users of any of these utilities will benefit from running their Registry cleaners multiple times. This is because certain Registry errors can be masked by other errors.
In summary, all users will benefit from using all three to clean the Registry, since each will find issues that the others miss.
To wrap things up after cleanup, I reboot the affected system. I then run ERUNT again to get a snapshot of the newly-cleaned-up Windows Registry. I recommend adding the letter "a" to the end of the directory name to prevent overwriting the earlier backup and to distinguish the first version from the newer version. Now it's time to run the second utility in the ERUNT package, NTRegOpt. After optimization, reboot again then use ERUNT to create a third backup of the Registry with the letter "b" at the end of the dir-name (you can delete the first two backups later, if you wish).
The overall process takes longer to describe than it does to implement, it sure beats repeated reinstallation of Windows—and it's just as effective.
Links:
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Optical Drives, explained
Here is one of those hardware posts I warned you about -- but there's method to my madness (or is it madness to my method?). I bring up this subject because most commercial software comes on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM discs -- and I often distribute free-software compilations on CDs that I write myself (I write the discs, not the software). Live-Linux CDs and DVDs are another related item.
In June of 1985 I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. Atari introduced its new Atari ST series -- but the item that most interested me was the CD-ROM drive add-on that was being shown with it. The only demonstration CD they had at that time was the first edition of Grolier's Encyclopedia. When I discovered that a CD-ROM disc could hold 640 megabytes (MB) of data, I was amazed (then-current small business/consumer-grade hard drives at the time maxed out at about 40 MB). I knew that big changes were coming at last (I had discussed the possibilities of CD and LaserDisc data storage with an engineer about 6 years earlier).
All the drives and discs I will be talking about share the same form factors (standardized size and shape) and are backward-compatible with earlier types; this means that a Blu-Ray burner will read (and write) CDs and DVDs as well. With the right software, media discs (audio and movies) can be played on the attached PC. There are different drive form factors for desktop and laptop PCs; within each class the drives are usually interchangeable. Due to physical (size) limitations, laptop drives read and write discs at a somewhat slower rate than desktop drives. For this reason, and to reduce wear-and-tear on the internal drive, I often use an external USB-connected drive with a laptop.
Each generation of discs and drives has held more data than the previous generation. CD capacity is 640 MB to 700 MB (depending on discs). DVD capacity is 4.7 gigabytes (GB) for a single-layer disc, 8.5 GB for a dual-layer disc. Blu-ray discs hold 25 GB on a single-layer disc, 50 GB on a dual-layer disc. There are indications that a next-generation Blu-ray disc may hold as much as 200 GB on a single CD-sized platter.
Typical 50-100 quantity prices for writable media range from about 15 cents for a blank CD-R, to 25-50 cents for a single-layer blank DVD, $1.50-$2 for a dual-layer blank DVD, up to $8-$15 for a single-layer Blu-Ray BD-R disc, and $25-$30 for a dual-layer BD-R disc (1-25 quantity). I expect the BD-R media prices will come down over time when the volume ramps up -- when I first got my CD burner, 4x blanks were about $1.50 each. There may be more about the optical media itself in a future installment.
The first iteration was the CD-ROM drive. Starting out at a read-rate of 1x (the same speed as an audio CD, about 150 kilobits-per-second), speeds soon ramped up. Microsoft's MS-DOS soon had an add-on that allowed DOS to read the CD file system, as did most other computer operating systems at the time. Current desktop optical ROM drives read (transfer data from) CDs at a 48x-52x rate -- but very few (if any) CD-ROM-only drives are currently being manufactured.
Compatibility: CDs (older drives -- those manufactured prior to 1998 -- will probably not be able to read CD-R or CD-RW discs).
Next was the DVD-ROM drive, introduced in 1997. Starting out at a read-rate of 1x (the same speed as a DVD movie, which is about 4x faster than a 1x audio CD) it, too, quickly ramped up in speed. Current optical ROM drives read DVDs at a 16x-20x rate.
Compatibility: CDs & DVDs (older drives manufactured prior to 1998 may not be able to read writable media: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R/RW, or DVD+R/RW discs). A new DVD-ROM drive will set you back about $20-25.
At about the same time as the DVD-ROM was introduced came the CD "burner" (writer) drive. As CD write speeds ramped up above about 8X, a problem became evident -- the computer could not always transfer data to the drive consistently and the data interruption (known as buffer underrun) led to write failures. Sanyo developed what is now referred to as buffer underrun protection (sometimes called BURN-proof) -- all current writable drives (and the software for them) keep track of where they are on the disc during the write process and can pick up where they left off if the buffer (internal temporary storage memory) empties during a write cycle. Current optical ROM drives write (transfer data to) CDs at up to a 48x-52x rate.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs. A new CD-writer drive will cost about $20 -- I paid nearly $300 for my first 4x CD writer in 1999. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
It was not long before a DVD-ROM drive was combined with a CD writer to make what is now called a combo drive, with all the features of both. These have mostly been superseded by full-featured DVD writers.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs and read all DVDs. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
Next came the DVD burner. First-generation drives wrote DVD+R/RW and CD-R/RW only; DVD-R/RW drives and discs soon followed from a different industry consortium and could burn CDs as well. In general, the + and - drives could read (but not write) each others' discs. Current DVD writers are +/- write-compatible, but check the front-panel markings on a particular drive to ensure it will write the discs you feed it. Current desktop DVD-writer drives write single-layer discs at 16x-20x; Current laptop DVD-writer drives write single-layer discs at 6x-8x. Dual-layer discs are written at 4-8x depending on the type of drive and the media used.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs and read all DVDs. DVD write-compatibility varies with the drive; newer drives (since about 2004) write all types. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
The newest optical-disc formats are HD-DVD and Blu-ray, though the HD-DVD format has already fallen by the wayside (much to the chagrin of Microsoft). There are Blu-ray combo drives that add Blu-ray ROM and movie-reading capabilities to a DVD-burner drive.
The pinnacle of the optical-drive heap is the Blu-ray writer drive. Current Blu-ray writers can write BD-R media at up to 8x, which is a whopping 288 megabits (Mb) per second -- a nearly 2000 times faster data-transfer rate than a 1x CD at 150 kilobits (kb) per second.Compatibility: read/write all CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray media.
In June of 1985 I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. Atari introduced its new Atari ST series -- but the item that most interested me was the CD-ROM drive add-on that was being shown with it. The only demonstration CD they had at that time was the first edition of Grolier's Encyclopedia. When I discovered that a CD-ROM disc could hold 640 megabytes (MB) of data, I was amazed (then-current small business/consumer-grade hard drives at the time maxed out at about 40 MB). I knew that big changes were coming at last (I had discussed the possibilities of CD and LaserDisc data storage with an engineer about 6 years earlier).
All the drives and discs I will be talking about share the same form factors (standardized size and shape) and are backward-compatible with earlier types; this means that a Blu-Ray burner will read (and write) CDs and DVDs as well. With the right software, media discs (audio and movies) can be played on the attached PC. There are different drive form factors for desktop and laptop PCs; within each class the drives are usually interchangeable. Due to physical (size) limitations, laptop drives read and write discs at a somewhat slower rate than desktop drives. For this reason, and to reduce wear-and-tear on the internal drive, I often use an external USB-connected drive with a laptop.
Each generation of discs and drives has held more data than the previous generation. CD capacity is 640 MB to 700 MB (depending on discs). DVD capacity is 4.7 gigabytes (GB) for a single-layer disc, 8.5 GB for a dual-layer disc. Blu-ray discs hold 25 GB on a single-layer disc, 50 GB on a dual-layer disc. There are indications that a next-generation Blu-ray disc may hold as much as 200 GB on a single CD-sized platter.
Typical 50-100 quantity prices for writable media range from about 15 cents for a blank CD-R, to 25-50 cents for a single-layer blank DVD, $1.50-$2 for a dual-layer blank DVD, up to $8-$15 for a single-layer Blu-Ray BD-R disc, and $25-$30 for a dual-layer BD-R disc (1-25 quantity). I expect the BD-R media prices will come down over time when the volume ramps up -- when I first got my CD burner, 4x blanks were about $1.50 each. There may be more about the optical media itself in a future installment.
The first iteration was the CD-ROM drive. Starting out at a read-rate of 1x (the same speed as an audio CD, about 150 kilobits-per-second), speeds soon ramped up. Microsoft's MS-DOS soon had an add-on that allowed DOS to read the CD file system, as did most other computer operating systems at the time. Current desktop optical ROM drives read (transfer data from) CDs at a 48x-52x rate -- but very few (if any) CD-ROM-only drives are currently being manufactured.
Compatibility: CDs (older drives -- those manufactured prior to 1998 -- will probably not be able to read CD-R or CD-RW discs).
Next was the DVD-ROM drive, introduced in 1997. Starting out at a read-rate of 1x (the same speed as a DVD movie, which is about 4x faster than a 1x audio CD) it, too, quickly ramped up in speed. Current optical ROM drives read DVDs at a 16x-20x rate.
Compatibility: CDs & DVDs (older drives manufactured prior to 1998 may not be able to read writable media: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R/RW, or DVD+R/RW discs). A new DVD-ROM drive will set you back about $20-25.
At about the same time as the DVD-ROM was introduced came the CD "burner" (writer) drive. As CD write speeds ramped up above about 8X, a problem became evident -- the computer could not always transfer data to the drive consistently and the data interruption (known as buffer underrun) led to write failures. Sanyo developed what is now referred to as buffer underrun protection (sometimes called BURN-proof) -- all current writable drives (and the software for them) keep track of where they are on the disc during the write process and can pick up where they left off if the buffer (internal temporary storage memory) empties during a write cycle. Current optical ROM drives write (transfer data to) CDs at up to a 48x-52x rate.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs. A new CD-writer drive will cost about $20 -- I paid nearly $300 for my first 4x CD writer in 1999. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
It was not long before a DVD-ROM drive was combined with a CD writer to make what is now called a combo drive, with all the features of both. These have mostly been superseded by full-featured DVD writers.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs and read all DVDs. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
Next came the DVD burner. First-generation drives wrote DVD+R/RW and CD-R/RW only; DVD-R/RW drives and discs soon followed from a different industry consortium and could burn CDs as well. In general, the + and - drives could read (but not write) each others' discs. Current DVD writers are +/- write-compatible, but check the front-panel markings on a particular drive to ensure it will write the discs you feed it. Current desktop DVD-writer drives write single-layer discs at 16x-20x; Current laptop DVD-writer drives write single-layer discs at 6x-8x. Dual-layer discs are written at 4-8x depending on the type of drive and the media used.
Compatibility: read/write all CDs and read all DVDs. DVD write-compatibility varies with the drive; newer drives (since about 2004) write all types. Note: all older drives will require a firmware update to write some current discs.
The newest optical-disc formats are HD-DVD and Blu-ray, though the HD-DVD format has already fallen by the wayside (much to the chagrin of Microsoft). There are Blu-ray combo drives that add Blu-ray ROM and movie-reading capabilities to a DVD-burner drive.
The pinnacle of the optical-drive heap is the Blu-ray writer drive. Current Blu-ray writers can write BD-R media at up to 8x, which is a whopping 288 megabits (Mb) per second -- a nearly 2000 times faster data-transfer rate than a 1x CD at 150 kilobits (kb) per second.Compatibility: read/write all CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray media.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
OpenOffice.org v3.0 is out!
One of my favorite free application suites now has a new version available -- OpenOffice.org (OOo) version 3.0.0 -- here's a good direct link:
http://openoffice.mirrors.tds.net/pub/openoffice/stable/3.0.0
If you want more information or are new to OOo, you can go to the main site and get the download link from there. You can also find FAQs (frequently asked questions) and tutorial links there as well. v3.0.0 is a substantial update from v2.4.1 and a better-than-ever replacement for the bloated, too-costly Microsoft Office series.
If all you want is a decent free word processor, try AbiWord and its related tools and plug-ins. I actually run both OOo and AbiWord as a cross-check for text-formatting problems.
http://openoffice.mirrors.tds.net/pub/openoffice/stable/3.0.0
If you want more information or are new to OOo, you can go to the main site and get the download link from there. You can also find FAQs (frequently asked questions) and tutorial links there as well. v3.0.0 is a substantial update from v2.4.1 and a better-than-ever replacement for the bloated, too-costly Microsoft Office series.
If all you want is a decent free word processor, try AbiWord and its related tools and plug-ins. I actually run both OOo and AbiWord as a cross-check for text-formatting problems.
Clickjacking -- and a fix
There has been a lot of talk this week about a newly discovered vulnerability in all modern browsers running under any operating system, including all versions of Microsoft Windows, Linux, BSD, and Mac OS X. Called clickjacking, it's a means of hijacking (redirecting) clicks on links within browsers:
Computerworld article or http://tinyurl.com/3rmfac
Fortunately, a useful fix is available. I have recommended the use of the Mozilla Firefox browser for quite a while. It runs on Windows, OS X, BSD, and Linux. The important information here is that Firefox supports add-ons -- plug-ins that add useful features. That's where the solution comes from; it's yet another reason to (mostly) abandon Microsoft's Internet Explorer under Windows.
I am a long-time user of the NoScript add-on for Firefox, which blocks scripts (which are usually JavaScript-based) from running in the browser -- unless you allow it on a per-site basis (easily managed). It has just been updated to add useful protection against this very vulnerability.
Managing add-ons in Firefox is pretty easy. Go to the Tools menu in the menu-bar top-of-page, select Add-ons. When the dialog window opens, enter noscript in the search box near the top of the window and install the add-on from there. There may be other useful add-ons of interest to users; see the Firefox add-ons page for more information, including the ability to browse add-ons by category.
Computerworld article or http://tinyurl.com/3rmfac
Fortunately, a useful fix is available. I have recommended the use of the Mozilla Firefox browser for quite a while. It runs on Windows, OS X, BSD, and Linux. The important information here is that Firefox supports add-ons -- plug-ins that add useful features. That's where the solution comes from; it's yet another reason to (mostly) abandon Microsoft's Internet Explorer under Windows.
I am a long-time user of the NoScript add-on for Firefox, which blocks scripts (which are usually JavaScript-based) from running in the browser -- unless you allow it on a per-site basis (easily managed). It has just been updated to add useful protection against this very vulnerability.
Managing add-ons in Firefox is pretty easy. Go to the Tools menu in the menu-bar top-of-page, select Add-ons. When the dialog window opens, enter noscript in the search box near the top of the window and install the add-on from there. There may be other useful add-ons of interest to users; see the Firefox add-ons page for more information, including the ability to browse add-ons by category.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Secure your Windows PC -- for free (Part 1)
One of the ironies of modern computing is the fact that users pay for Microsoft Windows either directly or indirectly, but due to the security holes in Windows most users usually pay again for protection -- most of which should never have been needed in the first place. For example, there are any number of companies lining up to sell you anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software. Even Microsoft itself will sell you a $50-a-year subscription-based product (Microsoft One Care) to fix problems that should never have existed in the first place. This sort of double-dipping certainly doesn't seem fair. Frankly, this is one of several reasons that I mostly use Linux -- while I run it I have no problems with viruses or other malware.
Fortunately, there is free software available that can effectively improve your Windows security just as well as any paid software or service. The trade-off? It takes a little bit more effort to gather it all together and maintain it -- but the knowledge is useful and it does pay off. It's also true that users must be careful, as some anti-malware software is more resource-intensive than others, sucking up CPU cycles like a Dyson at full speed. Combining two such programs can bring even a multi-core system to its metaphorical knees. When this is the case, I will mention it. Also, be aware that there are malicious software programs out there disguised as useful utilities (see here and here for lists and information on some of them).
Anti-Virus
There are several decent free anti-virus utilities available. Most are effective -- some even more so than the market leaders (though, to be fair and honest, I hear good things about Symantec's soon-to-be-released commercial Norton 2009 suite). There are four that I use on a regular basis, depending upon the version of Windows, the nature of the problem, and the speed of the PC. They are roughly equally effective, though the functional mechanisms do differ. Also be aware that the first three free versions listed are for private home use on one PC only -- institutional and commercial use are not allowed -- though the AVG software (for example) has a fully-functional 30-day trial version available to all. Comodo's package does not have the limitations listed, one of the reasons that I recommend it highly.
One of the better on-line comparisons of the first three free anti-virus utilities discussed here is available here, though it's a bit out-of-date. Rather than go into too much detail in this post, it's a good article to check out as a start. Also realize that most of the packages mentioned here have commercial versions available that are more feature-complete. Buy them or donate if you can afford it; the free versions have to be supported somehow. ClamAV, The last package listed here, has a whole different approach that can be useful, since there's a version that runs under Linux and BSD.
AVG Free Anti-Virus
The newest version of AVG Free Anti-Virus is probably more accurately described as a suite. It includes not only anti-virus software, but also a link-scanner and anti-spyware capabilities. It's what I usually install; the reasons I might install one of the others include being second-machine-on-a-network (the Free-AVG license is limited to one machine per network) and older/slower PCs (it's more of a resource hog than the older versions of AVG were). There is also a version available that runs under Linux; see the ClamAV section to see why this is useful.
Avira AntiVir Personal
This package is nominally the best-performing of the programs listed here (usually) -- but real-world performance has them more evenly matched. One minor gripe is the advertising nag-screen pop-up that is displayed at boot-up, though this is a reasonable attempt to sell the retail product.
avast! antivirus Home Edition
Despite having a somewhat-clunkier user interface than the others (in my opinion), this is still a useful and effective package.
Comodo Internet Security
Note: Comodo AntiVirus is now part of the Comodo Internet Security suite with the firewall integrated. I use this on one of my slower PCs because it rarely sucks up too much in the way of resources -- and I now recommend it over AVG for general use. It seems to be quite effective, with an added bonus: commercial and multi-PC use is OK.
ClamAV/ClamWin
This is the outsider of the bunch, because the philosophy behind it is drastically different from that of the others. It's GPL open-source software that was originally designed to work on Unix and Linux mail servers and gateways to protect downstream Windows-based clients; there's now a version for Windows as well. While they are not kept as up-to-date as some of the other utilities listed here, they are useful tools nonetheless.
Why is a Windows-virus utility that runs on Linux/Unix/BSD useful? For the simple reason that it allows a technician or user to work on Windows from the "outside." Running a virus checker from within Windows is very much like working on an automobile engine while it's running -- there are times it's just easier to work on it when it's turned off. This is made possible by the use of a free "live" Linux CD or DVD such as Knoppix, System Rescue CD, or Trinity Rescue Kit (among others). In an extreme case I may hook the infected Windows-installation hard drive to my own PC running Linux via an external USB adapter.
Since the Clam anti-virus software is an on-demand scanner, it can usually be run under Windows even when other anti-virus software is running in the background.
Part 2 of this series will cover anti-spyware and related software.
Fortunately, there is free software available that can effectively improve your Windows security just as well as any paid software or service. The trade-off? It takes a little bit more effort to gather it all together and maintain it -- but the knowledge is useful and it does pay off. It's also true that users must be careful, as some anti-malware software is more resource-intensive than others, sucking up CPU cycles like a Dyson at full speed. Combining two such programs can bring even a multi-core system to its metaphorical knees. When this is the case, I will mention it. Also, be aware that there are malicious software programs out there disguised as useful utilities (see here and here for lists and information on some of them).
Anti-Virus
There are several decent free anti-virus utilities available. Most are effective -- some even more so than the market leaders (though, to be fair and honest, I hear good things about Symantec's soon-to-be-released commercial Norton 2009 suite). There are four that I use on a regular basis, depending upon the version of Windows, the nature of the problem, and the speed of the PC. They are roughly equally effective, though the functional mechanisms do differ. Also be aware that the first three free versions listed are for private home use on one PC only -- institutional and commercial use are not allowed -- though the AVG software (for example) has a fully-functional 30-day trial version available to all. Comodo's package does not have the limitations listed, one of the reasons that I recommend it highly.
One of the better on-line comparisons of the first three free anti-virus utilities discussed here is available here, though it's a bit out-of-date. Rather than go into too much detail in this post, it's a good article to check out as a start. Also realize that most of the packages mentioned here have commercial versions available that are more feature-complete. Buy them or donate if you can afford it; the free versions have to be supported somehow. ClamAV, The last package listed here, has a whole different approach that can be useful, since there's a version that runs under Linux and BSD.
AVG Free Anti-Virus
The newest version of AVG Free Anti-Virus is probably more accurately described as a suite. It includes not only anti-virus software, but also a link-scanner and anti-spyware capabilities. It's what I usually install; the reasons I might install one of the others include being second-machine-on-a-network (the Free-AVG license is limited to one machine per network) and older/slower PCs (it's more of a resource hog than the older versions of AVG were). There is also a version available that runs under Linux; see the ClamAV section to see why this is useful.
Avira AntiVir Personal
This package is nominally the best-performing of the programs listed here (usually) -- but real-world performance has them more evenly matched. One minor gripe is the advertising nag-screen pop-up that is displayed at boot-up, though this is a reasonable attempt to sell the retail product.
avast! antivirus Home Edition
Despite having a somewhat-clunkier user interface than the others (in my opinion), this is still a useful and effective package.
Comodo Internet Security
Note: Comodo AntiVirus is now part of the Comodo Internet Security suite with the firewall integrated. I use this on one of my slower PCs because it rarely sucks up too much in the way of resources -- and I now recommend it over AVG for general use. It seems to be quite effective, with an added bonus: commercial and multi-PC use is OK.
ClamAV/ClamWin
This is the outsider of the bunch, because the philosophy behind it is drastically different from that of the others. It's GPL open-source software that was originally designed to work on Unix and Linux mail servers and gateways to protect downstream Windows-based clients; there's now a version for Windows as well. While they are not kept as up-to-date as some of the other utilities listed here, they are useful tools nonetheless.
Why is a Windows-virus utility that runs on Linux/Unix/BSD useful? For the simple reason that it allows a technician or user to work on Windows from the "outside." Running a virus checker from within Windows is very much like working on an automobile engine while it's running -- there are times it's just easier to work on it when it's turned off. This is made possible by the use of a free "live" Linux CD or DVD such as Knoppix, System Rescue CD, or Trinity Rescue Kit (among others). In an extreme case I may hook the infected Windows-installation hard drive to my own PC running Linux via an external USB adapter.
Since the Clam anti-virus software is an on-demand scanner, it can usually be run under Windows even when other anti-virus software is running in the background.
Part 2 of this series will cover anti-spyware and related software.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monsters of Media (Playing)
Revised 11-November-2012. The Links page is now listed at the end of the article.
Microsoft Windows Media Player (WiMP) is the default media player for Windows—but besides being bloated and somewhat of a privacy hazard (xp-antispy can help with that), its capabilities are mostly limited to the playback of proprietary Microsoft formats and such common media formats as MPG video and MP3 audio files. If users want to play Real media or Apple Quicktime formats, additional software and/or codecs must be installed. Also, as of Windows 8, DVD and Blu-ray playback are not supported within WiMP by default. The fact is that the free Quicktime package from Apple is crippleware; in order to get the fully-functional Quicktime Pro, you must pay extra. Similarly, the free RealPlayer package contains bloatware and is, potentially, adware. What's a user to do?
Microsoft Windows Media Player (WiMP) is the default media player for Windows—but besides being bloated and somewhat of a privacy hazard (xp-antispy can help with that), its capabilities are mostly limited to the playback of proprietary Microsoft formats and such common media formats as MPG video and MP3 audio files. If users want to play Real media or Apple Quicktime formats, additional software and/or codecs must be installed. Also, as of Windows 8, DVD and Blu-ray playback are not supported within WiMP by default. The fact is that the free Quicktime package from Apple is crippleware; in order to get the fully-functional Quicktime Pro, you must pay extra. Similarly, the free RealPlayer package contains bloatware and is, potentially, adware. What's a user to do?
No
one add-on media player package does it all (though VLC
comes close), but the following three media player utilities in
combination cover the gamut of available file formats pretty well;
all three are free to download. They complement each other; if a file
does not play well in one player, one of the others can usually
handle it.
By
the way, both the K-Lite
codecs and VLC can both directly play back the FLV
Flash
video format used by Google
Video,
YouTube,
and others. These videos can usually be saved locally via the Video
Downloader
plug-in for Firefox,
which can be installed via the Tools
—>Add-ons
menu.
VLC Media
Player
It's the very first alternative media player I install under Windows—if I only install one, VLC is it. Recently updated to the v2.0 series, it handles a variety of formats and is useful for files that may not play properly in the other two players mentioned here—it's also possible that VLC itself may be more to a particular user's taste than Winamp. It also differs from Winamp in that it is true GPL open source. VLC plays DVDs just fine, though Blu-ray playback is still considered experimental. VLC is also cross-platform software; versions are available that run under Linux and Mac OS X as well. For VLC, I do a Full install, selected from the drop-down menu during installation. When a user installs Winamp in this context, it will be set up to “steal back” most audio formats (except MP4).
It's the very first alternative media player I install under Windows—if I only install one, VLC is it. Recently updated to the v2.0 series, it handles a variety of formats and is useful for files that may not play properly in the other two players mentioned here—it's also possible that VLC itself may be more to a particular user's taste than Winamp. It also differs from Winamp in that it is true GPL open source. VLC plays DVDs just fine, though Blu-ray playback is still considered experimental. VLC is also cross-platform software; versions are available that run under Linux and Mac OS X as well. For VLC, I do a Full install, selected from the drop-down menu during installation. When a user installs Winamp in this context, it will be set up to “steal back” most audio formats (except MP4).
Winamp
Winamp is freeware, though not open source (a paid Pro version is available). It's very good for playing a wide range of audio media formats (though not the best player for video formats). It's especially useful for playing Internet music streams like those listed on SHOUTcast and Icecast—and the available StreamRipper plug-in is useful (more on this later), but because we are installing it alongside others, there is a caveat that should be pointed out.
Winamp is freeware, though not open source (a paid Pro version is available). It's very good for playing a wide range of audio media formats (though not the best player for video formats). It's especially useful for playing Internet music streams like those listed on SHOUTcast and Icecast—and the available StreamRipper plug-in is useful (more on this later), but because we are installing it alongside others, there is a caveat that should be pointed out.
It
concerns the installation process: one of the initial check-boxes is
for a function called Winamp
Agent;
you may want to un-check this box, or else Winamp will hijack all the
formats it sees as its default (this may actually be useful if you
edit the default-formats list). You can, if you wish, choose to
uncheck the boxes for Winamp
Remote,
the eMusic
free downloads, browser toolbar, etc. As
part of the installation process, the user is able to select the
formats that Winamp will play by default; I highly
recommend un-checking the Video
check box entirely, then opening the Audio
menu and un-checking the MP4
check-box. Once Winamp is installed, go ahead and install
StreamRipper, if you wish. It works well as a plug-in to Winamp and
can also be used from the command line.
Winamp
was one of the first programs to be skinnable—that is, able to have
its window decorations be user-changeable—so go ahead and download
a few skins that you might like. The included visualizations are also
pretty cool.
K-Lite Mega
Codec Pack
I have found the freeware K-Lite Mega Codec Pack to be a useful complement to VLC. It has a number of codecs and some are better-suited to certain formats than Winamp (the iPod-compatible MP4/M4V format for example) and for the occasional file that is incompatible with VLC (it's rare). An excellent streamlined basic player is included along with the codecs called Media Player Classic (MPC) which strongly resembles WiMP V6. The newly-installed codecs can also be used with the current version of WiMP. It can replace the functionality of RealPlayer and most functions of the QuickTime Pro player, too.
I have found the freeware K-Lite Mega Codec Pack to be a useful complement to VLC. It has a number of codecs and some are better-suited to certain formats than Winamp (the iPod-compatible MP4/M4V format for example) and for the occasional file that is incompatible with VLC (it's rare). An excellent streamlined basic player is included along with the codecs called Media Player Classic (MPC) which strongly resembles WiMP V6. The newly-installed codecs can also be used with the current version of WiMP. It can replace the functionality of RealPlayer and most functions of the QuickTime Pro player, too.
Once
all three programs are installed you can fine-tune the file
associations by right-clicking the mouse on a particular media file,
then selecting Open
With,
then selecting which media player to use from the displayed list. If
you want to make the file-to-player association permanent, the
check-box at the bottom of the window allows this.
StreamRipper
This free utility allows you to download an entire station of music. Many of these MP3 radio stations only play certain genres, so you can now download an entire collection of goa/trance music, an entire collection of jazz, punk rock, whatever you want. Also works with OGG streams. If the tracks contain individual ID information, they will be saved as individual files by default. As mentioned earlier, the Windows version includes a Winamp plug-in, which is very convenient; the program can also be invoked from a command line. There are versions available that run under Linux and Mac OS X as well.
This free utility allows you to download an entire station of music. Many of these MP3 radio stations only play certain genres, so you can now download an entire collection of goa/trance music, an entire collection of jazz, punk rock, whatever you want. Also works with OGG streams. If the tracks contain individual ID information, they will be saved as individual files by default. As mentioned earlier, the Windows version includes a Winamp plug-in, which is very convenient; the program can also be invoked from a command line. There are versions available that run under Linux and Mac OS X as well.
Links page
to software mentioned and definitions of terms used in this article: http://goo.gl/y4X5R
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