Maintain Your PC Without Paying A Premium

Process explorer v11.02
Microsoft has endorsed (but not produced) a program designed to clean up all those bloated little programs that get installed with your intended software. It's called Process Explorer v11.02.

It is basically a powerful task manager. You can view all running prosesses, get info from the internet on them, ban them from your startup sequence, and find the original program using them. It's great for finding out why your computer is running slow and taking out the bloat.

I ran this on my Alienware and found all sorts of intersting, useless crap. When i got rid of it my startup time was at least halved.


Lavasoft Adware
Spyware has only increased in volume over the last few years despite increased regulation and legal action against the much despised perps. All consumers can do though is protect themselves while the Fed sorts things out.

Lavasoft Adware is a free program that has been the mainstay of my anti-spyware campaign. It has a great search algorithm, can scan your entire computer (including memory), and they release monthly updates to keep current with all the devious little deviants out there planning the overthrow of your computing experience.


AVG FREE
AVG Free is a great way to manage the ever enroaching virus problem while still keeping your money in the bank and your computer running fast. It can run as a process like any other anti-virus solution (CPU and memory often take a big hit) or your can schedual scans.

I like the flexibility of this freeware in that it does a great job protecting you, doesn't bog your computer down, is free, and still has a ton of great features like auto-scanning downloaded files.

Any suggestions? Feel encouraged to comment!

I Bought a Mac, Why You Should Switch Also

This is one of those controversial posts that always gets Windows users blood running and the comments cooking off in the inbox. I would know. As of two weeks ago I would have been one of them. I would have marveled at how blind the Mac user was and think that they just need to learn how a computer works. I would ask myself who would buy a computer you can't upgrade, is expensive, looks weird (to some), and can't run the majority of software out there. What could possibly be dumber?

I could actually. All my marveling and wondering was for naught. I had never operated a Mac before. I didn't have a clue what I was thinking about. I felt I was superior in my choice of platform. I was proven dead wrong two weeks ago.

You can bluster all you want about how your PC runs great and you never have any problems but that is because you have not used a Mac. You just don't know what it is like to have no problems. You are not used to just having something work. When I had my Windows platform I was the same way (FYI: I have been a Windows user all my life, till now). I was used to troubleshooting my missing drivers, missing .dlls, cryptic error messages, random crashing, viruses, adware, constant maintenance, and consistent upgrades. I just considered it a challenge or even a necessary evil. After all, Macs were just not good enough for me, or so I thought.

When I used a Mac for the first time I expected to be introduced to an immature computer, a fancy looking expensive toy that couldn't really handle the stress of everyday work and play. Instead I got a smooth and fast load time into the OS, A very appealing fluidic display, and consistently fast load times for programs that more often then not exceeded the abilities of Windows applications.

Take Itunes for example. Any computer user can get it since it runs on Windows also. Look at the graphical user interface compared to Windows Media Player. It is simple when WMP is complex. The user in Itunes can access any music without wading through menus, a two year old could burn a CD, the main controls are in a central location with everything else, the player is well thought out. In WMP it took me 30 minutes to understand most of the features. I still don't know how to make the track slide out thingie in the Now Playing section come back.

Then there is the design of the Mac. Very few people that I have met think Macs look bad. At that, Apple products are all aesthetically pleasing to me. There seems to be a quality of design and a passion for not just user friendliness but also the cool look. A lot of Windows users scoff at this but I think it means Apple has not forgotten it's customers. Microsoft products are devoid of personality, cold, and business like. It seems to me that Microsoft is largely bureaucratic and has a hard time letting personality and creativity show. I am not saying Microsoft doesn't show creativity at all but it certainly could see a boost.

I just installed the Microsoft Zune on my Alienware M7700 to retrieve some music. What a nightmare. I do not exaggerate. I would never buy a Zune even for the low prices they are at now (low demand=low price). To use an IPod you connect it to your computer, load Itunes, and you should be ready to go. Simply drag the desired music into the IPod tab and the downloading initiates automatically. In the off chance that it needs an update it only takes a few moments to download and install the update. To get a Zune to connect to a computer you must first install new software for the Zune, Windows XP doesn't have the drivers,. The music player is confusing, awkward, and not at all intuitive. It took me 10 minutes to sync music to my PC. If you are unlucky enough to need a Zune update, prepare to spend an inordinate amount of time watching the update download, three minutes, transfer, one minute, install, two minutes, and apply, 30 seconds. It's ridiculous! I don't know why Microsoft doesn't make their products streamlined. I think the Zune is a great idea laden with too many features and gimmicks. To use a Zune you have to install separate music software. The Zune will not run off of WMP. WHY!?!?! Wouldn't it be so much easier if you just used WMP? I bought an IPod for it's ease of use and that is exactly what I got. There is a lot to be said about the simplicity of design in a Mac. The IPod needs competition to keep Apple innovative but Microsoft's attempt fell flat on it's face, as you can see here.

The Mac I bought was the Macbook. I think it's the best laptop for your money. My new Apple Macbook has a huge line of after market accessories that are easy to purchase at Amazon.com.

If you are interested in Mac products, go here for the real authority: Learn
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