Windows Linux Mac

Today’s post is one that all Windows users should read (we would love to have all that traffic ). If you want to keep Windows running in tip top condition, you need to take some precautions. Since Windows has a problems with spy-ware and viruses, you will need to have some programs in your arsenal to keep everything running smoothly. Lastly, it is always a good idea to fix problems in the registry as well as clear temporary files.

Whenever I install Windows on a computer, whether it is for me or for a friend, one of the first things I do is download and install the following programs.

1) AVG Anti-virus Free Edition - is one of the best FREE anti-virus programs I have ever used. I hate using some of those name brand programs, since all they seem to do is slow down your computer. If you think free anti-virus programs don’t provide the same protection as paid versions, you haven’t tried AVG Free Edition yet. AVG Free Edition has everything most users look for in an anti-virus program. For me, the biggest advantages are it is FREE and it protects my computer without slowing it down. Another great feature is AVG will automatically update with the latest detection information. AVG Free gives you options to scan any part of your computer as well as a complete scan that scans the whole system. If a virus is detected, you have the options to quarantine the item, try and heal the item, or simply delete it. You can set AVG to run in the background on boot-up so you wont forget to scan regularly. I however do not do this in fear that it will bog down my system. All-in-all, this program is top-notch and definitely worth a download, especially if the subscription on your name brand software has run out.

For more FREE products from the makers of AVG Anti-virus Free Edition, visit their website.

Another great FREE anti-virus program I recommend is AVAST Anti-virus, which has a 64bit version for FREE as well.

If you are afraid of using free anti-virus programs, look at the folowing articles.

• Free or Paid Antivirus, Any Difference?
• Free Antivirus Comparision
• How Good Are Free Security Programs

2) Spybot Search and Destroy - is a great FREE program to remove spyware. This is another program that merely protects your computer without slowing things down. Full system scans only take about 5-15 minutes depending on your system and what else is running at the time of the test. Spybot-S&D provides FREE updates to help detect new threats. However, the update is not automatic, you have to ask Spybot to check for updates. Spybot has a couple great features including a “Tea Timer” that monitors Windows and alerts you when a program is trying to edit your system. This can become very annoying when it notifies you every 30 seconds. However, this can be very helpful when trying to diagnose what program is causing your problem.

For more information on Spybot-S&D feature as well as a getting started tutorial visit their website.

3) HijackThis - is a FREE advanced tool for scanning and removing spyware. When you run HijackThis, it will scan your registry and hard drive and return a log of settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. WARNING- this program is recommended for advanced users only. If you are unsure how to use the program or the meaning of the results, I suggest you post your log file on a support forum, where someone can suggest which entries to remove. Removing the wrong entries could render your computer unusable.

4) CrapCleaner - is a FREE system optimization and privacy tool. CCleaner removes temporary files allowing your computer to run faster, as well as free up hard drive space. CCleaner has the ability to remove temporary files created by Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Windows Media Player, MS Office, Nero and many more. It also erases your online activity such as your Internet history. With CCleaner, you can even repair your registry. One of the best features of this software is it allows you to backup your registry before making any changes to it.

For more information of CrapCleaner, take a look at Michael’s post “How to use CCleaner“.

Now its time to hear from you. What do you use to protect your computer from threats? Let us know in the comments!

Images taken from the following website respectively:
http://www.mgcr.com/images/AVG_Antivirus_System_logo.jpg
http://www.filehippo.com
http://www.moradnet.ca/images/SpybotSD_Logo.jpg
http://tweakers.net/ext/i/1183761414.jpg
http://www.wikipedia.com
http://ccleaner.com

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format commonly used to exchange documents. The beauty of PDF files is they don’t depend on what computer you use, or what kind of operating system you have, it always looks the same. This is perfect for exchanging documents between offices because they can use different hardware and still open the PDF file. This is also the case for college students like me, because professors prefer papers in PDF to ensure the readability of the file.

Open PDFs
To open a PDF file, all you need is a PDF reader. One of the most popular programs is Adobe Reader, which is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. However, some people feel Adobe Reader is too system intensive at times. If you are one of these people, or if you just want a lightweight PDF reader, Foxit Reader is for you.

Save PDFs
There are many programs that allow you to save files as PDF as well as convert files to PDF. You can actually configure a PDF printer that will allow you to “print” your files to a PDF file. In other words, instead of printing your file on paper via an inkjet printer, it will export any file in PDF format. If you already have a file and need to convert it to PDF, I recommend using a PDF converter such as PrimoPDF or ExpressPDF. If you are Mac user, saving to PDF is available in most versions of OS X by default.  If you are in need of an office suite that allows you to save files in PDF, give Open Office a try.

For more information on Open Office, read my recent post Open Office- The [Free] Microsoft Office Alternative.

For more information on printing to file take a look at these websites.

• Frogmorecs.com - Print to file options and software

• Mrkent.com - How to use Print-To-File

Edit PDFs
To edit a PDF, you will need a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat Profressional. However, this software is not free and afterall that is the name of the post. So, to edit PDF files try using an online PDF editor such as PDFescape or PDF Hammer.

For even more PDF software visit Wikipedia’s List of PDF Software.

Images are credited to the following sites respectively:

http://mediakey.dk/~cc/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/PDF-logo.png

http://software.u3.com/Admin/Images/Product/568foxitreader_full.jpg

Recently I was setting up an old computer to be a file server and I wanted to place it in another room without a monitor or keyboard. To do this I needed to have remote access so I could control it from my desktop, or any computer for that matter. A friend of mine suggested that I give NoMachine NX a try. I had never heard of this program but I am glad he told me about it.

NoMachine NX is a remote access program that allows users to control a “server” from any computer with Internet access (the client). In other words, this program opens a window that allows you to see the desktop of your server computer. You can now control the computer as if you were sitting in front of it, as well as have access to its peripherals. I do this so that I can have my server computer do processor intensive tasks while I am working on my desktop.

One of the advantages to this software is security. Authorization credentials are encrypted once the connection is established to ensure a secure connection. NoMachine even allows you to share files and printers using Samba and CUPS.

NoMachine has several professional sever products for use by companies. To compare the features of these different NX products, look at the Features and Requirements. However, they do have a FREE sever edition that is available for Linux/Unix systems. The NX Free Edition comes with both the server and client and is available in 32 bit and 64 bit.

NX server can only be installed on Linux and Solaris systems but Windows users are not completely left out, since NX clients can control Windows “servers” via the Remote Desktop Protocol. NX server is designed to work with any Unix desktop environment, the Remote Desktop Protocol, as well as VNC. NX client is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and Solaris.

If you download NX Free Edition you will need to install the NX server on the Linux/Unix computer you wish to control. This should take only take a few minutes since the install is fairly straightforward and NoMachine provides very useful documentation. In fact, there is a build compatible for most Linux systems systems.

Once the server software is installed, you need to install the NX client on the computer(s) you wish to control the “server” from. This again should not take long with the supplied builds for Linux, Windows, and Mac.

The final step is to setup a connection between the client and server. To do this, NoMachine provides a tool called NX Connection Wizard. This is where you enter the preferences for your connection such as the protocol, port number, size of the windows, and encryption.

If controlling a Linux system, a new X server session is started upon the initial connection. This way if someone is logged in to the “server” locally, they will not be kicked off by the remote user. In fact, with the Free Edition, two remote users can control the same “server” at the same time.

If you wish to control a “server” running Windows, you need to setup Remote Desktop for that computer. Then, in the NX Connection Manager choose “Windows” as the system and “RDP” as the protocol.

So if you are trying to control a “server” from different operating systems, or if you just aren’t having any luck with the other remote access software, be sure to give NX a try.

For more screenshots check out What NX looks like.

If you want to give NX a try before installing it for yourself, go to their test drive page.

To download NoMachine NX, visit their download page.

For a little more information on installing and setting up NoMachine, visit the following sites.

Linux.com - Get a remote display with NoMachine

Linux-Tip.net - How to install a free NX Server on Debian 4.0

Images were taken from the following websites respectively:

www.linspire.com/nomachineclient

http://www.nomachine.com/screenshots.php

There are rumors that Apple is currently in negotiations with major record labels to discuss a new option that would give customers unlimited downloads from the iTunes music store. You would only get the unlimited download option if you paid a premium price for an iPod or iPhone. The idea is not only great for customers but would also help Apple as well since Apple does not make as much money from its song sales as it does from its hardware. I would be willing to pay a reasonable $50-$100 more for an iPod if it allowed me free access to all that iTunes has to offer. I would probably look at the higher capacity 160GB iPod since I would be able to download all that I want.

Apple is supposedly looking at offering subscriptions for its iPhone customers. Since the iPhone has a monthly plan, the subscription would just be added onto your wireless bill. While this is a good idea for iPhone users, I hope Apple will be able to come up with a subscription service for its iPod customers as well. The subscription service might be a good option if they are unable to agree with music labels about the unlimited download option discussed above. It might also be a good option for those customers who already have an iPod and are not willing to upgrade just yet.

pictures credited to http://www.apple.com

Did you know there is a free alternative to Microsoft Office? If you only need to use an office suite for writing basic documents, spreadsheets and the occasional powerpoint, you don’t need to pay hundreds for Microsoft Office. Here’s a quick look at OpenOffice.

OpenOffice is a multiplatform, multilingual open source office suite. OpenOffice is compatible with many other office suites, including Microsoft Office. This means that you can open Microsoft Office files as well as save Microsoft Office files. If you have a .doc Microsoft file that you need to open at home, you don’t have to worry about compatablity issues because OpenOffice will read and write to that format.

One of my favorite functions of OpenOffice is that it allows you to save files directly to PDF. So if you are writing a document, spreadsheet, or any other office file you have the option to save it as a PDF. As a college student this is great since most professors prefer to have electronic copies in PDF format.

If you dual boot Windows and Linux this program is a must have. I have it installed on both my Windows and Linux partitions so that I can access my files whether I am in Windows or Linux.

To download OpenOffice visit the download page. OpenOffice is available to Windows, Linux and Mac users.

If you need a lightweight document writer, take a look at Abiword which is open source and available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Image from http://id.openoffice.org/images/open-office-metro-ad.jpg

I came across a nice little game a few weeks ago called Neverball. Neverball is a puzzle game in which you tilt the floor in order to move a ball around and run over coins.The game comes with 75 levels, so it should keep you busy for a little while. Once you get to the challenging levels, things become quite fun. Moving platforms and hitting ramps are just a couple of reasons this game is so addicting.

Neverball is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Download it here.

Quick tip: use the keyboard arrows to get a feel for the game. When you’re up for a challenge, try using the mouse instead.

If you have a Mac with the motion sensors, you might find this video interesting:

screenshots credited to http://icculus.org/neverball/#screenshots

Facebook’s new privacy options are nice to see now that facebook is open to everyone. When I first joined facebook it had only just come available to high school students. I thought it wasn’t a bad idea at the time as I was only a college freshmen and I still had friends in high school. Now however, facebook is available to anyone with an email address. My friends are on facebook, my parents are on facebook, and even my grandparents are on facebook. As a college student this was a little concerning as I liked to keep at least some of my college experience away from my parents. Now, with the new privacy settings I can be ‘friends’ with my parents (keep them happy) and yet keep that photo album away from their eyes (you know the one I’m talking about). The new privacy settings give you a few options to not only choose who can see your profile but who can see a particular photo album. Allow only college friends to see college albums and family to see only family albums. You can exclude certain people from seeing certain things like that girl you like from seeing the photos of you throwing up all over your roommate after (let’s just say) a party.

There are a few rumors flying around that facebook will be introducing a new integrated instant messaging option. If this does turn out to be true, many people will find it even harder to get away from the social website, which is probably facebook’s goal anyway. I’d like to see the option but I don’t think it will replace the AIM or Yahoo! accounts I already have any time soon.

pictures are credited to http://www.facebook.com