by Lee Alexander

Protection

Antivirus

You must have an arsenal against malware (malicious software). Your first defense should be an antivirus program. New PCs typically have a “free” trial period of McAfee's or Symantec's (branded Norton) A-V program, usually about six months worth. At the end of that period you are presented with a bill to continue the service, usually in the form of a one-year subscription. In other words, you no longer “buy” the program, but subscribe to it for a year. They are good programs. However, if you wish to forego the bells-and-whistles, there is a notable free utility, AVG from www.grisoft.com . Note that there are families of programs that can co-exist on a computer system, but an antivirus application is not one of them. Pick a program and stick with it. Uninstalling the commercial versions of AV programs is not trivial.

Firewall

Your next must-have, if you ever intend to connect to the Internet, is a firewall. Named after the metal shield in a vehicle that separates the engine compartment from the driver and passengers, it is a protecting doorway for access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. There are two varieties: software and hardware. Hardware versions reside in routers and switches, usually in a network; software versions are mounted on individual PCs.

Microsoft's Windows XP has a built-in software firewall, but it is a one-way set-up. It protects against incoming traffic but does not monitor outbound email messages. You want outbound virus scanning to protect your recipients from any messages which could contain malware. Win XP and Win XP SP 1 (Service Pack One) left the firewall disabled by default; SP 2 turns it on by default.

Commercial programs abound, but many of us rely on Zone Labs' Zone Alarm. Their free version works like a charm. Spending a little cash may give you a bit more peace of mind, it's your call.

Spyware

What used to be considered a nuisance, spyware and ad-ware has become a scourge. Spyware is out and out malware. Ad-ware is thinly disguised programs purporting to help you with relevant pop-ups and advertisements. The two most popular programs for fighting spyware are Ad-Aware from Lavasoft and Spybot: Search & Destroy - get it from www.safer-networking.org/ . Both programs are free. Unlike the previous genre of programs, these programs can co-exist on a computer. In fact, it is recommended that you install both applications on your PC.

PUP (Probably Unsolicited Programs) aka SPAM

Not quite in the same category as the above, these unasked for missives clutter up your Inbox, constitute the bulk of Email traffic, and waste enormous amounts of time trying to clean out the detritus. Weapons used against this electronic junk mail are manifold. They include black and white lists, which is not very effective as Spammers easily disguise subjects and contents to thwart any look-up list. Bayesian filtering is an algorithm of mathematical probability purporting to be self learning, but again is stymied by Spammers use of non-conventional characters and fonts. Peer networks rely on subscribers reporting messages they found to be spam; enough reports put the From/Subject on a list that directs the messages to a “junk” folder. All these approaches can and do result in false positives – calling a legitimate message Spam. Most commercial AntiSpam programs rely on a combination of the processes. Additionally, many of today's ISPs (Internet Service Providers) apply techniques to protect their mail servers from overload. Based on magazine reviews and my limited experience I cannot, unequivocally, recommend any individual product.

Utilities

What I call utilities are relatively small programs that add to the usefulness of your PC. For the most part they are completely free and, in a few rare instances, are light versions of full-blown applications. I suggest you start with the MUG web page at www.maconusersgroup.org . From the home page click on Free Stuff to see a generous list of applications to facilitate your PC tasks.

The following is a rundown of the shortcuts on my taskbar with a brief description of the program functions. The short cuts are put there for quick and frequent access.

Starting with the quick launch area, we find icons for Win Explorer (Windows file manager), Internet Explorer (the gateway to the World Wide Web), Outlook (my default e-mail program), Windows Media Player, and my broadband connection to MSN (the Microsoft Network).

Non-Microsoft items are MoffsoftFreeCalc (a calculator with a running tape that can be copied and saved), Gadwin's PrintScreen (to capture screenshots), Mike Lin's Clipomatic (an extension of the Clipboard that is non-volatile), another Mike Lin product - Extended Character Map, and SyncBackSE (a backup program that burns CDs).

In the Notification Area (a.k.a. SysTray), I have the digital clock, Pop-Up Stopper, ZoneAlarm firewall, audio volume control, 3M's Post-it Note application, WordWeb Dictionary and Thesaurus, and Copernic Desktop Search. I also display an icon for the Internet connection status.

IrfanView

This program has to rank among the top free utilities. Its features are too numerous to enumerate and I consider it a must-have for all PCs. The name comes from the author, Irfan Skiljan, an Austrian. The parent program is mere 884 KB download; however, I recommend that you also download his Plug-ins (4.9 MB) to provide even more functionality. Be sure to read i_options.txt for an exhaustive list of command line instructions.

Other Notables

A few more utilities on my “good to have” list:

Pop-up Stopper from panicware.com

CCleaner from ccleaner.com (cleans hard drives and Registry)

Acrobat Reader from Adobe - free reader only; Acrobat (as a program) is big and expensive, $300

StripMail from dsoft.com.tr – one button cleans out >'s (greater than signs) and blank lines from received email messages; a courteous thing to do before forwarding.

Download Accelerator Plus from speedbit.com – DAP accelerates downloads by retrieving data from multiple sources,concurrently.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

That depends – upon your hard drive size, how useful the applications would be for the tasks you do, and how frequently you would use them. For infrequent usage, you could download the (usually) compressed file to removable media, install the program, use it once and then delete it from your system. You would then have the download installation available for a future use.

Am I a utility junkie ? My folder, Utilities, is 136 MB, contains 199 folders and 1,291 files, as of this writing. Tomorrow – who knows? I may even delete some things I have not used for a year or so (unlikely); more probable – I'll find another “can't do without” application.