PC Lusers Only

Well, it's pissin' down the rain this morning (it actually started out sunny and unseasonably warm, but by the time I got out of the shower and had a cuppa...), so my trip into town to vote early and mail out Curly DVDs has been postponed by at least a day. So, stuck inside with no 'net connection, I have time to write up something I hope some will find helpful. Don't worry -- there will be Curly (see above)... I'm not about to actually start writing on this blog, y'know! ;)

I don't download a lot of software off the 'net -- never have, as many of the PCs I'm asked by friends to rescue, I've seen completely horked up by scores-to-hundreds of relatively useless, but cute applications (some of which contain spyware/adware, etc.). Still, practicing safe computing is always paramount, so DO NOT DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL ANY SOFTWARE UNLESS YOU CAN SCAN IT FOR VIRUSES/TROJANS/WORMS/NASTIES BEFORE INSTALLING IT (with an up-to-date virus definition file). E-mail me before downloading and installing anything from the 'net if that last sentence does not make perfect sense to you, okay?

Some freeware applications that have the Jeffraham stamp of time-tested approval*, and you Winderz (that's hillbilly for "Windows") users may feel motivated to download:

1.) AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic -- 100% free virus protection that's the equal or better of the big boys. Automatic updates, minimal nag screens... all the features you'd expect. I've been using it or its predecessors for years, and have never, ever had any infection from any Internet nastiness. ever, ever, ever. I also hear great thangs about AVG, but have never used it. AntiVir is from a German firm, Avira. If you had a trial or pay version of Norton, et al, be sure to uninstall that first before installing AntiVir.

2.) AdAware SE Personal -- By Lavasoft. This keeps the nasty adware/spyware at bay, and can also help you manage or be rid of privacy-invading bits, such as tracking cookies and the list of your recently-opened documents and programs. This is not an automatic, "set once and forget about it" app, though -- you'll need to run it periodically (once or twice a week should be sufficient for most users). There's an even better program for this -- Spybot Search & Destroy -- but it's more complicated, and can easily cause a casual PC user more pain (like deleting cookies that you'd prefer be left alone, by default) than it's worth. It's more like a Brillo pad, where a ScotchBrite pad will do for most chores. So unless you KNOW you have an adware/spyware infection currently, I recommend AdAware as a first line of defense. It's very user-friendly, and will do the job.

Now that the critical, necessary stuff is out of the way, on to more fun and/or practical apps:

3.) DVDShrink -- Ever wanted a backup copy of your favorite DVD? This (in conjunction with your DVD burner and DVD burning software, such as Nero or Roxio Creator Classic) will do it. It decrypts the DVD, and allows a dual-layer DVD to be compressed to fit onto a single-layer DVD(+/-)R. It goes without saying that you shouldn't copy rentals, or entire seasons of The Sopranos that you borrowed from your public library, of course. That would be wrong. So very, very wrong. Don't you dare do that. HINT1: Make an .iso file on a handy local hard drive (with at least 5GB of free space, of course), and use your favorite DVD burning software to burn the .iso to DVD. It takes a little longer, but the time- and material-savings savings in bad burns will more than make up for the time. Just delete the .iso files after you have your copy burned and proofed to DVD (and defragment that drive frequently, bucko). HINT2: Don't need other languages, or menus, or a bunch of shitty extras, like theatrical trailers? Re-author the disc, rather than doing a direct backup -- you'll end up compressing the backup disc far less than usual, thus making a higher-quality backup! Explore these options... you'll be glad you did!

4.) AMP WinOFF -- Why in the foo-yock Microsoft didn't see fit to provide this functionality natively in Windows XP, I will never know, but sadly, they did not. This little .exe (490Kb) gives you power management on steriods. It lets you do a user-defined, timed, orderly shutdown/poweroff of your PC (and a lot of other cool power-related tasks, like shutting down automagically when the CPU usage falls below a certain level after a certain interval of time has elapsed). This is hella handy when, for instance, you're backing up a DVD, but are going to bed before the backup is done. Or you're downloading a huge file before bedtime. Or your TV is AFU, and you like to fall asleep to, say, for instance, a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVD, and don't want to leave your PC on for hours upon hours until you awaken. Not that I do that. No, of course not.

* Now, AMP WinOFF is the only app here that I haven't used for years, but so far, it's done everything as advertised, and caused no issues. If you have need for such a thang, it's really quite invaluable, and it saves energy and the environment, too, of course.
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