William A. Leonard
Computer Consultant
Over the years I've found various utilities that have proved to be quite useful. I use these myself and have recommended them to my clients. I've compiled a list of some of the utilities and I present them below. These lists are intended for ordinary people - not power users. The programs are generally easy to use and are low risk for things going awry. (However, things can go wrong so use with care and at your own risk.)
I have deliberately not included more advanced utilities that have a limited usefulness to the general public. Notwithstanding that, there are sure to be other useful, inexpensive and easy-to-use utilities for the non-power user that should be listed but are not. I'm open to suggestions.
I've grouped the utilities into "System Utilities", "Internet Utilities" and "Malware Utilities".
You can't download utilities from this web site. Some authors won't allow that and I might not have the latest version anyway. So, instead, I simply point you to the web pages where I found them. Web pages might disappear so, if a link doesn't work, try searching for the utility.
As of September 1, 2007, the programs listed as "Free" are not trial versions but fully functional packages that do not expire. However, they may be supported by advertising but not the popup kind. These are rather less obtrusive.
The programs listed here are full-function and free. You
might consider some of these to be limited function. Your
point is well made but I consider the free versions to be
adequate for the needs of the non-power user and,
therefore, any limitations would not be restrictive to the
user.
There may be "Professional" versions or advertisement-free
versions available for a price.
| Windows System Utilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Update | Free | As much as we complain about Microsoft, at least they keep up the effort of trying to repair problems. It is worth it to keep up-to-date on the updates. Check for updates periodically or, better yet, turn on automatic updates and allow them to be installed. |
| Belarc Advisor | Free | So, just what software is installed in your computer ? This program is described as a PC audit. It digs deep and reports all the installed hardware and software in your computer - stuff you forgot about or never knew you had. |
| EndItAll | Free | I use this utility before firing up a game when I
need good response from the computer. It shuts down all
the other running programs freeing up memory and
lessening the burden on the CPU. The convenience is
that it's done with a single click (well, almost).
Not intended for WinXP but it seems to work. |
| Autoruns | Free | See all those little icons next to the clock ? If
you turn some of them off, your computer will probably
start up quicker and run faster. With this utility, you
can prevent a program from starting up when Windows
starts.
The programs are not removed from your computer nor removed from the programs list. You can still run them on demand but ask yourself if they need to start every time you turn on the computer. (For help in figuring out which programs need to start up with Windows and which don't, go to Non-essential Startup Programs.) |
| TweakUI | Free | This popular and handy tool has gone through a number of revisions and price changes. Currently, it's free. It helps you manage some of the finer points of the Windows desktop. |
| CCleaner | Free | CCleaner removes temporary files from your system plus cookies, history and other junk that accumulates from a browsing session. Run it before using your antivirus program to cut down on the number of files that have to be checked. It also cleans up registry entries that have been abandoned and automatically performs a few of the housekeeping chores that are just too much trouble to do ourselves. |
| Dimension 4 | Free | A nifty little utility for setting your system
clock. Choose a time source from a list of over 130
government and academic atomic clocks and your
computer's clock will automatically be adjusted to the
correct time.
(While you're here, take a look at this very clever online clock. http://yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html.) |
| Internet Utilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most of my Internet Utilities address the issues of viruses, spyware, adware and other nuisances. It didn't use to be that way... it's a sign of the times that now I've added a category for Malware and most of my internet utilities have been moved into it. | ||
| Pow | Free | This is one of many utilities to come out of AnalogX. It closes those annoying pop up windows you get at some web sites, especially the ones that have advertising. Check out other offerings at Analogx.com. |
| Malware Tools | ||
|---|---|---|
| A few makers of (sometimes pricey) security software offer consumer versions of their products for free. | ||
| Virus
|
||
| Housecall | free | Online scan and removal of viruses. It runs on
demand only - it doesn't stand guard over your computer
like installed products. Housecall is useful as a
"second opinion" to antivirus software you may be
already using.
Check out web sites of the other major players (like Symantec and McAfee). Some of them also have free online virus scan services. |
| Avast Antivirus | free | Scan for and remove viruses. This product is downloaded and installed. Performs automatic updates. In addition to scanning on demand, it runs passively in the background to protect your computer. |
| AVG Antivirus | free | Scan for and remove viruses. This product is
downloaded and installed. Performs daily automatic
updates. In addition to scanning on demand, it runs
passively in the background to protect your computer.
While you're there, download their free antispyware product. |
| Script Defender | Free | Viruses travel under many guises nowadays. One of
the popular implementations is a script. With Script
Defender running in the background, every time a script
is about to execute, this program will interrupt to
issue a warning and allow you to cancel the script
before it can do damage. It can't tell a good script
from a bad one but scripts are rare except in
virus-carrying emails. This is a good adjunct to your
antivirus program.
This is another gem from Analogx.com. |
| Adware | ||
| Ad-Aware | free | Manually scan for and remove adware. You download and install this program in your computer and, aside from the updates, it operates offline. Scanning and updating is done on demand - it doesn't continually guard your computer although it can be configured to scan when Windows boots up. |
| Spyware | ||
| Spybot S & D | free | Manually scan for and remove spyware. You download and install this program in your computer and, aside from the updates, it operates offline. Scanning and updating is done on demand - it doesn't continually guard your computer although it can be configured to scan when Windows boots up. It has an innoculation function but my manual scans turn up items that I would not have expected if innoculation had worked properly. |
| BHO Demon | free | Prevent nastyware from getting its hooks into your
browser. You download and install this product. It
attaches itself to Internet Explorer and reports
whenever anything else tries to attach itself to IE. A
good way to prevent hijacking.
The author has (at least temporarily) suspended support for the product but it is still available through download repositories. |
| Hackers | ||
| Zone Alarm | Free | If you're on cable or DSL you've probably heard of
this popular product. It's a software firewall. It
blocks incoming and outgoing network traffic unless you
give permission for the data to pass.
Zone Alarm has evolved into a suite of security tools all of which carry a price tag except for the basic firewall. Even if you're on a dialup connection, get protected from hackers. |
| SPAM | ||
| MailWasher | Free | MailWasher displays a list of the email messages
waiting for you at your mail service. You can preview
the email without receiving it and thus risking virus
infection.
Mailwasher uses a blacklist and a whitelist to each of which you can add entries. You can define rules for finer discrimination, say, for friends, business associates and vendors. Blacklist (or any category) items can automatically be preselected for deletion - a single click can delete the selected emails. You can use the other designations to sort the email. Another click can open your email reader to fetch the undeleted email. The free version is limited to one email account and does not work with AOL or web-based email services. The pro version is $37.00 (as of November 1, 2005) and has no restrictions. |
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