Scripps Employees Called 'Hackers' For Exposing Massive Security Flaw
Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
5 geeky, free Windows programs non-geeks should know about
Let's check out five programs that they should know about...
CCleaner (pictured above)
There are banner ads all over the place for tune-up programs and registry repair or cleaning apps, but most of them are about as useful as lips on a chicken. CCleaner, on the other hand is great at what it does. Two quick scans with CCleaner can rid your system of gigabytes of temporary files and tidy up crud hiding inside your Windows registry. CCleaner also lets you create a backup of the registry data it removes so that you can put it back if something goes wrong.
One thing to know about: the normal CCleaner installer offers the Ask.com toolbar. Simply uncheck the boxes when they appear to avoid installing it, or download the Slim installer instead.
Ok, most "geeks" probably aren't using EasyVPN but that doesn't mean it's not a geeky program. What does it do? It sets up a virtual network between any computers you install the program on. It's like having them all in the same place and plugged into the same router even if they're miles apart from each other. So what can you do with EasyVPN?
- take remote control of your home or work computer
- browse folders and transfer files
- print documents to a remote, shared printer
If more people knew about Malwarebytes, I'd probably notice a drop in the number of systems on my workbench that need trojans and rogue antivirus programs removed. Malwarebytes is an amazing program, and it keeps getting better at cleaning up things like XP Antivirus and Security Tool.
The paid version of Malwarebytes gets you realtime protection (like a regular antivirus program), automatic updates and scheduled scans, but the free version is identical otherwise. Run a manual update, and just remember to run a scan every now and then.
There are just so many useful things you can do with a free DropBox account -- and places you can use it -- that everyone can get some benefit from the service. A free account gets you 2GB of online storage, which is plenty of space for you to save important documents, pictures, or other data you want to be able to access from anywhere.
Putting files in your DropBox is easy -- it's basically just another folder on your Windows system like My Music, My Documents...Heck, it's even called My Dropbox! You can get at your stored files through their website or via the handy iPhone app.
Macrium Reflect [free version at Download.com]
Backing up individual files and folders is a good idea, but since hard drives are so cheap anymore why not just back up your entire hard drive? Macrium Reflect creates a single-file snapshot of everything on your system and it's a great way to protect your data in the event something catastrophic happens (like your main hard drive failing). If you've got an image saved somewhere safe (like an external USB hard drive), you can boot your computer with a Macrium recovery CD, restore the image to a new drive, and be running again as though nothing ever happened -- within minutes!
This is just the first installment. Stay tuned for more apps and share your favorites in the comments, DS readers, so we can include them next time!
Comments
31
Subscribe to commentsbug frawgApr 21st 2010 7:33PM
I already knew about these, so I guess that makes me a geek. ;-;
balvedaApr 21st 2010 8:18PM
Lee, ever heard of openVPN?
der_tuxmanApr 21st 2010 8:54PM
+1 for OpenVPN, I use it for Perfect Privacy.
King AntoniusApr 26th 2010 3:25AM
I would strongly recommend TeamViewer. Gives you 100% control over the reomote computer, works through firewalls with no problems and has an iPhone app that works very well.
SeanrossApr 21st 2010 8:30PM
i will check these out
der_tuxmanApr 21st 2010 8:54PM
Now what's "geeky" with CCleaner?
Christopher WilsonApr 21st 2010 9:15PM
I want to share my printer securely with my sister so she can print remotely, but don't want to have any of her traffic proxied through my connection, just the printer. Can easy vpn do this? Or should I use hamachi? and which would be less invasive? (I want it hidden in the sys tray once set up).
mahApr 22nd 2010 8:24AM
both will work. i use hamachi for such i think, but i believe the comodo offering will work the same way.
UnknownApr 21st 2010 10:53PM
Good list. I regularly use the first four, but Macrium Reflect is one I hadn't heard of till now.
Dropbox is definitely the most useful web app I use. If you don't have an account yet, use this referral code and get an extra 250 MB of storage (and I get extra too - thanks!): https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTUwNDA0OQ
JeffApr 21st 2010 11:01PM
Your synopsis on Malwarebytes isn't entirely accurate. The paid version's most important feature (that the free version doesn't have) is it's ability to stay resident and protect in real-time. I agree that MB is awesome. It was the only tool that found and got rid of a virus I had. Several others, including NOD32, didn't even see the bloody thing!
Word of warning about Macrium Reflect. DO A TEST WITH THE BOOT CD BEFORE TRUSTING IT WITH YOUR BACKUPS! After trusting Macrium with an image, then getting a virus and needing to reload, I was SOL because the Macrium boot cd wouldn't work. When asking them about it, it was "oh, sorry, the free version only does Linux boot cd's and they apparently aren't compatible with your hardware" etc, and that if I wanted a boot CD that worked, I'd need to pay $40 for the pro version.
If you have Windows 7, just use the built in imaging software. Go to Backup in the control panel, and look on the left hand side.
setApr 23rd 2010 11:59AM
That is a bummer. Macrium Reflect Free saved my laptop PC plenty of times before I got Windows 7.
Nakul SharmaApr 21st 2010 11:48PM
i started to use the windows 7's Restore and Backup Program, i gotta admit it works pretty well, also makes System recovery Disc for you
kojo87Apr 22nd 2010 12:17AM
question about Malwarebytes: will running that along side Microsoft Security Essentials cause problems? my instinct is yes it would but i have heard that it isn't a problem. i have MSE right now and i like if for the most part but i have noticed the Malwarebytes does a better job sometimes.
kudosApr 22nd 2010 8:00AM
No. They work great together. That is what I do for my 4 PCs at home.
PejenoApr 22nd 2010 2:05AM
I didn't know about Comodo EasyVPN and Macrium Reflect.
Thank you very much.
I see others recommend OpenVPN, I'll take it into account.
famehApr 22nd 2010 2:23AM
Thanks for your share!!!
I knew most of these very useful programs.
Personally, instead of Macrium i prefer way more Cobian or Toucan, which could backup also manually or programatically an entire partition or just the folders (including filters) that you define. Both also free and portable! :)
Taylor. Yes, Taylor.Apr 22nd 2010 4:15AM
I vote for DeskPins and ExtractNow. They're two of the first programs i put on every computer!
I have a lot of friends that know enough to torrent things, but not enough to extract them. Extractnow is perfect for that!
And deskpins is just great!
dodutilsApr 22nd 2010 4:49AM
Stop talking about OpenVPN this post is about non-geek tools !
Have you ever tried to put a non-geek in front of an OpenVPN.conf ???
Commodo VPN is far simpler to manage.
mahApr 22nd 2010 8:26AM
i prefer paragon's free offering over macrium. the former does incremental while the later only does a complete image last time i checked.
Gardiner WestboundApr 22nd 2010 9:16AM
Prefer Easeus ToDo Backup 1.1. to Macrium Reflect