Basic Maintenance for that New Computer  By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES:

http://www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html

http://www.ccleaner.com

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com

http://www.iobit.com

http://www.safer-networking.org

http://www.wisecleaner.com

http://www.malwarebytes.org 

            Computers were a popular gift this holiday season, whether purchased for another, or as a gift to one’s self.  Right out of the box a new desktop or laptop (notebook) computer will run just fine, as the manufacturer designed it to run.  Just like a new car, a new computer requires some periodic maintenance to keep it running like new.  Also, just like a new car, some tweaks can possibly improve its performance as well.  List like a car, ignore the maintenance and there will likely be trouble down the road.

            Some of the simple tasks that need to be performed periodically on that new (or old) desktop or laptop are deleting old and obsolete files, defragging the hard drive to improve performance, periodically reviewing and editing items that load when the computer starts or boots up, and removing useless and unwanted programs that have been installed by the manufacturer as trial versions.  While some of these tasks can be performed by utilities built into most modern versions of Windows, as is common, many of these tasks can be better and more efficiently performed by third party software.  Third party software that can perform these tasks can either be commercial and purchased from local stores or online, or some titles may be available for free download, and are referred to as freeware.

            When brand new, before the computer is even turned on the first time by its owner, the hard drive in the computer is typically well organized, with the operating system (Windows) and installed program files sitting neatly and orderly on the hard drive.  This sense of order makes it relatively quick and easy to load programs, as they sit in adjacent parts on the hard drive, and can be quickly read with a minimum of mechanical effort.  As the computer is used, and the hard drive reads and writes large amounts of data, some of this sense of order on the hard drive is lost, and the data and files become fragmented, or scattered around the hard drive, making programs slow to read and load.  The more fragmented the information on the hard drive, the harder and slower the drive functions, leading to a noticeable degradation in performance.  Unless the hard drive is periodically defragged, the colloquial term for defragmenting, the performance of the hard drive will continue to deteriorate.  Recent versions of Windows offer a basic tool to defragment the hard drive, but it only performs basic and minimally adequate defragmentation.  In XP for example, opening Windows Explorer (the file manager), and right clicking the mouse on the words Drive C will open a window; then click on Properties and then Tools will display the hard drive maintenance tools built into XP, including the disk defragmenting utility.  Alternatively, the user can click on START - ALL PROGRAMS - ACCESSORIES,  SYSTEM TOOLS - DISK DEFRAGMENTER and then Defragment Now.  Depending on the size of the hard drive, its native speed, and how much information is on the hard drive, the defragmentation process may take anywhere from several minutes to several hours.

            The defragmenting utility built into Windows is just a basic utility, and lacks the speed and power of some of the third party utilities.  One that I have used, which is acclaimed by several computer publications, and available as a free download is IObit’s Smart Defrag, which can be downloaded at www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html.  Smart Defrag is free for both personal and business use, and does a faster and better job than Microsoft’s integral product.

            Windows leaves a lot of clutter on the hard drive that devours hard drive space, eating away at the capacity of the hard drive.  One of the best free hard drive cleaning utilities, which deletes useless and obsolete files from the hard drive, and  that has won wide acclaim by the computer press is CCleaner.  This program has been downloaded millions of times, and is available for free at www.ccleaner.com.  CCleaner has other integral functions, but it is best known for its ability to remove clutter.  It is not unusual for a first run to delete hundreds of megs of useless information from the hard drive, freeing up valuable hard drive space.

            Another waste of hard drive space is the trial software and advertising installed on a new computer by the manufacturer, referred to in the industry as bloatware.  The manufacturers are actually paid a fee to place this material on a new computer, and sometimes receive commissions for the purchase of the listed items.  One major computer manufacturer charges an additional $50 to get a computer without this software installed, supposedly to make up for the loss in advertising revenue.  Another major manufacturer has argued that without this on-computer advertising revenue, computers would be more expensive to purchase, as the advertising subsidizes the cost of the computer.  It is a time consuming task to identify and remove this frequently unwanted software, but there is a free product on the web that has a nasty name, but does a fine job of removing it.  The program is PC Decrapifier, and available for free download at www.pcdecrapifier.com.

            When a computer is turned on or booted, in addition to the operating system, a number of programs are also loaded.  These programs take time to load, and consume system resources, which eventually slows the computer.  Windows has a utility to control which programs load at startup, but it lacks information on the programs, and is not intuitive to use.  There are several third party utilities, both commercial and freeware, which are generically referred to as Startup Managers which ease this function, and labels which programs are necessary and which are not.  By simply unchecking a box adjacent to the unwanted programs (and maybe clicking on apply or ok), they will not load at the next boot, thus improving performance.  Some free utilities that have a startup manager are the CCleaner mentioned above (click on TOOLS � STARTUP), and IObit’s Advanced System Care FREE (www.iobit.com) which has a startup manager under Utilities - Admin Tools - Startup manager.  One of the best startup managers available is a utility included with the popular anti-spyware product Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org), where the startup manager can be found under Mode  Advanced  Tools,  System Startup.  Spybot lists color coded startup items as red (delete them), yellow (personal choice), and green (safe - leave them alone).  Clicking on the right edge of the screen in Spybot opens a window that explains what each item is when it is when the item is highlighted.

            There are many other software tasks that can improve performance, like safely cleaning the registry (Wise Registry Cleaner  Free, www.wisecleaner.com), and removing spyware (Malware Bytes AntiMalware, www.malwarebytes.org).  If the user is willing to spend some money, it is usually safe to add memory to the computer, up to the limits of the operating system and motherboard.  Adding memory is a well documented way to improve performance, and often not expensive.  One neighbor purchased a gig of memory on sale at a local office supply store, and installed it himself on his Vista laptop computer; he now marvels at the improvement in performance.

            Take good care of your computer, and it will give you years of performance and user satisfaction.  Neglect or abuse your computer and it may make cyber life difficult for you, the user.

What You Need With That New Holiday Computer By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES:

http://www.trendmicro.com

http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Home-Home-Office/VIPRE

http://www.comodo.com  

            While doing my holiday shopping, I noticed that a lot of people were buying new computers for the holidays.  I saw people mostly buying notebook or laptop computers, but still many purchased new desktop computers.  All new computers typically work fine right out of the box, and often come bundled with either full versions of application software, or trial versions of software.  Still, almost all new computers need some accessories, peripherals, or software to maximize usefulness and safety.

            Almost all new computers, both desktop and laptop, come with a trial version of antivirus software, and possibly even a trial version of a security suite.  Perusing the offerings at the local stores I saw trial versions running from 30 days to 6 months of the popular retail security suites, mostly from Norton, McAfee, and TrendMicro.  While functional and requiring registration and updating when first loaded, these security software products will all perform an acceptable job while they are effective, and prior to their expiration.  Most of the software publishers consider the pre-installation of their products on new computers as a form of paid (to the computer manufacturer) advertising, with the hope that the user will renew what is already installed.  Some of the software publishers even pay commissions to the computer maker when the user pays to renew the trial software, and convert it to a paid annual subscription.  The user needs to be aware that while the trial software installed, registered, and updated is typically adequate, it often renews at full retail price; the user can usually find the same product at retail (full retail package) for significantly less than the renewal price, or can find a competitive and possibly superior product at retail.

            If the new computer does not come with a security suite, consisting of antivirus, anti-spyware, and a firewall, it will be necessary to purchase a suite, or download and install one of the freeware suites.  My personal favorite, which I have installed on many new computers, is TrendMicro’s Internet Security Suite 2009 Pro.  This suite is among the most comprehensive suites available, and as of now somewhat of an industry standard; it can be installed on up to three computers with a single license.  While not a complete suite, I have also installed Sunbelt’s VIPRE on some computers, especially those which already have a hardware or software firewall installed.  VIPRE in my own tests, and in published comparisons, does not significantly degrade the performance of the computer, unlike many competing products.  VIPRE incorporates one of the most powerful antivirus and anti-spyware engines available, and unlike its competitors, can be installed on all computers in the household with a single license.  For those who want a freeware suite of security products, Comodo (www.comodo.com) offers a totally free and excellent suite of products that can be downloaded and installed a la carte.

            One of the lesser understood killers of both laptop and desktop computers is bad power, resulting from power surges and voltage variations.  At a bare minimum, all computers should be plugged into a surge suppressor (not a plain power strip).  Generally, the higher the joule rating, the more protection provided.  Most surge suppressors also have connections for phone lines, network cables, coax, and other connections that can carry power spikes into the computer, causing damage.  While there is some debate on the usefulness of filtering, and the possible degradation of signals when thus filtered, I believe that it is still a wise precaution to have the computer and peripherals plugged into a quality suppressor.  Look for the UL 1449 rating which indicates that it meets minimum safety standards for suppressors.  For desktop computers, the physical size of the suppressor is not a major factor, but for laptop and notebook computers which will likely be transported, there are some excellent suppressors that are small in form factor.  I carry a small but powerful Tripp Lite surge suppressor in my computer case, and use it whenever I plug my computer into a wall outlet.

            For desktop computers, even better than a strip type surge suppressor, is an uninterruptible power supply, often referred to as a UPS.  These devices, in addition to providing suppression functions, also provide battery backup power in order to allow an orderly shutdown in the event of a power failure, which protects both the computer itself, and also the data which can be properly saved before a forced shutdown.  Many better UPS devices also incorporate AVR or automatic voltage regulation, to provide a constant voltage to the computer, which protects the computer’s power supply, and prolongs its useful life.  If the user lives in an area with irregular voltage, or notices that lights and TVs dim whenever an air conditioner or major appliance kicks in, AVR is a must have feature.  Because of their size and weight, UPS devices are not appropriate for laptop use unless used in a stationary environment such as a home or an office.  In purchasing a UPS, in addition to AVR and other features, it is important that the battery capacity be enough to power the computer and monitor long enough to provide for an orderly shutdown, generally the larger the integral battery, the better.

            For laptop and notebook computers, there are several items of necessity that are usually not included with the computer at the time of purchase.  One item of necessity is a high quality computer case that offers complete protection to the computer on all six sides.  One of the major killers of laptop computers is damage when dropped or banged; a good case will provide reasonable protection.  I have learned first-hand not to skimp on the case, but have heard horror stories of people buying a thousand dollar notebook computer, and putting it in a $29 case, only to suffer unintended destruction while traveling, or by simply having the case fall off of a table or car seat.  Most laptop and notebook computers are fragile, and the LCD screens can easily crack, so get a good case with excellent protection.

            Another killer of notebook and laptop computers is heat, especially notorious when the computer is placed on a non-conductive surface, such as wood or a laminate, and allowed to run for long periods of time.  When this occurs, the computer has a good possibility to overheat, as heat can not be dissipated through the case on the bottom.  A good peripheral would be a laptop notebook cooler, which is a flat, thin, USB powered device, containing one or more fans to dissipate heat.  The computer sits on the top of the cooler, and the fans blow room air around the base of the computer, cooling it.  A poor man’s version is an iron or aluminum trivet available in the housewares department of any discount or dollar store.  Likewise, a sturdy cake rack, available from similar sources, will allow cooling air to circulate around the computer if the computer is placed on it while running.  If placed physically on the user’s lap, the user will easily know when it is getting too hot.

            Congratulations if you were fortunate enough to get a new computer for the holidays.  Now maybe you can also get the accessories and peripherals for it to maximize its useful life.

Create PDF Documents for FREE  By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES: http://www.cutepdf.com  &   http://www.primopdf.com 

            I do a lot of research online on a variety of topics such as homeland security, and cyber security, and like to save digital copies of websites, articles, and news stories.  I also like to save secure and stable digital copies of documents I create, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, tax forms, and other documents, where they will always appear exactly as the originals, and are difficult to alter.  I also exchange documents of various types with many others, some of whom have different software and operating systems than I have, but would like to view the documents exactly as prepared.  To resolve these problems, and create a universal standard format that works seamlessly on virtually all operating systems, the software publisher Adobe created the PDF or Portable Document Format, which has become the defacto standard for universal document exchange.  While feature rich, and still widely considered as the premier PDF writing utility, the Adobe Acrobat PDF writing software is relatively expensive ($300 for the new Standard Edition (Version 9).  In recent years, several competitors to Adobe PDF Writer have appeared, and fortunately for us, some of them are available for free!

            I have tried several of the free PDF writers, and they all function substantially the same.  I have also successfully used the PDF function built into the excellent and free office suite, OpenOffice 3 (openoffice.org), which can create PDF documents from each of the components in its suite of software, but does not create PDFs from other sources.  Some of the free PDF writing utilities include advertising and watermarks in the documents created, clearly displaying to all readers that the user is using free software; the appearance of ads and commercial watermarks in a document makes it unacceptable (to me) for all but distinctly personal use.  Two of the free PDF writers that I have used, and continue to use, which are also free of advertising and commercial watermarks are CutePDF Writer (www.cutepdf.com) and PrimoPDF (www.primopdf.com).

            CutePDF Writer is a small download of only 1.6 megs, but also requires the download and installation of a free GNU Ghostscript converter (5 megs), which is available on the CutePDF download page.  Downloading and installation of CutePDF Writer and GNU Ghostscript were fast and easy.  CutePDF Writer is not run separately as a utility, but is in reality installed as a printer driver, and shows up under the Printers and Faxes heading in the control panel.  Using CutePDF Writer to create PDF files is fast and easy, and can be accessed from the Print function in any software that supports printing.  To create a PDF file from any source, simple click on Print and select CutePDF Writer from the pull-down printer menu, and then print as if the document was simply going to a printer.  CutePDF Writer appears as an installed printer, and for all practical purposes is treated as a physical printer.  When the print function is activated, CutePDF Writer transparently and quickly converts the document into a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) document in the PDF format.  Rather than printing to paper, CutePDF Writer prints to a digital file in the PDF format, which can be saved wherever desired.  As a PDF file, it can be opened by any PDF viewer or reader, and it will appear exactly as created, including all fonts, colors, graphics, and formatting.  Because PDF files can be universally opened and viewed, PDF is an ideal format to email to others who may not have the same document creation software that you have.  I have personally used CutePDF Writer extensively, and routinely install it on all of my computers.  CutePDF Writer is totally free, and does not contain any advertising or watermarks.  It is explicitly free to all, including personal, commercial, educational, and government use.  Computer Shopper magazine rates CutePDF Writer as one of the best 50 downloads available.  The publisher of CutePDF Writer obviously hopes that users of the free Writer product will upgrade to the more powerful commercial product, CutePDF Professional, currently available on the website for $49.95.

            There is another excellent and free PDF creator which I occasionally use, and that is PrimoPDF, which self-proclaims that it is the World’s #1 Free PDF Creator.  Download.com indicates that over 9.5 million copies of PrimoPDF have been downloaded from that site alone.  PrimoPDF is a 10.6 mb download, and will run on all versions of Windows from 98 to Vista; no other downloaded files are necessary to install and run PrimoPDF.  As do other PDF writers, it installs as a printer driver, and is used as a printer to save PDF files.  Like the others, clicking on Print, and selecting PrimoPDF as the printer, PrimoPDF will create the file as a PDF, and allow the user to save the PDF wherever desired.  PrimoPDF offers more save options than CutePDF, including the ability to vary the degree of compression and size of the PDF file based on the intended final use.  If the user wants a file that is only to be viewed onscreen, it will create the smallest possible file; if the file is intended for publishing or other uses, a larger, higher quality file may be saved.  Alternatively, PrimoPDF allows the user to determine quality and file size with a single click by selecting the intended final use, such as screen, eBook, print, prepress (commercial printing), and a customized output.  Compared to most other PDF writing utilities, PrimoPDF is very feature rich.  For those who want even more capability and features, PrimoPDF offers its commercial version, NitroPDF Professional for $99.

            Creating PDF files is remarkably easy, and requires absolutely no additional skills.  It is an excellent way to distribute documents across platforms.  Both the simpler CutePDF Writer and the more sophisticated PrimoPDF will serve their users well.

SPAMfighter  Free Spam Filtering Software By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES: http://www.spamfighter.com      http://www.spamfighter.com/product_info.asp 

            According to a recent report published by Symantecs MessageLabs, 81.2% of all email in 2008 has been some form of spam, or unwanted commercial email, down slightly from the rate in 2007.  Almost all of the spam is coming from botnets, or hundreds of thousands of computers which are unknowingly infected by zombies, which have hijacked the bandwidth of those computers for the purposes of propagating spam, malware, and other malicious software.  Many internet service providers (ISPs) offer spam filtering at the mail server level, but many do not.  Locally, one major broadband provider offers excellent spam filtering for its integral email service, but the other major broadband provider does not.  This other major broadband provider does offer a third party security suite which incorporates spam filtering, but for a variety of reasons it is not widely implemented.  Many of us have multiple email accounts with other email services, and they vary greatly in their ability (or inability) to filter the enormous quantity of spam mail we routinely receive. Some contemporary internet security suites offer spam filtering as a feature, while many others do not, leaving countless users exposed to the scourge of spam emails.

            For those lacking an ISP with spam filtering, or those without a security suite spam filter, spam mail can be an overwhelming problem.  Fortunately for us, there are several independent spam filters that we can incorporate on our computers, and some of those are free.  One I recently experimented with was SPAMfighter (free version), available for download from www.spamfighter.com.  SPAMfighter will run on almost all 32bit versions of Windows, including Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista.  This software integrates with most contemporary Microsoft email platforms, including Outlook Express (version 5.5 or later), as well as the full versions of Outlook (versions 2000, 2002, XP, 2003, and 2007).  It also works with Microsoft’s Windows Mail.

            SPAMfighter was originally developed in Denmark, and has over 5.7 million registered users all over the globe, including about 600,000 in the US.  SPAMfighter has offices in the US, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, and India, and is available in 18 languages.  The company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, and the SPAMfighter software has been well reviewed by major computer publications.  In May, 2008, PC World magazine awarded SPAMfighter one of its top awards, and stated that it was, The only recommended spam filter.  Computerworld rated it as one of the top 100 programs available.  The software service TUCOWS has awarded SPAMfighter its highest Five Cows rating, and ZDNet gave it its highest 5 Star rating.  Other publications have given its spam filtering technology numerous awards.

            The basic version of SPAMfighter, referred to as the Standard Version is completely free for home and school users, but incorporates an "I'm protected by SPAMfighter" message as a footer to your outgoing e-mails, and displays a short text advertisement in your email client.  The SPAMfighter Pro version is available for $29.00, and can be used in commercial environments.  The Pro version also adds increased functionality, and does not append the "I'm protected by SPAMfighter" message as a footer to your outgoing e-mails, and does not display the text ad in the email client.  The Pro version is available as a 30 day free trial, and will regress to the free Standard version if not registered (paid) within the trial period.

            Using a very intuitive and simple interface, and a short toolbar in Outlook, SPAMfighter protects against one of the worst scourges in the spam kingdom, which is the identity theft tool known as Phishing, as well as other types of identity theft and email frauds.  It can automatically filter emails based on the originating language, and can recognize spam sent as pictures, and not as text.  The software is automatically updated very frequently, and manages both blacklists (prohibited email sources), and whitelists (allowed email sources).  If a spam email slips through the defenses, a single mouse click enables revenge mode which will report the email as suspected spam, and automatically notify the other 5.7 million users.  A feature called Automatic real mail protection assures that legitimate business related emails are not filtered.  Unlike many competitors, SPAMfighter does not trigger or filter on simple phrases or words, and does not censor legitimate content.  The users privacy is protected, as the publisher does not see any of the users emails.  SPAMfighter can be used on multiple email accounts on a computer.

            The company that publishes SPAMfighter also publishes a variety of other products, including an Exchange spam filter, a server spam filter, hosted spam filtering, and antivirus utility, and a spyware remover.  All of these commercial products are available as a free 30 day trial from www.spamfighter.com/Other_Products.asp.

            For those computer users who do not have spam filtering services or software, SPAMfighter would be a very worthwhile utility.

EXAMINER 121108 - SPAMfighter.doc

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware: A Top Performing Malware Removal Utility By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITE:

http://www.malwarebytes.org 

            Recently, one of my coworkers ran into my office and frantically told me that there was an official looking popup on his monitor that told him that his computer was infected with dozens of spyware programs, and that he needed to click here to remove them.  Innocently, he clicked on the popup, and was taken to a webpage where he could purchase the solution to remove the malware on his computer for about $30.  This was for a program called XP Antivirus 2009.  Since our work computers are provided by our employer, and already have antivirus and antispyware software installed, he declined to purchase the proffered software.  The popup continued to annoyingly reappear, and while using Internet Explorer, his browser would unexpectedly display a warning that the computer was infected, and the infamous click here for the solution, the XP Antivirus 2009.  It finally got to the point that the popup was continuously appearing, and while using IE the warning page was frequently opening, and he was unable to do his work.

            I went to his office, opened his Internet Explorer, and rather than showing his homepage, it showed the infected warning.  I immediately recognized that his browser had been hijacked, and that he did indeed have spyware on his computer that slipped through the name brand antivirus and antispyware software installed on our office computers.  I tried to run an online scan with TrendMicros Housecall (houscall.antivirus.com), but rather than displaying the Housecall webpage, it displayed the XP Antivirus 2009 website.  I was well aware that XP Antivirus 2009 is one of a large family of similar scumware products that are not just useless, but also often carry their own load of spyware when downloaded and installed. I typed in the URL for Microsofts free online scan (safety.live.com), and was again misdirected to the XP Antivirus 2009 website.  It was abundantly clear that his browser had been totally hijacked, and that this malware was protecting itself from detection and removal.  I manually entered the URL for a utility that I knew would defeat this monster, www.malwarebytes.org, and was again redirected to the XP Antivirus 2009 website.  Now, it was my battle, and that miscreant did not know who he was fooling with.

            It was now a battle of wits, and I was determined to beat this sucker.  Because I had encountered this scam previously on several other computers, I was aware of its tenacity.  Some of the computer magazines have compared the distribution of this scumware to a pyramid scheme, with one prolific distributor of spam reportedly making an alleged $5 million in a year by spreading the initial Trojan that carries the payload to hijack the computer.  Because of prior experience eradicating the cousins of this particular malware, I had a good idea of what to do.  I knew that the Firefox browser (www.getfirefox.com) was more resistant to hijacking than Internet Explorer, and my coworker also had Firefox on his computer.  I closed his Internet Explorer, and opened Firefox.  I typed www.malwarebytes.org and was taken to the website for one of the top antispyware removal tools available, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.  I downloaded Malwarebytes, installed it on his computer, and then ran a Quick Scan, which took about 30 minutes.  Malwarebytes found 49 pieces of spyware on his computer as files, running programs (memory resident), and as registry entries, all of which it removed.  After rebooting his computer, not just did the popups and hijacking of his browser cease, but his computing performance was notably improved.  For this, he can thank Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software.

            Malwarebytes was founded in 2004, and in that short time, it has been acknowledged as one of the finest and most comprehensive malware detectors and removers available.  There are two versions of Malwarebytes available, the free version, and the paid PRO version.  The PRO version adds the benefits of real-time protection, scheduled scanning, and scheduled updating for a one-time registration fee of $24.95.  The free version is popular, with over 2 million downloads from download.com.

            I have been tenacious about security on my home computer, and was surprised to find that Malwarebytes detected some malware on my computer, despite having a frequently updated security suite installed, and regular third-party scans.  One item found was a file I had downloaded some time ago, and never installed, which would have put rogue software on my computer.  It also found a Trojan agent in my hosts file, which could have misdirected Internet Explorer.  A fresh quick scan earlier today, with an updated fingerprint file verified that my machine is now totally free of malware.

            The scan engine with an updated data file is the heart of Malwarebytes.  The user is given two choices, a quick scan which looks for the most common threats, and a full scan which offers a thorough scan to detect the maximum number of threats.  Updating the engine is quick and easy; simply click on the Update tab, select a mirror site, and the latest updates are downloaded and automatically installed.  As I type this, there are over 59,000 malware fingerprint files in the database, which is updated daily.  I recommend that all users check for updates prior to running any scans, as new threats are constantly appearing.

            Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is incredibly easy to use, and does not require any technical geek skills to rid a computer of malware.  I have been recommending it for a few months, and have received kudos about it.  In another recent incident, a reader of this column emailed me about her browser (Internet Explorer again) being hijacked, and quickly opening multiple windows with often pornographic websites being displayed in rapid succession.  She had Firefox on her computer, and used it to download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, ran it, and her problem disappeared.  She recently called in to my radio show, and praised the product, mentioning how easy it was to use.

            Malwarebytes Anti-Malware should be in the arsenal of all PC users who use Windows 2000, XP, or Vista.  Regardless of what security software is installed, a periodic scan with an updated Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will detect whatever spyware may have slipped through the existing defenses, which is what happens more frequently than most computer users realize.  By removing spyware from the computer, not just will security be vastly improved, but performance will likely be improved as well.  I scan with it weekly, and carry the full program on a flash drive so I can clean other infected computers.  I recommend that all users download this program and execute periodic scans with updated software to promote both security and performance.  Malwarebytes is to be commended for their service to the computing community and the quality of their products.

Advanced System Care Free V3  Improve PC Performance:  By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES:

http://www.iobit.com

http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html  

            One of the most frequently asked questions on my weekly radio show (KLVI 560AM, Mondays, 6-7pm) has to do with improving the performance of a sluggish computer.  One of the utilities I most recommended was the free version of IObit’s Advanced Windows Care  Personal Edition, version 2.  Recently IObit released an upgraded and updated utility renamed Advanced System Care Free V3, which IObit claims has over 10,000 improvements and updates.  Being a fan of system improvement utilities, I had to download and install this new version, replacing the older version 2 that I have been happily using for about the past 18 months.

            Going to the IObit website at www.iobit.com, and downloading the new software was an easy experience, as I was given the choice of multiple download sites.  I selected one of the Texas mirrors of MajorGeeks, a major download service, where the download counter of this new version indicates that over 1.5 million copies of this new version 3 have been downloaded from MajorGeeks alone.  The download was about 7.6 megs in size, and downloaded remarkable fast for a download that size, to the credit of the bandwidth available at the Texas MajorGeeks website.  Once downloaded, I clicked on the file to install it, and it recognized my older version 2, which it replaced.  I was given the choice of language, and skin (background color scheme), and selected the white (really a soft light blue) as the easiest to read.

            Once the install was complete, I chose to run the program.  I was displayed a clean fresh graphical interface that on the left of the window gave the choices Maintain Windows, Diagnose System, Utilities, and Home.  Whichever icon is selected opens the right half of the window.  For my first test of the software, I chose to Maintain Windows.  I was offered a check-box selection of Spyware Removal, Registry Fix, Privacy Sweep, and Junk Files Clean.  I selected all of them and clicked on Scan.  In just a few minutes, Advanced System Care Free V3 detected 20 items it labeled as spyware (all were tracking cookies), 66 correctable errors in my registry, 29 privacy issues, and 394 megs of junk files that could be deleted.  I prefer to not blindly follow what is found, so I clicked on each of the findings to review what was found.  After some minor tweaking, I decided to accept what was found, and clicked on the Repair icon.  In just seconds, all of the corrections and deletions were carried out.

            Selecting the Diagnose System icon, I was given the now familiar check boxes for System Optimization, Security Defense, Disk Defragment, and Security Analyzer.  I checked all except Disk Defragment, as I had just recently defragged my hard drive using IObits free standing and excellent disk defragmentation utility, and wanted to save the time, despite IObits claim that the integral defragmentation utility is up to 10 times faster than some other competing products. System Optimization detected about two dozen system bottlenecks and corrected the system settings to improve performance.  The Security Defense feature can immunize the computer against thousands of malicious websites, illicit tracking cookies, browser hijackers, dialers, and other malicious software.  Security Analyzer examines running programs to detect and disable any malware that may be currently running on the computer.

            The Utilities selection offers 20 distinct utilities to tune-up the computer and its applications; examine the security settings and backup critical system files and settings and Admin Tools which includes an uninstall utility, as well as my personal favorite, a startup manager to identify and control what programs startup when the computer is booted.  By cleaning up the startup, the computer will run faster, boot quicker, and have fewer conflicts, because fewer programs will be automatically loaded.  Under the Tune Up tab, I found that Firefox (my preferred browser) can be optimized for maximum performance.

            The Home icon displays program version, database updates, most recent scan, user account (free or paid Professional account), and the cumulative results of the scans that had been performed.  The center Care icon automatically runs the system optimization utilities, as a one-click performance improvement function.

            As is to be expected, IObit has a comparison chart that compares the features of Advanced System Care Free V3 with its software competitors, both free and commercial.  The features listed on the chart are All-in-one secure, repair, clean, and optimize, Optimize and speed up PC and Internet, Complete registry care,  Security features, 1-click solution, and Price.  This software is compared to seven major competitors (1 free and six commercial), and comes out feature rich compared to the competition.  To be fair, some of the products listed have features and capabilities not included with Advanced System Care Free V3, but comparing system utilities and clean up programs, this program compares very well.

            It is inevitable that users will ask why IObit would give away software this powerful; the reason is that IObit clearly wants the satisfied user to upgrade to the Pro version, which has more features and capabilities, and is currently on sale online for $19.95 (regularly $29.95) directly from IObit.  The Pro version has additional performance improving features, a deep registry scan that roots out many more useless registry entries (the Pro version detected over 3000 useless registry entries on my computer, compared to only 66 in the free version), additional tune-up features to both improve hardware performance and web speed, and free technical support.

            The excellence of Advanced System Care Free V3 has been recognized in the media with several awards, including high ratings from ZDnet, Tucows, Softpedia, Download.com, PC World, PC Magazine, and other publications.  Download.com claims that Advanced System Care Free V3 is its number one most downloaded system utility, with about 9.5 million downloads, even though it has only been available for the past several weeks.

            For those wanting a powerful, and feature rich utility to improve computer performance, the free version of Advanced System Care Free V3 would be a very good choice.  For those who want additional features and capability, the Pro version, currently on sale for $19.95, would be a very good choice.

OpenOffice 3.0  Comprehensive Free Office Suite by Ira Wilsker

WEBSITE: http://OpenOffice.org

      Unlike almost all previous columns, I am not typing this using a Microsoft Office product. Despite not using a Microsoft Office product, I currently feel quite comfortable, and have not noted any learning curve necessary to use this new product. I was able to download, install and run this alternative product, and it looks and feels just like the Microsoft Word that I have been using for many years. The only major difference that I can see between what I am using at this instant, and Microsoft Office is the dramatic difference in the price of these two competing products. The product I am using right now is totally free, and can be downloaded and distributed free without any strings attached. The product I am using to type this column is the word processor named Writer, part of the the recently released OpenOffice 3.0, available for free download at OpenOffice.org. For compatibility purposes, I have chosen to save this file in the Word “.doc” format, but I could have chosen from any of about two dozen word processing formats to save this document. It should be noted that the new version 3.0 of OpenOffice can now open all of the new data formats used in Office 2007, including the new “.docx” and the other new formats.

      OpenOffice has been around for years, and millions of copies have been downloaded. OpenOffice.org has just released a new and improved version, 3.0, which has many enhancements, new features, and additional format options compared to the previous versions. Since it can read and write virtually all contemporary office formats from word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and presentation programs, including Microsoft Office products. OpenOffice is appropriate for all users of office products, including household use, academic use, business use, and government use. On the OpenOffice website are listings of hundreds of organizations and agencies, including colleges and universities around the world, that have adopted the free OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office or other commercial office suites. For some of my fiscally struggling college students, I have explicitly recommended OpenOffice as a free alternative to purchasing Microsoft Office, or using the low-featured Works program often included on many computers.

      While Writer, the OpenOffice word processor, has the same look and feel of Word, it is not alone in the suite, as OpenOffice is a comprehensive suite of office utilities. On the opening menu are descriptive icons simply labeled Text Document, Presentation, Database, Spreadsheet, Drawing, and Formula. Additional icons on the menu will open preconfigured templates, open existing documents, and link to additional features.

      I do a lot of presentations for groups and organizations, and I have exclusively been using Microsoft's popular PowerPoint program. As I am typing this, I am opening one of my recent identity theft presentations made in PowerPoint in another window using the OpenOffice presentation program, Impress. Impress opened my PowerPoint file quickly and easily, and looks just like a PowerPoint window. Using Impress, which has virtually all of the features of PowerPoint, the user can create and present professional presentations without the expense of PowerPoint. In some ways, Impress may have some features missing in PowerPoint, including an improved list of backgrounds and templates, and tabs on the top of the display to show notes, outlines, handouts, and the slide sorter.

      Many of us routinely use a spreadsheet for a variety of financial, statistical, or data uses. OpenOffice has an excellent spreadsheet appropriately named “Calc”. I just opened up one of my Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xls format) in Calc, and it opened quickly and looks just like Excel. All of the formulas calculated properly in Calc that were created in Excel, all columns were formatted correctly, and graphs displayed properly. I also opened an Excel 2007 spreadsheet, and a Corel Quattro workbook in Calc, and they both opened flawlessly. If someone already knows how to use a spreadsheet, Calc is a “no brainer” in that it is intuitive and requires no additional training or experience to use. As with other OpenOffice applications, it can open almost all other spreadsheet formats, and write to many of the contemporary formats.

      While among the least used office utilities, database programs are an integral part of almost all office suites, and OpenOffice is no different. Its database is simple called “Base” and is as full featured as its costly competitors. Base can use wizards to create a database, or utilize the countless templates available either in the program or on line at OpenOffice.org. Experienced database users will quickly recognize the Base window, as the icons and commands are substantially the same as those used in Access and Approach. Those who know how to use Access or Approach can immediately use Base without any significant learning curve, and can be productive immediately.

      One feature available in OpenOffice that is lacking in many competitive suites is a comprehensive photo and image editor, called Draw. Draw enables the user to create, edit, crop, modify, or other wise change digital images. As is common with other OpenOffice

utilities, Draw can open almost every common image format, and write to them as well. Those who are graphically creative will find Draw to be an adequate image editor that can do what many of the free standing image editors can do, but Draw does it for free. For those with digital cameras, Draw can easily edit and crop digital photos, and convert them to any other desired format.

      Some technical users, such as engineers, mathematicians, and physicists may need a sophisticated editor that can process formulas in a variety of formats. “Math” is the integral utility that performs the function of creating simple or complex formulas that can be imported into other documents or presentations. Math can read and write data formats used by other leading mathematical programs.

      OpenOffice is a large download in Windows format, a 145mb download. In addition to Windows, OpenOffice is available for almost all other platforms, including Mac. For those who need an office suite in foreign languages, this one is available in over 50 languages, making it ideal for a multinational organization that needs a single office suite that can handle multiple languages. While the dictionary integral with this suite consists of tens of thousands of words, specialty dictionaries in many languages are available as a free download from the OpenOffice.org website (http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/dictionary). In addition to dictionaries, there are also dozens of free, open source templates available for each of the utilities that can incorporate multiple languages in a single file, or add functionality, such as a template to create an academic grade book. In addition to templates, dictionaries, and hundreds of other add-ons, there is also an extensive on line support system, where experienced users will offer free support to new users.

      For the price, free, you will not find a better office suite than OpenOffice. With its high level of compatibility with Microsoft office and other office suites, OpenOffice 3.0 is a wise choice for most computer users, no matter what the modern platform or language.

Verbatim PhotoSave DVD  Backup Photos and Movies to DVD By Ira Wilsker 

WEBSITES:

http://www.verbatim.com/photosave

http://www.verbatim.com/photosave/faq.cfm 

            In the past year, two of my daughters were married.  Between the two weddings, I have accumulated hundreds of wedding photos, and hours of wedding videos.  In the event of a natural disaster, such as our recent Hurricane Ike, or even a common hard drive failure, it would be an utter shame if those precious memories were lost.  Over the years, I have repeatedly mentioned the need for frequent backups of critical data files, and photos and digital movies definitely qualify as critical data files.  As I have written previously, when we evacuated for Hurricanes Rita, Gustav, and Ike, the first thing that I packed was my external hard drive, which had a current backup of my data files made with NTI's Shadow software.  Being more the romantic, the first thing my wife packed was our wedding album, and the albums containing the kids baby pictures; these albums filled a large carton.

            Nowadays, the majority of photos and home videos are digital, and stored on some type of digital media, such as a hard drive, flash drive, or CD disc.  One reason why many do not have contemporary backups of all of their photos and videos is the effort to create the backups from multiple media types and formats, and the lack of software to automate the backup process.  While there are many digital backup utilities available, Verbatim recently released what may arguably be the least expensive, easiest to use, and most comprehensive system to easily backup digital media; this new product is Verbatim’s PhotoSave DVD.

            One of the factors that makes the PhotoSave DVD attractive is that there is no software to install on the computer, and no special software is needed to copy and burn the digital photos and movies to the PhotoSave DVD.  All of the necessary software is included on each DVD, and runs automatically when the DVD is loaded into the DVD drive.  The software is so simple and intuitive to use, that no experience or skill in burning DVDs is necessary, and the computer novice can copy and backup digital images and video to the DVD with ease.  Verbatim digital media has an excellent reputation for durability and long life, and provides a reasonably safe place to store digital content for many years.  Each Verbatim PhotoSave DVD has about 4.5 gigabytes of available storage space, and will hold about 2000 digital photos averaging about 2mb each.  Using these DVDs as an automated digital image backup media is very cost effective, as a three pack of DVDs, which will hold a combined 6000 images (2mb each), is under $10, and a five pack (about 10,000 images) is under $15.  At that price, and along with the simplicity and ease of use, there is no reason why anyone with digital images should not have a backup of their precious and irreplaceable images and videos.  It is considered good computing practice to have multiple backups of critical files, such as photos and videos, and PhotoSave DVDs offer that opportunity at a most economical price.

            Remember that hard drives do