User Beware. Smart Defrag By IOBit

User Beware.

In a previous post I had recommended SmartDeFrag by IOBit. Their product does a good job of Disk Defragmentation, but recently when I updated the program it tried to change my browser homepage without asking. So it essence, SmartDefrag is SPYWARE. I don't care what kind of marketing agreement they've made. Changing settings like this without a prompt, speaks volumes about the company, not in a good way.

No matter how good any software program may be, changing any of my user setting not associated with the program being installed, is totally unacceptable. As a result I must withdraw all my recommendations for any & all software by IOBit. If a company is willing to this with one of their software packages, they cannot be trusted.

If you are using IOBit products, I recommend you stop using them & uninstall immediately, as I have done. If you are not using them, don't.

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Anti-Virus - Part II

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 8.5 is a PC Thick Client based anti-virus solution. You download a thick client (approximately 62 MB) from the Internet. Once the software is installed, the software uses the traditional method of contacting the AVG servers for updates of known viruses & malware to help protect your computer.

The user schedules the frequency of updates (I recommend once a day) and the software takes care of the rest. Same with system scans. (I recommend at least once a week). I've used for 3+ years and have nothing but good things to say. I am always on the lookout for better solutions, so I have tried a lot of anti-virus products, free & fee based. I keep coming back to AVG Anti-Virus for my thick client based solution.

The one drawback to thick client anti-virus programs is that can tend to slow down your machine a little bit, especially if you have an older machine. In these caes I recommend trying the new cloud based anti-virus from Panda.

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Spyware - Part II

With the proliferation of spyware on the Internet it's not surprising there are so many spyware solutions. Trouble is, many of these so-called solutions don't work, or are in fact spyware themselves. So you need to be careful when browsing for spyware solutions.

In our last post I recommended Spybot - Search & Destroy by Safe Networking. Another very good solution that helps protect against spyware, adware & browser hijackers is SpywareBlaster by JavaCool Software.

Simple to install, easy to use and free. It can be downloaded @ SpywareBlaster Download. Install it today & help protect your Microsoft Windows computer from malicious software.

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Spyware

There's always a lot of talk about spyware, and with good reason. So many innocent looking websites have no other purpose other than to infect your Microsoft Windows computer with spyware.

Luckily there are quite a few effective free solutions to help combat this problem. The one I find most effective is Spybot - Search & Destroy by Safe-Networking. It removes spyware & also immunizes your system once it's clean to help prevent future spyware attacks.

So effective is Spybot - Search & Destroy that it has spawned a bunch of copycat websites playing off the Spybot - Search & Destroy name, trying to get you to download other, inferior, pay for, spyware solutions. Don't be fooled. Spybot - Search & Destroy can be downloaded at Spybot - Search & Destroy.

Install it soon & protect your computer

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Windows Registry Degramentation

Just as it's important to clean your Windows Registry on a regular basis, it is also a good idea to defragment your Windows registry. When you clean your Windows registry, old invalid data & references are removed. But much like creating & deleting files drive fragments your hard drive, cleaning your Windows Registry fragments it and a fragmented registry will affect your computers performance.

We use & recommend 2 tools which are easy to use, do a very good job and are free.

The 1st tool is Free Registry Defrag by iExpert Software It can be downloaded at Free Registry Defrag. The 2nd tool is Quicksys Regdefrag by Quicksys. It can be downloaded at Quicksys Regdefrag.

Take them for a test drive. Neither product has ever crashed my computer.

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Registry Cleaner

In order to keep your Microsoft Windows computer running at peak efficiency it is good idea to clean the Windows registry on a regualr basis.

Thw Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for Microsoft Windowsoperating systems. It contains information and settings for hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, and per-user settings. What does this all really mean?

Everytime to install or uninstall hardware/software on your computer you're changing the Windows registry. Specifically, when you uninstall hardware/software it usually leaves behind a lot of information about the item you've just uninstalled. After time this will cause your Windows registry to grow large with unneeded information, hence the need for a registry cleaner.

A quick, simple & free registry cleaner is AbexoRegistry Cleaner. I've used the free version 0f Abexo Registry Cleaner for a couple of years now, with excellent results. It always finds entries in the Windows registry that are no longer needed, and removes them. And most important, it has never crashed one of my computers. I highly recommend it. Take it for a test drive.

Abexo Free Registry Cleaner can be downloaded at Abexo Free Registry Cleaner.

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Malware

A danger for all users of Microsoft Windows computers is malware. Much like viruses, malware (spyware, adware, viruses, foistware etc) can cause serious problems on your computer and in worse case senarios leave you vunerable to money and/or identity theft.

Although viruses & malware tend to affect your computer in the same ways, the programs that protect and/or remove them, are different.

When it comes to malware protection & removal unTechTalk uses & recommends Malwarebytes. It's a great, free program that when used in conjunction with a good anti-virus program helps protect your computer from all the nasty things we all encounter on the Internet.

Malwarebytes can be downloaded at Malwarebytes Download.

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Disk Defragmentation

One of the easiset ways to speed the performace of your computer, without upgrading your hardware, is to defragment (defrag) your hard drive.

When you create or copy a file to your hard drive, many times the file is created in more than one piece (fragments). Defrag tools combine these files in one continuous file, so every time you open & close the file, the process is quicker. Multipy this by the thousands of files on your hard drive & you'll see why this will improve the performance of your computer.

And while there are a lot of good, paid for, commercial software packages, here's two that are free.

Auslogics Disk Defrag. It's a great, simple to use, fast hard drive deframentation tool. It's perfect for the unTech person. Easy to install & easy to use. Auslogics Disk Defrag can be downloaded at Auslogics Disk Defrag Download.

Another great free defrag tool comes from the good folks at IObit, called Smart Defrag. Also easy to install & use. Although it doesn't run quite as fast (to defrag your whole hard drive) as Auslogic Disk Defrag, it seems to do a more thorough job. IObit Smart Defrag can be downloaded at IObit Smart Defrag.

I highly recommend both these disk defrag tools. I have both installed on my hard drive now & run both a regular basis (once a week or so). Once you get familiar with how defrag tools work you'll find yourself wanting to defrag on a regular basis to keep your computer running at peak efficiency.

And most important. You need not worry about these programs crashing your computer. I have yet to experience any computer meltdowns while using Auslogics Disk Defrag or IObit Smart Defrag.

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AntiVirus Software

If you're operating in a Microsoft Windows world, you know what a pain viruses & malware can be. Let's face it, Microsoft builds crappy, unsecure software. And trust me, I know. I've been working with their stuff for 20 years as an Information Technology professional. But unless you're an Apple or Linux user, you are just trying to make Windows work for you. Today we'll cover a really good, FREE, antivirus solution.

Terms you'll need to know. Thick client and thin client. Whenever you hear the term "thick/heavy" or "thin/light" in regards to software, client, etc you're usually talking about how much actual software is installed on your computer. Thin/Light software installs less on your PC, thick/heavy more. Simple enough. The other term is cloud computing. Cloud computing is a general term for software solutions that utilize an Internet connection for part or all of their functionality.

Panda Cloud Antivirus is, as the name implies, a cloud based antivirus solution. You download a thin client (minimal amount of software on your hard drive) from the Internet. Once the software is installed, the software uses an Internet database of known viruses & malware to help protect your computer. No updates to download. It's pretty much hassle free. I've been using it for a month or so and I have to say, I really like it. I intentionally went to some websites I know distribute malware, to let them infect my computer. In 3 separate tests, Panda Cloud Antivirus caught the infections.

This is a great solution for the non techie. The one drawback is that Panda Cloud Antivirus does not have a feature to automatically scan on a schedule, say every Sunday at 7:00pm. Other than that, a very nice antivirus solution.

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