Computers, Top Lists, Downloads, Back to School
Top 25 Downloads For Your Computer
The first thing you should do when you get your new laptop or computer is uninstall all that free trial crap that gets loaded on by the manufacturer. Six Months of Earthlink, two weeks of Adobe Photoshop Elements, McAfee Anti-Virus, one month of MusicMatch... who needs it? Not you! (Besides eventually charging you money, a lot of these programs you didn't ask for can slow down your computer.)
Now that you've cleared out some room on that hard drive, start installing some of these free and useful applications, many of which are open source (meaning anyone can view and alter the code of the program to improve or customize it if they have the skill or desire). Here are 25 applications -- almost all of them free -- that will let you do almost anything you could need to on your computer, without you having to spend a dime.
Ad-Aware
(Windows XP and Vista)
One of the biggest annoyances and dangers online is the dearth of spyware, adware, and other random software that gets silently installed on your PC by thieves, hackers, and disreputable sites -- at best, it slows down your system; at worst, it spies on your computing activity and lets online scammers steal passwords and other sensitive information. Cleaning the malicious code that gets loaded on your PC is a hassle and a half, especially if you don't have a tool like Ad-Aware to do most of the heavy lifting for you. Ad-Aware searches the files and registry entries on your computer and matches them against a list of known malicious software. After it reports back its findings, it will either delete or quarantine the offending code, saving you the trouble of searching through the daunting Windows registry yourself. We've found Ad-Aware to be the easiest and least resource-heavy of these anti-ad-and-spy-ware tools.
Now that you've cleared out some room on that hard drive, start installing some of these free and useful applications, many of which are open source (meaning anyone can view and alter the code of the program to improve or customize it if they have the skill or desire). Here are 25 applications -- almost all of them free -- that will let you do almost anything you could need to on your computer, without you having to spend a dime.
Ad-Aware
(Windows XP and Vista)
One of the biggest annoyances and dangers online is the dearth of spyware, adware, and other random software that gets silently installed on your PC by thieves, hackers, and disreputable sites -- at best, it slows down your system; at worst, it spies on your computing activity and lets online scammers steal passwords and other sensitive information. Cleaning the malicious code that gets loaded on your PC is a hassle and a half, especially if you don't have a tool like Ad-Aware to do most of the heavy lifting for you. Ad-Aware searches the files and registry entries on your computer and matches them against a list of known malicious software. After it reports back its findings, it will either delete or quarantine the offending code, saving you the trouble of searching through the daunting Windows registry yourself. We've found Ad-Aware to be the easiest and least resource-heavy of these anti-ad-and-spy-ware tools.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jon rodgers said 6:44AM on 9-03-2008
This is so wonderful. I only have the free version and can not even think what it would be like to not have it. I like to use it about ever other day.
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Bobby said 3:10PM on 10-21-2008
A friend turned me on to AVG before I had so many problems and the AVG fixed it I got rid of the old one It seemed that because I did not renew my subscription to McCafee I started to have problems, made me feel like they were punishing me.
AVG has a free anti virus download and it works for a year before they ask you to buy it. At that point you can uninstall it and reinstall the free year for, yep another year.
Cynthia said 7:43AM on 9-03-2008
"One of the biggest annoyances and dangers online is the DEARTH of spyware, adware, and other random software that gets silently installed on your PC ..."
Actually, there is more of a WEALTH of spyware, adware, etc. Dearth (which rhymes with "earth") means "an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack" according to dictionary.com.
Very useful article, though -- thanks!
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tom said 7:22PM on 10-22-2008
Good eye, Cynthia!!! Too bad the article writer tried to impress us with his vocabulary, and failed!!! He should stick to using words he knows, not words he's not sure of.
t said 7:50AM on 9-03-2008
IT'S NOT FREE. I FOLLOWED THE LINK. DOWNLOADED THE PROGRAM. NOW IT SAYS THE FREE VERSION WILL NOT FIX OR REMOVE THE PROBLEMS AND THAT I HAVE TO REGISTER TO FIX OR REMOVE THE PROBLEMS. BUT TO REGISTER YOU HAVE TO PURCHASE IT. WHAT A JOKE.
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Don said 11:36AM on 9-03-2008
Sorry. Ad-Aware SE Personal IS free. I've used it for several years now. There are versions which you have to purchase, but this one is free, and with a couple of minor exceptions, is virtually fully functional.
Lee said 12:49PM on 9-03-2008
I have used ad-ware for over a year now, works great,my computer man put it on.
Jami said 6:34PM on 10-21-2008
I have used Ad-aware for years it is a great product.. you have to make sure you are downloading the free product. Are you all sure you are not confusing it with the other product ... Ad-ware because.. that is indeed a nasty product.
Lavasoft has awesome products; actually I own the fully version and use it several times a day. I would be lost without it.
However.. if you are looking for a nice full featured free antivirus Alta Vista is wonderful. Download it.. install it and use it. When it says time has expired and it asks for a serial number all you have to do is click on it and it will send you a serial number for a year. At the end of the year.. you just ask for another free serial (product registration) number. That simple. It is very user friendly and totally free.
But as far as AD-AWARE..and most other Lavasoft products I have used.. I can't say enuff good about them.
charles rodgers said 5:34PM on 9-03-2008
as an amateur pc operator i purchased a new Dell desktop recently. after two weeks a screen appeared in the middle 2/3rds of the monitor notifying me i was in danger of having a virus (aav) and if i didn't subscribe to the "advanced antivirus" program i was vulnerable.
upon complaining to Dell (in India) was told if i purchased $230 worth of warranty they would remove the advertisement. I also should buy Norton 360 which i did for $79.95+. then i found out i could not load it because the anti virus advertisement was still in the middle of my screen. again Dell rep said if i would buy the extended warranty they would remove the advertisement.
I don't take well to black mail so disconnected my new 530 pc connected my old one. NEVER AGAIN !!
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Bev Wells said 3:53AM on 9-05-2008
I apologize for Dell. Shame on them. You don't have to buy any of that stuff. Your Dell should have come with a rescue disk. I suggest using it, which would wipe out the installation, and re-do it for you. Then go to google, type in Avira Antivir, and download it from Download.com (You will have to allow pop-ups). Make sure your pop up blocker is off temporarily. That is the best free Anti-virus available, and updates everyday. The other pop up thing you got was one of those little high-jacker programs that downloads itself, and then tells you you have to download the whole program for xx amount of money. After you get the free anti-virus installed, then set your pop up blocker on. You should be ok from then on. This anti-viurs program is the best, and it's free! Just be sure you get the Avira Antivir, because a lot of other programs make their name very similiar just to confuse people to get them to download theirs. The Avira Antivir should have an umbrella on their home page, and after it is installed, you will have a little umbrella that is open down in your system tray on your desktop. If you ever see the umbrella closed, that means that the anti-virus is off for some reason. After downloading and installing, just open it up and get a little familiar with it. Good luck
susieQ said 11:14AM on 9-04-2008
I,too, bought a Dell. I am VERY unhappy to learn that is serviced by Eastern Indians. I am not predjudiced, I just want American service for my American dollars. I can NOT understand the techs who answer the phones, they are in a totally different time period and did not understand when I said not to call after 10 p.m. that I meant our time zone and not theirs and they have NO business sense when dealing with other nationalities - ESPECIALLY if that happens to be a female. We Americans value Mom, apple pie and baseball. I think to them Mom is just another word for subservient person who amounts to little or nothing. I will never have another Dell product in my home.
M said 8:34AM on 9-03-2008
It was free to download; free to scan; but I would have to purchase a "key" to fix anything that was identified. Even free trials behave better than this.
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Steve said 2:19PM on 9-03-2008
It IS free. Go to download.com and get adaware SE. I have been using the program for over ten years free the whole time.
Christopher Vendemio said 9:01AM on 9-03-2008
Chrome? Really? That seems more like a "what's hot right now" pick than anything else. Firefox or Opera should be up there, not the first beta of a new browser, no matter how decent it may be.
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Brian Ward said 9:52AM on 9-03-2008
If you have Charter high speed internet, you are provided with free virus protection and anti spyware and all that good stuff. It's a program that updates automatically, keeping the pc clean and fast and it's 100% free.
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Mike said 3:23PM on 9-03-2008
It's a joke, there are tons of free programs that will scan your computer. It's a setup for you to purchase there program to remove the scanned threats. AOL should check these so called "free" cures before inflecting them on us. Does AOL have a financial deal with this company. It's basically an advertisement.
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x said 9:25AM on 9-03-2008
I use SuperAnti spyware for my pc. It scans and DELETES and fixes issues with spyware and adware....nothing additional to buy. The website is http://www.superantispyware.com/ I've had great luck with it and and totally happy as when I downloaded I had over 776 virus/spywares on my system. It took care of every single one of them! Good luck!
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Katie said 11:24AM on 9-03-2008
AVG has a free anti virus download and it works for a year before they ask you to buy it. At that point you can uninstall it and reinstall the free year for, yep another year.
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Katie said 11:33AM on 9-03-2008
AVG has a free anti virus download and it works for a year before they ask you to buy it. At that point you can uninstall it and reinstall the free year for, yep another year.
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Don said 11:53AM on 9-03-2008
Katie: AVG Free 8.0 is free,. I've used Avg for several years, as well as Ad-Aware. Although AVG comes up with updates from time to time, I've never had to remove it from my computer and reinstall for another year. When they switched from 7.something-or-other to 8.0, they sent out a notice that they wouldn't update virus definitions any more for the 7.0., after a certain date. All I had to do was simply upgrade to 8.0, quite easily, and I was back in protection. I do know that if you go to either the Ad-Aware or AVG websites, they make it easy to find the purchaseable downloads, but you have to search for the free ones, and it's easy to make a mistake and download the wrong one. Obviously, they'd rather sell than give away, eh? I think that's maybe what happened to "M", in one of the above blogs.
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