Software
Avast 5 problem with Outlook and Word
Recently, I posted about the avast! 5.0 anti-malware program. Note that there is a report that the program is causing a problem with Outlook when Word is used as an editor.
avast! Free Antivirus 5.0
Although I have never tried it, the free anti-malware program from Avast gets good reviews. A new version 5.0 is out and Neil Rubenking has reviewed it at PCMag. His conclusion is, “avast! Free Antivirus 5.0 offers very good malware protection at no cost.”
Lifehacker also has a review:
The newest version of the popular Avast Antivirus [...]
Get WinPatrol PLUS for 99¢
I have often mentioned the fine security utility WinPatrol. Now for one day only (Jan. 29) you can get the PLUS version for 99¢. I’ve used WinPatrol for years and I recommend it. Its creator Bill Pytlovany writes:
I’m curious and thinking a crazy single day experiment could be fun and may be worth the risk. [...]
Review of Firefox 3.6
The latest release of Firefox has been out for a few days and I have been using it as my regular browser. I can’t say that there is much difference with 3.5 although it seems a little quicker. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has a more detailed review at ZDNet:
Firefox 3.6 isn’t a major release, so don’t expect [...]
RealPlayer security patches
If you are still using RealPlayer, be sure to install the latest security updates. Ryan Naraine gives details at ZDNet:
A quick heads-up to any computer users out with RealPlayer installed: There are at least 11 critical vulnerabilities that expose Windows, Mac and Linux users to malicious hacker attacks.
Free partitioning software
For various reasons it is sometimes desired to divide up the space on a hard drive into separate partitions. For example, you might want to have access to several operating systems or you might want to place your data and your programs on separate partitions. There are several commercial partitioning programs but one that is [...]
How to really remove anti-malware programs
Anti-malware programs often hook themselves deeply into the operating system and liberally sprinkle references throughout the Windows Registry. For example, I have written about how hard it is to get Symantec’s Norton anti-virus program completely uninstalled. The problem with lingering remains of an anti-malware program is that there may be conflicts with another security program. [...]
Thunderbird 3 released
A lot of home PC users who still use local email clients have found themselves left out in the cold by Microsoft. Outlook Express hasn’t been updated in years. The name was changed to Windows Mail in Vista but not much else was new. Windows 7 doesn’t even have an email client included; you have [...]
Alternative to QuickTime player
Unless you like to play files from an iPod on your PC or use iTunes, you probably will not need to have the full-blown QuickTime package from Apple on your computer. For the occasional video on the Web that uses Apple formats, a much smaller (and possibly more secure) application is QT Lite:
QT Lite [...]
Another ranking of anti-malware programs
There are many ways to rank the effectiveness of anti-malware and there are many different studies that you can consult. Here’s another one, this time from AV-Comparatives. In this study, the ability to detect new malware was tested. Ars Technica explains:
This test focused on malware being detected proactively, without being executed, using complex generic signatures, [...]
When Roxio software can’t find the CD/DVD drive
I went to burn a CD today on my XP system and found that my Roxio software couldn’t find the CD/DVD drive. There was nothing wrong with the drive; it read disks and I burned a CD with other software. A Google search revealed that this is a known problem with Roxio software. There seem [...]
