HEMI6point1
Nitro Member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,901
- Age
- 42
- Location
- The sunshine state via NY.
Here are 8 tips that I have gathered up for you guys, based on my experience.
Preface: I refuse to be politically correct. I call it as a see it. Sorry about that.
1. Antivirus software – what to avoid and what to consider.
Asking three different people about what they recommend for antivirus software will give you, well, there different answers.
I can tell you that based on experience, software available at retail big box stores suck – all of them (Well maybe not the new version of Norton. More on that in a bit). They seem to miss viruses left and right. Why is that, you ask?
I’ll give you two reasons:
1. Most big box store shoppers aren’t computer savvy (The savvy folks buy online at places like Newegg!). I know some that are, that's why I said most. Anyway, if you were to run a focus group with a 12 average consumers they would all tell you they would rather have a program that’s 95% effective that’s easy to use rather than a program that’s 100% effective that has a steep learning curve. Because of this, companies who know their software is going to be sold at a big box store almost always “dumb it down” and many times effectiveness suffers. Remember Kaspersky? Back in the day it was a little-known software only used by techies, and it was awesome. Now that every Tom Dick and Harry can buy it at your local Best Buy, it misses things left and right. But hey, it’s easy to use now.
2. Another reason why big box softwares miss things like crazy is what I call “the overused drug effect.” You know how when a drug gets over prescribed, the germ starts getting resistant to it? The same thing is said about big box antivirus softwares. These programs are used by so many people that viruses just know to blow right past them. It’s the same reason why Windows Defenseless, er, Defender is considered irrelevant by many security experts – it comes with every PC now, so every virus goes right by it. The worst has to be McAfee – it doesn’t catch crap and it seems to be crippled by even the weakest malware. If I hear anyone recommend McAfee to someone I cringe, and if he’s an IT manager one has to questions his skills!
So, what does all this mean? The best antivirus softwares are ones you can’t find in stores: NOD32, VIPRE, AntiVir (the real one, not that rogue that was going around), and Avast. They have a bit of a learning curve but are much more effective. Pair them with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and you’ll have a 1-2 punch that can’t be beat. BTW, to the person on here who said that smaller companies are "unable to keep up with the latest threats": Quite the opposite, and to be honest that is untrue and downright slanderous. I would love for you to tell that to, say, GFI/Sunbelt! Oh, and a good antivirus like the ones I mentioned does not slow down your machine. Anyone that says otherwise, like a person recommending McAfee, does not know what he is talking about.
Oh, and Norton? I never thought I would say this, but if you must have a big box software, Norton looks the way to go right now. To make an analogy, from any year to 2008 Norton was like the ’06-to-’10 Dodge Charger. The 2009 and above Nortons are like the 2011+ Dodge Charger – much improved in nearly every way.
2. Extended warranties on PCs and laptops – are they worth it?
In a word, yes. Why? Because nearly all towers and laptops are Chinese and Mexican made pieces of crap that break all the time. There. I said it. Oh, and when buying a laptop please buy one with accidental damage protection. Because people drop stuff. Come on, admit it.
3. How to easily cut your computer’s boot time in half or maybe even more.
Lots of people call in to me and say “my computer is taking a long time to start up and it’s running slow.” Half these people think “virus.”
Yet most of the time, it’s because they have way too many startup processes running. See all those tiny icons down by the clock and internet indicator? Most of those things you can run yourself, or they open when you run a type of file (like a PDF) anyway.
To solve this, click Start, and in the search field (or the run box if running XP) type “MSCONFIG” and press enter. When the system configuration utility comes up, click the “startup” tab (Do NOT mess with any of the other tabs!). Uncheck anything that isn’t required to get online, run your antivirus software, or printer driver (usually It’ll have “spool” in the command section). The only other things that should be left checked are the manufacturer-specific stuff like hotkeys, touchpads etc.
When you’re done, click apply, then close and restart your computer. I bet it’ll run nice and fast.
Oh, and if you’re running Vista, please disable the sidebar. It was found to be a resource hog and disabling it will give you some speed back. Actually, which brings me to the next topic….
4. If you’re running Vista, do yourself a favor and upgrade to Windows 7.
I don’t even have to say it. An insider for Microsoft said it best: “Vista was in all actuality one big beta test for windows 7.” There were so many bugs that Micro$oft knew they were never going to fix. All that is gone in 7. Much like the new Norton, Vista was like a car that had a lot of things wrong, and 7 was that same car but redesigned with all those issues fixed. If your computer manufacturer has Windows 7 drivers for your PC (So that the operating system can work), make the jump. You’ll thank me later.
5. Toolbars and….. the Weatherbug. Why you don’t… need… them.
DISCLAIMER: I did my research, and I found out all this by experience, both on my PC and customers’ PCs. If you say “you’re wrong,” “it’s not spyware if it says it in the license agreement you agree to” and the like, I’ll call you out as being a shill.
That said….
You know those Internet Explorer (and to a lesser extent, Firefox) toolbars from Google, Yahoo, etc? Well I can say this: GET RID OF THEM. Three huge reasons:
1. They’re redundant. You don’t need the yahoo toolbar to get to yahoo. Just go to the damn website. Plus, they cause confusion on where to type in a URL for some people.
2. They cause conflicts with the browser because they contain redundant features that the browser already has. You won’t believe how many times I had to remove a toolbar to get IE to stop crashing.
3. Even the so-called “legit” toolbars are technically spyware, because when you use them they monitor your surfing habits for marketing purposes. Even if you disable them, parts of them are still running in the background.
To uninstall a toolbar, make sure the browser is closed and click on start > control panel > uninstall a program / programs and features / add & remove programs and uninstall any toolbars you see. In Firefox just go to tools > add-ons and uninstall any toolbars you see.
About the Weatherbug: Despite AWS’s claims, while the program is no longer malicious like it used to be it’s still spyware because 1) they have a suspect privacy policy and 2) the free edition has tons of popup ads. You can get rid of those by buying the “pro” version, but even then I wouldn’t do it. If you must have a weather program, download the Weather Channel’s version. Or to be honest, just take a few seconds and go to their site.
6. If you want support, buy a business PC.
It is true that the business line of PCs from various manufacturers like Dell and HP are more expensive than their consumer counterparts, and many times they are even the same computer just with a different faceplate, name and bundled software package (At least the low end ones).
So why would I tell someone to spend the extra dough and say, buy an Optiplex direct from Dell over an Inspiron you can get at Wal-Mart?
Very simple, this (and those who are on my facebook page probably saw this there, LOL):
When you buy an Inspiron: You get some Indian with an alias of "Bob" who can barely speak english and is reading from a script.
When you buy an Optiplex: You get an American with a real name of Bob who not only speaks english but can troubleshoot in his sleep.
It’s a common practice for years – give consumers the shaft, while giving businesses the good stuff. I could write more on this, but that’s something else altogether.
7. If online videos/games/music play like crap, it may not be your PC….
…It may be your internet service. Here’s a little way you can test: go to Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test. If you have less than a 3mbps connection, you need to upgrade. If you want to view online multimedia without excessive buffering/pausing etc you need at least a 6mbps connection or higher. Sorry, it’s just the way it is. It may cost more money per month, but it’s well worth it. General downloads will be a lot faster, too. BTW: Same thing goes with Netflix. I know they say that it’ll work with a 1.5mbps connection but don’t listen to that. It’s BS. Again, it’s 6mbps or higher.
8. When a computer tech tells you something needs to be removed, IT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED!
Let’s say you bring your computer to a shop because your computer is randomly freezing up. The tech looks at it, calls you up and says a program called “Bumblebee Games” freezes up whenever it opens up, and tells you a search reveals it to be spyware or have spyware-like properties. What do you tell him? “But I LOVE Bumblebee games! Don’t remove it!” He tells you it needs to be removed, plus it’s classified as spyware anyway. You won’t budge.
Let me tell you a story. I knew a guy who had a classic Camaro. Really nice car. One day he noticed that it started to shift a little rough or was difficult to put into gear. So, he brought it to his master mechanic, who after diagnosing the issue told him his shifter needed to be replaced. His response? “I’m not taking out my shifter! It’s a limited edition shifter hand-signed by Dale Earnhardt! Don’t remove it!” The mechanic told him unless it’s replaced he’ll continue to have the problem. Guy tells him fine, and drives away.
A week later, I noticed he has the problem shifter in the trunk of his car, and a nice new shifter on the console. He told me another mechanic told him the shifter needs to be replaced, he finally agreed, now it shifts like it should. End of.
How does this relate to computers? While the situations are different, the principal is the same: Sometimes you have to part with something to get the problem resolved. When the tech tells you he needs to uninstall something, don’t argue. Simple.
Sorry if this was long. Just wanted to share my thoughts.
Preface: I refuse to be politically correct. I call it as a see it. Sorry about that.
1. Antivirus software – what to avoid and what to consider.
Asking three different people about what they recommend for antivirus software will give you, well, there different answers.
I can tell you that based on experience, software available at retail big box stores suck – all of them (Well maybe not the new version of Norton. More on that in a bit). They seem to miss viruses left and right. Why is that, you ask?
I’ll give you two reasons:
1. Most big box store shoppers aren’t computer savvy (The savvy folks buy online at places like Newegg!). I know some that are, that's why I said most. Anyway, if you were to run a focus group with a 12 average consumers they would all tell you they would rather have a program that’s 95% effective that’s easy to use rather than a program that’s 100% effective that has a steep learning curve. Because of this, companies who know their software is going to be sold at a big box store almost always “dumb it down” and many times effectiveness suffers. Remember Kaspersky? Back in the day it was a little-known software only used by techies, and it was awesome. Now that every Tom Dick and Harry can buy it at your local Best Buy, it misses things left and right. But hey, it’s easy to use now.
2. Another reason why big box softwares miss things like crazy is what I call “the overused drug effect.” You know how when a drug gets over prescribed, the germ starts getting resistant to it? The same thing is said about big box antivirus softwares. These programs are used by so many people that viruses just know to blow right past them. It’s the same reason why Windows Defenseless, er, Defender is considered irrelevant by many security experts – it comes with every PC now, so every virus goes right by it. The worst has to be McAfee – it doesn’t catch crap and it seems to be crippled by even the weakest malware. If I hear anyone recommend McAfee to someone I cringe, and if he’s an IT manager one has to questions his skills!
So, what does all this mean? The best antivirus softwares are ones you can’t find in stores: NOD32, VIPRE, AntiVir (the real one, not that rogue that was going around), and Avast. They have a bit of a learning curve but are much more effective. Pair them with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and you’ll have a 1-2 punch that can’t be beat. BTW, to the person on here who said that smaller companies are "unable to keep up with the latest threats": Quite the opposite, and to be honest that is untrue and downright slanderous. I would love for you to tell that to, say, GFI/Sunbelt! Oh, and a good antivirus like the ones I mentioned does not slow down your machine. Anyone that says otherwise, like a person recommending McAfee, does not know what he is talking about.
Oh, and Norton? I never thought I would say this, but if you must have a big box software, Norton looks the way to go right now. To make an analogy, from any year to 2008 Norton was like the ’06-to-’10 Dodge Charger. The 2009 and above Nortons are like the 2011+ Dodge Charger – much improved in nearly every way.
2. Extended warranties on PCs and laptops – are they worth it?
In a word, yes. Why? Because nearly all towers and laptops are Chinese and Mexican made pieces of crap that break all the time. There. I said it. Oh, and when buying a laptop please buy one with accidental damage protection. Because people drop stuff. Come on, admit it.
3. How to easily cut your computer’s boot time in half or maybe even more.
Lots of people call in to me and say “my computer is taking a long time to start up and it’s running slow.” Half these people think “virus.”
Yet most of the time, it’s because they have way too many startup processes running. See all those tiny icons down by the clock and internet indicator? Most of those things you can run yourself, or they open when you run a type of file (like a PDF) anyway.
To solve this, click Start, and in the search field (or the run box if running XP) type “MSCONFIG” and press enter. When the system configuration utility comes up, click the “startup” tab (Do NOT mess with any of the other tabs!). Uncheck anything that isn’t required to get online, run your antivirus software, or printer driver (usually It’ll have “spool” in the command section). The only other things that should be left checked are the manufacturer-specific stuff like hotkeys, touchpads etc.
When you’re done, click apply, then close and restart your computer. I bet it’ll run nice and fast.
Oh, and if you’re running Vista, please disable the sidebar. It was found to be a resource hog and disabling it will give you some speed back. Actually, which brings me to the next topic….
4. If you’re running Vista, do yourself a favor and upgrade to Windows 7.
I don’t even have to say it. An insider for Microsoft said it best: “Vista was in all actuality one big beta test for windows 7.” There were so many bugs that Micro$oft knew they were never going to fix. All that is gone in 7. Much like the new Norton, Vista was like a car that had a lot of things wrong, and 7 was that same car but redesigned with all those issues fixed. If your computer manufacturer has Windows 7 drivers for your PC (So that the operating system can work), make the jump. You’ll thank me later.
5. Toolbars and….. the Weatherbug. Why you don’t… need… them.
DISCLAIMER: I did my research, and I found out all this by experience, both on my PC and customers’ PCs. If you say “you’re wrong,” “it’s not spyware if it says it in the license agreement you agree to” and the like, I’ll call you out as being a shill.
That said….
You know those Internet Explorer (and to a lesser extent, Firefox) toolbars from Google, Yahoo, etc? Well I can say this: GET RID OF THEM. Three huge reasons:
1. They’re redundant. You don’t need the yahoo toolbar to get to yahoo. Just go to the damn website. Plus, they cause confusion on where to type in a URL for some people.
2. They cause conflicts with the browser because they contain redundant features that the browser already has. You won’t believe how many times I had to remove a toolbar to get IE to stop crashing.
3. Even the so-called “legit” toolbars are technically spyware, because when you use them they monitor your surfing habits for marketing purposes. Even if you disable them, parts of them are still running in the background.
To uninstall a toolbar, make sure the browser is closed and click on start > control panel > uninstall a program / programs and features / add & remove programs and uninstall any toolbars you see. In Firefox just go to tools > add-ons and uninstall any toolbars you see.
About the Weatherbug: Despite AWS’s claims, while the program is no longer malicious like it used to be it’s still spyware because 1) they have a suspect privacy policy and 2) the free edition has tons of popup ads. You can get rid of those by buying the “pro” version, but even then I wouldn’t do it. If you must have a weather program, download the Weather Channel’s version. Or to be honest, just take a few seconds and go to their site.
6. If you want support, buy a business PC.
It is true that the business line of PCs from various manufacturers like Dell and HP are more expensive than their consumer counterparts, and many times they are even the same computer just with a different faceplate, name and bundled software package (At least the low end ones).
So why would I tell someone to spend the extra dough and say, buy an Optiplex direct from Dell over an Inspiron you can get at Wal-Mart?
Very simple, this (and those who are on my facebook page probably saw this there, LOL):
When you buy an Inspiron: You get some Indian with an alias of "Bob" who can barely speak english and is reading from a script.
When you buy an Optiplex: You get an American with a real name of Bob who not only speaks english but can troubleshoot in his sleep.
It’s a common practice for years – give consumers the shaft, while giving businesses the good stuff. I could write more on this, but that’s something else altogether.
7. If online videos/games/music play like crap, it may not be your PC….
…It may be your internet service. Here’s a little way you can test: go to Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test. If you have less than a 3mbps connection, you need to upgrade. If you want to view online multimedia without excessive buffering/pausing etc you need at least a 6mbps connection or higher. Sorry, it’s just the way it is. It may cost more money per month, but it’s well worth it. General downloads will be a lot faster, too. BTW: Same thing goes with Netflix. I know they say that it’ll work with a 1.5mbps connection but don’t listen to that. It’s BS. Again, it’s 6mbps or higher.
8. When a computer tech tells you something needs to be removed, IT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED!
Let’s say you bring your computer to a shop because your computer is randomly freezing up. The tech looks at it, calls you up and says a program called “Bumblebee Games” freezes up whenever it opens up, and tells you a search reveals it to be spyware or have spyware-like properties. What do you tell him? “But I LOVE Bumblebee games! Don’t remove it!” He tells you it needs to be removed, plus it’s classified as spyware anyway. You won’t budge.
Let me tell you a story. I knew a guy who had a classic Camaro. Really nice car. One day he noticed that it started to shift a little rough or was difficult to put into gear. So, he brought it to his master mechanic, who after diagnosing the issue told him his shifter needed to be replaced. His response? “I’m not taking out my shifter! It’s a limited edition shifter hand-signed by Dale Earnhardt! Don’t remove it!” The mechanic told him unless it’s replaced he’ll continue to have the problem. Guy tells him fine, and drives away.
A week later, I noticed he has the problem shifter in the trunk of his car, and a nice new shifter on the console. He told me another mechanic told him the shifter needs to be replaced, he finally agreed, now it shifts like it should. End of.
How does this relate to computers? While the situations are different, the principal is the same: Sometimes you have to part with something to get the problem resolved. When the tech tells you he needs to uninstall something, don’t argue. Simple.
Sorry if this was long. Just wanted to share my thoughts.
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