Although your new PC probably came with a lot of pre-loaded software, that doesn’t mean it’s a great idea to just hop onto the Internet and start using it. As you probably know, the Internet is not an entirely safe place for a computer these days. Viruses, malware, and spam are all just a few clicks away, and for anyone, especially the newbie, these problems can cost a lot of time and money. Fortunately, there are a lot of helpful resources, too. Since computer manufacturers don’t necessarily know how you’re going to use your new PC (and don’t always have your best interests at heart), it’s important for you to do a little research on what additional software to add to your PC. Here are a couple ideas for some helpful downloads.
1. Zone Alarm
Most computers come with a firewall, a way to prevent malicious users from gaining access to your PC through its Internet connection. Without a firewall in place, a hacker could potentially gain full access to your PC, with disastrous results. Zone Alarm, a free download, allows users to install a firewall on their PC, and fine-tune which programs are allowed to have Internet access. For instance, the user will get a pop-up notification whenever a program tries to connect to the Internet. This can reveal malicious programs, which often want to access the Internet to divulge a user’s information.
2. Ad-Aware
Like Zone Alarm, Ad-Aware lets PC users defend themselves against malicious programs like spyware and adware, programs that can slow a machine or even compromise its security. When you install Ad-Aware, you can then run a scan to reveal any harmful programs lurking on your PC. You can then safely remove the programs. Ad-Aware provides updates to its users so they can have up-to-date protection against malicious programs.
While there are many freeware programs available, it is always a good idea to use open source programs that are reputable and well trusted. Often when they have a high ranking, it means that users have been happy with the program and there has been no malicious spyware of malware found. Below is a list of some useful and safe open source programs you can use.
- VLC is software which allows you to download multimedia files like video and music in any format and on any operating system. Xvid is a similar poplar program and both are open source programs deemed to be safe and free from malware.
- Open Office is a large word processing tool and can replace the Microsoft Suite saving a lot of money if you find you need to purchase a new word processing suite.
Sometime one needs to download or share large quantities of data or files like movies and then FileZilla is a good choice because it allows file sharing across FTP platforms. Ares is the probably the largest and safest file sharing network available today.