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There is never enough time to build all the pages we want... This will be a page where you can find software and solutions of our own as well as links to software we like. This is Kirk's personal project page and asside from his own software (labeled as such) there is no association with any software programmer or distributor mentioned on this list.
Check back soon to see this filled out more!
Categories: - Computer Hygiene - Multimedia - Assistive Technology - Networking / Remote Access - Automation / Environmental Control - PC Tips and Tricks - Advanced Tips and Tricks - Developer Software
Computer Hygiene Like brushing your teeth... BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP! Just Do It! (Disasters happen and you can't predict them so...)
Properly Backing up your system is not the simplest to learn but it is well worth it! (Do you want to be happy you learned or sorry you didn't?)
Go out and get an external Hard-Disk, these days they cost about the same as a single diagnostic visit and if your original hard-drive dies or is corrupted you will wish you had copies of your files!
BACKUP Windows has built in Backup software which only works well if you also make your recovery disk and you should be sure you have copies of all your software disks...
Alternatives (You should still make your recovery disk and keep copies of your installation disks.)
Free: Backup Software - Cobian Backup This is mostly a very easy to use and understand backup software, simple, very flexible and free!
Commercial: Most external hard-disks come with backup software pre-loaded. Otherwise, there are several commercially available softwares - I haven't needed to use them so I can't recommend any one in particular.
HARD-CORE BACKUP - Cloning/Ghosting Done well, this is not for beginners but having a disk you can put in a machine to completely wipe what is on it and restore it to the state it was in on a certain date can really save you time, trouble and head-aches. Particularly when updates/upgrades go bad!
I have become a fan of Clonezilla (Free) used with a boot-disk and an external hard-drive. This is not the easiest interface at all, but it works clean and fast. I recently upgraded a whole office to Windows 7 and after the upgrade the client realized they needed to 'decomission' a software before we could move the license to Windows 7 (same machine different Operating System). The whole process took 45 minutes (restore machine to Windows XP, decommission, restore machine to Windows 7, license the software.)
The Commercial gold-standard is Norton Ghost. Not long ago a customer had an automatic-update eat the core of his Security System (PC Based) we spent five minutes on the phone, he found the Ghost disk, put it in, rebooted the computer, started the restore process and 20 minutes later everything was up and running, problem solved! The cost of the software was less then it would have cost for a diagnostic visit.
PROTECTION FROM BADGUYS This field has grown considerably over the years, just as the nature of Malware (Malicious Sofware) has grown. At this point most companies offer free limited versions of their flagship and then commercial packages which combines Malware protection. You may wish to keep it simple or to go a la carte. For home users many products are available for free!
Anti-Virus: I'm not sure I should weigh in on this, everyone has their own opinion and the tests vary with each update... Bottom line, however, YOU MUST HAVE ONE! I have been using AVG for years without a problem to report yet - Free and Commercial versions available.
Firewall: Windows comes with a fine Firewallthese days. Out of habit I have been using ZoneAlarm since long before the Windows FireWall was introduced and I still recommend if you want to be extra-sure or if you like more control over your FireWall, ZoneAlarm comes in . This is not the same as Routing your Internet through a dedicated FireWall computer which gives you even more protection and control.
Other kinds of Malware protection: This is a large field and most packaged commercial protection software covers this category as well. If you are going a la Carte here you should do some research or call for advice.
PC Tips and Tricks ...
Advanced Tips and Tricks ...
Multimedia ...
Assistive Technology ...
Networking / Remote Access ...
Automation / Environmental Control ...
Developer Software ...
