My 5 Favorite Freeware Picks

Any idea what the Comodo firewall is like? How does it compare to either Zone Alarm or Webroot? If I end up forced to take the Comodo firewall in order to get BoClean, am I being forced into accepting a inferior firewall? I can't have both running at the same time.

The same goes for anti-virus. Right now I use AVG-Free. If I am forced to take the Comodo AV, am I again getting screwed? It was so much simpler when BoClean was a separate program. I like seperated programs where you can pick and choose which one you want. My experience with package deals has been that somewhere you end up having to take something that is less than what you could have gotten if you were free to choose another product. That makes sense, nobody can be the best in every field. I may settle for second best, but I don't want to go much farther than that down the ladder.

 

Hey, I see I've been promoted to Junior Member. No longer a Newbie. Hot damn - moving up in this world! So, how come I still feel just a stupid as I did yesterday? Go figure.

 

No idea what Comodo firewall is like sorry,webroot firewall got 5 stars in a recent computer shopper review and its free,so there's your answer my fiend...

 

Thanks. Hopefully, someone will read this that has tried Comodo and put their two cents worth in. I hate to be the first to try out a piece of crap, especially since I am not enough of a geek to know crap when I see it!

Surely there is someone out there that knows what they are talking about that has tried it. Oh, why did they have to bundle BoClean and mess up a good thing? Looks like Comodo is taking lessons from Microsoft, doesn't it????

 

LostUser & killalot,

There is a lot here that I want to apply my thoughts to but, I’m working 12 hr shifts and pretty tired when I get home in the mornings. : )

Yes you can execute Acronis from Windows and Image the drive you are working from…. It loads a Mini Dos, sets up in memory and then re-boots…. Does the same thing as the recovery disk but starts from Windows.. the recovery disk is essential if you have a BSOD or have lost your drive completely.

I’ll give my thoughts on Routers, 3rd party firewalls and security suites later.

I have read some reviews on CSI with BoClean and so far, are un-favorable.. will comment on this also.

I got rid of BoClean since it’s evidently not going to update and am using ThreatFire.. more comments coming… have patients : )

2oG

 

Lost congrats on becoming a junior don't feel stupid thats' what this community is all about some of us know more about one thing than another we all learn together. I can't help you with Comodo or BOclean since I never use any other firewall than the one built into Vista it has never let me down.

 

Thanks elliott. That is one thing I have noticed about old age - the more I learn, the stupider I get, and the smarter other people get. My dad was dumb as dirt when I was 17. It amazed me how my going to college made him get smarter. Never figured that one out! He's been dead now 20 years and damn if he isn't still getting smarter to this day. There are a lot of other things I have noticed about getting older too - but we won't talk about those!!!! lol

That is what I like about these forums, everyone is willing to help the best they can. That's what makes it work.

Take your time oldGeek. We'll all still be here when you get a day off and time to vent your thoughts. I will be interested in hearing what you have found on CSI and BoClean. I thought about getting ThreatFire and trying it, but some of your earlier posts have me a little reluctant.

elliott, glad you are pleased with the Vista firewall. Personally, I never found anything about Vista that I was happy with. I went back to XP. Haven't looked at 7 yet, but 2oldGeek seems to like it. Still, you are not the only Vista fan. Different strokes for different folks. That's why they still make Fords and Chevys (at least for now).

Later, Guys ...

 

lol on for now...yes they still make hp's too but everything in them is asus or lite-on

 

Yes vista firewall is just as good as zone alarm etc,its just windows xp firewall which is shite..

 

Five More Great Freeware if you own a psp, Ipod, Zune try PSPVideo 9 for transcoding Video files to fit and import to the pmp of choice, DVDfab HD decrypter for ripping and for burning those rips to disc ImageBurn from the developers of dvd decrypter of old. Another great cd/dvd program that burns iso's and performs general music/data backups CDburnerXP Pro. Need to resize some photo's to post on a website or send as an attachement InfranView is great been around for years and is easy to use, if you need more advanced features Try GIMP, freeware doesn't have to be focused on just Security many many programs available for free can perform the tasks of more expensive and bloated software.

 

Indeed elliott, they do still make hp's - but I won't buy one. Don't get me wrong, HP makes a good machine. I run only ASUS motherboards now and believe them to be the best (my opinion, and I'm sticking to it!) The problem I have with HP is the way they bundle so much garbage software with every new machine. I did buy one - once! I have found that every computer, no matter who built it or what is on it, will at some point need to be reformatted. Maybe from malware picked up somewhere along the line, hardware changes, or for whatever reason, it eventually happens to all computers. HP gives you this neat "restore" disk to reformat with, but it reinstalls all of the crap that it came with initially - most of which you don't need, don't want and will never use. But all of the drivers you need for the hardware are on the same disk also. If you try to do a fresh install of just Windows to avoid the crap programs, you end up with something needing a driver that you have to go hunting for.

I now prefer to build my own computers. I reuse my old ATX case and fans, and just install a new ASUS motherboard which comes with all of the drivers you need to run it. Any boards or hardware I attach to it, I bought separately and still have drivers for that. This way I get a "new" machine with nothing on it that I don't want. I can install Windows from scratch, load ONLY the programs that I use (and have install disks for), and transfer all of the data files from the old machine to the new. I have found that this gives me a faster, cleaner, more efficient computer that causes fewer problems on down the road.

But, for someone uncomfortable with tearing a computer apart and rebuilding it, I guess HP is a good way to go. They just won't be getting any more of my money! Sorry, HP but IMHO you, like Microsoft, took a great product and "improved" it to the point of useless garbage.

I don't know killalot, maybe Vista has a good firewall, but I never found anything else about it that I liked. My opinion only - you guys use it if you like it. I just prefer XP.

Elliott is right, there are freeware programs for just about everything one needs; not just security. I use Microsoft Office (not the latest version, but it still does everything I need), but only because I have it and have been using it for so long. Open Office is (again, IMHO) just as good and is free. I use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator because I have for so long. But as elliott said, there are free programs that work just as well. I do use DVDfab and DVD Shrink for ripping DVD's. HandBrake is good for ripping DVD's to avi files, SubRip is good for making subtitle files and I use mkvmerge GUI to mux them back together for movie files with subtitles. All of those are freeware.

I am no expert, but I see no need to spend money on software any more. Indeed, I wouldn't want to buy stock in a software company. With all of the free options available now, I would expect hard times for paid software companies in the future.

Anyway, that's my soapbox sermon for the day. Any thoughts?

 

I think Lost is “sandbagging” us….. Anyone that uses only ASUS mobo’s cannot be as dumb as he is letting on. LOL He’s just playing dumb and picking brains. In my case, that could be called “Slim Pickin’s” LAMO

Have had a lot of unexpected work and not able to spend much time on the computer lately but, que sara sara, this too shall pass..

I have abandoned BoClean for ThreatFire.. Right now, I am being bombarded with pop-ups from the new files in Windows 7 that TF doesn’t recognize, hopefully that will change as it learns.. As I have said, I hate Vista but LOVE Win 7… My wife gets along with Vista just fine, she doesn’t expect as much out of it as I do.. : )

I did a little checking on Comodo Internet Security and will pass on that one.. Comodo has always had a great Firewall but ever since they have been trying to bundle it in a suite, they have been screwing the pooch… so to speak.
I have never been a fan of Suites, when bundling programs together you may get a great firewall but a poor AV or vice versa.. When I renovate my Home, I hire a licensed electrician, plumber, carpenter, painter, etc etc not a ‘handyman’ that tries to do everything.. lol

Will drop in when I get my ‘Honey Do” list caught up.. hehe

2oG

 

You May be right geek becuz lost uses alot of cool freeware not your average user does that, btw I agree hp bundles alot of useless drivel into thier pc's but then again so do most oem builders it's how they make a few extra bucks, or quid or euros lol. Geek you take your time with that honey doo list.

 

A wise philosopher once said: “Stupid is as stupid does”. I’ve done some pretty stupid things in my time, so … Draw your own conclusions. Remember, oldGeek, I’m the guy that has - actually, literally, for real – peed on an electric fence. Granted, I was a young boy at the time, but I guess it goes to show that I have always been one for having to find things out the hard way. Trust me, that was one lesson that you remember for a lifetime!!!

You’re right oldGeek, I am picking you guys brains for as much information as I can learn. But I think you are the one sandbagging with the “Slim Pickins” bit. I admit that I know enough to get me into trouble, but I have read many of your posts, and I see that you know enough to get people out of trouble. That is much harder to do. You do a great service in these forums, and I tip my hat to you. Keep it up!

So I take it that you guys agree with me on ASUS mobo’s. I said that I run only ASUS motherboards now, I didn’t say that I have never used any others. That was part of my learning curve. Now I am trying to learn how to avoid when possible, and purge when necessary, viruses and malware that inevitably invades every computer. So, in that respect, yes I am picking your brains. Hope you don’t mind.

Indeed Elliott, HP is not the only one to bundle a lot of useless drivel into their pc’s. Yes, most oem builders do it. That is why I won’t buy any of their machines. I realize that it is a way for them to make a few extra bucks. They get kickbacks from all of these software companies for including that crap on every machine that they sell. I just don’t like it on my machine. I have no problem with adding programs that I want or need, but I find it counter-productive having a lot of other junk on the machine that I never use. Every software engineer believes his program to be the best thing to happen to computers since the invention of the transistor, and can’t imagine anyone not wanting to run his “baby” as a primary program. So they all write their programs to start with windows and run “in the background”. This all uses resources and, I find, slows the computer down. Building my own machines is a way to avoid suffering, just so that the oem could line his pockets with a few extra bucks. Still, not everyone is comfortable with building their own machine, so the oem builders are essential to the industry. HP does do a good job at filling that niche.

So Elliott, you think I use a lot of “cool” freeware? Most of the programs I mentioned, I learned about here at AfterDawn, over in the “Subtitle Help” forum. I have a fairly extensive collection of VHS and DVD movies that I have accumulated over the years. Most of it is kids movies. I wanted to put it all on a hard drive so as to not have to keep up with individual VHS tapes and DVD’s. It also keeps my DVD's out of the hands of grandkids that treat all disks like frisbys. I “picked” some other users brains in that forum in learning how to do that. If anyone is interested, you can follow my learning curve on that one here:

Another freeware program I use that I didn’t mention is FileZilla for ftp transfer of data. I won’t go into how or why I use that. For anyone reading this that is not familiar with ftp, it is a way to transfer large files over the internet. As I have said before, I also use AVG – Free for anti-virus protection, and SpyBot – Search and Destroy, SpyBlaster, and MalwareBytes for anti-spyware / malware protection. Those are, again, all free and discussed throughout these forums.

2oldGeek, after you finish the “honey do” list, please discuss ThreatFire a little. No hurry, take your time, I know you are working a lot of long hours right now. I agree that it looks like BoClean is in the abandonment category. I share your concern for bundled suites, and I liked the home renovation analogy. ThreatFire does sound like a good solution, but some of your earlier comments on it still have me a little scared. It obviously is not as simple to run as BoClean was.

I do hope you guys are not offended if I am “picking your brains”. That is how I learn, and these forums are a great place to do that. Please bear with me!

 

Me too! Thought I had permanently lost the use of my ‘little pink willie’.

Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from a lot of bad judgment.
Hell, I was 16 before I could get the last bite off a shish kabob without gagging myself.

On building your own computer, this 4 part ‘how to’ is great and it’s a great site to kick around on. That is, if you haven’t found it yet…
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/the-geek-blog/building-a-new-computer-part-1-choosing-hardware/

Am giving ThreatFire a working out, but having doubts about it’s compatibility with other software especially Win7.. I just gave DriveSentry a try and it crashed my win7.. Oh, Thank heaven for Acronis..

Anyway, I gonna test DriveSentry on XP or Vista cause it's highly recommended by Gizmo and he's usually pretty much on the mark..


Later guys,
2oG

 

Asus,Gigabyte,are my preferred choice of boards,used msi before,well twice over the years,and both died of death within 2 years.if I'm asked to build a system for any one these are the boards i will only buy.Just built my son a new rig,his out computer,which i knocked up had an asus board lasted him a good 4 years and is still going strong,his new rig has a gigabyte board and was set up and running in no time,and yes loaded with VISTA got to love it...

 

Masochist!!

 

Thanks oldGeek. Keep us posted as you consider and test alternatives for BoClean. I will especially be interested in what you find for DriveSentry on XP. I don't plan to upgrade to Win 7 for a long time (if ever), and, sorry killalot, I will NEVER have another machine with Vista on it. If it turns out that DriveSentry works on XP, please try it again on 7 and see if it crashes again. For now it is only the XP results that I am interested in, but all good things must come to an end and sooner or later I will have to leave XP behind. By that time we may be up to Win 14 or something like that, but we will all still need something like this that works.

Thanks for the link on building your own computer. I will check it out. No, I did not know of it before. True to form for me, most of what I know about building computers was learned through trial and error - mostly errors! lol

 

Cheeky Monkey

 

Even though I am in love with Win7, XP will live and receive security updates until 2014 no new features will be added so, it’s not dead and not necessary to upgrade for awhile. Do check out TweakHounds Tweaking guide for XP here -> http://www.tweakhound.com/xp/xptweaks/supertweaks1.htm


@ killalot , what you mean ‘Cheeky Monkey’? I look great in shorts -> Check it out!

2oG now using: