Resources

Recommended Software

Free Anti-Virus Programs:

Avast – Our favorite Antivirus program, recently winning a #1 Ranking in several independent lab tests. It has the cleanest and easiest to use interface. We also find it to be the fastest. It is at the heart of our Security and Maintenance kit that we install on all our customers’ PC’s.

AVG Free – AVG Antivirus is one of the best programs out there as well. It’s a s good as AVAST, but it occasionally gets a little slow and asks more questions than AVAST, therefore making it our second choice.

Free Anti-Spyware Programs:

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware – The latest favorite to come along. Very powerful cleanup of all types of spyware and other types of malware. There is an option to purchase the full version, which provides real-time protection, but you can use the free version as long as you like.

PC Cleanup-Tuneup Programs:

C-Cleaner – The best tool we’ve found so far, and the main component of our Maintenance kit.  Great tool for clearing out temporary files, cookies, browser history. It even cleans the Windows registry!  No need to get a dedicated Registry Cleaner, as this program does that too!

Glary Utilities – A more comprehensive suite of programs to both clean and tune your PC, featuring an easy “one-click” tuneup button. It also has separate tolls to clean and defragment the registry. It’s pretty fast too. We use this as a secondary tool on PC’s that are really dirty.

Auslogics Disk Defrag – Our favorite Disk Defragmenting utility program, and another component of our Maintenance kit. It’s much faster and effective then the built-in tool that comes with Windows. The Free Version is sufficient for most people, so choose that from the site.

Websites With Information, News, Reviews and Tips

PC Magazine
This is the online version of the number one magazine for computer users, covering both home and business computing issues. It has tons of informational articles, computing news, product reviews (PCs, printers, monitors, etc.), how-to’s, tips and tricks.

C-Net
This site is chock full of technology news, product reviews and tips for all levels of users. It covers more than just computers. It covers PDAs MP3 players, home electronics (like TVs and stereos) and business technologies.

Download.com
This site is part of C-Net mentioned above. Here you can search for and download just about any kind of program you want to try. Most are either free or trial software. It’s a great way to “try before you buy”

Tom’s Hardware
Initially a geek’s site dedicated to news about processors, motherboards and other hardware, Tom’s has expanded its scope in recent years to include mobile devices, tech business news, and even gaming. It’s a little more “high-end” than the other sites, but Tom’s remains one of the best tech resources on the Web.

The links above are provided as a service by Cooltech Computers; your Cooltech Computer Repair Service Specialists.