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Disclaimer
THE AUTHOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OF ANY KIND REGARDING THE CONTENTS OF
THIS WEB PAGE OR ANY OF THE WEB PAGES LINKED TO BY THIS WEB PAGE AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR RELIABILITY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED
HEREIN.
On PC's, there are usually many ways to accomplish the same task; this
information is presented to explore the possibilities, not to instruct you to do
it my way...
However, if you don't do it my way, know in advance that you're wrong!
Hahahahahaha...
Basic Software
(provides or maintains computer functionality and
optimization)
| Function |
Software |
Why |
| OS (Operating System) |
Windows XP Home or Pro
with SP2 and all other Microsoft critical updates.
linspire.com is a
highly rated Linux distribution |
Windows is easiest, most compatible with everything. Also
expensive and prone to security risks. I'm trying this out to see if I'll
recommend it for the budget-minded. It should be cheaper and more secure
than Windows. |
| Startup Management |
Absolute
Startup |
Manage programs that start up on boot. Many software
programs add unnecessary programs to startup without asking and over time
these will kill your computer's performance (speed). |
| AntiVirus |
Norton Antivirus |
If you connect to the Internet, you have to have antivirus
running on your PC - or suffer the consequences. |
| AntiSpyware |
Spyware Doctor |
If you connect to the Internet, you have to have antispyware
running on your PC - or suffer the consequences. |
| Web Browser |
Mozilla
Firefox |
Arguably, this should be under applications.
It's free, and Firefox provides more functionality and is less
susceptible to security attacks than Internet Explorer. |
Utilities
(provide insight into system operation, functionality
and optimization)
| Function |
Software |
Why |
| System Performance Monitor |
Windows Task Manager (provided with XP; access via
Alt-Ctrl-Delete)
Process Explorer for
advanced insight into your system. |
If your computer is running slow,
these utilities can provide immediate insight. Optimize your computer's
speed by minimizing all running "processes" to only the
absolutely necessary. If you don't know what's "absolutely
necessary", get help before messing with this!!!
Use in combination with Startup Management software to enhance
performance; it's free. |
| Capture Stills from your computer screen |
Ctrl-PrtSc places the entire screen on your clipboard.
Included in Windows.
Grabit Pro is more advanced. |
|
| Record actions from your computer screen |
CamStudio |
Useful for creating tutorials; it's free! |
Application Software
(provides functions to do things you want - which is
why you got the computer in the first place!)
| Function |
Software |
Why |
| Convert your tapes and LP's |
Roxio Easy
Media Creator |
After conversion, you can listen to them on your computer,
on CD's, on your iPod, etc. |
Creating and Editing Videos
|
Roxio Easy
Media Creator for simple movies
Adobe
Premiere Elements 2.0 for more advanced movies |
Create slideshows from pictures, edit and interleave videos,
add music, etc. |
| Creating DVD's |
Roxio Easy
Media Creator |
Share your masterpieces. Most everyone has a DVD player
these days. |
| e-mail client |
Outlook Express, Outlook
Thunderbird |
|
| Office Software - word processing, spreadsheets, etc |
openoffice.org |
It's free, and so far it does most everything my Microsoft
Office XP software does, plus it can open Microsoft Office files. Online
review.
Did I mention it's free??? |
| Photograph Editing |
Google Picasa
for simple editing
Adobe Photoshop
CS2 for advanced editing |
Picasa is free and has a lot of functionality.
Photoshop CS2 is one of the best. |
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