Making the right connections

 

 

PC Tools

Keeping your PC in top condition is a no-brainer. Having spent hundreds of pounds on a device that ends up as photo album, work station, window on the web, family record archive and more, why wouldn't you want to make sure it is as good as it can be? This extends out to getting the most from your PC - and reducing the time and effort you have to put in. This is where PC tools come in. From protecting your investment with tools such as anti-virus and anti-spam programmes to cutting down time spent filling in forms or remembering passwords, there is a host of software that can make your ventures online all the more secure and enjoyable.

Over the years I have tried a multitude of software packages covering a vast array of applications. What follows is a selection of tools I currently use on my PC to protect me from viruses and malicious intrusions and also to make my life easier. Some products may have been reviewed. To view you can click the relevant button below or get a summary of reviews here: Past Reviews.

Roboform Without doubt the best PC tool I have found in recent years. Roboform, from Siber Sytems, is an automated form filler and secure password manager that simply saves me HOURS.

Goodsync Running a close second to Roboform for my software "find" of recent times, Goodsync, from Siber Systems, is an easy, secure and reliable way to backup and synchronise any type of PC data. Automated backup has removed any concerns about losing my valuable data.

 
VIPRE Antivirus Premium

VIPRE Antivirus Premium

Vipre, from Sunbelt Software, is high performance antivirus AND anti-spyware security software that is one of, if not, THE fastest anti-virus solutions on the market today. Soon to be integrated with their Personal Firewall product making one truly integrated PC security system.

iHateSpam anti-spam software from Sunbelt-Software integrates with your Outlook email client to filter out all those really annoying unwanted emails. Dumps unknown emails into a special folder that you can review in your own time.

Sunbelt Personal Firewall filters both Incoming and Outgoing traffic to the internet. If you are only using the Windows Firewall on your XP or Vista PC you are running the serious risk of your PC being compromised by hackers. Ensure your personal information cannot be sent OUT to the big wide world.

 
Belarc is a Free PC auditing tool that builds a profile of all the software and gardware installed on your PC and displays the results in your Web browser. Print off for a permanent record of your PC configuration on a specific date.

Regcure , from ParetoLogic, optimises the speed of your PC and fixes numerous errors. If your PC freezes for no unknown reason the first thing to eliminate are unwanted items in your system registry. Run a free scan to identify potential issues.

Driver Genius Professional is a driver management tool that can back-up, restore, update, remove and find new drivers for your PC. It can also automatically find drivers that your system can't, and provide you with a direct download link in seconds! Invaluable if you are upgrading to Windows Vista and also for ensuring your PC hardware is running at optimal performance. Covers a multitude of devices.

FileZilla - If you want to transfer files between locations or upload them to your website then FileZilla is the Free FTP solution for you.

 

Spybot, from Safer Networking, is a Free anti-spyware tool that helps keep your PC free from all those websites that try to download marketing tracking cookies. I use this software to compliment my Vipre anti-virus product and so far, fingers crossed, my PCs have remained virus and spyware free.

 

TeamViewer establishes connections to any PC or server all around the world within just a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were sitting right in front of it. I use it to support a number of colleauge's PCs, and it's Free!

 

WinRAR is a powerful compression tool with many integrated additional functions to help you organize your compressed archives.

 
PrimoPDF - Create a PDF from any file that can be printed - simply select PrimoPDF when choosing a printer. Works with all Microsoft products. Brilliant for sending documents across the web.


Feedback

Hopefully you will find something of interest in the PC Tools section. The open and honest approach to the feedback we give is critical to what ALW is all about. Equally I welcome any feedback you can offer and suggestions for improvement. If you have any ideas for inclusion or you would like me to review a specific PC Tool, please email me at:-


or click on the button to use the contact form

 

Nigel