Using a computer like a real person

[nice weather]

So I bought a new computer and see myself running into lots of pc related nuisances now. Seems a lot like my old pc was held together by its many ailments, much like when Dr. Hibbert explais to Mr. Burns how all his diseases try to push through the door at the same time.
Despite being widely sober throughout last year and a bit it's been a bit of a blur and I haven't really been going with the time, therefore now a set of questions:

What do you guys use for antivirus stuff? AVG seemed to work out for a bit, but that was 8 years ago and nowadays it's getting pretty annoying.

Very tempted to throw out Windows 8 and go back to using Windows 7 again. Anyone disagree?

What's up with the Adobe CS being a monthly subscription thing now? I still feel the urge to download it for gratis though having lost my copy.

And much more generally, which programs/apps/add-ons etc. do you use to make your life easier?

[The Nose Face]

[Tufty]

 All that anti-virus bullshit is for people that cant understand which sites are safe and which are not. Or for those that dont now how to format their computer which is fairly easy nowadays...

 Get a free one like AVG and since you are having windows, format once a year is obligatory. If you have a good PC it will be hard for your computer to deteriorate due to virus unless you are completely a newbie.   I ve never used windows 8 but i heard the worst.

 For the rest google is your friend. Google every problem you have.

[the snake]

free avast antivirus and free comodo firewall, and don't forget free Ccleaner too

[Cthulhu!]

http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/home-user/

[max power]

you don't really need an anti-virus program with windows 8. with windows 7 just use Microsoft security essentials. it's free, too.

[okdad]

I tried answering all your questions in order:

I use Norton just because my dad has it and it came with three licenses so why not right? But I used to use AVG and it was fine for me, not sure how it is now that they've added a paid version. Antivirus isn't bullshit. If you torrent things, which I think you mentioned, antivirus is crucial. I scan anything I download before I open it. That being said, it doesn't make you invincible. You still have to know what to stay away from and not be stupid with your browsing.

I have Windows 7 on my laptop, Windows 8 on my desktop. There really isn't much of a difference if you're just using desktop mode (as I am). The only thing that bugs me is the removal of the start menu. I'd keep Windows 8 if I were you.

As far as Adobe goes, if you download the current version you should be fine for a while. Not sure if you're one of those people who needs to have the latest version as soon as it's released, but I don't think the subscription-only business will stop people from cracking.

I really don't use too many programs other than Firefox, uTorrent, and iTunes. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter is useful if you download songs from YouTube a lot. You can download multiple songs in a queue which is nice. And it lets you set the file tags on the songs you're downloading so it's already labeled when you bring it into iTunes or what have you.

[swagdragon123]

So I bought a new computer and see myself running into lots of pc related nuisances now. Seems a lot like my old pc was held together by its many ailments, much like when Dr. Hibbert explais to Mr. Burns how all his diseases try to push through the door at the same time.
Despite being widely sober throughout last year and a bit it's been a bit of a blur and I haven't really been going with the time, therefore now a set of questions:

What do you guys use for antivirus stuff? AVG seemed to work out for a bit, but that was 8 years ago and nowadays it's getting pretty annoying.

Very tempted to throw out Windows 8 and go back to using Windows 7 again. Anyone disagree?

What's up with the Adobe CS being a monthly subscription thing now? I still feel the urge to download it for gratis though having lost my copy.

And much more generally, which programs/apps/add-ons etc. do you use to make your life easier?

[Sleazy]

can't stand apple products or really anything about the apple experience. programming to their platforms feels like you are programming in the 90s, it's crazy. mac genius, haha, yeah, more like mac arrogance.

for windows i use BitDefender for virus protection. i'm not sure about if it's better than norton or not but they offer a lot of cheap IT services and i use my computer for consulting so time is money and it's nice to be able to pay under 30 bucks to have someone work on my computer for hours. never tried AVG.

i like windows 8 way better than 7. it reboots in under 30 seconds on my machine, runs 33% faster and i prefer the new start screen to the old start button. it's confusing to me that people are so worked up about it as it's mostly just a change in the visual treatment and prioritization which for me works better as i rarely use the desktop but constantly use search. the search on the start screen makes browsing for things start menu style seem ridiculous to me so i don't understand why people would want to do that and assume it's because they aren't aware that all they have to do is start typing what they are looking for and it will pop up. the only thing i found that was a problem was that jump list went away (the recent files that expand from programs) but if you pin application to the task bar the jump lists show up there and i don't have that many applications that i need it on so it's not limiting for me. i think if people put a little effort into learning how it works they would like it better. i just can't imagine how an os that is faster and easier to find stuff on is not a better experience.

additional programs... i like using diskeeper. it will defrag your system for you and that combined with good virus program will keep you from having to reformat once a year.

[poster]

If you're setting up a fresh installation, this is really helpful http://ninite.com/
It lets you install multiple helpful programs at once, check it out

I'm using the free Avira Antivirus. Seems to work fine. You can install that via ninite, there's an AVG option too..

Adobe had the CS2 with serials for download on it's website. They added some information later that it's not for everybody to download, but i guess millions of people already did. I don't know how recent your CS needs to be, for me it's absolutely fine. You surely can still find links and serials nto those.

[dask8d00d]

Expand Quote

And much more generally, which programs/apps/add-ons etc. do you use to make your life easier?

[close]

lol.


but for real tho back when I was on PC (i guess i still use bootcamp from time to time for gaming on my mac) i used advancedSystemCare just as a way keep things running smoothly. the free version will do but the paid $20 (?) version gives you extra features like disk defrag, internet & gaming boosts, etc. That & a good antivirus should do. I was on AVG for a while but at the time i only had some 32 bit laptop and a bug in one of their updates totally fucked my computer. it basically mistook some random file deep within the OS as a virus and deletes it which basically bricked my computer on startup. i didn't know what it was for a while so i backed up & reformatted my shit like 2-3 times but every time id shut down it'd get bricked again on startup. then i found out it was AVG bug that only occurred on 32 bit systems running windows 7 & learned i had to actually reinstall the entire operating system all over again. i know it was kind of a fluke experience and AVG is still probably the best free antivirus but i remember being so frustrated at the time i just wrote them off for anything i use lol. avira is cool too tho but the occasional pop-up window on the desktop (free version) got annoying after a while

also just a word of advice since you have a new computer try to form good habits of organizing files so over time you have all your shit in check & not searching thru random folders trying to find some picture you took 2 years earlier.

[nice weather]

I hear you, but currently spending an extra 1000? on a computer doesn't make my life easier.



Thanks for the answers so far, was definetely anticipating more public humiliation.

Essentially I just watched TPB:AFK a few days ago and realized how fucking clueless I've become on a computer save for some niche knowledge.

okdad, managing music has become sort of an issue with me lately as well, since I use the free spotify more and more often when i don't find something right away to download. In between soundcloud, youtube, itunes and spotify a lot tends to get lost over time I feel.

[skate_bored]

I'm in the same boat as you, I used to know a bunch and after college have just been doing minimal daily computer shit but my Macbook Pro is about to shit out, keys breaking off, etc.  For the price I think I'll build a sick PC desktop. I'll definitely be referring back to this thread, I've always wanted a computer thread (and a car repair thread).

The file organization comment is crucial, after 6 years on this one its a huge mess/nightmare to find anything.

edit:
While we're talking computers, does anyone here know anything about website building? I have a site I'm looking to re-build and update to be mobile friendly and would LOVE a PM from somebody who I could explain a few questions to.

[chockfullofthat]

I like the ad-on adblock plus.  When I last had windows I used avast for anti-virus.

[ice nine]

i use EVG with the box marfa(maria? idk) patch. its all i've ever needed, free after u patch it. never had a virus it didnt pick up right away.

[ROCKxADIO420]

use a cd-rom

[Baron Samedi]

use a cd-rom floppy disk

[cringe.]

firstly direct your mouse to facebook.com, then search what the nutsack ? in the search bar, then click like and voila all your problems will be solved

[Sleazy]

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[close]

I hear you, but currently spending an extra 1000? on a computer doesn't make my life easier.



Thanks for the answers so far, was definetely anticipating more public humiliation.

Essentially I just watched TPB:AFK a few days ago and realized how fucking clueless I've become on a computer save for some niche knowledge.

okdad, managing music has become sort of an issue with me lately as well, since I use the free spotify more and more often when i don't find something right away to download. In between soundcloud, youtube, itunes and spotify a lot tends to get lost over time I feel.

i like xbox music. it's 10 bucks a month but makes it so that i don't need to think about music which is well worth it for me. if i want something 9 times out of 10 it's there and i can stream it or i can download it for offline listening. i also have a windows phone and it all works together so the music is also on my phone for in the car or on my sound dock. another small plus is that the windows 8 app for xbox music is kind of cool and works well with a touch screen.

i know that spotify has a similar service for a similar price but i didn't care for spotify because it doesn't feel like the catalog is well organized and it feels more like searching a for torrent mp3s then searching for music on amazon.

i know that google has a play service out that is also similar.

[twitchflip]

use a cd-rom

i've been doing this for a while now. it's been working just great

[Andrefosho]

+1 for using windows built-in antivirus with adblock installed on browser and thinking before clicking. IMO some of the most popular antivirus software itself seems like malicious software.

And +1 for sticking with windows 8. It is more advanced than windows 7, more optimized, with more features. New start menu layout isn't bad once you get used, I actually really like it.

[Alan]

I used to use Norton Antivirus when I had a PC. I switched to Ubuntu a few years back and haven't had a problem with viruses since.

[Jack Strapp]

Or eveyone in this thread could just man-up and use Linux. It's pretty much impossible to get a virus on Linux, but it's also extremely easy to ruin your installation if you're regular - however, it's free and easy to re-install and back-up.

You know about the concept of backin' stuff up, right?

[paraquat]

Not a cure all, but Mozilla has some useful ad-ons that can prevent you from entering websites that are nefarious, inspect corrupt files. WOT is a good one. Just do a basic search in the add on menu.

[Sleazy]

Or eveyone in this thread could just man-up and use Linux. It's pretty much impossible to get a virus on Linux, but it's also extremely easy to ruin your installation if you're regular - however, it's free and easy to re-install and back-up.

You know about the concept of backin' stuff up, right?

its not impossible, its improbable because no one gives a big enough shit about Linux to bother writing viruses for it. Or do you actually think think Linux is harder to write a virus on? That line of thinking is so funny to me. Like its really some how harder to write a program or script that does harm on apple or Linux. Windows get more viruses because they are the big fish and get attacked more.

[Iceman]

Upgrade to Windows 8.1 if you haven't already. You'll get the start button back, among other things. You can also set your new comp to boot straight to the desktop, if the start screen isn't your style.

For antivirus, just use Windows Defender, which comes with Win8. Malwarebytes helps too.

I don't use Adobe, but Gimp works well for photo manipulation.



Some other useful programs:


uTorrent for downloads.

Format Factory for any file conversion.

YTD for ripping videos from sites. IDM is even better, but not free.

BitTorrent Sync for unlimited & secure large file transfers.

VLC and GOM for playing videos.

Dashlane for password management.

7Zip for file compression.

Faststone for image viewing.

Puush for screenshots.

Tor Browser for anonymity.
Ice Dragon & Iron when only moderate privacy is needed.

TeamViewer or LogMeIn for remote computer access.



If privacy is very important, this is a great program guide: prism-break.org



Good luck.

[Jack Strapp]

Expand Quote

Or eveyone in this thread could just man-up and use Linux. It's pretty much impossible to get a virus on Linux, but it's also extremely easy to ruin your installation if you're regular - however, it's free and easy to re-install and back-up.

You know about the concept of backin' stuff up, right?

[close]

its not impossible, its improbable because no one gives a big enough shit about Linux to bother writing viruses for it. Or do you actually think think Linux is harder to write a virus on? That line of thinking is so funny to me. Like its really some how harder to write a program or script that does harm on apple or Linux. Windows get more viruses because they are the big fish and get attacked more.

"Pretty much impossible" is a loose way of saying improbable, in common language sir. However, you're dead wrong that it's just as easy to write viruses for Linux as for Windows - Linux is an inherently much more secure operating system than Windows is. There is a system of checks and what is called permissions in Linux that limit the kind of operations a given process can do. A process can't just read and write or execute any file it wants to, unlike in Windows, without having been given explicit permission to do so by the root user - which if you aren't always logged in as - it won't get.

And scripts ain't viruses, a script is something that has to be manually executed by the the user. If you're dumb enough to run a script without looking at what it does, then you probably shouldn't use any operating system.

Also, given that Linux is open-source, and anyone can look for potential security holes, any exploit that is found is patched far quicker than the closed-source competetors.

Part of the Mac OS X is built on BSD, which is very similar to Linux, and so Macs inheret some of these security features, making them more secure than Windows as well.

[Beer Keg Peg Leg]

^

[Sleazy]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Or eveyone in this thread could just man-up and use Linux. It's pretty much impossible to get a virus on Linux, but it's also extremely easy to ruin your installation if you're regular - however, it's free and easy to re-install and back-up.

You know about the concept of backin' stuff up, right?

[close]

its not impossible, its improbable because no one gives a big enough shit about Linux to bother writing viruses for it. Or do you actually think think Linux is harder to write a virus on? That line of thinking is so funny to me. Like its really some how harder to write a program or script that does harm on apple or Linux. Windows get more viruses because they are the big fish and get attacked more.

[close]

"Pretty much impossible" is a loose way of saying improbable, in common language sir. However, you're dead wrong that it's just as easy to write viruses for Linux as for Windows - Linux is an inherently much more secure operating system than Windows is. There is a system of checks and what is called permissions in Linux that limit the kind of operations a given process can do. A process can't just read and write or execute any file it wants to, unlike in Windows, without having been given explicit permission to do so by the root user - which if you aren't always logged in as - it won't get.

And scripts ain't viruses, a script is something that has to be manually executed by the the user. If you're dumb enough to run a script without looking at what it does, then you probably shouldn't use any operating system.

Also, given that Linux is open-source, and anyone can look for potential security holes, any exploit that is found is patched far quicker than the closed-source competetors.

Part of the Mac OS X is built on BSD, which is very similar to Linux, and so Macs inheret some of these security features, making them more secure than Windows as well.

your going to try and talk hard then try and back peddle on your exaggerations?

i sat through a presentation on Microsoft's security process from on of the heads of that team and i can assure you that no open source project is dedicating the same kind of resources to security. Windows also has those things you referred to as "permissions" and requires explicit approval for activities that could be dangerous. the only reason there are less viruses on other OSs is because MS had such a huge market share for so long. Your assertion that being open source allows you to be more secure is laughably naive. Not trying to hate on Linux. It cheap and fast, its just at a lower level of abstraction (ie more complex) than what most people need which is why you need to "man up" to use it.

[trannies and mannies]

windows xp > everything after