An ideal software roundup 2 keep your windows98 pc in peak working condition.I’ll do it by categorizing the softwares folks.
SYSTEM SOFTWARES:
a) Spybot S&D: an absolute must for every internet user out there.use it to detect and remove ADWARES and SPYWARES that r the bane of web browsing . just hit the check for problems button, n once it detects all the spywares, hit fix n u’r done! u can also use it to remove u’r program and web usage tracks.it comes with an integrated file shredder for permanent deletion. update it online from time to time so that its armed against any recent ad/spyware, unwanted dialers etc.
b)ToniArts Easycleaner: well the REGISTRY gets cluttered with all kinds of crap over a period of time n that SLOWS down the pc.i’m talkin bout dead pointers to deleted or uninstalled applications, fonts and drivers, recently used programs, duplicate files, outdated shortcuts etc.well, how recent, dun ask me!;-). while advanced users could try manual registry handling, the average user can do the tricky task just as easily with this really efficient software.
c) Xteq XSETUP: u can TWEAK ur windows to the limit with this baby.from hiding those tiny arrows on shortcuts to hiding desktop icons .fully loaded, this one.
INTERNET
I’ve had enough with the internet explorer6 and its quirks.its the’Opera ver 7’ BROWSER for me. the amount of features on this r coollll.Two very helpful ones are the page-zoom feature, which allows you to zoom in the entire document, instead of just the text; and the developer shortcuts to turn off stylesheets and images. In other browsers you have to go through multiple menus or use bookmarks for this functionality.
While browsing, ur desktop doesnt get clutterd as all webpages can be docked inside a single window. other features include 128-bit encryption, auto-fill for online formsand cookie filtering.
You can toggle javaScript, graphics, multimedia, and frames on-off to cut loads on ur dialup especiallly.
Visual elements as links, headers and font specifications can be customized.
SECURITY
a) Firewalls:’ Zonealarm’ for the average user.easy to use interface there. u can monitor all internet activity without really havin to bother with technicalities.u get an alert when an incoming file is detected and u select yes or no.use the internet lock when u’re away from ur pc.
For advanced users.its gott2 b’ Conseal PC Firewal l’.u can work with TCP/IP and packet filtering .another feature is u can set it to learn new rules and subsequent blocking based on ur needs.come 2 think of it d average use cud use it too.
b)Antivirus: Its the’ Symantec Norton AV’ for me.jus keep updating the virus definitions from time to time.very powerful
c)PRIVACY -’ HideFolders’: jus what the name suggests.;-)best is, it doesn t have to be running in order to keep the folders hidden -welcome stealth mode.the pro version comes with password protection.
’ Klik-Lok’-Desktop Lok protects your computer by displaying a false desktop, making it look like the computer is not locked. Clicking on an icon prompts for a password to unlock the system.
MEDIA:
PLAYBACK
a) MOVIES: the new’ Windows Media Player9!’ .its very stable.i like some of the nu playbac options like auto volume levelling and speed adjustments.use it to RIP audio cds.
MUSIC: wel besides the above, I would say’ winamp 2x’.i jus love the amount of plugins u can use to enhance output etc.and it aint heavy on the resources at all like the nu winamp5.
IMAGE
a) For VIEWING:’ XnView’:the best image viewr around.supports 400 image formats. besides it also has basic editing options like croppin, resizing n color filters.got loads of pix on ur pc, .well this is the 1stop image managing solution.
b) for EDITING:’Adobe photoshop 7!’ well it jus rules the arena doesnt it. from basic image editing(fixing colors and brightness) to layer and channel editing to the creation of great paintings(great set of tools) this one takes the cake. its a professional beauty folks.
FILE MANAGEMENT
a)’ Winzip9’:basically for compressing files. u can password protect after archiving a set of files winzip.it fully supports 128 and 256-bit key advanced encryption.definetely better than earlier versions.solid compression(i’m talkin a 6 GB video so it can fit on a single 4.7GB DVD-R here!) and solid encryption.its the best it can get I gues.period
HEALTHPACK:
The’ Norton utilities software’.totally worth it, cuz we all know how the system tools bundled with windows work:-).use this awesome software for protection against system errors, accidental formatting, and a host of other problems.A MUST!
I once read this somewhere bout windows.a lil too tongue in cheek I gues yet, all windows users know what im talkin bout.it goes like this:
Windows is a 32-bit extension to a 16-bit graphical shell for an 8-bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor by a 2-bit company that can’t stand 1 bit of competition.
Well, the above softwares have definetely made life with windows 98 much easier for me. try them out .hav fun.