R&D Software - Web Design and Hosting

Software Suggestions

I often get asked what software people should use for keeping their PCs safe and running smoothly.

It is always difficult to recommend 'the best' software as everyone has their favourites. The following are a list that I either use myself or have been recommended to me by others:

CA Internet Security Suite Plus 2008

From one of the largest software companies in the word and with a list of features as long as your arm, CA's Internet Security Suite has to be on your list of products to investigate further. You can find out more by clicking here

BitDefender Internet Security 2008

BitDefender is a well-established brand in the software industry and has gained world wide recognition for the quality of both its products and services. You can find our more by visiting their web site here.

CCleaner

Over time, all sorts of files that serve no purpose build up on your PC. Periodically, you should run a product like CCleaner to get rid of them. CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run), contains NO Spyware or Adware and is free! :) Click here for more information.

Acronis True Image

We've been trialling a product called Acronis True Image Home V11. This backup software has the added advantage of being able to take an exact image of your hard drive(s). This means that you can restore the complete drive with operating system, applications and data "in a few minutes" as Acronis says. (This is probably a couple of hours, but you get the idea).

We do a timed, full backup every Monday night, with differential backups on the other days. We have two external 150GB USB drives and alternate them every week with one drive always off-site. The drive is connected to an old 600MHz HP e-Vectra which is fine for the job. (So now you have a use for one of those old PCs that you can't bear to throw away!). We also purchased a spare 80GB internal drive so that if need be, we could simply install, restore and run!

Let's work out how much this would cost for an office with three PCs: (These prices are in Australian dollars. Check the Acronis site for other currencies.)

Acronis software x 3 @ $62.99 = $189

500GB USB Drive x 2 @ $225 = $450

Spare 80GB GB drive = $100

Total $739 - not bad for peace of mind.

There are two types of backers-up – those who have lost their data - and those who are about to…

Roboform

If you do any amount of work on the Internet you will find yourself building up a large list of usernames and passwords. Some examples might be:

ISP access
emails
On-Line banking
Subscriptions
Newsgroups
Support sites
Pension schemes
Tax offices
Hotel reward schemes

The list can be quite a lengthy one! A product I thoroughly recommend and use dozens of times a day is Roboform.

It has the following features:

AutoSave passwords in browser. When you enter your username and password into a browser such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla, a small window appears asking you if you want to save this information as a login. You can then give it a meaningful name and save it for future use. The next time you go to a web site where you have saved the login information with Roboform, it will offer to enter the information for you. If you accept it will enter the information required and click the Login button for you.
You can create a master password that must be entered before any forms will be filled automatically. Essential for internet banking etc.
It can fill personal info into online forms requiring your address, phone number etc.
Not good at creating passwords? Roboform will generate secure random passwords for you!
All personal info is stored on your computer only – not held on a web site somewhere.
If you select a login from the ones you have saved in Roboform, it will start your browser and automatically enter the web site address, fill in the login details and automatically log you on. Such a time saver!
In Roboform, all usernames appear in standard text so that you can read and edit them. If you saved the login information with a password, you will be asked to enter the password before you can edit the details.
As a precaution you can Backup, Restore and Print your passwords.
It is well-behaved: There is absolutely NO ADWARE or SPYWARE.
Works with Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla and Firefox under Windows.

Roboform is an excellent utility that I use all the time and would struggle without! You can find out more out about Roboform from here.

History Sweep

The great thing about Operating Systems like Windows is the way they do so much for you without you having to know all the complicated, techie stuff.

Unfortunately, it can be a bit dangerous, as well.

Each time you visit a website, intentionally or by accident, Windows stores the sites you have visited, temporary files and images, usernames and passwords and lots of other personal data. It does this so that the next time you visit these sites, it already some data about them and doesn't have to reload everything every time.

When you delete a file and put it in the Recycle Bin, it sits there until you empty the Recycle Bin. Unfortunately, even when you empty the Recycle Bin, it doesn�t actually erase the file off your hard disk. It just marks it as being deleted, and that the space it uses on the disk can be used for something else. There are utilities that you can buy that will recover these files for you if you accidentally (or deliberately!) delete them. Confidential data that you think you have got rid of could still be able to be read.

This leaves a trail of where you went, what files you looked at, downloaded files, temporary files, deleted files - you get the picture. This information is available to anyone who has access to your PC such as family and friends, co-workers, maintenance people, network users etc.

There is software on the market that will delete all traces of your activity on the internet. Personally, I use HistorySweep from Peacekeeper Enterprises.

It is a simple, yet powerful, privacy protection tool for removing ALL your internet surfing records.

You can download a free trial of the software from here.