MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [April 14th]” plus 10 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [April 14th]
- 6 Firefox Addons to Create a Useful, Functional Error Page
- Using An All-In-One PDA & GPS For Geocaching [Android]
- Playing Video Files With Some Twist Using Movist [Mac]
- Hot Tech Deals [April 14th]
- 12 Great Free Video Tutorial Sites To Brush Up Your Tech Skills
- A Guide To Setting Up Your iPad (Part 1)
- DaisyDisk Giveaway Winners: Round 2
- Add a Professional Call Management System to Your Business with Phonebooth
- The 10 Best Free Anti-Virus Programs
- How to Build a Local Area Network Without a Router
| Cool Websites and Tools [April 14th] Posted: 14 Apr 2010 08:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. We NEED Your Comments! Please do share your thoughts in article comments! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 Firefox Addons to Create a Useful, Functional Error Page Posted: 14 Apr 2010 06:30 PM PDT
Back in 2008, Tina did a great job listing three addons that enhances Firefox’s page failure but some of them have been updated and besides, a few more have appeared which are worth a mention. So here they are: the 6 ways to enhance FireFox’s error page and make it more useful (especially if you really need to load the page).
1. Override Mozilla Firefox GuidanceOverride Mozilla Firefox Guidance is a humorous FireFox addon that actually does nothing useful but can remove your stress from landing on an error page. It randomly implements several essentially unhelpful – yet almost funny – error pages, when a website cannot be reached.
2. Resurrect PagesResurrect Pages is the FireFox extension that enhances FireFox’s “Server not found” fail page with links to big page cache/mirrors:
3. ErrorZilla PlusErrorZilla Plus is another FireFox addon (its previous edition has already been mentioned by James in his post on faster browsing) with the similar to the above one functionality but additionally it allows to:
4. 404-Error?404-Error? redirects you to the archived copy of a non-existent page (if archived page exists in Wayback Machine at archive.org). Unlike the above one, this extension works best for removed pages (it won’t show up if you mistype an URL and get to the standard FireFox’s “Server not found” page). Prior to redirecting, it asks you to confirm if the page really doesn’t exist and if you want to see its archive.org version:
5. FierrFierr is another nice option that adds the following buttons to the error page:
6. Down for everyone?This is a Greasemonkey script that inserts a link to downforeveryoneorjustme.com in the ‘Page not found’ error page, making it really easy to check whether the connection problems are local to you. You can also use it in combination with another script that checks your router. Note that by default, it’s using 192.168.1.1 for router IP address. To change it to your router’s IP, right click the Greasemonkey icon on statusbar, select “User Script Commands…“, select “Set your router IP“. Here’s how the two scripts look when installed:
Any addons I missed here? Or any other ways to make the FireFox’s failure page more fun? Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 15,000 fans already!
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| Using An All-In-One PDA & GPS For Geocaching [Android] Posted: 14 Apr 2010 04:31 PM PDT
If you’ve never heard of it, the concept of geocaching is fairly simple. Someone hides a box full of trinkets somewhere and then provides the GPS coordinates. It’s up to geocaching enthusiasts to visit the location and try to find the box. Sometimes you get a clue and other times you don’t.
Finally, this year, I now have an Android mobile phone that has multiple tools required for navigation – so I immediately started looking into using such an all-in-one PDA and GPS unit for geocaching with my kids. I am happy to say, I discovered two awesome mobile apps that offer everything you need for a successful geocaching experience – a cache directory, and a programmable digital compass for navigating to the cache coordinates. Every Geocache Is An AdventureThis article is actually a chronicle of the first geocaching adventure that I went on with my girls. Of course, before going on that adventure, I wanted to make sure we were properly geared up with the appropriate gadgetry. I gave my old, trusty GPS device to my youngest to play with, and I struck out on the web to locate the two best Android apps for geocaching. I believe I’ve found them. The first application is called c:Geo, and it’s a free mobile application for the Android that draws its cache location data from the popular site Geocaching.com. c:Geo uses the GPS receiver in your phone to identify your location, then you can ask the application to identify any nearby geocache locations.
Your coordinates are listed at the top. If GPS is not enabled or you want to search for caches in an area that’s remote from you, you can type in either coordinates, street address or the geocode listed at Geocaching.com.
It doesn’t take very long for the system to locate dozens of geocaches near you. According to Geocaching.com, there are now well over a million caches all throughout the world. The odds of finding some near you are excellent (assuming you don’t live hundreds of miles from any civilization). When you see a geocache title that looks intriguing, just click on it for more information.
Occasionally you will come across a “premium” cache that requires a membership, but most of the listings are completely free. As you can see from the sample above, each cache listing provides a rating for the difficulty of finding the cache and the level of the terrain. You’ll also find the GPS coordinates, usually a description of the area, and sometimes a clue to help you find the exact location of the Geocache box. Also, if you scroll down you can read through the posted experiences of other geocachers who tried to locate the box before you. These comments will tell you the true difficulty of finding the box.
Once we decided on a neat cache near us, supposedly located in an old cellar hole of a long-gone house deep in the middle of some nearby woods, we packed up some snacks and hit the road. I used c:geo’s built in turn-by-turn map integration with Google Navigator to drive near enough to the cache so that we could park. Then, we hit the trail.
It really was a beautiful, sunny spring day – we couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to give geocaching a try. Now, when you’re finally on the trail, you’re going to want to switch to the compass navigational mode. This is the beauty of using an all-in-one PDA and GPS for geocaching – you can look up cache information and get a GPS location fix on the cache all with one device. There are a couple of cool options in c:Geo to navigate. One is the straight compass mode.
It really doesn’t get much simpler than this – this convenience is the beauty of using an all in one PDA and GPS for geocaching. The arrow remains pointing in the direction of the geocache, and all you have to do is make sure you walk in that direction. If you’d like a little bit more data about your location and the location of the cache, then select the other option – the “radar” navigation mode.
This view shows your GPS coordinates, your target’s GPS coordinates, and a “radar” view with a green dot that represents the location of the cache. It shows your current heading, and the distance from the cache in kilometers. I personally think this view is very cool, but there is one other app that I wanted to cover that can make navigating to the target cache location even easier. That app is called GeoPointer, created by a firm called Sifra.
This navigational app doesn’t look a whole lot different than the tools offered by c:Geo, but as far as functionality, it’s like both of the previous apps combined into one. With GeoPointer, you get a compass with an arrow that points in the correct direction all the time. The application also provides a digital display of your own bearing versus the targets bearing, as well as your distance and elevation from the cache and your speed of travel. Distances can be set to use either feet or kilometer as units (a nice bonus for U.S. users). After a short hike down an ancient forest path, the kids finally located the old cellar hole and immediately jumped right in and started searching.
However, on this sunny spring day, we learned an important lesson about geocaching. Less than half of the battle is locating the vicinity of the geocache within a short radius. The real adventure is actually locating where the cache is hidden once you’re there. Is it under a rock? Is it disguised as part of the rock wall? Is it buried under the leaves and in the dirt right under our feet? We searched for almost an hour, and found nothing more than a few ticks crawling up our legs. As we headed back home after our first geocaching adventure, the girls were already planning for our next adventure, and coming up with new techniques we could use to locate the cache the next time. What I took away from the experience was that in the end it’s not so much whether or not you actually find the geocache once you get there, it’s about enjoying the sights and the experience of getting there. Maybe, in this way, geocaching serves as a metaphor for life, and how we should stop focusing so much on the prize, and instead savor every moment along the way. Do you geocache? What sort of mobile tools do you use to locate the box? Share your insight and experiences in the comments section below. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Please do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing Video Files With Some Twist Using Movist [Mac] Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:31 PM PDT
Every computer user has their own choices of free video player(s). Most Mac users prefers Apple’s own QuickTime or the ever-popular VLC. But there are other great but less popular players out there. One that falls into this category is Movist. I stumbled into this app years ago and have been using it ever since. Strangely, not many people know about its existence.
Playing Movies With MovistBeside the (almost) flawless multi-format video playing, there are several unique abilities that separate Movist from the rest. The first is its flexibility in handling subtitles. If the subtitle file has the same name as the movie file and both are located in the same folder, Movist can display the subtitles any way you want them.
You can quickly adjust the size, location, font, and many more factors just by going through the crowded “Subtitle” menu.
If you want more options in handling subtitles, go to the “Preferences – Subtitle” tab. Looking at the options, Movist should be able to handle up to 3 subtitle tracks (but I’m still trying to figure out how to do this).
Another feature that I like (but sometimes hate) from Movist is its ability to automatically continue playing the next movie in the series. The requirements are that the movies should all be located in the same folder and have more or less the same title with different numbering.
For example, there are 10 movies in one folder with the name: X 01, X 02, X 03 and so on. At the end of X 01, Movist will automatically continue playing X 02 – and so on. This is a real time saver, but most of the time it makes me unable to stop watching my favorite shows (and ignore other responsibilities). If you are a fan of Apple’s “Front Row“, you could try Movist’s “Full Screen Navigation” which can be activated through “File – Full Screen Navigation” menu or using “Command + N“.
What you get is a media player dark interface control similar to Front Row (but much simpler).
You can customize this feature by going to “General Preferences“. There are options to access iTunes Library (Movies, TV Shows, Video Podcasts) and to enable support for Apple Remote.
But the one that I personally think is the coolest feature of Movist is the ability to play video on the Desktop Background. You can enable the feature by going through the “Movie – Desktop Background” menu or by pressing the “Command + D” keyboard combination.
With this feature, you can place the movie of your recent holiday on your desktop instead of just still images. Just make sure that your desktop is free from cluttered icons if you plan to watch the movie undisturbed.
Longing For A Better LogoOne thing that annoys me most about Movist is its logo. My friend told me that it’s a complete rip-off from another movie player app. If you pay real attention to it, you can even read the name of the app written on the logo. It’s a shame considering that Movist is a good app. It’s possible that the developer did this intentionally, maybe just for fun. But they definitely should spend more time and energy in creating their own logo, as a logo is the visual identity of any app. Even though Movist has not even reached version one and still has a long way to go before it can stand equal to other veteran media players, it’s already a solid player that worth your attention. Have you tried Movist? Or do you prefer to use another alternative free video player? Please share using the comments below. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter too. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 14 Apr 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
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| 12 Great Free Video Tutorial Sites To Brush Up Your Tech Skills Posted: 14 Apr 2010 12:30 PM PDT
Even as I am writing this, let me say that sometimes writing and reading is a pain on the eyes. Ours is a much more visual generation that just might enjoy an instructional video than a write-up. The web is getting more interactive and speedier. Bandwidth is no longer a constraint. Even in my country where bandwidth is a turtle compared to what's available elsewhere, playing online videos is now part of the norm.
So, if you like to learn about computers or if you just love an obscure geeky tip 'n trick, check out these twelve free video tutorial sites. It could be an education. Woopid
Woopid is our first stop for free technology video tutorials. Woopid's video tutorials cover categories from Windows, Microsoft Office, Mac OS X, Linux and others for hardware and the web. The tutorials are designed both for the beginner and the advanced user. There are some really nice features which makes video instructions easier to manage. Woopid arranges related videos together in Bundles. For instance, Beginners Guide to Excel 2007 is a bundle of 17 videos. The other nice thing is that you can request a tutorial using their Request a Personal Tutorial page. The one feature that I really like is the Take a Step Back and Moving Forward feature in all videos. Just like going forward or backwards between chapters, it links you to other previous or later videos. TutorialVid
This is a video tutorial resource with a huge list of videos arranged in video channels. Though it is a bit heavy with free graphic designing video tutorials, you also get many on web designing (HTML, CSS, and XML) and some on Windows. Mac OS and iTunes also are covered quite well. For the true blue geek, you have loads of tutorials on application development and C++ programming…and more. You can sign-up and create your own playlists. The site also lets you upload your own instructional videos and earn money through AdSense. Video Tutorial Zone
Video Tutorial Zone says it is a 'Video Professor for Tech Geeks'. The professor is quite knowledgeable over categories ranging from SEO to Office Tools. There are some unique categories that may be sparse on other sites like tutorials on VOIP Telephony and Content Management which covers CMS like Joomla and Drupal. You can also request a tutorial and also check out the current request list. Looking through the videos, I found that it's a great place for the geek who knows the basic stuff and wants something more advanced. Tubetorial
As soon as I landed on Tubetorial's homepage, I was greeted with quite a few WordPress tutorials. The site has a heavy leaning towards web apps and internet marketing videos. The site has a lot of blog style arrangement of free step-by-step video tutorials on internet marketing techniques. In between them, you might find a few on things like mindmapping. The first video I checked out was on Blogger Law. I came away better educated. The one turn off could be the relatively high number of ads on the site. But hey, the knowledge is free. TutorialParadise
I wouldn't recommend TutorialParadise for its interface. It's very ad-heavy. But here's the good word on the tutorials. There are lots of them around lots of categories. You have a few hacking tutorials too. The other categories are Program Tutorials (graphic applications), Language Tutorials, OS Tutorials, and Database Tutorials. Some of the tutorials come with source files which makes it easier to learn the step by steps. The site allows you to make a bit of money by submitting tutorials and they also have some competitions running. Adobe TV
It's straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. If you are a user of Adobe products, then you should have Adobe TV bookmarked. It brings you the absolute best from the Adobe community. Also, there's the advantage of getting the latest uses of the latest products. Videos are updated daily. Many videos are presented as features. Take a dekko at the number of channels and you realize the learning that's there for free. For young learners, I can recommend the one that says Students & Educators. When you are at Adobe, also visit the Adobe Design Center. And just hop over to another great site called Kelby TV, if you want loads of insider tips from Photoshop gurus. WordPress TV
It's the video learning channel for those who work with the WordPress platform. Videos cover interesting tips, tricks and developments that are floating around the WordPress universe. The videos are in two languages – English and French. A lot of the videos also cover WordCamp, which is the WordPress meet-up. CBT Cafe
When we are on graphic and web design, let's also visit the Computer Based Training Café. The site gives you free online lessons on Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Cleaner, QuickTime, Ebay, and PowerPoint. I am not sure about the number of video tutorials because the tutorials come bunched together with the HTML tutorials. Video tutorials have a QuickTime link. Got My Idea
Got My Idea is a category-rich video tutorial knowledge bank. You also get video tutorials on Wii, Xbox, and iPod, amongst others. Most of the videos lessons are sourced from YouTube but the site saves you the trouble of searching them out by putting it all in one central repository. Showmedo
Showmedo is a peer-produced video-tutorials and screencasts site for free and open-source software. Many tutorials are presented as series of episodes. The focus of the site is on how to use open source software. For example, this is the place you can land if you want to learn something on Inkscape or GIMP. Showmedo also brings in a feature that I believe should be a necessary part of all learning websites. The Learning Paths structures the video content in a way that you know where to start, where you are heading to and what skills you will require. You might also like to Meet the GIMP if you are on the learning curve with the free image editor. Go To And Learn
The site is about Flash and ActionScript tutorials. It will be a waste of time for someone who isn't interested in either. But for the person who is into Flash programming this site is a good resource because it offers two things – free downloadable video tutorials and lesson files for download (at least some of them). Best Tech Videos
The user driven social content website has 9675 videos on all things tech related. The collection of videos arranged in multifaceted categories makes it a great resource for not only learners but also for other varieties of IT workers. For instance, you have videos on Conferences held, IT best practices, and lectures on sub-disciplines line math and science. Video lessons not only educate, but they also entertain. But the greatest benefit, both for educators and learners is that, online education using short videos makes it possible to emphasis what education should be about – anywhere, anytime, and absolutely free. Tell us if you are continuing your education with any online computer tutorial website. Image: joe bustillos We NEED Your Comments! Please do share your thoughts in article comments! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Guide To Setting Up Your iPad (Part 1) Posted: 14 Apr 2010 11:31 AM PDT
There are settings under the hood of iPad which may not be so obvious to new users. If you’re an experienced user of an iPod touch or an iPhone, this article on how to set up an Apple iPad may not be of much use to you. But if you’re new to Apple’s mobile devices – perhaps a recent owner of the iPad – then you will need to be familiar with the various preferences settings for the iPad. This is part one of a two-part series about the system preferences (note: the settings described here are based on the Wi-Fi version of the iPad, not the iPad 3G version.)
General SettingsLet’s start off with general settings. Click on the Settings icon on the homepage of iPad. The default settings for your iPad are typically okay, but there some settings you may want or may need to change based on how you use the device. Some of this information is based on the official iPad User Guide (PDF), as well as my own recommendations as an experienced user of the iPhone and iPad. The PDF guide is great, but does not always include useful screenshots.
1. AboutClicking on About will give you a general overview of the content on your iPad, including how many songs, videos, photos and applications you have installed. It reminds you of the memory capacity of your iPad and how much you have available. The list, as you can see, also includes the model and serial number, which you should copy and keep a part of your records just in case the device is ever lost or stolen.
2. SoundsThese preferences refer to sounds you hear when, for instance, new mail arrives or is sent. If hearing these sounds for various features bugs you, simply click them off. I generally like hearing the keyboard click when I’m typing, but I don’t need to hear a beep for new mail and calendar alerts. Your preferences and needs may be different.
3. NetworkWhen you first turn on your iPad, if there’s a free Wi-Fi network available, the device will automatically try to link to the network. This is where you would go if you need to manually connect to a Wi-Fi network. The VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, which is used within businesses and organizations “to communicate information securely over a non-private network.” You may need to ask a network administrator for the settings you need to configure for a VPN (see the iPad Manual for information). 4. BluetoothIf you have a Bluetooth device like a set of headphones, speakers, or a Bluetooth keyboard, you can turn on Bluetooth so it can locate those devices.
5. Location ServicesLocation Services is used for the Maps and location aware applications of your iPad to determine your approximate location when your iPad is turned on and your Wi-Fi is enabled. The iPad Wi-Fi + 3G uses cellular networks and GPS to determine your location. Doesn't hurt much to keep it enabled. 6. Auto-LockThis setting automatically closes and locks your iPad after a designated period of time. Increasing the time will often reduce the battery charge, so you should probably leave it at default. 7. Passcode LockUse this setting if you use a designated passcode for unlocking your iPad. If you travel a lot, you might want to use this setting just in case your iPad is ever lost or stolen. Additional settings will erase data on your iPad after a specified period of time.
8. RestrictionsIf you have kids and you want to restrict them from using Safari, installing applications, viewing explicit videos and TV shows, etc. then you will want to check out the settings for this area.
9. HomeThis a handy preference for quickly navigating to the Home, Search or iPod page of your iPad. When you double-click the Home button, it will take you to your selected preference. A single-click of the Home button takes you to the Home page, so I don’t see why there’s any reason to use this setting for Home.
10. Date & TimeThe default settings for the date and time information in the status bar at the top of the screen will probably be okay, but this is where you’d change those settings if you travel to different time zones or countries. 11. KeyboardTheses settings refer to what happens when you type on the built-in keyboard software or an external keyboard. I recommend enabling all these features for they assist you in typing faster on the iPad. Auto-Correction corrects common misspellings; Auto-Capitalization capitalizes the first word of each new sentence you write (as long as there is a period before the new sentence.) Doubling-clicking on the Shift key of the keyboard will lock the caps key and all the letters you type will be in uppercase. The "," shortcut lets you double-tap the space bar to enter a period followed by a space when you're typing. There's no reason to turn this off.
12. InternationalThe default for these settings are based on the country where you purchased the iPad, so they typically don't need to be changed. But this is where you can change the settings for different languages and logistical information.
13. AccessibilityThese settings are mainly for visually impaired users, or people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a physical or learning disability.
14. Battery PercentageThis setting displays the percentage of battery charge next to the battery icon in the upper-right-corner. I see no reason to turn it off. 15. ResetLastly, if you for some reason need or want to get back to the first default settings for the iPad, this is the place to do it. If for example you decide to sell your iPad, you will want to reset all the settings and erase content for the new owner.
Well, that's it for general settings. If you're an experienced iPhone/iPod touch user or iPad owner, let us know what settings you use in this area. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DaisyDisk Giveaway Winners: Round 2 Posted: 14 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT
Congratulations! Watch your email inbox for more information on how to claim your prizes. The next 4 winners will be announced at the same time tomorrow. If you feel your luck running out, use the 25% discount code “MAKEUSEOF” at DaisyDisk’s online store checkout. MakeUseOf would like to thank Oleg from DaisyDisk for his generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Add a Professional Call Management System to Your Business with Phonebooth Posted: 14 Apr 2010 10:30 AM PDT
It has many features similar to the Google Voice call management system such as online voicemail and the ability to route calls to multiple phones. But it also has more sophisticated call management features that are useful for businesses. Here are a few that stand out.
Like Google Voice, Phonebooth Free doesn’t provide actual phone service. That is, you still need your own phone lines – whether they are land-lines, cell phones, or VOIP. The free version gives you up to 50 users & extensions, one local phone number, and unlimited call groups and auto attendants. The primary limitations are 200 inbound minutes per month (6 cents each additional) and 50 voice transcriptions per month (your voicemail messages converted to emails). You can upgrade at any time to Phonebooth’s “On Demand” service starting at $20 per month per user. Their paid version includes VOIP phone service, unlimited usage minutes, 2 phone numbers (with the option to add more) along with other features such as conferencing and call logs. Not all area codes are available yet, but they are continually adding more. The Phonebooth call management system offers an easy to use online interface, including a friendly “Stepper” feature that walks you through the setup of the various features.
Google Voice still has the advantages of unlimited minutes, conference calling, and voice transcriptions (marginal accuracy notwithstanding). However, Google Voice is designed for the individual user, whereas Phonebooth Free is clearly geared for businesses. The service is only a few months old, so there are still many features in development. Despite its few limitations, Phonebooth Free is a compelling alternative to Google Voice for small business users. You can sign up for your Phonebooth Free account and let us know what you think of the service and whether it helped you better manage your business. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter too. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 10 Best Free Anti-Virus Programs Posted: 14 Apr 2010 09:30 AM PDT
While I won’t attempt to rank the programs here (in many ways the programs can’t be compared), I will attempt to give you an idea of under what circumstances they will be useful. The order here for the 10 best antivirus programs is mostly random, so be sure to read every entry if you want an idea of what will work for you.
Microsoft Security Essentials
Released by Microsoft in late 2009, Microsoft Security Essentials sports more than a typically verbose Microsoft name: it’s also a really good antivirus. Lightweight enough to run on older machines without crippling their performance, yet competent enough to handle most viruses and malware out there. Perhaps the best part of MSE is its simplicity. As you can see, the user interface is really clear, with large buttons for the most basic functions. This is important if you’re setting it up on a computer for someone who is not computer-savvy. Finally, MSE is completely free – there’s no professional version you can upgrade to. In fact, it’s even permissible to use in business situations, meaning you can use it at work without breaking the law. This alone sets it above most of the other selections for the 10 best antivirus programs. Read more about MSE in Stefan’s article here or download MSE here. AVG FreeThis one recently topped our Movers and Shakers list of the top downloaded free anti-virus programs. But just because AVG is popular doesn’t mean it’s not great. AVG has become synonymous with free anti-virus, and there’s a reason for this: AVG offers complete malware protection, with considerably less bloat than the top pay-to-use antivirus clients. And while AVG Free does constantly remind you that you could pay for the professional version of the program, it does this without ever getting in the way of the program’s core purpose: protecting you from viruses.
Though when it comes to upgrading one version of AVG to another, you need to make sure you’re good at reading what’s on screen, because the free download is only available via a tiny link at the bottom of the screen—the site really wants you to get the paid version. When upgrading to version 9 recently, for example, check out how hidden the free download was:
Not exactly a big link, is it? Figure this minor inconvenience out, however, and AVG is a a really good free anti-virus. Download AVG. Avira Free
In terms of simplicity, Avira’s right up there with MSE. It’s fairly lightweight, too, so the comparison is quite apt. While Avira does have a paid professional version to peddle, much like AVG, it’s not quite as aggressive as AVG in peddling it. I’d say Avira is solid and worth looking into for sure. Download Avira Free here. Avast! Free
Malwarebytes
Whatever your default anti-virus is, you need Malwarebytes too. This program doesn’t run in your system background and constantly protect you, but when you run into a problem running Malwarebytes will usually take care of what other programs can’t. I’ve saved more than a few unbootable systems by running Malwarebytes from safe mode. This program takes care of any form of malware you throw at it, so keep it around. In fact, I’d keep this one on your flash drive in case you ever need to fix a computer for a friend (and if you’re reading this blog, you probably will). ComboFixConsider this the nuclear option. If you know you’ve got a virus, but your usual anti-virus program can’t handle it, and Malwarebytes can’t handle it, it’s time for ComboFix. This program isn’t friendly: it runs from a command window and is proud of it. And this is not a program you should use if you don’t know what you’re doing, because it can have devastating effects in the hands of the uneducated. But when all else fails, ComboFix delivers. Every geek should have this one on their keychain. Clamwin
Clamwin is the Windows version of ClamAV, the main Linux anti-virus on the market. ClamWin is flawed in many ways: it simply scans instead of offering real-time protection, it doesn’t really do non-virus malware and it’s not exactly easy to use. Still, having ClamWin around doesn’t cost anything, and you can never have enough scanning tools in your arsenal. Download ClamWin and see if you like it. Panda Cloud AntiVirus
At first I thought the idea of a cloud-based antivirus was stupid, because it would only work while I’m online. Then it occurred to me: why the heck do I need an anti-virus when I’m offline? As the name suggests, Panda Cloud Antivirus stores its virus definitions online. There’s an upside to this: your definitions are always up to date. There’s a downside, too, however: your anti-virus is constantly making use of your network connection. I’d say this is a really good idea for underpowered PCs with constant access to the net. Like, say, a netbook. But if you’ve got a netbook you shouldn’t be using Windows anyway; switch to Jolicloud and you’ll have a functional netbook operating system immune to practically every virus. Read a previously published article on Panda Cloud. Then download Panda Cloud Antivirus if you're interested. Comodo Firewall + AntivirusComodo is best known for its free firewall, but it also offers a bundled firewall and antivirus program. While the Comodo firewall isn’t the easiest to use, and the antivirus doesn’t include protection for non-virus forms of malware, this one’s worth mentioning if you’re looking for a free security suite which includes both a firewall and anti-virus protection.
Common Sense 2011This one’s unusual in that it’s free and considered by far the best protection out there, yet can’t be downloaded anywhere. Without it, however, even the best security software is rendered useless. If you haven’t already figured this out, Common Sense 2011 isn’t a product you can download so much as it is a state of mind. If you’re going to be free of viruses and malware you need to use your head while browsing the web. The most important thing to remember is this: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is—and your computer will probably be compromised. Free porn usually isn’t. Warez are best to be avoided altogether. Nigerians that need your help transferring money are never actually princes or princesses. You get the idea: avoid shady sites online and you’ll find you’ll get far less malware on your machine. ConclusionThere are a lot of great free anti-virus programs out there, but what you use is mostly a matter of preference. Myself, I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows machine because it’s free, lightweight and will never ask me for money. But I also make sure I always have Malwarebytes on my thumb drive for quickly removing viruses and malware from the computers of friends and family. What about you? Which free anti-virus do you prefer? Commenting is good for you, so do so! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| How to Build a Local Area Network Without a Router Posted: 14 Apr 2010 08:30 AM PDT
Depending on what you want to do, there are a few options to build a local area network which doesn’t involve buying a router.
We can connect two computers directly with a cross-over cable and have a LAN without a router. Computer 1 can access computer 2’s resources, printers and file shares. Computer 2 can access computer 1’s resources as well but this setup limits you to having only two computers connected. If this is all you need, then you can connect the two machines up together and be good to go. You can see an example of this setup below:
To build a local area network with this setup, you will need to set both of them to have an IP address in the same subnet. A subnet is a group of machines that can call out to each other. For example, you can set one of your computer’s IP address to be 192.168.0.1 and the next one as 192.168.0.2 or you could set one to be 192.168.1.100 and the other to be 192.168.1.101. Make sure you use the subnet mask 255.255.255.0. By using this subnet mask, we can use any address between 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.254. You can see the example shots below for a visualization of how the TCP/IP settings should be set up.
The second computer should be set up like this:
By keeping both machines in the same subnet, they can ‘talk’ to each other. In the example above, you can use 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.254 if you keep the subnet mask the same at 255.255.255.0. Once this is set up, you can share resources on both machines and be able to access them by launching the Run window and entering the other computer’s IP address in this format \\192.168.1.1, like so:
Now if you get a window that looks like this instead of the window above, you will need to setup your folder’s security. You can do this by right-clicking on the folder you’re trying to share/access and choosing Sharing and security. From here, you can give the appropriate permissions.
If you are using default accounts like Administrator on both machines, make sure both accounts have the same password. You can set the password by hitting Control + Alt + Delete and clicking on Change password. You can change it on that form. Then go ahead and try to connect again and this time, it should connect. If you are using different user accounts, like ‘Karl’ on one and ‘Sophia’ on the other you will need to setup a ‘Karl’ and a ‘Sophia’ account on both machines with the same passwords. This usually does the trick. Now if we want to print to a printer connected to the remote machine instead of connecting to a shared file, type in the IP address for the remote computer in the Run window and this time, choose Printers and Faxes like so:
Then by double-clicking on that folder you can double-click on any of the printers. That will open a printer window like below:
Your computer will add the printer and you will be able to use it from any application on your (local) machine. We can also set up a wireless network without a router using something called ad hoc mode. To set this up, you will need to have a wireless card or adapter on each of your machines. You can connect up to 9 machines using this method. Start by opening your Control Panel. Choose Network and internet connections. Next, click on Network connections and right-click on your wireless network adapter. It should be called Wireless network connection. Choose View available wireless networks. On this screen, hit the Advanced button as you see in the screen shot below:
Next, click on the wireless network tab at the top of the window and then on add like shown below:
After hitting Add you will see this screen:
Make sure you tick the check box at the bottom of the screen to make the connection an ad hoc network. Then click OK. You will need to set up the IP addresses to be in the same subnet. You can refer to images in the beginning of the article on how to do that. Next, just connect to the ad hoc network from a client computer and you will be on the same network. You can then perform the same actions like we did above including Printer and file sharing. I have done a MakeUseOf article in the past on how to setup a LAN with just a Windows Mobile Device here. Do you have another means of setting up a router-less network? We would love to hear about it in the comments! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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