Difference between revisions of "Windows help"

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m (Created page with 'Category:Engineering Category:Windows Sometimes I am asked to help friends who run MS Windows with their computers. These are some tools and utilities that I install on…')
 
 
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== The two most horrible aspects of running MS Windows ==
 
== The two most horrible aspects of running MS Windows ==
  
#1. The worst apps are Virus scanners. It's hard to keep on top of which free ones are good. I have not found a single paid antivirus app that is worth the trouble or money. Many antivirus companies offer free versions of their "pro" antivirus "solutions". In almost all instances the solutions is worse than the problem -- seriously. They really slow down a machine and have so many false positives that users often get annoyed and eventually manually disable them.
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Aspect #1. The worst apps are Virus scanners. It's hard to keep on top of which free ones are good. I have not found a single paid antivirus app that is worth the trouble or money. Many antivirus companies offer free versions of their "pro" antivirus "solutions". In almost all instances the solutions is worse than the problem -- seriously. They really slow down a machine and have so many false positives that users often get annoyed and eventually manually disable them.
  
#2. Manufacturer OEM installed '''craplications''' are the second most annoying aspect of running Windows. '''HP''' is the worst offender, although I can't say I have done a full survey of the industry. First, HP seems to have perfected the art of building PC's where you can't run Windows without installing a million different hardware drivers. They try to force you to use their OEM Windows setup discs that include all the drivers you need. Of course their recovery discs include a huge pile of crappy applications; wizards; network helpers; and trial application advertisements. That's assuming the user still has the OEM recovery discs, which they never do... Oh! Oh! I can feel a rant building up!
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Aspect #2. Manufacturer OEM installed '''craplications''' are the second most annoying aspect of running Windows. '''HP''' is the worst offender, although I can't say I have done a full survey of the industry. First, HP seems to have perfected the art of building PC's where you can't run Windows without installing a million different hardware drivers. They try to force you to use their OEM Windows setup discs that include all the drivers you need. Of course their recovery discs include a huge pile of crappy applications; wizards; network helpers; and trial application advertisements. That's assuming the user still has the OEM recovery discs, which they never do... Oh! Oh! I can feel a rant building up!

Latest revision as of 12:55, 1 March 2010


Sometimes I am asked to help friends who run MS Windows with their computers.

These are some tools and utilities that I install once things get cleaned up. I can't 100% recommend any of these because some apps fall out of favor between the times I review the state of the Windows world.

  • Revo Uninstaller
  • Spybot Search and Destroy
  • PC Decrapifier
  • CCleaner
  • TextPad
  • Cygwin
  • VIM

The two most horrible aspects of running MS Windows

Aspect #1. The worst apps are Virus scanners. It's hard to keep on top of which free ones are good. I have not found a single paid antivirus app that is worth the trouble or money. Many antivirus companies offer free versions of their "pro" antivirus "solutions". In almost all instances the solutions is worse than the problem -- seriously. They really slow down a machine and have so many false positives that users often get annoyed and eventually manually disable them.

Aspect #2. Manufacturer OEM installed craplications are the second most annoying aspect of running Windows. HP is the worst offender, although I can't say I have done a full survey of the industry. First, HP seems to have perfected the art of building PC's where you can't run Windows without installing a million different hardware drivers. They try to force you to use their OEM Windows setup discs that include all the drivers you need. Of course their recovery discs include a huge pile of crappy applications; wizards; network helpers; and trial application advertisements. That's assuming the user still has the OEM recovery discs, which they never do... Oh! Oh! I can feel a rant building up!