Protect Your PC with these Top Free Software Programs

by: Bill Adler

This is a dangerous world for a computer user- threats multiply by the hour designed to swipe your data, cripple your network, steal your identity and in general- wreck havoc. Fortunately you can arm yourself to battle these menaces with several top software programs. And the best part is that these applications are free. So strap on your seatbelt and let’s get started!

The first weapon in your arsenal should be anti-virus protection. Many of the popular and expensive programs tend to slow down PC performance and require an annual paid subscription. My impression is that they work no better than their “freeware” cousins. A good recommendation/alternative is AVG Free Edition from Grisoft. This program may not feature every single bell and whistle offered by some of the more commercially available apps, but it does provide rock-solid protection with all the tools needed to keep your system free of viruses, worms and Trojans.

Next in line: the firewall. A firewall is essential in preventing others from breaking into your machine. These hackers will steal your data, destroy your system or attempt to convert your computer into a “spam zombie” (remotely using your computer to send spam email) so using an effective firewall is a must. Owners of Windows XP (Home or Professional Edition) may be familiar with its built in firewall, however many options abound. While there are numerous offerings in this category, the Zone Alarm Free Firewall is a sure bet.

Now that we have anti-virus and firewall protection, let’s address a topic I hear more and more frequently: what to do with all of those pesky passwords? Luckily there is a stellar new program, CyberScrub KeyChain designed specifically to address this perplexing problem. Distributed free, KeyChain stores not only your user names and passwords, but all of your addresses and credit card details. All passwords and sensitive data are stored under a single master pass phrase, eliminating the need to recall scores of unique access combinations. You simply highlight and click a password protected website from a small browser toolbar and KeyChain fills in and submits your log in details. As powerful web-based form filler, the long and tedious process of typing in your credit card and address info is a click away, making shopping a snap. All data is protected with strong encryption for your safety.

Of course no discussion of computer protection would be complete without discussing the scrounge of spyware. Every bit as insidious as a computer virus, spyware seems to multiply exponentially with new forms of malware limited only by the creative schemes of the evil geniuses that produce them. Spyware can easily take control of your machine, opening and closing your CD bay, serving objectionable browser ads, hijacking your homepage, logging your keystrokes to steal your passwords and more. So if you don’t have protection against this menace, take action now. Lavasoft offers a very good program, Ad-Aware SE Personal.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it will provide the essentials to protect your PC and data. So don’t delay- your computer needs you!

Freeware Games: Get Your Games For Free!

If you wanted to play games now (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/play-games-now), you'd need to lay out a great deal of money to bring your computer up to speed, and you'd have to spend a great deal more to purchase the games of your choice. However, if you're really not such an intense game player, and your budget isn't that big, you can simply look to freeware games (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/freeware-games).

As the name states, freeware games are free and available for anyone to download onto his or her computer and play. Whenever you see freeware listed you can be assured that it is fine to download. These games are not bad for your computer and a lot of people use them with no trouble at all.

A portion of the freeware games is made up of the kind of old arcade games you enjoyed during your youth. Programmers can now copy those games because they have been around so long. They have improved some of the new games by adding modern graphics or special features so they are sometimes even more enjoyable than the old ones.

In addition to old arcade games (http://www.letsplaygamesnow.com/tag/old-arcade-games), many software companies develop newer modern games that they could most likely sell on the market for at least twenty dollars or more if they truly wanted, but they tend to give them away for free as freeware. The graphics of these games are superb and can compete with the best selling retail games on the open market. Why pay over fifty dollars for a video game when you can get some similar or better for free?

You might be asking why companies produce freeware games. There are many reasons for this. Most times, they are the beta versions of games that a company will wish to sell at a later date. By doing this, they can receive input about the game and fix any bugs or make improvements on it before officially releasing it; which they hope will develop more sales for the game when released. Companies can also ask players to pay if they want a special item or gift, as well as sell ad space within the game so that the game remains free.

To conclude, you can download basically any type of game as freeware. There are thousands of enjoyable free games out there, so there has to be something for anybody. This trend probably will not end anytime soon, as freeware games are still being pumped out at a very quick rate.

by: Aiden Zapora

Kemajuan teknologi sangat pesat dari tahun ke tahun.
Banyak bermunculan produk-produk sarat teknologi seperti komputer,
hp, kamera digital, dan lain-lain.
Pilihannya pun sudah semakin banyak. Tak heran jika para produsen saling berlomba meraih pangsa pasar dengan managemen bisnisnya masing-masing.
Harga komputer, hp, dan perangkat digital lainnya semakin terjangkau oleh pasar.
Sehingga kita sebagai konsumen lebih diuntungkan.
Banyak kemudahan-kemudahan pula yang bisa diperoleh dari teknologi.
Jika kita melihat ke belakang 10-15 tahun yang lalu, untuk bisa membeli produk berteknologi tinggi seperti handphone,
kita harus mengeluarkan uang berjuta-juta, belum lagi kartu perdana dan tarif percakapan
yang masih selangit.
Pada waktu itu orang yang mempunyai komputer sudah bisa dibilang orang yang mampu
dan wah banget.
Tapi jika dibandingkan dengan sekarang, akan sangat kontras keadaannya.
Jika sekarang kita lihat di pertokoan, di perkantoran, di kampus-kampus, bahkan di desa-desa, dengan mudah kita menemukan
orang yang membawa hp.
Bahkan orang yang menenteng laptop pun banyak kita jumpai.

Dalam krisis keuangan global sekarang ini, segala segi perekonomian terkena imbasnya.
Banyak orang sedang berhemat.
Darisegi teknologi, banyak juga yang bisa kita lakukan untuk berhemat.
Salah satunya adalah software gratis atau freeware.
Banyak situs internet yang menyediakan software jenis ini.
Dari pengalaman saya, software gratisan ini walaupun tidak selengkap software berbayar,
masih bisa diandalkan untuk menujang performa komputer atau ponsel.
Bagi anda yang tertarik dengan software gratis ini, yang suka mengkoleksi, atau hanya sekedar mencoba-coba silakan browsing di internet. Akan banyak anda jumpai id sana.


Oelil,