46 Freeware Utilities

It's rare to find a "best" list that includes hands-on appraisals of the winning programs, but that's exactly what you'll find at The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities--as comprehensive a list as I've seen on the subject. The author, Gizmo Richard, includes several of my favorites, such as Picasa (pictured), Windows AntiSpyware and Yahoo Desktop Search. Favorites not included: image editor IrfanView; remote-access utility MyWebEx PC, and audio dynamo Audacity.

Inside Dell's $379 Desktop

Although I'm a power user who requires a relatively high-end PC, I find it hard to ignore those Dell ads for ultra-cheap systems--like the latest one, which touts a Dimension 3000 desktop with a 15-inch LCD monitor and free shipping for $379.



Sounds like a pretty sweet deal...but obviously Dell is cutting a few corners, right? When you buy a $379 PC, what exactly are you getting--and what are you giving up? Let's take a look at the key components and see if this system is really all it's cracked up to be.

• Processor I'm surprised to find a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 in this system--I expected a Celeron. But it's a happy surprise, as that's a pretty robust processor, and more than adequate for mainstream computing tasks.

• RAM With just 256MB of "shared" RAM (meaning some of it gets used by the graphics processor), the Dimension will feel pretty sluggish. If you upgrade nothing else, make it the RAM. You can bump up to 512MB for $50.

• Graphics The integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 chip is fine for word processing, Web browsing, and the like, but don't try to play high-end games like Half-Life 2. Older games should run okay. What we don't know is whether the system has an AGP slot for installing a faster graphics card down the road. I'd check with Dell before ordering--unless games absolutely aren't part of the picture for you, in which case the integrated hardware is fine.

• Hard Drive A 40GB hard drive is pretty small, especially if you plan to use the system for games, music, and other multimedia. You can pay $30 up front to get an 80GB hard drive, or just wait and see if you outgrow the 40GB drive, at which time it's fairly easy and inexpensive to add a second drive.

• CD-ROM Drive Personally, I wouldn't touch a PC that didn't have a CD burner. That's because I like to make my own audio CDs and back up my data files. The Dimension's 48X drive will read CDs, but it won't write to them. The logical upgrade is a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, which will let you burn CDs and watch movies--but it adds another $60 to the price.

• The Rest Dell's E153FP 15-inch LCD is an analog monitor, meaning it won't produce ultra-sharp images, but you should find it acceptable for basic work. And I'll take a low-end LCD over a tube any day. As for software, Dell supplies WordPerfect; I recommend downloading the excellent OpenOffice.org suite instead, which is free and offers total compatibility with Microsoft Office. The Dimension's 90-day warranty gives me pause, but I guess that's to be expected from a $379 PC.

So, what's the lesson here? As you've probably guessed, the Dimension 3000 is a helluva deal--provided you can live with low-end performance and the most basic of features. By spending about $140 extra, you can add some much-needed upgrades--at which point you should probably start looking at $600 systems instead. At that price point, you're likely to get a few more bells and whistles.

What's your take on Dell's bargain-basement PCs? Let's hear from you!

Secrets of Spyware Removal

Last night at around 9, my neighbor called to ask if I knew anything about viruses. Seems his Web browser was all messed up. I immediately suspected spyware, and after a quick house-call (that's just the kind of good neighbor I am), I was proved correct. His system had spyware by the truckload: GAIN, CoolWebSearch, Claria, and lots more. His browser was so hijacked, we couldn't use it download any spyware removal tools (big surprise).

So I dashed home and burned a couple utilities to a CD: Ad-Aware SE Personal and Microsoft's Windows Antispyware beta. We installed the latter first--it's a polished and robust tool, especially for a beta--and let it loose.



After about 10 minutes, the software revealed over 5,000 bits of spyware code. Wow. We put it to work removing and/or quarantining all this gunk--only to find that the browser was still hijacked. At this point I needed to head home for the night, so we resolved to pick up again in the morning.

Today my neighbor told me that he'd run Windows Antispyware several more times. Each time it found fewer and fewer spyware strains. Eventually, the system was purged (and protected, thanks to the software's real-time monitoring). His browser is now fully functional (though I urged him to download and use Firefox, which is much more spyware-resistant).

The moral of the story? Well, there are several, but the key one for today is that you may have to run your spyware-removal utility more than once to fully eradicate the bad code. It may not catch everything on its first, second, or even third pass.

My Favorite Media Center

I've tested more than a few media-center PCs in recent months, including my beloved Gateway 610 (I even bought one), and my new favorite by a longshot is the WinBook PowerSpec MCE 410.



As you can see, it looks like a sexy stereo component, which automatically gives it an advantage over media-center PCs that look like, well, PCs. Even better, it's priced at just $999 (after a $200 mail-in rebate). Admittedly, it's not the most powerful system of its kind--it has only one TV tuner and it doesn't support HD--but it's still up to the task of replacing your VCR, DVD player, stereo components, and so on.

Better yet, pair it with WinBook's 30-inch LCD, which does support HDTV and also sells for $999 after rebate. It's a fairly entry-level LCD, but fine for most users and definitely a bargain. I am seriously tempted to put these two components in my family room, as they'd eliminate a ton of cable clutter and take a lot less space than my current hodge-podge of home-theater hardware.

Plus, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I really like Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Add Autofill to Firefox

Like a few gazillion other users, I made the switch to the Mozilla Firefox Web browser a few months ago and haven't looked back. One of the first extras I installed was the Googlebar, which added the Google toolbar I had so grown to love in Internet Explorer. But one feature it lacked was autofill, a must-have for filling out those endless online forms.

Thankfully, there's now a similar plug-in for Firefox called, simply enough, Autofill. Just remember that after you download and install it, you have to add it to one of your toolbars--accomplished by clicking View | Toolbars | Customize. When that's done, you'll see the little yellow Autofill pencil:



Let's hear it for this open-source (read: free) Firefox add-on! Woo!

Indulge Your Inner Gunslinger

Calling all Pocket PC owners! ClickGamer just introduced a free game, High Noon Drifter: Dead Man's Gulch. I haven't tried it yet (still clinging to Palm OS PDAs for the moment), but it looks pretty cool. And you can't beat the price!

World's Best (and Cheapest) Upgrade

What's the single best way to upgrade your computer? If you said add more RAM or a bigger hard drive--BUZZZZZ! The best upgrade isn't really an upgrade at all, though it'll feel like one when you're done. I'm talking about reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows.



This is not for the faint of heart. You need to make a list of all your installed applications; offload all your vital data to, say, CDs or an external hard drive; make sure you have access to all necessary drivers (for your video card, printer, etc.); and then do the actual drive wipe/Windows reinstall. When you're done, you'll have to reinstall your programs, restore your data, etc. Plan on devoting at least a full afternoon to the project--perhaps even the better part of a weekend.

Trust me, it's well worth the effort. A fresh install of Windows returns your computer to factory-new condition, meaning it'll run as fast as the day you unpacked it (and trust me, you've forgotten how fast that is). Your hard drive will be devoid of file clutter, spyware, viruses, and other performance-choking detritus.

Best of all, this won't cost you anything but time. Step 1 is to sift through some online guides detailing the process; before you do anything to your computer, read as much as you can; knowledge is power. PC World has a helpful step-by-step guide that's a great place to start.

CDs or Downloads?

Over the past couple years I have become an online-music convert, meaning I've stopped buying CDs in favor of music downloads (no, not the illegal kind). I love being able to buy individual tracks for 99 cents apiece, or an entire album for $9.99. Those numbers satisfy my inner cheapskate (though I'm happier still when I'm able to score 79-cent tracks from BuyMusic.com).



The thing is, I'd rather have CDs. For starters, I can rip the songs in whatever format I want at whatever bit rate I want. Plus I have a backup in case of hard-drive failure. And sometimes it's kinda nice to have song lyrics, liner notes, and all that--stuff you don't get from digital downloads.

But inexplicably, CDs still sell for $12-14 on average. Add a couple bucks for shipping (Amazon, for example, charges $2.98 for one CD) and you're looking at upwards of $17. What's that, you say? I could go to a store and save on shipping? Sure, but then I gotta spend money on gas (chuh-ching!), time in the car and at the mall, and more money on sales tax. I'd be willing to do that if CDs sold for five, six bucks--heck, I'd buy 'em by the crate--but for now CDs are still a rip-off.

So, what is to be learned from this little diatribe? Basically, this: music downloads are still the cheapest way to go, even if you end up burning your own CDs (because blanks cost mere pennies). It also saves you travel time, sales tax, and gas money. Oh, you knew that already? Well, chalk it up to Diatribe Wednesday--basically I just wanted to gripe about CDs and why they still haven't come down in price.

Bagels, Coffee, and Wi-Fi

Still paying 10 bucks per session (or $30 monthly) to use Wi-Fi at Starbucks? Why not walk up the street to Panera Bread instead? In addition to some of the best bagels on the planet (my favorites are Dutch Apple & Raisin and Cinnamon Crunch), Panera offers free Wi-Fi at all stores. Plus, there are a lot more tables than at the typical Starbucks, which makes working a lot easier. I've turned my local Panera into my "office away from office"--a place to get a change of scenery and still get some work done.