computers suggestions: HELP REQUESTED

[Donovan]

Okay, I'm calling out to all tk computer wizards for a little assistance. As some of you have read, my computer recently did its best impression of a bulky useless paperweight, and I thought it was gone forever. Turned out it was a fixable problem, but we only discovered so AFTER we wiped the entire hard drive and reformatted. So my computer works again, but it is currently clean as a baby's ass and free from any additional programming.

So here is what I need: over the years I have tried various types of programs for various jobs, with varying success. My money is limited (read, none) and I need to rebuild my software library.

I need suggestions! I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I'm too leery of virus crap to go hunting on my own. So if you have a suggestion for free software, FOR ANY purpose, please detail it here. I specifically need ideas for word processing, picture hosting, readers, antiviral and firewall, you know, all the good stuff.

But I will take suggestions of any kind. If you use it and it works wonders, I want to hear about it. If it sucks, I want to hear that too. Thanks in advance!

 

[jack]

You don't have a backup of your hard drive?

 

[Donovan]

Not any more. During the course of trying to fix things we ran into a number of roadblocks and ultimately lost all of it. Had to reformat the whole thing and even that wasn't working. Long story, but short version is...empty slate.

 

[missmanners]

http://www.majorgeeks.com/


I got all kinds of goodies from there, the search feature is pretty good,, everything is tested before they recomend it. I used the mirrors there to get ccleaner, threatfire, AVG (had Avast but then they upgraded none of my stuff would work) and malwarebyte

http://www.openoffice.org/

^ some people say it's not compatible with MS Office, but I havent had a problem yet.

http://kmplayer.kde.org/

I use that media player and havent had a problem with it yet.

I probably have more stuff, but I dont use it often.


mm

 

[Ishcabittle]

antivirus:

- if your XP is genuine, microsoft security essentials http://microsoft.com/security_essentials

- if not: avira antivirus free edition http://www.free-av.com/

malware:

malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/

word processing:

open office http://www.openoffice.org

picture hosting:

http://picturehoster.info (menty's excellent site)

firewall:

you should be okay with a solid router on your network, but if you hook right up to an internet source, the built in windows firewall is adequate.

chat:

trillian multi-service chat client: http://www.trillian.im/

a good resource for more free applications (chat, irc, web browsing, music editing, picture editing) is http://opensourcewindows.org

 

[Donovan]

Thanks everybody, I'm getting the comp back tonight and I recognize a few of these sites from previous use, so I know I can trust them.

The question is, how much do I trust any of YOU?:smfevil:

 

[Ishcabittle]

you know the evil open source community mwuahahah