memory – TheTimeDok

Windows 8

Even as management, I still enjoy messing with new technology. If there is a new gadget I must at least see it, but most probably have it.

Having said that I have a lab at the house with different Pc’s Routers and such that I mess with as time permits. As time was running out to get a “cheap” copy of Windows 8 pro to evaluate, I bought one to put on a PC that was sporting “Vista.”

While I would compare Vista to ME as in the “not very well thought out” category, I have been happy with Windows 7 and 8 seems to be on equal footing. I have installed 7 on several PC’s which were at their end of life cycle as they were dog slow with XP. Windows 7 makes them viable once again.

Pro’s: runs well on 2 gig or ram with a 2.8ghz processor. Machine indexed at 5.4 because the video card rates a 3.5. All in all, the machine is responsive. Windows defender is included but I am not sure how that compares to Eset Node 32. My hunch is not to well.

Cons: One of the secrets of Microsoft’s success is its GUI. Once you get the basics of “start and find the program” even the slowest grandmother can be sending e-mails in no time. 8 has the e-mail icon on the start page so that might even be better. Intuitive software is key to their success story.

After a few moments of playing with it, I had no issue doing what ever I wanted to do. That is me; someone who can install UNIX and mess with it. Since I have been doing this since DOS was 1.0 and before Good old Al invented the Internet (cough), I cannot judge adequately how others will perceive it. It looks as though it would do well with a touch screen device.

Huge Con: I added some memory to the machine and 8 promptly crashed. It went into a loop of trying to repair itself and crashed again and again. It would not even boot in safe mode. With all of the normal tricks tried, I re-loaded 8 from scratch as it would not even let me repair it.

I am not sure if the additional memory which came from Crucial http://www.crucial.com/ has issues but, I had to remove it before I could even get the PC to go into the defective loop. The Bios recognized the extra memory but, the machine did not like something about it.

I have used Crucial for years and have promoted them as their hardware scanner works well for the non-techie person and even for someone like me. Anything to make life a little easier deserves to be supported.

As your mileage may vary, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts and experience with 8.

-Best to you and those that you care about.

Selecting an anti virus software today is like trying to look at a watermelon in the store and telling how it is going to taste without opening it up. This is also the question that I get asked most frequently.

Not all software is the same and that holds true with the virus itself.

When I evaluate anti virus software I look for several things. Firstly what can I find in the way of reviews on the internet? Try to find independent reviews vs. going to their website.

Amazon frequently has reviews of products.

From a technical stand point I want to know what size footprint it has. When I say footprint I want to know how much of my available memory is it going to chew up and I want to know how much CPU is it going to use. There are several anti virus software’s out there that literally will stop you from using your machine while they scan, update etc. Ideally this type of software should run at a lower priority when you need the resources of your machine. To me there is nothing more frustrating than needing to check your e-mail and the anti virus software among other software takes over your machine for the first 30 minutes doing updates, scans and what have you.

Here is the biggie, will it catch everything?

Sadly there is no silver bullet. Some software makers have a lot of resources to pour into updates and research as well as the ability to quickly push out updates to their customers on an as needed basis. Software like Trend Micro has an easy way to upload suspicious files for them to analyze.

Another thing to look at with software is technical support. How much will you need, what do people say about their support and how much will it cost?

I have been in IT since before there were viruses. I fought the first virus which got out onto our network of several hundred employees through a shared file brought in by an employee on a floppy disk. I say that to set the stage for the different iterations of anti virus software out there. The first company on the scene was McAfee. PcTools was picked up by Symantic and over the last few years there have been many players enter into the game.

My personal favorite as of this moment is EsetNode32. That could change tomorrow as they may rest on their laurels or have a policy change of some sort which would affect the quality of their product. That is the same for all companies.

I see a lot of computers that have been infiltrated. While they all have some sort of protection, free software seems the most susceptible to attacks, MailWare and other forms of infections.

While free is better than none, I would certainly budget anti virus software into my computer needs.

TIP: Go to the store and purchase it in the box vs. getting it online. Do this even for the renewal. One can almost always find it on sale going to the office supply store or even Wal-Mart. Purchasing it online usually involves a third party which makes money off of the sale as well. You pay a price for convenience and it could be as much as 100% more than you would pay in the store. In the below URL’s you can gain quick access to the different brands that I am personally familiar with. Several ranking sites will rank these differently so do your research and roll the dice.

This blog in no way constitutes any type or warrantee or guarantee of usability or protection against the hackers either expressed or implied. While I have had good fortune with Eset, your mileage may vary and I will be held harmless, in the event that your results are not what mine have been.

What you do on the internet and who sends you e-mail may put your computer in less risk or more risk than me. There are independent labs out there that evaluate different software so you might search them out as well. The trick is make sure that they are independent and do not have any dog in the fight. The problem there however is obvious; if they don’t have a dog in the fight, why do the work and give it away? Do your own research. Consumer reports frequently look at this topic as well.

http://www.eset.com/us/

http://shop.trendmicro.com/brand/SB/?cm_mmc=Paid+Search:US-_-Consumer:Brand-_-Google:TrendMicroExact-_-KW=trend+micro&SQ=trend+micro

http://www.bitdefender.com

http://norton.symantec.com/norton/ps/3up_us_en_navnis360_sym_ent.html?om_sem_cid=hho_sem_sy:us:ggs:sy:e|kw0000006084|10257754940&country=US

http://promos.mcafee.com/offer.aspx?id=469920&affid=792&eid=covmcaggl89400000194617s&adid=17846076983&s_kwcid=TC|16933|mcafee||S|e|17846076983

http://usa.kaspersky.com/?domain=kaspersky.com

http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

http://www.avast.com/en-us/index

-Best and Happy Computing