I’ve decided I’m going to try and do a weekly top five. It could be anything from top five pubs to top five cars, to top five CPU coolers (or something equally techie) This week I am starting it off with:
The top Five problem solving Applications I couldn’t live without.
1) Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Free Edition
I’ve not found many bits of malware that this software doesn’t get rid of on a full scan. Sometimes it can be made difficult to get it to run if the malware is that good at its job (or bad depending how you look at it) However if you do have difficulty getting it to run number four on this list may well help you out!
This needs to be installed on the machine with the problem, but takes twenty seconds to install, and then another twenty to download the latest updates
2) Firefox + AdBlockPlus + xMarks
Not a problem solving tool as such, but I’ve listed this app plus two extensions as one app, as for me I don’t have FireFox without the other two. It makes life so much easier to have all your bookmarks and passwords synced from all my other machines. It means I have the guides for those not so familiar problems that I have seen and forgotten about in the past in the “how to” bookmark folder. It also means you can Google anything wherever you have an Internet connection!
I have it installed on my laptop, as I’m not sure how stable the extensions are in portable FireFox.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/
http://adblockplus.org/en/
http://www.xmarks.com/
3) AngryIp Scanner
This IP scanner helps you scan a range of IP addresses that you define, Its amazingly helpful at tracking down routers, printers and other network kit that comes with DHCP setup by default. It lists the IP with the hostname next to it.
Can be run off a USB stick or installed. I generally have it on a USB stick. However keep in mind that overzealous Antivirus software may flag this up as a problem due to its nature.
4) HijackThis
HijackThis alongside http://www.hijackthis.de/ The website is a log file analyser, this will tell you from the log file that HJT creates what is good, bad and unknown files, registry keys and startup items. The app scans your hard disk and the website compares the log against the default options as well as what has been rated by users.
HijackThis can also be installed or run off of a usb stick. Which makes it very handy if the spyware stops you running from certain programs, you can just re-name the exe file and away you go!
http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/
5) NetStumbler
Is a wireless network sniffer, It helps establish the things that are causing your wireless problems. It tells you how many other networks in range are on the same channel, its signal strength, its encryption type as well as the signal degradation. Awesome bit of software, Never leave home without it when you don’t know where or what the problems you are going to be facing are!
There is a NetStumbler portable, however I do not think it is as up to date as the installable and I have never had much luck with the portable version.
So that brings an end to the first top five, if you think there are other apps that should be on here or that I have missed let me know your thoughts!
