newbie to downloading

[ethonious]

Hi
Iam running a oem of windows7 ultimate
Any tips on what programs I should be running for downloading.eg download manager,anti virus,download exelarator and what sites are best.I've heard about news sites?what is this pleeez help

 

[Keeper]

first of all instead of using internet explorer, download Firefox of Google Chrome. (I use FF)

firefox has a great built in downloader that can pause and resume/etc - but if you want you can install plug-ins into firefox that do it better.

I know nothing about newsgroups, I use Rapidshare.

 

[Ecco]

Antivirus is obvious. Quite a few free ones out there. Try Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG or Avira. Dunno which one is best, and asking on this forum will get you mixed results. I am using Microsoft security essentials. Install only one.

Maybe also install some anti spyware /anti malware software too. Ad-Aware, Spybot search and destroy, Malware bytes etc. You can install all.

For links to the above try Garyvdh's free software page:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?109842-Sites-for-Completely-Free-and-Legal-Software!

For downloading from newsgroups see this link from Garyvdh:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/entry.p...-the-Usenet-(International-Bandwidth)&bt=2229

Thanks Garyvdh

 

[SirFooK'nG]

For AV use MSE (its free, and damn good). I prefer Opera to IE or Chrome (also has its own download manager - way better than IE). If you want to use Torrents, install peerblock. But torrents are throttled to death on most ISP's. I personaly use Mipony with a Hotfile premium, account. I also use FDM (free download manager http://freedownloadmanager.org) its very good!

 

[K3NS31]

Opera for browsing and downloading via http; Microtorrent (uTorrent) for torrents, throttled on most, as has been pointed out, unless u have mweb uncapped or Cybersmart (dunno who else)
For newsgroups - there's plenty info on this forum and of course you can ask Google.
For Anti-virus - AVG is the only free one I've tried, works OK. Its more important to be careful what you open and plug in than what AV you use (for a home PC). I use Linux these days, so not so up to date on free AV anymore.

 

[Adoxographist]

Orbit downloader is quite good. Use avira antivirus - it has much smaller update file compared to MSE

 

[Madhawk]

Orbit downloader is quite good.

+1 I find it simpler to work with.

 

[peanutville]

+1 Microsoft Security Essentials works well with win7 ultimate

 

[bradlesliect]

Hi,

When it comes to browsing, you'll get different opinions from different ppl. Most feel that IE is not very good but at the end of the day it comes down to preference. There are various sites out there where you can read up on "Internet Browser Comparisons" and I think it the top 5 you'll find Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari(no specific order). Things to consider when choosing a browser are:

- Will ActiveX work?
- Will Flash work?
- How often do I need to update the security patches and/or update my browser?
- How quickly does it load a website?
- Does it support multiple tabs?

...these are just some of the really technical basics. I think you should explore different browsers and find what is comfortable and works for you?

The same as above applies to download managers except that
- How many connections does the manager make to a site to download the file?
- Where does it store the file?
- Is it secure i.e. no backdoor and/or trojan runs while running?
- Does it support resume? In cases where you need to pause the download, can you resume afterwards. There are some websites on the net that don't suppor this either.

Again, its all to do with preference and what is comfortable for you. Some of the nice managers include Download Accelerator Plus, Orbit Downloader, FlashGet, GetRight ..BUT...be careful...some download managers and browser also install Spyware, so, when installing, select the app and/or browser components ONLY as you may sit with a spyware problem afterwards. You also need to find something that is not CPU and/or memory intensive as it may s-l-o-w d-o-w-n your pc...

In terms of AV, well here they range from Kaspersky, BitDefender, McAfee,Nod32, AVG....and the list goes on.

My view of an AV has always been:

- Ease of installation
- Ease of configuration
- KISS type user interface
- Auto-update
- Removal tools( Availability and support)

Years back Norton used to one of the topdogs around and you could be guaranteed that should a new strain of virus make its appearance, they would within like 20mins have a utility, removal tool or fix on their site. Not many people I know of use Norton really any more cos its too complicated to use and runs your CPU and memory through the roof. Again, its about preference.

In closing, I say use google and do a search for "Top 10 Internet Browsers" and "Top 10 Antivirus"

Good luck