In all my time here I haven't seen or heard too many technology discussions. I'm not too tech savvy myself, but I dare say some of you are. As such, I decided to create this thread for more technology discussion. Don't just limit yourself to PC's but tablets, cellphones, etc. are welcome. I'll get started:

I'm currently using the latest version of Mozilla Firefox. I've been using this browser for a number of years now but I've read some good things about Google Chrome. Anybody ever use both or just using Chrome? Would enjoy some feedback if possible please. I gave up on Internet Explorer years ago.

Also, as my antivirus I'm using Microsoft Security Essentials. Now, I'm like you. Right, a free antivirus, how good could it be? Well, the past 2 years I was using BitDefender. The 2010 version was good but 2011's was bad and I still got a virus downloading music. However, my friend who fixed it told me he uses Microsoft Security Essentials and since then, I've used it with NO problems. What I love about it, or it at least makes me feel good, is the fact that almost everytime I hit update, it actually DOES. Towards the end of my old computer, I'd hit the update button (using BitDefender 2011) and it never updated. It would say things were up-to-date but I didn't buy it. I even tried to install AVG antivirus as a suggestion from another friend and it would never load onto the system (probably the virus forbidding it). Anybody else using Microsoft Security Essentials and can vouch for it or using another type of program?

Happy discussions!

Irish, I use IE8 (although Geoff condemns it). I use Defender. I also use Malaware Bits By IOBIT and Avast. I tried by others such as AVG and Norton, but they are either top-heavy or they are not compatible with other protection software.

By the way, do you download from CNET?

Oli's right, I detest Internet Explorer. The risks of using it out way any benefits (and, frankly, there are no benefits).

I did use Firefox for a while, but even that became a bit heavy. I still use it, though, for some more technical tasks when I have to work with source code. I LOVE Chrome, and it's my everyday browser. It's slim, sleek, and fast. It can take up a lot of hard drive space, though, as it caches -- one of the reasons why it's so fast.

However, I'm not sure if it's a Chrome problem or something else, but my Flash crashes on me too often -- it could be the Facebook game I play (that's when it happens mostly), but I'm not sure.

For years I paid for McAfee (because it was the only thing at the time that cured a serious virus I had). But it's very bloated and slows everything down. Norton is even worse. Like I12, I've been using MS Essentials and love it (go figure, a M$ program I like!). It doesn't slow anything down, and I have yet to run into a problem. I also run Spybot Search & Destroy in the background to prevent malware. It's also recommended.

I used to use Malware Bytes too and it's a pretty good program. I can vouch for it. I don't use it anymore. Like I said, I strictly just use Microsoft Security Essentials. How do you like Internet Explorer 8? I know they've fixed it up in years. It used to be bad which is why people changed browsers to Firefox and such. I still don't use it a lot unless I'm at work because that's all we have.

And yes, sometimes I download from CNET. If not from there, I use File Hippo.

Would you recommend a program like Spybot or Malware Bytes in addition to Microsoft Security Essentials or MS Essentials is enough on it's own?

Recently I dumped Verizon DSL for Comcast Internet. Its much faster, but I need a wireless router because of the way my house is wired and where my computer is. So, I bought a Cisco-Linksys wireless router - nothing fancy, E1200. What a piece of shit. After two weeks it lost power. It came with no SSID or password and their tech support could get me hooked up. The unit worked, but unsecured. When the power died I sent it back - cost me $10 to mail. The second unit - same thing - no SSID, no password, no security - after 10 days I lost connection. SOOOO, I went to Staples and bought a Netgear router. 10 minutes, up and working, secure, no problem. I wrote to Cisco, one week, no response. DON'T buy Cisco, Linksys.

I got introduced to computers at work in 1979, well before personal computers. The company techies hooked me up to their UNIX hosts (DEC PDP-11's), which I accessed via a 1200 baud modem on my desktop. I also wanted computing at home, so I got a Texas Instruments Silent 700 portable data terminal, which looked like a portable typewriter with "earmuffs" into which you inserted the handset from a phone. After that, I got the company to hook my home to a private local area network that improved my access speed--but all the terminals I used were dumb ones.

I worked as an executive speechwriter and I was wild for high availability computing because my clients didn't want to hear that the computer was down. I had logins on four physically separate mainframes, and when I finished a draft, I'd move it to each of the computers, character by character, as backups. I also had an incredible array of spare modems, terminals, printers and other equipment to cover me. Once, when I was writing a Congressional testimony for our CEO, I had DEC put a technician on 24-hour standby to bring up my mainframe in case of trouble. I had him come in at 3 a.m. twice to bring the mainframe up.

We got our first PCs in '87, and that's when I gave up all the mainframes. I could copy all of my work to floppy discs and bring them with me. If my PC failed, there were hundreds of others at work that I could use.

Today a cell phone has more computer power than all of NASA did in 1969 when it sent astronauts to the moon.

The Sony Playstation of today, which costs $300, has the power of a military supercomputer of 1997, which cost millions of dollars.

I love technology.

As I said, I run both... don't know for sure if it's overkill or not, but, I've never had any problems or slowdowns from those 2 I mentioned...

Didn't you work for FiOS?? I guess they don't have it down there in the sea grass yet

And next week, you can get an iPad 3 with more power than an XBOX 360... gotta love it!

FWIW, Norton has undergone a complete transformations the last 2 versions or so. Not only is not bloated anymore, it installs in literally under 30 seconds, and doesn't use any noticeable system resources. It is the complete opposite of McAfee and the Norton products of a few years ago.

I run Norton on my main desktop, Free Avast on my 2 notebooks, and MS Security Essentials on my old Windows XP desktop. I used to use Kaspersky on most of my systems, but the program has become bloated and buggy the last few years.

Good to hear (tho only like a year ago Norton was still a bloated whale)... but until I run into a problem, I'm sticking with MS Security Essentials + S&D...

I recently had to replace my Linksys router too. However, it was about 5+ years old so I'd say we got our money's worth. Never really had any problem with it too much. I've got a Belkin now and it seems to be doing the job. My problem hasn't been so much with the router but with stupid Time Warner Cables cheap equipment that breaks down every 6 months or so (sooner sometimes). I'm talking modems, DVRs, etc.

My favorite current hi-tech gadget is the Hauppauge Personal Video Recorder. It's a little box with cables that attach to your DVR, while another goes into a USB port on your computer. After you load the software, the system enables you to copy anything stored on your DVR to your computer, and to burn a DVD in either the standard 480 format or in 720 hi-definition. Really works!

I think it's always good to have a 2nd protector. Each one has its own inventory of virus definitions many of which are the same as the other. But, some are different and additional. That way your protection is likely to be more comprehensive.

By the way, I continue to use IE8. I tried IE9, but didn't like it. I've tried Chrome and Firefox too. I guess I'm not that amenable to change; I feel okay with 8.

I took your advice and downloaded MalwareBytes. However, I've never used the Pro version. Have you? If so, how much of a difference between the Pro and free versions?

Does anyone have or know much about the Boxee Box? I'm thinking about dumping cable for streaming, and they seem to claim they can deliver a lot more to your TV than other products.

I didn't recommend Malwarebytes -- I said I used Spybot - Search & Destroy which has a TSR (always running program) to help stop threats (which MWB Pro has, I believe).

I have Avast and Malaware free versions and they do just fine.

I've never used Spybot. I've used MalwareBytes and I'm comfortable with it. You ever use Malware or no?

REALLY curious about something. I cleaned my desktop computer Thursday night (virus scan and all). Downloaded MalwareBytes - free version and scanned it. Found nothing. Cleaned my laptop on Friday (which is the computer I now use strictly for downloading). Found nothing as well. Downloaded MalwareBytes Pro and scanned it. Found 2 trojan viruses. That was the only reason I was asking between the free and Pro versions.

The pro version may have an expanded inventory of virus definitions. That's why I use two or three of them. Also, periodically from CNET I download another product and run it one time then uninstall it.

I have an older laptop that I purchased maybe 4 years ago or so. I got frustrated with it because it was exceptionally slow loading anything. Before I dispose of it, I thought I'd play around with it and see if I could make it faster. It's an IBM Thinkpad and it's a Windows Vista. When I bought it they said that everything was gonna be Vista in the near future. LOL Do they even make Vista anymore?

I did computer scans, disk fragmented scans, got rid of unnecessary programs and eliminated many (all) start-up menu items. I too have Microsoft Security essentials, and I ran that a couple times. The start-ups, shut downs though are still sooooo slow. Thus far, it seems much better once it's up and running. I'm wondering if the slow start-up/shut-downs are a trait of Windows Vista. Anyone know?


TIS

TIS, the same thing happened to me. I bought a friend of mine's defective laptop cheap. A buddy fixed it up and upgraded it to Windows 7 however it ran COMPLETELY too slow for me. I was just gonna buy some more memory for the computer to speed it up. However, from another friend of mine, he said it would almost be better to buy a brand new computer because for the all money I'd have to spend buying memory to make the laptop faster, it'd almost be the same amount of money. When my tax return came in, my friend who fixed my laptop shopped for the parts I would need for a brand new desktop computer. I purchased the parts myself, he assembled it and I couldn't be HAPPIER!

I'm still doing FiOS, but they aren't going to do Fiber to the Pine Tree where I am. In fact they recently announced that they (Verizon) are not going into any new market areas (what ever that means). Verizon is partnering with their rivals - the cable companies - to provide internet/TV. Technology and business seem to clash, become friends then morph into something new. I just want to sell snow cones on the boardwalk.

Quick question. I lost the little Internet icon on the bottom right of my screen where, when I click on, I can see how good a connection I have and available connections, etc. How do I get it back to to stay at the bottom of the screen?

Thanks


TIS

Does your START button show up on the bottom? If you lost your taskbar you might try pressing the CTRL key and the ESC key at the same time.

Well, I got it back. I had all these useless windows opening at startup (a welcome from Lenovo, a fingerprint option on system and other stuff), so I went to taskbar startup and chose to not have any of these windows open. Then I lost that icon. I went back and checked more boxes and got some crap still opening, but also got my Internet icon back. Hard to tell what is unnecessary.


TIS

Yeah TIS, you just told the computer to basically run nothing when the computer boots up it sounds like. You can adjust what does and doesn't start when Windows boots up. However, some programs can be a pain the butt because when you use them once, they'll open EVERY time Windows starts even though you didn't ask them to and have to uncheck them again. It can be frustrating. What I do is basically if I know the program (like Zune, iTunes, etc) and I don't need it, I tell it not to open.

There are any number of startup managers that you can download from CNET. Try one of them.