Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Three Ways To Make Using Your Computer Easier

By Cate Eales
Appeared August 14, 2008 on castanet.net

This week I found three things that could make your digital life a little easier. First, an easy way to open your programs. Next, a new kind of protection that won't slow your computer down. Finally, how to keep track of what time it is in Beijing.

Launchy makes getting started easier
Launchy will start your programs for you in just a few keystrokes. Instead of hunting through your Start menu for a program, or having dozens of shortcuts cluttering up your desktop, you type a few letters, hit the Enter key, and your program opens.

Launchy is capable of much more.. People use it to open websites without having to poke through a long list of Favorites. And, Launchy can be configured to open specific files in specific folders. But it really shines as a Start Menu alternative.

I have to admit that when I heard about Launchy, I wasn't excited about it. But I tried it anyway, and after only about five minutes I was hooked. You just press the Alt key and the space bar to pop open the Launchy window. Then, you type a few letters of the program you want to open. Launchy finds one or more matches. Just pick the one you want and press Enter. It takes less time to to that than to tell you how!

Launchy is free. You can download it here. Launchy is easy to configure and run, especially if you have a look at the documentation on that page first.


VIPRE outshines AVG Free 8.0
VIPRE is a new anti-virus and anti-spyware program from Sunbelt Software, makers of Counterspy. I tried it, and I really like it.

I loved AVG Free. I used and recommended it for years, and when AVG introduced version 8.0, I had high hopes. They combined their anti-virus and anti-spyware products, and that should have meant one less thing to worry about. But, like many others, I found that my older computer with only 1GB of RAM really slowed down after I installed AVG Free 8.0.

Along came VIPRE. I installed the trial version, and my computer is much, much peppier. VIPRE was very straightforward to install and configure. I ran it for a few days and then paid for it. I have had only one issue in the three weeks I've been running it, and although it was almost midnight when I emailed tech support, I had a solution waiting in my in box when I turned on the computer next morning. I am impressed.

VIPRE is not free; it costs USD 29.95 per year. To learn more or to get a fully enabled free trial, head over here. Do look over the installation instructions before you install it. You can't run two anti-virus programs at the same time.

If you have a relatively new and/or fast computer, AVG Free 8.0 is a good choice, and you can't beat the price. If you are dissatisfied with AVG Free and you want to stay with a free product, try Avast! or AVIRA Personal Free or ClamWin.


FoxClocks tells you what time it is in Beijing
Have you looked at the CBC Olympics website? It's an excellent resource for all things Beijing 2008. Point your browser to http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/ to find schedules, stories, explanations of all the events, and just about anything you want to know, including the weather in Beijing. What isn't on the website, though, is the time in Beijing.

It's easy to fix that if you're a Firefox user. I use the FoxClocks add-on when I need to know what time it is somewhere else. FoxClocks puts the time in your browser status bar or tool bar. You can configure it for many places, display it all the time or hide it when you don't care what time it is. Check it out here.


Thank you to everyone who emailed with questions, comments, and suggestions. Do you want me to fix your computer at your home or office? I can help you and your computer to get along. To set up a visit, or make a comment or suggestion email cate@rlis.com. You can read previous columns here.  If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link.  It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here.


Links
Launchy http://www.launchy.net/
VIPRE http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Home-Home-Office/VIPRE/
AVG Free http://free.avg.com/
Avast! http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
AVIRA Personal Free http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html
ClamWin http://www.clamwin.com/
CBC Beijing Olympics site http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/
FoxClocks http://www.stemhaus.com/firefox/foxclocks
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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.

© Cate Eales 2008 – All Rights Reserved
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