33 replies to this topic

[mod master]

Okay well I am 100% sure I'm getting a new Gateway for Christmas (only because I was there when my parents bought it) So my question is, are there any downloads (off the internet) that I should get, or any tricks that will come in handy for me?

PS It's running the newest version of Windows Vista and it has a webcam to take pics with so any apps or tricks that can help me with that would be greatly apreciated.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

[bobafan]

Windows XP, Mozillla Firefox, Spybot Search and Destroy, AVG, Steam, Winrar. UTorrent, Applian flv player.

[boisie]

I agree with all the above, and would like to recommend you do a ubuntu install also. It should boot faster when you want to just get online for some simple web browsing.

[Foamfoot]

If we aren't just asking for utilities, get blockland, it's open source and someone made a nerf gun for it.

[boom]

If we aren't just asking for utilities, get blockland, it's open source and someone made a nerf gun for it.

I am wondering is blockland free or do I have to buy it.

[Foamfoot]

If we aren't just asking for utilities, get blockland, it's open source and someone made a nerf gun for it.

I am wondering is blockland free or do I have to buy it.

Demo is free, but if you want online play it's $19.95 USD.

[Daniel Beaver]

If you know someone who is very handy with computers, ask them to reinstall the OS. Like JSB said above, new systems are infested with crap that the manufacturer throws on there.

Bobfan has a good list of free software my only suggestion: instead of Applian flv player, I would
get VLC. It is a fantastic video/audio player, which will support every conceivable video format that you throw at it.

EDIT:
Here's what I install on every PC that I refit:
Browser: Mozillla Firefox or IE7pro. I encourage you to use firefox, but IE7 with IE7pro gives you similar functionality.
Antivirus: Avast or AVG. Both are good - I prefer Avast.
Decompression software: WinRAR or 7zip. Both are good - I prefer WinRAR
Bittorrent: uTorrent. Nothing else is nearly as good on windows.
Video: VLC. There is nothing else nearly as good on any platform.
Music: Windows Media Player works fine. If you're using an iPod, I would suggest Songbird.
Word Processing/Spreadsheets/Presentations: I use MS Office, but OpenOffice is very robust - I recommend it.
Antispyware: I don't use these nor do I recommend them. I don't think they are effective, and their function can be accomplished with antivirus software and good usage habits.
Games: Personal preference.
CD/DVD authoring: ImgBurn or DeepBurner. ImgBurn is more useful, but DeepBurner is easier to use. You may be wise to invest in a software suite such as Roxio or Nero - they tend to be much more intuitive than the above mentioned software, and offer some perks like video and image editing.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 23 December 2008 - 03:55 PM.

[analogkid]

CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/

Keeps the Microsludge from building up on your Microsoft Windows install. It won't totally keep it running like new, but it can help to delay the slowdown due to a bloated registry, temp files, and stuff like that.

EDIT: Also, Google Chrome(http://www.google.com/chrome) is worth checking out. I was a dedicated Firefox user for about two years, downloaded this just for laughs, and found it to be very much to my liking. It is pretty much my default Windows browser these days.

Edited by analogkid, 23 December 2008 - 05:43 PM.

[Just Some Bitch]

I use Google Chrome as a Web Browser and it is really cool.

[Foamfoot]

Chrome is the BEST we browser ever. The pop-up blocker works when you want it to, and doesn't do anything when you opened a pop-up.

It's better than firefox. Plus, it runs like a dream on old computers.

Don't download flock, flock is just a really slow and ugly rip-off of firefox. It has so many toolbars and buttons, it looks like the browser is getting gang-diddled.

[analogkid]

Seriously. Chrome is crazy fast even on my AMD K7 machine. Don't download Safari either.

While I'm here, I'll vouch for VLC and OpenOffice as well. Also, Amarok(http://amarok.kde.or...ownload:Windows) is nice too as a music player if you've got the know-how to install it. Of course, its still beta now, but it runs okay on my machine.

Edited by analogkid, 23 December 2008 - 06:02 PM.

[boisie]

For cd/dvd burning use InfraRecorder. It's free and simple. And more powerful than nero or roxio

[Blacksunshine]

I highly suggest you do NOT load any version of linux. At least not until you have made the decision to do so yourself and you have a spare computer to play around with it before you load it to your main computer.
Linux is not for entry level persons that are not highly familiar with their systems and what their system is made of. And by that I mean down to the details of the make and model of your motherboard, video card ram etc etc etc. On an INFANT operating system like ANY linux there is sparse to no support whatsoever that you can expect. So you don't want to bring your main system down trying to figure it out.

It really annoys me when people suggest loading linux to a stranger on a web forum that is not in any way related to computing. Unless you are going to be their personal support center let them stick to mainstream windows. The rest of the world is using it and he can get support from anywhere including the MFG of the actual computer.

[boisie]

On an INFANT operating system like ANY linux there is sparse to no support whatsoever that you can expect. So you don't want to bring your main system down trying to figure it out.

I reccomend you go and get your facts straight. Linux is a much older and in many ways more mature operating system. Why are there no viruses? Because the community is able to fix it much faster than any one company. The base of linux? More than five years, but less than one decade before Windows or Macintosh OS. You are trying to win a fight where almost anything will be turned against you. You should read this. You'll see that your argument was very close to hers, in tone. You are fighting over maturity and not "free". And the point of a liveCD is for him to try it. If he were to go with ubuntu, he would see the LiveCD touted as a main feature everywhere. The LiveCD would allow him to not go crazy.



I handed a LiveCD to my non-computer-literate friend, and came back the next day, and fouind him with the full desktop installed next to windows. He was even getting new programs installed. It was minor things he couldn't find online (The ubuntu forums are extremely helpful) that he needed me for. I got maybe one-two calls a week for the next month, and then he just stopped calling frequently. Now he is playing Warcraft on ubuntu, because he thinks it's faster than on windows.



As I said, it's for light use. I was going to suggest something a bit easier than ubuntu, but I was leaving quickly. I'll go research some little things.

[Foamfoot]

I highly suggest you do NOT load any version of linux. At least not until you have made the decision to do so yourself and you have a spare computer to play around with it before you load it to your main computer.
Linux is not for entry level persons that are not highly familiar with their systems and what their system is made of. And by that I mean down to the details of the make and model of your motherboard, video card ram etc etc etc. On an INFANT operating system like ANY linux there is sparse to no support whatsoever that you can expect. So you don't want to bring your main system down trying to figure it out.

It really annoys me when people suggest loading linux to a stranger on a web forum that is not in any way related to computing. Unless you are going to be their personal support center let them stick to mainstream windows. The rest of the world is using it and he can get support from anywhere including the MFG of the actual computer.

Maybe if we download Ubuntu Christian edition, God will help us install it.

[boisie]

I would like to suggest the dropping of the topic. I don't like hijacking threads, and this what each of us thinks help. The minimum I would say is for research to be done on all reccomendations. Also, the UCE comment is so added that hilarious quote to my signature, while playing with my butthole.

[Foamfoot]

I would like to suggest the dropping of the topic. I don't like hijacking threads, and this what each of us thinks help. The minimum I would say is for research to be done on all reccomendations. Also, the UCE comment is so added that hilarious quote to my signature, while playing with my butthole.

Dude, cmon, at least give me credit for the quote. Thanks for sigging it though.

Get a good case for it, I broke my laptop because it slipped out of my arms.

Edited by Foamfoot, 23 December 2008 - 08:58 PM.

[Rambo]

Music: Windows Media Player works fine. If you're using an iPod, I would suggest Songbird.
Word Processing/Spreadsheets/Presentations: I use MS Office, but OpenOffice is very robust - I recommend it.

If you're using an iPod, I would suggest you get a new mp3 player... but that's not a subject anyone wants to get into.

As far as a jukebox software, I find foobar2000 to be vastly superior to anything.

Not sure what else can be mentioned other than PowerMenu. It's a nifty program that allows any program to be minimized to tray, set to always be on top of other windows and be partially see-through.

[adama]

Get a book that goes into great detail on your operating system. Many of the tasks that you would download these programs for can be accomplished through the controls and options already in the OS. You just have to know where to find them amongst all the menus and icons. and know what not to touch.

Good luck

Edited by adama, 24 December 2008 - 01:51 AM.

[Blacksunshine]

I highly suggest you do NOT load any version of linux. At least not until you have made the decision to do so yourself and you have a spare computer to play around with it before you load it to your main computer.
Linux is not for entry level persons that are not highly familiar with their systems and what their system is made of. And by that I mean down to the details of the make and model of your motherboard, video card ram etc etc etc. On an INFANT operating system like ANY linux there is sparse to no support whatsoever that you can expect. So you don't want to bring your main system down trying to figure it out.

It really annoys me when people suggest loading linux to a stranger on a web forum that is not in any way related to computing. Unless you are going to be their personal support center let them stick to mainstream windows. The rest of the world is using it and he can get support from anywhere including the MFG of the actual computer.

Maybe if we download Ubuntu Christian edition, God will help us install it.

Heheh awesome.

I'm not saying linux is bad. Just not for someone just starting out. Could get them in over their heads.

[BustaNinja]

Linux is awesome. End of story.

Oh, i would suggest dual booting it with XP on one partition and Vista on the other, but reinstall vista right away. My shitty HP did not come with an OS backup CD so I was not able to do so, otherwise I would have right away. There is so much useless shit that bogs down new computers today unless you build your own.

I would also suggest getting a nice hard drive first. Something with about 7,500 RPM and put that in place of the current one, then reinstall windows. It will make boot ups amazingly faster, and it will run smoother in the long run.

What are the specs for this new computer you are getting, and I am confused. Is it a laptop or a desktop?

[analogkid]

He says it has a webcam so I assume that the webcam is built in, which probably means that its a laptop. Of course, thats a giant assumption.

Linux is amazing, but unless you know your hardware, specifically your graphics card, network card, and audio card, you could run into problems. My system is a homebuilt AMD K7 system, old enough where there are drivers for everything. For a brand new gateway though, that might not be the case.

[bogboogalars]

I know this is off the main topic, but why do you need to know your graphics card, audio card, etc?

[analogkid]

Mostly for driver reasons. I just named the three offboard components that you would most commonly find in peoples computers. Knowing your video card is important in order to install 3D accelerated graphics drivers. Ubuntu has a utility that does it for you, but it doesn't always work exactly right, at least for me anyway. Audio card/configuration is also important for setting up ALSA. If you have onboard audio in addition to an audio card you need to select one or the other. The most important though is networking, specifically Wi-Fi. Again, usually Ubuntu can pick up your card and has a driver already in the kernel for it. However, many other distros may not have this, and your chipset could very well be an odd one that doesn't have a completely functional driver out yet. For a laptop, assuming this is what OP will be purchasing, other peripherals will probably cause problems too. The webcam is probably going to need to be configured, as well as the hibernation/sleep modes when the lid is closed.

Now, back to the topic...

[BustaNinja]

Music: Windows Media Player works fine. If you're using an iPod, I would suggest Songbird.
Word Processing/Spreadsheets/Presentations: I use MS Office, but OpenOffice is very robust - I recommend it.

If you're using an iPod, I would suggest you get a new mp3 player... but that's not a subject anyone wants to get into.

As far as a jukebox software, I find foobar2000 to be vastly superior to anything.

Not sure what else can be mentioned other than PowerMenu. It's a nifty program that allows any program to be minimized to tray, set to always be on top of other windows and be partially see-through.

For once I agree with you Rambo, and your hatred or Apple products. Yay, someone else who hasn't fallen victim to the iPod