Cody's tips

Operating a computer on the Internet can be rewarding. It can also be dangerous for even the most experienced among us. Please try to be as savvy and wary as possible when downloading ANYTHING from ANYWHERE. If you have any doubts about who, what, or where you are downloading; then don't.

Google can be a wonderful tool for finding just about anything, but even it is only as safe as your typing. If you misspell any of your search terms you can be taken on a troublesome trip to hacker sites, con-artist, or a complete waste of your time. Please give a good deal of thought before you hit the enter key.

With that in mind we as a club offer these links for our members. We do not commercially endorse these programs or have any association with them. In our club experience we have found them to be safe and reliable for their intended purposes, but as always: Use at your own risk.

Also, remember upgrades are usually pretty frequent for most of the programs listed on the page, so you should keep that it mind. CODY

Ad-Aware	http://www.lavasoftusa.com Protects against spyware. "Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition" is free.
Spybot Search and Destroy	http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html Protects against spyware Free download: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
CCleaner	http://www.ccleaner.com/ A free program to clean up unused files on your computer
DSL Reports	http://www.dslreports.com/ An online site that has many tests, tips, tools and forums to help you get the most from your Internet connection of any type
DSL Speed Test	www.dslreports.com/stest Test your Internet connection speed.
AVG Anti-Virus Free	http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1 Excellent free anti-virus program from Grisoft. The link above will take you to an intro page. From there you will be guided through a few more pages with more information about the versions they offer. To skip those details, you can go directly to the Actual AVG Free 8.0 version download page at C/net.com.
WindowsDefender	http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx Free from Microsoft. Helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.
GRC (Gibson Research Center)	http://www.grc.com/intro.htm Learn to protect your connection in many ways. GRC offers security tests and port scans.
GRC's "ShieldsUP!"	http://www.grc.com/default.htm A free Internet security checkup and information service. Scroll down to find their ShieldsUP! utility.
"Open Office"	http://www.openoffice.org/ A free suite of several office programs that are similar to and compatible with all other major office suites, including Microsoft Office.
Firefox Web Browser	http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ This Firefox browser has won awards from PC Magazine and CNET. Enthusiasts at QCS love the tabbed browsing. They also think there are fewer viruses, malware, etc compared to Microsoft's browser, Internet Explorer. And did we mention it is free?
Picasa: Google's Photo Organizer	http://picasa.google.com/ Picasa is a free software download from Google that helps you share and manage your photos. It locates and organizes all the photos on your computer, allows you to edit and add effects easily, and makes it simple to share your photos through email, prints, and the web.