Some computer stuff

There’s no use writing about the Commonwealth economy before tomorrow’s ballot count.

Which provides us with a great opportunity to go over some computer stuff I’ve been compiling. I’ve been testing three products that might be new names to you, and, I’m happy to say, all seem like winners.

Best of all, two of the three items are freebies.

1). Product: “AntiVir” anti-virus software.
URL: www.Free-AV.com
Price: Free (Personal Edition)

Know what? I hate Norton Anti Virus, which seems to get more intrusive, bloated, cumbersome, and toothless with every new release. So a computer pro turned me onto this free “AntiVir” program, and dang, it seems to work pretty well.

I tested it against Norton on a computer that was plagued with a nasty Trojan horse. Norton went bonkers with obnoxious warning screens and impotent arm waving; typical Norton behavior.

AntiVir, by contrast, kept a cool head and competently defanged the Trojan. No sweat. Wow.

True, one Trojan horse does not a scientific study make, but this AntiVir seems promising. It is definitely worth a look. My pals and I are happy with it.

2). Product: “Ccleaner” utility
URL: www.Ccleaner.com
Price: Free

The name, dear friends, stands for “Crap Cleaner.” Which is exactly what it is. It’s like fiber for your computer’s digestive system. It cleans out temporary Internet files, Windows log files, and so on.

It can also identify and erase loose ends in your registry. Many, if not most, experts warn against using a utility to perform such tasks, since if you screw up your registry, you can wind up making a real mess of things. So, this feature is one of those “use at your own peril” gigs.

Of course, I can’t help myself, I’ve just got to mess with stuff.

So I’ve used this on a few of my computers, and the only snag I’ve encountered was with Outlook Express (in Windows XP SP1), which sucks so bad I don’t care anyway. I was able to roll back that snare, by the way.

There is a registry backup utility included, incidentally, which should reduce the chance of making any fatal errors, but I suppose a major goof would prevent you from being able to access and use the backup file.

Well, I’ve got confidence in the utility, so I’m using it. So many programs heap so much garbage and loose ends into the registry that I like keeping mine cleaned up, so I think this feature, and Ccleaner in general, is super-duper.

3). Product: Acomdata model 5E external hard drive
URL: www.Acomdata.com
Price: Under $200 for 160 gigabytes

This line, the 5E model, comes in capacities ranging from 80 gb to 320 gb.

I’ve gone through a lot of external hard drives, and this is my new favorite. Per gigabyte of storage, it is, admittedly, oftentimes far more expensive than other brands.

Ah, but it’s worth the premium. It has a metal, not plastic, case. The case acts as its own heat sink, so it doesn’t need a cooling fan grinding along…yes, blissful peace and quiet.

The drive also has a weighty metal stand, so you can save desk space by setting it vertically. It has a very solid stance and stays put. Unlike some external drives, it also has an on/off switch, which is convenient.

(Ed Stephens Jr. is an economist and columnist for the Saipan Tribune. E-mail him at Ed@SaipanEconomist.com.)