Few home users are aware of just how much junk accumulates on the average PC while performing daily tasks: surfing the internet, watching videos, downloading games, etc. Even fewer users are aware of the simple, ready out of the box programs that exist to clear out this junk. In the world of computers, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure, and these (all free!) programs will give you the best optimization and protection for a minimal time investment!
Mozilla Firefox 3
When it comes to prevention, no program can spare the user more virus/spyware/identity theft headaches than Firefox. This popular open source web browser comes loaded with built-in anti-phishing, anti-hijacking, anti-spyware, and anti-anything else that sounds scary features. In addition, Firefox can be tweaked enough to satisfy the fussiest power user, but it also comes with a clear, easy to follow interface that even a newbie can follow.FileHippo.com Update Checker
The free UpdateChecker is small, lightweight, and fast. Weighing in at about 100kb, this nifty program will keep you up to date with all your software in just one click. Activating the utility will direct you to a filehippo.com webpage listing all the updates available for your programs. Just click and download the updates you want. Run this baby once a month and you will never have to worry about being left out of the newest features or security updates.CCleaner
For clearing out the junk, nothing beats CCleaner. Fast and thorough this program will search out temporary files, useless folders, cookies, and the like and nuke them with just one click. It will do the same for your registry, but users are advised to use the built-in backup function before sweeping the registry….just to be safe!Spybot - Search & Destroy
The industry standard for spyware detection, this power utility can take a long time to scan, especially on an older system, but you will rest secure knowing that your computer is clean of malware. It also sports options for erasing user tracks, real time protection, and a comprehensive startup program cleaner that lets you know exactly what's going on when you start your system.Auslogics Disk Defrag & Registry Defrag
These two programs meet and expand upon the functionality of Window's built-in defrag utility. Fragmentation is inevitable in Windows, and defragmenting every few weeks is essential to keeping your system running smoothly. These two programs are faster than their Window's counterpart, inform you exactly how much you've improved performance, and take care of the registry to boot. I would also like to recommend Auslogics BoostSpeed 4, which although it costs $30USD, offers the defrag tools, as well as a disk cleaner and scores of Window's tweaks.avast! Antivirus
The best free antivirus out there, in my opinion, avast! is thorough and unobtrusive. It updates itself and consumes minimum system resources, all the while offering your PC excellent protection. You will probably forget it's even installed until one day it pops up a warning that you just downloaded a virus and asks you what to do.Revo Uninstaller
A vast improvement over the Windows uninstaller, Revo loads quicker and does a more thorough job. In addition to running the program's uninstaller, Revo searches for post-uninstall remaining files and registry entries and lets you delete them, reducing system clutter. Revo also offers a user track wiper and a junk files cleaner.PeerGuardian
A massive database of harmful IP addresses, PeerGuardian was originally designed to protect file sharers. However, this program is also a wonderful tool for blocking spyware and ad-related IPs.
So there you have it! Run these 8 simple tools monthly and your computer should last forever. Well, maybe not forever, but it will definitely last at peak performance until your next upgrade - be it months or years from now.
