CCleaner is an amazing utility that cleans out known areas that garbage likes to hang around (Internet history, cookies, temporary folder, etc) It also cleans up registry problems, but I don't recommend using registry cleaners. They tend to cause more problems then solve. It's completely customizable and works with a bunch of different programs. I wrote a little batch file script to throw on our customer's desktops so they dont mess with the settings:
Code: Select all
@ECHO OFF
@ECHO Silent CCleaner with DNS flush.
start "C:\Program Files\CCleaner" ccleaner.exe /AUTO
ipconfig /flushdns
@ECHO DNS Flush complete.
@ECHO Note: CCleaner may take longer to complete.
@ECHO Done
@PAUSEMalwarebytes is by far the most powerful anti-virus software out there. We have our own personal anti-virus software that we re-sell to our customers, but when the system gets infected, we turn to malwarebytes to clean it up. If you think you have a virus on your system, use this. It's free and works wonders.
Combofix is the "big guns" for fixing and removing damage caused by viruses, adware, and viruses themselves. I use the term "Big guns" because it's insanely good at what it does. Be cautious with this software, I've seen it fix millions of computers...but I've also seen it completely destroy computers. This NOT a anti-virus scanner. It essentially "Fixes" damage caused by viruses as well as removes "Junk" from your PC. Do not use this as a anti-virus program. Use this as a last resort program.
Tdsskiller Now, we use Tdsskiller to get rid of potential root-kit infections. Tdsskiller doesn't necessarily get rid of ALL root-kit infections, seeing how rootkits are insanely devious in their ways. However, it's very fast and efficient at what it does. All "common" root-kit infections will be caught by this software.
Driver Backup Now, I can't remember the exact name of the program that I started using, but this one looks very similiar in design. If you're planning on reformatting a computer, I would recommend backing up all your drivers. However, if you're reinstalling windows to get rid of an infection, DO NOT back up your drivers. Be as clean as possible.
Rkill For insanely bad infected computers, this program strives. It essentially "kills" viruses from being active in the background of your computer letting you scan them without error.
AdwCleaner Doing it by hand is much more effecient in keeping toolbars that customers want, but this program is an easy "1 click and done" kind of thing. Essentially gets rid of unwanted adware programs as well as dumb tool bars on your browser.
Winrar A personal favorite in archive software. Mostly everyone I know that is a computer savy uses winrar exclusively for it's functionality.
VLC media player Can't play a video because of a missing codec? VLC's got your back. I use this for everything relating to media and audio.
Goldwave My personal favorite in editting audio files. Insanely easy to use, and incredibly versatile.
Speedfan I've never utalized it's "Fan controller" function. I normally keep my fans at 100% and "Automatic fan speed" selected because I trust my motherboard's sensors over a 3rd party software. However, I feel like it's important to monitor temperatures of your system if you're a PC gamer who throws their settings on ultra. Most motherboard manufacterers release software that can monitor your temps, which are way more accurate than Speedfan. Just remember...Speedfan isn't 100% accurate...you'll normally see a 4 - 5 degree difference.
