A list of the software I use and recommend for both Windows and Mac OS X

Universal

Software that works on both Windows and Mac.

• Skype — The best video chat software out there.
• FileZilla — An excellent free, open-source FTP client.
• Firefox — One of the most feature rich and robust browsers.
• Google Chrome — Pretty much the fastest browser in town.
• The Last Ripper — A good music gathering tool.
• Pidgin — A multi-client chat tool that lets you connect with a lot of services (AOL, MSN, Google Chat, etc…)
• Open Office — An open-source Office like application suite.
• Synergy — Share one mouse and one keyboard between multiple computers.
• 7-zip — The best file compression/decompression tool out there, free and open-source.
• DeVeDe — A great DVD/CD creation and burning tool.
• Jing — A tool that makes screenshots and screencasts simple and fast.
• VirtualBox — Easy to use and free virtualization tool. Run Windows/Mac/Linux/UNIX/etc… on your computer.
• Dropbox — Makes a virtual folder on your computer that syncs with a server.
• iTunes — The most popular media player, and my personal favorite.
• Adobe CS4 — The leading editing software.
• Blackra1n — An easy to use tool to jailbreak your iPhone.
• Flickr Uploadr — An easy to use and robust Flickr uploading tool.
• BitTorrent — The most popular and easy to use bittorrent client.

Mac

• TextMate — My text editor of choice. Has a robust “bundle” system to add new features.
• SequelPro — A tool to visualize MySQL databases.
• Adium — A chat client that works with all popular clients (AOL, MSN, Facebook, Google Chat, etc…)
• WriteRoom — A bare bones writing client that makes focusing on the task at hand a breeze.
• CandyBar — Skin your Mac like a pro.
• HandBreak — The best ripping tool in town.
• Google Quick Search Box — A way better spotlight.
• LittleSnitch — A reverse firewall that alerts you when programs attempt to access the internet.

Windows

• E-text editor — The self described TextMate for Windows.
• Putty / Pageant — The defacto SSH tool for Windows.
• TortoiseSVN — A great SVN integrated command tool.
• AVG antivirus — My anti-virus tool of choice.
• Ad-Aware — Essential to keep your computer free of ad-ware. Scan regularly!
• DVD rip — Rip your DVDs to your computer in just 1 step.
• InfraRecorder — The best free DVD/CD burning tool I’ve found.

I get a lot of requests from non-technical friends and family about fixing their computers so I decided to write up this brief guide on how to troubleshoot common issues in Windows, specifically Windows XP.

Step 1: Buy a Mac

Yeah, I’m serious. The first step I offer people is “could you buy a Mac instead of a PC?” The reason I offer this step first is because the people I know that are both inexperienced computer users and “Apple Mac owners, send me substantially less technical requests. The reasons for this are many but basically boil down to the fact that Macs are generally more stable (built on UNIX, etc…), easier to use (actually designed well, good usability, etc…) and closed source (you buy Macs from Apple, not anywhere else so they are sure everything works on your computer). So if you – or your technically inept friend or family member — can afford it and need a new computer anyways, go for a Mac if possible.

Step 2: Do you have a virus or ad-ware?

This is probably the second most common issue I see in the Windows world and it is that Windows is highly susceptible to viruses and trojans if you:

1. Don’t have and run anti-virus software regularly, and
2. are an active internet user/downloader.

If you peruse the internet looking for music and programs and don’t know what you are doing, you are almost guaranteed to inadvertently download a virus or trojan (usually without knowing it) and if let to its own devices, it will quickly clog your system with crap and send all your hard earned money and identity to some 14 year old Chinese or Russian hacker.

So, at this stage I suggest scanning the whole computer for viruses and ad-ware. This can take a while. I’m serious, this could take hours or days depending on how much crap you’ve let pile up on your computer.

I recommend AVG anti-virus which is a free and well known anti-virus solution. I also recommend scanning for ad-ware which are not particularly a problem but could potential steal information and slow your computer down. To remove ad-ware download the free Ad-Aware program.

Run both programs multiple times until they come up with no viruses or ad-ware.

Step 3: Do you have proper drivers?

I’ve been getting this one a lot lately because I have a few friends who decided to reinstall Windows without first knowing what they were doing and second not having their drivers CD.

So, to those out there that are planning on taking the most drastic — and seemingly the most common — step and starting with a fresh copy of Windows please heed this warning: Make sure you have the right drivers before “reinstalling! Let me repeat that again for those that skim, Make sure you have the right drivers before “reinstalling!

“Why would I need to do this” you ask? Because I just told you and thats all you need to know!

Well, other than the fact that you should always do what I tell you, you also don’t want to be trying to set up your nice clean copy of Windows and then realize you have no internet connection to download drivers and updates (not to mention the fact your video resolution sucks and your audio doesn’t play). So, make sure before you reinstall to have your manufacture’s driver install CD.

If you don’t have that anymore, then do the next best thing, go to the support website of your computer manufacturer and download the appropriate drivers and burn them to CD or put them on a USB drive so you can install them after you install Windows. Since it is hard to find these support pages I’m including an (incomplete) list of manufacturer support websites below to speed up the process for you:

• Acer
• Alienware
• Asus
• Compaq
• Dell
• Fujitsu
• Gateway
• HP
• Lonovo
• Panosonic
• Sony
• Samsung
• Toshiba

To find your driver downloads on these sites you will need to either know the make and model of you laptop or desktop, or you will need to know the serial number.

If you don’t know the make/model or serial number of your computer, look for the name and model number either on the screen, body or base for laptops, or the front/back/bottom of the tower (the big box that has the CD drive in it) for desktops. If you still can’t find the manufacturer, you may have a custom made computer.

When selecting the files make sure you are downloading them for the right version of Windows! If your computer is WindowsXP Pro SP2, make sure to select drivers that correspond with that version. If they don’t, it just won’t work. To find what version you have go to the Control Panel and then find System and you should see the version there.

In that case, I really can’t help you more than to say take it into either the person that made it for you or a computer repair shop (or the Geek Squad as a last resort!).

Step 4: Do you have room on your hard drive?

Check to make sure you have free room on your hard drive.

Not having enough hard drive space will cause your computer to slow down a lot and could cause other problems.

To find out how much free space you have go to My Computer and right click on the image for your C:/ drive and go to Properties. Under that pop-up menu you should see the amount of free space available.

Depending on the size of the drive, it is recommended to keep about 10% of your hard drive free.

Step 5: If the above did not work, then seek more help…

At this stage I usually either take the computer apart and sniff around for burning smells or tell them the are out of luck. Usually if the problem is not a virus or not having the right drivers it is a hardware issue or some serious software woes.

In either case it is time for a professional. Take the computer into a reputable computer repair person or if you can’t find one, take it on down to Best Buy and talk to the GeekSquad.

Conclusion

Anyways, that is a brief overview of the process I go about when trying to fix other people’s computers. I hope it was somewhat helpful to you and that I didn’t waste too much of your valuable time!

Thanks for reading!