Computer Help Megathread

[Vipershark]

he means put your files on megaupload/mediafire, etc

but that would take waaaaaay too long depending on how much stuff you need to back up

[JarJar]

So I got a new laptop:

http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP104336727.htm
This one to be exact.

Already have windows7 pre-installed, now I haven't used a windows in a LONG time, so I'm open for suggestions on what should I put on here/how I should take care of it? What games can I play with it, and what are good firefox addons, etc.

Just basically asking how should I run it without fucking up the RAM/computer in general, was thinking of getting an external hardrive for it.

[Vipershark]

This will be added to the OP later, but

A good starting setup:

The first thing you should do as soon as you start the computer is to open IE, got to mozilla.com, and download firefox.

Close IE, install firefox, and then bury the links to IE (if anyone else will be using the computer.)
Don't import anything, and set FF as the default browser.

Time to configure your addons. Adblock Plus is a must. I highly, highly suggest NoScript, but it's probably too confusing for less advanced users.
From there, you can get whatever addons you want.

Now go for antivirus.
I reccommend avast antivirus (www.avast.com) because it's free and good.
Install that.

Now download Malwarebytes-Anti Malware.

Though there's like a 99.99% chance you won't find anything this early, I suggest running a scan with it just to be safe.
Once you've got your browser and av's set up, you're pretty much good to go as far as normal functions and everything.

From there, if your computer has bloatware installed, go ahead and remove that.

A good program to have on hand is CCleaner, which removes useless garbage from your computer.

[Maxpphire]

Also gonna add that other good browsers out there are Opera (I, Tyvon, and I think Giz all use this, it is a lot faster and lightweight then firefox, comes with it's own adblock and things like that) and Google Chrome which I never used, never want to use, but from what I heard it is good.

If you want to get music a safe way to do so is with Torrents. Just make sure all the files you download are a .mp3 file (they actually can't carry viruses.) and in most torrent programs like Bit torrent it gives you a list of the files and a chance to choose what you download so don't even worry about that.

[JarJar]

I have this McAfee crap that supposedly ends soon since its a trial I think, will that go away eventually because I find it annoying, I'm gonna download avast now.

Also thanks guys

[Vipershark]

Delete Mcaffee now.
There are most likely like 3 or 4 entries for it in Add/Remove Programs in the control panel, so make sure to get all of them.


If you're going to torrent, I reccommend uTorrent. It's lightweight and works great.
Obviously, never use limewire.


As far as browsers go, if you don't want to use firefox (why) your best choices are:

Opera (I haven't /extensively/ used this, but Tyvon and Lunyka say it's great, soooooo)
Google Chrome: A great browser, totally lightweight and fast, but I don't recommend it because it's a Google product, meaning that literally everything you do with it is sent to Google. Which is why as a second browser, I use...
SRWare Iron: Chrome, but better. Based off the same Chromium project source code as Chrome is, but doesn't include any of the data harvesting functions that Chrome does. In other words, it does all the same things and can use all the same addons, but is more secure and privacy-oriented. Has its own custom features that aren't in Chrome, such as built-in adblocking. The only reason I haven't stopped using Firefox and switched to this as a main browser is because FF has much better support for addons and stuff. Maybe if somebody was able to port over Adblock Plus and Noscript, but for now this is just my secondary browser.

Most places would have the new IE on this list, but ahahahahah IE
Same with Safari, but it's almost as bad.

[Woppet*]

ever heard of ABP?

yes, and I've heard from multiple sources that it sucks.

Time to configure your addons. Adblock Plus is a must.

Wow you changed your mind fast

[Vipershark]

LET'S TALK MEDIA PLAYERS

Ditch Windows Media. Ew.

For music, I highly suggest foobar2k.
It's lightweight, completely customizable, and has out-of-the-box support for almost every (mainstream) audio filetype imaginable. Most of all, it's lightweight. In other words, "it just works". Does everything Winamp can do, but better.

Alternatives are Winamp, which I find to be totally bloated and resource hungry, iTunes, which is way bloated and slow and completely worthless unless you have an iPod (even then, there are better alternatives), and finally VLC Media Player which I dislike.

As far as video, I suggest Media Player Classic Homecinema.
You can get it here. (Download the Mega pack.)
It's lightweight, and like fb2k, has support for nearly all imaginable filetypes.

Alternatives are... well, MPC-HC is pretty much universally accepted as the best video player out there, but the only real competition would be VLC, which as I said before, I dislike.

---

ever heard of ABP?

yes, and I've heard from multiple sources that it sucks.

Time to configure your addons. Adblock Plus is a must.

Wow you changed your mind fast

LOL WOW I'M RETARDED
I
literally just realized what you were talking about there

I originally read that as "APB", as in All Points Bulletin (that new terrible mmo)

ahahahahahahahah
WELP

[Maxpphire]

If you want to watch videos go with GOM media player. Music either use Winamp or what Viper suggested. (When I get a new laptop I am so going to look in this thread to customize it.)

Also a nice thing about Opera is that you can have it start up with a mode called "Speed Dial" which is basically a page that can be customize in anyway you want it to be that has these squares on it and you can put a website for one of those squares and when you click it, it bring you right to the website in the tab that you clicked it in.

[Vipershark]

A friend of mine uses GOM and refuses to convert.
I haven't used it personally because MPC-HC has been so good to me, but what exactly makes it better than everything else?

Also Chrome (and Iron) come with Speed Dial (under a different name) and FF can get it through a plugin.

[JarJar]

I have opera, bittorent and VLC on my mac which I use. I use opera as my 2nd browser (since I'm so used to safari which i know is worse but it's easier to browse through and firefox crashes too much)

But on here I'll use FF and possibly opera again with Bittorent but I heard MPlayer is a good media player for videos and stuff, preferred over VLC for most folks who watch shows on it.

[PJAMA]

I have opera, bittorent and VLC on my mac which I use. I use opera as my 2nd browser (since I'm so used to safari which i know is worse but it's easier to browse through and firefox crashes too much)

But on here I'll use FF and possibly opera again with Bittorent but I heard MPlayer is a good media player for videos and stuff, preferred over VLC for most folks who watch shows on it.

iirc yeah VLC will play anything.

also, my laptop's hard drive is half-damaged. I have to send it away for repairs. Until then, I have my old computer to deal with.

[Maxpphire]

your laptop being halfdamged has nothing to do with anything in this thread, warned.

[Woppet*]

I don't really listen to all that much music while i'm on the pc, because i'm usually on at night. If i really feel like listening to something i'll just put it on Youtube.
On my Macbook however, i have my entire iTunes library which was like 1 weeks worth of music last time i checked.

In terms of Video, whenever i get a new pc, and torrent a movie, i'll get one i don't have the codec for, and all i get is the movie's audio. And i've got into the habbit of downloading VLC to play my movies because it already has codecs installed and i've never tried anything different.

There is a cool addon for Firefox called Foxytunes, which embeds a little pause, play, stop, next, previous bar into the firefox window, which is compatible with most media players.

Also here are 2 really useful shortcuts for firefox that suprise me in that not that many people use them.

Ctrl+Shift+T = re opens the last tab you closed
and
Clicking a link with the middle button (ie pressing in the scroll wheel) will open the link in a new tab, but leave you on the tab you are currently viewing. Useful, if you wana see a picture linked in a paragraph, after you finish reading it.

[Vipershark]

HEY WOPPET i'm gonna need some help with program suggestions for macs

My mom has one but I never use it, so all of my posts will be Windows-oriented.