Recommended Software - updated October 2004

This is a new section of the BTS website is contantly being revised ( so keep popping back to see what's been added ! ) Note these are ALL programs used and verified by us at BTS as being the best currently available, so this list is subject to change as new programs come along, or changes make them no longer useable. ( e.g. The recommended Anti-Virus used to be Kaspersky but it has become too resource heavy !! ) Anti-Virus Protection ( your number one defence mechanism on-line ) Putting a PC on the Internet without any Virus protection has been likened to walking the unlit steets of a large city at night - sometime soon you are going to get pounced on by some low-life and mugged ! Quite simply, just don't do it !! Firewall ( prevents unauthorised access to and from your system ) There has been a lot of talk about whether or not you need a Firewall if running WindowsXP and have applied the latest SP2 updates. However, the new Windows Firewall still isn't as effective as Zone Alarm - in particular it still does not check for outgoing traffic from your PC to the Internet. This is a vital part of trapping Trojan activity and BTS does not recommend relying purely on the Windows XP SP2 Firewall. There are however some advantages with the WinXP Firewall for those on broadband ( i.e. always on ) connections in that it is active before the OS is loaded. It is theoretically possible if only running a sofware Firewall that your system could be connected to the Internet before the Firewall is loaded and active, and something could sneak in during that unprotected stage. The risk is very small but it is there - remember that data transfer is a lot faster than most folks realize and even a pause of a few thousandths of a second is enough if at the exact time that an exploit is probing your IP address, and these exploits are probing all the time. Although we believe Zone Alarm to be one of the best, and easiest to configure, there have been reports of it not getting on too well with Windows XP although the latest version of Zone Alarm does seem to be better in this respect. Some people using The Bat! as e-mail client have also noted problems too. For those people with problems with Zone Alarm the second choice Firewall is Kerio. Not quite as easy to set up but less hassle than most of the others. As with Anti-Virus programs, please do not even consider going on-line without some sort of a Firewall. Spyware Killer ( stops your browsing habits being monitored ) This program has undergone a recent update and now includes several new 'bells and whistles' - again most of them not being enabled in the free version although you can see what you are missing. With Spyware rapidly approching 'Public Enemy Number 1' status it may be worth purchasing the full version for the added protection. It's not expensive and is a one-off payment, there's no annual fee to keep it active. Hard Drive Defragmenter ( less hassle than the Windows one and better too ! ) This program has recently undergone a make-over and in our opinion this new version isn't as easy to work with. The free version is also not as functional as the previous free one and will not fully defragment the drive. All download sites that seem to be offering Version 7 are now all pointing to Version 8, however anyone who wishes to try the previous one can e-mail BTS and as long as there's not too many we'll happily e-mail back the file. ( It's about 12Mb so make sure your mail box can take that size ! ) We've also recently spotted this program on the cover DVD of PC Pro - so it's still around if you go looking. An Alternative Way If all the above makes your hair stand on end and you are wondering whether or not it's a good idea to keep using the Internet at all then nobody can blame you for thinking that. It really is a jungle out there - but only if you are using Windows as your Operating System. There is an alternative now and it is one the we at BTS are using every day - Linux ! You may have heard of this Linux before and have been told it's for geeks and is difficult to use, this used to be true .... not any more ... the Linux desktop is here, it is easy to use, it is not prone to viruses, trojans, spyware etc etc .... .... it just works !!! As a matter of fact not a single MicroSoft program was used to produce this web site. How is it done ?? The answer is Xandros - a version of Linux that is made to work just like Windows and is easy to get used to. It even will run many Windows programs if you just can't get used to the Linux alternatives - can you imagine using Internet Explorer and not have to worry about getting Spyware, or Outlook Express without worrying about e-mail attachments ?? You can with Xandros !! Note this isn't free, but once you have purchased your Xandros copy you can put it on as many PC's as you own for personal use ( plus one for business use too ). Need to change your system ? No problem with Xandros - no tiresome re-activation, in fact there's no activation necessary at all !! Moving your Hard Drive to a different motherboard ? This can be an absolute nightmare with any Windows OS, not with Xandros - it just loads up as if nothing has changed.