Wares for Everyday Gaming Life.

[MoonlitStalker]

I'm a list person, so forgive my OCD tendencies. I maintain this list to share with Family, Friends and Forums I troll. These come highly recommended by long time Techies and Gamers I've known over the years and they are all 100% FREE. I hope they can help keep your rigs - safe, uber and fast. ^^



Anti-Virus Scanners:

Avast - http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

AVG - http://www.avg.com/us-en/free-antivirus

Microsoft Security Essentials - http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Micro Trend HouseCall - http://housecall.trendmicro.com/us/index.html (A Online Scanner)

BitDefender - http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html (A Online Scanner that requires Internet Explorer 4+ to work.)


Anti-Spyware / Anti-Malware Scanners:

Spybot: Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

MalwareBytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org/

SUPER AntiSpyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/

Spyware Blaster - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html (This is a preventive proggie, just update.)

Spyware Guard (Beta) - http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html (This is a preventive proggie.)


Defragmenter :

MyDefrag - http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/ (Disk defragmenter and optimizer for Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/X64.)

Auslogics Disk Defrag - http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/

Smart Defrag - http://www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html


Miscellaneous Tools:

Game Booster - http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html (Defrags game directories, temporarily shutting down background processes, cleans RAM, and intensifying processor performance.)

WLAN Optimizer - http://www.martin-majowski.de/wlanoptimizer/ (Windows Vista, 7, XP disabling the periodical background scan activity for wireless networks.)

PC Wizard 2010 - http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php (Utility tool designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system.)

Advanced System Care - http://www.iobit.com/ (Helps protect, optimize, and repair your computer.)

CCleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/ (System optimization and privacy tool.)

Answers That Work: Task List Programs - http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist ... sklist.htm (This site has a pretty comprehensive list of processes.)

Process Library - http://www.processlibrary.com/ (This site has a pretty comprehensive list of processes.)

HijackThis - http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US ... hijackthis (Diagnostic tool that creates a log of running programs and recent changes to them.)

KillBox - http://www.killbox.net/ (Use at your own RISK: a tool to delete in-use files. http://killbox.net/help.html) - last resort to really nasty viruses masquerading as essential window files; Do your research first!!!

[Vaeyn]

Nice. I use a chunk of those.

For defraggers I really like Auslogic's Disk Defrag. Smart Defrag is also a good one. I can try and get links later if anyone needs.

[mace]

I dL the gamebooster tried it out last nite errrrr this mornin thanx

[MoonlitStalker]

^^ Thanks Vaeyn! I added those, I like the look of Auslogic's Disk Defrag. I'll have to try it out.

[Vaeyn]

Since their last update, that is the defrag I use on all my systems regardless of OS. I have been real happy with it.

[mace]

i just use the defrag from norton

[Alamais]

I used to use Avast and AVG, but they weren't all that great imo. I started using Microsoft Security Essentials recently and haven't looked back. Yet another free anti-virus.

[Vaeyn]

^ Weird. I really like AVG's Security Suite. I mean, yes, it IS getting bloated like Norton did years and years ago, and I also hate how integrated it makes itself with your OS (as in, I have had AVG be the culprit for hosing two XP systems so far requiring full reinstalls). It still seems to do a very good job, is fast and also does not overdo it on the resources.

[FN]

I used to use Avast and AVG, but they weren't all that great imo. I started using Microsoft Security Essentials recently and haven't looked back. Yet another free anti-virus.

I've used AVG Free for years on every PC I've owned or worked on with no problems...

And something about Microsoft supplying me with security software would make me feel like I'd be in the same boat as relying on Jello to supply me with a bulletproof vest... but who knows, I've never used it.

[Pantho]

I used to use Avast and AVG, but they weren't all that great imo. I started using Microsoft Security Essentials recently and haven't looked back. Yet another free anti-virus.

I've used AVG Free for years on every PC I've owned or worked on with no problems...

And something about Microsoft supplying me with security software would make me feel like I'd be in the same boat as relying on Jello to supply me with a bulletproof vest... but who knows, I've never used it.

Jello is amazing, it gets harder depending on the speed and force of the impact. It has some great quialities for a armor, sadly it's also easily seperated so the bullet would slip straight through

[MoonlitStalker]

Added Microsoft Security Essentials, I've been asking around about it. Even if I am a little suspicious of it - It's very well liked and well recommended.

I also added WLAN Optimizer (http://www.martin-majowski.de/wlanoptimizer/) - This is one I used since playing Global Agenda and really helped with my wireless connection. And has been recommended by the Mods there as well.

I've been having an issue about this strange dodgy lag issue that was plaguing me. Turns out the issue was not game related whatsoever, but instead the culprit was Microsoft itself! (Guess that's not really a suprise..) Anyway, here's a brief recap of the problem and the following solution:

The Problem
Every 30 - 120 seconds your game suddenly disconnects or lags for a brief second and after that it continues to run without problem. Except that a minute later you once again are suffering from that same brief second of lag, rinse repeat until you're stark ravin' crazy and want to start to throw with things.

Requirements
For this to happen, there are two requirements that you'll need to full-fill:

1) The OS has to be either Windows Vista, or Windows 7.
2) You have to be using a Wireless connection to connect to the internet.



The Cause
As it turns out Windows Vista and Windows 7, have an interesting feature that is activated when you use a Wireless Connection. It is called a "Background scanner" and it is activated along with the service that looks for your wireless nodes and networks called "WLAN Autoconfig" (in vista anyway).

This "background scanner" activates itself every minute, to check if there's stronger transponder sending out a wireless signal. To do this, it however DEACTIVATES YOUR CONNECTION for a 1-2 seconds. It does this every single minute or so, like clockwork. Thus making your connection lag for every single game you play, including Global Agenda naturally. Yay Microsoft right?

The Solution
Anyway, the solution is relatively simple. Some other folks figured out the source of the problem and found an easy way to deactivate the "Background Scanner" and improve your wireless connection using a small program.

It is called WLAN Optimizer and it's the solution to your laggy problem. What it does is allow you access to two toggles called "Disable Background Scan" and "Enable Streaming mode" these two will shut down Windows doing whatever it's doing to get your crappy latency/connection problems.

Steps to follow:
1) Download WLAN Optimizer
2) Extract the ZIP file
3) Start the EXE file
4) Go to the SETTINGS tab
5) Turn on "Start with Windows"
6) Turn on "Start minimized to tray"
4) Turn on "Disable background scan"
5) Turn on "Enable streaming mode" (Optional, sometimes this is a requirement)
6) Click "Save"
7) Restart your computer

Load up Global agenda and be cured of the 'small lag spike' (if not worse) you had every 30 - 120 seconds!

Much thanks to MrCeeJ for pointing out the source of the issue, without him I would still have been looking for the source of this infuriating bug. Hope those who had issues with this 'lag' won't now in the future! This should also help people who had issues with other games which they tried to play using wireless.

Source

[Chosen One]

DL'd Game Booster on my gf laptop...mabe I can run something.

[MoonlitStalker]

Bump for the WLAN Optimizer, for fixing connection issues with Global Agenda if you are on a wireless connection with Vista or Windows 7. (Second post above this one)

[derretimos]

i tried AVG, it was good but it didn't detect a virus i knew i had
then i tried Avast and that was also good, and had detected the virus that avg couldn't, but after deleting the virus it didn't detect it after it reappeared
so finally i downloaded microsoft security essentials and malwarbytes and they tore that virus a new asshole.
the first two things i downloaded on my new computer were msse and malwarebytes

[satransisuu]

Sysinternals is a great tool from Microsoft used to troubleshoot things.