Install Firefox (web browser) and Thunderbird (mail client) from Mozilla. So much better than Internet Explorer and Outlook Express! If you have used the Mozilla Suite (which is now end-of-life) then you will be surprised at how much better the stand-alone products are. Both will import your settings and data from your old clients.
Some useful features which are better than Microsoft's:-
Download manager
Bayesian spam filter
RSS feeds can be added to the Personal Toolbar (e.g. From news sites)
Faster
More secure (less spyware to worry about)
To increase the number of connections Firefox can make to websites (to speed up access), enter the following in the URL bar:-
about:config
Make the following changes (if these don't exist, right-click and select "New", then "Boolean" for values which are true/false, or "Integer" for values which are numbers):-
network.http.max-connections 64
network.http.max-connections-per-server 24
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy 20
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server 10
nglayout.initialpaint.delay 0
network.http.pipelining true
network.http.proxy.pipelining true
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests 10
If you are using Freenet then you should increase these numbers by a factor of 5-10.
You should install Sun Java – Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine (Microsoft VM) is very far behind the times, and you can't get it with Windows XP any more. You can get this from <URL:http://www.java.com/> then click on Java Software Download. First of all, try “Begin Download” - if that fails, use “Manual Download”. When installing, select all options, not just the defaults. Make it your default Virtual Machine (JVM) for Mozilla and Internet Explorer.
Sun Java is required for Mozilla, Freenet, and OpenOffice.
Speedguide.net has many useful registry tweaks to apply to make better use of your broadband connection. Download the following (assuming you are running Windows 2000 or XP) from http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php:-
TCP Optimizer – run it, select which network adapter to optimise, select the type of connection (Dialup, DSL, etc.) plus the speed of the broadband connection, and then “Optimum Settings”. Then go to “MaxMTU”, and enter the URL of the website of your ISP, then “Start”. Click “Apply”.
winxp_dnscache.zip – fixes a problem where Windows caches DNS lookup failures
sg_webtweak_2k.zip – increases the number of connections Internet Explorer can make. For Mozilla/Firefox, see above
If you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and want to use applications that open a lot of connections at the same time (e.g. P2P), then read this article. The latest version is available here http://www.lvllord.de/ You may need to run the file listed there in Safe Mode for it to take effect (run it again after rebooting to see if the change has been applied). Service Pack 2 severely restricts the number of connections your computer can make to other computers, in order to slow down virus spread. This causes P2P software to run slowly or erratically.
Reboot after applying any/all of the above patches.
MasterSplitter combines multiple files into one. You may have seen files ending in .001, .002, .003... These can be combined using MasterSplitter. You can also use it to split files, e.g. to spread a large file onto multiple floppies.
If you are ever worried about the root DNS zone, and the American Government's control of it, you can use an alternative - the Open Root Server Network. If you have a DNS server, change the root hints to point at ORSN. If you are running a desktop PC without a local DNS server, you can change your DNS server settings to point at public DNS servers using OSRN.
See also How to Switch.
I've never tried this, but many people recommend it to me. Skype allows you to make and receive telephone calls through your computer for free (provided you are calling another Skype user). You can also call standard phone numbers at a much reduced cost. As it's based on P2P technology, you should follow the steps above to Optimise your network settings. It is decentralised and all connections are encrypted.
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