Computer maintenance and security

After doing some computer maintenance recently, I wanted to post a list of all the programs I use to help me keep things running smooth. Most of these programs and sites are free, and I use them all myself. Bookmark this entry, as I will add to it as I find new, helpful programs and sites.

WordPress plugins I always use

I install, customize, and maintain over 50 blog sites using the WordPress software, and plugins. Regardless of the type of site I’m working on, I always install certain plugins. Security, tracking, and easy use and maintenance are the goals for this base set of plugins.

Hacked by UC worm removal

I recently went through a bit of a struggle increasing the speed of my computer, and clearing out some low level threat worms that attached themselves to my Internet Explorer browser. I primarily use FireFox, so I had been in no rush to remove the harmless “solow” bug. It only did two things… it placed the text “Hacked by UC” at the end of the title bar in my IE browser, and it made it impossible to open my external drive by double clicking it on the “My Computer” screen. I could, however, still open the drive by right clicking, and choosing “Open”.

I found detailed instructions on how to fix this problem by…