Computer Security/Software Guide

[billclinton]

COMPUTER SECURITY GUIDE

 Spoiler

How not to get Hacked/Infected
the most obvious solutions are
- to never share your passwords with anyone.
- never use the same passwords and user names for everything
- change your passwords often
- Choosing your password and Security questions.When making your password, make sure it has at least four aspects listed below.
1. Letters
2. Numbers
3. special characters
4. upper and lower case
5. above 10 characters
6. Is completely random.

example D@&u$iSaT0oL

Switch your web browsers to Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or anything else besides Internet Explorer
This is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself. Internet Explorer is
well known for being in the cross-hairs of viruses, spyware, and adware. In my view it’s best to use an alternate product and remain out of fire.

Add more security to your web browser

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No matter what browser you choose, the Web is a hostile place, and they all need a little help to defend themselves.
NoScript (Firefox extension)
ad-blocker (firefox)
firefox has many add-ons for this as well as the other browsers mentioned

Get a good anti-virus client and keep it up to date.

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Keep your computers operating system and programs up to date and patched. This goes double for web browsers and Java
Don't download attachments in an e-mail unless you trust the source. Even then it may not be safe so use caution.
Don't follow any link in an e-mail. Not even if it looks to be from a trusted source. Banks will never provide a direct log in link and you did not win money or inheritance. They are scams.

If you have kids then create limited user accounts for all of them and do not give out your admin password. This will make it so they cannot install software programs.
The web is NOT safe. If you Google Obama or Balled kittens don't think that the links shown are safe websites. Thousands of good sites get hacked every day and malicious code may be on the site. This is why you need security software like Malwarebytes.

Clear your Internet browser cache

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The clean up scanner handles most common types of temporary files, but your Internet browser automatically caches, or stores, another type of temporary file whenever you surf the Internet. Browsers such as Internet Explorer save copies of the Web pages you visit in order to load these pages faster the next time you visit those sites. Outside of speeding up browsing, however, your browser does not need this cache of temporary files in order to operate properly. Since many Web sites have large graphics, clearing out your browser's cache can save valuable hard disk space.
a good program for this is cc cleaner.

Remove unused programs

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Simply stated remove programs you no longer use or have no use for.
Never open an attachment that is a .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat .rar .zip unless you specifically know the file is clean. The majority of these are always bad! Scanning them before opening will help as well.

Occasionally Run Online Virus Scans

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Unfortunately not all anti-virus programs are created equal. Each program may find infections that other anti-virus programs do not and vice-versa. It is therefore recommended that you occasionally run some free online anti-virus scanners to make sure that you are not infected with items that your particular anti-virus program does not know how to find. Two online scanners that I recommend are:

Kaspersky Web scanner
Trend Micro Housecall

Do not use the admin account

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Rather make an account for yourself giving less rights this will help in defending and keeping yourself safe as staying logged in as an admin gives access to malware etc to start the more restrictions the better.

use a sandbox application

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Runs your programs in an isolated space which prevents them from making permanent changes to other programs and data in your computer. also comodo internet security has a built in sandbox

it is also wise to do scans in safe mode once in awhile.
make sure your hard drive is defraged

Most importantly Get a backup system and use it in case of the worst.

 Spoiler

Most people do not think about backing up until their computer crashes and then its too late. It can be a USB hard drive or a online backup solution or anything else that can copy your important files. But find a backup system and set it to automatically back up your information.

Use a firewall program on your computer

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A firewall is a software program that acts as a gatekeeper on what goes in and out to your machine. Windows does have a built in firewall but there are others (including some free firewalls that are better).You could also learn to configure your main router for a first line of defense all routers have there own hardware firewall.

SOFTWARE TO KEEP YOU CLEAN

Matousec

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This site tests firewalls. It does a lot more than just your regular TCP and UDP connections. It also tests a firewall in its HIPs protection.
They have since renamed their research to the Proactive Security Challenge. Here is a link to the results:

This is the set of tools that they use for testing. If your security setup isnt on the test feel free to get a rating yourself.

Jotti

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Jotti's malware scan is a free online service that enables you to scan suspicious files with several anti-virus programs. Scanners used are Linux versions; detection differences with Windows versions of the same scanners may occur due to implementation differences. There is a 15MB limit per file. Keep in mind that no security solution offers 100 protection, not even when it uses several anti-virus engines (for example, this scan service).

Basically if your suspicious of a small file, keygen, crack, what ever. You can upload here and get multiple results from a bunch of different scanners. The issue that I have found with these types of net services are they may be out of date. They don't state what definition they are using to scan with.

VirusTotal

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is a service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, Trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by anti-virus engines.
Specs:
* Free, independent service
* Use of multiple antivirus engines
* Real-time automatic updates of virus signatures
* Detailed results from each antivirus engine
* Real time global statistics
Basically the same thing as Jotti, but probably a bit more popular.

VirSCAN.org

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Same thing as Virustotal and Jotti. You upload files to be scanned by 36 different AV engines.
VirSCAN.org is a FREE on-line scan service, which checks uploaded files for malware, using antivirus engines, indicated in the VirSCAN list. On uploading files you want to be checked, you can see the result of scanning and how dangerous and harmful/harmless for your computer those files are.

VirSCAN.org cannot replace antivirus software on your computer. VirSCAN is not supposed and able to protect your computer from malware. VirSCAN only scans files, which may contain viruses, Trojans, backdoors, spy-ware, dialers. However, VirSCAN does not bare responsibility for the results of scanning. Even if all the AV engines, included to VirSCAN fail to detect any kind of malware in the file you upload, it does not guarantee its being clean and safe for your computer. Some anti-virus engines may define the files you will upload as malware, but it may turn out to be a false positive. Due to the platform and the engine version, the scan report can't show the actual abilities of anti-virus vendors. There are possible situations when VirSCAN fails to detect a real malware, but AV vendor, indicated in the test is capable of finding malware, or on the contrary, VirSCAN detects malware, but the AV engine fails to do it. All the examples, mentioned above may occur, so VirSCAN does not bare any responsibility for the results of scanning.

With Jotti, VirusTotal, and VirSCAN just because multiple scans and databases have determined that a file is clean doesnt mean that its harmless. Its very possible that its a 0-day malware and hasnt been detected yet.

MBAM and Super AntiSpyware are the top 2 rated anti spy-ware apps in the market at this time.

And now before people decide to jump down my throat about running multiple anti-virus software. There is a difference between on demand and real time. On demand means they are installed, but do not start with the system and do not ever run unless you update or run a scan that you start. Real time means they do start with the system and auto update and scan files in real time. Its ok to have more than 1 AV installed as long as ONLY 1 is running in real time.

RECOMMENDED PROGRAMS

security vulnerability check


Anti-virus/Active Protection

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Paid:
Kaspersky Antivirus(30 day free trial)- One of the best antivirus programs on the market.
NOD32 - Very light weight, comprehensive, and effective antivirus.(30 day free trial)
Comodo Internet Security(free for life trial) - Absolutely the best free Internet security offered
Free:
aVast! Anti-virus - anti-virus active protection and scanner.
Windows Defender - mal-ware and malicious infection protection and scanner (comes installed on windows vista)
Comodo Firewall Defense+ - comes optional with comodo firewall and I highly recommend taking advantage of it as it gives the user power to monitor and stop almost any process which is running, or trying to run on your system.
Trend micro house call -

Firewall/Combos

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Paid: There is a free version as well
Kaspersky Internet Suite - The best, and most light weight comprehensive all in one protection available on the market.

Free:There is a paid version as well with more support.
Comodo Firewall Pro Free - a great alternative to windows firewall with more features and comprehensive protection.

Spyware/Malware Removers

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Free:
Ad-Aware
Spybot - Search and Destroy - when installing, make sure to disable the check box for tea timer.
Malware-bytes

Registry Cleaners

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Free:
CCleaner - A clean registry can help to minimize slowdowns and errors in windows.

Startup Managers

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Free:
AutoRuns - simple effective list of almost every startup process in windows which can have entries enabled or disabled with a simple check mark.

Disk De-fragmentation

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Free:
JKDefrag - simple, non-risky 3rd party defrag with options and capabilities extending beyond the default windows defrag. Remember to run in windows safe mode for optimal results.

Backup software

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Cobian Backup
Comodo Backup
Allways Sync
AcronisTrue Image
Norton Ghost

RECOMMENDED PROTECTION/MAINTENANCE SETS

Free - Good Protection

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aVast! Anti-virus
Comodo Firewall Pro Free with Comodo Firewall Defense+
Spybot - Search and Destroy
Malware-bytes
AutoRuns
JKDefrag
Spyware Blaster
Windows Defender
CCleaner

Backup software

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Cobian Backup
Comodo Backup
Allways Sync
AcronisTrue Image
Norton Ghost

COURSE OF ACTION (Look at your set to see which programs are applicable)

Should be running all the time

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Kaspersky Antivirus or NOD32 or Kaspersky's Internet Suite
Comodo Internet Security with Comodo Firewall Defense+
Windows Defender

SCAN ONCE A WEEK OR MORE (DEPENDS ON USAGE)

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Spybot - Search and Destroy
Malware-bytes
AutoRuns
CCleaner
your antivirus (which ever it may be)

Once a month(Depending on usage and major software installations/un-instalations

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JKDefrag
or after major software installs
or major software removal

ULTIMATE COMPUTER SOFTWARE LIST! (Will be sectioned out later)

HIRENS BOOT CD

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- All in One Bootable CD which has all these utilities. For complete list visit: As it is a bootable CD, it can be useful even if the primary operating system cannot be booted

Images:

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screenshot pimp - a firefox add-on used to take screens of webpages or just sections of it.
Irfanview - When installing set this to open all image formats by default and never worry about googling an image format to find something capable of viewing it again.
GIMP - Open source photo-shop (very powerful image editing program free of charge)

Virtual Drivers:

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ALCOHOL 120 - I prefer this one I think its much better. I have found Daemon tools can carry malware in its download.
POWER ISO - just as good if not better then 120.
Messaging
Pidgin IM - contains basically every chat program. Install GFire for limited XFire support as well.
Trillian - A great alternative to pidgin

Office:

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Open Office - free office suite like Microsoft office.

FTP Clients:

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FireFTP (Addon for Firefox) - simple but effective for those who just need limited functionality

Voice Communications:

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Ventrilo
Teamspeak
GSC

Burning software:

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Nero Burning ROM (not Nero Express)
ConvertXtoDVD
Power-ISO

Updated list:

System Rescue / Boot:

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Darik's Boot and Nuke Boot disc that wipes drives.
DrWebCureIt! Antivirus and a live rescue CD.
EasyBCD Windows bootloader manager.
Hiren's Boot Disk/CD Recovery and rescue apps on bootable USB/CD.
Ophcrack Windows password retriever and live CD.

Torrent Related:

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µTorrent Torrent client.
Magnetizer Converts torrent files into magnet links.

P2P:

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Soulseek P2P app.

Hash Checking:

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Easy SFV Creator Creates and reads SFV files.

Operating Systems:

BSOD Info:

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BlueScreenView View BSOD info.

OS Tweakers for OS and Browsers:

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Bootvis Provide faster XP boot and resume times.
Download 99 shortcuts for Win 7
Drivetoys
Tweak UI Tweaks for XP.
Ultimate Windows Tweaker Tweaks for Vista and 7.
VistaGlazz Vista theme tweaker.
Windows Live Free add-on’s and apps from MS.
Windows Start Button Changer Change the start button without replacing the explorer.exe and system .bmp files.
Xdn Tweaker Tweaks for Windows.
XP Visual Styler XP themes/tweaks.

System Information:

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Bootracer Boot speed.
CoreTemp Monitor CPU temperature.
CPU-Z System information.
Everest Ultimate Diagnostics, benchmarks, and monitoring.
GPU-Z Video card and GPU information.
HWMonitor CPUID Hardware monitoring program.
OCCT CPU stability testing program for overclocks.
PC Wizard 2010 System information.
SiSandra Diagnostic tools for testing your system.
SIW System Information for Windows.
Speccy System information.
Speedfan Monitors voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures.
Seconia PSI Security tool designed to detect vulnerable and out-dated programs and plug-ins.
Taskill Process viewer and killer.
What's Running Inspect and edit your Processes, Services, Modules, dll:s, IP-Connections, Drivers, Startup Programs, Memory, Processor.
WinDirStat Disc usage stats and clean-up.

Antivirus and/or Firewall:

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Avira Antivirus.
Avira Premium Security Antivirus.
COMODO Firewall (best rated firewall)
DrWebCureIt! Antivirus and a live rescue CD.
ESET Smart Security 4 Firewall and antivirus.
FortiClient Firewall and antivirus.
Microsoft Security Essentials Antivirus.
Nod32 Antivirus.
Returnil Antivirus with rollback.

Spyware and Malware:

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Antiy Ghostbusters Malware/spyware remover.
ComboFix Spyware remover.
HiJackThis Malware/spyware remover.
Malwarebytes Malware/spyware remover.
Returnil Virtual environment, anti-malware, restore.
RootRepeal Rootkit detector.
Spybot Search & Destroy Spyware remover.
SuperAntiSpyware

Browsers:

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Firefox Browser.
Addons for Firefox:
Addons posted: AdBlock, NoScript, Download Status Bar, Gmail Checker, Webpage screenshot, Smoothscroll, Chrome Gestures, GleeBox, Better Gmail, Docs PDF Powerpoint Viewer, FastestChrome, LastPass, WOT, AdThwart, Google Translator, CustomizeGoogle, SecureLogin, Classic Compact Theme, IE Tab, All In One Sidebar, SpeedyFox, Read It Later, Readability, Skipscreen
Google Chrome Browser.
Comodo Dragon.

Backups:

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Acronis True Image Disc imaging.
DriveImage XML Backup and recovery.
GetDataBack Data Recovery.
Macrium Reflect Disc imaging.
Norton Ghost
Paragon Backup and Recovery v10.1 Free

Partitioning:

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Easeus Partition Master

Security:

Start-Up Managers:

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RunAlyzer Autostart & configuration manager.
System Ninja Start-up manager, process manager, CCEnhancer, and more.
TuneUp Start-up manager with misc optimization tools.

Cleaners:

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ATF Cleaner Cleaner.
CCleaner Cleaner.
CCEnhancer Support for more apps in CCleaner.
Fcleaner Cleaner.
NTREGOPT Registry optimizer up to XP.

Defraggers:

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Defraggler
PerfectDisk
Puran Defrag

Data Recovery:

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Recuva File recovery.
Restoration File recovery.

Uninstallers:

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Revo Uninstaller

Portable Apps:

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Computer Repair Utility Kit 57 portable computer repair tools for a USB.
Puppy Linux on USB
SpaceSniffer Portable application that lets you understand how folders and files are structured on your disks.

Remotes:

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Proxy Pro Remote access for Win, Mac, and Linux.
TeamViewer Remote access and sharing.

Programming:

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JAVA

Server Related:

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Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

Virtual Boxes / Emulator:

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DeepFreeze Virtual environment.
Returnil Virtual environment, anti-malware, restore.
Sandboxie Install and run apps in virtual environment.
ShadowDefender Virtual environment.
VMware Virtualization software.

Network and/or VPN Related:

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Broadband Tests and Tools
DNS Jumper Troubleshooting DNS issues as well as setting up a home network. or or
Doctor Ping compare your ping.
Doctor TCP Windows utility for modifying your TCP stack.
MurGeeMon Network controller, login controller, and other utilities.
Tweak Test Test if your computer is setup correctly for broadband TCP connectivity.

FTP/SSH/SFTP/SCP:

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FileZilla FTP client.

Usenet:

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Alt.binz Usenet client.

Retrieve Product Keys:

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Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder Retrieves product keys.
Ophcrack Windows password retriever and live CD.
Windows Key Finder Windows key finder in XP. Vista, and 7.

Retrieve Lost Passwords / Password Managers:

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KeePass Password manager.
PC CMOS Cleaner Displays BIOS passwords and can reset to default.

Archive Packing and Extracting:

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7zip Archive utility.
Universal Extractor Archive utility.
WinRAR Archive utility.

Parity Utilities:

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QuickPar Verify, repair, and create PAR2 files.

Various Utilities:

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Allmyapps Auto app installer. Useful after a clean install.
Driverpack Solution Install and update drivers.
DriverScanner 2010 Scans your computer to provide a list of drivers that need to be updated.
FixWin Utility Repair & fix common Windows annoyances & issues.
Glary Utilities Various useful and free utilities.
Input Director Use one kb/mouse for input into multi PC’s.
Install-Block Admin tool.
JitBit Macro Recorder Macro utility.
Launchy Keystroke launcher.
Macro Express Macro utility.
Ninite Auto app installer. Great after a clean install.
Process Hacker Manipulating processes and services.
Quick Macros Macro utility.
Rizone’s Power Tools Various Windows utilities.
SOFTCAT free edition Organize software and store serials.
Workspace Macro Pro Macro utility.
Zapmessenger Erases traces of uninstalled messengers.
Zint Barcode Studio Sorts just about any type of barcode including QR codes.

Image File Mounting / Building / Burning:

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Acronis True Image Disc imaging.
Daemon Tools Lite Mount ISO’s.
Gizmo Drive Mount image files.
ImgBurn Burn, build image files.
ISO Recorder Create and burn ISO's.
Macrium Reflect Disc imaging.
Pismo File Mount Audit Mount image files.
Virtual CloneDrive Mount image files.

CD / DVD / Blu-Ray Ripping, Converting, Burning, Extracting:

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Applian Recording Suite Download, capture, record, and convert video/audio from web sites.
AShampoo Burning Studio CD/DVD/Blu Ray burner.
Burrrn Tool for creating audio CDs with CD-Text from various audio files.
ConvertXtoDVD Video converter and burner.
DVD Decrypter DVD ripper.
DVD Shrink DVD backup.
DVDFab Remove DRM and backup DVD.
Exact Audio Copy (EAC) CD ripper.
Handbrake Video ripper.
iWisoft Free video converter and editor.
mkv2vob Coverts MKV files to play on PS3.
Nero Video editing, burning, and backup.
Sonne DVD Burner DVD. ISO, and Video_TS burning.
Sony Vegas Video, audio, and blu-ray creation and production.
Super C Music/video encoder and renderer.
Xilisoft Video Converter

Media Players:

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Aimp2 Audio player.
Foobar Audio player.
GomPlayer Video player.
KMPlayer Video player.
WinAmp Audio/Video player and streamer.
VLC Player Audio/Video player and streamer ( no need for codecs )

Codec Info Tools (Audio/Video):

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Audio Identifier Audio inspector.
CodecInstaller Codec analysis.
GSpot Codec analysis.
MediaInfo For seeing what's inside media files.
Sherlock Codec analysis.

Codec Packs (Audio/Video):

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CCCP Codecs.
K-Lite Codec Packs

Codecs (Audio/Video):

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FLAC-Free Lossless Audio Codec
Real Alternative Play RealMedia files.

I am not responsible for the misuse of any of these programs. If you don't know how to use them do some research

[Kutzlor]

Very much information .. nice done.

[Es19]

Good job!

[billclinton]

Thank You , THANK you , a push of the button would show your support :P

[NUKER_PUMA]

OMG!

Awesome Even though I didn't read it all, I have to say that this is really usefull for Internet Noobs :P !

I like it, you've got my thanks ;3

I guess it was a lot of work for you ;D

Well, nice job!!

[billclinton]

thanks guys

[marocco56]

yes nice job

[GotDamned]

looks pretty good, just one thing: pls use spoilers for the longer sections

[Keyosk]

Thanks, soo much informations

[billclinton]

Thank you for the suggestions and the comments I will go through this some more and use spoilers.

Do not forget to check out the GFX card rankings guide as well located in my sig.