security essentials

security essentials is free anivirus antspyware tool free from microsoft. i have been using this since it was released. so far i like how it works. in the past i have used avast, avg, macafee, and norton. i like this one much better. i almost forget that it is there.
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

wireshark

wire shark is network protocol analyzer available for free download at their site. with this tool you can see every packet that passes through your network. this good for troubleshooting a slow network among other things. this is also a good way to learn protocols and what do.

http://www.wireshark.org/

vmware

vmware is a great tool for learning IT. there is a free version for home use to download from their site. this product allows you to get hands on experience with different operating systems client or server by abstracting the hardware from the software. now you can learn linux, servers, old OSs, or new OSs on your home computer without having dedicated machines, just resources (RAM and disk space). if it is windows you are trying to learn, you will have to buy the operating system. the best thing other than not having to investing in new hardware is if you ruin the operating system you can just start over. thats how you learn.

http://www.vmware.com/products/server/

my first post

this is a blog about and where to find what i have learned as an it tech