plugins are useless - why use plugins

My system specs aren't as good as yours, and I don't have any of the problems you listed. So I wonder, what's the difference? Here are some of my thoughts:

1) I don't use any antivirus software. I don't download programs from untrusted sites on the net, nor do I open attachments from people I don't recognize, so I don't feel like I need one. I've never been infected with a virus in 10+ years of PC computing. All the antivirus software I've ever tried slows down my system considerably. I assume this is because the virus checker has to scan every file as it is opened and check every command that goes through the processor. I just find it easier and faster doing without one.

2) I tried Zone Alarm for about 2 days. It didn't cooperate well with TLB (specifically the mail monitor plugin), so I deleted it and hooked up a hardware firewall. Hardware firewalls will always be more secure and resource friendly than software. If you can afford one, I highly recommend it.

3) I used MBM for a while, but quickly realized that it didn't tel me nearly enough useful information to justify all the resources it was using. My CPU temp never varied much, my fan speeds were pretty consistant, and the rest of the information was either useless or not supported by my hardware. Cool to have? Sure. Useful? Possibly for troubleshooting, but not much else. I prefer not to use it.

4) Window Blinds? On Windows XP? I don't see the point. You can do anything Window Blinds can do (and more) easier with Visual Styles. You can't get rid of Visual Styles in XP, so why add more software (and use more resources) to duplicate its functionality? As for the rest of Stardock's stuff, that's your call I suppose. Personally, I think it's far too resource hungry for what little it does. If you look around, you can find free software to duplicate the effects you want (TLB's plugins for instance).

5) I hate Nero, but that's just my opinion. Nero found all sorts of creative ways to use up my system resources, even when it wasn't running. That's one of my pet peeves: if I'm not using it, I don't want it taking up resources. I've found several other good programs to handle all my burning, ripping, and emulation needs.

6) Bug reports don't do us much good without version numbers. If you've got a problem with one of the plugins, (CD, NetMon, etc), let us know what version you're using. Yuri updates the software very regularly. The better you help him reproduce and/or understand your bug, the sooner he'll have it fixed. Also, what sort of internet connection do you have (cable/dsl, dial-up, T1, etc)? Also, it'd be a good idea to search the forums and the TLB FAQ to see if the problems you're having are addressed there.

7) My suggestion: unload (not uninstall) all the software I listed above (as well as any other non-essential programs and utilities) and try running TLB "clean". If you still have problems, by all means post the details so Yuri can see about fixing them. If not (which is my suspicion), reload your software one at a time, and see which one is causing a conflict, then post that here as well. Yuri can't make TLB more friendly to other programs if he doesn't know which ones it doesn't get along with. If you spent the $20 (or whatever) to register your copy of TLB, why wouldn't you want to take advantage of this free access to the devloper to make it better?

8) For future reference, any who cares enough about TLB to read these topics won't respond well to you bashing any of its components. If you got a problem, try to help us duplicate and isolate it so it can be fixed.