Monthly Disk April 2009

Freeware

Anti Virus

RemoveIT Pro 4 SE - Ver: 3.2.2009

RemoveIT Pro removes many viruses that other popular antivirus software cannot discover. If you can't clean your computer from worms and viruses, adware and spyware, then you should try with this software.

RemoveIT Pro is an easy-to-use security software that allows you to protect your PC.

RemoveIT Pro program is specific because he detects malicious files and viruses that many other popular programs doe not detect. It also offers you a full report of active processes with full paths and full windows startup list of files that starts on windows startup.

Locate and remove many new dangerous files including Spyware, Malware, Virus, Worm, Trojan and Adware that other popular AV programs cannot find.
Minimum requirements: Windows all

Audio

Express Rip - Ver: 1.58

Express Rip is a program that lets you extract digital audio tracks directly from audio CDs to either Wave (wav) or MPEG Layer-3 (mp3) files on your hard drive.

Express Rip is a tool that allows you to digitally extract tracks.

By using direct digital extraction pure audio quality is maintained and the process is very fast. At the time of release, Express Rip was determined to be the fastest free CD ripper available.

Here are some key features of "Express Rip":

Converts audio CD tracks to wav or mp3 files.
Quality CD digital audio extraction (ripping).
Fastest free CD Ripper available.
Complete control over mp3 encoding including Constant and Variable modes at selectable bitrates.
Automatically uptypes the displayed track-list when a CD is ejected or inserted.
Ability to rename tracks prior to loading.
Simple, easy to use interface.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

LP Recorder - Ver: 8.0

Preserve your valuable vinyl LP's and cassettes - record them to CDs or MP3 Files.

Now you will never have to worry about scratching your LP's again. You will also be able to play your LP music in your car or any other CD player that can play recordable CD's!

To record a vinyl LP to convert to a CD or MP3 Files you need to use a 'WAV file recorder' to store a WAV format file on your hard disk. Most general purpose WAV recorders are packed with functions. They tend to be complicated and time-consuming to configure and use.

LP Recorder has been designed with one purpose in mind - to record vinyl LP's. Connect the tape or line output from your stereo to the line input of your soundcard, select the recording input, enter a filename and press the record button.

You can also record from your cassettes or tapes, CDs, radio, MiniDisc player - or anything else that you can connect to your soundcard's line-in input.

Once you have the LP recording on your hard disk, use LP Ripper, or any other program you may prefer use, to automatically split it into separate tracks ready to burn to a CD or to create MP3 files to play on an Apple iPod or similar portable MP3 player.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Backup

Microsoft SyncToy - Ver: 2.0

Microsoft SyncToy enables you to backup and synchronise your files and folders between two locations on a local or removable drive.

It offers an easy to use step-by-step interface as well as advanced options that allow you to set file filters, include or exclude sub-folders and more. The program supports true synchronisation (two-way) as well as Echo and Contribute which are more intended for backup purposes.

You can preview the entire operation with all actions to be taken before any files are processed. Other features include command-line options and scheduling (via Task Manager).

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ .NET Framework 2.0

ozSync - Ver: 2.5.1.0

ozSync is an utility that enables you to synchronise files and folders.

Synchronise operations can be started manually, time scheduled or made in Real-Time.

Backup of replaced files can be enabled and old files will be stored in the standard $ozSyncBackup[type_time] directory. Backups of old files can be zipped at main root backup dir or relative to changed file/s location.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Simple Backup Tool - Ver: 1.2.3.43

There is very important information stored on your hard disk that you surely want to have secured somehow.

This is an very easy to use folder mirroring tool that makes it possible to have automatic backup done in defined interval or when you want to do the backup into another drive or folder on your computer.

This makes sure that at least this selected folders are always safe. Latest addon to this product is the possibility to have multiple master folders backed up into several target folders.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Desktop

DesktopZoom - Ver: 3.4

DesktopZoom is a zoom/magnify application with a lot of features,such as zoom around the mouse, zoom the entire desktop, zoom a fixed window, and even use the mouse inside the zoomed window.

Here are some key features of "DesktopZoom" :-

  • Zoom an area around the mouse, zoom a fixed window or zoom the entire desktop
  • Use the mouse inside the zoomed window
  • Use the mouse wheel or arrow keys to adjust the magnification strength
  • View the entire screen as a thumbnail in the right-bottom corner
  • Follow the caret
  • Change the colours to grey or invert the colours
  • Show the original screen with a transparency value between 0 en 100%
  • Show a bigger mouse and/or a crosshair
  • Save all the settings to a file for automatic loading

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Font Frenzy - Ver: 1.5.152

FontFrenzy™ tames the frenzy of fonts that can clutter and slow down Windows. The DeFrenzy function removes and stores all fonts except those that were present when Windows was first installed.

In short, it cleans up your font folder so that Windows boots quicker and runs
smoother. FontFrenzy™ helps solve the problem of Windows font overload. The
special FrenzySnap function enables you to establish "restore points" and re-install the fonts that were in your system on a specific type.

FontFrenzy™ is also a great general font manager. It has the ability to preview, print, add and delete fonts. FontFrenzy™ is fully-functional freeware - with the nag screen easily removed after a painless registration.

Limitations: After 40 days of operation you will be required to register Font Frenzy™ - free of charge.

NOTE: Some AVG users are reporting a virus in this file, Trojan.Dropper CAW. We have tested the program multiple times with multiple scanners and believe this is a false positive by AVG.

However, if you have any reservations, do not download this file.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Free&Easy Font Viewer - Ver: 2.0

You have lots of fonts to choose from.

You get annoyed every time you pick a font for a fancy birthday card or a web page logo because all the software you have is only capable of showing one font at a time. Help is at hand. Free&Easy Font Viewer gives you the opportunity to view all your installed fonts simultaneously.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista

NotesHolder Lite - Ver: 2.0 Build 131

NotesHolder allows you to quickly type in any piece of information so that you can easily find it when you need, read it or print it out for your convenience.

This is the most effective way to store all your notes without cluttering up your desk with PostIt and sticky notes.

Unlike the other similar applications, NotesHolder is very thrifty with your screen space. You can even turn off NotesHolder icon in the system tray. But if you move your mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, the list of the notes sorted by the time of creation and divided into categories will pop up. Click once to create a new note or to edit an existing one. Click once more to print the note.

Minimum requirements: Windows All

WizMouse - Ver: 1.0

WizMouse enables you to scroll the window under the mouse pointer even if the window does not have focus.

This can come very handy when you are working with multiple windows as it eliminates the need to click on the title bar (to activate the window) before you can scroll.

The program can also enable mouse wheel functionality in applications that do not support mouse wheel scrolling. WizMouse can be enabled or disabled from a system tray icon as needed.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Digital Imaging

Aoao Photo Editor - Ver. 2.9

Aoao Photo Editor helps you add image or text to photos, Aoao Photo Editor is convenient and its processing is fast, it supports many kinds of picture formats, Aoao Photo Editor is powerful.

This software supports numerous picture formats, and includes more than the common picture editing functions.

Here are some key features of "Aoao Photo Editor" :-

  • Alter batch of file names or folder names.
  • Turn over and revolve batch of images.
  • Add batch of text explain in images.
  • Add batch of images by kinds of mix ways in images.
  • Adjust batch of images eg, adjust Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Colour Balance, Invert, Sharpen, Blur, art photos and so on.
  • Protract batch of figures.
  • Transform batch of picture format.
  • Adjust batch of image measure.
  • Export serial images of flash cartoon.
  • Export batch of many screen images from film.
  • Screenshot custom area to edit at any time.
  • Export catalog listed files into text files.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

FastPictureViewer - Ver: 1.0.72.0

FastPictureViewer is perfect for quick single-image, full-screen chimping across massive amounts of multi-megapixels images, such as those produced by modern top digital cameras, within the viewing comfort of your huge computer display.

FastPictureViewer helps you work faster by taking advantage of the power of your modern multi-core / multi-processor machine and the incredible speed of your latest DirectX graphic accelerator, all working in concert to speed up your digital workflow and viewing experience to unprecedented levels.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ 2003 Vista

Photozig Albums Express - Ver: 1.0

This free program offers an excellent way to organise, view, manage, and edit your photo, by creating photo albums out of them. Once you have them organised, you can play a slideshow of each album, upload an album to a Web site, and send an album via e-mail.

You'll also be able to use the program to send the photos via e-mail, copy photos to a CD,copy them to a memory card or create a screensaver from them.

zig Albums Express also includes some very solid photo-editing tools for cropping, fixing red eye, and changing the brightness and contrast. There's also a one-click Quick Fix feature that will automatically clean up photos for you.

Creating an album is quite easy. Just point the program at a folder, and it automatically imports all photos. If you have a lot of photos on your PC, though, when you install the program, don't tell it to automatically search for and import your photos, because that could take a substantial amount of time. Unless you want to wait a while, or if you have a need to import them all at once, you'll be better off manually pointing it at folders.

This free version of Photozig Albums is a stripped-down version of for-pay software that includes both Deluxe and Premium editions. This free Express version has some limitations, such as only allowing you to copy 100 photos to a CD and only being able to e-mail 12 photos at a time. If that's problematic, you can always pay for the upgraded versions. But if you can live with the minor limitations, you'll find this Photozig Albums Express a great bet.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

VisiPics - Ver: 1.3

Just as duplicate songs somehow find their way into music libraries, so do duplicate photos seem to crop up in photo collections. Whatever the cause, duplicates sure are a nuisance.

Fortunately, there's a great freeware utility that can find and remove them for you: VisiPics.

Start by selecting one or more drives and/or folders for VisiPics to scan. Then, set the Filter slider to Strict, Basic, Loose, or somewhere in between. That determines how hard the program will look for differences in your photos.

VisiPics doesn't just look for duplicate filenames - it actually examines the contents of each photo and looks for similarities. The results are presented in a column on the left side of the VisiPics window; just mouse over any given photo and its duplicate(s) to see a preview. To mark a duplicate for deletion, click it. (The program can also move duplicates to a separate folder in case you'd rather not delete them.)

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Disk Tools

Portable WipeDisk - Ver: 1.1

Securely deletes disks and partitions using multiple passes.

Portable WipeDisk was created to securely wipe disks and partitions using advanced wiping algorithms.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Entertainment

Smooth Landing - A Gliding Video by George Skarbek

This short video is a documentary of a 300 km glider flight that illustrates some aspects about flying cross-country in a glider and the way that computers and Internet are now involved in gliding.

The video is largely made of still photos that have been made into a slideshow using the very good, and free, Microsoft product, Photo Story. The 15 second movie segment was also taken with the still camera and inserted using Adobe’s Premiere which was also used to mix the soundtrack.

This video requires a DivX Player, if you do not have this installed, the link below will do that for you.

Licence: Free
Minimum requirements: Windows all/ DivX Player

Games

Jumpman

From the Producer:-
The gameplay in Jumpman is, as the premise would suggest, pretty standard for a 2D platformer (although, about as hard as I could make it) but there are a few new mechanics added that are hopefully fun.

Most of these have to do with exploring the idea of taking a single "level" from a platformer and trying to bring out all the possibilities latent in it, thinking, if you just jostle the components or look at it from a different angle it becomes something totally different. Like, if you think about it, the levels in these games were basically just abstract blocks-- in the days before those fancy-schmancy tiles there was nothing really to distinguish wall from ceiling. You could take a level map from one of those games, hold it sideways or upside down, and half the time you'd have an equally valid level map.

So, Jumpman outright lets you do that. There are controls to "turn the world" in the middle of play and rotate things such that the walls become floors and ceilings. In a lot of levels you have to do this to progress. There's some neat things you can do with this, like sorta you can walljump by just tilting the wall just enough to get footing on it.

Features include: old-school puzzle platforming with some twists; low-definition graphics; gamepad support; and a full-level editor.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

KBall - Ver: 1.6

A game of skill and reflexes, non violent, suitable for all ages, hours of fun!

Move the ball around the level map, without falling, without running out of time, and getting the prizes, in order to reach the exit.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

SuperTuxKart - Ver: 0.6.1a

SuperTuxKart is a Free 3d kart racing game; we want to make the game fun more than we want to make it realistic.

You can play with up to 4 friends on one PC, racing against each other or just try to beat the computer. (a network multiplayer feature is under development)

See the great lighthouse or drive through the sand and visit the pyramids. Race under water or in space, watching the stars passing by. Have some rest under the palms on the beach (watching the other karts overtaking you :) ). But don't fall into the volcano.

You can do a single race against other karts, compete in one of several Grand Prix, or try to beat the high score in time trials on your own.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Home/Office

ArtRage - Ver: 2.5

Not only a competent art program, but a lesson in good design.

ArtRage is not just Microsoft’s Paint with a fancy Mac OS X interface: the paint used in ArtRage looks like the real stuff, and the brushes and tools on offer put Microsoft’s app to shame.

ArtRage has an advantage over canvas in that mediums such as chalk and oil can be mixed however you like on the same piece. And while it comes into its own with a stylus and touchscreen, using a mouse is still a lot of fun and gives great results.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ vista

Debt Reduction Calculator - Ver: 1.0

If you've gotten in over your head with debt, then you know how tough it is to get out of the hole. Each month it gets worse, as you pay off interest only, not principal.

There seems to be no end of debt in sight. However, with some smart financial planning, you can help yourself get out of debt. If you can't afford to hire a financial planner--and if you're in debt, you most likely don't have the ready cash to do that--Debt Reduction Calculator is a great alternative.

This free Excel spreadsheet and accompanying documentation includes a variety of strategies and what-if scenarios to help you get out of debt, including the "snowball" strategy in which you pay the lowest balance first, as well as others. Input your plans for paying off each of your debts, then see the results, including monthly payments, total interest you'll pay and so on. Then follow the strategy, follow its progress with the spreadsheet, and change strategies if you need to do so.

Minimum requirements: Windows all/ Microsoft Office Excel/ Open Office Calc

InstantTimeZone - Ver: 3.0.4.0

InstantTimeZone enables you to show the current time and type of up to 9 time zones in your system tray, next to your regular system clock.

The icon displays the current hour, and on mouseover or click the complete type and time are shown. You can choose between different time and type formats, select a colour for the icon and add a custom comment for the time zone.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

NW Docx Converter - Ver: 3.5

NW Docx Converter application was designed to help you convert Word 2007 Docx and OpenOffice Swx and Odt files to universal RTF format without even needing that MS Office 2007 or OpenOffice to be installed. OpenOffice files will be converted with formatting, but no images.

Command-line interface!
You can now run Docx2Rtf from the command line. There should be a space between the command line switches (-a or -f) and the file or folder you wish to convert.

ie: Docx2Rtf -a "C:My Document to convert.docx"

or

Docx2Rtf -a "C:My Document to convert.odt"

The above command line would cause Docx2Rtf to 'automatically' convert the designated file "C:My Document to convert.docx" to "C:My Document to convert.rtf"
If the file you want converted has a space in the path, you would need to enclose the file name in double quotes as indicated above.

You can convert an entire folder of documents at once with the following command:

Docx2Rtf -f "C:My Folder to convert"

The above command line would convert all docx files to rtf in the designated folder. If the folder you want converted has a space in the path, you would need to enclose the path name in double quotes as indicated above.

If you would like to convert other file types to rtf, you will need to add the file extension to the command line like this:

Docx2Rtf -f "C:My Folder to convert" odt

The above command line would convert all odt files found in the designated folder to rtf.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Personal Finances - Ver: 3.2

Personal Finances is a useful tool with lots of powerful features to help you keep your finances organised, safe, and up-to-date.

Personal Finances excludes the mere possibility of transaction classification problems to occur. It has an unlimited number of sections, categories, subsections etc. Even though this software already supports numerous currencies, it will allow users to add more, by simply stipulating the exchange rate.

Here are some key features of "Personal Finances":-

  • Quick Expense function (Adding expenses in one click).
  • AutoComplete function.
  • Scheduler.
  • Password protection.
  • Can run straight from a USB flash drive.
  • Multi-base support. Allows you to create unlimited number of databases.
  • Detailed information for any time interval.
  • Unlimited number of sections and categories.
  • Unlimited number of sub categories and sub sections.
  • Unlimited number of different currencies supported.
  • Unlimited number of accounts (wallet, bank account, credit card, etc.).
  • Expense record keeping.
  • Income record keeping.
  • Expense planning.
  • Currency exchange.
  • Sort by any field.
  • Group by same name supported.
  • Print.

Licence: Free
Minimum requirements: Windows all

Stellarium - Ver: 0.10.1

Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.

It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.

Features:

Sky:

  • Default catalogue of over 600,000 stars
  • Extra catalogues with more than 210 million stars
  • Asterisms and illustrations of the constellations
  • Images of nebulae (full Messier catalogue)
  • Realistic Milky Way
  • Very realistic atmosphere, sunrise and sunset
  • The planets and their satellites

Interface:

  • A powerful zoom
  • Time control
  • Multilingual interface
  • Acripting to record and play your own shows
  • Fisheye projection for planetarium domes
  • Spheric mirror projection for your own dome
  • Graphical interface and extensive keyboard control
  • Telescope control

Visualisation:

  • Equatorial and azimuthal grids
  • Star twinkling
  • Shooting stars
  • Eclipse simulation
  • Skinnable landscapes, now with spheric panorama projection

Customisability:

  • Add your own deep sky objects, landscapes, constellation images, scripts...

Minimum requirements: Windows all

TheSage's English Dictionary and Thesaurus - Ver. 3.1.2.1744

TheSage is a comprehensive dictionary and thesaurus that could become indispensable to writers of all sorts, including researchers, journalists, novelists, and students.

The interface is slick and well designed, and the documentation is exhaustive. The program opens with a quick introduction, but it's a good idea to read the online documentation as well--TheSage is chock full of features, some of them a bit complicated to use.

The program uses Princeton University's WordNet, which is not a standard reference work. Perhaps as a consequence, TheSage is not very trustworthy when it comes to spelling: Searches on variants like "online" and "on-line" resulted in identical results, with no mention of preferred usage. Searches on British and American English versions of the same word also produced identical results, with no mention of variants. As a result, professional editors may not find this tool terribly useful.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

Internet

DebugBar - Ver: 5.2

The DebugBar is an Internet Explorer toolbar that will help you improve and increase the web development productivity.

Here are some key features of "DebugBar":-

  • Send in one click a screenshot of the current Web Page by email.
  • Zoom on the current web page.
  • Search directly with your preferred web search engine
  • Find a word in a web Page with the "Highlight in page" function
  • Get the colour code of any pixel in the web page and anywhere on the screen.
  • Get script errors notification and send a screenshot with useful debugging information for developers in one click.
  • Directly view the DOM tree of the loaded document with syntaxing coloured HTML/JScript/VBScript/CSS code .
  • Retrieve an HTML tag directly on the page by using the "Target"
  • Access tag attributes, modify them and view the result directly in Internet Explorer without reloading the document
  • View external Javascript and CSS files attached to the document.
  • View Internet Explorer HTTP and HTTPS requests and Web Server responses
  • View defined cookies in the current loaded page
  • View all the Javascript functions defined in the page and their source code
  • Run Javascript code by using the interactive Javascript console
  • Get useful information (download time, number of images, images size) on the downloaded page.

Minimum requirements: Windows all/Internet Explorer

Feed Reader - Ver: 3.13

Feedreader is a free RSS and Atom Aggregator for Windows.

It has a stripped down but configurable three pane interface similar to NetNewsWire on Mac OS X. It was one of the first desktop Feed Reader 3.13s as versions of the program were distributed as early as March 2001.

The company behind Feedreader even goes as far to claim that it was the first desktop Feed Reader ever.

Minimum requirements: Windows 95/ Me/ 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

IECacheView - Ver: 1.25

IECacheView is a small utility that reads the cache folder of Internet Explorer, and displays the list of all files currently stored in the cache.

For each cache file, the following information is displayed: Filename, Content Type, URL, Last Accessed Time, Last Modified Time, Expiration Time, Number Of Hits, File Size, Folder Name, and full path of the cache filename

You can easily save the cache information into
text/html/xml file, or copy the cache table to the clipboard and then
paste it to another application, like Excel or OpenOffice Spreadsheet.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Java Runtime Environment - Ver: 6 Uptype 12

This software allows you to run applications called "applets" that are written in the Java programming language. These applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D. Corporations also use applets for intranet applications and e-business solutions.

Java technology was created as a computer programming tool in a small, secret effort called "the Green Project" at Sun Microsystems in 1991.

As it turns out, the Internet was ready for Java technology, and just in time for its initial public introduction in 1995, the team was able to announce that the Netscape Navigator Internet browser would incorporate Java technology.

Now, nearing its twelfth year, the Java platform has attracted over 5 million software developers, worldwide use in every major industry segment, and a presence in a wide range of devices, computers, and networks of any programming technology.

Today, you can find Java technology in networks and devices that range from the Internet and scientific supercomputers to laptops and cell phones, from Wall Street market simulators to home game players and credit cards -- just about everywhere.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Phex - Ver: 3.4.2 Build 116

Phex is a file sharing tool that allows you to share and download files and that features a very easy to use graphical interface.

Multi-source downloads (Swarming).

Often the file you like to download is available on different hosts. Phex will request different segment of the file from each host in parallel. After successfully downloading a segment Phex will merge it with the other segments of the file. This results in a much higher download speed. If a host is too slow the segment is split during download and given to an another host. To make sure you never run out of hosts Phex is able to find new download hosts by itself with the automatic search functionality.

Download resuming across different hosts.

If you download host is lost Phex is able to resume your download from a different host that offers the same file. You are able to add download canditypes from search results, but thanks to the automatic search functionality Phex is even able to find new download hosts by itself.

Automatic search functionality to find new download canditypes.
Phex offers a research functionality that will find new download canditypes automatically for you. You can even specify the search terms used for research.

Phex will look for files that match the file hash or the search terms and the file size of the download. Combined with the resume download feature across hosts and the multi-source download Phex offers you a very powerfully download engine.

Phex is also able to constantly snoop traffic that goes through the network to look passively for new download canditypes.

Advanced configuration options.

Phex offers very advanced configuration options. Much more then many other clients can offer. Especially advanced user can configure Phex according to there needs and are able to tune and see the effect of different settings.

Passive searching and snooping for files.

With the passive search functionality Phex is able to constantly monitor the traffic that goes through the network and collect search results that match your passive search term. Also Phex snoops the traffic for new download canditypes you need to finish your downloads faster. This type of searching is usefully for longtime monitoring of available files on the network.

Minimum requirements: Windows all/ Java Runtime

PicLens For Firefox - Ver: 1.9

An interesting way of viewing images from websites such as Flickr.

The pictures are displayed as a photowall with a smooth 3D effect when scrolling through.Unlike some photo displays, this makes it easier to view images as they are loaded in the background, so there is less time spent waiting for new pages to load.

Minimum requirements: Windows 9x/ Me/ NT/ 2000/ XP/ Vista/ Firefox

RSSOwl - Ver: 1.2.4

RSSOwl is a free RSS / RDF / Atom newsreader written in Java using SWT as graphic library. With RSSOwl it is possible to read all RSS versions (includes RDF).

RSS ("Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary") is a document specification that gives users the power to collect and organize Web-based news and information in a more efficient manner.

Applications that collect data from RSS-compliant sites are called RSS readers or "aggregators". RSSOwl is such an application. It lets you gather, organize, uptype, and store information from any compliant source in a convenient, easy to use interface, save selected information in various formats for offline viewing and sharing, and much more.

RSSOwl is also free, fast, cross-platform, and unobtrusive. It's easy to install, easy to use, and easy to move.

Why "Owl"? The owl is a traditional symbol of wisdom, and a quiet, efficient hunter. You'll find RSSOwl's "big eyes" a big help when scanning the Web's vast array of RSS resources.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Vuze - Ver: 4.0

Vuze implements the BitTorrent protocol using java language and comes bundled with many invaluable features for both beginners and advanced users.

Here are some of the features of this program :-
  • Multiple torrent downloads.
  • Upload and download speed limiting, both globally and per torrent.
  • Advanced seeding rules.
  • Adjustable disk cache.
  • Only uses one port for all the torrents.
  • UPnP sets the forward on your router.
  • Can use a proxy, for both tracker and peer communications.
  • Fast resume.
  • Can set a default download dir and move completed files.
  • Can import torrents automatically from a set dir.
  • Highly customisable interface.
  • IRC plugin included for quick help.
  • Embedded tracker, host your own torrents, automate your shares (periodic scanning of a dir)...
  • Distributed Hash Table: host on it a completely decentralised torrent and/or benefit from it when the tracker is offline.

Minimum requirements: Windows 98/ Me/ NT/ 2000/ XP/ Vista/ I.E 5.5 & up

Multi Media

Unstoppable Copier - Ver: 3.56

This program is great for recovering files from scratched CD's or defective floppy/hard disks. Normally when your computer is unable to copy a file from a damaged disk it will abort and delete the portion of the file it has copied.

This program however will continue to copy the file right to the end. Any data that is not recoverable after many retries is replaced with blanks. This will allow you to truly recover every byte of information that is available for recovery.

The program allows you to specify a single file, a group using wildcards (* and ?) or if you wish, select a starting folder and the program will copy all data from it and any sub folders it may contain. This program doesn't just need to be used for copying files form defective disks, it can be used to transfer any files!

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Vista Codec Package - Ver: 5.1.2

Codecs have been a problem for most users at one time or another. This is because there has never been an 'out of the box' working solution that the average computer user could install and just have everything work properly from the beginning.

The installer will automatically remove most other popular codec releases from your computer before installing this concise yet comprehensive package. You won't need to make any adjustments or tweaks to enjoy your media content immediately. Windows Media Player and Vista's Media Centre will instantly recognize all your files as playable.

Vista Codec Package does not contain a media player software and it will not associate filetypes. With this package installed you will be able to use any media player, limited only by the players' capabilities, to play all movies and video clips. Streaming video is supported in several formats in all popular web browsers.

Users of VCP have the ability to choose what is installed and where to install it using the public redistributable. After installation you can select to remove specific portions without removing the entire package. You can also re-add the removed items at any time.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

PDF

PDFCreator - Ver: 0.9.7

PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDF files from nearly any Windows application.

Key Features:

  • Create PDF's from any program that is able to print
  • Security: Encrypt PDF's and protect them from being opened, printed etc.
  • Send generated files via eMail
  • Create more than just PDF's: PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP, PCX, PS, EPS
  • AutoSave files to folders and filenames based on Tags like Username, Computername, type, Time etc.
  • Merge multiple files into one PDF
  • Easy Install: Just say what you want and everything is installed
  • Terminal Server: PDFCreator also runs on Terminal Servers without problems
  • And the best: PDFCreator is free, even for commercial use! It is Open Source and released under the Terms of the GNU General Public License.

NOTE: This program's installer will try and change your default search engine to Yahoo. If you do not want this to happen, please remove the tick from the relevant box.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Registry

Mz Registry Backup - Ver: 1.3

Backup your registry by removing gaps and wasted space.

With this program you can backup and restore your registry. You can perform a complete or a custom registry backup.

Over time registry data becomes scattered within the registry file and when information is deleted from the registry holes are left which fragment the data within the registry.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ NET Framework 2.0

O&O RegEditor - Ver: 1.0

O&O RegEditor is an editor for the Windows Registry that can be used as an alternative to Regedit

It offers enhanced search capabilities, quick access to registry keys with user favourites.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

Security

Agnitum Spam Terrier - Ver: 2.0.164

Powerful, self-learning spam filter that can be deployed and used with popular email clients to keep unwanted messages out of your inbox.

It detects and quarantines most spam automatically, relieving you of the hassle of manually delete junk mail from your inbox. It saves time and frustration and keeps you safe, from potentially malicious content and unnecessary distractions.

Spam Terrier gives you back your inbox at no cost — the software is free and uses minimal computer resources. It also takes very little time and effort to set up and maintain.

Spam Terrier’s Bayesian filter, the core processing engine, can be trained to improve spam recognition efficiency with each incoming email. Because spam is different for different people, you get to define what should be considered spam for your purposes.

By training Spam Terrier on what constituted spam in the past, you can demonstrate to the program the characteristics (or definite such as “cheap Viagra”) of spam that can be applied to your future correspondence. The filter then learns certain behaviour/appearance patterns and applies this knowledge to categorize future mail.

Spam Terrier will support The Bat!, Windows Mail, Outlook Express, Outlook (all versions), 64-bit email clients, as well as the ability to handle more than one email account.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista

a-Squared HiJackFree - Ver: 3.1.0.19

No matter how much anti-spyware protection you've got on your PC, it's not enough. Spyware is notorious for being able to slip through the cracks of anti-malware software, and you're best off if you have more than one anti-malware tool on your PC.

That's where this freebie comes in. Use it as a backup to your main anti-spyware program for extra protection.

It doesn't offer "live" protection like some other programs. Instead, use it to examine your system, to see if it's been infected, then kill the malware. It's a surprisingly powerful tool, and with far more features than we can cover here.

But here are the basics: Run it and click the Online Analysis button, and it will check your system for malware, and issue a report online. If it finds any nasties, it will tell you. You can then use the program to delete the malware.

There's plenty more here as well, including tools for viewing what programs are using your TCP ports, and examining programs that run on startup. For a free program, it's surprisingly powerful.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista

FreeFixer - Ver: 0.32

FreeFixer is a free removal utility which will help you delete potentially unwanted software such as viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, and rootkits.

FreeFixer works by scanning a number of locations where unwanted software has a known record of appearing or leaving traces.

The scan locations include the programs that starts when you reboot your computer, the programs that run on your computer, your browser plug-ins, your home page settings etc.

FreeFixer does not know which the bad files and settings are, so the scan result will contain many items you want to keep and perhaps some that you want to delete. It is up to you to decide. Please be careful! If you remove a legitimate file you may damage your computer.

To assist you when determining if anything should be removed you can find additional information at FreeFixer's web site for the items in the scan result. You can, for example, see what other users chose to do in the same situation.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003 Vista

Password Depot - Ver: 4.0

Password Depot protects your important and confidential passwords from external access while offering maximum user-friendliness.

The integrated Password Generator creates virtually uncrackable passwords which can be inserted into the corresponding field using drag & drop. The auto-completion function will automatically complete fields on a web page with user name and password. You can also generate individual auto-complete sequences using the integrated editor.

USB stick support allows installing Password Depot on a USB flash drive. That way you have access to your passwords from any PC. You can also place your encrypted password lists on the Internet and enjoy access to all of them, no matter where you are!

The server module allows simultaneous access to password files that are available on a network by several users. The system or network administrator assigns certain rights to the clients. For example, he can determine if files may only be opened in read-only mode or if they may be modified.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista

Utilities

ClipMagic - Ver: 3.2.5

ClipMagic is an information manager which provides extended clipboard capabilities to save all clips for later use.

A major shortfall in Windows is that the clipboard can only store one item at a time, each item obliterating the last.

Our free clipboard program stores clips in a convenient categorised format with information; about the window the clip came from, the URL if it came from a web page and the time and type of clip.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

CrystalDMI - Ver: 1.0.5

CrystalDMI displays the DMI (Desktop Management Interface) and SMBIOS (System Management BIOS) information, which includes a wide variety of data about the current system, its processor, cache, memory, etc.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Extended Task Manager - Ver: 1.0.4.10

The Task Manager has always been an essential part of the Windows operating system. If your system runs slowly or is unresponsive, it’s the first port of call to check for running applications.

You try and find if one of these processes are causing CPU load to increase and, if so, you can try and close the problematic process.

The trouble with the standard Task Manager is that it’s fairly basic and you can’t always get all the information you require, causing confusion when you try and find the processes that’s affecting your system. This leads some users seeking an alternative.

The Extended Task Manager is designed to provide additional Windows process management features and information about disk activity and network port usage. The "Disk I/O" chart allows you to monitor which applications utilises most of your disk during a particular task.

There is also a network port monitoring feature that allows you to view anyone connected to your computer and from which IP address and another useful feature is the ability to locate Windows processes that lock a specific file. For example, if you are unable to delete or rename a file, you can quickly find how it is used and possibly exit or kill the application that locks it.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista

eXtreme - Ver: 5.2

eXtreme is a file manager for advanced users. It was designed to be a replacement for the XTREE GOLD file manager on the windows environment.

In particular it has integrated support for long file names and uses the windows 32-bit protected memory system.

This product was developed completely independently of Executive Systems and contains no code derived from the original XTREE GOLD product. Executive Systems does not endorse or supports this product in any way.

This version of eXtreme File Manager requires the following: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME. Original Windows 95 users may need to install MSVCRT.DLL before using eXtreme.

Features:
  • 80% of the original XTGOLD Version 3 'Look and Feel'.
  • 20% all new key strokes. True 32-bit protected text-mode Windows application.
  • Windows long file name support (by design).
  • Split screen support.
  • Recordable keyboard macro support.
  • Mouse support.
  • Windows clipboard support.
  • Arbitrary screen mode support under Windows NT/2000/XP.
  • Tab command line completion.
  • Customisable colour and frame characters.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

File Replicator - Ver: 1.1.2.0

File Replicator is a nifty, sparse, little utility which can be of great use to anyone who has a lot of duplicate copies of the same file scattered hither and yon across their hard drive.

This can be a set of default data, a "Readme" which is the same for many different programs, a license agreement, or many other things.

Using File Replicator, you can pick one version of this file (ideally, the latest) and set the program scurrying through your hard disk, finding all other copies of the file. It can then replace them all with your chosen version. File Replicator includes many safeguards to keep you from accidentally stomping on the wrong thing - you choose a root folder for the search, you can choose to search only and not replace, and before you replace, you're shown a list of the files to be replaced.

File Replicator can be useful in corporate environments to make sure that all copies of an important document - for example, HR policies or vacation schedules - are up-to-type.

NOTE: This program is donationware. It is free to try, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

HashTab - Ver: 2.3.0

HashTab is a Windows shell extension which adds a tab called "File Hashes" to the Windows Explorer file properties.

HashTab will allow you to see file hash information.

The tab contains the MD5, SHA1 and CRC-32 file hashes. These are common hashes that are used to verify the integrity and authenticity of files. Many download sites list the MD5 hash along with the download link.

The HashTab makes it very simple for Windows users to check these hashes on any file on the system without using external tools.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

InsideClipboard - Ver: 1.10

Each time that you copy something into the clipboard for pasting it into another application, the copied data is saved into multiple formats.

The main clipboard application of Windows only display the basic clipboard formats, like text and bitmaps, but doesn't display the list of all formats that are stored in the clipboard.

InsideClipboard is a small application that will display the binary content of all formats that are currently stored in the clipboard, allowing you to easily save the content of specific format into a binary file.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

JustCloseSomeTasks - Ver: 1.12

JustCloseSomeTasks is an utility to let you easily close inactive tasks. It saves taskbar space by offering you to close the stuff you've not used for a while.

Tasks are automatically marked for closing when they're not used for a certain time period (expiry time). The program will learn your behaviour and adjust this expiry time.

When you use a lot of programs, and many at the same time. Because of this when a lot of windows are open the taskbar becomes cluttered and one tends to lose the overview required. JustCloseSomeTasks knows which programs you have not used and helps you manage.

NOTE: If running this program under Vista, one has to run it as the Administrator.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder - Ver: 2.01

Magical Jelly Bean's Keyfinder quickly and efficiently finds the product keys for installed programs, then lets you print them for safekeeping.

It's compatible with all versions of Windows and can dig up the keys for your operating system, Office apps, and various other programs. On my machine it found keys not just for Windows XP and Office 2003, but also for Command and Conquer: Generals.

Keyfinder is fast, free, and incredibly handy. It doesn't even require installation. I recommend it not just for those migrating to new PCs, but for anyone who wants to keep a hardcopy of important product keys.

Minimum requirements: All

Mz Cpu Accelerator - Ver: 3.1

Mz Cpu Accelerator is an application that automatically changes the priority of the foreground window, by allocating more Cpu power to the currently active application (program-game).

Mz Cpu Accelerator automatically de-allocates cpu priority when a new active application is used. All this procedure, can lead to an enormous performance gain!

Minimum requirements: Windows all/ .NET Framework 2.0

SetFSB - Ver: 2.1.94.0

SetFSB is a program that gives you control and diagnosis of your CPU.

NOTE: Do not use this program unless you are fully aware of what you are doing .

WARNING: If you are a beginner, do not use this software.
This software is for power users only.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

svchost Viewer - Ver: 0.3.0.0 RC 1

This is a handy little program that will let you see exactly to see what all those svchost.exe's are running.

This app will give you the information you need like; Name, Description, Seri vice Information, the program path and command line arguments.

No install station required.
Opensource
Only requirement is that you have .net installed (ver 2.0 or newer).
Work in Windows XP (sp2) and Vista.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista

TCC/LE - Ver: 10.00.48

If you are frustrated by the limitations of the Windows command prompt, TCC/LE is the one tool you truly need. By adding thousands of features that Microsoft omitted, TCC/LE makes the command line easy to use, giving you more power and flexibility than you ever imagined.

TCC/LE replaces CMD.EXE, the Windows command processor, and adds features such as extensive context-sensitive online help, plugins, aliases for commonly used commands, a powerful command line editor, history recall, filename completion (even across a network), popup command and directory history windows, and extended directory searches that can take you to any directory on your system by entering only part of its name.

TCC/LE expands the Windows file handling commands and by doing so it gives you the ability to copy, move, delete, or list multiple files with a single command. You can select or exclude files from any command by their type, time, size, and extended wildcards for extraordinary flexibility.

Enhanced command line editor
with history, filename completion and cut & paste

Built-in screen scrollback buffer
lets you review or print output from past commands at any time

Enhanced Directory Navigation
lets you quickly browse and change directories

Built-in file viewer
includes scrolling, search, and print capabilities

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ 2003/ Vista

Video

Google Video Downloader - Ver: 3.18

Google Video Downloader is an easy to use software application that enables you to download videos from Google.com and save them to your P.C., iPhone, iPod, Mobile Phone, PSP within one click.

You don't need any players to play flash video just play it on the default media player classic. No extra codecs or players needed.

Save the downloaded video into various formats: .avi, .mpeg, .flv, .wmv. Simply paste the URL of a video into the program, press Add, and the file will be downloaded into the selected folder. Just run Google Video Downloader and start downloading!

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Riva Tuner - Ver: 2.23

RivaTuner is the most powerful tweaking utility for NVIDIA and ATI display adapters.

The purpose of this utility is to give you access to all the undocumented features of Detonator and Catalyst drivers. Drivers have a lot of undocumented registry entries.

Some of them don’t affect anything, but there are some that are very useful. In general, they cannot give you big performance boost but they can improve image quality and solve some compatibility problems. RivaTuner will help you to change all undocumented registry entries. It supports all versions of Detonators (now called ForceWare) drivers under Windows 98 / Windows 98 SE / Windows ME (Detonator 5.08 or higher under Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Vista).

NOTE: This program is not for the inexperienced user.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

WebVideoCap - Ver: 1.35

WebVideoCap is a very small program that will let you save the .flv files you encounter on a webpage.

After the entire video file is downloaded and played by the Web browser, the video file is saved in the folder that you selected, and you can play it offline later with any Flash Video player.

WebVideoCap can capture the video files of most popular video-sharing sites, including Google Video, Yahoo Video, iFilm, Metacafe, Putfile, and more...

NOTE: If the video file is already saved in your browser's cache, WebVideoCap won't be able to capture it.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista