Monthly Disk June 2011

Freeware

Anti Virus

Kaspersky TDSSKiller - Ver: 2.4.21.0

A rootkit for Windows systems is a program that penetrates into the system and intercepts the system functions (Windows API). It can effectively hide its presence by intercepting and modifying low-level API functions.

Moreover it can hide the presence of particular processes, folders, files and registry keys. Some rootkits install its own drivers and services in the system (they also remain “invisible”).

Kaspersky Lab has developed the TDSSKiller utility that allows removing rootkits.

The utility supports 32-bit and 64-bit operation systems.
The utility can be run in Normal Mode and Safe Mode.
It detects and removes the following malware :-

• malware family Rootkit.Win32.TDSS;
  
• bootkits;
  
• rootkits. <>

How to disinfect a compromised system :-

• Download the TDSSKiller.zip archive and extract it into a folder on the infected (or possibly infected) computer with an archiver (WinZip, for example);
  
• Run the TDSSKiller.exe file;
  
• Wait until the scanning and disinfection completes. A reboot might require after the disinfection has been completed.
  

Rising Antivirus 2011 - Ver: 23.00.24.98

Rising Antivirus protects your computers against all types of viruses, Trojans, Worms, Rootkits and other malicious programs. With it´s Easy to use, Active Defence technology, Patented Clean Unknown Virus and Smartupdate technology, Rising lets you focus on what you really want to do.

Rising Antivirus Free Edition is a solution with no cost to personal users for home and non commercial use.

Features :-

• Anti virus, worms, trojans
  
• Anti Rootkit
  
• Mail Protection(POP3/SMTP)
  
• Application Protection(RISING unique Account Safe function protects your online bank, online game, MSN, E-mail account, Yahoo Messenger and other private information.)
  
• Proactive Defence(protects your security safe from malicious program)
  
• Application Access Control
  
• Program Startup Control
  
• Malicious Behaviour Detection
  
• Hidden Process Detection
  
• Multiple Languages
  
• High Speed Update Service
  
• Support Service
  

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2008/ 7

Audio

1by1 - Ver: 1.73

1by1 is a small and versatile audio player for MP3 and dll/plugin supported audio formats like WAV, OGG, MP2 or CD Audio. Without the need for a playlist it plays multiple files from a directory or a whole disk.

You can simply start your tracks in an explorer-style file view, load them through the command line (e.g. if associated with file type) or drag them over the window.

The player focuses on easy file handling and enhanced play features. You won't find visual goodies like fullscreen plugins* or skins. But 1by1 has extra features like built in dynamic audio enhancing, track mixing, file searching, Cue sheet and Playlist support. Note: In some cases configuring additional files may be required: for MP3 the mpglib.dll if no system decoder is installed, for other formats plugin files.

Features :-

• Directory Player (needs no playlists)
  
• Explorer like file navigation
  
• Full Resume (remembers last played track and position)
  
• ACM (MP3) and mpglib (MP3/MP2) support
  
• Winamp input plugin support
  
• Audio dynamics and stereo enhancer
  
• Directory searcher (plays whole drives)
  
• Cue sheet support
  
• Playlist support
  
• Plug in support
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Monkey's Audio - Ver: 4.09

Monkey’s Audio is a fast and easy way to compress digital music. Unlike traditional methods such as mp3, ogg, or wma that permanently discard quality to save space, Monkey’s Audio only makes perfect, bit-for-bit copies of your music.

That means it always sounds perfect – exactly the same as the original. Even though the sound is perfect, it still saves a lot of space (think of it as a beefed-up Winzip™ your music). The other great thing is that you can always decompress your Monkey's Audio files back to the exact, original files. That way, you'll never have to recopy your CD collection to switch formats, and you'll always be able to perfectly recreate the original music CD.

Features :-

• Efficient (fast and great compression) — Monkey's Audio is highly optimised and highly efficient.
  
• Perfect sound — absolutely no quality loss, meaning it sounds perfect and decompresses perfect (it's lossless!).
  
• Media Center™, Foobar™, WMP™, Winamp™, and more support — supported by most popular players and rippers.
  
• Easy — the Windows environment interface is both powerful and easy to use.
  
• Free — Monkey’s Audio is completely free!
  
• Error detection — Monkey’s Audio incorporates redundant CRC’s to ensure proper decompression of data (errors never go unnoticed).
  
• Tagging support — Monkey’s Audio uses its own extremely flexible APE Tags so you can easily manage and catalogue your Monkey’s Audio collection.
  
• External coder support — you can use Monkey's Audio as a front-end for all of your encoding needs.
  
• Freely available source code, simple SDK and non-restrictive licensing — other developers can easily use Monkey's Audio in their own programs, and there are no restrictive licensing agreements.
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Backup

SyncBack Freeware - Ver: 3.2.26

Easily backup, synchronise, or restore your files to another drive, FTP server, ZIP file, networked drive, or removable media.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 7

Burner

BurnCDCC - Ver: 2.0a

BurnCDCC is a remarkably small utility, that allows you to burn an ISO file to a CD or DVD disc. This can be very useful, if your burner software package does not support burning of .ISO files. Works well!

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Desktop

7 Taskbar Tweaker - Ver: 2.0

This programs enables you to tweak your Windows 7 taskbar. A tool that allows you to :-

• Reorder items within a tab group (drag’n'drop).
  
• Group/ungroup/show label/hide label per Application ID.
  
• Close/minimise/etc. multiple windows at once.
  
• Change Application ID of windows (that is, grouping whatever windows you want).
  

You can open it from the tweaker main window, from it’s tray menu, or optionally by double/middle clicking the empty space of the taskbar.

Minimum requirements: Windows 7

Camstudio - Ver: 2.0

CamStudio can record your computer's screen and audio activity and generate AVI video files. Use the built-in SWF Producer to turn the AVI files into lean, mean, friendly-bandwidth SWF files.

CamStudio can also add high-quality, anti-aliased (no jagged edges) screen captions to your recordings in seconds and with the unique Video Annotation feature you can even personalise your videos by including a webcam movie of yourself "picture-in-picture" over your desktop.

And if all that wasn't enough, CamStudio also comes with its own Lossless Codec that produces crystal clear results with a much smaller filesize compared with other more popular codecs, like Microsoft Video 1.

You have total control over the output of your video: you can choose to use custom cursors, to record the whole screen or just a section of it and can reduce or increase the quality of the recording depending on if you want smaller videos (for emailing to people, for instance) or you can have "best quality" ones for burning onto CD/DVD.

But all of these features would be worthless if CamStudio wasn't easy to use ... fortunately that's not the case. CamStudio can be learned in a matter of minutes and comes with a comprehensive built-in helpfile, so if you do manage to get stuck, you can simply hit "Help" and get the answers you need.

Here are some key features of "Camstudio" :-

• You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program.
  
• Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions?
  
• You can create video tutorials for school or college class.
  
• You can use it to record a recurring problem with your computer so you can show technical support people.
  
• You can use it to create video-based information products you can sell
  
• You can even use it to record new tricks and techniques you discover on your favourite software program, before you forget them .
  

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Desktop Earth - Ver: 2.1.1

Desktop Earth automatically updates your desktop wallpaper with a satellite image of the Earth as it would be seen from space at that precise moment.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

GooReader - Ver: 3.0.0.0

GooReader is a desktop application that allows you to read Google Books online and offline, add Bookmarks, create personal Library and save books to PDF.

Features:-

Read Google Books online and offline
GooReader provides a sweet interface for reading publicly available books and magazines on Google Books. Instead of awkward page scrolling in your browser you can get pleasure of reading on your desktop in the same way as you read hardcover books or paperback magazines. With natural mouse moves you can turn over pages, zoom pages and even make annotations and save fragments.

Create Bookmarks and personal Library
In GooReader you can create a personal Library of Google Books. This Library is saved on your hard drive so you can instantly access your favourite books even offline instead of searching them each time. Besides when you close a book, bookmark is automatically created, so the next time when you open the book, it will be opened on the bookmarked page.

Save Books and Magazines to PDF
Sometimes you may need to print Google Books or read them offline when you don't have the internet connection. Besides, most people love to read books on mobile devices (like iPad) or popular e-Book readers (like Sony Reader). In this case the PDF format is a perfect solution. GooReader allows to automatically save publicly available books and magazines to PDF files and read them offline. Note that this feature is available in paid version.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Digital Imaging

Kodak EasyShare Software - Ver: 8.3.0

Celebrate your life in pictures with Kodak EasyShare software; the simplest way to organise, print, share, and get creative. Focus on pictures. Unleash the power of your pictures with a new innovative design. Get creative.

Use the new photo greeting card templates to create personalised greeting cards at home in minutes. Stay organised. With calendar view you'll find any picture by date. Share digitally.

EasyShare software will let you share online or by e-mail without large attachments. Improve your prints. Kodak Perfect Touch technology lets you print better, brighter pictures every time. Kodak EasyShare software; it's not just better, it's the best it's ever been.

To install and run EasyShare software, log on as an Administrator.

EasyShare software requires a minimum of 200 MB of free hard disk space. If you have more than a few hundred pictures/videos in My Collection, you may need considerably more disk space, depending on the size of your pictures.

Firewall software blocks features that require access to the Internet, such as emailing, ordering prints online, accessing online services, and using the EasyShare centre. If you experience a problem, make EasyShare software a "trusted" application in the firewall configuration.

For best on-screen viewing, set your monitor resolution to 1024 by 768 pixels or higher. A lower resolution may result in some user interface elements and pictures not displaying properly.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) - Ver: 1.4.3.0

Microsoft Image Composite Editor is an advanced panoramic image stitcher. Given a set of overlapping photographs of a scene shot from a single camera location, the application creates a high-resolution panorama that seamlessly combines the original images.

Microsoft Image Composite Editor is an advanced panoramic image stitcher. Given a set of overlapping photographs of a scene shot from a single camera location, the application creates a high-resolution panorama that seamlessly combines the original images. The stitched panorama can be shared with friends and viewed in 3D by uploading it to the Photosynth web site. Or the panorama can be saved in a wide variety of image formats, from common formats like JPEG and TIFF to the multi resolution tiled format used by Silverlight's Deep Zoom and by the HD View and HD View SL panorama viewers.

Features :-

• Accelerated stitching on multiple CPU cores
  
• Ability to publish, view, and share panoramas on the Photosynth web site
  
• Support for "structured panoramas" — panoramas consisting of hundreds of photos taken in a rectangular grid of rows and columns (usually by a robotic device like the GigaPan tripod heads)
  
• No image size limitation — stitch gigapixel panoramas
  
• Support for input images with 8 or 16 bits per component
  
• Ability to read raw images using WIC codecs
  
• Photoshop layer and large document support
  
• State-of-the-art stitching engine
  
• Automatic exposure blending
  
• Choice of planar, cylindrical, or spherical projection
  
• Orientation tool for adjusting panorama rotation
  
• Automatic cropping to maximum image area
  
• Native support for 64-bit operating systems
  
• Wide range of output formats, including JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, HD Photo, and Silverlight Deep Zoom
  

Photostage Slideshow Software - Ver: 2.10

Preserve your memories with a multimedia slideshow presentation you’ll be proud to share with friends and family. Add photos and videos to the timeline, add visual interest with panning and zoom effects, and place fade transitions between slides for a professional finish.

Get it Free. A free version of PhotoStage is available for non-commercial use only. The free version does not expire and includes most of the features of the normal version.

Features :-

• Easy-to-use - Drag and drop images to arrange the slides. Or turn a folder of images into a slideshow with Quick Create.
  
• Full of effects - Includes zoom, crop, fade, panning, zooming and more to bring your photos to life
  
• Enhance your photos - Touch up or enhance your photos and videos with optimisations tools
  
• Multimedia presentations - Add thousands of photos and video clips, then add captions, music and narration
  
• Easy to share - Burn slideshows to DVD, save as video files, or optimise for the web and portable devices
  

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2008/ 8

Disk Tools

DiskSavvy - Ver: 2.8.16

DiskSavvy is a straight-forward HDD space analyser utility that will enable you to analyse your disk usage usage for multiple directories, network shares or NAS storage devices.

DiskSavvy provides multiple disk usage analysis capabilities, built-in file copy, move and delete features and user-defined profiles.

Features :-

• Maximum Number of Files - 100,000
  
• Maximum Storage Capacity - 1 TB
  
• Maximum Number of Profiles - 3
  
• Support for Long File Names
  
• Support for Unicode File Names
  
• Support for UNC Network Path Names
  
• Built-In File Management Operations
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

DriveLetterView - Ver: 1.10

DriveLetterView is a simple utility that allows you to view the list of all drive letter assignments in your system, including local drives, remote network drives, CD/DVD drives, and USB drives - even if they are not currently plugged. It also allows you to easily change a drive letter of USB devices and remote network shares, as well as to delete a drive letter of USB device that is not plugged. You can also use DriveLetterView to export the list of all drives into text/csv/html/xml file.

Using DriveLetterView

DriveLetterView doesn't require any installation process or additional dll files. In order to start using it, simply run the executable file - DriveLetterView.exe
After you run DriveLetterView, the list of all assigned drive letters is displayed on the main window of DriveLetterView.

If you want to change the drive letter of USB device or remote network drive, simply select the desired drive letter and use the 'Change Drive Letter' option (F9). If you want to remove assigned drive letters of USB devices that you don't use anymore, you can select the desired drive letter, and choose the 'Delete Selected Drive Letter' option.

Be aware that DriveLetterView doesn't allow to change or remove a drive letter of a local hard-drive. Also, you cannot change existing drive to a drive letter that is already assigned to another device.

If you change a drive letter of USB flash drive that is not currently plugged, this flash drive will get the drive letter that you choose on the next time that you plug it.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2008/ 7

PC Inspector File Recovery - Ver: 4.0

PC Inspector File Recovery is a data recovery program with support for FAT 12/16/32 and NTFS file systems. It recovers files with the original time and date stamp, even when a header entry is no longer available.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Seagate SeaTools for Windows - Ver: 1.2.0.5

SeaTools for Windows has replaced SeaTools Online and PowerMax. SeaTools for Windows is a comprehensive, easy-to-use diagnostic tool that helps you quickly determine the condition of the disc drive in your external hard drive, desktop or notebook computer.

It includes several tests that will examine the physical media on your Seagate or Maxtor disc drive and any other non-Seagate disc drive.

SeaTools for Windows tests USB, 1394, ATA (PATA/IDE), SATA and SCSI drives. It installs onto your system. SeaTools for Windows is completely data safe.

NOTE : OneTouch and FreeAgent drive users should use the diagnostic feature built into the OneTouch Manager or FreeAgent software.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Entertainment

Screamer Radio - Ver: 0.4.4

There is little reason to listen to commercial FM radio anymore, it is an old medium that provides little choice of music and is saturated with ads. For the last couple of years there has been an alternative, streaming internet radio. An alternative that has been somewhat complicated to use.

Screamer Radio attempts to remedy this problem by bringing most of the required steps into a single, easy to use, freeware program.

Features :-

Why use Screamer Radio

• It's easy to use
  
• It's not bloated
  
• It's ad free
  
• It has no spyware
  
• It has a huge database of radio stations
  
• It has a cool peak meter
  
• You can easily record what you're listening to
  
• You can hide it in the system tray
  
• You can play back on multiple soundcards
  

Supported Stream Types

• Shoutcast and Icecast MP3 Streaming
  
• Icecast OGG Vorbis Streaming
  
• WMA Streaming
  
• AAC Streaming
  

Recording Features

• Recording buffer: start recording in the middle and still save the entire song!
  
• Direct MP3 Audio stream saving, no loss of quality!
  
• Direct OGG Vorbis stream saving, no loss of quality!
  
• Or encode OGG Vorbis as MP3 using Lame
  
• Encode WMA or AAC to MP3 using Lame
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Games

R'n'D jue - Ver: 3.3

Regarding the games and levels "R'n'D jue" is intended for players who have both an eye for an attractive design and a bent especially for "puzzle games".

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Home/Office

CintaNotes - Ver: 1.4.3

CintaNotes is your essential assistant in the daily task of organising information, such as your own thoughts and ideas, article excerpts, blog postings, quotes from famous people, research data, curious facts, Wikipedia entries, you name it.

Can clip text from anywhere.
Just select it and press the hotkey!
It lets you quickly jot down and tag any useful text that you come across. Unlike browser-based tools like Google Notebook, CintaNotes does not require a web browser to work: the text-clipping "magic" works in any application that can copy text to clipboard!

Fast as-you-type searching
Retrieving information is also trivial: just open CintaNotes and start typing! Only notes containing the typed phrase remain in the list. More sophisticated search criteria are supported, like searching by title or by URL the note was taken from.

No sticky notes clutter
CintaNotes saves your screen real estate and does not clutter it with "sticky notes". All notes are neatly organised in an easily navigable list.

Run it from your flash drive
CintaNotes is a totally self-contained application, meaning that you can put it on a flash drive and run it directly from there. In this way, your notes will always be with you.

Free Unit Converter - Ver: 2.11

Free Unit Converter is a quick and effective way to make easy unit conversions between 5000 various units of measure in 21 categories.

It has an easy-to-use interface and contains most of the units commonly encountered while solving unit conversion problems.

Free Unit Converter is a powerful unit converter with conversion factors for Weight, Length, Volume, Area, Temperature, Speed, Acceleration, Time, Pressure, Power, Energy, Torque, Fractions, Computer Storage, Data Transfer and many others. Free Unit Converter converts over 5000 units of measure from one unit to another.

Everybody needs Free Unit Converter. This program was designed not only for the professionals (students, teachers, and practitioners in engineering, physics, sciences, and technical subjects), but also for ordinary users.

Free Unit Converter is a small, fast, useful, practical and powerful tool. This application has a clean, simple interface and it will also save time and increase productivity.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Kindle for PC - Ver: 1.5.0 Build 32337

Kindle for PC allows you to read more than 360,000 Kindle books on your PC. No Kindle required. Already have a Kindle? With Whispersync, you can access your library of Kindle books, notes, and more.

• Get the best reading experience available on your PC.
  
• No Kindle required
  
• Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you
  
• Automatically synchronises your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync
  
• Create new highlights, notes, and bookmarks and manage those created on your Kindle
  
• Full screen reading view, colour modes, and brightness controls offer an immersive reading experience
  
• Shop for Books in the Kindle Store
  
• Search and browse more than 540,000 books, including 96 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers. If you are a non-U.S. customer, book availability may vary
  
• Find New York Times® Best Sellers and new releases from $9.99
  
• Get free book samples - read the first chapter for free before you decide to buy
  
• Books you purchase can also be read on a Kindle
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

TurboCASH - Ver: 3.7.5.1

TurboCASH is one of the most popular fully featured, multi-company, multi-user accounting system utilities around.

TurboCASH can be customised to accommodate virtually any business’ requirements. The program is so versatile, that, if your business expands and you change to another form of ownership, (e.g., from sole proprietor to partnership, close corporation or company) or even if need to you register or de-register for VAT/GST/Sales Tax, TurboCASH can accommodate these changes with ease.

Here are some key features of "TurboCASH" :-

• User friendly interface
  
• Comprehensive, context-sensitive help
  
• Customiseable chart of accounts
  
• Comprehensive Set of Reports, especially for analysing sales
  
• Robust Access Control - Create users and passwords with different access levels
  
• OS Commerce plugin sycronising your webshop with TurboCASH's general ledger
  
• Internet Access - Process transactions from remote sites over the Internet
  
• T-Accounts View, ideal tool for non accountants
  
• Generate fixed monthly charges, ideal for Club memberships, Gym subscriptions etc
  
• Export and Import Accounts, Customers, Stock, Suppliers and Transactions in multiple formats including spreadsheets and XML
  
• Multi-Lingual including Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish and more
  
• Customiseable for different accounting and tax regimes including VAT, GST, Sales Tax etc
  
• Professional Support from qualified accountants
  
• Multiple selling prices for each stock item
  
• Quick entry using bar codes and scanners
  
• Quickbooks Converter to automatically convert Quickbooks data
  

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Internet

CrossLoop - Ver: 2.75

CrossLoop provides a quick, easy, and completely free way to give a colleague, a friend, or a relative access to your computer. After installation, your PC will be assigned a 12-digit access code each time you start the program.

You then give that number to another user to virtually share your desktop. Once connected, that user will have full access to your machine.

The odd nature of sharing a desktop cursor and the inability to add multiple users makes CrossLoop illogical for proper business presentations. However, the complete system access and 128-bit encrypted connection combine to create a great solution for low-budget, long-distance tech support. Guests can use any app and save files on your computer, as if they were sitting in front of the machine. No router configuration is required--a big plus. File transfers are now supported, but the purpose here remains collaboration: CrossLoop doesn't work without explicit permission from the host.

Since simplicity is a key attraction, it lacks more advanced features, and the connection must be made in two minutes or it times out. While the interface and the features are simple, CrossLoop offers a secure and fast method for two users to collaborate on one PC.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 7

Eusing Free Internet Window Washer - Ver: 2.9

Free Internet Window Washer is a free internet tracks eraser and privacy cleaner software. As you work on your computer and browse the Internet, you leave behind traces of your activity.

The Windows built-in functions will not protect you, most of the tracks can not be erased with them. Therefore, anyone else can see what you have been doing on your computer. Furthermore, much of your activity information takes up valuable disk space, and recovering this space can be very beneficial.

With a simple click Free Internet Window Washer securely erase your internet tracks, computer activities and programs history information stored in many hidden files on your computer. It also provides you option to clean the data from your PC more securely so that they could not be recovered.

Free Internet Window Washer allows you to erase Window's temp folders, run history, search history, open/save history, recent documents, your browser's cache, cookies, history, visited URL's, typed URL's, autocomplete memory, index.dat files, and much more. You can also easily erase the tracks of up to 100 popular applications.

Below are some of the features of this program : -

• Erase Internet Explorer Cache Files
  
• Erase Internet Explorer Browser History
  
• Erase Internet Explorer Cookies
  
• Erase Internet Explorer Typed URL's History
  
• Erase Internet Explorer Index.dat Files
  
• Erase Internet Explorer AutoComplete Memory
  
• Erase Windows Recent Documents History
  
• Erase Windows Start Menu Run/Find History
  
• Erase Windows Recycle Bin
  
• Erase Windows Temporary Files Directory
  
• Erase Windows open/save history
  
• Erase Windows MediaPlayer / RealOne Player history
  
• Erase Microsoft Office history
  
• Clear Google search history, Google toolbar history
  
• Clear Yahoo search history, Yahoo toolbar history
  
• Clear MSN search and toolbar history
  
• Cookies manager to select which cookies to keep
  
• Test mode before washing supports
  
• Support Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera
  
• Support up to 100 popular applications
  
• Customise what files and registry entries you want to erase
  
• Schedule erasing to wash your system at any time
  
• Boss key to hide all browser windows in one quick keystroke
  
• Free space on your Hard Drive
  
• Speed up your computer
  

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7

Hamachi - ver: 2.0.3.111

Hamachi will allow you to establish secure direct connections to PCs that are not accessible otherwise due to the restrictions in network setup.

For example, if your home computer is connected to the Internet via Connection Sharing or Broadband Router, you will not generally be able to access it, say, from your office.

By installing Hamachi on both computers and clicking a couple of buttons you can connect them instantly and securely. Now you can browse file shares, run remote desktop or even host a multi player game on one computer and join in from another. Just as if they were connected with a physical wire.

Hamachi is a networking technology enabling any two computers on the Internet to talk directly to each other regardless of the presence of firewalls or address translation devices on the route between them.

Most interestingly, Hamachi enables peer-to-peer communications between two computers residing behind two different connection sharing devices. In geek language - it allows for bidirectional NAT traversal.

Peer to peer connectivity becomes possible with the help of Hamachi servers that mediate the establishment of an initial contact between peers.

Once peers connect the traffic starts to flow directly between them. This not only ensures that data travels the best route possible, but it also minimises latency (ping time) and maximises transfer speeds.

Hamachi is secure. All Hamachi communications are encrypted and authenticated using industry-standard algorithms and protocols. Nobody will be able to see what two Hamachi peers are talking about.

However what is more important - Hamachi security architecture is completely open meaning that its detailed description is available for review to anyone interested.

Features:

Network Limits:
Network Capacity: Create or join up to 256 Hamachi networks.
User Capacity: Each Hamachi network can have up to 50 concurrent users.

Chat:
Peer to Peer Chat: Exchange chat messages with both on and off-line Hamachi peers.
Group Chat: Chat with all online network members at once in a single chat window.

Network Protection:
Password Protection: Require anyone attempting to join your network to present a valid network password.

Network Lock:
Lock your Hamachi networks to prevent any new members from joining. This preserves all other access control settings.

Membership Approval:
Prevent new members from having full access to your network until manually approved by you or an administrator.

Network Administration:
Member Eviction: Evict an existing member from your Hamachi network. This revokes their membership, but does not prevent them from re-joining the network.
Member Ban: Create a list of Hamachi clients (Hamachi IP addresses) that cannot join your networks under any condition.
Create Administrators: Assign one or more network members to be network administrators, and designate their specific capabilities.
Network Messages: Set a welcome or announcement messages for each network you own.

Extended Connectivity:
Low-Bandwidth Relays: Use relays to connect Hamachi clients that cannot, for any reason, establish a direct communication channel. We believe the chances of requiring a relay when using Hamachi is about 5%.

Advanced Features:
Routed tunneling: In addition to handling traffic between Hamachi clients, Hamachi can be set up to allow remote access to LAN computers that do not or cannot run the Hamachi client.

Built-in Web Proxy: Peers in your Hamachi networks may configure their Web browsers to access the Internet via your computer and therefore protect their Web traffic. This feature is typically used for securing Web surfing from untrusted locations including cyber cafes, coffee houses, hotels, etc.

Run as a Windows System Service: Run the Hamachi client as a system service. This is typically needed when running Hamachi on servers or in setups involving Windows domain authentication.

Limitations: Free for non-commercial use only. Commercial use is subject to an annual subscription fee, which allows you to network up to 256 computers, and offers fast relay. Limited to 16 computers per network

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Internet Download Accelerator - Ver: 5.9.4.1259

Internet Download Accelerator is an easy-to-use and effective download manager that can increase download speeds by up to 500 percent. It uses intellectual multi-section download to provide the best possible performance for all connection types.

The acceleration is achieved by splitting a file being downloaded into several parts and downloading these parts at the same time.

IDA resumes downloads, broken due to lost connections, network problems, and computer shutdowns, from where they left off. IDA supports download from HTTP and FTP servers, and can work through proxy-servers.

To increase usability it integrates into Internet Explorer to automatically take over your downloads. Also IDA adds a toolbar to Internet Explorer to improve your download experience.

Internet Download Accelerator will monitor the system clipboard and detect copied URL's. IDA cooperates with your anti virus program to automatically scan files after completing download.

The scheduler lets you control the operation of Internet Download Accelerator in automatic mode. You can download files at the specified time, connect to your ISP automatically, and disconnect upon completion of all scheduled downloads.

With the site manager, you can automatically pass a user name and password to a server and specify a folder for saving files downloaded from a certain site. IDA also features import and export of the download list. International users are provided with multi-language interface option.

NOTE: Internet Download Accelerator is free for non-commercial use. If you want to get the advantages of the IDA PRO or use the IDA for commercial purposes you must buy the IDA PRO license.

Here are some key features of "Internet Download Accelerator" :-

• Easy to use:
  
• intuitive, user-friendly, and customisable user interface;
  
• download lists support with rich sorting options;
  
• the floating window including download speed indicator, active downloads indicators, cart for dragging links;
  
• original Active Visual Cart technology which lets you to work with IDA without opening the main program window;
  
• support for plug-ins;
  
• skins support;
  
• Fast Update - check for availability of new versions of the program;
  
• multilingual support.
  

• dynamic multi-threaded download;
  
• resumes broken downloads from where they left off from both HTTP, HTTPS and FTP servers;
  
• scheduled operation, PC shutdown, sleep or stand-by after completing download;
  
• optimal settings for work with various connection types (dial-up, ISDN, ADSL, LAN) at various speed;
  
• FTP Explorer;
  
• support for download mirrors. Searching for and adding download mirrors;
  
• power and useful tool for management of download categories;
  
• work with ZIP archives: option to preview the contents of ZIP archives before download, option to download only files selected from an archive, option to check ZIP archives and recover
• corrupted files as well as option to unpack archives;
  
• work with RAR archives: option to check RAR archives, option to unpack archives;
  
• detailed log-file for every download;
  
• site manager for passwords and download folders management;
  
• download speed control, automatic mode for the most comfortable browsing on the Web. Manual mode for dynamic control of download speed;
  
• option to set priorities for downloads;
  
• possibility to download html-pages with images;
  
• download entire folders (including subfolders) via FTP;
  
• content recognition when working through HTTP;
  
• work with command-line;
  
• dial for dial-up connection;
  
• search for files, programs, archives and documents in IDATop.com file catalog;
  
• Smart Pause/Start. Ability to temporarily stop current downloads with option to start them later in the same order and state;
  
• rich options of tuning connection parameters HTTP, HTTPS and FTP;
  
• work behind HTTP and FTP proxy-servers, support for NTLM and NTLM-proxy authentication. IDA can automatically detect and use your browser's proxy-server settings;
  
• support for FTP over SSL/TSL;
  
• option to play streaming audio and video files while they are being downloaded. Automatic receipt of information about MP3 files when starting download;
  
• downloads history;
  
• option of dragging selected text from browser or another program onto the floating window. IDA will find links in the text and offer you to start download;
  
• ability to drag download description text from another programs. Automatic insertion of the text selected on a page opened in IE into the download description.
  
• search in the download list;
  
• option of automatic synchronisation of files on servers and your computer (autoupdate);
  
• checking downloaded files for updates (manually or automatically);
  
• marking downloaded files as unread;
  
• wide download list export/import options. Supported formats: .txt, .txtd, .lst, .urls, .ion.
  

• intellectual multi-section download. Internet Download Accelerator dynamically splits a file being downloaded into several sections and downloads all the sections at the same time. It
• increases the speed of download up to 500%;
  
• automatically restarts download when download speed decreases which helps to avoid stoppage;
  
• download speed control with automatic mode making web-surfing more comfortable.
  

• integration with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, Firefox, Mozilla, Nescape 6.0 and above, Opera 4.0 and above, others;
  
• monitoring the clipboard;
  
• integration with anti-virus programs;
  
• toolbar for Internet Explorer.
  

Minimum requirements: Windows all

JD's Auto SpeedTester - Ver: 15.3

With this program you can do regular internet speed tests in the background. It logs all your data and enables you to see at a glance what your speeds are doing over the course of the hour/day/week/month etc.

It will test your download & upload speeds your ping times, packet loss and jitter.

It will generate a CSV log file for all this data and also present you with a graphical representation. you can also create JPG`s of the graph and the manual results window. The memory usage appears to be approx < 2MB whilst in "sleep" mode (in tray) so a very small footprint

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

SmartSniff - Ver: 1.76

SmartSniff is a network monitoring utility that allows you to capture TCP/IP packets that pass through your network adapter, and view the captured data as sequence of conversations between clients and servers. You can view the TCP/IP conversations in Ascii mode (for text-based protocols, like HTTP, SMTP, POP3 and FTP.) or as hex dump. (for non-text base protocols, like DNS)

SmartSniff provides 3 methods for capturing TCP/IP packets : -

1. Raw Sockets (Only for Windows 2000/XP or greater): Allows you to capture TCP/IP packets on your network without installing a capture driver. This method has some limitations and problems.

2. WinPcap Capture Driver: Allows you to capture TCP/IP packets on all Windows operating systems. (Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista) In order to use it, you have to download and install WinPcap Capture Driver from this Web site. (WinPcap is a free open-source capture driver.)
This method is generally the preferred way to capture TCP/IP packets with SmartSniff, and it works better than the Raw Sockets method.

3. Microsoft Network Monitor Driver (Only for Windows 2000/XP/2003): Microsoft provides a free capture driver under Windows 2000/XP/2003 that can be used by SmartSniff, but this driver is not installed by default, and you have to manually install it, by using one of the following options:

Option 1: Install it from the CD-ROM of Windows 2000/XP according to the instructions in Microsoft Web site

Option 2 (XP Only) : Download and install the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools. One of the tools in this package is netcap.exe. When you run this tool in the first time, the Network Monitor Driver will automatically be installed on your system.

Microsoft Network Monitor Driver 3: Microsoft provides a new version of Microsoft Network Monitor driver (3.x) that is also supported under Windows 7/Vista/2008. Starting from version 1.60, SmartSniff can use this driver to capture the network traffic.
The new version of Microsoft Network Monitor (3.x) is available to download from Microsoft Web site.

Notice: If WinPcap is installed on your system, and you want to use the Microsoft Network Monitor Driver method, it's recommended to run SmartSniff with /NoCapDriver, because the Microsoft Network Monitor Driver may not work properly when WinPcap is loaded too.

SmartSniff can capture TCP/IP packets on any version of Windows operating system (Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/2008/Vista) as long as WinPcap capture driver is installed and works properly with your network adapter.
You can also use SmartSniff with the capture driver of Microsoft Network Monitor, if it's installed on your system.

Under Windows 2000/XP (or greater), SmartSniff also allows you to capture TCP/IP packets without installing any capture driver, by using 'Raw Sockets' method. However, this capture method has some limitations and problems:

Outgoing UDP and ICMP packets are not captured.

On Windows XP SP1 outgoing packets are not captured at all - Thanks to Microsoft's bug that appeared in SP1 update...
This bug was fixed on SP2 update, but under Vista, Microsoft returned back the outgoing packets bug of XP/SP1.

On Windows Vista with SP1, only UDP packets are captured. TCP packets are not captured at all.

On Windows 7, it seems that 'Raw Sockets' method works properly again, at least for now...

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

WinPing - Ver: 1.6.4104

Ping program; useful to test your connection. Enter a web address or a valid host name, e.g. http://www.google.com or google.com, or a valid IP address, e.g. 98.137.149.56 (IPv4) ,[2a00:1450:8006::93] (IPv6).

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Multi Media

Codec - Ver: 8.4a

One of the most advanced codec packs with essential codecs to play many popular media formats.

Codec has the most powerful, user-friendly and fully customisable installer to keep your Windows in great condition. Forget about unnecessary files and bad registry entries from other codecs.

Features :-

• DivX Pro 6.8.5 Codec Full
  
• XviD 1.3.1
  
• Cinepak Codec 1.10.0.26
  
• Ligos Indeo XP Codec 5.2820.15.58
  
• CoreAVC Video Codec 2.0
  
• CoreAAC Audio Decoder 1.2.0.575 rev.3
  
• AC3Filter 1.63b
  
• Fraunhoffer IIS Mpeg Layer-3 ACM Codec 3.4.0.0
  
• MPEG Layer-3 Audio Decoder 1.9.0.311
  
• Ogg Vorbis 1.1
  
• Ogg Vorbis DirectShow Filter Decoder 1.1.7.9
  
• Ogg Vorbis DirectShow Filter 0.9.9.6
  
• Ogg Vorbis Audio ACM Codec 0.0.3.6
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

DVDStyler - Ver: 1.8.3

DVDStyler is a cross-platform free DVD authoring application for the creation of professional-looking DVD's. It allows not only burning of video files on DVD that can be played practically on any standalone DVD player, but also creation of individually designed DVD menus.

It is Open Source Software and is completely free.

Features :-

• creation and burning DVD video with interactive menus
  
• provides several templates for DVD menus
  
• support of AVI, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGG, WMV and other file formats
  
• support of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, MP2, MP3, AC-3 and other audio and video formats
  
• support of multi-core processor
  
• allows using MPEG and VOB files without reencoding, see FAQ
  
• allows put files with different audio/video format on one DVD (support of titleset)
  
• user-friendly interface with support of drag & drop
  
• flexible menu creation on the basis of scalable vector graphic
  
• import of image file for background
  
• placing of buttons, text, images and other graphic objects anywhere on the menu screen
  
• changing the font/colour and other parameters of buttons and graphic object
  
• scaling of buttons and graphic objects
  
• coping of any menu object or whole menu
  
• dvd scripting
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

FairStars CD Ripper - Ver: 1.50

FairStars CD Ripper is a free powerful software for ripping audio CD tracks to WMA, MP3, OGG, VQF, FLAC, APE and WAV formats files on-the-fly.

Free CDDB is supported(Querying & Submitting). It supports normalisation when ripping, and also support ID3 tag. FairStars CD Ripper also supports playback with its built-in player.

Features :-

• Rips CD to WMA, MP3, OGG, VQF, FLAC, APE and WAV on-the-fly.
  
• Supports automatic volume adjustment(normalisation) during ripping.
  
• Supports multiple CD/DVD drivers.
  
• ID3 tag support.
  
• Support automatic saving ID3 Tags when converting, and also support ID3 tags display and edit.
  
• Query and submit CD disc information from/to the freedb(the Internet Compact Disc Database).
  
• Audio Playback control function Support.
  
• Easy-to-use user-friendly interface(skin support).
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 7

ISO Workshop - Ver: 1.1

Optical disc images are files storing complete copies of various media, including CD, DVD and Blu-Ray discs. They are used for backing up data from optical discs and creating exact disc copies for further replication.

The main advantage of disc images is that they are essentially exact sector-by-sector copies of original discs preserving both their content and structure. If you have a disc image in any format, you can easily recreate the original disc by burning the image to a blank CD, DVD or BD disc. And although this task may initially seem to be somewhat hard, proper software will make it a breeze – software like ISO Workshop!

Features :-

• Extract files and folders from disc image
  
• Copy disc to disc image (including Audio CD)
  
• Convert disc image to ISO or BIN format
  
• Burn ISO or CUE/BIN image to disc
  
• Supports common formats (ISO, CUE, BIN, NRG, MDF, CDI etc.)
  
• Supports CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD+R DL, BD-R/RE
  
• Supports verification of written files
  
• Free for personal and commercial use
  

NOTE : Unless you opt out, the program will install the Asktoolbar, change your home page and your default search engine.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Lame Front-End - Ver: 1.5

Lame Front-End is a graphical interface for the popular and very fast MP3 encoder and decoder - LAME. It offers easy access to all LAME parameters without the need for command line usage.

The program offers a simple mode (for beginners), which was designed according to the LAME authors guidelines (http://lame.sourceforge.net/lame_ui_example.php"), and an advanced mode which reveals additional expert options.

Lame Front-End can work in batch mode, so it can be used by external applications to encoding/decoding files, e.g. by Exact Audio Copy, CDex.

Features :-

• Converting WAV, PCM, AIFF, RAW files to MP3 (encoding).
  
• Converting MP3, MP2, MP1 files to WAV (decoding).
  
• Two modes: Simple for beginners, Expert for advanced users.
  
• Saving ID3v2 tags in the MP3 files.
  
• Integration with the Windows Explorer. Program adds a command Open with Lame Front-End to the context menu for supported files.
  
• Saving and loading LAME parameters.
  
• Small, easy to use and don´t need any installation.
  
• Portability. This program can be run from portable devices.
  
• 100% freeware (for private and commercial use). There are no limitations, adware, spyware etc.
  

Minimum requirements: Windows all

MPlayer - Ver: 2011-04-14

The MPlayer for Windows package contains the most recent builds of MPlayer for the Windows platform as well as SMPlayer and MPUI.

MPlayer for Windows provides native support for more than 192 Video and 85 Audiocodecs.

For maximum performance, the installer includes optimised builds for different CPU types. Furthermore the Full-Package includes the Binary Codec Package, while the Light-Package does not.

Features :-

• The award-winning OpenSource Media Player "MPlayer" available for Windows now!
  
• Self-contained "all-in-one" installer (made with NSIS)
  
• More than 192 Video- und 85 Audiocodecs supported natively!
  
• Latest optimised MPlayer builds by Celtic Druid
  
• Improved version of MPUI front-end (compiled with Delphi7 Professional)
  
• Binary Codec Package for Windows (included in Full-Package only)
  
• Full multi-language Unicode support (more than 20 languages to choose)
  
• Optimised builds for: Athlon-XP, Athlon-64, Core 2, Pentium-4, Pentium-4 Precott,
  
• Pemtium-M
  
• Generic build that runs on all CPUs (Runtime Detection)
  

UMPlayer - Ver: 0.92

UMPlayer is an advanced yet simple to use open-source cross-platform multimedia player that aims to fill all your needs; with over 270 built-in Audio and Video codecs.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

VLC Media Player - Ver: 1.1.9

VLC Media Player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. It doesn't need any external codec or program to work.

Features :-

• Free, Open Source and cross-platform
  
• In dependant of systems codecs to support most video types
  
• Live recording
  
• Instant pausing and Frame-by-Frame support
  
• Finer speed controls
  
• New HD codecs (AES3, Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blu-Ray Linear PCM, Real Video 3.0 and 4.0, ...)
  
• New formats (Raw Dirac, M2TS, ...) and major improvements in many formats...
  
• New Dirac encoder and MP3 fixed-point encoder
  
• Video scaling in fullscreen
  
• RTSP Trickplay support
  
• Zipped file playback
  
• Customisable toolbars
  
• Easier encoding GUI in Qt interface
  
• Better integration in Gtk environments
  
• MTP devices on linux
  
• AirTunes streaming
  
• New skin for the skins2 interface
  

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ Vista/ 7

Security

TweakNow WinSecret 2011 - Ver: 3.2.0

As a long time Windows user you might have heard about registry. The registry is a special file in your hard disk that hold most of Windows settings data. With TweakNow WinSecret you will improve the performance of your operating system.

No problem, those tasks can easily be done by simply editing the registry value. Unfortunately registry is not a friendly place for most people. Changing a wrong value in the registry may cause an unpredictable problem to your Windows.

This is why novice users should not edit registry value directly using a registry editor by themseves. In TweakNow WinSecret, we have gathered the most popular Windows registry settings and provide them for you in an easy and safe user interface.

All settings are divided in the following sections :-

• Applications
  
• Control Panel
  
• Desktop
  
• Miscellaneous
  
• Network & Internet
  
• OEM Info
  
• Special Folders
  
• Start Menu
  
• User Accounts
  
• Windows Core
  
• Windows Explorer
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Security

AVG LinkScanner 2011 - Ver: 10.0.1209

Nowadays, there are far more threats out there than plain viruses. You have probably come across the term spyware as well, however, authors of malicious codes and dangerous websites are very innovative, and new kinds of threats emerge quite often, the vast majority of which are on the Internet. Here are some of the most common :-

Exploit is a malicious code that takes advantage of a flaw or vulnerability in an operating system, Internet browser, or other essential program.

Social engineering is a common term for various techniques used to trick people into giving away their personal information (passwords, bank account details, credit card numbers etc.). A typical example of social engineering is phishing – an attempt to acquire sensitive personal data by shamming a trustworthy and well-known organisation. Usually, the potential victims are contacted by a bulk e-mail asking them to e.g. update their bank account details. In order to do that, they are invited to follow the link provided which then leads to a fake website of the bank.

Scam can be also considered a kind of social engineering; it includes false job offers, or ones that will abuse the workers for illegal activities, summons to withdraw a large sum of money, fraudulent lotteries and the like.

Hoax is a bulk e-mail containing dangerous, alarming or just bothering and useless information. Many of the above threats use hoax e-mail messages to spread.

Finally, malicious websites are ones that deliberately install malicious software on your computer, and hacked sites do just the same, only these are legitimate websites that have been compromised into infecting visitors.

AVG LinkScanner is here to protect you from all these online threats.

AVG LinkScanner is up and running immediately from the moment of installation. All basic settings have been pre-set by the manufacturer, so most of the time you will not have to worry about anything – just let AVG work in the background and protect you without any effort on your part. However, there might be situations where you need to adjust the program settings, or decide what to do with a virus infected file; this help system is here to provide detailed information and assist you with any task.

NOTE : Unless you opt out, the AVG Toolbar will be installed and your default search engine changed. This program will download the actual program - 110.6MB.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

AVG Rescue CD (for USB stick) - Ver: 100.110314a3548

You’ve installed AVG protection to help ensure you don’t get infected servers or workstations. However, if the unthinkable has already occurred, you need the AVG Rescue CD; a powerful must-have toolkit to assist with the rescue and repair of infected machines.

This software provides essential utilities for system administrators and other IT professionals and includes the following features:-

• A comprehensive administration toolkit
  
• System recovery from virus and spyware infections
  
• Adaptability for the recovery of both MS Windows and Linux operating systems (FAT32 and NTFS file systems)
  
• Ability to perform a clean boot from a CD or USB stick
  
• Free support and service for paid license holders of any AVG product
  
• FAQ and Free Forum self-help online support for AVG Free users
  

What you get:-

• Key technologies
  
• Anti-virus: protection against viruses, worms and Trojans
  
• Anti-spyware: protection against spyware, adware and identity theft
  
• Administration toolkit: system recovery tools
  

The AVG Rescue CD is essentially a portable version of AVG Anti-Virus supplied through Linux distribution. It can be used in the form of a bootable CD or bootable USB flash drive to recover your computer when the system cannot be loaded normally, such as after an extensive or deep-rooted virus infection. In short, the AVG Rescue CD enables you to fully remove infections from an otherwise inoperable PC and render the system bootable again.

Apart from the usual AVG functions (malware detection and removal, updates from internet or external device, etc.), the AVG Rescue CD also contains the following set of administration tools:-

• Midnight Commander - a two-panel file manager
  
• Windows Registry Editor– simple registry editor for more experienced users
  
• TestDisk - powerful hard drive recovery tool
  
• Ping - tests the availability of network resources (servers, domains, IP addresses)
  
• Common Linux programs and services– vi text editor,
  
• OpenSSH daemon, ntfsprogs etc.
  

The AVG Rescue CD is a free product that anyone can download. It will also include any new program versions and virus database updates. If you have any other paid AVG license, you are also entitled to receive our full round-the-clock technical support

Minimum requirements: Windows all

CryptoExpert Lite 2011 - Ver: 7.16.0

CryptoExpert Lite is a free encryption software that uses an on-the-fly encryption system to encrypt and decrypt your data. Data is stored in the encrypted form, but when it is requested by any application, it gets decrypted on-the-fly. Conversely, unencrypted data to be stored is encrypted instantaneously and then stored.

The CryptoExpert system mounts a volume file to create a "virtual drive" that appears to applications and users like any other physical drive. Any data that the user attempts to write to this drive is intercepted by CryptoExpert, encrypted, and written to the volume file.

Attempts to read from this volume are also intercepted, and the relevant data is read by CryptoExpert from the volume file, decrypted, and presented to the application trying to read the data. Dismounting the CryptoExpert "virtual drive" ensures that data cannot be read from or written to it. All data is stored encrypted within the "container".

As far as windows is concerned, there is a 'new' disk that has suddenly appeared. When the program exists or the volume is unmounted, the file system stays encrypted and there is absolutely no way anyone can recover/get the data without the pass phrase.

Here are some key features of "CryptoExpert Lite 2011" :-

• Using powerful encryption algorithm to encrypt your data: CAST 128 bit
  
• Ability to create encrypted containers (files vault) up to 20 Megabytes in size
  
• Access to your files on virtual volume on the fly
  
• Mapping any free drive letter like G:, F:, K: for virtual volume
  
• Requires password authentication before the files become accessible
  
• Works with all Windows application - even DOS applications
  
• Really Fast
  
• Looks like normal hard drive
  

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ x 64/ 7/ x 64

Easy File Locker - Ver: 1.2.0.24

Easy File Locker is a light-weight and easy-to-use file lock software product for Windows. It can protect your private files and folders. With its great protection, users will not be able to open, read, modify, delete, move, copy the locked files/folders, or even not be able to see it. The hidden files/folders will be totally invisible to all users and to any program.

Easy File Locker will keep protecting the files/folders even under Windows Safe Mode. It is designed for protecting files/folders on your local computer. it doesn't change the protected files and folders, it will not slow down the system speeds and it will never have the chance to destroy your data.

Lock files, Lock folders:
The locked files/folders are protected from accessing, users can not open, read, modify, move, delete, copy, rename the protected files/folders. Files and sub-folders in a locked folder are also protected.

Hide files, Hide folders:
You can hide your private files and folders, to make them completely invisible to users and programs.

Password protected GUI and uninstaller:
Once you set a password, no one can launch the application or uninstall the software without the correct password.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Free File Wiper - Ver: 0.1

Delete files securely with this software.

Just drag and drop directories and files on the trash can and the software will erase them completely!

The files will be overwritten with standard and random patterns.

After the wipe, the files cannot be undeleted and restored.

Up to four wipe methods (from 1 pass to 7 passes).

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Free File Wiper - Ver: 0.1

Delete files securely with this software.

Just drag and drop directories and files on the trash can and the software will erase them completely!

The files will be overwritten with standard and random patterns.

After the wipe, the files cannot be undeleted and restored.

Up to four wipe methods (from 1 pass to 7 passes).

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

OpenPuff - Ver: 3.20

Advanced Steganography and Watermarking - Image/Audio/Video/Adobe/Flash support.

The program features :-

• Images support (BMP, JPG, PCX, PNG, TGA)
  
• Audio support (AIFF, MP3, NEXT/SUN, WAV)
  
• Video support (3GP, MP4, MPG, VOB)
  
• Flash-Adobe support (FLV, SWF, PDF)
  
• Windows Executable support (EXE, DLL)
  
• Multiple carriers chains (up to 256Mb hidden stream)
  
• Random per-block-cryptography (8 open-source algorhythms)
  
• Strong cryptography (512bit key, password hex extension)
  
• Data scrambling & Whitening
  
• Adaptive LSB & Bits selection level
  
• Multithread support (up to 64 cpus) = Faster processing
  
• Simplified interface
  
• Unzip program and help in the same directory
  
• Portable - no need to install
  

Minimum requirements: windows XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2008/ 7

Password Cracker - Ver: 3.89

A simple software that was created to ensure that you never worry about misplacing or forgetting passwords.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

ZoneAlarm Free - Ver: 9.2.106

ZoneAlarm is probably the most well-known of firewalls, partly because it's free for personal use, but also because it's effective and very simple to use. This latest version now works with Windows Vista.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ & 64/ 7/ & 64

Utilities

Anvir Task Manager Free - Ver: 6.3.2

Task Manager Free is freeware utility software that gives users a comprehensive set of tools to put them in full control of their computer.

It gives you detailed information about every process that is running, and about applications running automatically on Windows startup including all hidden applications.

Main Features :-

• Get full list of applications running automatically on Windows startup including all hidden applications.
  
• Get all additional information about startup applications.
  
• Disable/enable, add/delete, edit startup entries.
  
• Stop or run once again startup application.
  
• See alert when any new application adds itself to startup.
  
• Forbid some applications to be added to startup.
  
• See alert when Internet Explorer home page was changed.
  
• Get full information about all processes: CPU and memory usage, executable name with full path, priority, work time, user name.
  
• Get executable file properties, icon and version information.
  
• Stop many processes with one click.
  
• Change process priorities.
  
• Get current information about CPU usage including list of most active programs.
  
• Get current information about HDD usage.
  
• Detection and destruction of most propagated viruses.
  
• Virus database update.
  
• Minimum usage of system resources.
  

NOTE : Unless you opt out, the program will install Registry Cleaner Pro.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

AutoHotkey - Ver: 1.0.97.01

Customise your keyboard, joystick, and mouse with an open source scripting language (AutoHotkey) that is backward compatible with AutoIt v2. AutoHotkey it includes a quick-start tutorial, an automatic script writer (macro recorder) that records your keystrokes and mouse clicks, and a comprehensive help file.

Automate almost anything: Send keystrokes & mouse clicks; launch programs / documents; work with the clipboard, registry, & soundcard settings. In addition to its automation features described below, AutoHotkey excels at hotkeys, able to make virtually *any* mouse/joystick button, keyboard key, or combination into a hotkey.

AutoHotkey it can also individually disable or override Windows' own shortcut keys, such as Win+E and Win+R. It may also help alleviate RSI; for example, it can create substitutes for Alt-Tab using keys, mouse wheel, or buttons.

With AutoHotkey, you can :-

• Automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks. You can write a mouse or keyboard macro by hand or use the macro recorder.
  
• Create hotkeys for keyboard, joystick, and mouse. Virtually any key, button, or combination can become a hotkey
  
• Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "btw" can automatically produce "by the way".
  
• Create custom data entry forms, user interfaces, and menu bars. See GUI for details.
  
• Remap keys and buttons on your keyboard, joystick, and mouse.
  
• Respond to signals from hand-held remote controls via the WinLIRC client script.
  
• Run existing AutoIt v2 scripts and enhance them with new capabilities.
  
• Convert any script into an EXE file that can be run on computers that don't have AutoHotkey installed.
  

Features :-

• Change the volume, mute, and other settings of any soundcard.
  
• Make any window transparent, always-on-top, or alter its shape.
  
• Use a joystick or keyboard as a mouse.
  
• Monitor your system. For example, close unwanted windows the moment they appear.
  
• Retrieve and change the clipboard's contents, including file names copied from an Explorer window.
  
• Disable or override Windows' own shortcut keys such as Win+E and Win+R.
  
• Alleviate RSI with substitutes for Alt-Tab (using keys, mouse wheel, or buttons).
  
• Customise the tray icon menu with your own icon, tooltip, menu items, and submenus.
  
• Display dialog boxes, tooltips, balloon tips, and popup menus to interact with the user.
  
• Perform scripted actions in response to system shutdown or logoff.
  
• Detect how long the user has been idle. For example, run CPU intensive tasks only when the user is away.
  
• Automate game actions by detecting images and pixel colours (this is intended for legitimate uses such as the alleviation of RSI).
  
• Read, write, and parse text files more easily than in other languages.
  
• Perform operation(s) upon a set of files that match a wildcard pattern.
  
• Work with the registry and INI files.
  

Minimum requirements: XP/ Vista/ 7

CleanMem - Ver: 2.0.3

This tool keeps memory use in check on the system without any of the memory being pushed to the page file. This in turn keeps the system running smoother.

The people who will notice the biggest performance increase are ones who don't have a lot of memory installed. (More memory is always better!) The reason is when your system starts getting low on memory Windows will start to move memory to the page file. The page file is ran off your hard drive. The hard drive is the bottle neck of performance on a system. So the slower the drive the slower the system goes as it tries to work with the page file. When you use CleanMem you help keep the system from using up all its memory. In turn Windows doesn't push anything to the page file, and we avoid the huge slow down from page file usage.

What if you have tons of memory? Should you still use CleanMem?I have 8gb's of memory and I use Windows 7 64bit. I never hit the max memory usage. But I still use CleanMem to keep the programs memory usage in check. Why?

Think of it this way. Say you have a ton of hard drive space. Would you want your drive full of unneeded files? To the point where your drive is nearly full? Sure I have the space, but why would I want all that crap? The same goes for my memory. I want to make sure the memory is being used in the best way it can. I don't want memory leaks and such using up all the memory. Lots of people feel the memory is a resource and should be used as much as possible. I agree, I just don't want the left over trash is all.

So how does CleanMem work?
CleanMem Works buy calling a Windows API. CleanMem doesn't change the working set of a processes. It simply asks Windows to do all the work. So Windows does the trimming, the moving and manages everything. This is why there is never any crashes of programs and any performance hit to the system. To put it short CleanMem doesn't work against the Windows memory manager, it works with it

The CleanMem application was designed to be very simple to operate as it will run and clean the memory out of all processes it can, without any user input.

Some facts about CleanMem:
· CleanMem doesn't work magic on your system. The best thing you could do is get more memory for your system! The goal of CleanMem is to help keep windows from needing to rely heavily on the page file. Which is located on your hard drive.

· You will NOT notice a night & day performance increase. The users who get the best performance out of CleanMem are the users who don't have a lot of memory. There are others would yell at them and say "well just buy more memory!" Well not everyone can run out and buy memory. CleanMem will help them until they do.

· CleanMem WILL NOT make your system faster. What CleanMem does, again, is help avoid the use of the page file on the hard drive, which is where your slow down comes from. There have been users including who have noticed a smoother system. A placebo effect perhaps? .

· CleanMem does help with programs that have memory leaks. The memory is pushed to the system cache, not the page file. The system cache is still in memory. And a program can call back what it needs instantly. This is why there is never a hiccup in heavy 3D games as CleanMem runs. The memory that is not reclaimed is freed and allowed to be taken over after a certain amount of time. The system cache is not a bad thing! and is far better than the page file. Mainly because it has the GB speeds in memory than the MB speeds of the hard drive. (Warning: Memory Terminology in Windows is completely messed up. System Cache could mean something else, perhaps Memory Cache is better? as proof of this confusing way the memory has been labeled in windows, in Windows XP the PF usage in the task manager is actually commit charge, not page file usage)

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ x 64/ Vista/ x 64/ 7/ x 64

DocPad - Ver: 10.0

DocPad is a free alternative to Notepad. Although it fills the same role, plain text editing, it offers an arsenal of time-saving tools: block indent/unindent, bookmarking, case conversion, customisable toolbar, encoding conversion, file history, jump to line/offset, keyboard macros, print preview, search and replace, skinnable interface, spell checking, statistics, variable pitch font, and much more. It also includes a built-in calculator, calendar, and character map.

Minimum requirements: Windows all

Eagle Mode - Ver: 0.81.0

Eagle Mode is an advanced solution for a futuristic style of man-machine communication in which the user can visit almost everything simply by zooming in.

It has a professional file manager, file viewers and players for most of the common file types, a chess game, a 3D mines game, a multi-function clock and some fractal fun, all integrated in a virtual cosmos. Besides, that cosmos also provides a Linux kernel configurator in form of a kernel patch.

By featuring a separate popup-zoomed control view, help texts in the things they are describing, editable bookmarks, multiple input methods, fast anti-aliased graphics, a virtually unlimited depth of panel tree, and by its portable C++ API, Eagle Mode aims to be a cutting edge of zoomable user interfaces.

• Eagle Mode is a zoomable user interface with many plugin applications.
  
• 3d Zoomable (is that a word?) file manager.
  
• Games (Chess / 3D Mine Sweeper)
  
• Audio / Video player
  
• Fractal generation.
  
• C++ API
  

The Eagle Mode C++ API can be used to create both, plugin applications and standalone applications. A plugin application could show in the virtual cosmos and/or in the file manager, while a standalone application shows as an own window on the desktop.

NOTE : The included documentation is a must read with this software.

The Windows port of Eagle Mode is just a light version. It has less plugins, less commands, and the commands can handle less files at once than the Linux versions.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2008/ 7

Intel Processor Identification Utility - Ver: 4.31

The Intel® Processor Identification Utility is provided by Intel Corporation to enable customers to identify the brand, features, package, intended frequencies and actual operating frequencies of their Intel® microprocessor.

Customers can also use the utility to discern whether or not an Intel processor is being operated above its Intel rated frequency.

The main features of the utility are available via the menu items at the top of the screen:

The Frequency Test section of the utility provides information regarding the operating status of the selected processor.

The CPU Technologies section of the utility displays the Intel processor technologies and features present in the selected processor.

The CPUID Data section of the utility identifies the Intel processor(s) in the system.

The Save feature enables the processor information to be saved into a text file.

The Web Update feature enables updating to the latest version of the Intel Processor Identification Utility.

The Intel Processor Identification Utility is not intended to identify microprocessors manufactured by companies other than Intel.

How the Utility Works
The Frequency Test section of the Intel® Processor Identification Utility runs a frequency determination algorithm (speed test) to determine at what internal speed the processor is running. The utility then examines internal data in the processor and makes a comparison between this data and the operating frequency it measured. The utility then informs the user of the overall system status as a result of this comparison.

The CPU Technologies section of the utility reads the internal registers of the processor to identify and display the Intel processor technologies that the processor supports.

The CPUID Data section of the utility identifies Intel® processors by reading a precise instruction embedded in the processor. The utility translates this instruction and uses it to display information about the processor.

The Save link generates a text log file containing all of the information obtained by the Intel Processor Identification Utility. The utility asks for the filename and location in which to save the log file. Multiple writes to the same log file (e.g. in a multiprocessor system) are appended in that log file.

The Web Update link opens the default web browser on the system to the Intel Website containing the latest version of the Intel Processor Identification Utility.

Help File
Additional topics and explanations are available within the help section of the Intel® Processor Identification Utility:
Multiprocessor or Dual Processor Support
Multi-language Support
Supported Processors
Effects of Power Management Features
Definitions
Utility Updates

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Minimem - Ver: 2.0

Minimem enables you to reduce the memory footprint of resource intensive applications or programs with memory leaks (Minimem was originally designed to address memory issues with Firefox v2).

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 7

OSFClone - Ver: 1.0.1006

OSFClone is a free, self-booting solution which enables you to create or clone exact raw disk images quickly and independent of the installed operating system. In addition to raw disk images, OSFClone also supports imaging drives to the open Advance Forensics Format (AFF).

AFF is an open and extensible format to store disk images and associated metadata. An open standard enables investigators to quickly and efficiently use their preferred tools for drive analysis. After creating or cloning a disk image, you can mount the image with PassMark OSFMount before conducting analysis with PassMark OSForensics™.

OSFClone creates a forensic image of a disk, preserving any unused sectors, slack space, file fragmentation and undeleted file records from the original hard disk. Boot into OSFClone and create disk clones of FAT, NTFS and USB-connected drives! OSFClone can be booted from CD/DVD drives, or from USB flash drives.

OSFClone can create disk images in the dc3dd format. The dc3dd format is ideal for computer forensics due to its increased level of reporting for progress and errors, and ability to hash files on-the-fly.

Verify that a disk clone is identical to the source drive, by using OSFClone to compare the MD5 or SHA1 hash between the clone and the source drive. After image creation, you can choose from a range of compression options to reduce the size of the newly created image, increasing portability and saving disk space.

Use OSFClone to save forensic meta-data (such as case number, evidence number, examiner name, description and checksum) for cloned or created images.

The link below is to an iso file which has to be converted to a CD. Once this has been done, then CD will be the executable program, i.e. put the CD you have created into the drive and boot from it.


Minimum requirements: Windows all

SmartClose - Ver: 1.3

SmartClose is a handy tool that allows you to close all currently running programs - a task often required during software installations to minimise conflicts (or during defrag operations).

Minimum requirements: Windows all

TweakNow PowerPack 2011 - Ver: 3.2.0

TweakNow PowerPack is a fully integrated suite of utilities that let you fine-tune every aspect of your computer's operating system and Web browser.

Minimum requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/ 7

Video

FLV-Media Player - Ver: 2.0.1.1649

FLV-Media Player is a professional, free and comprehensive piece of software designed to play any Flash FLV files. It supports all current FLV- and H.264-FLV video formats and it doesn't require a pre-installed Adobe Flash OCX Plugin.

• Stepless scaling
  
• Proportional-Scale On / Off
  
• Smoothing On / Off
  
• Auto-Rewind On / Off
  
• Auto-Start On / Off
  
• Loop-Play On / Off
  
• Full-Screen Mode / Maximise
  
• Menu On / Off
  
• Control-Field On / Off
  
• Open and save local Files from your Hard disk or WWW
  
• Open and play File-Folders
  
• Drag & Drop Support
  
• Windows CMD Support
  
• Media Properties
  
• Favourites (XML Import / Export)
  
• XML-Play list (XPL Files)
  
• Recent File List History
  
• Screen-Capture Function.
  
• H.264 FLV-HD-Video Support (480p/720p/1080p)
  
• 3G2/3GP/3GPP/AAC/F4A/F4B/F4P/F4V/FLV/M4A/M4V/MOV/MP3/MP4/PLS Format Support
  
• Always on Top Function
  
• Keyboard-Commands / Shortcuts
  
• Multi language Interface via XML
  
• Needs no pre-installed Flash OCX Plugin!
  

Minimum requirements: XP Vista/ x64/ 7/ x64

FLVPlayer4Free - Ver: 4.4

For a piece of freeware in a category that's rife with scams and junk, FLVPlayer4Free stands out as a solid, reasonable program that does what it says, offers a bunch of options in the deal, and does it all without annoying predatory advertising.

The program starts off with eight skins, most of which provide significantly different looks beyond just a new coat of paint. The options menu, which is only right-click accessible, provides hot-key and menu access to several useful choices. These include fixed resizing to double the original size or full-screen viewing, maintaining the aspect ration, smoothing, nearly 20 languages, and rollover hints. It also has a built-in screen capture.

The app is not without its flaws, though. When installing, users must opt out of downloading a video-format converter made by the same publisher and the URL downloader doesn't work with YouTube. Still, the player is light on resources and generally performs as promised.

Minimum requirements: Windows 2000/ XP/ 2003/ Vista/ 2007/ 7

UltraGet Video Downloader - Ver: 3.02

UltraGet Video Downloader allows you to easily batch download and play FLV (Flash Video) and H.264 MP4 from YouTube, Yahoo, Dailymotion, Photobucket, Metacafe and Google Video.

Minimum requirements: Windows all