Best of the Free Windows Utilities Part 2

I've got more good free utility software for you today. Something I might recommend you do if you start getting some of these programs is to create a folder for your desktop called "Utilities" or something similar. As you start to download and install these applications, make sure you have each program install an icon on your desktop. Then, drag the icons into the folder. They will disappear off the desktop and into the folder. This does two thing: it helps keep your desktop clean AND puts a folder where you can see it for a reminder to run some of these utilities occasionally. Just a thought. Now...on with the show.

ZSoft Uninstaller

One of the things I've long suspected and have recently verified is that the Windows Uninstaller is not all that good. In fact, it leaves stuff behind that should be erased. To do it right, you need a better program such as ZSoft Uninstaller. This baby does it right. Besides uninstalling your current software, it will even go through and find leftover temp files from previous uninstalls that should have been removed a long time ago. I used it on my studio computer and it found almost 500Mb of stuff that it removed. This one is worth getting.

Glarysoft Registry Repair

A couple of years ago, I tried to find a good, free registry repair program and failed in the attempt. I wound up buying one that has served me well. However, I finally found a really good free one... Glarysoft Registry Repair software. It received rave reviews from tech writers and users alike. So I tried it and liked it a great deal. It will analyze your Windows Registry to find and get rid of outdated entries that no longer serve any purpose, making your computer start up faster when you turn it on. Just for the fun of it, the other day I first ran my paid registry repair program and it found 280 errors. After I ran it and did the cleanup, I ran the Glarysoft program. It found over 1,800 item that the other one missed! That's pretty good, I think.

EZBack-it-up

This may not be the best backup program ever invented but it works great for me. This program came out in 2004, but is no longer being upgraded or supported. It is a simple, no frills backup software that I use to backup my existing data on C: drive to my backup drive. It's simple, it works, and is fast. Why I liked it initially was that I just dragged and dropped the directories on the hard drive that I wanted back up. I gave it a name, told it where to back up the files, and away it went. The first backup took the longest, but after that, it only took a few seconds as it only backs up new files or those that were changed since the last backup. Piece of cake.

SyncBack

This is like a backup program, but is really a file synchronizer. It synchronizes the files in two different directories, usually on different drives, but not necessarily. For instance, I keep many of my photographs on my portable Western Digital Passport drive. I use Syncback to synchronize it with the pictures on my backup drive in the studio. I can also set it so that any old files I erase on my portable drive are not re-copied back to it, but do stay on the backup drive in the studio. It's pretty slick and fast. Be sure to look for the free version.

XPlorer2

I wrote about this one again a few days ago, so I won't go into any more detail. This is a replacement for the Windows Explorer file management program. Just get it. You can thank me later.

PCTools Firewall

I have written about this one before. It is a software firewall that I first used on my laptop, but is now used on all my computers. Even though I use a router with a built-in firewall at home and at the studio, I still use a software firewall. The reason is that malware can slip through the router's firewall and even a software firewall. But, if it tries to send information about me and my computer back out to the Internet before my anti-spyware catch or anti-virus program catch it and delete it, my software firewall will pick it up and notify me that something is going on and request me to authorize it. Now the PCTools firewall may not get the highest rating, but I like it because it doesn't drive me crazy with requests for permission. The best of the free firewalls supposedly is Komodo, but I used it for a while and it drove me crazy, constantly asking me for permissions even though I had already given it before. I finally deleted it and reinstalled PCTools version.

There are of course many other fine free software programs out there. If you would like to know one place that I check for some of the best freeware information, head over to the Tech Support Alert Web site.

Best of the Free Windows Utilities - Part 1

On and off during the course of this blog and its predecessor, the weekly newsletter, I've written about some excellent utilitarian software, many of which are free. In this blog, and the next one, I decided to focus on just the best free utility software programs available, at least to my way of thinking (and several other tech writers also). Some, I have written about before...others will be new for you. But I want to have all the good ones in one place for your benefit. I have also included the links where you can download them. I have used all of them and can readily recommend them for your use. So, in no particular order, let's get started.

Startup Inspector for Windows

I really have come to love this software. Over time, as you install new software, some companies seem to want to install their products in your startup files without your knowledge. After a while, unless you monitor it, your computer's memory could become clogged with many programs that are not needed and don't need to be running. Startup Inspector tells you at any moment what programs are in your startup menu, how much memory they consume and what they are really being used for. You can hit the "consult" button and get even more information, including recommendations about whether to keep it or dump it. If you don't want it, uncheck it, then hit the "Apply" button. The next time you restart your computer, these unwanted programs will not be installed into startup. But, you must keep up a continual vigil, as many of them try to sneak back in. Get this one.

FreeRAM XP Pro

Sometimes, when you are using a program, then exit from it, it leaves fragments of itself in your memory. After using your machine for a while, you will have a lot of your memory taken up by these little pieces of data. FreeRAM XP Pro, continually monitors your memory, automatically removing these unwanted particles, keeping your machine from running slower. And, you can always look down in the right corner of your screen and see how much memory is actually available to you. Sometimes I even double click on it to see if I can free up even more memory. It is a startup program that uses very little memory, but will help keep your machine going strong.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

I've written about this one before and it is definitely worth repeating. This is arguably the best disk defrager on the market today...and it's free. In case you don't know by now, the files on your computer's hard drive become fragmented over time, meaning different parts of any particular file wind up being spread all over your hard drive. After a while, this slows down your computer. A disk defrager puts your files back together again, thereby speeding up your computer. Defraging should be done about once a month. Folks normally don't like to defrag as it takes a while The Auslogics program is the fastest defrager available today and it does a terrific job.The company also make a fine registry defrager, also free.

CCleaner

Another program I've written about here previously. Before you defrag, you should probably clean up your hard drive so you don't defrag programs your going to get rid of anyway. Over time, your computer creates a lot of files that are useful for a short time, then never again. The problem is that they don't go away. CCleaner removes unused files from your system from programs like Internet Explorer (Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, index.dat); Firefox (Temporary files, URL history, cookies, download history); Windows (Recycle Bin, Recent Documents, Temporary files, and Log files) and others. One note of caution: you should carefully inspect the list of files that you want removed to make sure you don't erase something you use. The first time I used it, I lost my Firefox cookies files, which made me re-log in to several web sites that I use all the time. A bit of a pain. Still, I use this program before I defrag and at other times. I used it yesterday on my home computer and freed up over 4Gb of space, mainly from the Recycle Bin. It also cleans up other areas of your computer that are too numerous to mention here. Just get it and see for yourself.

WinRAR

An excellent file compressor and uncompressor software. You probably won't use it often, but it does a good job on ZIP files, RAR files, and several others. The program is free for the first 40 days, then it says you need to buy it. But guess what...you don't. Just click on it and it will work just fine.

More programs in the next edition.

PS: This just in...Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be available to the world on 4/29/08. Its long overdue.

Notebook Software - $$$ or Free?

In my last blog, I briefly mentioned a new category of software, aptly named Notebook. It would be more correct to call it super enhanced rather than new. Notebook software, which is designed to allow you to make notes and arrange them in categories, has been around for some time. The new enhanced versions go beyond that...they allow you clip web pages with a single button click on your browser and they are immediately copied into your notebook. You can also make your own notes using templates such as to-do lists, shopping lists, and more. Think of it as if you were a student. You could organize your notes taken in the classroom, categorize them by each individual course, then add research for term papers, either from notes you make from books or from pages on the Internet. Now, you can do this digitally instead of having loose paper notes stuck in a big folder.

And, trust me on this one, this is exactly what many college and high school students are now doing. Now, I can hear your next question...can't you bookmark pages in your browser? Yes you can, of course...but how many times have you clicked on a bookmark and found it has disappeared from the Web? With good notebook software, that won't happen. You may have also found interesting articles on the Web that you want to read sometime but don't have time at the moment you find them. Then, how often do forget all about it? That has definitely happened to me. Now, I click on a button on my browser menu and it is transferred immediately into my notebook. And, for some unknown reason, I find that I have read every article in my notebook.

After doing a lot of research on this subject, I found that there are two products that really standout in this field...Microsoft's OneNote and EverNote. OneNote costs anywhere from $60 on up as a stand-alone product or you can spend more and purchase a version of the Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 and it is included. OR...you can get EverNote for free. It is not as a choice as you might think. At least it wasn't for me.

On the positive side, OneNote has a fantastic interface...using main categories and two levels of sub-categories. It also uses tabs, just like a regular notebook. It is great eye candy and works exactly the way I would want my notebook to work. I just love the interface and would happily spend the money to purchase it...except it has one fatal flaw...something that pretty much kills it as a possible purchase. When you clip a Web page to OneNote, it doesn't render it exactly as you saw it on the web. In fact, it takes out all the spacing between paragraphs, pretty much running all text together...and making it very difficult to read. Graphic designers have known for years that white space in a document is just as important as text when it comes to making sure something is read. Of course, one can manually go in and put in the spaces, but that defeats the purpose of easy-to-use software.

In doing my research on the subject, I found many, many complaints from users on this subject...and I found that Microsoft has not addressed this issue at all, either in replies to complaining customers or in software updates. This is the second version of OneNote and it is not fixed yet.

One the other hand, when you clip a page to EverNote, it pretty much copies the page exactly as you saw it on the Web. You can clip the whole page or just the text you want (if the Web page has a lot of ads on it) and it will appear in your notebook perfectly. Now, why can't Microsoft do this? And...EverNote is a freebie! Amazing.

But, frankly speaking, EverNote's user interface is nowhere near as good as Microsoft's. You can create categories and sub-categories and they appear on the left side of your page, but sometimes they can be confusing. You can also use a list of articles that appear on the screen above the clippings themselves, but if you have too many articles or notes for one category, you have to scroll up and down to find the one you want. And EverNote runs all of it's clippings together, which can drive you crazy if you over-scroll.

Now, what I have just described to you is the current EverNote, version 2.2. They also have the new EverNote V.3 which is still in beta. But, it shows a great deal of promise. I like it very much, although it is still missing some of the better features of V2.2. But I am sure they will be eventually added.

The big change for V.3 is that it puts all your notes on the Web as well as your computer, making it easy to access anywhere there is an Internet connection...and to synchronize if you use more that one computer. It's interface is much easier to use, although I still wish it had tabs.

If you would like to read more about OneNote and even download a 60 day trial copy, just head over the Microsoft Web site. EverNote 2.2 is available on the EverNote Web site, although the site is very confusing right now as they start to make the transition over for V.3. There are some good tutorials for V2.2 on the site, but you have to hunt down the best ones by doing a search on the site.

As for V.3, you must get an invite from EverNote to be a tester. I did and I have the ability to invite 10 other people to become testers. If you are interested, drop me an e-mail and I will get you an invite. As I said, I think V.3 is going to be a very good product, but, damn, I want those tabs!

10 Best Windows Programs?

A few weeks ago, an excellent columnist over at ZDNet, Ed Bott, wrote an article about about his 10 favorite Windows applications. It was interesting, but was still just one man's opinion. I have my own opinions on the subject, but then again, so do you (unless, of course, you are a MAC fanatic). Well, a whole lot of people who also read Ed's column wrote to him about their favorite programs. Ed, being a good listener, compiled a list of everybody else's favorite and wrote a second article listing them. I must say, it was far more interesting to me because it gave a consensus of opinion of many folks rather than just one...and it introduced me to some programs I didn't know about.

So, I thought I would pass the article on to you and make a few comments as there are some good programs you might want to know about. Some are free and some are not. So here goes:

Microsoft OneNote - I had never heard of this program. Now, I am glad I have. It is part of a fairly new class of software known as "Notebook Software." OneNote is a good program that has one fatal flaw, at least for me. I am going to save any further discussion of OneNote and other Notebook-class software for my next blog, so stay tuned...it will be worth it.

Skype - I have never used this as we have a terrific Internet phone service, Packet8, where I can call anywhere in the US and Canada for free. But, many folks tell me that Skype is good...and free.

Xplorer2 - This is the by far the best file manager software available today. I have been using it for a couple of years. So should you. It is so much better than Windows Explorer...and it is also free.

WinRAR - An excellent utility software that handles different kinds of compressed files... another freebie.

Windows Live Writer - Another new Microsoft program that I had not heard of. But, unlike OneNote and most other Microsoft software, it is FREE! And you know what? Even folks who hate Microsoft grudgingly admit that this is a very good program. Live Writer is made for blogging. I loved it within minutes of trying it out. As a matter of fact, I am writing this blog on Live Writer. So if you blog, I strongly suggest you get this. You can write your blogs on your own computer rather than on-line...and when you are done, you can post it directly to your blog. What is even better is an enterprising young man named Scott Kingery recently created a way to make it portable so you can install it on a USB drive, which is where mine now resides.

IrfanView - I've written about this graphic software before, but still have not given it a try. The good new is that is is free and always being updated and improved.

I suggest you read the full article to learn about some of the other software that people like...and there is a link to Ed's original article that has more good information.

Portability - Part 4

When I started this series, I had only intended to do three episodes. But recently, I read an interesting article on portable USB hardware that I thought I should pass along. It concerns the speed of USB drives...which are the fastest, what size do you need, and which one you might consider buying. The article was written by Scott Dunn and appears on the Windows Secrets Web site.

If you don't wish to read it, let me do a quick recap for you and tell you a little about my experiences. As I mentioned in my first article, USB flash drives are not at fast as hard drives, which I find difficult to fathom as there are no moving parts. And as I continue to use my current flash drive, I've become more aware that speed is becoming an issue for me. Currently, I use a Lexar 2GB flash drive that I bought at Costco...and while I still have plenty of room on it right now, my use of the portable drive is getting more important all the time. So speed and size are something that I have been thinking about.

Something I didn't mention in my first article is that the bigger the drive, the slower the drive speed. Scott Dunn's article recommends using a 4GB drive that will give you a good balance between speed and storage capacity. Also, in reading this article and others, the same brands keep popping up as the fastest. One of the highest rated brands in all the articles I read is the Corsair Flash Voyager. Scott Dunn's article shows that an independent testing lab rates the Corsair 4 GB drive as having the fastest read speed at 33Mb per second.

So, using a testing program recommended in the same article, I decided to check out my Lexar drive. The test results show the Lexar read speed at only 16Mb per second. Now I really want a new drive. So, in doing a little research, I found the 4 Mb Corsair Flash Voyager on sale at NewEgg.com for only $19.99 with free shipping. Needless-to-say, I placed my order immediately. As a side note, I use NewEgg for many of my computer hardware purchases as they are reliable, fast, and usually offer some of the best pricing.

Another item covered in Scott Dunn's article which I didn't cover at all (but knew about) were USB drives that use U3 Smart Drive. In my research, I have seen a couple of portable software applications that require U3-equipped drives. If you wish to learn more about U3, you can go to Scott Dunn's article. But the bottom line is U3 should be a low priority in your choice of USB drives. I agree with him, which is why I didn't write about it earlier.

A second article by Mr. Dunn talks more in depth about software suites and applications designed for USB drives. I highly recommend you take a look at this one also. While I use the PortableApps Suite right now, I think I am going to try out the other application mentioned in his article called winPenPack. After all, I will shortly have an extra USB drive to play with. The article also has some good tips for safely using your USB drive on computers other than your own.

Portability - Part 3

As I began this series of blogs on portability, and, more importantly, started using portable software for my own benefit, I didn't realize the depth of the subject. There are hundreds, if not thousands of portable applications out there available to make your computing life easier and more productive. And the scope and sweep of this relatively new area in computing is getting bigger and bigger. In this issue, I plan to tell you about a few of the applications I have found to be pretty darn good at what they do. I also plan to cover some up and coming portable applications in future blog when they actually come to market...and there are some very interesting ones now in beta. But, let's begin with some applications that might be useful to you right now:

Avast! Portable

After the last blog, two readers inquired about the dangers of sticking your portable USB drive into computers other than your own. That is a very valid question, and, in fact, if you do that a lot, you will more than likely catch a virus. But there are solutions. In the PortableApps Suite that I wrote about last time, there is an anti-virus software included called "ClamWin." It is one that I had not heard of prior to discovering PortableApps Suite, and in doing my research, I found a few users who report that the software gave out some false positives when doing scans. For that reason, I deleted it from my USB drive. But, there is a great, free anti-viral software out there that I have used for years and now comes in a portable version. Avast! is a free program that has been around for some time and upgrades its virus definitions on a daily basis. It has done a good job for me and millions of other users for a long time and now is available for your portable drive. You can read more about it and download it from this Web site.

Debrief

To put it briefly (no pun intended), Debrief is a note-taking application that allows you make notes, or cut and paste useful info from web sites and e-mails. You then can organize them into categories that appear on the left side of your screen. I like this easy-to-use program a great deal, although I must admit I am starting to use a different program now that I will tell you about in an upcoming blog. But for simplicity and ease of use, this one is hard to beat. Read more about it and download it from their Web site. Again, the portable version is free, although there is a paid professional version that is also available.

EssentialPIM

If I wasn't so in love with Lotus Organizer, EssentialPIM is the program that I would use as a personal information manager. In fact, I did use it for a while until I broke down and purchased Organizer. The curious thing about the software is that you pay $29.95 for it if you want it installed on your computer, but the portable version is free. Go figure. Anyway this software package is similar in so many ways to Microsoft Outlook (without the e-mail). It has separate sections for your calendar/scheduler, to-do lists, address book, and a note taking section similar in layout to Debrief. In addition, there is a "Today" page that opens automatically when you access the program that gives you a complete overview of your schedule and to-do lists. The one thing I really like about this program that you just don't see in other programs is its color. You can create different colors for different categories and the colors are assigned to your schedule making it easy, useful, and more pleasurable to use. This program is definitely better than the Sunbird software that comes with PortableApps. Check it all out for yourself at their Web site.

PokerTH

OK...this one is for fun. If you have ever wondered if you are a good poker play, try this out and see. It is free and won't cost you anything to find out the truth about your skills. The game is Texas Hold 'em and you can set several parameters for the way you play the game. It is fun to try and play and it helped me figure out quickly that I should never play the game for real money. But I love to play it for a few minutes when I need to take a break from life. I look for a decent hand, then go all-in to see what happens. You can download it at the PortableApps Web site.

Pidgin Portable

Pidgin is probably the best software you can use if you are into instant messaging. As is usually the case, your circle of friends and family probably use different software that don't mix, such as AOL, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and Jabber. Pidgin allows you to use all of these under one program rather than having to install one of each. It to is available for free at the PortableApps Web site.

IrfanView and GIMP

These are free software products that do an excellent job for manipulating and improving your photographs. They are now available in portable versions. I have written about both of them before and for free, you just can't beat them. And, they are a whole lot cheaper than Photoshop!. You can download GIMP from the PortableApps Web site. IrfanView is available from the Softpedia Web Site.

As I said earlier, there is a ton of portable software available, many of them for free. Do a Google search and you will see what I mean. Check out Softpedia, Pendriveapps, Portablefreeware, and of course, the PortableApps Web site. And remember, any program you choose can be added to your PortableApps menu by installing it from your USB drive rather than your regular hard drive.

As I side note, I have been running the beta versions of new FireFox 3.0 on my USB drive. Doing it this way, one can try out the new version and not interfere with the installation of stable version 2.0 on my computer. It's pretty cool, by the way.