Sarasota PC Monitor

Review Chairmans Industry Comments (05/02)

Reviewing Software

by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor

E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org

SAVE SOME REALLY BIG BUCKS! A sledge hammer on our annual budget for many of us is the positively outrageous cost of prescription drugs. Item for item, many of them have increased in cost more than 10 to 20 times what they were a few short years ago, and the newer ones start at a cost that's out of sight. Every time an election rolls around, the candidates of both major parties are prolific with promises to address the situation vigorously. Following the election they forget their promises with equal vigor.

To add insult to injury, these prescription drugs that are produced here in the U.S. sell for a fraction of the price in Europe, Canada, Mexico, and just about anywhere outside of this country. Take heed dear reader and save yourself the cost of your annual dues in SPCUG five fold in just one prescription. Order your prescription drugs from Canada. Go to canadianmedsusa.com or rxnorth.com for details. You need only send or fax them a valid prescription and fill out a short form on your first order. The savings are phenomenal! And you learned about it by being a member of this organization.

CARRYING YOUR OLD HARD DRIVE CONTENTS TO A NEW COMPUTER. People still continue to ask, and the answer plain and simple is that you can't! Every computer is unique in both its contents, software and hardware, and the peripherals that are attached to it. Info on all these items is contained in the Windows registry which is the brain behind all of your computers functions. That brain is very specific for your machine. When you install software and hardware they make unique entries in the registry and frequently in subfolders of Windows itself. You cannot carry those entries over from one computer to another. You can use them only if you are inserting a new hard drive in the SAME computer, but you cannot carry them over from one computer to a different computer.

If, for example, you plan to upgrade to a new computer, you will need to reinstall all the software and hardware you wish to carry over to the new machine. The only things you can carry over are the data files you created, as long as you tell the programs in which they were originally created where they can now be found. No, neither life or computers are simple!

On the positive side, new software is on the horizon that will supposedly do the up till now impossible job. Stay tuned!

THE SLOW COMPUTER SYNDROME. Among the more disconcerting problems that computers often develop is the slow computer syndrome. For no apparent reason your computer just starts running annoying slow. The problem is most disconcerting among novices who are unable to apply reasoning or steps to prevent and fix the problem. Unfortunately, there are many possible causes for computer slowdowns, any one or combination of which may apply. The trick is to investigate the possibilities and take appropriate action when and if warranted. Your experience level will determine if and how you can accomplish these tasks. If they are beyond your capabilities, you need to find someone who can help you. In any event, here are just a sampling of common causes which may or not be applicable to your problem:

  1. Your hard drive may need a cleanup, especially your temporary Internet cache and your recycle bin..
  2. Your computer may be low on memory.
  3. You may have a virus.
  4. Your hard drive may be too full.
  5. You may have lost clusters, cross-linked files, or other hard drive problems.
  6. Your processor may be too old and slow.
  7. You may have corrupted or missing system files.
  8. You may have too many things running in memory from startup.
  9. Your registry may be corrupted.
  10. Your hard drive may need defragmenting/optimizing requiring you run scandisk or its utility equivalent.

REPAIRING INTERNET EXPLORER. For whatever reason, Internet Explorer often starts acting funky from time to time. When it does, there's an easy fix in Windows 98 that works most of the time. Go to Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Tools-Internet Explorer Repair Tool. Running the latter will often clear up the problem.

FREE UTILITIES that do a wide variety of jobs are yours for the downloading. You will find them described at http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,864,tk,wb030402x,00.asp

MY APOLOGIES TO YOU for the number of amateurish typos that missed my tired eyes in this column last month. The main problem is my never having learned to touch type. When you need to look at the keys instead of the screen, a lot goes by the boards. Combine this with fatigue and the press of a deadline rush, and some of what results looks like a sloppy effort by a 4th grade student. Sorry about that! Thank you for your understanding and for all the encouragement and pleasure your many kind comments about this column have provided me.

SITE POPPER V3.0 (1.0M, Windows 9x/2k/XP, FREE) Blasted pop-up windows always buzzing in your browser! Is there a program that can provide some relief? There is! It can also turn your Web browser into a hands-free device that performs like a CD playlist - showing you only the Web sites that are relevant to your interests. Not to mention, scrolling the pages for you so you don't even have to touch your mouse. http://www.sitepopper.com/download.htm

STAR DOWNLOADER is a download accelerator that can increase download speeds by up to 400 percent. Unlike similar applications, it is completely free. It does not contain any banner ads or spy-ware. The acceleration is achieved by splitting the file being downloaded into several parts and downloading these parts at the same time. Download speeds are further increased by downloading the file from the fastest mirror sites.

You may automatically resume broken downloads if your connection is lost or if your computer accidently shuts down. With the scheduler, you may download files at certain times of the day. Star Downloader may also automatically connect to your ISP and hangup upon completion of downloads.

An integrated unzipping utility can automatically unzip and install downloaded files. Star Downloader also integrates with your antivirus program to automatically scan files upon completion of the download. stardownloader.com

DOCMEMORY RAM DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE. Here's a great free utility! Even the least expensive memory is a crummy deal if it turns out to be defective, but how do you verify that the problem is your memory and not various other possibilities? DocMemory is diagnostic software that detects all types of PC memory failures. The installation program automatically creates a platform-independent, self-booting disk. Insert this disk in the floppy drive and reboot your PC to begin testing your system memory. A test pattern exercises both the PC's base memory and extended memory to locate defective memory, without the need for you to remove memory from your computer.

Available memory test patterns include algorithms such as MATS, March B+, March C-, and Checkerboard.

Selecting "Burnt-In Mode" captures 95 percent of PC system soft memory failures. You can also edit the test pattern and other parameters. http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

FREE DATA RECOVERY! The general view is that, once you reformat a drive, any files there previously are relegated to the land of memories. DIY DataRecovery DataBack allows you to recover deleted files to a safe partition, where you can find and use them again. It can also scan a reformatted partition for lost folders. DataBack is not a conventional undelete utility-it does not edit the logical structures of the partition containing the deleted file or folder to revive the file. To recover deleted files, you simply browse folders as if you were browsing them in Windows Explorer.

DataBack can recover deleted files and folders as long as the information has not been overwritten and the file was stored in a sequence of contiguous clusters. DataBack can copy files and folders from a partition that was accidentally reformatted. It also requires that the current format matches the original one. For example, if a FAT32 partition of 6GB with a cluster size of 4K was reformatted with those parameters, DataBack will be able to locate folders and files after scanning the disk. http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/

FREE GARBAGE DISPOSAL. Even if you defrag your hard drive until you're blue in the face, it won't improve matters if your disk is full of unused remnants of previously uninstalled applications. Space Odyssey 2.0 fixes this problem by scanning your hard drive for error-producing files; once it finds one, it can then optionally clean it from your system for you. Files detected include temporary files created by your operating system and applications, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator cache, and duplicate files. You can then move, delete, or zip detected files. A log report records all of your move/compress/delete actions, so that if you make a mistake, your files can be recovered.

Get Space Odyssey free at http://www.ultrasoft.ro/page_home.htm

FREE FILE SPLITTER. Do you need to accomplish disk-spanning tasks, such as sharing your recorded hours at Disneyland across CD-ROMs, or transferring a file that's larger than a floppy to another computer? HJSplit lets you transfer files between computers by breaking them into pieces that suit the media you're using. You can also compare the files to be sure that all the data is there, and of course you can rejoin the file. HJSplit consists only of an .exe file, so it can be run from a floppy disk or CD-ROM. http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit/#win32 r

DISK CLEANER V1.4.0a Do you ever wish that your computer would clean out its own garbage, without your needing to hunt down and delete "trash bag" folders? Disk Cleaner lets you clean up disk space used by temporary files, Internet Explorer's Cache and Cookies folders, as well as the Recycle Bin. You can also set it to automatically execute, delete chosen files, and exit, without ever showing a dialog box (unless there's an error). http://diskcleaner.tripod.com/ n

WINDOWS CONFIGURATOR V0.6 Many of us are happy with Windows just the way it is, while others need the added security functions that are usually found by venturing into the hazardous terrain of the Registry. Free Windows Configurator lets you do things like hide Start menu items and restrict access to your network, without your having to take unnecessary chances with your system's stability. Security options include the ability to hide and disable icons on the desktop and the ability to prevent users from accessing Control Panel items and hard drives. Options that let you change the appearance of your desktop include changing My Computer, Recycle Bin, Control Panel, and Printer system icons. You can also change Internet Explorer's title bars and the background of its toolbar.

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,20120,00.asp

...many hardware problems can be corrected by merely updating to the latest version of a driver.

DRIVER DETECTIVE V2.0 As we all know, many hardware problems can be corrected by merely updating to the latest version of a driver. The problem is finding which hardware drivers are out of date. Driver Detective helps you with this seemingly impossible task by scanning your hard drive and displaying a list of all of the drivers installed on your system. When you highlight an individual driver, you get information such as its version number and the vendor's name.

From there, you have to do some sleuthing on your own to find the site where you can download the latest driver. www.drivershq.com

PROPORT is a free trojan/nuke protection program. It will monitor local ports for incoming connections or attacks, and optionally disconnect them. ProPort features autostart method spy, startup file editor and process manager. Unlike similar software that can only monitor up to 20 ports and are costly, ProPort will monitor an unlimited amount all for free. Get it at http://www.tdupage.com/main.htm dr

CHUCK MASON, our own maven on digital photography and associated hardware reminds us that the lowdown on digital cameras can be found at http://www.dpreview.com/ There's a boatload of cameras reviewed here, and Chuck has owned every one of them.

RECENTLY SAVED FILES. Windows has a built-in 'Find' or 'Search' tool that can be used to find files. One specific point of interest is the option to find files that have recently been updated. Click Start, then 'Find' or 'Search,' depending on if you have the 95, 98, or Me version. Within the 'Find' or 'Search' utility, enter nothing for the file name, and search only by date. You will either choose the date tab, in 95/98, or drop down the date parameter in the left pane within the search screen in Me. Choose the number of days back you want to track changed files, and begin the search. Knowing which files were most recently added comes in handy if you want to backup only those.

GARBAGE MAN. Are you an AOL user who's tired of being the target of numerous spam attacks? Garbage Man integrates with America Online software and uses customizable filters to fight unwanted e-mail. You can choose to accept messages from everyone, only from America Online members, only from the Internet, or only from your friends. You can also create a list of e-mail addresses that you won't accept e-mail from. Garbage Man can scan the subject titles of your e-mail messages for frequently used phrases by scammers and spammers. It can also scan the body of the messages for keywords commonly used junk e-mail. Filtered messages can be moved to your Old Mail folder, or automatically deleted.

Version: 6.0 Price: $8 Download Garbage Man now at:

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,17320,tk,hsx,00.asp

FOR ATRONOMY BUFFS. WinStars is a complete planetarium application that shows the appearance of the sky as seen from anywhere on Earth for any date. Find the accurate position of the sun, the moon, the major planets, comets and asteroids, and other celestial objects. You'll also see realistic views of the planets, the moon, the phases of Mercury and Venus, the horizon and objects of deep sky, and calculations of ephemeris. This application can even drive compatible telescopes with the Meade LX200 protocol. You can display various information about all objects with only a click of the mouse. http://winstars.free.fr/english/

YOU GOTTA WORRY! Want to find out about the asteroids scientists know about that could possibly crash into earth and wipe out all life completely as it did during the dinosaur age? Go to http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/. Just remember- these are the ones we know about, which leaves you plenty of additional room to worry about the ones we don't know about.

VISUALZONE REPORT UTILITY is a free intrusion analyzer for ZoneAlarm and ZoneAlarm Pro. It displays a clear overview of all intrusions and allows you to analyze the information in several different ways. VisualZone can perform a backtrace to try to find more information about the intruder. You can even automate the process so that a backtrace is performed automatically when new attacks are detected. Version 5.6 adds a "Clear attack list" feature that allows you to archive the ZoneAlarm log file and clear the VisualZone attack list. It also includes the ability to backtrace an IP address and the option to temporarily mute the alarm sound. http://www.visualizesoftware.com/

COMPUTER EYE EXAMS. A Japanese site called "Dokodemo Megane" (Glasses wherever you are) will open in May to offer self-administered eye tests and online ordering of glasses. If your monitor is out of calibration when you take the test, your new eyeglasses will make you blind.

JUNK URL. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you may know that it has a Rules Wizard that helps you weed out junk and adult-content e-mails. It can be tedious to use, however. While you can manually add "123@naughty.place.com" to your spam list, for instance, the next day you might receive an e-mail from "friend@naughty.place.com".

What can you do to stop this madness? Junk URL helps you avoid such unwanted communications by blocking all e-mails from a domain. Once you set up the block, you can put that domain out of your mind, knowing that in this commercialized society, you are at least protected from one irritant. http://www.andersson-design.com/

MCAFEE NEOTRACE PRO. Want to hunt down who's sending you spam? Want to know why you get an error message when you attempt to connect to a favorite Web site? With NeoTrace you can monitor the path data takes on the Internet simply by entering an e-mail address, IP address, or URL. A display shows the route between you and the remote site, including all intermediate nodes and their registrant information. When you use the program in conjunction with a firewall, you can submit event reports to HackerWatch. Put in an e-mail address, and you can trace the mail server for that address. You can save the trace data and maps in formats such as BMP, HTML, JPG, MIME, PNG, RTF, and plain text. This trial version contains a fully functional version of the program. http://www.neoworx.com/ It may also interest you to know that this application is an integral part of the new ZoneAlarm Pro 3.

SENLAB V.1 is a quick and easy label printer. This free program is specifically for printing labels, and it gets the job done quickly and easily. It turns any list of addresses from a text file into printable labels - just like that. If you want labels and you want them now without a lot of "extras," then give this a shot. http://www.sente.co.uk/senlab01page.htm

XNVIEW V1.30. (1.5M, Windows 9x/2k/XP, FREE). This is perfect for viewing your graphics files. What's even cooler is that it can convert those files to other formats. In fact, it works with over 360 graphics formats. Did you even know there were that many? http://www.xnview.com/

TURNING OFF AUTOCOMPLETE. Microsoft Internet Explorer has a feature that completes previously entered Web addresses as you start to type them. It's a handy time saver but some consider it a nuisance. If you'd rather not have it, click on Tools|Internet Options , the Content tab, then the AutoComplete button and uncheck the options for the feature.

FREEANSWERS. The site at http://www.freeanswers.com lets you solve computer-related problems simply by asking questions in plain, everyday language to access knowledge bases from Microsoft, Intuit (makers of Quicken) and Adobe, with more vendors planned. TECHTRACKER at http://www.techtracker.com provides software download tools that check all the software on a user's computer and reports when upgrades, updates or patches are available. Mac, Windows, and Palm systems are covered. The site also provides a free download of software updates and is updated daily.

TCLOCKEX enhances the standard Windows taskbar clock, adding the ability to display the date, time and lots of other information in a customizable format. It's a free download for Windows 9x/NT/2000 at http://users.iafrica.com/d/da/dalen/tclockex.htm . EXPAND WORD MENUS. When accessing menus in MS Word, you've probably noted that not all options display unless you scroll by pulling them in sight. That's because previous commands used are the first in a menu to appear. If you prefer seeing the entire list every time, select Tools|Customize|Options. Uncheck the box labeled "Menus show recently used commands first."

GET RID OF NOTEPAD. As a text editor, Windows Notepad is an anemic 96 pound weakling. Here's some really good free replacements. Try them- you'll like them!

  1. NOTETAB LIGHT is a free Notepad replacement and HTML editor. A slimmer version of the award-winning NoteTab Pro, this slick application makes text editing a breeze. Move quickly around a stack of large files with a simple tabbed interface. Format your text to your heart's content. Write with the font of your choice, fixed-width or proportional. If you need to cut and paste chunks from a pile of files, forget the Clipboard-you can set up a Paste Board file to save text clips automatically. You can also strip HTML tags from your files, call up complete document statistics instantly, and use system-wide search and replace tools. In addition, the program lets you speed up your work with text macros: you can use them as shortcuts, or even to automatically replace persistent typos. Handy sample macro libraries are supplied, and you can easily build your own. Make the most of NoteTab's many options to suit your own work style. http://www.fookes.com/
  2. NOTEPAD++ simply replaces the standard Windows Notepad with a version that can load files of any size, while still maintaining the "look and feel" of the original. It also adds a couple of features that are in the MS-DOS Edit program, such as displaying the line number of the cursor and adding a Replace function on top of Find. http://www.plusplus.co.uk
  3. CRIMSON EDITOR is a professional source editor for Windows. This program is not only fast in loading time, but is also small in size (so small that it can be copied in one floppy disk). While it can serve as a good replacement for Notepad, it also offers many powerful features for programming languages such as HTML, C/C++, Perl, Java, Matlab, LaTeX. http://www.crimsoneditor.com

WINZIP FROM THE COMMAND PROMPT. WinZip Command Line Support Add-On 1.1 Beta 1 is now available. The WinZip Command Line Support Add-On lets you use WinZip's power from the command line and from batch files and macros. It is ideal for situations involving a specific task that you want to accomplish quickly or automatically, without using the usual WinZip graphical user interface. The WinZip Command Line Support Add-On is free for registered users of WinZip.

CUSTOMIZER XP is an integrated suite of programs that can help you to tweak your Windows 2000/XP to its fullest potential performance or just keep it running like new. It offers a wide range possibility to customize and optimize your Windows program. Whether you want to tweak your Windows registry, cleanup your harddisk, or increase.

It offers a wide range possibility to customize and optimize your Windows program your multimedia and 3D games performance, Customizer XP will does it all for you! Customizer XP programs :

  1. Registry Tweak - Access many hidden Windows registry setting that will affect your Windows appearance and the system performance. Included 80 registry tweaks which is categorized in system, explorer, start menu, Internet, Internet Explorer, and miscellaneous section.
  2. RAM Optimizer - Prevent your Windows from running slower and slower by providing the system more free RAM to use.
  3. Disk Cleaner - Removes all unused files from your Windows in an easy step.
  4. OEM Info - Put your company logo and information into Windows system properties.
  5. Create Shortcut - By creating Customizer XP special shortcut for your favorite programs, you will able to set application processor priority and free amount of RAM before the application started. Using higher processor priority will increase your favorite programs performance.
  6. Process Info - Display list of all running programs. This tool also give you ability to change processor priority setting for all programs.
  7. Startup Manager - This full featured startup manager will give you ability to control all items that will run at Windows startup.
  8. Add/Remove - Easily edit Windows add/remove items and much much more! Free trial period. $25 to keep. http://www.tweaknow.com/

REFILLING INKJET CARTRIDGES. With replacement ink cartridges generally costing $20 to $40 these days, refilling an emptied cartridge with a third-party ink can seem like a money-saving alternative; however, Steve Bigelow of C/Net's PC Mechanic says there are risks. According to Steve, inkjet printers can be fickle devices. To achieve the very best print quality, vendors develop precisely formulated inks so that the cartridges will spray in a known and repeatable fashion. Third-party inks will have differing viscosities or chemical makeups that will affect the way the droplets are sprayed from a particular cartridge. If you refill the cartridges with inks intended for a specific manufacturer's printers, you may get acceptable print quality, but your results from universal refill inks could vary dramatically.

Most printer manufacturers warn against using refill kits for obvious reasons. These companies stand to lose a lot of money if people buy refills instead of the manufacturer's branded ink cartridges. And while simply using third-party inks won't void your warranty, the manufacturer may decline to fix specific printer damage caused by the failure of a refilled cartridge.

If you choose to refill your ink cartridges, be discerning in your choice-look for inks that claim to work well with your printer. For example, we found refill kits from Office Depot designed to work with specific HP cartridges. Also, remember that you cannot refill ink cartridges forever; two or three refills are the most you can expect from an average cartridge.

SAVE ON INK AND TONER. Manufacturer's cartridges are pretty expensive. They are what make the per-page cost of inkjet printing pretty expensive and several times that of laser printing. However, you can realize considerable savings by searching the Net for vendors that offer them at substantially lower prices. For some of the best prices we've seen on both inkjet cartridges and laser toner cartridges, go to pcworld.com/20041 and select printers from the drop-down product-type menu. Some of the savings here are unbelievable.

Take away my PowerDesk utilities and I would be half computer-blind!

A Pair of Worthy Upgrades

They both have something important in common. They are each among the most frequently used applications by our readers, and they both share world-class honors in product excellence:

Powerdesk Pro 5.0

Do you have a software crutch? It's a program that you use most often- one that you simply could not live without. Unhesitatingly, I would have to give an enthusiastic "yes" answer to that question. Take away my PowerDesk utilities and I would be half computer-blind!

Plain and simple, PowerDesk is a file manager. Not just one of the best, but hands down, the very best! For you newbies, a file manager is a program that permits you to do all kinds of procedures to the folders and files on your hard drive. I mean things like copy, paste, move, delete, shred, change, rename, view, print, find, label, color-code, search, associate, prioritize, convert, encrypt, decrypt, zip and many dozens of other functions ad infinitum. You can do them all with this superb application. It's also a quick, convenient and easy way to manage your digital photos, MP3 music files and Web images. That and a lot more is what PowerDesk Pro is all about. It is Windows Explorer on steroids and allows you to manage your folders and files in an incredible multitude of ways. Power Desk has everything Windows Explorer should rightfully have included but didn't.

PowerDesk Pro is yet another brilliant offspring created by today's leading producer of software utilities, Ontrack (formerly known as Mijenix). It is included in Ontrack's Fix-It Utilities and System Suite. PowerDesk is available as a free download from ontrack.com, a download of the industrial-strength Pro version for $29.95, or you can have PowerDesk Pro shipped to you for $32.95.

When you open PowerDesk, you will find its appearance similar to Windows Explorer. The difference, however, is immediately apparent in the multiplicity of buttons, functions, and menu choices. Many of its menu choices are also available when you right-click on any file or folder.

Some of the additions to the latest version, PowerDesk Pro 5.0, include:

  1. You can create notes for any file that will appear in a separate "notes"column in your file list display.
  2. Organize your folders by color-coding them
  3. Create info on a file which you can then view in an info column in your file display.
  4. View, manage and play your MP3 music files from you file list.
  5. Very powerful search for and find files using a host of different file criteria.
  6. Easily view the content of any selected graphics file.
  7. Size manager will identify the files that may be cluttering up your hard drive and may be candidates for removal.
  8. Right-click on a file and directly e-mail it.
  9. Drag and drop files from an FTP site.
  10. Digital camera support. Treats the camera as part of your computer for access, viewing and e-mailing photos.
  11. Add any menu choice to your toolbar as a button.
  12. An enhanced and more descriptive help file is a virtual users guide.

PowerDesk Pro will do almost anything you would reasonably ever need or want to do to your files and folders. Its ease of use and functionality give it a 5-star rating from every popular rating entity. It is bugless, foolproof, and works to perfection. It is a jewel in Ontrack's crown and belongs on everybody's computer. Don't hesitate. Get it!

Zonealarm Pro 3

Since its original introduction, ZoneAlarm has been widely accepted by both users and reviewers as the king of firewall software. If you want to keep hackers out of your computer, ZoneAlarm is without a doubt, your top choice. The program has been available in two varieties, ZoneAlarm and ZoneAlarm Pro. The former is a free application for individual use. The latter has been available for sale to business, corporate and network users.

If you want to keep hackers out of your computer, ZoneAlarm is without a doubt, your top choice.

There's been some changes made. Although ZoneAlarm (currently version 2.6, soon to be updated to 3.0) is still available and widely used, a new ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 containing enhanced features is now available for purchase. The legendary firewall protection between the two is still the same, but some very useful functions have been added to the Pro version that make it a full-strength security application.

For the sake of our novices we need to mention that the two most essential forms of protection for computer users are an antivirus program and a firewall. To turn on your computer without both of these in place is to invite disaster. Antivirus is self explanatory. A firewall prevents intrusions into your computer while you are connected to the Internet. It is most essential for broadband connections like cable, wireless and DSL that are active and subject to intrusions all the time a computer is on. Hackers making these intrusions can access whatever information is on your hard drive and maliciously damage your computer.

The 3.5 MB ZoneAlarm Pro is available for download from zonelabs.com for $40, or at retail outlets in boxed form for $50. As a download, you can try it free for 30 days. The download is quick, easy and automatic. Here's what you will find in ZoneAlarm Pro over and above the free version:

  1. A new graphic interface that adds both pleasure and ease in using the program.
  2. A new Control Center that illustrates and offers easy access to all your configuration settings, security logs and options.
  3. A more detailed alert feature that displays the source of the alert and permits you to track it geographically to its origin. It also offers advice pertaining to the alert source, and is able to differentiate between a somewhat routine and a malicious intrusion.

4. A new cookie manager that prevents the cookie source from obtaining personal information from you.

5. An ad-blocking component that shuts out those pesky pop-up and animated ads that plague your Internet surfing.

6. A trojan horse/worm quarantine feature.

7. An easy, wizard-assisted setup.

8. Two-way Internet protection prevents a local application or trojan horse from using your computer to communicate via the Net.

9. Offers password protection, automatic mobile PC protection, and e-mail attachment protection.

10. You can block IP addresses that run port scans.

11. Supports Windows XP.

12. Legendary full customer support.

ZoneAlarm Pro lives up to its promises in actual usage. You can verify this by yourself without cost or obligation. Just go to zonelabs.com and download a free trial. If you elect to purchase it after your trial period, it's easily done at the same site. You need to also check for updates following your download. Visit zonelabs.com :

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Copyright 2002. This article is from the May 2002 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/

The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,300+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.

See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.