Sarasota PC Monitor

Review Chairmans Industry Comments (12/02)

Reviewing Software

by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor

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

Powerdesk 5 is a must-have! Frustrated with the limitations of Windows Explorer? This freeware file management utility gives you the functionality and familiarity of Explorer and offers you the ability to encrypt and compress files from within the application. Perform file searches over multiple drives and complete file operations on the search results. Compressed files can be password-protected, and you can remove all traces of a deleted file. This is the most frequently used application on my computer! Don't pass it by! <www.v-com.com/product/pd_ind.html>

Another free must-have. jv16 PowerTools is a superb full and free set of tools to keep your computer and your LAN up and running (includes RegClean). Using it is the essence of simplicity. In fact, it is the easiest and safest tool I have ever seen and used for cleaning the registry. It has applets as well for cleaning up other invalid files. It's a winner! jv16 PowerTools is basically the Tool to control your machine. Until now your computer might have been the one who was in charge, but with jv16 PowerTools you take control. The program contains all the tools needed for monitoring, cleaning and controlling the registry, the file system and your Local Area Network.

Key features:

1. The Registry Tool:

2. The LAN Tool:

-Chat

The software is free, but the developer asks for a voluntary contribution of $5. Take it from me, it will be the best 5 bucks you ever donated!

Download accelerator plus. Have a bunch of files you want to download? No problem. This free utility lets you gather all of them and schedule when you want the download to begin. Look for files using predefined categories such as games, MP3 files, or programs; or simplify the search by adding URLs. Once you locate your file, a list of the best locations to retrieve it is generated so you can find the most reliable connection. Multiserver connections are also supported, and an Always Resume feature finishes downloads that are interrupted due to lost connections. <www.speedbit.com>

Organizing ie6 favorites. If you want to organize your Favorites in IE 6, you can choose Favorites>>Organize Favorites to open the Organize Favorites dialog box. If you prefer to use keystrokes, you can open the Organize Favorites dialog by simply pressing Ctrl + B. You use the same keystroke to work with your bookmarks in Netscape 6

Fix uninstall problems free.. You know how it is-sometimes you try to uninstall a program and the process fails. You don't have to put up with this erratic behavior. Just download a copy of Aurelitec, Inc.'s UninstallAbility. This utility is free for personal use and ensures that you will always be able to uninstall those no longer needed programs. Get it at <www.aurelitec.com>

Find out what's happening! Do you know about all the files and applications that are running on your computer now? Which ones of them are normal programs and system utilities and which ones are trojans, viruses, or spy tools? Use Winsonar 2002 to find out.

Winsonar 2002 is a program that detects new processes in your computer's memory and separates them to two lists: safe and unsafe processes. Once you run the program after installation, it scans the memory for processes and considers them all to be safe.

The tool sits in the tray and waits for new ones to appear so it could place them to the unsafe list and wait for your approval.

Winsonar lets you view additional information about them, like their ID or the location of the program they belong to. There are possibilities to run a memory scan manually, too. Download this free tool today and check it out yourself.. Get it at: <www.freedownloadscenter.com/Reviews/r647.html>

Take the paper clip away. Yes, the Office Assistant is better behaved this time around. Here's how to teach that little pest to pop up only when you truly need help. Open the Help menu and choose Hide the Office Assistant to send the Assistant away temporarily. If you do this three times in the same session, the Assistant will offer to go away for good.

MovieXone. If you've finally gotten your hands on a video camera, you may have run into the harsh reality that video-editing software does not come cheap. MovieXone can edit video and audio files, add titles, and convert between formats-for free. All current video, graphics, and audio formats can be imported into a video production and animated, then played back in different formats, such as streaming video.

A/B-editing tracks, one video/titling track, and two audio tracks are available. The Live Preview in Realtime allows you to experiment, as all changes to your clips are shown immediately. Price: Free. Download MovieXone now at: <www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,17620,tk,hsx,00.asp>

Limewire. This file-sharing application features an open community of similar users (defined by interests, computing power, and bandwidth) to optimize search performance. You can run unlimited simultaneous searches, and the program automatically configures itself for your connection speed and computing power. This version includes the ability to download from multiple hosts and an option to shut down automatically after file transfers are complete. It also creates a separate tab for each MP3 search you perform in a particular session, so you can browse your results with a single click.

Version: 2.5.5 Price: Free Download LimeWire now at:

<www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,8221,tk,hsx,00.asp>

The best of free software. For the best collection of excellent free software you have ever laid eyes on, go to:

<www.djbdesigns.com/wtvzone/downloads.html>

It's a classic collection. Don't miss it!

Motherboard info. If you usually build your own computers, or if you're thinking of building a computer, you'll need to be very careful about selecting the right motherboard. The motherboard is the heart of the computer, so you want to make sure you select one that offers everything you need with an eye on the future as well. A good place to start researching motherboards is MotherBoards.org.

<www.motherboards.org/>

Multimedia fans, computer artists and digital imaging enthusiasts should visit <www.mediachance.com> for the latest shareware and articles of interest in those areas.

Home gardener? If you love gardening, there's a web site on the Internet that's just for you. This site is called GardenWeb. You'll find here information about plants, regional gardening, and even information about kitchen gardening.

There are also a number of forums available for exchanging information. To visit GardenWeb, click here to go to the site. <www.gardenweb.com/>

Sensational sounds. If you make your own multimedia presentations and need just the right sounds to spice your work, you will find millions of sound files in every category at <www.findsounds.com/>

Pacific digital mach 48 cd-rw drive. An inexpensive price and fast write speeds make the Mach 48 CD-RW an excellent value at around $90 according to PC World. The 48X/12X/48X Pacific Digital Mach 48 posted stellar numbers in their CD-R mastering tests where the drive took just 2 minutes, 36 seconds to write 650MB on the fly. It also logged 1 minute, 6 seconds for packet writing 100MB to a CD-RW disc. The drive's CD-ROM read speed is slow, however: Though it carries a 48X read rating, it took 3 minutes, 21 seconds to install the first disc of Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Edition.

Pacific Digital offers 12 hours of daily toll-free technical support. The software bundle accompanying the drive covers the basics, with Ahead Nero Burning ROM 5.5 for CD mastering tasks and InCD 3.2 for packet writing.

Make windows run better. Here's a collection of 104 different ways to make all versions of Windows more pleasant to live with. Lots of good suggestions. Give them a look at <www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,570867,00.asp>

Prescription drug price comparison. There are several discount sources for prescription drugs on the web. For price comparison among them, go to destinationrx.com. If you are looking for a really big difference from what you have been paying, order your drugs from Canada and save some 30 to 40 percent less than the best U.S. price. There are several Canadian sources like rxnorth.com that you can find with your favorite search organ like google or copernic.

Dynamite downloads. Forget pricey shrink-wrapped software. For 25 shareware and freeware gems-from office workhorses to must-have Web utilities and handheld apps, go to: <www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,103775,tk,dnWknd,00.asp>

If Word crashes. To recover a Document if Word Crashes, go to the Tools menu, then select Options and click the File Locations tab. Empty space next to AutoRecover files means your data is lost. If there is a location, go there and open the document. Digital camera selection can be quite confusing. To compare the features of what's available, go to dpreview.com.

Spam Buster is one of the most popular e-mail filtering tools around, Spam Buster includes filters for more than 15,000 known spammers. It runs from your system tray and taps quietly into your e-mail server every few minutes to check new messages against a blacklist of known spammers and subject lines. If it finds a match, it deletes the message before it gets to your in-box.

You can configure the program to filter up to 12 mailboxes. If a spammer gets through, you can report the abuse and be protected in the future. This update lets you preview intercepted files before deleting them, if you desire.

Spam Buster "is faster than [the competitors]" because it "only downloads the headers of the email not the entire message." You can get it at <www.contactplus.com/>

Properties timesaver. When you need to track down the location of an application whose icon resides on your desktop, get right into "properties" directly by holding down the ALT ket when you click on the icon.

Free web page templates. Make your web page design easier with some good templates available free at elated.com

Free dictionary. WordWeb is a free version of the WordWeb Pro. It includes a comprehensive English thesaurus and dictionary, and can be used to look up words from within most programs. The pro version also has word finding, anagram, editing and customization features.

Included are: Definitions and synonyms, proper nouns related words 135, 000 root words; 109, 000 synonym sets; Look up words in other programs, and more. Once installed, Ctrl-Alt-W will bring up your dictionary-thesaurus regardless of what application you are in at the time.

Full exposure. Today's Best Digital Cameras Bigger features, smaller prices-whether you're a special-occasion snapshooter or a serious shutterbug, you can find a new camera with your name on it. <www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,104696,tk,dnWknd,00.asp>

Broadband for beginners. To find out what broadband (cable, DSL, wireless) Internet connection is all about, go to US Robotic's site at <www.usr-emea.com/education/e-main-menu.asp?loc=unkg> for an excellent rundown on the subject.

For hardware buffs and tweakers. Do you like to get the last little bit of performance out of your system? If your answer is yes, then you need to visit Tweakers.com. This Australian site features all kinds of technical information and some great equipment reviews. Tweakers also offers links to sites of interest. <www.tweakers.com.au/>

Get your email from anywhere. MailRelayer lets you read mail anywhere. You can now set up your home or office computer as an Internet server that lets you access your mail from your laptop, the Internet, or a Palm device. <eletters1.ziffdavis.com/cgi-bin10/flo?y=eScu0FJ1vh0EvS0rmD0Ag>

XP security patches. Time has revealed various security vulnerabilities in Windows XP. You might want to review some of the patches offered by Dnet that address these at: <downloads-zdnet.com.com/3150-2027-0-1-2.html?qt=zdxpvp&ca=2001&tag=sptlt>

Fixing windows. For a great collections of tips and instructions on fixing a wide variety of Windows problems. go to: <http://www.pcworld.com/features/article/0,aid,104690,tk,cxc,00.asp>

Considering a new hard drive. For a good look at what's available, including ratings and all the information you need to make a wise selection, go to: <http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,105158,00.asp>

Microsoft Office 11. Sorry folks, it will only run on Windows XP and 2000. I guess the squeeze is on for earlier versions of Windows users to upgrade. On the other hand, your current version of Microsoft Office has more than enough vim and vigor to take you well into the foreseeable future.

Free browser utilities. For a collection of free utilities that can greatly enhance your online browsing, go to <www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,1206,tk,sbx,00.asp>

Inkjet printers can perform better if your follow some of the tips and advice offered at: <http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,103802,tk,sbx,00.asp>

When you are through there, go for a more complete rundown on mastering printing techniques at: <http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,103805,tk,sbx,00.asp>

Safety recalls. There are an awful lot of products out there that pose problems related to health and safety. For an interesting rundown on specific items, take a very interesting and informative trip to: <www.safetyalerts.com/Default.htm>

Screen saver turn-off. I don't use a screen saver. At best, they take up valuable system resources. At worst, they have been implicated in system crashes and bluescreens. If you must have them, it also helps to have a dandy free utility that will allow you to turn them off and on at will. get it at: <www.bottin.com/controlss.htm>

Mouse Emulator is a freeware program that allows you to run Windows without a mouse. If your mouse becomes ill, or if you just want to see how a keyboard mouse might work out for you, try Mouse Emulator. You can download your copy of Mouse Emulator at: <www.geocities.com/pronto4u/mouseemulator.html>

Beware of Real Player one. The good news is that it's a great multimedia player with lots of nifty features and will handle files that Windows Media Player won't. Furthermore it comes in a very capable free download from real.com, as well as a pay version with advanced features.. A recently updated and considerably approved Real One is now available.

The bad news is that after you download this new version and you want to install it, be sure to read the ULA carefully. You must agree to accept its cookies, allow Real Networks to monitor what your are watching or listening to, accept advertising, among other unpalatable intrusions on your privacy.

PRIVACY LOST. Back in 1999, we ran a series over the course of more than a year highlighting intrusions into your computer privacy and the cures for these illicit invasions. Things change in this category frequently for both good and bad. As new means appear by which culprits and software secretly worm their way into your computer and its private contents, new software is developed and old apps are upgraded to meet current challenges. Over the next few issues, we will examine and recommend some of the best currently available applications designed to protect your privacy.

Online security with bank cards/credit cards. Noted computer guru and columnist Fred Langa offers some excellent words of wisdom regarding your online use of credit cards. Fred says, "If you're keeping up with your security patches, you've probably seen several that can affect the safety of online ordering with credit cards. See, for example, <support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q328145&>

Those patches, and related general concerns, have led to a number of reader emails asking about the possibility of someone hijacking your credit card info by eavesdropping on connection between you and a supposedly secure online ordering site, and such. It may surprise you to learn that the most common forms of credit card and account theft that occur online have nothing- nothing at all- to do with people snooping on your connection to a remote site.

Rather, the most common problem is when people voluntarily give out information to unknown or bogus sites or persons. The most classic form of deception here is something like the old AOL scam where someone sends out a note that looks like (but isn't) an official AOL email. The note says something like "...our database crashed and we need to rebuild it.

To keep your account active, click here and re-enter your account info..." The link leads the gullible to a non-AOL site where they dutifully enter their private account info, thus giving the data-thieves everything they need to make fraudulent purchases, using the victim's credit card info. Note that the victims could have *perfect* browser security, and it wouldn't matter: The problem here is gullibility, not browser security.

That's the most common form of data theft, but it affects people only one at a time. A most serious problem occurs when crackers break into the server at an e-commerce site, and simply steal the database that contains all account data; one such theft can affect literally tens of thousands of accounts at once. But this is exactly analogous to a thief in the physical world breaking into a store or restaurant, and stealing the credit-card slips or records filed there.

Thus, the cracking of e-commerce sites also isn't a browser security issue. E-commerce sites must use good security practices to keep out crackers just as brick-and-mortar businesses must use good physical security to keep out thieves. The kind of browser you use to visit an online merchant's site has zero- zero!- effect on a cracker's ability to break into the site and steal the database.

I'm NOT suggesting that it's unimportant to keep your guard up online- it is. By all means keep your own PC and browser security strong and up to date. But after that, your best protection against credit card fraud and account theft is (1) to pick carefully the people with whom you choose to do business; (2) to stay alert (avoid offers that seem too good to be true or that otherwise set off your BS detectors); and (3) to choose a credit-card provider that offers full fraud protection. Then, even if someone steals your card or account info or otherwise abuses your account, it's between the thief and the bank- not you.

A further note: Many debit cards DO NOT offer fraud protection; if someone steals your account info, they can clean you out. Most credit cards, on the other hand, routinely offer fraud protection that limits your exposure to the first $50 of fraudulent charges; and some banks even waive that modest amount so that you'll owe nothing - $0 - for fraudulent purchases made with your card or account numbers. In my case, I never, ever use a debit card online, but I routinely make credit card purchases online without worry. If you don't know what kind of card you have or what fraud protection your bank offers you, give 'em a call. And if you don't like what you hear, find another bank. There's no reason to give your business to a bank that won't protect you from fraud.

As long as there are thieves in the world, there never will be a 100% secure solution EITHER in paper-based or electronic transactions. But with reasonable precautions, there's no particular extra risk in making credit card purchases online. For more info, please read: <www.browsertune.com/bt2kfull-2/security-intro.htm > :

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Copyright 2002. This article is from the December 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/

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