Sarasota PC Monitor
Review Chairmans Industry Comments (3/05)
The Computer Buffet
by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor
E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org
AGENT RANSACK. Here's a gem you can't afford to be without, and it's free, no less! It's not always easy to remember the exact file name of your document, and opening each file to look inside for something you need but forgot where it was wastes a lot of time. Agent Ransack displays the text found inside each file, so you don't have to separately open each search result. You can also search for text inside of documents using this application. Agent Ransack integrates into the Windows Find menu and into your file manager's right-click context menu, so it can easily replace the slow, klunky File Search function included with Windows.
You will be amazed at how quickly it comes up with the location of a file by searching a few words of text it contains. It's simple, extremely easy to use, and the results are dynamite. Don't miss this one!
Get it at www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/pageloader.aspx?page=home
BOOT DISK.COM is one of the handiest sites in computerdom. Utilities, dll's, drivers, updates, partitioning, formatting, repairing, antivirus and spyware protection, and more of what everyone needs from time to time to fix and prevent computer problems.
It's all here at this free and comprehensive site. Bookmark it and create a shortcut on your desktop. Guaratee there will come a time that you either be glad or wish you did!
FXFOTO allows you to edit, correct and improve your digital images. You can import your photos directly from your camera, or from a local folder. The editing interface is divided into several sections, and allows you to improve your image in various ways by correcting common mishaps like red-eye and improper white balance, as well as skin blemishes and more. You can also apply different filters to make your picture look older (sepia), softer, sharper, textured and more. In addition, FxFoto allows you to add text to the photo, draw objects and send optimized images by email. All these features can be used for free, however the program also offers some additional features like image collages, CD presentations, advanced slideshows and others, which require a purchase of the Deluxe version (if desired). fxfoto.com
VCW VICMAN'S PHOTO EDITOR is a versatile image editor with an intuitive interface and a wide variety of features. This powerful application is user friendly, offering simple image editing, high productivity and easy customization. Now you don't have to fork out hundreds of dollars for a quality image editor. This award-winning application is freely downloadable and comes with a wide range of essential features for both novice users and professional designers. With VCW VicMan's Photo Editor you can refine your digital photos, draw artwork naturally and effortlessly, producing superb graphics for the web. www.photo-editor.net
WEB MD HEALTH. The information contained here is beneficial for men and women both young and old. Prevention is key, and the articles on the site will tell you what you need to do to turn your health around. You can learn about drug information, check your symptoms, ask for help, and even find a doctor in your area. The online quizzes will test your knowledge on certain topics and help you pinpoint specific problems. Try to forget about how you've damaged your body in the past. The best time to start improving yourself is now. http://my.webmd.com/
ACEMONEY LITE is a freeware personal finance manager. It has all the features of its big brother except multiple accounts management. AceMoney Lite helps people organize and manage their personal finances quickly and easily. It supports all the features required for home or even small-business accounting needs. www.mechcad.net/products/acemoney/indexlite.shtml
CHANGING YOUR COMPUTER'S NAME. If that's what you want, the first thing you need to do is open up the Control Panel. If you're in the category view, click on Performance and Maintenance and then click on the System button. Those of you in the classic view will be able to immediately find and select the System button. After opening the window, you'll see a tab at the top that says Computer Name. Click on that and you'll find the option to change the basic description of the computer. From here, you can click on the Change button and then alter the name of the computer and the workgroup, if you wish to do so. You'll need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
RENAME MASTER is a free utility for renaming large groups of files with a few clicks. Anyone that has worked with websites, file archives, or collections of music, videos, or pictures has probably spent way too much time renaming hundreds of files. The program provides an easy to use interface that allows you to perform simple and advanced rename operations, very easily. You can even preview the to-be-renamed file names before you finalize it and apply any changes. Advanced renaming features include adding, removing from the original file name, replacing characters (name or extension) and support for several meta variables, that allow you to perform renaming based on the files size, date and several other criteria. Renaming operations can be saved as scripts, so they can easily be reused at a later time. Additional features include optional Explorer integration, uppercase/lowercase conversion, file filters and more. A powerful, yet easy to use renaming utility! www.joejoesoft.com/
MUSICMATCH JUKEBOX V10. Tired of cobbling together audio programs that play, burn, and organize your music files? Like RealNetworks' RealOne and Apple's iTunes, Musicmatch Jukebox is an all-in-one digital audio management tool that rips, mixes, burns, organizes, and plays music. The program has a "faster ripping" feature, which lets you extract files from CDs and save them as WAVs or MP3s; you can then burn your digital files to CD-R or CD-RW. The program lets you transfer your music files to your portable devices. Finally, you can enjoy Musicmatch Radio and, among other things, fill your office with the smooth, soothing tones of NPR's "Morning Edition."
Among other things, this version lets you buy tracks from all five major labels and more than 30 independents. Unlike the files you might find on a P2P file sharing network, these files are high quality, free of viruses, and legal to download. Within the program, you can then burn the files to CD and transfer them to your MP3 player.
GOOGLE LANGUAGE TOOLS. Of the various tools visible on Google's start page is "language tools." Enter text in English and it will translate it into the language of your choice, or choose text in any of a huge list of languages and translate it into English. Second only to Windows itself, Google is my most extensively used tool. It is the miracle that truly defines what computers are all about.
AM-DEADLINK. When you find something on the Internet that you like, you usually tend to bookmark it. In doing this, you'll be able to come back to the location at a future time without having to tax your brain by trying to remember what the address was. Many computer users maintain a gigantic list of bookmarks, and this can prove to be a real mess to deal with. Web sites come and go, and if you haven't done any spring-cleaning to your bookmarks, you'll probably be surprised by how many sites are no longer around. Manually cleaning out the list one by one will work, but an easier way to accomplish this task is by using the free AM-DeadLink.
The software can automatically verify all of your bookmarks in Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, and Opera. It will tell you what the status of the site's are, and when it's done, you can easily select all of the expired links and erase them from your bookmark listing. AM-DeadLink will also help you track down duplicate entries that don't need to be in there. The internal browser window is a nice extra that you can use to check the content of certain sites if need be. I also liked the ability to backup your bookmarks to a zip file. Little touches like that are what make good programs great. www.aignes.com/deadlink.htm
COLLEGES RATED. Each year, U.S. News & World Report publishes America's Best Colleges. The research is extensive and the resources are invaluable. You can search colleges by criteria, such as best ranking or best value. Or you can choose side-by-side comparisons. They'll even help you find scholarship money. This research project earns an A+. www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
ULTRASHREDDER Shreds files by overwriting them 199 times with random characters, saving it to disk each time, and then bypasses the recycle bin. If the file were to be recovered by a restoration program, they would only be able to see unintelligible characters on disk where the file used to be. The program is free and very small with a minute memory footprint, and makes no changes to your system whatsoever. www.xtort.net/xtort/ultra.php
MINIMINDER is a program that "tickles" your memory. Enter anniversaries, birthdays and meetings now for delivery later. You can flaunt MiniMinder on your desktop or vanquish it to the Notification Area. Either way, when the big day arrives, so does MiniMinder. Busy people will fancy the drop-down menus. They're pre-loaded for Event and Occurrence. Don't let another event slip your mind! This program is donation-ware. It's free to use and keep, but the author asks for a $5 donation if you like and use it. http://www.vellosoft.com/miniminder/index.html
BEARSHARE LITE 4.5. Download music and video files with this peer-to-peer program. BearShare offers advanced search filtering as well as a family filter, which lets you block adult content. You can "swarm" downloads from multiple hosts to retrieve files faster. The program also gives you some tools to gauge your connection. You can even chat with other BearShare users while transferring files.
The latest version of this file is free of spyware. It also has a low power mode that lets you reclaim bandwidth without closing the program. Finally, it features dynamic querying, IP quality checking, and a "pause results" feature. www. bearshare.com RADIO DAYS. Back in the day when families huddled around a crackling radio to listen to shows, the only tube then was inside the radio! Bring back those simple times with Radiolovers. Pick from hundreds of old radio shows organized under eight different genres. Shows include The Avenger, Flash Gordon and Radio City Playhouse.
"Return with us to the golden age of radio" by eavesdropping on Radiolovers. www.radiolovers.com
USING FIRFOX? Why not? It's the hottest browser on the market today. If you are already a Firefox devotee, you might want to go to www.desktoppipeline.com/howto/57700190# for some of the hottest add-ons that will make Firefox even better.
CONVERT 4.10. Tired of dragging out a conversion table and a calculator? Convert handles several kinds of unit conversion in one small interface. Handy tabbed dialogs take you from weather to temperature to area, computer memory, volume, and more, converting from one unit of measure to another. Convert includes even obscure units like nibbles and furlongs. Convert is a free and easy to use unit conversion program that will convert the most popular units of distance, temperature, volume, time, speed, mass, power, density, pressure, energy and many others, including the ability to create custom conversions! www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/
WEATHER WATCHER 5.5. Having doubts about the accuracy of your local TV weather forecasters? Weather Watcher puts their tools into your hands, so you can avoid the TV intermediaries. The program predicts and reports weather in daily and ten-day options. What's more, it delivers forecasts for locations around the world, so if you'll know what type of clothes to pack-even for a trip overseas. If you don't have your calculator handy, Weather Watcher can convert between Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees. The program supports both U.S. zip codes and worldwide city codes. www.singerscreations.com/
PASSWORDS. Generate from one to 20 passwords at a time at http://www.goodpassword.com/ . If 20 at a time isn't enough, try the one at http://www.winguides.com/security/password.php that promises 50 at a time, apparently under the assumption that one can never have too many passwords. The only problem is remembering them!
ROADSIDE AMERICA. Before heading out for another trip, check out http://www.roadsideamerica.com where you can find some very interesting sightseeing. Searched by city or state, you'll surely find something to make your stop worthwhile.
LIST OF WORST PILLS Are you one of the millions of Americans taking prescription drugs? You might want to check the site run by Public Citizen, which lists drugs it considers unsafe. Public Citizen lists 181 drugs, which it says no American should be taking. www.worstpills.org/
BULK RENAME UTILITY. As the project you're working starts to balloon, it gets hard to remember which files pertain to what. You may want to rename some files to help you keep everything organized. With this utility, you can rename groups of files or folders in one fell swoop. You can perform string substitutions, add date-stamps, add or remove specified digits or characters, and make other useful changes. A preview shows you what the new names will be, so you can change your work before committing to renaming. Bulk Rename Utility is free, but the author accepts donations through his Web site. www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php
PICASA EDITS PHOTOS FREE. Google has released an updated version of Picasa, a free photo- organizing program (http://www.picasa.com/). Picasa 2 has strong organizational functions and a beefed up set of photo-editing tools. Using Picasa, you can change a picture's filename, add captions, enter the date it was taken and rate it with a star. The more information you initially provide, the easier it is to retrieve later. Virtual folders, called labels, allow you to organize picture files without moving them around on your hard drive.
The photo-editing tools include red-eye removal, crop, auto color and auto contrast. You can also straighten crooked pictures or add shadows and highlights. In addition, there are 12 effects filters. Among them are filters that can strip or intensify color, and sharpen or soften subjects. Picasa 2 never overwrites the original file. So you can get as creative as you want without fear of a mistake destroying your memories.
There are a number of ways to share your pictures. Click the e-mail button to send a photo using Outlook or Gmail. Or, sign up and send it using the free Picasa mail. You can send a picture to your printer or to an online photo service, such as Ofoto, Shutterfly or Snapfish.
PEACHPIT PRESS OFFERS BIG BOOK DISCOUNTS TO SPCUG MEMBERS. The standard user group discount on the Peachpit Press (Adobe Press, etc.) website is 20%. Our members can also sign up on their website to become a Peachpit Club Member, which entitles them to a 25% discount, (this is in addition to their user group discount of 20%). Here is the excerpt from their monthly e-news:
If you join the Peachpit Club, you can save 25% on all books every day at peachpit.com simply by becoming a member. Membership is free and easy. All you have to do is answer a few, short questions in their ongoing, online survey, which you can access on any book page. Don't worry. All of your information stays with them-they won't sell it or give it away to anyone. After you've filled out the survey, you'll save 25% automatically whenever you log on to http://www.peachpit.com as a member. It's that easy!
User group coupon code: User group members should note that once you've become a Peachpit Club member, you may use your user group coupon code ON TOP of the permanent savings you earn as a member of the club. Just make sure you've logged into the site before you make a purchase to ensure this permanent discount will be in effect, then enter coupon code UE-23AA-PEUF (case-sensitive) at checkout! This coupon code is an exclusive offer that may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon codes. QUICKTIME VIDEO PLAYER IS FREE. Apple's multimedia player has long been among the most versatile such devices, for Windows users as well as Mac aficionados. Since it supports over 200 audio and video formats, you're likely to experience a minimum of hassle in playing any file you come across. Two attractive features in this most recent version stand out: Instant-On gives you immediate playback to files, and Instant Access lets you use a time slider to jump through a movie. The program also includes skip protection (to prevent interruptions in streaming media), a redesigned interface, and support for other recent codes.
QuickTime lets you experience streaming music, full-motion video, and 360-degree scenes. The plug-in, which is part of the main installation, can run inside Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator/Communicator, and America Online. You can optimize your connection speed options for DSL or cable modem, and you can use skins to change QuickTime's appearance.
This version features 3GPP: a new MPEG-4-based standard for the creation, delivery, and playback of multimedia over new, high-speed wireless networks.The player is free, but if you want to encode files or change formats, you'll have to upgrade to the professional version, QuickTime Pro, which costs $30. http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
TWEAK UI V1.33. Free yourself from the tyranny of ordinary Windows with this extra set of tools (also called PowerToys) created by Microsoft developers. Adjust menu speed and window animation. Move the StartUp folder up the Explorer hierachy, or move the My Documents folder to another drive. If you get the "No Help topic is associated with this item" message when you access the help menu, Tweak UI may have answers. The tool set also offers quick fixes for adding and removing items to your right-click New menu. And you may get a second chance at recovering lost uninstall options (but only if you've installed the program while the original uninstall list in Control Panel is intact).
Because these tools are not part of Windows, they are not supported by Microsoft, and Microsoft's technical support team is unable to answer any questions about them. www.microsoft.com//NTWorkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp
DOWNLOAD ACCELERATOR PLUS (DAP) increases download speeds by up to 300 percent. It searches for mirror sites that most effectively serve your downloads through multiserver connections for optimal utilization of dial-up or broadband connections. DAP automatically recovers from shutdowns, lost connections, and other errors. It is fully integrated into Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera, and offers a toolbar for Internet Explorer with a links catcher and a highlighter. It features auto-hang-up after downloading, proxy settings, scheduling, and a unique AlwaysResume service.
New features in version 7.4 include a filter pane that filters files on your files list according to various criteria (download status, file type), and a history manager that allows browsing through previously downloaded files by time frames. www.speedbit.com/DAP7/Default.asp?
STICKIES are yellow rectangular windows onto which you can put some text notes. Once created, they will stay on screen until you take them away. Just like a real sticky piece of paper. Fonts, colors, and buttons can be changed and styles saved. They can be resized and transferred among networked computers or handheld devices, alarms can be set with specific date and time configurations. They don't muck with the registry, and the download is free. http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/
KILL THE MESSENGER. You might have attempted to remove MSN Messenger in Windows XP and been frustrated that it is not on the list of programs when you use the Add/Remove feature in the Control Panel. You can add it to that list by editing the file known as sysoc.inf. You'll find this file in a folder named INF, which is a subfolder of the Windows folder or, depending on how your operating system was installed, this might be in under the winnt folder. Open the file in NotePad. Look for the following line: "msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7" and remove the word "hide" while leaving the commas on place. Close and save the file. Now, use the Add/Remove function in Control Panel as you normally would and you can remove MSN Messenger the same as you would any other program.
STARTUPRUN. The StartupRun utility displays the list of all applications that are loaded automatically when Windows boots. For each application, additional information is displayed (Product Name, File Version, Description, and Company Name), in order to allow you to easily identify the applications that are loaded at Windows startup. if StartupRun identifies a spyware or adware program that runs at startup, it automatically paints it in pink color. In addition, you are allowed to Edit, disable, enable and delete the selected startup entries. You can also save the list of startup items into a text or html files, and even add a new startup entry to the Registry. http://nirsoft.net/utils/strun.html
PASSWORD SAFE keeps all your passwords in an encrypted database. Just make strong passwords, tuck them into Password Safe, and memorize the password that lets you into the database. From then on, all your passwords can be strong and distinctive, but you'll have only one to remember. Get it free at http://sourceforge.net/projects/passwordsafe/
DOUBLEKILLER. If you have a partitioned hard drive, you may be wasting precious disk space harboring the same files in different areas. DoubleKiller hunts across single or multiple partitions and folders for identical files. It skips over files with important extensions like .dll, but it scans other files for duplicates. It checks the files' names, sizes, dates, and CRC32-checksums to see if any of them mirror one another. Once DoubleKiller locates the duplicates, it shows you a list of all of them so you can decide which ones to keep and which ones to delete or move. www.bigbangenterprises.de/en/doublekiller/
AUDIOGRABBER grabs digital audio from CDs and copies it digitally,not through the soundcard, thus enabling perfect copies of the originals. More details and a free download are at http://audiograbber.com-us.net/ .
ABSOLUTE SHIELD FILE SHREDDER lets you permanently remove files and folders from your system easily without the possibility of data recovery. The tool is integrated with the Windows shell and you can directly start shredding by right-clicking on the selected folders/files and selecting "AbsoluteShield File Shredder" from the Windows explorer menu. The program allows you to choose between a quick two-pass or the standard seven-pass file wiping method. Download free at www.sys-shield.com/fileshredder.htm .
COMPUTER PROFILER. Learn more than 200 interesting facts about your computer. Details about your CPU, memory, operating system, even your computer's power source, are all displayed. You can also copy the information to the Windows clipboard, and paste it into a document for permanent storage. Download at www.karenware.com/powertools/ptprofiler.asp .
ALIVE VIDEO CONVERTER It reminds me of the biblical account of the building of the tower of Babylon. The workmen all came from disparate locations and spoke different languages. It made for one hellova mess when they tried to communicate with each other. You would think mankind would have learned its lessons from those days. Not a chance! They unfortunately have carried over into today's multimedia industry.
Perhaps your video camera produces videos in a format your player software can't read. For example, .AVI is common camera output that the world's most common video player, Windows Media Player, chokes on. Maybe you received a video file from a relative or want to swap one of your own, or maybe it was one you downloaded, and in either case your video player can't read it. All very frustrating.
Don't fret folks! All you need is a good video conversion program that will covert whatever the format is to one that your favorite player will be happy as a clam to let you enjoy. There is considerable conversion software out there, most of which you can download and use (with some limitations) free for a limited period of time. After trying a representant sampling, I was most pleased with Alive Video Converter from www.alivemedia.net.
Alive video converter passes my software test with absolutely flying colors. It is both the utter essence of simplicity and does a superb job. What more could you ask? Open the software, point to the files you want to convert, choose the media that you want to convert it into, click the button and its done. When my sister sends those damned .AVI files that it seems most video cameras produce, in nothing flat I have them converted to .WMV that Windows Media Player can cuddle up with. No muss, no fuss, no bother!
To meet my test, software must be completely intuitive. Just look at the Alive Video Converter's opening screen and you know exactly what to do. It is completely intuitive. No manual, help menu or any other assistance is necessary. A wide choice of formats into which you can convert your files is offered. You have only to pick the one that suits you and your video player best. What could be more simple?
The test version of Alive Video Converter will only play half of your video- more than enough to confirm the software's competence. Try it now at alivemedia.net. It's more than worth the $29.95 to purchase. :
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Copyright 2005. This article is from the March 2005 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 1,100+ 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.