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Newsletter Archive Reviews Archive 
Welcome to Clif Notes Newsletter
November 11, 2007
REVIEWS
Dr.Web CureIt - portable anti-virus and anti-malware scanner
review from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Adware & Spyware Removal
I ran across this program and decided to try it out. Dr. Web Cureit is a stand-alone program that will scan your computer for bad stuff. If it finds something, it may give you a chance to fix the problem by hitting the "Cure", "Rename", "Move' or "Delete" buttons.
No installation is required on this small download. It's a simple EXE file so you just double click it to run. Downloading the entire program is the only way to update the malware signatures. That means you should always work from a freshly downloaded copy of this program. To remove Dr. Web Cureit, just delete the cureit.exe file.
The scans are fairly slow but Cureit doesn't seem to interfere with currently installed anti-virus.
One item most folks won't like is that it occasionally displays an advertisement about the paid programs they offer. These are not a problem and you can easily close them when they occur.
Dr. Web Cureit is a nice portable tool you can take with you on a CD or thumbdrive when you visit your friends or relatives who always have infections on their computers. I don't think you'll mind the advertisement if it actually helps you get rid of the nasties.
Quote from the website
Think you are infected? Then try Dr.Web CureIt! A FREE anti-malware utility.
Cure your computer of viruses, Trojans, spyware and other malicious programs with Dr.Web CureIt!, which uses the Dr.Web engine. There is no need for installation and therefore this is an ideal on-demand scanner as there is no conflict with your primary AV. The utility is always armed with the most up-to-date add-ons to the virus databases.
This program could be classified as AdWare because of an advertisement it displays.
It is still safe to use and does not make any system changes without permission.
http://download.drweb.com/drweb+antivirus+free+services/
7.6 MB download
Ashampoo Firewall - good but only free with registration
Notes from ClifNotes, Aug 2006, Updated Nov 2007, permalink Personal Firewalls
One of the frequent contributors here, Bill Allin, commented that he is trying out the Ashampoo firewall. I got curious and decided to try it too.
This free firewall offers true two-way protection that not only prevents intrusions from the internet, but can also stop unknown programs on your PC from contacting the internet.
After downloading it from Download.com, I installed it and had no problems. It starts with a short configuration wizard that asks you to choose either an expert or easy mode. Even though I'm no expert, I decided to try the expert mode because it offers more protection from wi-fi connections if you are on the road with a laptop.
After running it awhile, I found that the firewall was not slowing my PC down. There were plenty of prompts at the beginning. Every time you start a program that wants to connect to the internet or your local network, it asks you to accept, deny or create a rule for the connection. I found this to be very simple to understand and after a day or two, the prompts have not been coming up except when I happen to try out new software.
There is only one drawback to this free offer that I can complain about. After installation the firewall tells you that you have a 10 day trial period before you have to register it. This may be confusing to some people. Even though you have to register this program, they don't ask you for any money. The registration requires that you give out your email address and any other information that you supply is optional. You will receive at least two emails during registration and it looks like they add you to a newsletter that they send out occasionally.
I can recommend this firewall despite the need to register it. I really like it so far.
click to expand picture
Quote from the website
Small and efficient instead of big and confusing
If you don’t have a degree in computer science, using a firewall program can be quite frustrating. In addition to all the confusing jargon, current firewalls are getting to be very big programs. Sometimes you have the feeling that you’re installing an entire office suite instead of a basic network tool.
The brand-new Ashampoo FireWall FREE is different. Its Configuration Assistant guides you through every step of the simple setup process. And Easy Mode makes using it a breeze – you don’t need any special technical knowledge and everything is explained clearly.
Ashampoo FireWall FREE is also amazingly compact. Even with its four additional security tools it’s a tiny program that uses very little memory and computer resources. You get the heavy-duty protection without heavyweight overload on your system.
This program can be classified as RegisterWare because it requires an email address.
Home page for Ashampoo Firewall
F-Prot - anti-virus for DOS
Notes from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Anti-Virus Tools
Another one bites the dust ...
Long ago and far far away, F-Prot anti-virus for DOS was well known and often recommended. For many years they have had a free version of their anti-virus program for DOS operating systems. To this day, F-Prot is still used on "rescue disks" of CDs, so that you can boot into DOS and scan a mal-functioning Windows computer.
I visited F-Prot recently to see if they had a free Windows A-V scanner and was sad to see this message listed on the DOS page.
| We no longer offer F-PROT Antivirus for DOS. Please refer to F-PROT Antivirus for Windows or our products for other platforms for your needs. |
I found that it's still offered at this page on SnapFiles, but I decided to snag a copy and keep it here just in case. You will find a download link below.
click to expand picture
Quote from Snapfiles.com:
F-Prot Antivirus for DOS is the classic command line scanner for the DOS operating system. Among features included in F-Prot Antivirus for DOS is an effective heuristic scanner to scan for new viruses and suspicious files. F-Prot Antivirus will scan inside compressed files, as well as in Word documents and Excel workbooks.
I'll host a copy here for awhile. As soon as my friend at Last Freeware Version nabs it, I'll take it down.
Last free version of F-Prot for DOS
| File Size | 4691 kb |
| Version | 3.16F |
| Last updated | Jun 28, 2006 |
| License | Freeware |
| Windows | 98/ME/2000/XP |
ThumbWin vs RocketDock - what to replace Aero with?
TipsFromCc, Nov 2007, permalink Desktop Tools
CC wrote me that he was trying out these two apps to compare against the Windows Vista Aero navigation tools such as Windows Flip and Taskbar Thumbnails.
Software comparison from CC:
RocketDock and ThumbWin: They both do the same thing but ThumbWin is better looking and adjustable in many ways so ThumbWin it is. Tested on Vista OS. Dragging a thumbnail to any position is available.
ThumbWin uses low resources with 568KB used compared to Aero at 7.2MB. All the thumbnails pop up but on Aero's thumbnail you can only see one at a time.
Rocketdock's thumbnails are not movable and it uses 4000KB.
cc
Quote from a review at Cybernet News:
The best way to demonstrate the features of ThumbWin is with a video, so before you head on over and get it setup checkout what it really has to offer.
see the article at Cybernet News
ThumbWin's home page translated to English from Japanese
Jarte - a compact free WordPad replacement
review from ClifNotes, Feb 2007, Updated Nov 2007, permalink _ Word Processing
Update: (Thanks to CC for reminding me to check on Jarte again.)
Jarte is now at version 3.0 and also has a portable version. One thing I immediately noticed in this version is that there are three menu/button layout options. If you don't like all the buttons at the top of the page, choose the minimal layout and you simply get the standard menus that you see in most editors.
Review from Clif:
Back in February, Tom in Holland recommended that I take a look at this free word processsor. I typically use the word processor in OpenOffice. I love Open Office but it's a huge program and it takes quite a while to load. For small jobs I really don't need all the power or the wait. I'd been looking for something like Jarte and didn't know it. My only beef with the program is it's unusual interface. Once I'd gotten past that, I found it was very easy to use.
Tips:
- I had to load the Office Converter Pack to handle some DOC files that contain images.
- If you love mathematical equations, you may be able to use the TEXaide editor to paste equations into your documents.
- To help you get used to the interface, there is a button called "Labels" that labels the buttons for you as shown below.
- You can add WordWeb, a free English thesaurus and dictionary, and Jarte will use it.
click to expand image
Quote from a review at CFS
It is hard to criticize this WordPad replacement because it does so much more than WordPad (or most other basic word processors) can do ...
Why use heavyweight word processors when you rarely use even 5% of their functions while programs like Jarte offer 99% of what people use, are much, much faster to load, and which don't take over your desktop.
Chaos Manager - be rewarded for your organizing habits
Notes from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Info Management
Review from Ken G.
There are a number of very light-weight task-management applications that are very intuitive and easy to adopt. Bottom of my list was a program called Chaos Manager. The screen layout was different to the all the rest and I didn't feel comfortable, but I persevered and was rewarded for my efforts.
The program offers the following:
Password access
Appointments, with reminders
Calendar showing appointments, birthdays, holidays etc
Notebook, divided by category
Contacts, divided by category plus a birthday reminder!
A Calculator
Setup - with 22 skins, very easy to configure.
The website www.chaosmanager.net has a forum and the designer/builder is happy to take on board suggestions for improvement.
First glance is deceiving - persevere and you will be rewarded!
Spend some time in "set-up" and review the documentation - it's all common sense. The only difference between this package and other To Do lists is screen presentation - it is different and therefore off-putting to the casual observer, but once you have tried a few features, everything just clicks into place!
click to expand picture
Quote from the website
As a computer is supposed to be a helpful tool I always wanted to organize some of my mess on the computer. I couldn't really find an organizer that I liked, the ones I tried was either too confusing with too many buttons/options or had an annoying layout etc. So I decided to make my own little simple and compact organizer which features an appointment/to-do manager (appointments will pop-up), a calendar, a phone/address-book (contacts), a notebook which supports multiple topic, sync via internet, email forwarding of appointments, print/import/export and much more. All is password protected and encrypted (optional). You can also customize your own skin and background for the application so it won't be too dull to look at (ships with a number of skins).
http://www.chaosmanager.net/
Virtual Magnifying Glass - free and open source magnifier
Notes from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Desktop Tools
One of my co-workers loves to play with freebie utilities as much as I do. After I'd recommended a program to him, he wrote back with a tip about two nice magnifying apps. Both are good, but the Virtual Magnifying Glass is something I'll be keeping.
A tip from Allen H.
While searching for Dragnifier, I also found VMG (Virtual Magnifying Glass). It works like Dragnifier, but has more options.
Quote from the website
Virtual Magnifying Glass is a free, open source, screen magnification tool for Windows and Linux. It is simple, customizable, and easy-to-use.
Download the installer at:
http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/
I found out that VMG seems to run fine as a no-install.
Download my no-install version:
http://freewarewiki.com/f/vmg.zip
Old Newsletter
I like to look back and see what I was thinking about. Here's another letter from the wayback machine.
TIPS AND FEEDBACK
What free software do you need?
Notes from ClifNotes, permalink Windows Tips
So what do you need? Write it down below and I'll see if I can find it. If you know the answer to someone else's question, add your answer there.
Previous "What Do You Need" comments
Nov 04 2007 - Last week
Oct 28 2007
Oct 21 2007
Oct 14 2007
Sep 23 2007
Sep 16 2007
Sep 09 2007
Aug 26 2007
Aug 19 2007
Jun 29 2007
Jun 22 2007
Jun 15 2007
Search all the comments
Internet Fixes Weekend Windup
tips from Gary at InternetFixes, Windows Tips
From Clif:
Gary at Internet Fixes continues to amaze me with hundreds and thousands of tips for your PC. Whatever your operating system, or how you use it, a visit to Gary's site will soon have you saying "So that's how you do this!".
Sign up for Gary's newsletter?
Weekend Windups are now available online
http://www.internetfixes.com/weekend_windup/
Last Mondays News Letter Tips
============================
1. How Can I Stop Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) from opening documents in the IE.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01101.htm
============================
2. I am unable to see full amount of a new hard drive I bought and installed.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01102.htm
============================
3. Is Your Computer Running Slowly?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01103.htm
============================
4. My Web Browser Has Been Hijacked.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01104.htm
============================
5. How Do I Enable / Disable Or Delete Internet Cookies?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01105.htm
============================
6. How Do I Prevent Windows Messenger Pop-ups?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01106.htm
============================
7. How Do I Stop Pop-up Or Pop-under Internet Ads?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01107.htm
============================
8. How Do I Enable And Or Disable The Microsoft Windows XP Firewall?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01108.htm
============================
9. You Can’t Find A Lost Windows Product Key?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01109.htm
============================
10. Hyperlinks Not Working In Internet Explorer 6.0.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01110.htm
============================
Click The Link Below To Join My News Letter.
The Form At The Link Below Covers Both Monday and Wednesdays News Letter.
http://www.internetfixes.com/newsletter.htm
============================
Download 1000 Of My Tips On Ebay!
Over 600 Windows XP Tips!
http://www.internetfixes.com/main_paypal.htm
============================
Function Keys F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12
http://www.internetfixes.com/definitions/IF01424.htm
============================
PC Problems? Use My New Detailed Help Form.
http://www.internetfixes.com/customer_support/help.asp
==============================
TIPS WITH FULL GRAPHICS! ALL ONE LOCATION!
http://www.internetfixes.com/tips_with_full_graphics.htm
============================
Have a Friend Or Colleague That One Of My Tips May Benefit? Forward This News Letter To Them!
============================
Last Wednesdays News Letter Tips.
============================
1. Your Windows Installer Could Not Be Accessed Error (Windows XP).
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01111.htm
============================
2. How Do I Create A New User Account Profile In XP.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01112.htm
============================
3. Hyperlinks in Outlook Express Messages Stop Working.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01113.htm
============================
4. Correct An NTLDR Or NTDETECT.COM Not Found Error.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01114.htm
============================
5. Rectify A Missing Or Corrupt NTFS.SYS Error In XP.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01115.htm
============================
6. The Text In Web Pages Appears Too Blurry In Internet Explorer 7.
Is There A Setting To Fix This?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01116.htm
============================
7. How do I fix the "Details" view in Explorer?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01117.htm
============================
8. Resolving Most Hardware Conflicts.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01118.htm
============================
9. How can I remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from My Computer.
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01119.htm
============================
10. How can I change the Screen Resolution in Windows XP?
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01120.htm
============================
Hardware And Software Vendor Phone List, A-K
http://www.internetfixes.com/IF01051.htm
Hardware And Software Vendor Phone List, L-P
http://www.internetfixes.com/IF01052.htm
Hardware And Software Vendor Phone List, Q-Z
http://www.internetfixes.com/IF01053.htm
============================
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
============================
How Do I Prevent CHKDSK From Running Every Time My PC Starts
http://www.internetfixes.com/question_of_the_week/IF01129.htm
*******************************
FIVE VERY POPULAR TITLES!!
*******************************
IF01766 Easy enable real Administrator Account in Windows Vista Home Premium
http://www.internetfixes.com/administrator_account_vista_home/index.htm
==============================
IF01767 Keep User Account Control active, but get rid of annoying popups in Vista.
http://www.internetfixes.com/keep_vista_account_control/index.htm
==============================
IF01768 Transfer User Accounts, System Settings from XP to Vista.
http://www.internetfixes.com/transfer_user_accounts/index.htm
==============================
IF02011 Map a Network Printer In Windows XP.
http://www.internetfixes.com/network_printer/index.htm
==============================
IF02006 Using The Windows XP Event Viewer Log.
http://www.internetfixes.com/xp_event_log/index.htm
============================
Reinstall Windows and outfit your system with all freeware programs
Notes from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Windows Tips
I found a stellar article from freewaregenius that highlights 53 freebies as he reinstalls his Windows system. He says he intends to avoid using any paid programs on it. Be sure to bookmark fg's article so that you have it the next time you reload Windows.
click to expand picture
Quote from freewaregenius:
Reinstall Windows and outfit your system with all freeware programs
Description: I recently clean installed Windows XP on my laptop, and this meant that I had to re-install all the essential software that I use. It also presented an opportunity to write a posting about how you can outfit your computer with all the essential (and non-essential) software you need using strictly 100% freeware and/or open source titles.
Read the rest of the article
Cleaning Up Audio Files with Audacity
Notes from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Audio Editing Tools
Walter S. wrote in with a question ...
I like your excellent newsletter. I am looking for some good sound cleaning software something like Wavclean (no longer available) do you know of any?
Sincerely
Walter
After a quick Google search, I found this great tip from Geeks.com. The best part about this tip is that it uses Audacity, which is one of the best free and open source audio editors.
Quote from the website
Cleaning Up Audio Files with Audacity
By Scott Nesbitt
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006
When you're dealing with audio files, there will be times when you run into a few problems. This is especially true with voice recordings and audio that was converted to a digital format from a cassette tape or a vinyl record.
One of the biggest problems is noise. This could be hissing or background noise like the sound of the wind or even someone inadvertently breathing into a microphone. No matter what the source is, that noise is distracting. While it's difficult to eliminate all of the noise from a digital audio recording, it is possible to clean up the file so that the noise isn't all that noticeable ...
read the rest of the article here
Comments last week
Thanks to everyone who commented on the articles last week. You gave me more ideas and some good advice.
REVIEWS
CA Internet Security Suite 2007 - free offer for RoadRunner customers •
PC Tools Firewall Plus - free edition •
BitDefender Free Edition - antivirus scanner •
NeoCrypt - Encryption solution •
QT TabBar - useful and cool Explorer add-on •
HobComment Explorer Extension - comments a file from the right click menu •
Clickster - search and download MP3 files •
TIPS AND FEEDBACK
Rebuild Your Mac with 20 Useful Downloads •
Flock is somebody's favorite browser •
COOL WEBSITES
Odeo - subscribe and listen to PODcasts on your PC or MP3 player •
Downloadpedia.org - great download lists •
Words and Phrases that Should Exist but Probably Don't •
Senduit — Quick One-Time File Sharing •
COOL WEBSITES
CoolSites Newsletter this week
Here are a 6 links (out of dozens) from Mark's CoolSites Newsletter. Be sure to visit his site and see the rest of his links this week.
- 10 most addictive online flash games: http://ct.cnet-ssa.cnet.com/clicks?t=40891634-be56918137808c8d29d6177983a633af-bf&s=5&fs=0
- gOS. An alternative OS for the masses: http://thinkgos.com/index.html
- LearnOutLoud.com Free Audio & Video - Free Audio Books, Lectures, & Speeches on MP3 Download and Streaming Video: http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video#directory
- New. Dead Disk Doctor - Data Recovery Tool: http://www.deaddiskdoctor.com/
- New. XFDisk, is a free DOS FDISK replacement that offers more comfort and comes with a bootmanager that allows you to have more than one operating system installed on your hard disk: http://www.mecronome.de/xfdisk/index.php
- Update. JkDefrag 3.28 disk defragment and optimize utility for Windows 2000,2003,XP,X64 : http://www.kessels.com/JkDefrag/
Quote from the website
COOLSITES is a list of safe, fun, useful, informative and just plain cool websites and programs that are FREE, FREE and FREE. All of the programs and websites I list are free. If I list anything that is so good but isn't free I will list the price with it.
http://luem42.googlepages.com/coolsites.html
XInbox - hide your email address online
review from ClifNotes, Nov 2007, permalink Web Service
Have you ever needed to post your email address in a forum or a guest book at a website because you want someone to write you back? Now you don't have to. Xinbox will give you a web link that lets people get in touch with you. That keeps those dreaded email spiders from seeing your email addy and dropping a ton of spam into your inbox.
Here is my link ...
http://www.xinbox.com/clifnotes
Quote from the website
XInbox.com is a unique free solution that does not let spam into your mailbox. The principle of its work is really simple and effective: you register your email address at XInbox.com, then you get a link to the spam protected contact form like this xinbox.com/support and you leave this link everywhere instead of your email address: on your site, in the signature of your messages, in forums, etc. Special software called spam spiders cannot harvest your email addresses from this forms, so it provides your mailbox with almost 100% protection against spam.
Newser.com - Faster, Smarter News
TipsFromTiffany, Nov 2007, permalink Web Service
From Tiffany:
http://www.newser.com/
I love it!
**************
Tiffany Cartier
********************************************
http://tiffanycartier.stumbleupon.com/
http://hello-kitty.group.stumbleupon.com/ =^..^=
********************************************
Quote from the website
Newser does the reading for you. Our editors select the day's most important and most talked-about stories from the 100 top news sources, along with compelling pieces from less-known sites that might otherwise be overlooked.
In succinct, lively summaries, newser’s editors distill articles and opinion pieces, telling you what you need to know, what you want to know, and where to go for the best coverage.
You can't follow 100 news sources, but we can follow them for you. Think of us as a front page for the Internet.
Newser is the first online news service to fully leverage the Web and is creating the first major news brand native to that medium.
http://www.newser.com
Websites I've visited recently
Have you seen any cool websites you want to share with us?
NEW NEWS
SnapFiles.com - new and updated freeware
Source - http://snapfiles.com/freeware
News from Sarah in Tampa
Source - http://sarahintampa.com
Security news from Malware Advisor
blog by TeMerc Internet Countermeasures, source
Infected? Go to http://temerc.com for help
A view from CyberNirvana
CyberNirvana: Zia's blog about the web and web technology.
http://www.ziarezvi.com
OTHER STUFF
Get Gmail! and Get Firefox!
You need a free 2.8 GB Gmail account to access many of the cool features at Google. After more than two years in beta testing Gmail is open to the public. Just go to http://gmail.com and sign up for an account.
I think Gmail works best in the awesome Firefox browser. It's free, easy to use, and it's way more secure than Internet Explorer. My favorite thing to do is to customize Firefox so that it does much more than IE ever could. You can select new button controls for your toolbars, install extensions to add new features, or change the look of your browser with themes - the way Firefox looks and works is under your control.
Chatting at FreewareWiki
Now you can chat with anyone visiting a website by using Gabbly. To see who's gabbing at this website, click here.
Find out more about Gabbly.com
Frapper - you people live all over the world!
Wow! Over 800 people and still growing! I invite all of you to record your locations on this map. You can include as little or as much information as you wish. I think you'll enjoy seeing yourself there.
Here's a small look at my frapper map.
Write your own review
I get many of the reviews in the newsletter from the readers. You don't have to be a genius or computer guru. Just answer a few questions and send me a review. I'll probably put you in the newsletter.
What do you have to say?
Just tell me what article you are talking about and leave me your comment.
Have fun and surf safely.
Clif
http://clifnotes.net & http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com
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