In This Issue...

Newbies Nook - Information, Tips, and Instruction for Computer Users

Forum Favorites - Popular Questions and Threads from the Forum

Security Corner - Rule 3 of the 14 Golden Rules of Computer Security

Carol's Corner Office - Microsoft Office and OpenOffice How-To's and Tips

DCT's Recommended Software - Our Picks of the Best Software Available

Digital Photography - Learn How to Take Better Pictures

Freeware Focus - A Spotlight on Freeware programs

Useful Websites - Useful Websites Found on the Net and Recommended by Readers

The Lighter Side - Funny, Interesting, and Thought Provoking Items Found on the Net

 

Continuing our Customization of the Windows 7 Taskbar

The new superbar (taskbar) in Windows 7 is truly a joy to work with. Having the ability to pin programs to the taskbar and change their order is a big convenience compared to older versions of Windows. In fact, before Windows 7 I was in the habit of opening my email client followed by my browser before I opened up any other program. Why? So I could have their icons in the same location every time. I know that may seen a little extreme, but having the icons in the same location actually allows me to be more productive, especially when switching between 4 or 5 programs.

Due to these new features in Windows 7 Microsoft did not include a Quick Launch toolbar with Windows 7. I understand their decision, but creating a Quick Launch might be useful for some. I use it for my Recycle Bin (more on that later), but the uses are endless for anyone wanting a little more control over the taskbar and computer.

If we look at the taskbar in Windows 7 there is quite a bit of unused space for us to work with. Let's put that to use by adding a Quick Launch toolbar with the Recycle Bin, and while we're at it we will remove the Recycle Bin from the desktop for a cleaner appearance.

Adding the Quick Launch toolbar to Windows 7

1. Right click a blank area on the taskbar and click on Lock the taskbar to remove the checkmark.



2. Right click a blank area on the taskbar. Move your mouse to Toolbars to open the toolbars menu. Move your mouse over to the new menu and click New Toolbar.



3. A window will open directing you to select a folder. Navigate to C:\YourUserName\David\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer and highlight the Quick Launch folder. Quick Launch should appear in the dialog box next to "Folder:". Click Select Folder.



Once you've clicked Select Folder you will now see the Quick Launch toolbar on the right side of the taskbar. Mine is blank, but if you've installed legacy programs there may be a few icons showing. If you do not want them right click the unwanted icon and select Delete.



Great. Now what? Well, I don't particularly like the "Quick Launch" text showing. I also want anything I add to match the rest of the taskbar!

4. Right click in the new Quick Launch area. In the menu that opens click Show Title to remove the checkmark. This removes the Quick Launch label from the taskbar.



I know you're thinking this Quick Launch idea is groundbreaking, but in the back of your mind you are wondering what use it may be to you. My favorite use is to move the Recycle Bin to the Quick Launch bar so it is useable even when your desktop is hidden by full screen programs, but you can drag almost any folder, icon, or shortcut to the Quick Launch toolbar making it a useful way to organize data and personalize Windows



Above I've added the Recycle Bin and a folder from my desktop by dragging them to the Quick Launch toolbar. Nice to have them there, but I want them to match the remainder of my taskbar.

5. In step #4 we removed the Quick Launch label. Now we will repeat the same steps, but choose Show Text to remove the icon text. Right click the Quick Launch toolbar. In the menu that opens click Show Text to remove the checkmark. You can see the results below.



Great. No text, but the icons are a little small compared to the rest of the taskbar.

6. Right click on the Quick Launch toolbar and move your mouse over View at the top of the menu. In the menu that opens select Large Icons.



You can see that things now look much better and still maintain the Windows 7 "feel".



7. Drag any item you want to the Quick Launch toolbar. It will be functional - The Recycle Bin works as normal, My Computer works as expected, folders allow drag and drop, etc.
8. Once you are finished customizing the Quick Launch toolbar place your mouse over the raised area to the left of the icons and drag it to the right to remove the extra blank area in the Quick Launch toolbar. If you drag it too far you will see the far right icon disappear and a double arrow appear, though if you add several icons you may prefer this.



9. Once you have everything as you want right click an empty area of the taskbar and select Lock the taskbar to see the finished product.

(click the image for a larger view)

If you find having the Recycle Bin on the taskbar is beneficial, or you are the minimalist type you can remove the Recycle Bin from the desktop by following the directions below!

How to Remove the Recycle Bin, My Computer, and Other System Icons from the Desktop

1. Right click an empty place on your desktop and select Personalize from the menu that opens.



2. In the Personalization window that opens click Change desktop icons to open the Desktop Icon Settings Window.



3. In the Desktop Icon Settings window uncheck the box adjacent to the icon you no longer with to appear on your desktop and click OK for the changes to take affect.

There you have it! You've just customized your taskbar and cleaned up your desktop. Aren't computers great?

The Daves Computer Tips Forum needs your help, OK I need your help! The forum has over 500 members and over 3870 total posts. We desperately need your participation for the forum to thrive! The forum is not only a great place to get and give computer advice, but a wonderful place to meet like minded individuals from around the world!

Glary Utilities Pro Contest - Extended through March 14th! Enter to win a free copy of Glary utilities PRO!

Free software - Jim has been doing an excellent job of tracking down FREE software for our readers! Check it out!

XP Guardian - Know anyone who has been infected by XP Guardian 2010? Not a good thing.

Selahgal is looking for ideas and thoughts about using a webcam to monitor remote locations. Interested? Thoughts? Experiences?

Come join us in the forum. Join. Jump in. Ask. Help. Learn. Chat.

The 14 Golden Rules of Computer Security - Rule 3

Omit This Setup Step and Your Router Can Be Easily Compromised

Golden Rule #2 stressed having a NAT router–or router/firewall–between your PC and the Internet as a first line of defense. This is without question the first, most important security step, but it can be useless unless you have it properly configured; in fact, omitting one crucial first step can leave you even more vulnerable to attack that you would be without the device.

All routers come with a default user name and password, often as simple as admin/admin (when I’m faced with a router I haven’t seen before, this is the first thing I try–and it often gets me in). Default settings are a good thing because if you ever forget your password, you can reset the router and take it back to square one. However, this is also a dangerous security risk--these defaults are well known and published on the Web. A couple of years ago, for example, three of the more widely used consumer routers, Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear, were vulnerable to a JavaScript web page attack. Go to the wrong site and if you haven’t changed the default password, the attacker can change your router’s settings to send you to malicious websites. For example, you’ll think you’re looking at your bank’s login page, but it will be a fake look-alike that steals your account information as soon as you log in.

While the manufacturers try to patch such vulnerabilities, users often don't apply the patches and even if they do, determine hackers often find other ways in. As recently as October, 2009, a blogger who stumbled across a vulnerability in more than 65,000 Time Warner Cable customer routers says the routers are still vulnerable to remote attack, despite claims by the company that it patched the routers. A report by Wired found that 45 percent of 2,729 publicly accessible Linksys routers still had a default password in place.

And that is precisely why you should put this on your list as Golden Rule #3: Always change the default user name and password of any configurable device you put on your home network.

Ken Harthun is the Security Editor for Daves Computer Tips. He also writes about security issues for IT Knowledge Exchange and blogs on general Geek things at Ask the Geek. You can read more about Ken here.

Seems like Springtime is just around the corner now. Let's hope it gets here without anymore winter snow storms! I have had just about enough snow for one year!

I hope that you are seeing the signs of spring in your area too!

On with the article now!

 

Merging Table Cells in MS Word

MS Word has a table editor that allows you to create complex tables if necessary. Merging cells is one of the features of the table editor and it allows you to merge adjacent cells together. Merging cells means that the adjacent cells are treated as a single cell once they have been merged.

Follow the steps below to learn how to merge cells in your tables:

1. Select two or more adjacent cells on the same row or same column that you would like to merge.
2. From the Table menu, select Merge Cells.

You can also very easily merge cells by using the Tables and Borders toolbar by following the steps below:

1. Click on View | Toolbars and make certain that Tables and Borders is selected from the ensuing submenu.
2. Move the toolbar or adjust your document so that you can see both your toolbar and your table.
3. Click on the Eraser tool on the toolbar, which is just to the right of the tool that looks like a pencil.

1. Click and drag to select the dividing lines between difference cells. Once you release the mouse button, the cells have been merged.
2. Use the Eraser tool to merge any other cells you like.
3. Click on the Eraser tool again or click the Esc key, which will turn off the Eraser tool.
4. Close the Tables and Border toolbar when you are finished.

(Versions 2000, 2002, 2003)

Until next time, please take care of YOU!

Carol Bratt is the Office Applications Editor at Daves Computer Tips. She has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books! You can read more about Carol here.

Anti-spyware and Anti-malware

Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.

CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!

Antivirus and Firewall

ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!

Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.

Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best for those needing a firewall. Online Armor's easy to navigate interface and the protection level can't be beat!

Audio and Video

Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.

Adobe Premier Elements 8 - Elements is the home version of Adobe Premiere, the best professional video editing suite today. Premier Elements costs 1/6th the price of the professional version, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.

DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.

Computer Hardware

Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!

CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!

HP Computers - My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!

Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!

Computer Maintenance

Diskeeper 2010 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.

Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.

Computer Utility

Acronis True Image 2010 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.

Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.

Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.

WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.

Desktop Utility

LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you log into Windows (where you enter your password). Hundreds of skins available online. It's free.

CursorFX Plus - Change the cursors on your computer, add interesting effects. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.

IconPackager 5 - Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.

WindowBlinds 7 - WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.

Internet and Email

1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.

Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.

Firefox 3 - An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.

Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.

Photo and Picture

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 - Photoshop Elements is the home version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price of the full Photoshop version.

Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.

DSLR – A Brief Explanation

Without question, the DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex – offers the user more options for shooting than any other type of digital camera. The primary choice for professional photographers, they are the camera that serious amateurs and enthusiasts have embraced whole-heartedly. Until a few years ago, DSLRs were only for pros, primarily because of expense. Professional Nikon and Canon cameras retailed for thousands of dollars, which put them out of reach for anyone not making a living as a photographer. With the introduction of entry-level Canons and the well-known Nikon D50 for about $1000 in the mid-90s, the DSLR became an option for a wider audience of enthusiasts. Prices have tumbled since then.

The prominent difference between DSLRs and other digital cameras is control. Many of the point-and-shoot and the megazoom cameras have the ability to fine-tune your settings. The LCD of this Casio point-and-shoot shows some of the typical commands.

(click the image for a larger view)

Using the four-way controller on the right of the camera, you can scroll through the options and create the configuration you want. These options to set the metering, any filters, flash intensity, ISO, EV control, anti-shake (if available), and so on. Properly set, these cameras can produce good pictures under a variety of situations. By default, images are recorded as JPEGs.

DSLRs do all this and a great deal more. While the controls can be a little intimidating at first, the learning curve is not so steep if you try many different combinations. This Pentax K10D was my first serious digital SLR:

As you can imagine, it was a major culture shock! The official Pentax operating manual for the K10D is 230 pages, but reading isn’t the best way to learn to use a good DSLR. You have to take it out/in and shoot with it to properly familiarize yourself with these cameras. While the settings are sometimes several layers deep, everything is in front of you. As you can see, the four-way controller, the menu button, the anti-shake option, and the rest are accessible.

By default, most DSLR cameras automatically set an ISO of 100. This Pentax has a range of ISO 100 to ISO 1600. Just like film cameras, the higher the ISO, the faster the exposure can be made. Digitally, the CCD sensor makes an adjustment to react according to the setting. It measures the light coming through the lens and converts it to electrical energy as part of creating the image data file. If the light is too bright or too dark, the camera won’t make an image – it’s out-of-bounds for that setting. It is possible to make corrections in this case, but you may need a tripod, different lens, etc.

Digital images are generally recorded as JPEGs, a compressed file created by passing the light from the lens through three digital “filters”. Because of the compression, some quality is lost for ease of viewing and/or editing. DSLR makers offer the option of shooting in RAW, using either a proprietary format Like NEF for Nikon or PEF for Pentax. Canon uses CRF or CR2. RAW files are usually converted to JPEG or TIFF(Tagged Image File Format) Because JPEGs are compressed, it’s possible to put more images on a flash card than RAW. So what’s the real difference, and why use RAW? Think of a RAW file like film; it’s a digital negative. Using the proper software, you can organize and optimize RAW files before editing. I shoot in DNG, the Adobe standard for RAW – Digital Negative. RAW is a big subject, and I’ll write about it in a future article.

Moving Pictures from Your Camera to PC

You’ve got a lot of images on your flash card. What to do next?

Often, a new camera comes with a cable to plug into a USB port from your camera. You can move the files from your card to your PC this way. My advice is not to use this method, unless you have plenty of batteries or an AC power supply/charger for the camera. Buy a flash card reader for your style of card and plug that into the PC. It turns the flash card into a small external hard drive full of your images. Move everything into My Pictures or a folder of your choice. (Windows) Copy all those images into a different folder to work on while you edit. Leave your originals alone!

Editing Your Pictures

A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many popular “bitmap” or “raster” formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and TIFF. These programs are called raster editors. Raster editors are more suitable for retouching, photo processing, photorealistic illustrations, collage, and hand drawn illustrations using a pen tablet.

“My pictures are perfect”, “why edit them?”

As good as your images can look on your monitor, prints can show things you didn’t see when you were shooting. The purpose of editing is either to fix problems or be creative. Problems include red eye, off-colors, slight sharpness errors, etc. Photo editing programs are available with a wide number of features and options; among the most famous is Adobe’s Photoshop. For now, I’d like to focus on two free editors: Irfanview and Paint.NET.

Irfanview has been around for years. The Austrian author has been actively developing what is now a very mature and tightly written software. Easy for beginners, it has surprisingly advanced tools and options.

Described as an image viewer, it can also crop, copy, change color depth, rename or resize single images or in batches, and so on. Free for personal use and works with Windows 9x to 7. Irfanview can open a large number of image file types. With the proper plugins – also free – it can open audio, video, and RAW files.

(click the image for a larger view)

Irfanview can be set as your default viewer and can open external editors from within the program.

One of those external editors could well be Paint.NET. Paint.NET was originally backed by Microsoft as a potential replacement for MS Paint. It has evolved into a stand-alone program, feature-rich and a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop or Corel’s Paint Shop Pro. It can do many of the things these expensive programs can do, not the least of which is working with layers. Layers allow the user to create different effects and alterations while keeping the original image in its’ own layer, similar to the layers in a sandwich. Because it requires .NET, it only works in Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

(click the image for a larger view)

Like Photoshop, the program opens with different palettes open and ready for editing. On the left side is the Tools palette and Colors adjustment. In the lower right corner is the Layers palette.

(This article is not intended to be a tutorial about using Photoshop, but we’ll be discussing some of its’ features now and again.)

When editing, remember to save your work to another folder than where you copied your originals. You can also rename the files and save them to the copy folder, if you wish. When your editing is done, you can print the results, email them, or upload to image hosting sites like Flickr or in a Picasa Web Album. Family, friends, or anyone can enjoy your photographs through these and other similar sites. One of my favorites is deviantART which hosts photographs, computer graphics, user artwork, and images of every sort.

(An example of Fine Rotation/Straightening in Paint.NET)

In the next article, I’ll talk about commercial editors and how to improve your workflow. Look for the Digital Photography section of the DCT Forums for questions and answers.

Glossary Term

HDR - In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight. – From Wikipedia

Ron Moore is the Digital Photography Editor at Daves Computer Tips. A retired professional photographer living in California, Ron starting with Windows 3.11 in the early 90's. He's a computer geek who manages his home network and several off-site machines for friends. Currently, using XP and Windows 7, he has extensive knowledge of Photoshop and many other, more consumer friendly, editing and enhancement programs. You can read more about Ron here.

How Much Security is Enough?

Hi all, we haven’t, as yet, touched on the subject of security freeware so I thought it was about time we broached this all important topic.

For years now the traditional security programs have relied heavily on a definition data base to identify malware. This method, also known as signature based detection, is still being widely employed today.

New viruses and malware variants are being created daily and this system of detection cannot defend against them until samples have been obtained and signatures created then added to the data base. That is why this traditional method is largely considered ineffective at protecting against unknown threats (otherwise known as zero day threats).

Furthermore, in an attempt to stay one step ahead of signature based security software, the smarties are writing viruses which disguise themselves, either by encryption or other modifications, so they will not match virus signatures in the data base.

Now that all sounds pretty scary but please don’t be alarmed, signature based software remains a very effective way of protecting your computer plus, these days, most of the popular anti-virus freeware products are enhanced by the inclusion of a heuristics engine.

Heuristics is a system which helps identify malware via known behavioral characteristics, along the lines of….if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck. Heuristics is also much more effective at protecting against zero day threats.

You may also come across the term ‘generic detection’ associated with heuristics; most viruses start out as a single infection but can modify into many different strains through a process known as mutation. Heuristic based software has the ability to identify all the variants within a family via one single generic signature.

Most popular anti-virus freeware products now also include other specialist components such as; anti rootkit and anti spyware. Although the anti spyware component would generally not be as thorough/effective as software dedicated to that task. So, how much security is enough? The answer to that depends largely on the individual’s routine and surfing habits. Before we continue with some recommendations, here are a few general points to bear in mind:

1. One of the most effective ways to avoid malware is to adopt a safe surfing policy. Stay away from disreputable sites and be careful what you click on. Ideally, everyone would follow that creed but in reality not too many do. That is simply human nature and one of the main reasons we need that ‘extra’ security.
2. Never install more than one product from the same genre which employs real time protection. Compatibility issues would almost certainly ensue.
3. All security products which employ real time protection use up valuable resources (memory). Installing too many, even from different categories, will noticeably slow your computer.
4. Do not put too much store in anti-virus test results. All these tests are very subjective. It would be nigh on impossible to test all components of all contenders under identical circumstances in an identical environment. I am not advocating ignoring these results altogether, just not to make them the sole criteria for selection.
5. Remember to always keep all your security software right up to date.

Anti Virus Software - Is, in most cases, the number one defender of your computer realm and, it seems, many have a favorite to which they remain eternally faithful. Mine happens to be Avast. That opinion has been derived from many years successful usage, I can’t even remember the last time my machine fell victim to any malware infection. That, plus the knowledge I have gleaned about the various available freeware products keeps Avast on top of my list.

Avast protects via seven shields covering just about every online activity. It also has, in my opinion, the most comprehensive anti spyware component of the main contenders. Throw real time anti-rootkit protection into the equation as well as a superior heuristics engine and you have a truly excellent freeware.

Primary Computer Protection

Here is a short précis of the main contenders:

AVAST Antivirus

Positives:

• Full real time protection
• Fairly light on resources
• Low false positive rate
• Ability to perform boot time scans.
• Updated user interface in latest (v5) version

Negatives:

• User interface has been somewhat confusing in older versions

ANTIVIR Antivirus

Positives:

• Outstanding detection rate (best in its class)
• Light on resources

Negatives:

• Too many false positives
• No email scanner (not a major drawback)
• Nag screen
• Update process can be iffy

MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS

Positives:

• Very user friendly with a simple intuitive interface
• Low rate of false positives
• Light on resources

Negatives:

• Slightly lower rates of detection than Avast and AntiVir
• Both scan and removal a little on the slow side

AVG

Positives:

• Provides adequate protection

Negatives:

• No anti-rootkit component
• Heavy on resources
• Not what it used to be

Secondary Computer Protection

Now let’s take a look at that ‘extra’ protection. First thing I would be looking at is some sort of HIPS based software:

Host Intrusion Protection System (HIPS) programs are fully compatible with traditional security software and compliment those products nicely. Protection is real time with constant monitoring of the system for any behavior which is characteristic of malware activity. They do come with a couple of issues however; decision making is, initially, largely based on user input and they can be quite ‘talkative’ at first. This behavior does recede in a relatively short space of time though, as the program learns from your responses.

THREATFIRE

Positives:

• Requires very little input from the user as it makes most decisions for you
• Works well right out of the box without the need for any additional configuration

Negatives:

• Rare compatibility issues with other software

SPYWARE TERMINATOR

Positives:

• Well established
• Full blown real time anti-spyware program with excellent HIPS component included

Negatives:

• Quite heavy on resources (not so suitable for older machines)
• No real time protection for 64-bit systems
• Reports of poor detection rates from on demand scanning

WINPATROL

Positives:

• Well established product with quite comprehensive protection
• One of the first products to employ behavioral based technology

Negatives

• None worth mentioning

Also extremely worthy of consideration are the free firewalls which monitor outgoing as well as incoming connections and also include a HIPS component. Based on ease of use combined with an excellent level of effectiveness, Online Armor is my number one recommendation. Another contender, purely because of its ease of use, is PrivateFirewall. Both are quite light on resources but PrivateFirewall is reported to be rather poor at self protection.

At this stage I should mention a couple of peripheral security products;
I have become so accustomed to having one of the site advisory services installed in my browser, I must admit I would now be lost without them. These small, unobtrusive apps are extremely light on resources yet offer an invaluable aid in avoiding dangerous sites. After using McAfee Site Advisor for quite some time I am now using the LinkExtend Firefox extension, which includes ratings from no less than 7 advisories, including WOT and MSA... highly recommended!

If, out of necessity, you are required to visit dangerous sites or regularly test obscure software you might consider using one of the freeware virtual environments, a process which has become commonly known as sandboxing. This involves surfing/downloading in a completely isolated environment, i.e. a sandbox. Nothing gets near the system unless you want it to and when your session is finished, simply delete the contents of the sandbox and everything is gone! Sandboxie is my current recommendation; it is simplicity personified, very easy to use and just works!

So, if you are a ‘safe surfer’ who uses the computer mostly just for the basics, one of better free anti-virus programs alone plus Windows Firewall would probably suffice.

If you are looking for just a simple layer of extra protection, anti-virus plus HIPS or firewall should do you nicely.

If you are prone to surf unsafe/disreputable sites or have a propensity for downloading copious amounts of software then go the whole hog; anti-virus plus HIPS/firewall* plus dedicated anti spyware plus a sandboxing tool. If you take either or both of those practices to the extreme then freeware security is probably not the answer for you.

I couldn’t leave this subject without at least touching on the latest trend... Cloud Anti-Virus. I currently remain unconvinced, not because I have any evidence to suggest this is not a viable solution. Rather, simply because of my own ignorance, the unknown factor versus the devil you already know. Many ‘experts’ are in fact declaring Cloud AV to be superior.

What security do I have installed? Avast free version (naturally) + Online Armor free firewall + LinkExtend + Sandboxie (so I can safely test freeware for you guys). Th-th-th-th that’s all folks!!!

*As with other real time monitoring security software, best not to install more than one product which includes any HIPS component.

Happy Downloading,
Jim

New Freeware Programs

Screenpresso – Not another screen capture utility! Yep, I’m afraid so... but it does sound above average. The product site declares: “We take the best from screen capture tools to make the greatest.”

Well I wouldn’t know about that because I haven’t tried it but if the list of features is anything to go by, it would be difficult to argue with:

• Capture windows and region
• Built-in image editor
• Capture scrolling windows
• Add effects
• Batch resize
• Auto save feature
• Easily attach screenshots to emails (Webmail included!)
• Portable

That’s a pretty good feature set, especially for freeware. A complete list of all features can be viewed here.

 

Comodo Dragon – Is a new browser from the Comodo people, which is based on Chromium. It seems rather strange to me that anyone would want to take on the established browsers. In my opinion, it would take an outstanding product to make any impact on market penetration. This from the site:

Fast and versatile Internet Browser based on Chromium, infused with Comodo's unparalleled level of Security!

Features:

• Improved Privacy over Chromium
• Easy SSL Certificate Identification
• Fast Website Access
• Greater Stability and Less Memory Bloat
• Incognito Mode Stops Cookies, Improves Privacy
• Very easy to switch from your Browser to the Dragon
• Price: 100% Free

As Sergeant Schultz would say... very interesting!

 

Predator 2.0.1 – Is like a security lock for your computer. It uses a regular USB flash drive to lock your PC while you are away, even if your Windows session is still open.

Predator works as follows:

1. Insert the USB drive
2. Run PREDATOR (autostart with Windows is possible)
3. Do your work...
4. When you're away from your PC, you simply remove the USB drive; once it is removed, the keyboard and mouse are disabled and the screen darkens
5. When you return back to your PC, you put the USB flash drive in place; keyboard and mouse are immediately released, and the display is restored

 

Sorax Reader – A new entrant in the free PDF viewer/printer stakes. This from the site:

Sorax Reader is a Free PDF viewer. It has a small size, fast launch speed and a lot of features. There is no need for installation (it can be started directly from any kind of storage device - CD, PenDrive, etc.).

Major Features:

• Small and starts immediately
• Displays, prints PDF files
• Zooms in and out, rotates displayed pages
• Displays document bookmarks and page thumbnails
• Selects text on the viewed page, copies to clipboard
• Searching in the document
• Installation is not required
• Supports PDF standard 1.7
• Supports Eastern Asian Languages
• Self upgrade

“Small Size”... I’m not so sure about that, the installer is a 5.4mb download and the zip version 4.6mb. That seems quite large for the feature set. Mind you, I have only ever used PDF software for viewing documents so I am certainly no expert. Think I might stick with Sumatra though.

 

iWisoft Free Video Converter – Is an excellent and versatile freeware video converter which supports numerous input and output formats for both video and audio. Also includes support for a nice range of devices.

This from the site:

iWisoft Free Video Converter can fast convert videos between all popular formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, DivX, XviD, MP4, H.264/AVC, AVCHD, FLV, MKV, RM, MOV, 3GP, and audio MP3, WMA, WAV, RA, M4A, AAC, AC3, OGG. Directly convert video for playback on your PSP, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PS3, Xbox, Zune, Creative Zen, Archos and other digital multimedia devices.

The video converter also has powerful video editing functions including crop, trim, merge, adding watermark and special effects. And it's totally free!

The product site contains loads of information/details about the software, including full lists of supported formats and devices; make sure to check it out!

Jim Hillier is the Freeware Editor at Daves Computer Tips. A computer user with over 25 years of experience, his love of freeware is expressed through his Freeware Focus column in each issue of the Daves Computer Tips Newsletter. You can join Jim at the Daves Computer Tips Forum for other discussions on Freeware. You can read more about Jim here.

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