In This Issue...

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

Forum Favorites - Popular Questions and Threads from the Forum

Security Corner - Rule 4 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

 

How to Create a System Image in Windows 7

You can never have enough backups and I've always encouraged Daves Computer Tips readers to use Acronis True Image to backup their computer, and I still do. An image is the ultimate backup with the ability to restore your computer to the exact state it was in when the image was created. True Image has many features that make data backup and restore both efficient and reliable. There is, however, a feature in Windows 7 that allows a user to create a system image of their computer. It is fairly basic, but for those on a limited budget or with an emergency need it will do the job just fine (with a few caveats). Even if you have Acronis True Image, and I hope you do, you should have a look at this Windows 7 feature in case you need it in a pinch!

Windows 7 system image Pros

• It is included in the OS.
• It is reasonably easy to use.
• It offers a recovery CD option so it offers an excellent recovery option.
• It works.

Windows 7 system image Cons

• Windows 7 creates a system image so all internal drives are included. Users with multiple hard drives will require a lot of storage space.
• If you choose to create the image on a hard drive it must be an external hard drive.
• Windows does not offer any means to compress the images, so images will equal the total size of all internal drives.
• There are no scheduling abilities so all images will need to be created manually.
• There are no image management abilities so incremental and differential images are not possible, nor is there a method to automatically manage the images.
• The On a network location option is NOT available on Home editions of Windows 7.
• To benefit from an image you need a DVD burner to burn the System Repair disc.

Opening the System Image utility in Windows 7

1. Click the Start Orb and type backup in the search box. Start the search by clicking the Enter key.
2. You will see Backup and Restore in the results window. Click Backup and Restore to open the applet window.



In the window that opens you will see two options in the left hand column - Create a system image and Create a system restore disc.

3. Click Create a system image and a new window will open.



The Create a system image will open and ask where you want to save the image, but there are a few points to remember:

• The hard drive option only allows images to be made to external hard drives. Without an external hard drive the On a hard disc option will be unavailable.
• If you do not have a DVD burner the On one or more DVDs option will be unavailable.
• If you are using a Home edition of Windows 7 the On a network location option will unavailable.
• Images created on an external hard drive will be the fastest.
• Images created on DVDs will require many DVDs.

Creating the System Image

4. Choose your backup location and click Next.



A progress window will open. You have the option to stop the backup if needed.

Creating a System Repair Disc

Once the image is created you will be asked if you want to create a System Repair Disc.



5. Click Yes and a new window will open allowing you to choose which drive you want to use.



6. Choose a CD/DVD burner (if you have more than one), insert a blank CD or DVD, and click Create disc.

The window will show the progress as the repair disc is created.



In a few moments the window will change to show the disc is completed.



A new information window will open labeled Using the system repair disc.



7. Use a marker to label the disc Windows 7 Repair Disc or something else that will remind you of the purpose of the disc.
8. Store the disc in a location you will be able to find it when needed!

There you have it! A complete system image of your computer with the ability to restore a system that will not boot due to software problems. In the next issue we'll discuss how to use your image to recover your system.

The Daves Computer Tips Forum needs your help, OK I need your help! The forum has 538 members and over 4015 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!

SuperAntiSpyware contest! - Enter to win one of 10 FREE lifetime subscriptions to SuperAntiSpyware Professional!

Glary Utilities Pro Contest - Winners have been announced and contacted by Private Message on the forum. Please check your PM's and claim your prize!

What recovery options do you have for a non computer device that contains a hard drive? Add your thoughts!

Can you help with Ethernet driver issues? What do you do when the driver won't install?

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

The 14 Golden Rules of Computer Security - Rule 4

Can a Criminal Hacker Guess Your Password?

Golden Rule #3 stressed the importance of changing the default user name and passwords of all configurable network devices. That's good advice. But a weak password, one that is easily guess-able, is almost as bad as no password. Far too many people use a password that's obvious; i.e., given some basic information about the person, a determined hacker could easily guess it without too much effort.

Two clients I have serviced, both of which generate some serious confidential data, set up initial passwords for new users in the form of password.2008 or changeme. (Thankfully, I recently convinced both of these clients to implement strong password policies!) I've been able to use basic observation and small talk to guess users' passwords about 20% of the time. The first thing I try is a blank password - you would be surprised how often that works, especially for home users. Next, I'll try the user name, the spouse's name or "password". I may try a couple of other things, like "123456", "asdfjkl" or, believe it or not, "********". Usually, though, I just ask them for the password and they give it to me.

According to Wikipedia there are several things many people use as passwords that results in their being predictable:

Repeated research has demonstrated that around 40% of user-chosen passwords are readily guess-able because of the use of these patterns:

• the word "password", "passcode", "admin" and their derivates
• the user's name or login name
• the name of their significant other or another relative
• their birthplace or date of birth
• a pet's name
• automobile license plate number
• a simple modification of one of the preceding, such as suffixing a digit or reversing the order of the letters
• a row of letters from a standard keyboard layout (eg, the qwerty keyboard - qwerty itself, asdf, or qwertyuiop)

So, if you want to protect your router and the other devices on your network, never use anything from the above list and apply Golden Rule #4: Use an unguess-able, or difficult-to-guess password always.

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.

We just celebrated Easter here in our neck of the woods. Some folks just celebrate the rite of spring. Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, I hope that it was a wonderful time for you and your families and friends!

On with the article now!

 

Inserting and Deleting Pages in Acrobat

Once you have created an Adobe .PDF file, suppose you decide you would like to remove a page or perhaps add some new pages? Fear now, it is not as difficult as you may initially think.

At times when you have combined content from several different documents, you have some pages of information that you just do not need. Fortunately, Acrobat gives you the ability to easily delete a single page or a group of pages with no difficulty.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

1. Open your document and click the Pages icon at the left-hand side of your screen to display the Pages pane.

The pages are shown in thumbnails (small images).

The first page is displayed in the Document pane and the rest of the pages are shown in the Pages pane.

2. Click the thumbnail in the Document Pane for the page you would like to remove from you document.
3. Click on the Options menu in the Pages pane and select Delete Pages or click on Document | Delete Pages.
4. The selected page or pages are listed in the default deletion.
5. Use the default or click the From option and enter the page range that you want to delete.
6. Click OK.
7. Click OK again in the confirmation dialog box.

Your pages have now been deleted.

There is another method of deleting that you can use as well.

1. Instead of using commands to delete multiple pages, you can also use the thumbnails and keyboard keys. You all know by now that I love to save time and keystrokes!
2. Click the thumbnail of the page you would like to delete, depress the Shift key and click additional pages to select them. You can now click the Delete key on your keyboard.
3. A confirmation dialog box will display asking you if you really want to delete the pages.
4. Click OK.

Your pages are now deleted.

Ok. now suppose you have created an Acrobat .PDF document and decide that you would like to add some pages to it. Again, this is a very simple process, just about as easy as deleting pages from your document.

Follow the steps below to learn how:

1. In the Pages Pane, click the thumbnail before the location where you would like to insert additional pages and click on Options | Insert Pages or click on Document | Insert Pages from the main menu.
2. Locate the file you would like to use and click Select. The dialog box closes and the Insert Pages dialog box open.
3. Specify the location where you would like to add the document. The default is After, with the Page radio button automatically selected.
4. Click OK to close the Insert Pages dialog box and add the pages to your document.

If you want to insert a new page before an existing page in your document, such as a cover page or brochure or table of contents:

• In the Insert pages dialog box, simply click the location pop-up menu and select Before.
• Click OK.

Acrobat will now add the page to your document in the precise location where you wanted it.

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 Home 2011 - 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

Hostgator has provided Daves Computer Tips with excellent service and wonderful support! Easy to understand support team, great value, and more features than you can imagine! What more can you ask for?

Google Gmail - The best internet based email(webmail) available and it's FREE. Each mailbox has a 7.3GB limit, which is very generous. 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 Gmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail also allows pop3 and IMAP access so you can using it with your favorite email client if you choose.

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.

Irfanview – Under the Hood: Part 1

Irfanview is a freeware image viewer and editor that has a wide range of functions. The program is fairly small – about 1.5Mb – but the additional plugins that extend its’ use are over 5 Mb. The plugins are in constant development by other authors and greatly enhance Irfanview’s usability. Download the latest version at http://www.irfanview.com/ where the plugins are also available.

Installation is simple, handled like any other 32-bit Windows executable. I recommend setting the file associations to all types for image files; use your own preferences when it comes to audio, video, or files like PDF. The plugins will automatically install to the same location as Irfanview. Later on, you can install any of the free Photoshop-compatible .8bf filters and plugins found all over the internet.

Set Options

In Options>Properties/Settings, designate how the program should function for your use. This is fairly straightforward, and there’s always the Help menu for additional instructions.

(click the image for a larger view)

Viewing Images

In Irfanview, there are three basic views – Normal, in the viewer, Full Screen (hit Enter), and Thumbnail (shortcut key T).

Use the File>Open to view an Image:

(click the image for a larger view)

This dialog opens the image folder to select a specific file for viewing. The folder can be My Pictures or a user-designated source folder.

Full-Screen: Hit Enter to render an image in full-screen mode, and Enter again to return to normal screen.

Thumbnail view is a convenient way to create a set of thumbnails while viewing a folder that contains many images. Open any image in the folder and hit T: an Explorer-style thumbnail viewer opens. Hit T again to close this view, or “Save As” in the File menu to keep a reference. (Usually not necessary.)

(click the image for a larger view)

The File Menu

Two of many commands in this menu are very important. The first is Save As and the second is Batch conversion/rename. Save As reminds the user to create a unique or slightly altered filename when saving corrections and manipulations. It keeps the original file from being overwritten. Batch conversion/rename is highly useful for handling many files at one time. The option outputs the newly altered files to a directory without altering the originals. It also handles non-graphic files. The operation is fairly simple, but refer to the extensive Help files if you get stuck.

File Open

Batch Conversion/Rename command in File Menu (click the image for a larger view)

(click the image for a larger view)

The options for processing are the radio buttons on the upper left. The images in the folder appear in the upper right-hand window. Select one and it appears in the File Name box. Add All selects all the images for the procedure. Various options set file parameters and the output folder. This is easy and very useful for handling many files.

Editing files

One of the most common edits is cropping. Select an area in Irfanview by dragging the mouse pointer while holding down the left mouse button. Open the Edit menu>Crop Selection or Control+Y. If the results are OK, click File>Save As and choose a new file name. Click outside the selection if you want to change the crop and repeat the process.

There are more options in the Edit menu. We’ll talk about the Paint Dialog next time.

(click the image for a larger view)

Color Corrections

Another common process is color correction. Altering the various color parameters can be done to render images more to your liking, but it also allows for a certain amount of experimentation. Under Images>Color Corrections, a dialog box appears that permits changing RGB values, Contrast, Gamma, and Saturation. Useful for correcting colors in an image, these controls permit interesting results if you’re so inclined.

In Example #1, Contrast, Gamma, and Saturation have been changed to help correct an underexposed image. The second example (Example #2) shows the result of only changing the Contrast and Brightness for a similar effect.

EXAMPLE #1 (click the image for a larger view)

EXAMPLE #2 (click the image for a larger view)

These are some of the basic commands in Irfanview. In the next article, we’ll look deeper into the Image and Options menus.

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 to use DVDShrink... The Right Way

The terrific DVD ripper/backup freeware DVDShrink has been around for ages. I've been using it now through 4 versions of Windows and it has worked flawlessly on all operating systems right through to and including Windows 7. That alone, considering it has not been actively developed for years, is a glowing testament to the brilliance of the original software. The fact that DVDShrink also continues to perform its core tasks very well has made it one of the most desirable and widely used freeware products around.

I am aware a lot of people think they know how to use DVDShrink properly, in fact many of you more than likely already do. Just in case, here is a pictorial guide on the method I use to help achieve optimum quality.

First a few pertinent facts:

Most commercially produced movie DVD's are distributed on dual layer discs which have a large enough capacity to comfortably hold all the necessary files/data. When we backup those movies we are generally attempting to do so using single layer blank discs. That means the original data needs to be shrunk (compressed) in order to fit onto the lower capacity media. DVDShrink helps us achieve that by compressing data and allowing the user to eliminate non-essential extras such as; menus, audio for multiple languages, subtitle menus, trailers, etc.

The most relevant ingredient in DVDShrink is the "Compression Percentage" and the most important goal, to assure good quality, is to get that as close to optimum (100%) as possible. In my experience that is difficult to achieve for movies with a duration time in excess of 2 hours. However, DVDShrink does include some additional options to help with that eventuality.

The most common result of trying to cram too much data onto a single layer DVD is severe picture stuttering and pixelation... this is what we are trying to avoid.

For this guide I am using a commercially produced movie DVD with a running time of just on 2 hours.

So, on to the process:

With DVDShrink running and our movie DVD inserted into the computer’s ROM-drive, the obvious first step is to click on the Open Disc button in the main menu across the top.

As soon as you do that you will see an overlay window containing references to the movie title and ROM-drive letter. Click OK and the ‘Analyzing’ screen will appear, including a preview. Analysis is a relatively short process generally taking between one to three minutes only.

As soon as analysis has finished, that window will close automatically and you will now see details of the movie files. The details in the left hand pane comprise the files/data currently selected for backup, which at this stage, is the full movie including all menus, trailers, etc. Note compression is at 71.2%. We need to raise that to 100%, or somewhere near. Next step is to click on the Re-author button.

You will see everything has now disappeared from the left pane meaning nothing is currently selected for backup. Now we need to locate the entry for the Main Movie in the right hand pane and drag and drop that into the left pane. So now we have selected the main movie only for backup, omitting most of the non-essential extras. Now click on the Compression Settings tab in the right pane.

Note compression is now at 73.8%. Not a huge improvement but we have more to do yet.

Now deselect all the non-essential items in the right pane. In this case they would be; everything under ‘Subpicture’ plus all items under ‘Audio’ except for ‘AC3 5.1-ch English’. Unless you would prefer to listen to the movie in French or Italian that is!

With those items now deselected you will see compression is looking a lot healthier at 89.6%. One more step and we are there. Click on the little opposing arrow icon as indicated by the red pointer I have added into the screenshot.

After clicking on the arrows you will see a new window with ‘Start Frame’ and ‘End Frame’ including a preview for each. By pressing on the back and forward preview control buttons you can edit the start or end position of the movie. I would suggest leaving the start of the movie alone; there is generally not a lot to be gained by shortening the intro. The end of the movie is a different ball game altogether. You can get rid of all those annoying credits which seem to take an eternity to roll by. This will often shorten the movie by up to 12 and 14 minutes thus helping reduce the amount of space needed. Just keep clicking on the back arrow in the End Frame preview control bar (or hold it down) until you get to the last frame of the movie, just before the credits begin to roll. When you are satisfied, click OK.

You will see compression is now at a much better 93.6%, an overall improvement of some 22.4% from our starting position. Not quite optimum but near enough.

Now we are ready for the backup. Click on the Backup button in the main menu and you will see the backup options window. Click on the Quality Settings tab and this is where those extra options to help improve quality come into play. If you cannot achieve 100% compression these two settings will generally be enabled by default, if not then enable then manually by placing a checkmark in each of the little boxes. If 100% compression has been reached these options will not be available, simply because they are not needed.

DVDShrink automatically syncs with Nero for the burning process. If Nero is not installed then DVDShrink will automatically save the backup files to the hard drive for later burning with another program. If you do not have Nero on board, one of the best products for performing this task is the open source freeware ImgBurn. ImgBurn is a versatile program but somewhat confusing, the GUI is not terribly intuitive. Next issue I’ll be publishing a pictorial guide on how to burn DVD backup files (.vob files), created by DVDShrink, to disc using ImgBurn.

Until then,
Happy downloading,
Jim.

New Freeware

FreewareBB – Is not actually software at all. It is a freeware download site which is, in my opinion among the very best. The site is based in the U. K. and administered by a terrific bloke called Mark (AKA Marko). FreewareBB offers members and visitors thousands of safe freeware downloads; all the favorites/most popular products are there plus many, many more obscure titles including some real gems. All categorized and including great information, such as; full descriptions, download file sizes, supported operating systems, links to home pages, and more!

The main focus of the site is to offer users the safest freeware download source available. All links, to pages and downloads, are double checked by Mark to help ensure maximum safety. If you can’t find what you are looking for on FreewareBB chances are it is not 100% safe to download.

Highly recommended!

 

Advanced Uninstaller Free – Was released recently and has caused quite a stir. The main reason being, this one includes before and after monitoring to accomplish complete removal and not many freeware uninstallers offer that feature. This from the site:

The Installation Monitor included in the program can watch all the actions that a program performs on your computer while it installs. Advanced Uninstaller FREE remembers these changes so later you can completely uninstall that program, making sure nothing is left behind. This tool can remove any program without a trace.

There are a lot of references across the site to the ‘Pro’ version so I suspect the freeware might come with some associated ads or nags. The Pro version doesn’t appear to offer anything substantially more, than the free version, in uninstall features... just some additional tools. View the comparison chart HERE.

I wish it came in a portable version, there is supposed to be one available but I couldn’t locate it.
Supports: XP/Vista/Windows 7 (all 32 and 64-bit).

 

No Notify Avira – For all you Avira Free fans who don’t appreciate the associated nag screen, here is a simple and effective method for disabling it. The hyperlink will take you to the Major Geeks site for download. I’ve done that because the home site is in a foreign language (well foreign to me anyway!). I think it is Spanish, or maybe Portuguese... Here is the link if you are interested.

P.S. There is a new version of Avira Free, recently released and including some extra protection and enhanced features. Strongly suggest all Avira users update asap.

 

Taskbar Thumbnail Tweaker for Windows 7 – Member ‘micah’ recently enquired on the DCT Forum if there was anything available to adjust the Windows 7 taskbar thumbnail preview size. We were happy to point micah in the direction of this recent new freeware offering from The Windows Club.

Taskbar Thumbnail Tweaker allows Windows 7 users to adjust the size of the taskbar thumbnail preview and the delay time of the preview using a simple slider system. Also adds the ability to view previews in text only or disable the feature altogether.

 

CdCoverCreator – The title just about says it all. This from the site:

CdCoverCreator is a powerful tool to create your own CD covers for both Audio and Data CDs. Use CdCoverCreator to create your covers, inlays, labels, and even booklets.

Main Features:

• Design time for your inlay is held as short as possible: The Creation Wizard can read the track lengths of an Audio CD, get album information over the internet (CDDB), read CD-Text, or create a directory structure for Data CDs.
• Use "Match & Merge" for own Audio CD compilations for which CDDB is not available.
• Export the track listing as formatted text via the Windows clipboard into your word processor or save the track listing as HTML.
• Many pre-defined style templates available that define the cover's basic layout.
• Download CD covers from the web directly in CdCoverCreator using the integrated Cover Browser.
• Scan your CD covers to duplicate directly in CdCoverCreator.
• Create your own CD booklets. Easily compile the lyrics for your CD with the integrated Lyrics Browser.
• CdCoverCreator can create covers for Jewel Cases, Slim Cases, or (cut-out) paper sleeves.

There is lots more information available on the home site, including a ‘Program Tour’ with some basic guides. Well worth a look see!

 

Speccy – Is yet another system information tool. Yes, there are plenty of these around but what makes Speccy interesting is; it comes from Piriform, the makers of the highly regarded CCleaner.

Speccy appears to focus mainly on hardware, the only reference to software in the onsite screenshot is to the operating system. This one is still in Beta stage so not suitable for general download yet but well worth keeping an eye on?

 

AVG Rescue CD – Although the title specifies CD, this is also available for USB flash drive. The product is mainly aimed at advanced users and IT Professionals and is essentially a portable version of AVG Anti-Virus embedded into a Linux distribution. It can be used to create a bootable CD or bootable USB flash drive to help recover a computer when the system cannot be loaded normally, such as after an extensive or deep-rooted virus infection.

AVG Rescue CD also includes additional tools and utilities; file manager, registry editor (Windows), hard disk recovery, ping test plus some common Linux utilities and services.

 

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.

Are you interested in how things work? Do you like to challenge yourself with little projects? Instructables is for you!

Nirlauncher - We've talked about Nirsoft's excellent utilities quite a few times in the past. Now you can download all of the programs as one package with a useful launcher. It can be used as a portable app also! A must have!

Look in my PC - is an extremely useful program that generates a detailed report about your computer. Hardware, drivers, software, the whole shebang!

Penzu - an interesting online journal allowing you to keep notes, document activities, create a diary, etc.

Take a street car ride through San Francisco! This is a neat video shot from a street car in downtown San Francisco, CA circa 1906. (it is rumored that our very own Jim may have been the camera man ). ~ Thanks to Don for sharing this

It appears Toyota may be recalling their lawnmowers after this!

This is why they don't allow anyone to drive a fork truck! Wow!

There is always someone who will tinker with anything. In the car world they used to call them hot rodders. In the computer world they're called modders. Intel recently held a contest to see who could make the most interesting and innovating computer cases. Have a look at the finalists!