Software Reviews

According to a recent IDC report , "more than 300 million business PCs have a combined 109,000 terabytes of data that is not backed up regularly -- which is about half of all the data on corporate PCs and laptops." That's 10 times the quantity of ... information in the entire Library of Congress! Unfortunately, I know first hand what it's like to lose important data. I never used a backup application until I had a hard drive containing hundreds of hours of writing, music, and video which all vanished in a blink of an eye. If it can happen to an "expert" computer user like me ... (view more)

I agree with the John Cusack character, Rob Gordon, from the movie High Fidelity: "there's nothing like a well constructed mix tape, or CD!" In the same respect, applying the right finishing touches -- like a colorful label and detailed track list ... -- makes an audio CD complete. What is Acoustica CD Label Maker? Acoustica CD Label Maker is perfect for printing custom label designs for CD and DVD discs and jewel cases. Acoustica CD Label Maker: Features Import art from stock graphics or use your own graphics: A large selection of stock images come bundled with the label maker, ... (view more)

Screensavers remain a popular way to personalize Windows, despite the advent of energy saving technology eliminating the need for the screen to remain turned off while the computer is idle. Back in the early days of screensavers, the "flying ... toasters" screensaver was considered a creative innovation. Today, 3D environments, rivaling graphics from some of the best computer games available, are making an impact while the computer screen sits idle. 3Planesoft, a new screensaver company, now uses 3D graphics card technologies and takes screensavers to a whole new level. 3Planesoft makes ... (view more)

As per our recent conversations on .DLL Hell (Dynamic Link Libraries), I've dedicated the following Feature Article review and Visitor Feedback sections to further enhance the discussion. If you like reading about the true workings of a computer ... with respect to software and the operating system (I.E. Windows), you'll definitely enjoy this edition of the Gazette, written in Simple English. There's lots of great learning stuff in this article, so stay tuned! -- Have you ever experienced an application or game that ran sluggish -- and wished there was something that you could do to "make it ... (view more)

Email viruses and unsolicited messages are a huge pain in the neck. It's bad enough that I receive about 50~100 bogus messages a day, but it's even worse when an email worm hits the 'net. The last virus to hit my Inbox was the SoBig email worm back ... in late August of this year, and it caused major havoc: at one point, I had over 2,000 bogus emails waiting to be downloaded to my Inbox in less than 1.5 days. You may recall that on August 28, I wrote an article on coping with unsolicited messages and email viruses. SoBig Email Worm Virus, Part 2 At the end of this article, I mentioned that the ... (view more)

I visit dozens of web sites daily, and many of them require a username and password. I once used RoboForm to manage my passwords and form field data. Recently, I discovered a program called AccountLogon which organizes my password information and ... protects my data with 448-bit ["blowfish"] encryption -- an encryption level higher than RoboForm Pro (3DES). Side note: A higher encryption level means greater security. In short, it would take a very skilled hacker to "crack" an encrypted 3DES file, and much (much!) longer to crack a 448-bit blowfish encrypted file. What is ... (view more)

Scorpian548 writes: " I read your review on Window Washer (Gazette, 20030715). Can it also clean Real One Player & Quick Time Player? " My response: Some of you may have missed the review on Window Washer in the Gazette on July 15th. To recap: " ... With web browsers and other applications constantly recording personal tidbits of information -- such as documents and pictures you've viewed, plus web sites recently visited -- maintaining privacy while using your PC can be a daunting task. Webroot's award-winning Window Washer is a comprehensive, simple-to-use utility which ... (view more)

Nothing frustrates me more than having a file open with the wrong program! For example: I install a new media player or image-editing application, and the next thing I know, the program has taken over just about every file association on my system ... ... or at least, that's what used to happen. After installing "Associate This", all my files open with the application *I* want them to. What is Associate This? Associate This is a software utility for managing file associations. Associate This locks file extensions*, so the preferred application launches when you click on a file. For ... (view more)

Climbing prices for television subscription services have consumers everywhere looking for alternative ways to get their broadcast fix. CTube! delivers over 1300+ Internet television stations and Web cams, with no subscription fees and no additional ... hardware requirements. What is CTube? CTube! is an onscreen guide and interface for Internet TV. The application works with Windows Media Player and RealPlayer to broadcast content on your PC. CTube! Features No subscription fees. CTube! includes hundreds of channels without charging an ongoing fee. No additional hardware requirements. Your ... (view more)

Several "clean up" programs on the market today are designed to eliminate Spyware* and other tracking devices after a computer has already become infected. GhostSurf Pro, on the other hand, prevents Spyware from infecting a PC (before it can ever ... take place) and provides a wide array of security features which allows users to surf the world wide web with varying degrees of anonymity. Side Note: Spyware is software which records information about you or your computer usage (without your knowledge) and then relays this information to a third party -- quite often, for marketing ... (view more)