Software Reviews

If you know me personally, then you might say that I'm a creature of habit. The clothes in my closet all look similar (except they're different colors); my entire house is painted the same color, and on the weekends, I go to the same local pub to ... meet up with the same friends -- week in, and week out. So you might say I live a simple life, and things are pretty habitual. Well, the same can be said about the type of software I choose to review and recommend to our readers. I typically look for stuff that does what it says, is competitive in the marketplace, and adds value to the overall PC ... (view more)

I've got some *very* exciting news to share today! The folks over at Ashampoo sent me a friendly email today to announce that the beta version of Ashampoo Burning Studio 7 -- their flagship, simple-to-use, feature rich CD / DVD recording program -- ... is near completion. The final version will be available May 7th, 2007. Well, that may not sound too exciting, but read on -- because you won't want to miss this one! Ashampoo: Deal of the Century In order to celebrate the release of their flagship product, the company is offering a massive and extremely generous discount of over 50% off Ashampoo ... (view more)

If you've been subscribed to Infopackets for any length of time, you've undoubtedly seen a program called "SpeedUpMyPC" recommended in our email newsletters. Judging by name, one might think that SpeedUpMyPC is just another run-of-the-mill system ... optimizer -- but don't click away just yet, because this may be one of the most demystifying articles you'll ever read. ;-) Allow me to elaborate. Back in 2003, I reviewed SpeedUpMyPC 1.0 when it debuted: and it impressed the pants off me -- not just because of the results, but also because it's such a unique product. But I wasn't the only one to ... (view more)

For those who like the look of Vista -- with all its flashy new buttons -- there's a program available to give Windows XP, Microsoft's last operating system, a graphical facelift. However, testers of the program, which is called Vista Transformation ... Pack 5.5, report that there are several problems keeping it from becoming a must-have. Think of the Transformation Pack as a Chevrolet Cavalier with big, chrome wheels, tinted windows, and maybe even a flashy spoiler. Underneath the hood, nothing special is going on, but on the surface it looks about as hot as a used Audi. Cool, maybe even ... (view more)

Have you ever taken a good, long, hard look at everything stored on your computer? Chances are there are heaps of redundant and unnecessary files that are taking up valuable disk space and cluttering up your file system. Why are they there? What's ... their purpose? And how in the world did they get on your PC in the first place? If you've owned a computer for any length of time, you have inevitably downloaded, installed, and later gotten rid of program after program. What you may not realize, though, is that uninstalling a program often leaves you with "leftovers." Now, you'd think that the " ... (view more)

One of the things I dislike about Windows is the need for software utilities to take care of system settings and conditions. Battling such things as Spyware, viruses, registry hacks, and other things that directly impact the usage of our systems ... just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I've been involved with Information Technology for over 37 years on any number of systems, both large and small, and needing something to 'stick a thumb in the dike' seems wasteful of my time when there are other things I want and need to do. Don't get me wrong: some of the utilities have become highly respected ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul D. writes: " Dear Infopackets Team, I was impressed by the reviews of Genie Backup that I read through infopackets. However, one thing is unclear: can Genie Backup Manager (GBM) also backup installed programs and ... applications? I ask this because backing up an installed program is not as obvious as just copying over the folder where the program is installed to; it is a well known fact that many programs install to multiple [unknown] locations on a PC, including the system registry. I have Paint Shop Pro 9 and a few other applications I'd like to backup but am worried ... (view more)

I have been getting many questions lately about imaging and backup software. Since so many users have had questions about it, I decided there might be other folks that had similar questions, but were too shy to ask. OK -- so what is Imaging and what ... is Backup Software? Imaging and backup software fulfils very important roles in computer maintenance. However, the need and use for each is very different and that difference will determine which software you will need to support your system. The Backup Typically, a backup creates a 'copy' of any file that is NOT in use. If the file is 'open' and ... (view more)

Pictures, videos, music, and audio: computers have become a multimedia powerhouse -- and finding and organizing everything can be quite a daunting task. You know the drill; look for the folders you want, switch between them, hunt for files, pray ... that you have all of the programs you need to open everything, and then bang your head in frustration because you're lost in an overwhelming clutter of windows. What a headache! Wouldn't it be great if you could access all of your pictures, videos, music files, and audio recordings with a single program? Well, now you can! Introducing Ashampoo Photo ... (view more)

Question: What utility has been downloaded 22,000,000+ times on download.com and a solid 5-star rating from countless reputable tech websites around the world? Answer: PC Tools Registry Mechanic. OK. So what is Registry Mechanic? In a nutshell, ... Registry Mechanic is a super-system-cleaning-utility that no PC user should be without. It streamlines the Windows Registry (a core component of MS Windows), fixes errors, and optimizes the PC for increased performance. Simply put, no other registry cleaning utility on the market has the efficiency and reliability of Registry Mechanic. And because ... (view more)