Software Reviews

Last year, infopackets.com went on a quest to find the most ideal backup software available based on very stringent criteria . That expedition ended with the discovery of Genie Backup Manager. Well, as any good treasure hunter can attest to, there's ... always more gold to be found ... and in this case, it's the launch of Genie Backup Manager version 7! Reminder: What Is Genie Backup Manager? Genie Backup Manager (GBM) is an easy-to-use and extremely versatile all-in-one backup solution. Among some of its basic backup features, Genie Backup Manager can archive any file or folder, emails, media ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader "JS" writes: " Dear Dennis, Great job with your newsletter! According to a post at WilderSecurity.com, Acronis True Image 9 build 3633 does not run on Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) machines. Acronis has responded to the issue and ... plans to release a fix in the next update. Please advise your Windows 98 readers of this before they download True Image 9. One last thing: I understand that the True Image 9 (TI9) discount expires tomorrow . Can you arrange to have the Acronis 9 discount apply to the version of TI9 which will support 98SE? I would hate to buy something that I can ... (view more)

In case you missed it: yesterday I announced that Acronis True Image version 9 is on sale through our web site at 20% off the regular price. Furthermore: if you purchased True Image 6, 7, or 8 through our web site previously, you can also grab the ... upgrade to version 9 at 20% off. I also announced that there was a major update to True Image version 9 that allows you to record directly to a DVD Recordable drive without using third-party packet writing software (as with previous versions). RE: Yesterday's Discount Codes Not Working Having said all that: I guess I "jumped the gun" a bit yesterday ... (view more)

File compression is a method used to make files smaller. Most often file compression (sometimes referred to as "archiving") is used to take a collection of files and pack them into a single, smaller file. For a good analogy: compressing a series of ... files would be similar to packing a suit case of clothing before a vacation trip: it's smaller, easier to transport, and when you arrive at your destination, you can unpack it. Compressed files are often used to save storage and for sending files over email because they take up less space and travel faster when they are "packed. ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don S. writes: " Dear Dennis, Last year, I took your advice and downloaded Acronis True Image 8.0. Since then I have updated to version 9.0. This week I just received notice of a new update for version 9.0 that allows me to burn ... my image backups directly to DVD without any third-party packet-writing software. The update is available for free to current registered users. I just wanted to pass on this note. Thanks for all the good stuff you do! " https://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/my/updates/ My response: Thank you, Don, for sending me this email! A handful of users have ... (view more)

One of my all-time favorite multi-purpose optimization utility programs just got a major update. Of course, I'm talking about the release of WinOptimizer Platinum version 3: and there's plenty to talk about. To recap: What is WinOptimizer Platinum? ... For years, millions of users have depended on Ashampoo's award-winning WinOptimizer series to keep their PCs clean and running smoothly and efficiently. As one user put it, "[WinOptimizer Platinum 3] gives you all the maintenance tools that should have been included with Windows in the first place. And it's all so easy to use, you don't need a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Sandy' writes: " Dear Dennis, I love your newsletters! Thanks so much for doing it. I've done searches for .JPG picture files using Windows Search (Start -& Search). The results appear, and then I usually click View -& ... Thumbnails to see the little pictures of each image file. I have a floppy disk that has hundreds of website templates, but in order to see what each of them look like, I have to double-click each one individually and they open up in Internet Explorer. Question: Do you know of a program that will allow me to preview all my HTML files (similar to the ... (view more)

Gerald from South Africa writes: " Dear Clif, I look forward to your weekly letters with great anticipation for I am always finding useful programs to experiment with and some to retain. I now have so many programs in my Start -> Programs Folder ... that there are now 3 full columns. How do I alter the columns into one long column? Also when I right click on the programs in the list I no longer get any response from the right click button so I am unable to remove those shortcuts that I no longer wish to retain. Clif's response: A freeware version of Tidy Menu comes to mind. From the web ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Glen H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am a bit concerned about the kind of marketing engaged in by some of the software developers that you recommend -- PC Tools, for example. 'Get a free scan,' they say. And so you do, and they find ... 150 problems on your machine. Then they say, 'Buy our software and fix these problems.' I really think that this is deceptive marketing. If the company wants to give a free scan and clean, I would have no argument with that, but this sort of marketing 'come on' leads one to think that the first scan was a sham -- and it may very well have been. The ... (view more)

Quick Access InfoBar is a cool little tool that transforms your Windows Task Manager into a source of information about the processes that are running on your PC. The program comes from UniBlue (the makers of WinTasks Professional ), which has ... always been one of my trusted sources for process information. From processlibrary.com: " As many as 20 to 30 processes may be running invisibly, silently in the background on your PC. Some hog system resources drastically slowing down your computer; others are a threat to security and privacy; others may be harmless. The Windows Task Manager ... (view more)