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ClifNotesNewsletter041121
 November 21, 2004 |
Reviews
 123 Free Solitaire
2004 - 12 card games to pass the
time. |
|
Here's an excellent set of solitaire
games if you've got some time to burn.
Use the Download link below for the freeware version.
The version at the website is trialware.
Website -
- Size: 2.1MB - Class: Crippleware (some features disabled)
Quote from the website:
123 Free Solitaire 2004 card games collection includes 12
solitaire card games: Spider Solitaire One Suit, Spider Solitaire
Two Suits, FreeCell, Klondike, Carpet, Eighteens, Travelers,
Grandfather's Clock, La Belle Lucie, Pyramid, Spider and Royal
Rendezvous. 123 Free Solitaire 2004 features a winning layout, fast
game play, rich sounds, extensive options, and quality help. Each
solitaire has more than 9 trillion possible games to play, so the
game remains fresh no matter how many times you play. Under Windows
XP, 123 Free Solitaire 2004 is fully skinnable with XP themes and
visual styles. |
 Avant Browser -
easy surfer |
Avant was the first IE (Internet
Explorer) based browser I ever tried that allowed me to use a tabbed
browsing interface. I fell in love with that feature the first time
I tried Opera. Avant used to crash on me occasionally but it's been
continually improving and it seems to work very nicely now.
I enjoy the built in pop up blocking and other
features it has. It's really got plain old IE beat all to heck
and back. If you are trying tabbed browsing for the first time,
you'll never want to go back.
Website - Quote from the
website
Avant Browser is a multiwindow browser that allows users to browse
multiple Web sites simultaneously and block all unwanted pop-up
pages and Flash ads automatically. The integrated cleaner helps
users clear all traces and maintain privacy. The built-in
Yahoo/Google search engines enable users to search for Web pages,
images, groups, directories, lyrics, software, and news on the
Internet. Avant Browser provides options for blocking the download
of Flash media, pictures, video, sounds, and ActiveX components, so
users can efficiently use their bandwidth and speed up page loading.
All opened pages can be easily stopped, refreshed, closed, or
arranged with just one click. |
 Bazooka Adware and
Spyware Scanner - fast scanning for
problems |
I keep this one handy and use it almost
every day. It scans fast so I can get my work done. I found the best
use of it is to put a copy of the Bazooka shortcut in my Start >
Programs > Startup folder so that it starts up whenever I turn my
computer on. Bazooka can't replace Spybot
or Adaware
and I use those on a weekly basis.
Website - Quote from the website
Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner detects a multitude of spyware,
adware, trojan, keylogger, foistware and trackware components;
sources of irritation that antivirus software does not deal with.
The scanning process will only take about two seconds and tell you
how to uninstall the potentially unwanted applications using simple
step-by-step instructions or put you in contact with the vendor for
the most up-to-date and safe uninstall
instructions. |
Ewido Security
Suite - scan for trojans your anti-virus didn't
see |
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Ewido is the best of a new crop of
anti-Trojan programs. On my recent tests over at www.anti-trojan-software-reviews.com, it emerged as one of the few products that
could reliably detect polymorphic and process injecting Trojans that
were totally missed by anti-virus products like Norton and
AVG. No, it's not as good as TDS-3 or Trojan Hunter but you
get what you pay for. You see, the free version of Ewido doesn't
have a memory monitor
but the on-demand scanner is so good that
you'll have no complaints.
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That's
sounds good enough for me, but I can't use it. I'm using WindowsME.
If you're in the same boat as me with Windows 95, 98, or ME, then
I'd recommend another good trojan scanner called A²
Free.
Website - For Win2k and
WinXP only - Quote from the website.
We offer you realtime protection
against over 66.000 threats of the newest generation:
*Hijackers and Spyware
Secure
surfing in the Internet without fear of annoying changes of the
start page of your browser, Tracking Cookies and advertising
bars.
*Worms
Nobody should receive e-mails in your name with
malicious files in the appendix anymore.
*Dialers
Security against all kinds of dialers. No fear
when receiving the next phone bill.
*Trojans and Keyloggers
No chance for thieves to steal
your bank data and personal sensitive information by tapped Internet
connections, remote controlled Webcams or secret keyboard
recordings.
|
 HandySnap -
screen capture tool |
Yet another screen capture tool. This
one looks pretty "Handy". I saw this tool at the Computer Help
Club. It was recommended by one of the members and some of us
tried it out. The general feeling was "thumbs up".
Website - Quote from the
website
HandySnap was designed as a work-horse screen capture utility for
creative professionals as well as for home users, web page
developers or multimedia authors. The user interface of this program
is based on the “nothing unnecessary” principle. It means that you
will get exactly what you need - a tool for screen capture and for
doing annotations on the screenshots (for editing screenshot will be
opened in a separate window.) So anyone, even those who have never
used such software before, can start working right after the
installation. |
HoverIP
- internet information tools |
|
Now and then I have to do a traceroute
or nslookup and I usually forget where good places to do this are.
This utility brings a whole load of the most common needs right to
my desktop. The user interface is very easy to understand.
HoverIP is a powerful set of IP utilities, all inside a
single box !
With HoverIP you can display your IP configuration (on all
network cards), perform different tasks like NSLOOKUP, PING,
TRACEROUTE, SCAN PORTS or network, and manage your
ROUTES in a very convenient way
! |
InstallSpy
v2.0 - track changes to your pc |
This is a really nice utility for
reporting changes to your Windows OS that are made during a program
installation. It tracks file changes and registry entries and a
whole lot more. I especially like the html reports it generates (see
View a sample report below). I only wish the author had included a
quick way to have this program reverse any changes it records.
That's exactly what Total
Uninstall does and why I just can't live without it. I like
InstallSpy but I could live without it.
Website
- View
a sample report - Quote from the website
This is not spyware, but a program to help you discover spyware!
Track any and all changes to the registry and file system, and also
record all shell notification events (e.g. media inserted), when a
program is installed, uninstalled, or run. This can warn you of
programs trying to install new services, programs that are set to
run on reboot, changes to your home page, etc. It's a highly
configurable program that allows you to catch any change to your
system. Filtering lets you zoom down to the details that are most
important to you. | |
Tips
  Ask-Leo.com
- pc help for all |
I first saw posts from Leo at Lockergnome.com and I saw
that he has his own free help site. He has tons of good advice and
answers questions almost every day. Got a question? Ask Leo.
Yes, this was a real question. So just who is Leo?
"Leo" is Leo A. Notenboom. That's me. And since you ask, let me
tell you a little about myself.
I'm Leo A. Notenboom, the owner of Puget Sound Software,
LLC and the Leo in Ask Leo!.
I've been in the personal computer and software industry for
over 25 years, as a software engineer and a manager of software
engineers since 1979.
In 1983 I joined Microsoft and spent the next 18 years in a
wide variety of groups working on a wide variety of software. I've
shipped a lot of software and managed a lot of engineers. If you're
running Microsoft Windows or if you've used a Microsoft development
tool or Microsoft Money, or if you've ever purchased a ticket
through Expedia, there's a good chance a good chance you've been
touched by some of my work.
I'm one of those wierd people that plays with computers because
I really, really enjoy it. It's my career and my hobby. So even
after leaving Microsoft I've kept it up. Lately I've been doing a
lot of work implementing and maintaining websites on both Windows
and Linux, writing some very interesting server-side applications in
perl and PHP frequently using database technologies such as mySql,
and writing all sorts of other odds and ends.
And of course answering questions here on Ask
Leo!. |
Rogue Anti-Spyware -
programs and websites that hurt instead of help |
|
I found this site to extremely helpful
to me as a software reviewer. When I run into a new freeware program
that promises to help me keep my system clean. I go to this
site to make sure I'm not making a big goof. I wish I had done this
when I tried out a program called MalWhere. It took me a couple
hours of cleanup after I installed that one.
"Rogue/Suspect" means that these products are of unknown,
questionable, or dubious value as anti-spyware protection.
Some of the products listed on this page simply do not provide
proven, reliable anti-spyware protection. Others may use unfair,
deceptive, high pressure sales tactics and false positives to scare
up sales from gullible, confused users. A very few of these products
are either associated with known distributors of spyware/adware or
have been known to install spyware/adware themselves. Users are
advised to rely on anti-spyware applications with deserved
reputations for trustworthy performance.
|
The many
colors of Outlook Express - get more than 16 colors in your
text |
I get the "Computer Tips"
newsletter from WorldStart.com. They sometimes come up with some
really great tips. Here's one I liked.
Website
- Quote from the website
If you are using Outlook Express in "Rich Text (HTML)" mode, then
you can change the font color by clicking the "A" in the message
toolbar and choosing one of the sixteen colors listed, BUT... you
can easily expand your palette with this little trick.
Highlight the text you want to color,
right-click and choose "Font". In the drop-down Color menu, select
"Custom", then click the "A" to bring up more
options. | |
Cool
Websites
Crazythoughts.com -
Can you get cornered in a round room? |
Lots of questions, life's eternal
mysteries, and other stuff. But no answers here!
Website - Quote from the
website
Do bald people get dandruff?
Why doesn't baking soda
freeze?
What if you were to ask a genie to grant you more than
three wishes for one of you wishes?
If you made biscuits with
chocolate milk instead of regular milk, would they taste chocolaty?
If you rented a movie and were late returning it and then you
died would someone you knew or a family member have to pay the late
fee?
Can a person with no ears wear
glasses? |
PaperAirplanes.org -
make some paper fly |
I used to have a lot of fun with paper
airplanes when I was young. Making paper airplanes has turned into
more than a hobby for some. It's become a science. If you let some
kids try some of the easier ones here, watch the science turn back
into fun.
Website - Quote from the
website
I'm Ken Blackburn, and this web site is here to share what I know
about paper airplanes. I held the Guinness record for time
aloft for paper airplanes from 1983 to 1996 and have just
regained the Guinness record with a flight of 27.6 seconds during an
attempt on 10/8/98 in the Georgia Dome.
|
Renovators.com -
spruce up the old house |
This is a good link for everyone who
likes to watch "This Old House" and other home renovation programs.
Website - Quote from the
website
Renovators.com is the nations premier online resource and community
for antique home owners and old house enthusiasts. Bursting with
great ideas, information, and advice, Renovators.com helps you
uncover the full potential of your old house.
A
comprehensive directory serving the old-house
community | |
Get my newsletter by RSS Feed  Right Click the
RSS button and copy shortcut. What is
RSS? |
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