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<a name="WelcometoClifNotesNewsletter"></a>
<h1><big>Welcome to Clif Notes Newsletter</big></h1>
<p><b>September 23, 2006</b>
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<table><tr><td width=200> <img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/clifsilver.jpg" class="wikiimage" /> <p>Hi Everyone.<p><p>Thanks for reading my newsletter. Each week, I will have freeware reviews, tips, tricks, news, and lots of cool websites for you to check out.<p><p> I hope you enjoy this week's letter. Be sure to <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/?action=contact&subject=Hi_Clif" target="_new" title="Send comments to Clif"><font color="green">write me</font></a> for advice or yell at me for messing up.<p><p><p><a href="http://gabbly.com/http://freewarewiki.com/ClifsCurrentNewsletter">Click here to chat while<p>visiting this newsletter!</a><p><p></td><td><div style="font-size:90%;"><table style="background:transparent;border:none;margin:0;padding:0"><tr style="background:transparent;border:none;margin:0;padding"><td style="background:transparent;border:none;margin:0;padding"><div class="toc"><ol type="1"><li><a href="#WelcometoClifNotesNewsletter">Welcome to Clif Notes Newsletter</a></li><li><a href="#REVIEWS">REVIEWS</a><ol type="a"><li><a href="#MSBobfuntimeswithafailedoperatingsystem">MS Bob - fun times with a failed operating system</a></li><li><a href="#8StartLauncherprogramlauncheranddesktoporganizer">8Start Launcher - program launcher and desktop organizer</a></li><li><a href="#WiFiSiStrWiFiSignalStrengthalwaysvisible">WiFi SiStr - Wi-Fi Signal Strength always visible</a></li><li><a href="#MicrosoftImageResizeranotherPowerToyforWindows">Microsoft Image Resizer - another PowerToy for Windows</a></li><li><a href="#FileboxeXtenderaddingfavoritestoyourfilebrowsing">Filebox eXtender - adding favorites to your file browsing</a></li><li><a href="#UberIconfrivolousiconanimations">UberIcon - frivolous icon animations</a></li><li><a href="#PStartfireupyourUSBapps">PStart - fire up your USB apps</a></li><li><a href="#ComodoFirewallpluggingupWindowsleaks">Comodo Firewall - plugging up Windows leaks</a></li><li><a href="#PopPeeperalotmorethanjustpeepingatyouremail">PopPeeper - a lot more than just peeping at your email</a></li><li><a href="#UnderReview">Under Review</a></li></ol><li><a href="#TIPSANDFEEDBACK">TIPS AND FEEDBACK</a><ol type="a"><li><a href="#Commentslastweek">Comments last week</a></li><li><a href="#WhatgoodistheSendTomenu">What good is the SendTo menu?</a></li><li><a href="#HeyDummyaddtheOStheseworkin">Hey Dummy! add the OS these work in!</a></li><li><a href="#ASquaredAntiDialergivesbaddialersthebusysignal">A-Squared Anti-Dialer - gives bad dialers the busy signal</a></li><li><a href="#WebAttacksiteisattacked">WebAttack site is attacked</a></li><li><a href="#WherecanIgetautomaticdriverupdates">Where can I get automatic driver updates?</a></li><li><a href="#FreewareWikiCalendar">Freeware Wiki Calendar</a></li></ol><li><a href="#COOLWEBSITES">COOL WEBSITES</a><ol type="a"><li><a href="#TheNYPublicLibrarysDigitalGallery">The NY Public Library's Digital Gallery</a></li><li><a href="#Zeroanaddictiveflashgame">Zero - an addictive flash game</a></li><li><a href="#WebsitesIvevisitedrecently">Websites I've visited recently</a></li></ol><li><a href="#NEWNEWS">NEW NEWS</a><ol type="a"><li><a href="#Lockergnomearticles">Lockergnome articles</a></li><li><a href="#NewsfromSarahinTampa">News from Sarah in Tampa</a></li></ol><li><a href="#OTHERSTUFF">OTHER STUFF</a><ol type="a"><li><a href="#ChattingatFreewareWiki">Chatting at FreewareWiki</a></li><li><a href="#Frapperyoupeopleliveallovertheworld">Frapper - you people live all over the world!</a></li><li><a href="#Writeyourownreview">Write your own review</a></li><li><a href="#Whatdoyouhavetosay">What do you have to say?</a></li></ol></li></ol></li></div></td></tr></table><br clear="left" /></div></td></tr></table>
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<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/cnnl_hpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<a name="REVIEWS"></a>
<h1><FONT COLOR=GREEN>REVIEWS</FONT></h1>
<p> </p>
<a name="MSBobfuntimeswithafailedoperatingsystem"></a>
<h2>MS Bob - fun times with a failed operating system</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="MsBob">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>I happened to run into this operating system while listening to a podcast from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-e0b15755671ce390aef7b8d74766c58ddcfec327" href="/SecurityNow">SecurityNow</a>. They'd mentioned <a href="http://vpc.visualwin.com/">this website</a> that lists over one hundred OS's that will currently run under MS's Virtual PC software. I haven't tried <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/">Virtual PC</a>, but it sounds interesting.
<p> </p>
<p>While I was browsing that list of operating systems, I ran across an entry for MS Bob. MS What? I can't believe I've never heard of it. Then I found out that you can actually download it and run it on a Windows PC. Well, I just had to try it.
<p> </p>
<p><em>What is it, and does it have anything to do with Smiling Bob?</em>
<p><img src=/f/smilingbob.gif>
<p>No No No! This OS won't enhance your mind or any other body part. It's been around long before Smiling Bob started smiling.
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from Wikipedia</b> <small><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_BOB">source</a></small>
<p><em><font color=blue>Microsoft Bob was designed to be a user friendly interface for Microsoft Windows version 3.1, replacing the Program Manager. The project was at one point managed by Melinda French, Bill Gates' girlfriend at the time. The two later married. At the time she left Microsoft she was Product Unit Manager for a group which included Bob and three other Microsoft titles. Microsoft originally had the domain name bob.com for the product but traded it to Bob Kerstein for the windows2000.com domain.</font></em>
<p> </p>
<p>I also wrote one of my friends, who has contacts inside Microsoft. He was as curious about it as I was and later he wrote back.
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-033ae6dc06a8fe5b3f2af653a80ea67da5045ff2" href="/BillAllin">BillAllin</a></b>
<p><em><font color=green>Hi Clif,
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>MS Bob has been around publicly since at least 1995. It's purpose in life seems to have evolved over the years. As the blog said, it is basically a way to hold the hand of someone who is new to computers, so that they can learn how to do certain things in a cartoon type of environment. New modules have been added to it as recently as December 2005 and even this year.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>The word I received was that it should not be considered an operating system. Kids might like it and adults who are reluctant about using a computer. Most adults will find it too simple in its presentation, so I was told.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>I hope this explains what you wanted.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>Cheers
<p>Bill</font></em>
<p> </p>
<p>This OS/Program failed to get any serious attention from business users. Even home users would soon tire of the constant hand holding and prompts throughout the experience. It does run well on my XP machine and I'm sure the kids will get a kick out of playing with it. It's a great baby-sitter and maybe it's not really a failure after all.
<p> </p>
<p>Below is a screenshot with links to the download and installation help pages.
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/msBob.jpg><img src=/f/msBob_th.jpg></a>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Note:</b> I'd recommend that you click NO, when the installer asks if you want Bob to run automatically when Windows starts up. Bob doesn't make any permanent changes to Windows. The only change I found was an entry in the autoexec.bat file.
<p> </p>
<p>When the install is done, just restart your PC and then go to your start menu and look for "Microsoft Bob" to run it.
<p> </p>
<p>Have fun with Bob!
<p> </p>
<p>Download MS Bob: <font color=red>Removed because of possible copyright violation</font>
<p>You can buy MS Bob at <a href="http://store.retrosoftware.net/10670.html">retroSoftware</a> for US.
<p>Help page for installing: <a href="http://www.dans20thcenturyabandonware.com/ms-bob-setup.html">http://www.dans20thcenturyabandonware.com/ms-bob-setup.html</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Many thanks to Dan Rose at <a href="http://www.dans20thcenturyabandonware.com">20th Century Abandonware</a> for letting me know that the page I linked to was not freeware and may have been illegal copies. I will never recommend illegal software.
<p> </p>
<p>For those of you who tried this before you found out it was bad, please remove the software as I have done.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('MsBob');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('MsBob');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="8StartLauncherprogramlauncheranddesktoporganizer"></a>
<h2>8Start Launcher - program launcher and desktop organizer</h2>
<p>review from CC and <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="8StartLauncher">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>My friend CC wrote in with a recommendation for this slick little program launcher. If he uses it, you can be sure it's safe to use. He's very choosy when it comes to freeware and I think he tries many more than I do. He just doesn't like to write about it very much.
<p> </p>
<p>After I asked him if he'd tried this one, he said: <em>Yes I have-- I try most of the programs that I think have practicality and merit...</em>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/8startLaucher.jpg><img src="/f/1158557336/8startLaucher_th.jpg" align="left" hspace="20"></a>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from the website</b>
<p><em>8start Launcher is an free application launcher, I created 8start Launcher because I believe there should be a convenient way to access application than using windows start menu, quick launch and desktop. Windows desktop look messy if too many shortcuts in the desktop, windows start menu become hard to access if too many applications installed in the computer, windows quick launch not suitable to handle too many shortcuts.
<p> </p>
<p>Now you can make your desktop wallpaper never be blocked by the icons, you never have to search program shortcuts in start menu. You can divide different programs into categories and groups, and access it by a single click.</em><p><p><small>click image to expand</small><br clear="left">
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.8start.com">http://www.8start.com</a>
<p>The download link appears to be broken. I found another link below.
<p><a href="http://python.planetmirror.com/ftp/freewarefiles/8startLauncher1.3.zip">Download 8Start 1.3 here</a>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('8StartLauncher');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('8StartLauncher');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="WiFiSiStrWiFiSignalStrengthalwaysvisible"></a>
<h2><a class="WikiLink" id="p-68fdca0064ea7e0f2782fc7cf58a710319478b84" href="/WiFi">WiFi</a> <a class="WikiLink" id="p-81f098437cc5185df157068933b914c461789d8f" href="/SiStr">SiStr</a> - Wi-Fi Signal Strength always visible</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="WifiSiStr">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's a nice little meter bar you can display on your laptop when it's connected to wifi. I tried it out very quickly and it's small, clean, and easy to use. Be sure to right click on the bar to bring up it's settings if you don't want it to auto-run. Once in the settings you can play around with lots of other settings that change the way it looks and behaves.
<p> </p>
<p><b>Note:</b> This application has the following minimum software requirement:
<p> </p>
<p>.NET Framework 1.1 Redistributable +SP1 (Automatically included in XP updates and new XP releases)
<p> </p>
<p>IMPORTANT: If you have .NET Framework 2 installed but not v1.1: - You must first remove v2 in order to install v1.1 and then reinstall v2
<p><em>thanks to EdgarJ for catching the .NET requirement</em>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/WiFiSiStrBar.jpg>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/WiFiSiStr.jpg><img src=/f/WiFiSiStr-200.jpg></a>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from the website</b>
<p><em>WiFi SiStr is a small and simple utility that allows you to keep an eye on you wireless connection Signal Strength. Of course, you don’t need to keep it always active but in some cases it might be interesting to have an idea of the signal strength of the connection.
<p> </p>
<p>Why a so simple and un-detailed tool?
<p>The reason is because Windows ® already offers the possibility to have detailed status of the connection, speed, access points… but I missed a small and easy to use tool that displays only the signal strength…
<p> </p>
<p>Why so many display options for a so small tool?
<p>Because I like software that is nice to see even if it is small and simple, and even if it doesn’t work better than another one, that gives me more pleasure to use it, I suppose you are like me.</em>
<p> </p>
<p>Homepage: <a href="http://www.dnsoft.be/">http://www.dnsoft.be/</a>
<p>Download: <a href="http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_9_98_16826.html">http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_9_98_16826.html</a>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('WifiSiStr');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('WifiSiStr');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="MicrosoftImageResizeranotherPowerToyforWindows"></a>
<h2>Microsoft Image Resizer - another <a class="WikiLink" id="p-0a312743d0b629e4f5039110de6c669f2e627268" href="/PowerToy">PowerToy</a> for Windows</h2>
<p>review from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, tip from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-9a2dbd8587869f4cc13e9c1562a8b96544c681a8" href="/DavesComputerTips">DavesComputerTips</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="MsImageResizer">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>After <a href="http://davescomputertips.com">Dave</a> read my review of <a class="WikiLink" id="p-94ef57b996a9c582d51bf736b2c46f9c205776f2" href="/PictureResizer">PictureResizer</a> last week, he quickly wrote in to remind me about this powertoy from Microsoft. I went to the MS PowerToys home page and downloaded the tiny program. I proceeded to install it only to find that it was already installed on my PC. Now I'm feeling a bit embarrased. I've had it all this time and I've never used it.
<p> </p>
<p>Image Resizer allows you to resize one or many images simply by right clicking on them and then choosing "Resize Pictures" from the context menu.
<p> </p>
<p>The only thing I'd like to change about MS Image Resizer are the suffixes it adds to the smaller images. I don't like to see something like "(WinCE)" at the end of an image. If somebody out there knows how to hack the suffixes to change them, let me know.
<p> </p>
<p>Image Resizer is a nice addition to any Windows PC. Thanks for the tip Dave.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/imgResizerMenu.jpg>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/imageResizer.jpg><img src=/f/imageResizer_th.jpg></a>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from Microsoft</b>
<p><em>Image Resizer - This PowerToy enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx">Windows XP Power Toys</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Visit <a href="http://davescomputertips.com">Dave's Computer Tips</a> for more good tips like this one.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('MsImageResizer');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('MsImageResizer');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="FileboxeXtenderaddingfavoritestoyourfilebrowsing"></a>
<h2>Filebox eXtender - adding favorites to your file browsing</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="FileBoxExtender">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Filebox eXtender is kind of like a tool bar for your Windows file manager (explorer.exe) which is commonly accessed by clicking "My Computer". It adds three more buttons to the title bar of every explorer window. The most important button, and the "heart" of this add-on is the favorites button which has a heart on it. Clicking this button allows you to add the current folder as a favorite location and you can also navigate to other previously entered favorite locations on your PC's hard drive or network.
<p> </p>
<p>This add-on is a real time saver and unlike other explorer add-ons I've used before, it seems pretty stable.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/fbxtndr.gif>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from the website</b>
<ul><li><em>Navigate easily through the Windows folder maze with its “favorites” and “recently accessed” buttons added to standard Windows File Open, File Save dialog boxes and Explorer folders. With these buttons you can access your favorite and recently visited folders and documents with one mouse click.</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul><li>Add a "push-pin" button to your "top level" windows. This function prevents any window you "pin" to the desktop from being covered by any other windows. This is great when you want to keep an eye on one program, but use another.</ul>
<p> </p>
<ul><li>Add a "roll-up" button added to top level windows. When you click it, the window is "rolled up" leaving only its title bar visible, and uncovering what was underneath it. Click that button again, and the window rolls back down. The Always on Top and Rollup commands can be also displayed on the system menu of any window.</em></ul>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://hyperionics.com/files">http://hyperionics.com/files</a>
<p><p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('FileBoxExtender');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('FileBoxExtender');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="UberIconfrivolousiconanimations"></a>
<h2><a class="WikiLink" id="p-bc33d5251616729d4a7f31895c89129889847b7f" href="/UberIcon">UberIcon</a> - frivolous icon animations</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="UberIcon">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>UberIcon is a very simple freeware program that runs in the system tray. While it's running all of the icons on your desktop and in your file browser will display unique animations when they are double clicked. This program has apparently been made just for fun. I'd tell you I loved this program if it were true. The truth is after I played with it for five minutes to see what it can do, I got bored with it and uninstalled it.
<p> </p>
<p><img src="/f/1158999841/UberIcon.gif" align="left" hspace="20"><b>Quote from the website</b>
<p><em>ÜberIcon creates a more customizable atmosphere on your desktop by extending Windows to perform new effects when you launch your icons and folders. The effects are plugin-based to give you control over the look and feel. The name translates to "OverIcon" which will begin to make sense from the moment you see your first icon fly towards you. It's completely free, so what are you waiting for? Try it out!</em>
<p> </p>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p><br clear="left">
<p> </p>
<p>Website: <a href="http://www.punksoftware.com/ubericon">http://www.punksoftware.com/ubericon</a>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('UberIcon');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('UberIcon');</script></a><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="PStartfireupyourUSBapps"></a>
<h2>PStart - fire up your USB apps</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="PStart">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Back in May, <a class="WikiLink" id="p-3625edd82a20efd2a67c2223d4d62adf827b1e29" href="/PierreRenaud">PierreRenaud</a> published a tip on <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprenaud.blogspot.com%2F&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&safe=active&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools">his blog</a> about this PStart portable app launcher. I thought it looked cool but I never tried it. Most of the portable launchers I've tried didn't make it easy enough to add new items to the menus.
<p> </p>
<p>I recently tried PStart and I'm glad I did. This sucker is going to go on my USB sticks from now on. The killer feature is PStart's ability to scan the portable drive for all executables. I tried it out and it picked up all of my portable apps and even named most of them correctly. Another 10 minutes of editing the links and I had them all looking nice and neat. You can also drag and drop executables or documents on the PStart panel for another way to add quick links.
<p> </p>
<p>While running, PStart resides as an icon in the system tray. When you click on it, a list of all your apps pops up. When you double click the icon, it open's the PStart panel.
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/imagez/Pstart03.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<p> </p>
<p><b>Quote from the website</b>
<p><em>PStart is a simple tray tool to start user defined applications. Designed to run portable applications (like portable Firefox & Thunderbird), you can start anything runnable from USB key devices or removable disks.
<p> </p>
<p>Install PStart locally to your hard disk to have an additional start menu with a quick program search feature.
<p>Install PStart to your USB stick to launch portable applications easily and open important documents or folders.</em>
<p> </p>
<p>PStart website: <a href="http://www.pegtop.de/start/">http://www.pegtop.de/start/</a>
<p> </p>
<p>What is a <a class="WikiLink" id="p-75a8b2c24996db6b6afe798e000dcd055d6b177b" href="/PortableApp">PortableApp</a>?
<p>Where's a good place to find good <a href="http://portableapps.com/">free portable apps</a>?
<p>Do you need a <a href="PortableApplicationsSuite">portable office suite</a> to take with you?
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('PStart');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('PStart');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="ComodoFirewallpluggingupWindowsleaks"></a>
<h2>Comodo Firewall - plugging up Windows leaks</h2>
<p>review by Tony at <a class="WikiLink" id="p-bfdb187134d674925a42c79c7a29579c51423e4e" href="/TopFreeware">TopFreeware</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="ComodoFirewall">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p><b>From Clif:</b>
<p>In his unrelenting quest to discover the TOP freeware tools, Tony wrote in with his latest top freeware find. Thanks Tony.
<p> </p>
<p><b>From Tony:</b>
<p><font color=green>OK, I finally did it after much thought. I'm running Windows XP home, SP2
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>Installed latest version 2.3.5.6.2 it without uninstalling <a href="http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/trial_zaFamily/trial_zaFamily.jsp?lid=home_freedownloads">Zone Alarm</a> for starters. No problems. After reboot uninstalled ZA. Works fine still.
<p>It has two processes running in task manager cmdagent.exe and cpf.exe.
<p>Running in background cmdagent.exe is 7,728kb's and cpf.exe is 15,400kb's.
<p>So total of processes is around 23mb's. This is important as the previous version took around 50mb's.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>Some people have talked about it not playing nice with other applications, especially antivirus software.
<p>I have no problem and I'm running <a href="AvastHomeEdition">Avast</a> latest version.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>I'm getting used to the different layout right now, but it doesn't look too bad. It's good out of the box, and for the more advaced users.
<p>It features alot more features than my previous firewall and also has no limited features that I can see.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>I've done some testing on the shieldsup site from grc and got stealth. I am behind a NAT router though.
<p>I've researched on the net in regards to user comments. Most have been positive. The author is very active in his forum and acts like a nice guy who is willing to go out of his way to help people.
<p><div class="breakout"><p> </p></div>
<p>I'm very happy and am glad I took the risk to try this firewall. Bye, bye ZA free. I will be adding it to my site soon and removing ZA. Next update is the 1st October to be exact. It's getting a bigger following with each update, <a href="http://www.snapfiles.com/opinions/comodo-firewall/comodo-firewall.html">take a look for yourself </a>at other freeware sites.</font>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/comodo.jpg><img src="/f/1159046924/comodo-200.jpg" align="left" hspace="20"></a><b>Quote from the website</b>
<p><em>The only firewall that doesn't leak
<p>Unfortunately, most firewalls leak. But Comodo's Firewall is unique in that it passes all known leak tests to ensure the integrity of data entering and exiting your system. Comodo has put our firewall through all kinds of sophisticated tests to ensure our firewall is powerful enough to ward off these attacks with default settings. No other firewall has had to work this hard. Take this test yourself.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p><br clear="left">
<p> </p>
<p>Website: <a href="http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/">http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/</a> (size 8mb download)
<p> </p>
<p>Be sure to visit Tony's website at <a href="http://www.topfreeware.net/">Top Freeware</a> for more examples of the top's in freeware.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('ComodoFirewall');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('ComodoFirewall');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="PopPeeperalotmorethanjustpeepingatyouremail"></a>
<h2><a class="WikiLink" id="p-90fb8892032461934f1943b4c1cd7f036438ae20" href="/PopPeeper">PopPeeper</a> - a lot more than just peeping at your email</h2>
<p>review by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-2cf9795ae9b77bf54ad96c9c85ae08a46ecd6d83" href="/Respect2Glory">Respect2Glory</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="PopPeeper">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p><b>From <a class="WikiLink" id="p-2cf9795ae9b77bf54ad96c9c85ae08a46ecd6d83" href="/Respect2Glory">Respect2Glory</a>:</b>
<p>Last week I read about what John Wharepapa said about PopPeeper in your <a class="WikiLink" id="p-c08f5590b84d70f4c81fd19695dd8fa944579221" href="/FreePops">FreePops</a> comments. I decided to try it since I hadn't loaded FreePOPs yet on my new laptop. The install went smoothly with the setup for yahoo, hotmail and my own ISP email, but gmail required their plugin to work. No big deal. I followed their instructions and now I can see all of my email in one place!
<p> </p>
<p>PopPeeper is more than I ever expected. It not only checks your email, but it also views your email in its own browser (hotmail's webpage didn't display correctly) but the email itself appeared normally. I've got my online email tweaked to strip HTML in case I read an infected email. Once I'm sure the email is from who it says it is from and I'm satisfied it's a clean email, then I click to view the whole email that includes HTML.
<p> </p>
<p>Surprise, the 'reply' button allows you to forward an email, but there's no forward button. Also, replies are all in text, and I had to manually type in email addresses. It might not be as loaded as Outlook Express, but PopPeeper isn't sucking down my system resources either. I'm very happy with this little gem.
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/poppeeper.jpg><img src="/f/1159072648/poppeeper-200.jpg" align="left" hspace="20"></a><b>Quote from the website</b><em>
<ul><li> Easy Setup - accounts are imported from your existing email client(s)<li>Supports POP3, SMTP, GMail, Hotmail\MSN, Yahoo, Mail.com, MyWay, Excite, Lycos.com, RediffMail<li>Read and delete email without opening your email client<li>Send Mail using SMTP or WebMail<li>HTML Email Support<li>Password Protection<li>Options to protect you from messages that contain viruses and web bugs<li>Send, Save and Open file attachments<li>No account limit -- notifies you of an unlimited number of accounts<li>Many ways to receive new mail notification<li>Specify different intervals for each account<li>Extensive Help with useful tips and information</em></ul>
<p> </p>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p><br clear="left">
<p> </p>
<p>Website: <a href="http://www.poppeeper.com/">http://www.poppeeper.com/</a>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('PopPeeper');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('PopPeeper');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="UnderReview"></a>
<h2>Under Review</h2>
<p>If you are curious to see what I've been looking at lately, here's a list of programs I've been thinking about trying out. <a class="WikiLink" id="p-e760f2c363571a9a48e23fb07107d20ada584ce7" href="/UnderReview">UnderReview</a>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('UnderReview');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('UnderReview');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><p><p>
<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/cnnl_hpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<a name="TIPSANDFEEDBACK"></a>
<h1><FONT COLOR=GREEN>TIPS AND FEEDBACK</FONT></h1>
<p> </p>
<a name="Commentslastweek"></a>
<h2>Comments last week</h2>
<p>Thanks to everyone who commented on the articles last week. You gave me more ideas and some good advice. If you see comments on an article, you will be missing out if you don't click on them to take a look.
<p> </p>
<p>If you commented last week, check to see who commented on your comment!
<p> </p>
<p><em>Here are the comments from last week.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/WhatsRunning/">What's Running - on your PC</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/PictureResizer/">Picture Resizer - don't send full size photos in email</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/FastStoneCapture/">FastStone Capture - captures glowing reviews</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/YahooMailBeta/">Yahoo Mail Beta - a great free web mail product</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/UksKalendar/">UK's Kalendar - simple Calendar and reminder program</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/DSynchronize/">DSynchronize - keeping folders or portable drives updated</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/FreePops/">FreePOPS - bring all your web mail into an email client</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/ThunderBirdSpam/">Thunderbird isn't learning to remove the spam</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/IeTab/">IE Tab - Firefox can pretend to be Internet Explorer</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/AshampooFree/">Stay away from Ashampoo's free programs?</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/Mail2Web/">Mail2web.com - getting your pop3 and imap email away from home</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/DavesComputerTips/">Dave's Computer Tips - advice with a sense of humor</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/FileWatcher/">FileWatcher File Search</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/TelePixie/">Telepixie - give me a ring to wake me up</a>
<p><a href="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/clifnotes/pbWiki/">pb wiki - an easy to use personal website</a>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('HaloScan');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('HaloScan');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.haloscan.com/load/clifnotes"></script>
<a name="WhatgoodistheSendTomenu"></a>
<h2>What good is the <a class="WikiLink" id="p-7c32dc5235169171cc872de8c0d6d1b373a9c80e" href="/SendTo">SendTo</a> menu?</h2>
<p>tip from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="SendToFolder">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Last week I reviewed <a class="WikiLink" id="p-94ef57b996a9c582d51bf736b2c46f9c205776f2" href="/PictureResizer">PictureResizer</a> and my friend <a class="WikiLink" id="p-033ae6dc06a8fe5b3f2af653a80ea67da5045ff2" href="/BillAllin">BillAllin</a> dropped me an email about it.
<p> </p>
<p><b>From Bill</b>
<p><div class="breakout"><p>Hi Clif,</p><p> </p><p>Regarding PictureResizer400, I know the web site recommends placing the program on the desktop, but I disagree.</p><p> </p><p>Everything on the desktop is in what I call the active memory. That is, each thing takes power.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, I recommend (as I have done) downloading the program to a new folder, then creating a shortcut on the desktop.</p><p>Shortcut: 1KB</p><p>PictureResizer400: 284KB</p><p>Do the math.</p><p> </p><p>Cheers</p><p>Bill</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>I wrote Bill back, and I'm afraid I might have bragged a bit (Sorry!)
<p><div class="breakout"><p>Hi Bill,</p><p> </p><p>I didn't mention it in the review, but maybe I should have. I did you one better. I placed the <a class="WikiLink" id="p-94ef57b996a9c582d51bf736b2c46f9c205776f2" href="/PictureResizer">PictureResizer</a> file in my Portable apps folder and created 3 versions of it for 200, 400, and 600 sizes. Then I placed three shortcuts to them into my SendTo menu.</p><p> </p><p>Now they are available in any situation. I just right click on the image and send them to the resizer of my choice.</p><p> </p><p>Hmm, I guess I could mention this next week. I do all kinds of crazy things with the SendTo folder.</p><p> </p><p>Have fun! and thanks for writing me.</p><p> </p><p>Clif</p><p> </p></div>
<p>The reason I mention this exchange is to tell you about some of the things you can do with the SendTo menu and the SendTo folder.
<p> </p>
<p>Your SendTo menu is available whenever you right click on a file or a folder. If you choose to you can "send" a file or folder to the object you choose in the SendTo menu. Here's a screenshot of the SendTo menu on my laptop.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/sendtomenu01.jpg>
<p> </p>
<p>This feature can be very handy. You can send a file to a friend's email address by simply right clicking and choosing SendTo Mail Recipient. You can also resize your photos if you do as I have talked about above.
<p> </p>
<p>How do you put things into the SendTo menu? Here's the cool part. The SendTo menu is just another folder on your hard drive. See my <a class="WikiLink" id="p-7c32dc5235169171cc872de8c0d6d1b373a9c80e" href="/SendTo">SendTo</a> page for details.
<p> </p>
<p>Have fun!
<p> </p>
<p>Oh! While I have your attention for a second, be sure to visit <a href="http://billallin.com/">Bill's website</a> so you can find out about his book.
<p> </p>
<p><em><b>Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems</b>, real and inexpensive solutions to community problems most people think are inevitable evils of modern society. They aren't. We just have to look in the right place.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('SendToFolder');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('SendToFolder');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="HeyDummyaddtheOStheseworkin"></a>
<h2>Hey Dummy! add the OS these work in!</h2>
<p>feedback from Terry B, Sept 2006
<p> </p>
<p><b>From Terry:</b>
<p><div class="breakout"><p>Hi Clif</p><p> </p><p>I look forward to receiving your newsletter, I read them over and over, then go back for more. They are great, I wish to thank you and all those that review the many freeware programs out there. I would also like to say a big thanks to all those the write and contribute their valuable spare time in putting them together in the first place for us all to share and cherish, because without them, we would have nothing.</p><p> </p><p>For me it would be nice if you could include to operating system they will work on as I use Windows ME ... I get excited by the review only to click on the link, download a neat utility or program only to find out sadly it will not work on my OS.</p><p> </p><p>Regards</p><p>Terry</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder Terry, I've just forgotten what that's like. Can anyone suggest a place I could find some cool little free OS icons I could place in the articles?
<p> </p>
<p>I found these, but I need to show Win95, Win98, WinME, WinXP, and sometime soon WinV.
<p><img src=/f/win.gif> <img src=/f/win2.gif> <img src=/f/win3.gif>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('AddTheOs');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('AddTheOs');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.haloscan.com/load/clifnotes"></script>
<a name="ASquaredAntiDialergivesbaddialersthebusysignal"></a>
<h2>A-Squared Anti-Dialer - gives bad dialers the busy signal</h2>
<p>tip from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="AsquaredAntiDialer">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>I recently received an email from Emsisoft who are security software specialists. They have a new freeware product out for home users only. It's called <b>a-squared Anti-Dialer 2.0</b>.
<p> </p>
<p>I don't use a telephone to connect to the internet anymore, but I've heard that over 20% of the people on the net use a dial-up connection. I felt it might be a good idea to pass this on, because there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialer#Installation_routes">many ways</a> you could get infected with a malicious dialer. I haven't tried this program, but I trust the company. I've used a couple of their free programs in the past and they are typically very good. (see <a class="WikiLink" id="p-b251e36d92d8e3f27c098a9a2a6d21ce90553b35" href="/A2Free">A2Free</a>)
<p> </p>
<p><b>Why would you need it?</b>
<p>If you have a telephone hooked up to the modem on your PC, you probably need some kind of protection from dialers.
<p> </p>
<p><b>What is a dialer?</b>
<p>According to Wikipedia: <em>Dialers are necessary to connect to the internet (at least for non-broadband connections), but some dialers are designed to connect to premium-rate numbers. The providers of such dialers often search for security holes that may be present in the operating system installed on the user's computer and use them to change the computer to dial up through their number, pocketing the additional money for themselves. Alternatively, some dialers inform the user what it is that they are doing, with the promise of special content, accessible only via the special number. Examples of this content include software for download, (usually illegal) MP3s, 'underground' hacking materials such as viruses, and in the case of at least one website, pornography. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialer#Fraudulent_dialers">read more</a></em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/a2antidialer.jpg><img src=/f/a2antidialer-200.jpg></a>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>What does Anti-Dialer do?</b>
<p>Quote from Emsisoft: <em>a-squared Anti-Dialer 2.0 provides protection from such programs. The integrated scanner searches all drives for Dialer programs and the Background Guard monitors the behavior of active programs for Dialer activity. The a-squared Anti-Dialer produces an alarm as soon as a program dials a connection or modifies the dial-up settings. The discovered Dialer should first be immediately placed in quarantine, since some Dialers manipulate the computer to such an extent that it no longer functions correctly when the Dialer is removed. Only then should the Dialer be removed. The user interface is child’s play to operate and has the same style as the other Emsi Software products.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/antidialer/">http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/antidialer/</a>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('AsquaredAntiDialer');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('AsquaredAntiDialer');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.haloscan.com/load/clifnotes"></script>
<a name="WebAttacksiteisattacked"></a>
<h2><a class="WikiLink" id="p-11f7ea3b695344fb54730d29ad325635fc4afb4d" href="/WebAttack">WebAttack</a> site is attacked</h2>
<p>from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="WebAttackIsAttacked">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Sometimes, even a great service like <a class="WikiLink" id="p-00a3c5a9db2cf5a6d4c5137ba2f1870fc939cddc" href="/SiteAdvisor">SiteAdvisor</a> can get it wrong.
<p> </p>
<p>Two weeks ago, I received this letter from John F:
<p><div class="breakout"><p><FONT COLOR=GREEN>In your most recent issue, you mentioned that you like to shop at Snap Files. One reason you gave was that it's a safe site. I have been using Site Advisor (now owned by McAfee) and just recently it has been red flagging Snap Files as potentially an unsafe site. It won't stop me from going there. It's one of my favorite sites. Just thought you would want to know.</p><p> </p><p>Regards,</p><p> </p><p>John F</FONT></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>He was right about the rating, but it was actually the webattack.com domain name that had the red flag and not the snapfiles.com domain. Both are actually the same website, as they've changed domain names sometime last year. So, when you click on any 'webattack' address, it takes you to their new domain, called 'snapfiles'.
<p> </p>
<p>Here are the ratings for <a href="http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/snapfiles.com?ref=safe&aff_id=0">SnapFiles</a> and <a href="http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/webattack.com?ref=safe&aff_id=0">WebAttack</a> if you are curious.
<p> </p>
<p>I wrote back and told John it wasn't the first time I'd seen this happen to a legitimate freeware site. Then I emailed SnapFiles to see what they had to say about it.
<p> </p>
<p><div class="breakout"><p><FONT COLOR=BROWN>Subject: McAfee SiteAdvisor Rating for WebAttack.com</p><p> </p><p>Hi there, I have recommended <!--raw1Tag-->SnapFiles<!--/raw1Tag--> to many people in the past. I am curious about the McAfee SiteAdvisor rating for your old domain name of <!--raw1Tag-->WebAttack.com<!--/raw1Tag-->. They have you rated as a "Red" zone. In other words, "Don't go here!". Can you tell me if you have had contact with them to resolve this issue? See <!--raw1Tag-->http://siteadvisor.com<!--/raw1Tag--> and type in your old domain name to see the results.</p><p> </p><p>Thank you,</p><p> </p><p>Clif Notes</FONT></p><p><FONT COLOR=BLUE>Hi Clif,</p><p> </p><p><!--raw1Tag-->We already posted a comment on that page, you should see it if you scroll down. You can also look at the detail report to see what causes those warnings. There is nothing that can be done unless we stop offering PC activity monitors - tools for parents, teachers, schools , employers to monitor computer usage, restrict time on the PC, analyze network traffic etc.
WebAttack.com and Snapfiles.com are 2 different names for the same site, both URLs point exactly to the same site. Why they have different ratings for the domains is beyond me.<!--/raw1Tag--></p><p> </p><p>===================</p><p><em>"We carefully check all our downloads and hand-pick the software we include in our catalog. The "red downloads" that somehow were detected here are commercial PC monitoring programs. They are not viruses nor are they malicious. However they will monitor computer activities, usually intended to monitor kids or employees - they are like a surveillance camera for your PC. There are many commercial programs of this kind available and most anti-virus programs will warn you. This is a good thing because if they were installed without you knowing about it, then your privacy could be jeopardized. HOWEVER if you install these programs to monitor your own computer(s) then of course there is nothing wrong with it. These are NOT shady underground products, but software create by reputable companies."</em></p><p>====================</p><p> </p><p>Regards,</p><p> </p><p>Marco Gransee</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p>WebAttack, Inc. / SnapFiles</FONT></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Even though I recommend <a class="WikiLink" id="p-00a3c5a9db2cf5a6d4c5137ba2f1870fc939cddc" href="/SiteAdvisor">SiteAdvisor</a> to most people, there's no reason to blindly trust all their ratings. After all, they're only human.
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('WebAttackIsAttacked');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('WebAttackIsAttacked');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.haloscan.com/load/clifnotes"></script>
<a name="WherecanIgetautomaticdriverupdates"></a>
<h2>Where can I get automatic driver updates?</h2>
<p>tip from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="AutomaticDriverUpdates">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Gerald B writes in:</b>
<p><div class="breakout"><p><font color=green>Hi Clif,</p><p> </p><p>Could you please help again? Some of my drivers need updating but I can only find payware to automate these processes.</p><p>Can you recommend a free software to scan and automatically update my drivers? Your help is much appreciated.</p><p> </p><p>Gerald</font></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Clif writes</b>
<p><div class="breakout"><p><font color=brown>Hi Gerald,</p><p> </p><p>It's nice to hear from you again. First let's get your drivers safely backed up before we muck around with them. If you are running Windows ME or Windows XP, I recommend that you set a system restore point before you update the drivers. If you have some other way of backing up your PC's system files, do that as well.</p><p> </p><p>Now, try out this free driver backup program. <a href="http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/DoubleDriver">http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/DoubleDriver</a></p><p> </p><p>Next, I recommend a scan at PCPitStop.</p><p><a href="http://www.pcpitstop.com/welcome.asp?source=driverscan&cs=1001">http://www.pcpitstop.com/welcome.asp?source=driverscan&cs=1001</a></p><p> </p><p>There are "automatic" update programs out there. I don't recommend any of them, and some can be nasty. My philosophy on drivers is "<u>If it ain't broke, don't fix it</u>". If my system is running well and nothing seems broken or subject to exploits, then why would I want to update and possibly "break" it?</p><p> </p><p>Best of wishes to you, and good luck!</p><p> </p><p>Clif</p><p> </p><p>PS: Oh, I forgot to mention. You don't have to get the drivers from the company affiliated with PCPitStop. Most times you can copy the name of the driver into Google and find it free somewhere. Try to find drivers at the original manufacturer's website if possible. If you have doubts about the website you find a driver at, try checking them out at siteadvisor.com.</font></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Go to the manufacturer</b>
<p>I should have mentioned this first. Most PC manufacturers have updated drivers and software for each of their models. Here are a few links to the most popular support sites.
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.emachines.com/support/product_support.html">eMachine support</a>
<p><a href="http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_home.jsp">Toshiba support</a>
<p><a href="http://www.ibm.com/support/">IBM support</a>
<p><a href="http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/dlcenter.asp">Gateway support</a>
<p><a href="http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html">HP support</a>
<p><a href="http://support.dell.com/us/en/filelib/">Dell support</a>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Problems with PC Pit Stop's scan?</b>
<p>I'm afraid I hadn't tried out the scan before I wrote Gerald. I tried it later and found I wasn't happy with the search results it gives out. So I set about looking for an alternative. I found one I sort of didn't mind too much at <a class="WikiLink" id="p-6d7eddf5c13cc06cae3c12dcf72bb8d3960348cb" href="/RadarSync">RadarSync</a> (still under review). Another way to find drivers is to use Catfish's wonderful <a class="WikiLink" id="p-948fc0bd826be88e73e402db449c8f711eec5886" href="/UnknownDevices">UnknownDevices</a> program. It doesn't find USB devices so it may not do well on newer systems. Finally, there are several good free PC auditing tools that will list your PC's devices and the driver versions. My recent favorite is <a class="WikiLink" id="p-6287ec98800760776988b70802d1203f2c8d3c8e" href="/WinAudit">WinAudit</a>.
<p> </p>
<p><b>Recommendations from Comments</b>
<p><a href="http://elj.tiddlyspot.com/">EdgarJ</a> says: <em>Clif, <a href="http://www.dll-files.com/">DLL-files</a> is a good site to get driver downloads from. It's rated "green" by McAfee SiteAdvisor. I've found almost all missing drivers from this site.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.it-mate.co.uk/">Steven</a> says: <em>Clif, Without doubt, the best place I've found for drivers, is driverguide.com. Though registering is requested, it's not actually a requirement in my experience (downloaded a few drivers yesterday and simply clicked the "don't want to register" option). Just be sure to read the comments before downloading. As with any public download library, some individuals always seem to find it funny to upload malicious files disguised as drivers.</em>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>To everyone,</b>
<p>Do you have any suggestions about good places to find safe driver downloads? How about an easy way to see if you need to update your drivers? Do you update your drivers very often?
<p> </p>
<p>Clif
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('AutomaticDriverUpdates');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('AutomaticDriverUpdates');</script></a><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="FreewareWikiCalendar"></a>
<h2>Freeware Wiki Calendar</h2>
<p> </p>
<p>I've added a Google caledar to the wiki. You can comment there if you have any suggestions on what types of events I should place in my calendar.
<p><a href="CalendarPage">Freeware Wiki Calendar</a><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/cnnl_hpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<a name="COOLWEBSITES"></a>
<h1><FONT COLOR=GREEN>COOL WEBSITES</FONT></h1>
<p> </p>
<a name="TheNYPublicLibrarysDigitalGallery"></a>
<h2>The NY Public Library's Digital Gallery</h2>
<p>cool site from Zia, Sept 2006, <a href="DigitalGalleryNyPl">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Latest Updates from <a class="WikiLink" id="p-bb9664fafa4c7ae711111a512f25f1100c6ff5b9" href="/CyberGuide">CyberGuide</a></b>
<p> </p>
<p><em>The New York Public Library has digitized over 480,000 images in its collections just so you can save your airline ticket money and stay home. The collections contain maps, illuminated manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, and much more.
<p> </p>
<p>The reason I love this site is its simplicity and superb navigation...
<p> </p>
<p>My favourites worth checking out are:
<p> </p>
<p>1. African American history
<p>2. Early prints and photos of Asia and the Pacific Rim
<p>3. Cigarette cards
<p>4. New York City theater marquees
<p>5. Medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts </em> (<a href="http://www.xanga.com/cyberguide/530089617/item.html">read more</a>)
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/nypl-gallery.jpg><img src=/f/nypl-gallery-200.jpg></a>
<p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm">http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Visit Zia's <a class="WikiLink" id="p-bb9664fafa4c7ae711111a512f25f1100c6ff5b9" href="/CyberGuide">CyberGuide</a> to see more great finds
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('DigitalGalleryNyPl');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('DigitalGalleryNyPl');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="Zeroanaddictiveflashgame"></a>
<h2>Zero - an addictive flash game</h2>
<p>posted by <a class="WikiLink" id="p-f72eded1da9aba0d0a637a4c68b35e72203a87d0" href="/ClifNotes">ClifNotes</a>, Sept 2006, <a href="ZeroFlashGame">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p><a href=/f/zeroflash.jpg><img src="/f/1158995273/zeroflash_th.jpg" align="left" hspace="20"></a> I can't read Japanese, but you don't need to at this Japanese website. All you have to do is survive a brutal assault from various alien space craft. Finally after three tries, I survived. Can you do any better?<p><p><small>click image to expand</small>
<p><a href="http://www.geocities.jp/flashgame_zone/zero.htm">http://www.geocities.jp/flashgame_zone/zero.htm</a>
<p><a href="http://snipurl.com/ZeroTranslated">English translation</a>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('ZeroFlashGame');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('ZeroFlashGame');</script></a><br clear="left"><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="WebsitesIvevisitedrecently"></a>
<h2>Websites I've visited recently</h2>
<p><style type="text/css" media="screen"><!-- .furlListMain ul {margin:0;padding-left:18px;} .furlAttribution {margin-top:4px;} .furlListItem {line-height:1.5em;} // --></style><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.furl.net/siteLatest.jsp?userid=309818"></script>
<p> </p>
<p>Have you seen any cool websites you want to share with us?
<p> </p>
<p><img src=/f/pencilonpaper2.gif><a href="javascript:HaloScan('SuggestedWebsites');" target="_self"><script type="text/javascript">postCount('SuggestedWebsites');</script></a> <hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><p><p>
<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/cnnl_hpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<a name="NEWNEWS"></a>
<h1><FONT COLOR=GREEN>NEW NEWS</FONT></h1>
<a name="Lockergnomearticles"></a>
<h2>Lockergnome articles</h2>
<p><!--raw0Tag-->
<script language="JavaScript" src="http://www.lockergnome.com/feed/feed2js.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lockergnome.com%2Frss%2Fwindows.php&chan=y&num=10&desc=0&date=n&targ=y" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript><a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/feed/feed2js.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lockergnome.com%2Frss%2Fwindows.php&chan=y&num=10&desc=0&date=n&targ=y&html=y">View RSS feed</a></noscript>
<!--/raw0Tag-->
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="NewsfromSarahinTampa"></a>
<h2>News from Sarah in Tampa</h2>
<p><img src="http://clifnotes.mybesthost.com/images/sarahintampalogo.jpg" class="wikiimage" />
<p><script language="JavaScript" src="http://convert.rss-to-javascript.com/?simple_chan=1&num=6&src=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2FSarahintampa&target=blank">
</script><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p><p><p>
<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/cnnl_hpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<a name="OTHERSTUFF"></a>
<h1><FONT COLOR=GREEN>OTHER STUFF</FONT></h1>
<p> </p>
<p><b><big>Get Gmail! and Get Firefox!</big></b>
<p> </p>
<p>You need a free 2.7 GB Gmail account to access many of the cool features at Google. I'll send you an invitation right away if you write me and say <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/?action=contact&subject=I_WANT_GMAIL">I WANT GMAIL</a>.
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/imagez/th_upgrade_1_5_120x600lb.jpg" class="wikiimage" /> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/imagez/th_GmailLogo1.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<p> </p>
<p>I think Gmail works best in the awesome Firefox browser. It's free, easy to use, and it's way more secure than Internet Explorer. My favorite thing to do is to customize Firefox so that it does much more than IE ever could. <em>You can select new button controls for your toolbars, install extensions to add new features, or change the look of your browser with themes - the way Firefox looks and works is under your control.</em>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Get Firefox!</a><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="ChattingatFreewareWiki"></a>
<h2>Chatting at <a class="WikiLink" id="p-751b98638be54fd753a253312824cabf8de54dfb" href="/FreewareWiki">FreewareWiki</a></h2>
<p><a href="ChattingAtFreewareWiki">permalink</a>
<p> </p>
<p>Now you can chat with anyone visiting a website by using Gabbly. To see who's gabbing at this website, <a href="http://gabbly.com/http://freewarewiki.com/ClifsCurrentNewsletter">click here</a>.
<p> </p>
<p><b>Sept 3rd</b>
<p>Thanks to El Tel in the UK for stopping by for a chat.
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Find out more about <a href="http://gabbly.com">Gabbly.com</a></em><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<a name="Frapperyoupeopleliveallovertheworld"></a>
<h2>Frapper - you people live all over the world!</h2>
<p>Wow! Over 300 people and still growing! I invite all of you to record your locations on <a href="http://www.frappr.com/clifnotesnewsletter">this map</a>. You can include as little or as much information as you wish. I think you'll enjoy seeing yourself there.
<p> </p>
<p>Here's a small look at my frapper map.
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://freewarewiki.pbworks.com/f/frapper.jpg" class="wikiimage" />
<p><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="Writeyourownreview"></a>
<h2>Write your own review</h2>
<p> </p>
<p>I get many of the reviews in the newsletter from the readers. You don't have to be a genius or computer guru. Just answer a few questions and <a href="WriteYourOwnReview">send me a review</a>. I'll probably put you in the newsletter.<hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<a name="Whatdoyouhavetosay"></a>
<h2>What do you have to say?</h2>
<p> </p>
<p>Just tell me what article you are talking about and leave me your <a href="Comment">comment</a>.<hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><big><b>Have fun and surf safely.</b></big>
<p> </p>
<p>Clif
<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/cnsmallpencil.gif" class="wikiimage" />
<p><a href="http://clifnotes.net">http://clifnotes.net</a> & <a href="http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com">http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com</a>
<p>Devoted to promoting Freeware and Free Information
<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/images/cngmailpic.gif" class="wikiimage" /><p><small><b>Want a free 2.7Gb Gmail account? </b><p> <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v88/clif_notes/?action=contact&subject=i_want_gmail">Email me here</a>.</a></small>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><hr align="left" class="wiki"/>
<p> </p>
<p><!-- Creative Commons License --><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.gif" /></a> <small>Please provide a link back to the webpage used if you publish any part of Clif's pages. </small><!-- /Creative Commons License -->
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