Stone Circle Launcher
We’ve looked at several Application Launchers in the past few years and they are a genuinely useful way of quickly getting at your favourite and most frequently used programs so there’s always room for another. It’s called Krento and the 3D circular layout is supposed to resemble a stone circle – each app button is called a ‘stone’. Anyway, that’s really all you need to know about the design philosophy; using it is very straightforward too, simply drag and drop your program icons onto the circle, or create program groups, even multiple circles for a really busy PC. The launcher appears when you press the keyboard shortcut Winkey + C, or you can click on the ‘Pulsar’ icon that sits near the System Tray. I have to say Rocket Dock is still my favourite but if you fancy a change or just want to see if an application launcher really will make your life any easier then this one is worth trying.
Free Virus Protection from Microsoft goes Live
As reported earlier this year Microsoft’s very own free anti virus program, Security Essentials, has now finished its beta trials and is ready for download. The finished version doesn’t look significantly different from the beta but behind the scenes a various bugs and quirks have been fixed. First impressions are very good, it’s reasonably fast, unobtrusive and doesn’t hog resources and according to the experts provides a high degree of protection. Only time will tell if there are any gaps in it defences but if you’re a reasonably low risk user (you avoid dodgy websites, pirate downloads and opening unexpected attachments), and you’re unhappy with your present anti-virus program then it’s worth giving it a whirl. Incidentally, despite warnings about not getting along with other AV programs it didn’t seem to mind sharing disc space with Avast! and AVG on our test machines.
Most popular downloaded programs?
For an upcoming post, I’m putting together a list of the programs that someone is most likely to download and install after completing a clean installation of Windows.
Here are the programs that I come up with quickly:
* Firefox
* Picasa
* Skype
* iTunes + QuickTime
* Windows Live Essentials
* Adobe Reader
* Flash
* Java
Of course, I have more entries on my list of personal faves, and there are some essential categories where there isn’t a clear leader antivirus and security programs, for example. There’s also a second tier of popular but not essential software, like file compression tools, disk utilities, and disk-burning software. But right now I’m looking for the ones that are really , where someone is very likely to want a quick download link. Read more
Sticky Security Wiper
It’s bad enough when ordinary programs on your PC won’t go away but some security applications can be particularly difficult to uninstall. Of course it’s mostly self-defence and a lot of malware programs try to delete or disable anti-virus programs and malware cleaners etc., so they are deliberately made more difficult to remove. But that’s no consolation when you want to get rid of one, maybe because it’s causing conflicts, or you want to switch to another program. Either way there is a solution in the shape of AppRemover, a freeware utility that’s designed specifically to remove security applications, failed uninstalls and the files left behind by these programs.
How To Install Nokia PC Suite In Windows 7
Just in case if you are using Windows 7 and have not managed to get Nokia PC Suite working on it, then follow this simple guide to get the PC suite working. I actually thought installing the PC suite would be easy but it required a little tweak before I could get it running on Windows 7.
Following are the steps:
1. Download the latest version of Nokia PC Suite from here and save it on your local hard drive.
2. Locate the Setup File and Right Click on the package and select Properties.
3. On the following window Click on Compatibility tab.
4. Then Click on the button in the bottom that says “Change Settings For All Usersâ€
5. In the following window that appears make the following changes:
- Select Run As – Windows Vista
- Tick Run this program as an administrator (in the bottom)
Now click Ok to close the windows which also saves the settings. Read more
Windows in the Dock
Okay Apple fans, I know desktop docking bars are old hat on Macs but there’s no reason why Windows users can’t join in the fun as well. In case you’ve just tuned in, a docking bar is simply an on-screen graphic, usually always in view, containing a strip of shortcut icons to your favourite applications, so there’s no need to mess around with the Start menu or minimize open windows to get at the desktop. There’s plenty of docks to choose from but this one, called Nexus, is one of the better ones, with more configuration options and eye catching features than you can shake a stick at. All you have to do is download the program, run the installer and it’s good to go. It comes pre-loaded with popular options, like a clock, CPU and RAM meters, browser and email client icons and a weather gadget to get you started so all you have to do to make it your own is drag your preferred icons on to the bar, set the size, transparency and position and it’s ready to use.
Rapidshare Auto Downloader
Rapidshare Auto Downloader is a handy free tool which lets you download multiple files from specially from rapidshare.com download links.
It acts like a auto downloader for free users to download more than one files from rapidshare in one go, moreover it will keep downloading the incomplete downloads until all the links are downloaded which makes its best suitable free rapidshare downloader specially for free users.
See Also: Automatic RapidShare Downloader For Free Users
You don’t have to to anything to download any file from rapidshare.com other than adding the rapidshare link to the Rapidshare Auto Downloader, it will automatically download all the files queued for you one by one. Read more
How to Speed Up Your Acrobat Reader
The vast majority of computer users and e-book readers use Acrobat Reader from Adobe to read PDF files. We also know that Acrobat Reader loads like a snail. To end this annoyances I’ll give you a simple trick to make your Adobe Acrobat Reader run and perform just like it was a notepad.
Before doing the steps below make sure that your Acrobat Reader is not running or else it will lock the files and will not allow you to move any files.
1. Open your My Computer and go to the installation folder of your Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is usually found on C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat x.x Read more
Unforgettable USB Drive
If the media is to be believed Government employees are a forgetful lot, losing laptops and leaving CDs and USB drives containing sensitive data all over the place. It’s easily done; though and short of chaining a USB drive to your wrist sooner or later you are going to inadvertently leave one plugged into a PC. Here’s a simple little freeware program that might help jog your memory. It’s called Flash Drive Reminder and all you have to do is download the zip, extract it and copy a couple of small files to your drive. In fact there are two versions, Standard displays a reminder message when you plug the drive into a PC, and another when you log off or shut down the PC; the Quiet version just displays the logoff and shutdown messages.
Balls to Security
In my other life, as a reviewer and tester of security and surveillance devices I get to play around with a lot of highly innovative and occasionally downright wacky gadgets but this one has them all beat. It’s called the GroundBot and it’s pretty much what it looks like, a motorised ball, that wanders around, with two side-mounted cameras. It comes from a company called Rotundus and it can be controlled manually, beaming back 3D images to the operator, or programmed to follow preset routes, It’s waterproof, rugged and capable of moving through mud and snow, so it’s perfect for keeping watch on outdoor locations. So if you’re out and about, getting into places you should be and you think that you are being watched, don’t look up, look down…
