Windows users have many programs at their disposal that display hardware related information. Heck, even the Windows Control Panel offers applets that display some information about the built-in hardware. Knowing your computer’s hardware can come in handy in a multitude of situations. This includes situations where you need to know if your computer supports a [...]
Microsoft Windows Operating System
Wipe 2011, Privacy And Tracking Focused CCleaner Alternative
If you ask Windows users which temporary file cleaning program they use then the chance is high that you get CCleaner as the answer. The popular tool has not lost any of its appeal ever since it was first introduced by its parent company Piriform (I first reviewed the program in 2005). But CCleaner is [...]
Instant Elevator Music Makes File Operations Less Boring
Did you ever stare at a file operation process bar, for instance a download or upload that you needed to finish, a backup process or a file conversion? Then you might have enjoyed elevator music during that progress. Instant Elevator Music is a fun application for users who like to be accompanied by calming soothing [...]
DNS Benchmark, Speed Test DNS Servers
One of the areas that a lot of computer users do not bother to optimize is the domain name server (DNS) of their Internet connection. A mediocre DNS not only slows down the connection speed on websites and Internet servers in general, but can also be the cause for connection issues and even censorship. Selecting [...]
Dropout, USB, Dropbox Search Tool
When you connect an external USB drive to a computer you may run into the problem that finding files on the drive is not as easy and fast as it could be. The main problem here is that the operating system did not have time to index the files and folders on the drive yet [...]
Volume Concierge, Automatically Change The Windows System Volume
I behave with respect when I’m in a room with other people, in a train or on the street. This means that I have my mobile phone set to vibrate only, that I won’t answer it in crowded places, that I won’t use it to listen to music loudly (and without earbuds) and that I [...]
MailStore Home 5 Released, Email Backup Software
I have been using MailStore Home for some time to backup and archive my Thunderbird email databases (see Use MailStore To Backup Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Emails and How To Speed Up Thunderbird By Archiving Emails). The developers of this excellent free email backup software have just released version 5 which is more of a bug [...]
Backup Folder Sync, Mirror Your Data Backups
Depending on your backup strategy, you may mirror your data backups for additional protection. One option here is to create a local system backup first and copy the backups to a remote location for safe keeping. This way it would be possible to access the latest backup(s) directly on the local computer and past backups [...]
WebCamImageSave, Capture Periodic Webcam Images
Webcams can be used for a variety of purposes. From video conferencing over monitoring a room for security purposes to connecting them to the Internet to make it available publicly. WebCamImageSave is a new application by Nirsoft for the Windows operating system that can capture periodic webcam images. This can be handy for documentation purposes, [...]
Bad Shortcut Killer, Delete Broken Shortcuts From Windows PCs
One of the issues that the majority of Windows users will experience after some time of using the operating system is that of broken shortcuts. The best case when uninstalling programs is that the uninstallation routine removes the shortcuts and program folders. Sometimes that is not the case so that shortcuts pointing to directories that [...]
Download, Verify And Use Proxy Servers With ST-ProxySwitcher
If you work a lot with proxy servers you have probably noticed that they are not the most reliable usually. While it is possible to pay for private proxy servers many users do not want to go that far for that extra bit of anonymity or access to country specific contents on the Internet. There [...]
Windows 8 BluePoison, Enable Disabled Features
Microsoft released the Windows 8 developer preview exactly a month ago as part of the Build Conference. The release was made available publicly – it in fact is still available for download – and users had ample time to test some of the new features of the operating system. It did not take that long [...]
Virtual WiFi Router For Windows
Say you have a desktop PC with a wired connection to the Internet. Your router only supports wired connections for that matter, which is the main reason for that. You do have a mobile computer as well, for instance a laptop, tablet PC or smartphone that supports WiFi. You want to use WiFi when at [...]
Monitor Your Children’s Internet Usage With Qustodio
One of the things that parents need to consider when configuring parental controls and monitoring applications for their children on computer systems is how easy it is to bypass those mechanisms that are designed to protect the underage computer users. Qustodio is a free parental control and Internet monitoring application for the Windows operating system. [...]
The State of Windows 7 Two Years After Release
Back in October 2009 Microsoft released the long awaited and highly acclaimed Windows 7 operating system. Unlike Windows Vista, the operating system’s immediate predecessor, Windows 7 managed to do what where Vista failed: Snag away market share from Windows XP. Depending on which statistics you look at Windows 7 is installed on 39% (Statcounter), 42% [...]
Using GFI Backup Free Edition to Backup Files to an External Drive
Backing up data on your computer is important and most users know this. Windows features a backup utility that allows you to backup your system and files. This is a useful utility but sometimes you might find that it does not completely backup your files or an error occurs. If you need to backup your [...]
Microsoft Patch Day October 2011 Overview
Microsoft releases Windows updates on the second Tuesday of the month. A total of eight different security bulletins have been released today by Microsoft. They update the operating system Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products such as the .NET Framework, Microsoft Silverlight and Internet Explorer. Two of the eight bulletins have been given the highest [...]
Tintii Photo Filter, Picture Highlighter
Sometimes you may want to highlight a specific area of a photo that you have taken with your digital camera. Maybe it is a photo of your family in a garden, a sight at your most recent holiday destination or your dog doing a crazy stunt in the park. Tintii Photo Filter is an Open [...]
Using PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition as Security Backup
It is prudent to have backup antivirus software in the event that something goes wrong with the primary antivirus suite on your PC. Sometimes malware can lock the primary antivirus program and at other times it can simply stop working or experience technical difficulties of unknown cause. Though you do not need to run more [...]
LojiklSweep, Free Backup Software With Online Backup Services Support
When you look at backup services and options for the Windows operating system you find that there are plenty local and online applications and services that you can select a suitable app from. The variety becomes apparent especially when you look at the functionality that is offered. This ranges from basic file copying programs to [...]