Windows users who do not run a commercial security solution have now the option to win a copy of Outpost Internet Security Suite 7.5 here at Ghacks. Agnitum was nice enough to give us 20 1-year licenses for the giveaway.
Outpost Security Suite is Agnitum’s top of the line product. It is comparable to other Internet security suites feature wise. The program comes with all the security modules one would expect including antivirus and antispyware, a personal firewall, advanced monitoring tools that monitor system processes, files and the Windows Registry, as well as pro-active protection tools.

Outpost uses multi-layered protections that range from contact prevention over infection and resident prevention to data leak prevention. Each security module of the suite is part of at least one layout. The firewall for instance is part of the contact prevention module which the anti leak and application guard modules prevent the leaking of data and are therefor part of the data leak prevention layer.

The program ships with several modules that make it less intrusive. The entertainment mode for instance guarantees uninterrupted gaming and working with full screen applications while auto learning that the program will make decisions based on a user’s past decisions.

Other new features include clipboard and screen content protection, USB virus protection and improved performance over previous versions of the security program.

Outpost Internet Security Suite 7.5 is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

You can win a copy by leaving a comment about your current security setup below. Interested users can download a trial version of the software for their operating system and language from the Agnitum website.

Update: The winners of the licenses are: bennyjh, Bero, Dexter86, Ahmad, miftah, phase, EuroScept1C, Mike Daniel, Pawel, myimmortalize, Katja K, Johan Gustavsson, Dan, Corno, sizxb, RMR, Sujay, Maestro, Nathan, akert

The basic idea behind Ashampoo’s Core Tuner 2 is to give Windows users the tools at hand to distribute the computing power in an optimal fashion.

Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 Review

Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 uses a clean interface. It displays all program modules in the left sidebar, and the corresponding information in the main area of the program window.

When you start the program, you see a list of all processes that are currently running on your system. Each process is listed with its name and description, the cpu and memory usage, the process priority and use of cpu cores.

One of the main features of the program is to change process priorities and cpu core use. The menu icons at the top of the window or the right-click context menu display the options to change those settings. It is furthermore possible to terminate a process right from that window.

All processes that are customized this way are listed under Rules. One interesting option is the ability to import and export rules, handy if you run Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 on multiple computer systems. Rules can be modified right in the rules menu as well.

The Profiles feature is an advanced feature. Profiles basically bundle multiple actions, like stopping system services or terminating processes. A gaming profile ships with the software, which terminates web browser windows, program update tools and several system services to improve gaming performance on the system.

Profiles can then be run with a right-click on the system tray icon and the selection of the profile in the context menu. It is possible to add additional profiles, for instance for video rendering, photo editing or any other task on the PC that taxes the system.

Sometimes though you can make changes to the system that are permanent in nature. For instance by removing programs from autostart or services that are not really needed for operating the computer.

That’s why Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 comes with an auto-start and Services module. The auto-start module lists all programs that are started automatically with the system.

One interesting feature is the rating system that displays user ratings of startup programs.

The Services module makes use of ratings as well. Some services are blocked from being disabled which makes sense as they are required to run Windows at all.

Installation

Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 installation should not be problematic at all. Users should however pay attention to the installation dialog as the default installation tries to install a toolbar and make changes to the homepage and search provider of the web browser.

A ten-day trial version is provided at the Ashampoo website.

Verdict

Windows users who are experiencing lags and performance drops when they run multiple tasks on their system at the same time will benefit the most from Ashampoo Core Tuner 2, provided that they configure the process priorities, profiles and rules accordingly.

Users with high performance systems on the other hand may not see a difference at all, or only a slight difference that may not make a huge difference.

Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 Giveaway

Ashampoo were nice enough to give us 24 Ashampoo Core Tuner 2 licenses to give away. To enter the drawing for a license, tell me why you’d like the program.

I will draw the winners randomly from all users who have commented here. Winners will be announced in a week’s time here in this review.

Update: The winners are: Efthimios, MerleOne, Paul(us), Mike, Jordan Humberto de Souza, Midnight, kn0w, e1scd, SubgeniusD, Lee, jSwann0, Andrei, Michael Brazil, Jake, vhick, Mongoplus, Stefan Julian, G Rajesh, JAIME, VladM, RAGAGH, zoras, StingRay, alro

When you look at the product comparison chart on the Bitdefender website, you will notice the following differences between the three security products:

• Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012: Antivirus and Antispyware, Vulnerability Scanner, Social Networking Protection, Search Advisor, Personal Data Filter, Antiphishing and Scan Dispatcher
• Bitdefender Internet Security 2012: All of the above plus Antispam, Two-way Firewall and Parental Controls.
• Bitdefender Total Security 2012: All of the above plus File Shredder and Encryption. Tune-up and Online backup and file synchronization.

Bitdefender Total Security comes with all the security features one would expect from a top of the line product, as well as some features that have made their way in recent years into most security applications. This includes data backup, file synchronization or the system tune-up module.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 Installation

Installation does not pose a problem to Windows users. It is pretty straightforward. Some files, signature updates for instance, are automatically downloaded during installation. Bitdefender asks the user to close all supported browser windows as it tries to install a root certificate. The software does not really explain why it is doing that, and users may be puzzled after installation when they notice that no extension or new feature seems to be installed in the browser. This may have something to do with the beta version of Firefox and the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer 9 installed on the test system but I’m not sure about that either. The installation dialog mentions only Firefox, Opera and Thunderbird.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 requires no reboot after installation which is great. The program offers its full feature set immediately after the installation finishes.

The Total Security 2012 interface

The redesigned black interface looks professional. It displays critical issues and events at the top. The events are indicated with a red color to catch the user’s attention, and the various security modules below.

One element that I personally dislike is the horizontal scroll bar below the security modules. I accidentally stumbled upon it and discovered that it could be used to scroll to the left or right to display additional modules in the interface. It probably would be more intuitive if arrows would indicate the functionality.

Another option that is missing is the ability to display the interface in full screen which would be an excellent option to display more than just four of the modules on the screen at the same time.

The security notifications on the other hand are top notch. A number in the main interface indicates the number of notifications. A click loads the overview page where all security modules and their notifications are listed. Here it is possible to get detailed information about an event. An example event would be a detected malicious file on the system. The report not only lists the file location, but also the action taken, the date the action was performed and information about the virus that was discovered.

An option to access the quarantine right from that menu is missing however.

What I really like is the ability to click on a module in the main interface to load its settings straight away, or to use the menu buttons to run scans, manage spam or update the software right from the main interface. This speeds up the configuration of the program considerably.

One interesting option that needs to be mentioned is the ability to re-order the modules. This way, you could drag and drop the four modules that you use most often to the frontpage, and move those that you do not use regularly to the back.

Update for instance is not really necessary on the frontpage as Bitdefender is configured to update the program automatically.

Functionality

At first glance, users find all the security they need. It is however the little things that make a difference. The antivirus module for instance will not only scan for known malware, but also for critical system vulnerabilities with suggestions to update the system immediately to protect it from exploits.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 checks for issues, Windows updates, application updates and weak passwords automatically which in itself is incredibly useful.

Users who are not that experienced when it comes to security related issues can enable Auto Pilot mode which is a silent mode. The program will basically make all decisions based on the current rule set and internal information. Automatic actions can always be displayed in the event log.

The configuration screen is mainly switch based, which means that users can press a button to enable or disable a particular feature or module. Some modules however link to advanced options. It is for instance possible to configure advanced rules in the advanced firewall settings, or file and process exclusions in the antivirus settings.

Advanced users find all the tools and configuration menus they need. Inexperienced users might dislike the fact that they need to activate the help overlays with a click on the help icon first, and that help is not available for all options in the program.

Besides the auto pilot mode, Bitdefender Total Security comes with two additional modes. First a game mode which surpresses all notifications on the screen to avoid interruptions while gaming, and a laptop mode which seems to help save battery power.

Interested users can download a trial version from the Bitdefender website.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 Tests

I thought it would be handy to link and display test results from other magazines, websites and organizations. Lets start with a BitDefender Total Security 2012 Prevention Test I found on YouTube.

A PC Magazine test came to the following conlusion:

• Pros: Excellent lab test results. Best antiphishing. Facebook protection. Silent, intelligent firewall. Antispam blocked no valid mail. Decent parental controls. Online backup. File encryption and shredding. System tune-up.
• Cons: Low to average scores in PCMag malware blocking and removal tests. Some awkward elements in parental control system. Antispam let a quarter of undeniable spam into the Inbox.

Total Security 2012 Verdict

Bitdefender’s Total Security 2012 has a lot going for it. It comes with an impressive set of features and uses an intelligent interface that is both suitable for inexperienced and advanced users. A few things could be better, like the previously mentioned link to the quarantine from the event log or a full screen mode that is missing.

Giveaway

We have 12 licenses for Bitdefender Total Security 2012 that we would like to give away. Let us know what you think of Bitdefender, or their software, for a chance to win one of the licenses. The giveaway will run for seven days, and I will announce the winners here in this post.

Update: The winners of a Bitdefender Total Security 2012 license are: Nathan, Azmi, Aleksandar, Try, Rodken, Swapnil, Zac, Rahul Jain, Anson, SRally, malkhaz and Rover 3500

Occasionally I get left things that I can give away and I have a little stack of things at the moment up for grabs including a Router and a powerline networking kit.  I’m going to kick off the first of my giveaways though with some promotional Xbox Kinect games I was sent to try.  I’ve got six in total to give away and here’s how I’m going to do it.

The giveaway will start live tomorrow (Thursday 11th August) at these times…

10AM PT, San Francisco | 6pm – London | 1pm – New York | Fri, Sep  2nd at 3am – Sydney | Fri, Sep  2nd at 2am – Tokyo | Fri, Sep  2nd at 1am – Beijing | 10:30pm – Mumbai

At that time I’ll announce the titles of the six games live on my Facebook page along with an email address (you can access the Facebook page to read the post without needing a Facebook account).  The first person to email me the name of the title they want will get it sent to them in the post.

Suffice to say I’m not going to announce the titles just yet but I will say that they include titles for kids, adults, men and women and are some of the best (I think anyway) games available for the Kinect.

You’ll need to include your name and full postal address in your email for your entry to be valid.  I’ll contact the winners by email when the giveaway is over and announce when the prizes are gone on Facebook.  An Xbox and Kinect are not included in the giveaway, you’ll need your own and, sadly, in the very unlikely event that a game goes missing in the post I won’t be able to replace it.

While it is possible to install and use SUPERAntiSpyware as the main defense against malicious software on a Windows PC, it is used by the majority of users as a second layer of defense against those threats. Unlike most security software, it can be run on the same system as traditional antivirus solutions without ill-effects like slowdowns, crashes or false positives.

That’s one of the factors for the application’s popularity. But it is not the only one. Two other core factors are the free version of the program and the fact that it is very effective when it comes to cleaning malware on a system.

The factors have not changed with the release of SUPERAntiSpyware 5. Users can still download the free or professional version from the developer website (The portable version will be updated soon). The core differences between the free and pro version of SUPERAntiSpyware is that the Pro version supports real-time blocking, scheduled scanning, automatic updates and free unlimited customer support. Users of the free version can get support on the forums only.

The following screen is displayed when you start the pro version of the program after installation.

It contains options to scan the computer, enable or disable specific features of the professional version, run a manual update, view logs and quarantine, run repairs or open the help.

Pro users make automatic use of the updates feature which checks for updates every 8 hours. Some users might feel that the setting is a bit on the high side. There are options available to edit all scheduled task, so that it is possible to reduce the update interval check or change the time for scheduled scans of the system. It is furthermore possible to add new tasks, for instance a daily scan of a specific network folder.

First time users should open the program preferences to customize the program. Interesting features include automatic update installations, home page protection and a trusted items whitelist that are then excluded from all scans.

The Scan your Computer button runs the scan that’s been selected on its right side. Available for selection are quick scans, complete scans, critical point scans or custom scans. Windows users who know that their system is infected can enable a new feature called Rescue Scan which tries to reduce the impact of malware on the system that is causing a 100% cpu usage.

Scan results are displayed in real-time in the program interface. All harmful findings are divided into groups with options to expand the selection to get additional information about each finding. Here it is also possible to block items from being cleaned.

All items that are cleaned by SUPERAntiSpyware are moved to the quarantine where they can be deleted permanently or restored.

The repairs feature is an interesting addition. It can be used to correct some of the problems and issues that removed malware has left behind on the system. Repairs include enabling the task manager, reset the home page, repairs of broken network connections or resetting the Windows Internet Zone Maps.

SUPERAntiSpyware Pro 5 comes with the following new or improved features:

• More Efficient & Effective Scanning – New Scanning engine provides faster scanning while being able to detect even the most stubborn threats such as rootkits, rogues, and Trojans.
• All-new User Interface – Provides easy access to all important tools and features while presenting itself in an easy-to-use interface.
• Enhanced Real-time Protection – All new Real-Time Protection provides powerful first line defense against installation of new threats. With minimal performance impact, the Real-Time Protection provides immediate detection of threats before they can take hold of a system and gives instant notification allowing users to take action before malware does.
• Smaller & Faster Updates – Compression algorithm improvements provide smaller update files sizes and faster downloading than in previous versions. This makes it faster & easier to stay up-to-date with the latest malware definitions and reduces the load on the computer while the updates are being downloaded and applied.
• Powerful Scheduling – With the integration of Windows Task Scheduler, SUPERAntiSpyware offers maximum scheduling flexibility for both updates and scans. SUPERAntiSpyware now has the ability to ‘wake’ computers from sleep in order to run scheduled updates or scans allowing scans to be performed when the computer is not in use.
• Rescue Scan – When enabled, Rescue Scan allows SUPERAntiSpyware to recoup processing power from CPU hogging malware programs in order to put more power and resources behind the scanning engine.
• All-new Quarantine – Suspicious items detected by real-time protection or by scans are automatically placed in the redesigned Quarantine area. Once in Quarantine the item is ‘sandboxed’ from infecting files outside of quarantine, from there quarantined items can be deleted, removed or marked as safe.

The reception on security sites is positive. You find discussion about the new release on sites such as Wilders Security.

Both the free and paid version of SUPERAntiSypware 5 are great additions to a system’s defense. Existing users can upgrade their version either from within the program or by downloading the latest version from the official website.

SUPERAntiSypware Pro 5 Giveaway

We have 20 SUPERAntiSpyware Pro licenses to give away. All you need to do is let us know what you are currently using security wise on your system.

Update The winners will be drawn and notified tomorrow (Friday, 12.8.2011)

The license winners are: Ivan K., Prakash Pathak, Midnight, e1scd, techandlife, hlm, Gramps33, Bur, John, SRally, Charles, Pan Pikus, Peter 888, Rako Graham, Manuel, Al, Anson, numpayak, ISS and Art Clarke.

The German computer magazine COM is currently running a giveaway of avast! Internet Security. The promotional web page is accessible by anyone. While only in German, it provides a license that works with English versions of Avast Internet Security as well.

Here is how you can get your free license of Avast Internet Security. Start by downloading the latest version of the security program from the official website. The link points to the English version of the software. I have not tested other language versions, they may work as well.

Go to the promo page and fill in your first name, last name and email address. You will receive a license download link in an email once you click on the send (Absenden) button.

The license file is zipped which means you need to unzip it first. Make sure you have Avast installed before you click on the License com! so geht´s.avastlic file. A click on the file registers the program. You can alternatively open Avast Internet Security and load the license under Registration Options from within the program interface.

The license itself expires April 2012, which means you get about nine months of free use from this marketing opportunity.

I have reviewed Avast 6 Antivirus Software back in February. I suggest you read that article as it covers the basic modules offered by Avast Internet Security. You can read up on the antivirus protection, sandbox or web reputation engine.

Avast Internet Security benefits from features that are not available in the free antivirus version. This includes more settings, faster program updates, boot-time scanning, game mode, firewall or keylogger protection. Plus it can be used commercially.

Interested users can read up on Avast Internet Security here on the Avast homepage. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system. (via)

SpringPublisher is a desktop publishing software that can be used to design and print business cards, flyers, postcards and letterheads, among others. The program is template driven, with templates available after installation and additional ones in the online store.

Users who first start the program can create a new project by starting with a blank template, or select an existing template from the local storage or the online store.

Templates can be modified easily once they have been loaded into the program. A click on text or visual elements opens the element’s properties. Here it is possible to make direct changes to the template. All it takes for instance to enter your name and address is to click on the elements and change the default text under Element Properties. You can alternatively double-click on an entry for even quicker editing.

It is furthermore possible to remove elements from the template if they are not needed or if they need to be replaced. Shapes, text and images can be inserted into each template easily with a click on one of the Insert buttons on the left sidebar.

Images need to be selected from the local system. They are initially displayed in their original size which can be altered under Element Properties. Here it is possible to change the width and height, vertical and horizontal alignment, orientation, opacity and several other parameters.

Here is an overview of what you can add, edit or remove from a design template:

• Insert Images: Load jpg, png, gif or bmp images. Edit their resolution, position, opacity, orientation, shadow and tile.
• Insert Text: Select font size and color, use formatting options like bold or underline. Select the width and height of the text and font separately.
• Insert Shapes: Insert geometric shapes, change their colors and position.
• Page Manager: Create multi-page layouts, for instance the front and back of a business card.

Projects can be saved as project files or images. The former is handy if you want to have a copy of the design on your computer, for instance to act as a template or as a backup if you need to make modifications at a later time.

The images can be saved as low (96dpi), medium (180dpi) or high (350dpi) quality images. The active design can be printed locally as well with a click on the print button.

Creating Templates

Most users are probably interested in creating their own designs and templates, and that’s relatively easy with SpringPublisher. It begins with the selection of a standard sized project, for instance a US business card or European letterhead, or a custom sized project. Selecting a standard size ensures that print shops can print out the finalized design easily.

A blank template is then generated and displayed on screen. It is then up to the user to add the contents. Since that is easy to do it should not pose any problems, even to inexperienced users.

SpringPublisher Verdict

What I really like about SpringPublisher is the ability to edit and move around all elements at the same time. While it is possible to create a blank template, I would suggest that new users start with an existing template to get to know the program and modify the design according to their needs.

The real strength of the program is the ability to design and print new templates with little effort and design experience.

SpringPublisher is offered as a Free and Professional version. The professional version comes with free template store credits, rights for commercial use and the high quality dpi output option.

Giveaway

We have ten licenses for the program that we want to give away. Winners will be drawn randomly from all users who leave a comment under this review. Good luck everyone. The giveaway ends in one week’s time.

Update:

The winners are: Guy from Canada, Jordan Humberto de Souza, Paul, Jan Wroblewski, Carl Turcotte, sunkumarspace, Ravi Lodhiya, Gerry, Don and Niroop.

DVD Clone Ultimate is a dvd copying and backup software. The program supports all known copy protections which means it works on all types of video DVDs. More interesting and unique to that, is the gpu acceleration that the developers have implemented in the application, which can greatly improve the copying speed.

When you start the program for the first time, you will notice options to do a full dvd disc backup or a dvd title backup at the top.

DVD video information are automatically displayed whenever you enter a DVD into the dvd drive of the computer. Information about the DVD, including cover art, name, studio, director and performers are displayed in the interface automatically. In the best case, all you need to do do copy the dvd movie is to press the run button. The program takes care of the rest for you.

Having said that, some users might want to customize the selection before they start the process.

The default option is set to copy the selected title, usually the main movie, as a single mpeg2 file to the computer. All audio streams and subtitles will be automatically included in that rip. It is possible to change to a different dvd title. Even though there are checkboxes under audio streams and subtitles, it appears that it is not possible to uncheck select ones.

It is on the other hand possible to switch from copying the selected data to a single mpeg2, to copying DVD chapters, extracting the video or the audio only.

The display changes depending in the selection. If you select to copy DVD chapters for instance, you see all available chapter IDs of the selected title with options to select one, some or all chapters for extraction.

A switch to Full DVD Disc Backup displays the second option the program provides. Here it is possible to clone a video DVD to blank DVD, ISO or Video_TS folder.

Options are available to remove the source DVD’s region code, CSS encryption, UOPs and Disney’s fake. It is again super easy to clone the DVD. In best case, all you need to do is to click the run button. If you want to copy the video DVD directly to another DVD, you need to have two DVD drives to do that, obviously.

The processing speed depends largely on the speed of the DVD drive or drives, the processor, computer memory and whether the video card can be used for gpu acceleration.

Verdict

BDlot DVD Clone Ultimate is super easy to use, even for computer users who are not tech savvy. A click on Run is all they have to do in the best case possible, regardless of operation. The available options are easy to understand. All operations that one would expect from a program like this are available and easily configurable.

If there is something to criticize it is the inability to uncheck audio streams and subtitles before ripping a DVD title and that destination directories and burners are not saved before the program is closed.

Giveaway

We have an unlimited number of DVD Clone Ultimate licenses. Just download the program from the developer website, and enter the license code BU-UPTTUXZZ-IXFXRX after installation to register it. The license can be used to register the DVD ripper before August 1.

Today, LapLink have announced their new PC Lock software.  This takes the task of encrypting your files and data to the next logical level and adds some interesting features.

According to research conducted by Ponemon Institute, Gartner and Intel, over 1,700 laptops are stolen every day and someone’s identity is stolen every 2 seconds. Files on a PC that are not encrypted are at constant danger of theft, increasing the user’s risk of identity theft, privacy invasion and significant financial loss.

It uses “a sophisticated EKE ‘Encrypted Key Encryption’ approach with military-grade 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)” to secure your data but in addition to the software on your PC which encrypts and decrypts files on the fly, there’s a cloud management console too.

With this unique console, users can modify preferences, change settings, reset passwords, lock the data on a missing or stolen PC and remotely delete sensitive data. The Web Management Console is accessible from any web-enabled device, including smartphones, allowing management from virtually anywhere, even if the user is on the go; no need to rely on live customer support as with other products.

This is a very interesting approach meaning that you still have control of your data, and can securely erase it, if you lose your laptop or if your PC is stolen.  You will also be able to rest safe in the knowledge that the thief won’t have had access to the data in the interim because the files aren’t unlocked by your Windows log-in.

Files and folders on a PC remain protected even if the PC is lost or stolen. Users can trigger a remote wipe of their encrypted data from the Web Management Console, preventing access of stolen files. Even if the thief pulls the hard drive from the PC and never accesses the Internet, the data remains encrypted and inaccessible. PC Lock is also compatible with other security software, so it can provide an extra layer of protection and complement existing safeguards a user may already have in place or add in the future.

The main encryption software is run from a wizard which takes you through the process of encrypting your files and configuring the PC’s data.  The encryption takes place in the background and you won’t notice any degradation in performance on a standard home or business PC, as you shouldn’t these days.

Then for those of you in business, maybe a small business where you need to protect sensitive customer and user data how about these cherries on the cake?

Behavior Monitoring
PC Lock automatically takes steps to protect your encrypted data when it senses an unauthorized user. If someone repeatedly fails to login, PC Lock detects successive failures and will automatically take steps to protect encrypted data. These steps include destroying essential elements of the decryption key rendering access to the data impossible.

Protects against “Cold Boot Attacks”
The “Cold Boot” phenomenon occurs because other encryption software leaves encryption keys in RAM even when a PC is password protected by a screen saver, sleeping or hibernating. PC Lock deletes keys and overwrites them with random data during transitions to other power states ensuring they cannot be recovered in a cold boot situation.

Protects against Hackers
The PC Lock password is separate and different than the Windows password. So, even if a hacker is able to login to your Windows user account, they will also have to know your PC Lock password to unlock your data, which if they fail at guessing a set number of times (determined by the user in the Web Management Console) then PC Lock will trigger the key deletion to protect your data.

I like this approach as I’ve always been uneasy about EFS having lost data to it about 10 years ago.  The thought of having encryption that’s tied to your Windows log-in on a specific computer is a bit dangerous so I’ll certainly be giving LapLink PC Lock a try.  The additional peace of mind of having the web console with remote wipe access is an extra bonus.

LapLink has been around for decades now and made it’s name with hardware crossover serial cables that allowed you to easily transfer files from one computer to another (this was in the days before modern networks).  Now to celebrate the company’s 28th anniversary they’re giving away PC Lock completely free for 24 hours (Monday 16th May 2011).  After that it will be available at a discounted rate of $14.95 for a period before returning to the full retail price of $29.99.

If you value your data and keep personal files on your home or work PC or on your laptop or tablet then you should grab PC Lock while its free, you can get it here at www.laplink.com/pclock.  We all keep personal files on our computers and the thought of being able to log into a cloud management console on my smartphone and remotely wipe a device makes this not just a bargain, but potentially the software we must all have on our computers.

The application reminds the user during installtion that it should not be installed on the same drive that data needs to be recovered from. That is a sound advice as the installation could overwrite deleted data which would make it unrecoverable. It is also recommended to have a safe storage device with enough space at hand to store the recovered data on. This may not be a problem if you need to recover a Word or Excel document that you have deleted accidentally but if you plan on recovering all data on a hard drive (for instance after formatting) or a partition you need a lot of space.

When you first start up Data Recovery Wizard you are presented with three options: Deleted File Recovery, Complete Recovery and Partition Recovery.

Deleted file recovery

This module can be used to recover individual files on the system that have been deleted before. Deletion does not necessarily mean user initiated, it can very well mean that a virus or crash has rendered data unreadable.

Users can undelete (it is sometimes called unerase as well) files if the file system is not corrupt or broken. The other available recovery modules are for situations where the file system or a partition were damaged.

Generally speaking, files can be recovered if they have not been overwritten by new data. This means that recovery chances are best for newly deleted files, and increasingly worse for every day the computer has been in use since the files have been deleted.

Easeus Data Recovery Wizard scans the connected drives and displays them in the drive overview. Here it is possible to select a drive for file recovery.

Data Recovery Wizard scans the selected hard drive or storage device and displays its finding on the next screen. Directories and files are displayed in an explorer-like fashion. A file search offers help if a lot of results have been returned and if the user knows part of all of a file’s name.

Files are selected with checkmarks. The file recovery software supports file previews (for images and text) which can be handy for supported file types. The storage location for all selected files needs to be configured in the last step. Data Recovery Wizard recovers the files then and places them in the selected location.

It is then possible to go back to the file listing to recover additional files.

Complete Recovery

Complete recovery has been designed if the drive is not accessible anymore, for instance after a hard disk crash, accidental formatting or other forms of corruption. The initial screen displays the hard drives again. Users can select a disk image that they want to process instead of one of the connected hard drives.

The selected hard drive or disk image is then scanned by the recovery software. The application searches for files, boot records, partition tables, folders and other information.

A list of partitions is displayed to the user in the end. Each partition is displayed with various information, from storage size to files and folder matches and a suggestion that indicates how likely it is that it is the right partition of the drive. If no partitions are displayed quit the process and start the partition recovery module instead.

Up to four partitions can be selected for recovery in the complete recovery module.

Partition Recovery

Partition Recovery comes into play if the complete recovery module does not find partitions. The recovery process itself is very similar to the previously described process. A list of hard drives are shown and it is up to the user to select one of the drives or a disk image to scan for recoverable partitions.

All partitions that have been found by the scan are displayed in the program interface. Here it is again possible to select partitions for recovery.

Core Features

• Recover deleted or lost files
• Disk recovery after hard drive crashes, accidental formatting
• Recover data from unformatted hard drives
• Recover files if the partition is corrupt, not accessible anymore
• Supports not only hard drives but also USB drives and storage, e.g. digital camera cards.
• Supports FAT12, FAT16, VFAT, FAT32, NTFS/NTFS5 file systems
• Create disk images to assist in the file recovery

Verdict

Easeus Data Recovery Wizard is an easy to use file recovery software for Windows. Its feature set should be sufficient for the majority of file recovery situations that users encounter.

Giveaway

We have an unlimited number of copies to give away. The software offered is the latest version of Data Recovery Wizard (V5.0.1). Just install it, the software is automatically registered. Please note that you cannot update the software with newer versions, that’s however the only restriction.

You can download the setup file (3 Megabytes) below. Please do not hotlink to the file.

Update: The Givaway has ended.

The software is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system. You find additional information about the product over at Easeus.

The ultimate, in-depth reference for troubleshooting Windows 7 — from the inside out! This supremely organized book delivers hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools, with a companion ebook and additional content online.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right into troubleshooting Windows 7 — and really put your PC to work! This supremely organized reference describes hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools in one essential guide. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery.

• Take control of essential Windows 7 maintenance and security features, such as the Action Center and User Account Control
• Master quick fixes to the most common problems using expert tips and step-by-step repair guides
• Implement best practices to help prevent and combat viruses, malware, and identity theft
• Apply advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Diagnose hardware problems and work safely with your PC
• Develop a recovery plan to restore your system and data in the event of a disaster
• Know when to use power utilities for advanced performance, maintenance, and diagnostics

You can enter as many times as you like as long as you don’t spam people.

This competition will run until the end of Tuesday 25th January 2011 and the winner will be notifed by private message on Twitter or Facebook by Thursday 27th January 2011.  Please allow 28 days (or so) for delivery of the paperback book.  If you are the winner you will need to be able to provide your full mailing address (PO Boxes can’t be accepted, sorry).

Good luck to all, but there can only be one winner!

Cloud Antivirus uses a so called thin-client architecture offering several advantages over conventional antivirus solutions. Only the core files are installed on the system and local detection technologies are combined with cloud-based scanning to reduce PC resource usage.

One of the main pillars of Panda Cloud Antivirus is its real-time use of Panda Collective Intelligence, which is an online from-the-cloud system that automates the entire malware protection cycle; collecting new samples, analyzing, categorizing, creating detection and disinfection routines and delivering the protection to each node.

Thanks to this approach users do not need to worry about updating signature files anymore. In fact, detection of millions and millions of different malware variants is no longer limited by the size of a signature database, as Collective Intelligence can hold literally unlimited number of detections without consuming any memory on the users’ PC.

The interface of Panda Cloud Antivirus is best described as minimalistic which is a welcome change to the often overladen interfaces of comparable antivirus solutions.

The cloud based approach takes much of the usual updating process out of the user’s hand. The virus definitions are updated in the cloud taking that off the user’s back. When Panda Cloud Antivirus is started it will always make use of the latest definitions and data providing an Internet connection is available.

The antivirus software displays the status screen on startup which gives the user information about security problems if found on the PC. The button bar at the top leads to the scan menu, report window and recycle bin which contains previously neutralized files.

The only other option is the settings button at the lower left corner which leads to connection settings, autorun and USB vaccination and advanced settings for expert users.

It is possible to scan the whole system, an optimized scan that only looks at core files of the operating system and a custom scan that scans a specified local directory or drive of the computer.

Panda Cloud Antivirus runs in the background all the time protecting the PC with behavioral analysis. Files that are currently analyzed in the cloud are automatically blocked on the system for a maximum of 30 seconds. That’s ample time to receive the information from the cloud. The advanced settings offer to change that limit and other settings.

It is here for instance possible to add file exclusions which are then ignored by the antivirus software. Other options include the generation of an advanced log and disabling behavioral analysis and blocking.

Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro disables autorun on the computer by default which some users may want to change. The setting is available in the options. The same menu holds the option to automatically vaccinate USB drives which protects them when they are connected to other PCs and computers.

Interested users can download Panda Cloud Antivirus from the official website. Panda Security gave us 29 keys (30 actually but I used one) and we would like to give them to you in this giveaway. If you want one leave a comment below. Make sure you add an existing email address as it will be used to contact you if you have won a license in the draw.

You’re beyond the basics, so dive right in and troubleshoot Windows 7 — from the inside out!  This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of prevention tips, troubleshooting techniques, and recovery tools. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts keep their Windows 7-based systems running smoothly — and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery. 

• Use quick and simple guides to prevent problems such as data loss and identity theft
• Get the very best out of the built-in features
• Make your own quick fixes to the most common problems
• Handle viruses and other threats, and get tips to help protect against cyber-crime
• Learn advanced troubleshooting techniques by understanding how Windows 7 works
• Use step-by-step guides to diagnose and repair system and hardware issues
• Recover and restore the operating system — and your files — in the event of a disaster
• Use power utilities built into Windows 7 for performance, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics
• Get a companion ebook and additional content online

The software program displays a list of options on startup, they are:

• Lost Partition Recovery
• Advanced Files Recovery
• Deep Scan Recovery
• Format Recovery

Partition Recovery

Partition recovery can help the user recover hard drive partitions, for instance if the file system or MBR have been damage or become corrupted, if the partition has been deleted by mistake or if the partition is no longer been detected by the PC.

The partition recovery module scans the computer’s hard drives on selection and all available ones are displayed in the disk listing. The user needs to select the drive on which the partition was located.

The device will be scanned and the available partitions displayed in a menu in the end. A click on Show files after selecting one of the partitions lists the available files found on that partition so that they can be recovered by the program.

Advanced File Recovery

Advanced file recovery works best in situations where files have been deleted by human error or by malicious software. A prime example would be a case where a user deletes file in the Windows recycle bin only to find out that one of the files is still needed on the system.

The module will scan the selected hard drive for deleted files that can be recovered. the scan may take some time depending on the size and speed of the hard drive.

Files can be selected for recovery in the file browser. The data recovery software offers a search to find files by name and a file preview to see if the complete file can be recovered.

Deep Scan Recovery

Deep scan recovery is a RAW recovery mode which means that it will scan the device sector by sector ignoring file systems. Raw recovery can find files that the other recovery modes may not be able to find. A disadvantage of this mode is that the files cannot be identified by their name.

Format Recovery

Format Recovery has been designed to address formatting related problems on the system. Helpful if a hard drive or other storage device has been formatted in error. This module is used to scan the formatted device to find out if data can be recovered from it. This depends largely if the device was quickly or fully formatted.

PC users who are looking for a good file recovery software should visit the promo page to snag a copy of iCare Data Recovery Software. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

The developers have contacted me again today, letting me know that they rebuild the software from scratch, resolved two of the three issues found in the January version and are running a giveaway until October 28.

That’s reason enough to take a new look at the DVD ripping application. Not a lot has changed if you compare the new application interface with the old one. The new interface looks modern and more professional than the old one.

Ripping DVDs is still a three stepped process. It begins by loading a DVD from disc or folder (discs inserted into a drive will be recognized automatically), selecting an output format and clicking the start button to start the ripping.

Among the available output formats are DVD to DVD copy for 1:1 copies of the DVD, to formats like avi, mp4 or mov, and to devices such as the iPad, iPhone or Zune. DVD copy and conversion into an iPad compatible format are two of the new options in this version of the software.

Selecting one of the available options lists various quality and ripping settings. If avi is selected, it is for instance possible to change the audio and video quality settings, and select the number of cpu cores for the conversion.

Profiles are available if a device is selected. Profiles can be used to pick a quality setting with two clicks. That’s very comfortable. Profiles are unfortunately still not available for formats.

Processed videos are now named based on patterns defined in the program’s options. This is great as it makes the identification easier, especially if multiple videos are processed in short succession.

What else is new?

• Rebuilt WinX DVD Ripper Platinum with brand-new frame work based on user feedback to maximally conform to common usage.
• Output MP4 video with AAC 2 Channels, AAC 4 Channels and AAC 6 Channels supported.
• Support AVI container, keeping original DVD AC3/DTS 6 Channels audio track.
• Output WMV and MPEG video with original DVD AC3/DTS 6 Channels audio track.
• Improved WMV encoder to fit the requirement of Windows Media Center. Backup DVD to WMV with AC3/DTS audio and stream to PS3 & Xbox 360.
• Significantly increase H.264 encoder speed. Better support for Multi-core CPU.
• Optimized the support for iPhone 4, iPad, iPod 4 and other iOS 4 video players.
• New software UI.

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is an excellent DVD ripping software for the Windows operating system. To grab a free license code users need to visit the giveaway page on the developer homepage to download the application and grab the license code. License codes are offered for the Windows and Mac version of the software, but only the Windows version is linked from the giveaway page. WinX DVD Ripper for Mac can be downloaded here instead. Please note that I have not tried this version and license code.

Total Security 2011 is the top of the line product that includes all features that the two other available products, Antivirus Pro and Internet Security offer, plus some that are exclusively available in Total Security.

The installer has been revamped, it now gives the user better control over the installation, which has been divided into visualized steps. This improves the user experience a lot.

bitdefender installation

BitDefender scans the system during installation, to eliminate any threats before the actual installation of the security software starts.

bitdefender installation 2011

The choice given during installation is excellent. It is for instance possible to keep or uninstall other security programs, select one out of three different layouts (for different experience levels) or turn off specific features during installation. Turning off features immediately again improves the usability. It is for instance possible to keep the Windows Firewall, and disable the firewall in BitDefender.

These settings can be controlled in the program options as well afer the installation, in case they need to be activated or deactivated at a later time.

Two video tutorials are offered on the first run, that offer an introduction to new users and users of last year’s product.

BitDefender Product Comparison

BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011: Antivirus, Antiphishing, Antispyware, Search Advisor, Quick Scan, Home Network Protection, Chat Encryption, Smart Scan, Smart Schedule

BitDefender Internet Security 2011: Includes all Antivirus Pro features and, Parental Controls, Internet firewall, Antispam,

BitDefender Total Security 2011: Includes all Antivirus Pro and Internet Security features and, Online Backup, File Encryption, File Shredder, Tune.Up, Performance Optimizer.

Some features requires explanation:

• Quick Scan: Uncover malicious activity using in-the-cloud technology. This uses cloud based scanning technologies to scan files.
• Home Network Protection: Manage the security of your entire network from a single location. Automatically detect other computers that have BitDefender installed and adds them to the administrator network.
• Search Advisor: Warn about unsafe pages displayed in search results, available for Internet Explorer and Firefox.
• Online Backup: 2 GB of back up on a secure, remote server. Automatically back-up files and folders
• Chat Encryption: Keep your conversations private on Yahoo! and Windows Live (MSN)
• Optimized scanning technology skips safe files for better scan speed and lower system load. Prevent slowdown by adjusting settings to match available memory and CPU type.
• Smart Schedule: Maintain maximum performance with system load analysis so on-demand scanning tasks are suspended, to free-up resources for other processes, such as a media player or games

BitDefender Total Security 2011 Review

BitDefender Total Security 2011 looks slightly different depending on the interface selected during installation. It is possible to switch the interface in the main window, in case it displays to many, or to little information in its current state. Inexperienced computer users will see an interface with less settings and switches, while experts have access to all features and options directly in main window.

basic view

The dashboards of the basic and intermediate view can be customized, to include the modules most important to the user of the computer. This review was mainly written with expert mode activated.

bitdefender total security 2011

A click on a module in the left sidebar, say antivirus for example, displays the controls of that module in the main window. This usually includes a protection level slider, direct access to scans and other features. Tabs often divide the functionality on multiple pages to eliminate scrolling.

One aspect that comes a bit short are links to help files that explain the settings of the current page. Pages do contain descriptions (by hovering over an item, and on the page) but inexperienced users may sometimes still have questions left after reading those. Experts and most intermediate users will find those explanations sufficient on the other hand. Additional links to help pages for users, with an option to turn those off would be a good addition to the program.

BitDefender makes a distinction between settings, which are module specific, and options, which define the security software in general.

Antivirus

A new layer of security has been installed to this year’s version of the security application. The antivirus protection supports both signature based and heuristic scans, as well as intrusion detection to prevent the installation of malware drivers, manipulation of system files, the Registry, and dll injection.

Internet protection offers antiphishing protection for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and the two messengers Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Search Advisor has been added on top of that, to provide the web user with instant information about search results in Google Search, Bing and Yahoo.

Protection levels can be set to a more aggressive or permissive profile, or a custom profile that allows greater customizability. A custom profiles enables the user to configure detailed scanning preferences, that for example includes the local and remote locations that are scanned, the types of threats, and the actions if malicious files are found.

Quick Scan makes use of the cloud to scan running processes and important files, taking less than a minute to complete.

Additional changes and features

Parental Controls have been extended with the functionality to monitor the activity of other family member’s remotely. This includes statistics about visited websites, applications and activity in instant messaging programs.

Parts of the parental controls can be accessed from the BitDefender website which provides access to alerts, recent activity and configuration options. Great for checking in from any location.

The Home Network option can be used to add multiple PCs to the BitDefender network, to administrate them from computers that have been configured as servers in the network. Activities include running remote scans of connected PCs, updating BitDefender or setting parental controls.

One interesting feature is the vulnerability scanner, which informs the user of available updates for Windows or Microsoft software, applications and other security settings like weak passwords or autorun settings, complete with options to take appropriate actions directly in the program’s interface. This feature has however not been integrated into the warning notifications on the dashboard. BitDefender should add those, as Windows patches that have not been installed can open the doors for malicious attackers exploiting those.

vulnerability scan

Game, laptop and silent modes are available that offer operation modes catered to specific system states. Laptop mode will for instance configure BitDefender to postpone or skip scheduled tasks if running on battery. Gaming mode allows for uninterrupted games, so that scans and other background tasks are reduced to a minimum.

These modes detect system state changes automatically, game mode comes with a default list of games that are detected automatically, and other games can be added to a custom list. To make things easier, game mode or silent mode can be enabled automatically for full screen applications.

BitDefender 2011 comes with several additional modules, including the previously mentioned firewall, data encryption, online backup and privacy controls.

One interesting feature that many users will like is the Troubleshoot Wizard, that can aid the user in troubleshooting issues. The wizard displays common problems associated with modules. For the firewall those are for instance problems accessing a computer in a network, printing or accessing the Internet. The troubleshooting wizard then tries to resolve the issue for the user.

It offers for instance to add an application to the firewall’s whitelist if the program fails to connect to the Internet. all the user needs to do is to select the program to add it (by browsing to it with a file browser).

Bitdefender 2011 Direct Downloads

BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011

• BitDefender Antivirus 2011 (32-bit)
• BitDefender Antivirus 2011 (64-bit)
• Antivirus Pro 2011 Homepage

BitDefender Internet Security 2011

• BitDefender Internet Security 2011 (32-bit)
• BitDefender Internet Security 2011 (64-bit)
• Internet Security 2011 Homepage

BitDefender Total Security 2011

• BitDefender Total Security 2011 (32-bit)
• BitDefender Total Security 2011 (64-bit)
• Total Security 2011 Homepage

Verdict

BitDefender offers several improvements over last year’s version. A common trend among security companies seems to be to pack features into the software, even if they do not add anything to the protection of the system. BitDefender on the other hand as extended the functionality of their product in areas where it makes sense. Features like the gaming or laptop mode, cloud based antivirus scanning, file encryption, shredding or the improved parental controls with home networking options blend well into the existing product.

The only module that does not seem to belong into the program is Tune-Up, as it offers features such as Registry Cleaning, defragmentation or duplicate file finding. But that’s one module out of a dozen.

Computer users should take a look at the product comparison chart to find the BitDefender program best suited for their situation. BitDefender Internet Security 2011 gets our recommendation, as it comes with all security modules needed to protect a computer. Users who want more than that, like online backups or file encryption should pick Total Security instead. Users who already have a firewall installed, and who have no need for antispam or parental controls can pick Antivirus Pro 2011.

Additional information are available at the Bitdefender homepage.

Giveaway

The guys at BitDefender were nice enough to give us 15 licenses of BitDefender Total Security 2011. The licenses are valid for one year, and will be given to random commenters of this thread.

The giveaway ends in 48 hours from the time of posting, and we announce the winners in the Ghacks forum after this. Winners need to include a valid email address, as we are sending the product keys to the email addresses they made their comments with.

To make things interesting, tell us about your current security setup, and how you would use Total Security if you got one of the license keys. Good luck everyone.

The focus of Double Anti-Spy Professional is a complete spyware protection of computer systems running the Microsoft Windows operating system which includes protection against spyware and adware but also against other forms of malware including backdoors, computer bots and trojans.

The installation of the anti-spyware software and the interface of the program have been designed with ease of use in mind. The program will always start up with the status report window which will display relevant information like the date and time of the last scan, the freshness of the definition files or the results of the last scan. The four buttons on the left side are used to switch between sections of the software.

Double Anti-Spy Professional can perform three types of scans: A quick scan that will only scan important locations, a full scan to scan all files and locations and a custom scan that the user can define individually. A full system scan is recommended after installation and updating the definitions to find all traces of spyware that might be located on the computer system.

The anti-spyware software protects the computer system from spyware that tries to attack the PC. It does so by actively monitoring the system for suspicious files. The depth and level of protection can be configured in the Active Defense section of the program.

Here it is possible to configure the active defense and email defense settings to block and quarantine files and software before it can become a threat. Email defense works with several popular desktop email clients including Microsoft Outlook, Windows Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

The very same menu can also be used to schedule scans and add programs and files to a whitelist or blacklist.

The fourth and final tab Settings can be used to configure the different scans that Double Anti-Spy Professional can perform, set the update check interval, configure a proxy server and scan optimizer or disable Windows Explorer automatically if it is running on the system to avoid compatibility problems.

Now, how good is the anti-spyware software? Avanquest show test results conducted by AV-Test on their homepage which tested Double Anti-Spyware Pro against PC Tools Spyware Doctor and Webroot Spy Sweeper. Other tests have not been published yet and it is not even possible to find the AV-Test results anywhere on the Internet. But what about the two engines that the security software is using? According to users on some web forums the program is using the engines of Outpost AntiSpyware + VIPRE (CounterSpy) which both did receive good reviews and recommendations.

Update: The software is using the following engines: Double Anti-Spy includes Sunbelt’s VIPRE (Engine A) + Outpost AntiSpyware combined with Virus Buster SDK (Engine B)

Verdict:

Double Anti-Spy Professional utilizes two scanning engines from respected companies to protect the computer against spyware which makes it more effective. Resource usage was a bit high on a Windows 7 test system if the window of the program was active (about 80 Megabytes). The program itself is compatible with Windows XP and 32-bit or 64-bit editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. More information are available at the Double Anti-Spy Professional homepage.

Giveaway:

We have ten download copies and licenses for Double Anti-Spy Professional. Just leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy. Every comment in the next 24 hours will take part in the draw and the winners will be emailed. The email will contain the download link, license key and instructions.

Freezly is a new web service that automates the process of finding giveaway messages on Twitter. It does that by searching for and indexing Twitter messages that contain specific keywords and probably also by following certain Twitter users who only post information about new giveaways in their tweets.

The giveaways that are displayed at Freezly are divided into a hottest category – which is also the default category that is displayed – and a just in category which sorts the giveaways by time of posting with the newest ones on top.

Each giveaway displays the title, description and number of tweets that it has received so far. The titles are links that point directly to the source of the giveaway. The search form at the top can be used to find specific giveaways, for example beta keys, hardware or company specific giveaways.

It would be nice if the website would offer categories that would automatically contain sorted giveaways to make it easier for the user to find giveaways of interest. Freezly should also think about offering an RSS Feed to make it easier to follow the latest giveaways that are posted on the site. Freezly via A New Morning.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 includes the Kaspersky Antivirus components but extends the protection of the computer system beyond that. At the core stands it antivirus and anti-malware engine that is protecting the system from those threats. The Internet Security 2009 suite adds to that a two-way personal firewall, content filtering and data & identity theft protection.

Several new features have been integrated into the 2009 edition of the software. This includes the ability to restore previous system settings after cleaning malware, security ratings for unknown applications, a virtual keyboard to protect against phishing and keyloggers and the automatic access restriction (user data folders) for unknown applications.

Installation of the software suite should not be problematic although it requires the uninstallation of other applications of its kind before the installation can be completed (Multiple firewalls or antivirus programs can interfere with each other). Inexperienced users can and should keep the automatic settings while experienced users can configure the layers of protection manually. It does not make much sense for example to enable the Anti-Dialer module if the user is connecting to the Internet over a network.

The interface of Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 has been redesigned. It is divided into the four blocks Protection, Scan, Update and License.

• Protection: Various protection layers can be analyzed and configured in this entry. It is also providing access to various tools like the creation of a Rescue Disk, a Security Analyzer or Network Monitor.
• Scan: Perform a quick or full scan of the computer system.
• Update: Will check and download updates
• License: License information. Will list the validity period of the application

Inexperienced users will love the automatism of the software program. The initial scan of the system will add automatic rules for most applications that are installed on the system. Kaspersky Internet Security did add applications like Firefox, Thunderbird or Teamspeak to the list of trusted applications which in turn meant that no “Do you want to permit” windows where launched when the application was started.

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. A trial version is available that can be used for 30 days without restrictions.

The Giveaway:

Kaspersky gave us five program suites and we will give all five to you. Just post a comment before December 2 12:00 CET and you are taking part in the Giveaway. Make sure to include an email address so that we can contact you with the details in case that you have won.

Winners:

Joseph, Bernard, Ian, Mezan and Enigma