Recent Posts

226

Found Deals and Discounts / Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder Giveaway/Contest

« Last post by sajman99 on August 14, 2010, 02:04 PM »

I'm not usually interested in a contest type of giveaway because I figure the odds of winning are not that great.

However, I think Visual Similarity Duplicate Image Finder (VSDIF) is a quality software so I will post about this particular contest running from August 11-20.

To win a copy of VSDIF visit this site and...

1. Just leave a comment.
2. Use valid email ID in the email box.
3. Not necessary, but you can subscribe to our rss feed and follow us on twitter as well. (To track this contest and for future updates)
4. And thats it!

For those who aren't interested in contests, take note VSDIF is currently priced at $24.95 (quite reasonable IMO).

227

General Software Discussion / Re: Sandboxie goes 64 bit

« Last post by sajman99 on August 08, 2010, 03:08 PM »

btw I would not blindly update from the latest stable 3.46...I want to use software, not be used by it.

-MilesAhead (August 08, 2010, 02:33 PM)

Exactly- I get that Sandboxie developer Tzuk wants to protect his excellent software, but this questionable decision for v3.47 has really riled up lots of folks.

I suppose those who vehemently oppose this new recurring activation scheme will stick with v3.46 or simply use the free version (as long as it exists).

Looks like another case of a few rotten apples spoiling the barrel.

228

Living Room / Re: System Mechanic (and registry fixers)

« Last post by sajman99 on August 08, 2010, 02:10 PM »

Hello,

(1) In the past I have used jv16 PowerTools, TuneUp Utilities, and Ace Utilities, and I still believe these are among the best (and safest) registry cleaners. However, I no longer use registry cleaners because the risk is too high. Sooner or later you'll get brave and delete some reg keys which shouldn't be deleted and perhaps introduce instability to your system.

Having said that, as long as you have some "safety net" (ie. imaging software, rollback software, virtualization software, or whatever reliably works for you), tweak away with System Mechanic with the confidence any mistakes will be reversible.

(2) Common sense might indicate MBAM's detection of .txt files is not a concern, but common sense is sometimes completely wrong. I haven't run across this issue with MBAM. Can you identify these text files without breaching your privacy? Perhaps somebody has experienced the same results.

(3) Why no AV? Do you run online scanners?

Regards.

229

General Software Discussion / Re: CleanAfterMe - a new Nirsoft tool

« Last post by sajman99 on August 08, 2010, 12:42 PM »

... CCleaner Enhancer official site seems to be down at the moment

-sajman99 (August 07, 2010, 01:29 PM)

http://majorgeeks.co...6547.html?2010-08-06

-Curt (August 07, 2010, 04:25 PM)

Thanks Curt, I knew you were a major geek(er).  (me too!)

ghacks also has a CCleaner Enhancer mirror due to the non-working official site. The download link can be found here:
http://www.ghacks.ne...0-rules-to-ccleaner/

230

General Software Discussion / Re: CleanAfterMe - a new Nirsoft tool

« Last post by sajman99 on August 07, 2010, 01:29 PM »

btw the CCleaner Enhancer official site seems to be down at the moment.

Probably too much traffic as the program has been mentioned quite a bit in the last couple days.

231

General Software Discussion / Re: CleanAfterMe - a new Nirsoft tool

« Last post by sajman99 on August 07, 2010, 01:20 PM »

Yep, CCleaner Enhancer looks very good with many well-known programs. 

Even has a SRWare Iron section--sweet!

232

General Software Discussion / Re: Best app ore method to restore a Win7 system? (not a disk image)

« Last post by sajman99 on August 07, 2010, 12:48 PM »

@tranglos: Comodo Time Machine may be worth a look.   http://www.comodo.co...on/data-recovery.php :

Comodo Time Machine (CTM) is a powerful system rollback utility that allows users to quickly restore their computers to an earlier point in time. CTM 'snapshots' are a complete record of your entire system (including the registry, critical operating system files and user created documents).

As others have mentioned, I also prefer imaging as a recovery solution so I haven't personally tested Comodo Time Machine. Early CTM reports were a bit sketchy with folks indicating that uninstalling CTM hosed their MBR. Now that the software has been out a while, hopefully any major issues have been resolved. You may want to check the Comodo forums to investigate any existing issues with this freeware.

Regards

233

Living Room / Re: Microsoft Security Patch Pushed Early

« Last post by sajman99 on August 06, 2010, 06:14 PM »

Hi, thanks for the info. Those folks who might still have an XP SP2 machine also have the option to install the Sophos Windows Shortcut Exploitation Tool.
http://www.sophos.co...protection-tool.html

Presumably this free tool will offer some measure of protection until the user can secure the machine with a fully patched SP3. This Sophos tool won't work on Windows 2000 however.

234

General Software Discussion / Re: Explorer replacement (like Total Commander, xplorer²) with Everything engine ?

« Last post by sajman99 on August 06, 2010, 02:29 PM »

Sorry to say, but I don't understand the question here. Could oxman (or somebody) please rephrase or elaborate on what is wanted.

Repeating the exact same phrase with emphasis did not help to clarify the issue. Thanks.

235

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the Best Movie Collection Organizer Program

« Last post by sajman99 on August 06, 2010, 02:12 PM »

Those who don't want or need an elaborate movie catalogue software should check out EMDB (aka Eric's Movie Database). EMDB is a small and efficient program which gets the job done without a lot of ballyhoo.

It uses IMDB for the source and has a clean and logical layout. I am aware EMDB will be too limited for some movie collectors, but I guess this is one instance where the KISS principle (ie. Keep It Simple, Stupid!) works for me.

236

Finished Programs / Re: IDEA: File/Folder Deleter Based on Text File

« Last post by sajman99 on August 04, 2010, 07:04 PM »

Deletist is mentioned today at ghacks.net so I had to come check it out.  http://www.ghacks.ne...e-folders-and-files/

Looks like a useful cleanup tool--thanks skwire for the cool app.

237

Living Room / Re: XP Hangs on Shut Down

« Last post by sajman99 on August 04, 2010, 01:38 PM »

Yep, good to hear. 

Seems you've had enough computer aggravation for a while.

238

General Software Discussion / Re: Media players

« Last post by sajman99 on August 04, 2010, 01:25 PM »

I formerly used Amarok (KDE) for music, but heck, I can create all kinds of playlists with VLC, and since VLC brings its own codecs with it, it's stupid-easy.

-zridling (July 26, 2010, 11:16 PM)

Agreed, it's pretty hard to beat VLC for ease of use.

Here's a cross-platform free music player called Clementine which is "inspired by Amarok". Clementine is only at version 0.4, but it does look interesting (ie. haven't tried it).

239

General Software Discussion / Re: Explorer replacement (like Total Commander, xplorer²) with Everything engine ?

« Last post by sajman99 on August 04, 2010, 12:42 PM »

Greetings oxman,

The good news for xplorer2 users is that you can easily edit the registry and use whatever search utility you want.

Here's what you'll need to do...   -navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ZabaraKatranemia Plc\xplorer2
                                                -find szExtFindFiles and modify the entry by inputting the Everything location.

In my case, I have C:\Program Files\Locate\Locate32.exe there because I sometimes do offline searches on an external HD. After this small registry edit you should be able to click on xplorer2's Find icon and launch Everything (or other preferred search tool). I just checked with Everything, and it works for me.

Regards.

240

General Software Discussion / Re: Best app ore method to restore a Win7 system? (not a disk image)

« Last post by sajman99 on August 03, 2010, 01:24 PM »

...on another forum people are telling me to quit bothering with packs altogether. ...

-MilesAhead (August 03, 2010, 11:40 AM)

Good advice IMO. No doubt I haven't delved into video to the extent you have, MilesAhead, but many of these codec packs offered as all-in-one cures can actually hurt a heckuva lot more than they help. If one problem gets solved while another develops, it just becomes a huge slippery slope (ie. royal pita). Not to mention all the add-on/toolbar crapola that we have to constantly watch for.

241

General Software Discussion / Re: ArtSee is now ArtSage

« Last post by sajman99 on August 02, 2010, 07:45 PM »

Hi PhilB66. The ArtSage author now characterizes his program as an "Art viewer and catalog". ArtSage can display (and "show on launch" if desired) thumbnails so it's currently a bit more like a conventional image viewer.

There are also several new menu options like the ability to set and view an archive folder, view desktop, etc. I'm sure there are other menu functions I haven't noticed yet.

Regards.

242

General Software Discussion / Re: What's the best software uninstaller tool?

« Last post by sajman99 on August 02, 2010, 02:47 PM »

Comodo has now gotten into the act with their free Comodo Programs Manager. In the last couple years it seems Comodo has a software for just about everything.

Currently it looks like the download is 8.27 MB; I haven't tried it and will probably resist the temptation. Revo and MyUninstaller have served me well, but curiosity may overwhelm at some point.

243

General Software Discussion / Re: WindowMenuPlus freeware

« Last post by sajman99 on August 02, 2010, 02:06 PM »

I use Moo Menus Right Clicker 

-CleverCat (July 28, 2010, 01:50 AM)

which is posted on Addictive Tips today btw.

I've seen these moo0 apps mentioned before but never bothered to check them out. Now I'll take a look--thanks folks.

244

General Software Discussion / ArtSee is now ArtSage

« Last post by sajman99 on August 02, 2010, 01:51 PM »

I just noticed my favorite slideshow app ArtSee has now become ArtSage. It's still a brilliant portable tool, and the author has added some features.

The only negative is that there are so many settings that it takes a while to get it configured just right (OK, I'm picky ). I prefer to see each image in all its fullscreen glory, and ArtSage will allow me to do that.

http://www.xworks.ca/artsage/index.html

ArtSage is freeware. If you like the program, please consider making a donation. Make a donation of any amount and receive ArtSage Pro, with an active catalog that supports shell operations (drag/drop, cut/copy/paste, shell menu) for file management.

Regards.

245

General Software Discussion / Re: Is QwikMark the smallest benchmark tool?

« Last post by sajman99 on August 02, 2010, 12:43 PM »

Yeah, that's really weird--the provided link works fine here with multiple browsers. No idea what the issue could be.

J-Mac, QwikMark is supposed to work with everything from Windows 95 through Windows 7 64 bit. I found this author's comment which indicates it even works on SSDs & USB flash drives.

On my three year old dual core system I'm getting: CPU FLOPS- 16 Gigaflops; Disk Transfer- 98MB/second.

I didn't feel too bad until I saw the Core 7 i920 4-core's 72 Gigaflops benchmark.  (mentioned in the Download Squad author's comment)

Regards.

246

General Software Discussion / Is QwikMark the smallest benchmark tool?

« Last post by sajman99 on July 26, 2010, 03:40 PM »

I found this little free and portable benchmark tool named QwikMark. If there are any benchmarkers smaller than this little sucker, I've not seen 'em.
http://www.vtaskstud...om/support.php#tools

Even though I have a reasonably decent computer, I like small (and hopefully portable) system tools like QwikMark. If you know of any, please post 'em.

247

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: BugBopper-5.00 USD Instead 19.00

« Last post by sajman99 on July 26, 2010, 03:08 PM »

After reading on their site, I now see that BugBopper is the product of two persons who have a history in the anti-malware industry.

While the $5.00 deal is good, I've just noticed on the Features page an even better deal--FREE. [hint: see very bottom of that page] However, PayPal won't accept a $0.00 transaction so the final cost is actually $1.00 for the one-year license.

248

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: BugBopper-5.00 USD Instead 19.00

« Last post by sajman99 on July 25, 2010, 02:15 PM »

Thanks for the info. So $5.00 for 365 days of bug bopping.   No trial with BugBopper but Wuzzup will perform a free scan without any removal of detected malware?

Well, it should be interesting to see how BugBopper compares to more well-known anti-malware tools. 

249

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 50% off SyncBackPro until July 28th

« Last post by sajman99 on July 25, 2010, 02:06 PM »

I would be interested to know if 2BrightSparks would respond to such an email and/or community forum inquiry. As a prospective customer, I am curious about the quality of 2BrightSparks' customer support. Anyone know?

-sajman99 (July 22, 2010, 02:59 PM)

It's been a long time since I've visited the 2BrightSparks forum, but back when I did the support there was fantastic and responsive.  I'd suggest a visit to make sure it's still at the same level (I have no reason to believe it's not)

-mwb1100 (July 22, 2010, 03:32 PM)

Thanks, I've only heard good things about SyncBack, but I figured someone might take the opportunity to mention any negatives. Evidently both the software and customer support are well above par.

250

General Software Discussion / Re: Karaoke software recommendations?

« Last post by sajman99 on July 25, 2010, 01:46 PM »

Perhaps these are worth checking out??

KaraFun and Karaoke Anything