Quickly change your DNS server with ChrisPC DNS Switch
Chris P.C. has announced the release of ChrisPC DNS Switch, an easy-to-use tool for updating your PC's DNS server.
The program comes with 34 DNS presets – OpenDNS, Google, Comodo, Norton, Yandex, DynDNS and more -- and you can update the settings for one or all of your network adapters in a couple of clicks.
Delete any locked or protected files with PowerTool
The Low-level PC monitoring utility PowerTool has been updated to version 1.6. This release has significantly enhanced the "force delete" option, allowing it to remove just about anything. Whether a file is locked by something, protected by Windows, malware, even antivirus software, it doesn’t seem to matter -- click File, right-click your file, select "Force Delete" and it'll disappear.
Whether it's really a good idea to delete protected or locked files is another matter, of course. Forcibly deleted files don't go to the Recycle Bin, either, so treat this option with extreme care.
Explore more than 3,500 puzzles with Jigsaw Puzzles Free
Jigsaw Puzzles Free looks at first much like any other jigsaw game. It presents you with a selection of images; these can be split into 9, 25 or 64 pieces; and you solve the puzzle by dragging and dropping matching pieces next to each other. No surprises there.
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find the program has some notable extra features to help it stand out from the crowd.
Malwarebytes releases first public beta of Anti-Malware 2
Malwarebytes has released the first public beta of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 2.00, the latest incarnation of its popular security tool.
The first change you’ll notice is the interface, which has been revamped for a more modern look. An opening "dashboard" displays your protection level, license details, database version, scan and real-time protection status. You can update the program or launch a scan with a click, while "Scan", "Settings" and "History" tabs provide more details and control.
LibreOffice improves document compatibility, Calc performance
The Document Foundation has announced LibreOffice 4.2, a major release with some significant updates.
The Microsoft Office and OOXML import and export filters have seen a host of improvements, greatly extending document compatibility. There’s new support for OOXML encryption and writing DOT files, while LibreOffice 4.2 also gains import filters for Apple Keynote and AbiWord ABW files.
Remotely monitor and manage your PCs with O&O Syspectr
O&O Software has released O&O Syspectr, a remote PC monitoring and management service.
Install the compact client on your target systems, and a browser-based console allows you to view running processes, installed software, Windows security issues (UAC turned off, missing antivirus software, a failing firewall), connected USB devices, basic hard drive details (space free/ used, S.M.A.R.T. status), and more.
Process Explorer 16 adds full VirusTotal integration
Windows Sysinternals has released Process Explorer 16, a major update which sees the popular system monitoring tool gain full VirusTotal integration.
If you spot a process which looks suspicious, you can now right-click it, and select "Check VirusTotal". Process Explorer then submits the file hash, displays the number of antivirus engines which detect it as a threat ("4/48"), and clicking that figure opens a browser window with the full report.
ChrisPC Anonymous Proxy introduces Pro version
ChrisPC has updated its popular privacy tool with the release of ChrisPC Anonymous Proxy 5.00, which sees the introduction of a paid-for Pro version.
The free build retains the same core functionality as in previous editions, quickly locating proxies from more 50 countries and changing your IP address with a click. An improved interface makes the program easier to use, while full Windows 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11 compatibility should ensure everything runs smoothly.
tinySpell checks spelling in any Windows application
Some applications can check your spelling as you type -- Firefox, Chrome, Outlook -- but the majority don’t. And that can be a problem, because even spelling champions make typos, just occasionally.
Run tinySpell, though, and this doesn’t have to be a problem. This free portable program runs in the background, monitoring everything you type, and brings simple spell checking to just about any Windows application.
Comodo Internet Security 7 beta adds web filtering, Viruscope
Comodo has announced the first betas of Comodo Internet Security 7, Comodo Antivirus 7 and Comodo Firewall 7.
Top of the "new features" list is the Viruscope, a monitoring layer which not only detects unwanted actions, but can also undo them. Comodo says this provides "more granular control over otherwise legitimate software", for example preventing programs from unnecessarily adding components to the Startup folder.
MediaCrush: an ad-free open source photo, music and video host
There are plenty of web services around to host your photos, music and video files, but most have a range of problems. In particular, they’ll surround your content with intrusive ads, slowing page load time and -- depending on their use of tracking -- perhaps compromising your privacy.
MediaCrush works a little differently. There are no ads. There’s no use of tracking, no records kept of how you use the service. You can even check this yourself, as MediaCrush is entirely open source.
AndrOpen Office brings OpenOffice to Android
If you need a mobile office suite then Kingsoft Office is a good place to start, and of course Google Drive is easy to use on any device. But if you’re looking for something more powerful, for offline editing, then you might be tempted by AndrOpen Office: it’s a complete fork of Apache OpenOffice, available on your Android device.
The suite has all the usual OpenOffice components: Writer (word processor), Calc (a spreadsheet), Impress (presentation graphics), Draw (a drawing tool), Math (equation editor) and Base (database).
Keep your PC awake with Caffeine
If your PC screensaver keeps activating at awkward times, or maybe your system goes to sleep when it shouldn’t, then it may be a good time to adjust your power options (press Win+R and launch powercfg.cpl).
If you only have this problem occasionally, though -- when giving a presentation, perhaps -- then Caffeine provides a quick and easy way to temporarily keep your system awake.
NirSoft unveils SimpleProgramDebugger
Nir Sofer has announced the release of SimpleProgramDebugger, a tiny portable debugger which runs on anything from Windows XP to 8.
The program can attach to a running process, or start a new process in debugging mode. There are no options to control or interrogate that process, but SimpleProgramDebugger will display its main debugging events: Load DLL, Unload DLL, Create Thread, Create Process, Exit Thread, Exit Process, Exception and Debug String.
ImDisk Toolkit adds dynamic RAM disks
Setting up a RAM disk can be a quick and easy way to speed up some programs, but it also has a very obvious down side. Any RAM you allocate to a virtual drive is no longer available to Windows and the rest of your system, which may reduce performance in other situations.
While this kind of trade-off sounds inevitable, the latest ImDisk Toolkit shows it doesn’t have to be that way. New dynamic memory management support means that RAM disks will only consume the memory they actually need. If you’ve a 512MB RAM disk with 10MB of files, say, then memory consumption will be only a fraction above 10MB: the remaining 500MB will be available for other applications.
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