PortScan sniffs out network activity
If you ever help others out with their PC problems then you’ll know that network issues can be particularly troublesome. And just getting started, finding out exactly what might be connected to the system you’re looking at, can take quite some time.
Having a network scanner to hand can greatly simplify the troubleshooting process, though, by carrying out most of the low-level inventory checks on its own. And PortScan is a great example of this tool type.
Ashampoo Burning Studio 12 supports 128GB BDXL discs
Ashampoo has announced the availability of Burning Studio 12, its flagship disc burning suite. And top-of-the-new features list this time is probably the program’s improved ability to handle larger burning jobs.
Support for 100GB and 128GB BDXL discs means you’re able to write much more data to an individual disc, for instance, and if there’s still too much data then the new Disc Spanning feature will automatically spread the job over as many discs as is required.
WinLock password-protects and hides applications
If you’re working on some confidential document and need to leave your PC for a while, then locking the system is one way to maintain your privacy. Hold down the Windows key, press L, and only someone who knows your user account password will be able to restore access to the computer.
When you’re working on a shared computer which that need to regularly use, though, this may not seem like such a good idea. What you really need is a tool like WinLock, which can password-protect and hide any application window, yet leaves the rest of the computer freely available for everybody who needs it.
Internet Explorer 10 Release Preview is available for Windows 7 -- get it NOW!
Microsoft has announced the availability of Internet Explorer 10 as a Release Preview edition, in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors, for Windows 7. (And yes, only Windows 7 users with SP1 installed need apply. Windows Vista and XP are left out of this one.) Changes are mostly under the hood, but the upgrade does deliver some major performance improvements which you may like to try.
In our first tests, the new Release Preview installed much like any other Windows update. It downloads a few files, and whirs for a while before demanding a reboot. Which takes a little longer than usual as various core files are replaced.
FlicFlac reduces audio conversion to the click of a button
Converting audio files from one format to another can sometimes feel like rather a complicated process, where you need to browse device profiles and codecs, bit rates, encoding methods, sample rates and more. If you’re more interested in simplicity, though, you might prefer FlicFlac, which reduces most conversion processes to the click of a button and a quick drag and drop.
The program is portable, for instance, so easy to use anywhere. Just download the 896KB archive and unzip it where required. Next, choose your preferred output by clicking one of five buttons: FLAC, WAV, MP3, OGG or APE.
WebMon checks webpage updates, so you don't have to
Endlessly revisiting a particular website as you wait for updates has to be one of the more tedious ways to spend your time online. And so, if you really want to know when your favorite sites have something new to offer, it’s generally a better idea to look for news on their Twitter account or RSS feed.
If your target sites don’t have either, though, you might benefit from WebMon, a tiny, free Windows tool that checks the webpages you specify and lets you know whenever they’ve been changed.
Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit beta is a smooth operator
Malwarebytes Corporation has made available the first public beta of a new Anti-Rootkit tool, which aims to provide a quick and easy way to detect and remove the stealthy malware from your PC. And as you’d expect from Malwarebytes, the program seems very straightforward and simple to use.
The beta is portable, of course, so there’s no installation required. Unzip the download, run MBAR.EXE and it’s ready to go immediately.
PC boots too slow? Try Startup Master
Every time Windows launches on the typical PC it also fires off a host of other programs, extending boot time, gobbling up system resources and generally slowing you down.
If you’re looking to optimize your computer’s performance, paying close attention to those startup programs is a very good place to begin. And Startup Master is one of many tools that can help.
If Windows 8 Modern UI isn't your thing, try StartOnDesktop
Launch Windows 8 and the first change you’ll notice is that it boots to the new Start screen, rather than the desktop. And, perhaps more annoyingly if you prefer the more traditional environment, there’s no standard option to change this.
A single click on the Desktop tile is all it takes to switch manually, of course, so this isn’t the biggest of hassles. But if you’d rather set up your system precisely as you like, and boot directly to the desktop, then StartOnDesktop is perhaps the quickest and easiest solution around.
Folder2Iso turns folder trees into ISOs
ISO images are a popular way to distribute software, and Windows has become much better at handling them in recent years. Windows 7 added the ability to burn ISO images to disc, for instance, while Windows 8 is able to mount them as virtual drives.
Creating ISO images in the first place remains a little more challenging, of course, but if that’s something you need to do (even only occasionally) then there are some very simple solutions around. And few are quite as straightforward as Folder2Iso.
Use FSS Google Books to download titles for offline reading
Google Books is great at helping you find interesting reads, and makes it easy to view them online from just about any device. The service isn’t quite as versatile when it comes to letting you download local copies in a format of your choice, unfortunately, but that’s where FSS Google Books Downloader comes in.
The idea is that you start on the Google Books site, as normal, browsing and using the search tool until you find something you like. When you reach a Preview button, click it, wait for the first page to appear, and copy that URL to your clipboard.
Toolbar Cleaner reclaims your browser from unwanted add-ons
From full commercial applications to simple freeware tools, it’s surprising just how many setup programs will now try to install unwanted browser addons on your PC. And too many of these can slow your system down, make it less stable, maybe even compromise your privacy.
The deceptive techniques used by some software means these “extras” can be difficult to avoid, too. But fortunately help is at hand in the shape of the free Toolbar Cleaner, which can assist you in reviewing and taking control of your IE, Firefox and Chrome addons.
Want to develop your own 3D RTS Game? Try Spring
If you’re the creative type then the idea of designing your own games can seem appealing. For a moment or two, anyway, until you began to think about exactly how many technical challenges you’d need to overcome in order to make this dream a reality.
You don’t have to handle everything on your own, though. Spring is a capable, versatile and open-source 3D RTS engine that can take care of many of the low-level gaming tasks, leaving you to get on with the more important design decisions.
LopeEdit Lite is an excellent Notepad replacement
Go searching online for a text editor with a little more power than Notepad and you’ll quickly come across a host of programmer-oriented tools. And if you’re not a developer then all the talk of “code templates” and “syntax highlighting” may persuade you that these will be overkill, irrelevant to your needs, and so leave you to carry on your search elsewhere.
In reality, though, programmer’s editors don’t necessarily have to be such specialist tools. LopeEdit Lite, for instance, is an excellent Notepad replacement which isn’t just for developers: anyone could benefit from its many and varied abilities.
Google releases Chrome 23 -- get it NOW!
Google has announced the release of Chrome 23 to the stable channel, and it’s an interesting update, with some welcome developments.
New support for GPU-accelerated video decoding will reduce the load on your system’s CPU, for instance. And as GPU’s use less power than your primary processor, this can notably extend your battery life (Google’s own testing suggests you could see up to a 25-percent improvement).
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