GParted - Partition Software for 64 bit OS

On my last post I mentioned about EASEUS partition master for 32 bit operating system but you have a 64 bit and don’t want to pay for the full version what are you suppose to do? Simple, use GParted. If you are familiar with UNIX than this should be no brainer but if you are strictly Windows person, just down load the live on CD or USB. Once CD or USB is ready for use, reboot your system and make sure boot is set to CD or USB once that is done you’ll get a screen with menu and pretty simple to use.

Excerpt from http://gparted.sourceforge.net/index.php:
The GParted application is the GNOME partition editor for creating, reorganizing, and deleting disk partitions.

A disk device can be subdivided into one or more partitions. The GParted application enables you to change the partition organization on a disk device while preserving the contents of the partitions.

With GParted you can accomplish the following tasks:
• Create a partition table on a disk device.
• Enable and disable partition flags such as boot and hidden.
• Perform actions with partitions such as:
o create or delete
o resize or move
o check
o label
o copy and paste
I’m sure VISTA and Windows 7 users are saying that VISTA and Windows 7 has partition program build into the operating system, which I am aware of but it is very limited. Try it and leave me a feedback, thanks.

EASEUS Partition Master - Disk Partition

Did you know that one of the best way to safeguard data is to partition the hard drive. If you are using just one drive without partition (c drive), guess what is going to happen when your drive gets corrupted or infected. You’ll probably have to reformat the whole drive, losing all your data. The solution it to make two partition, c and d drive. Load your operating system and programs on c drive and data on your other partition drive, so if your c drive gets corrupted or infected, all you need to do is re-format c drive and your data will be safe. Best thing to do is make an image of your c drive, check out my blog on Macrium Reflect – Disk Imager. The big question is does it cost money, nope. EASEUS Partition Master Home edition is free for home use and does everything you need, except incremental imaging and does not support 64 bits OS. If you need incremental imaging capability and running 64 bit OS than buy the professional edition or ask us for advice.

By the way, this software support Windows 7.

Excerpt http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm

Overview:

-FREE FOR HOME USERS ONLY!
-Extend system partition to maximize computer performance.
-Main features for better managing hard disk and maximizing computer performance.
-Copy wizard to backup all data or copy entire hard disk to another without Windows reinstallation.
-Usability features allow you to operate directly on the disk map with the drag-and-drop and preview the changes.

Secunia PSI - Software Updater

Have you heard of government and commercial company using those expensive vulnerability scanner and patching systems to ensure all their programs are kept up with current patch (system and security), if you have how about getting something like that for free for your home computer. There is a company called Secunia that offer a free home use and does a good job. Or if you prefer you can do it online by going to http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/ and click start scanner. I would prefer the software because it'll be faster and convenient. Remember, hackers look for vulnerability in program to attack you, so check it out.

Excerpt from http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

The Secunia Online Software Inspector, or short OSI, is a fast way to scan your PC for the most common programs and vulnerabilities, thus checking if your PC has a minimum security baseline against known patched vulnerabilities.
Use the Secunia OSI to get a feel for the Secunia Software Inspector technology, then upgrade to the Secunia PSI or CSI, which covers practically all programs on your PC, whereas the OSI checks less than 100 programs.

Feature Overview:

-Detects insecure versions of common/popular programs installed on your PC
-Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied
-Assists you in updating, patching, and protecting your PC
-Activates additional security features in Sun Java

Lotus Symphony - Another Office Suite

You can't afford to buy Microsoft Office suite and don't trust open source Open Office than how about IBM Lotus Symphony. Made by well known company, IBM, and it is free. If you are old as I am, you probably heard of Lotus office suite, it was actually out before Microsoft Office. Lotus is not as attractive as Microsoft Office but it does its job very well and it is compatible with Microsoft Office. So, another free choice for office product for your kids and home use, don't you just love these free stuff.

Excerpt from http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/help.nsf/ReleaseNotes#latest

What's New in Symphony 1.3?

Functional enhancements:
Enabled Microsoft® Office 2007 files import support.
Significant enhancements in DataPilot in spreadsheets, including show/hide field items panel, drill down to details, DataPilot cache support, and default styles.
Numbering enhancement in documents to improve interoperability with Microsoft Word.
Enabled Microsoft Office and IBM Lotus SmartSuite® password protection support for spreadsheets.
Enabled network URI access and hyperlink support that allows you to create network connection hyperlinks for URI protocols including FTP, MailTo, and SMB.
Enabled envelope support which allows you to create an envelope, set envelope properties, and set printing options.
Enabled Widgets Catalog server support.
Improved print performance.
Enabled Sumproduct's ForceArray formula support in spreadsheets.
Significant start-up performance improvement on Mac OS X.

CCleaner - Privacy Cleaning Tool

Have you ever wonder what files are left on your computer after going through some web sites and doing some work on your computer? I was curious too, so I ran a security scan on my system and what a surprise. The scan picked up login ID and password to some of my web sites I visited and password to some of my locked files. I had an open safe for anybody to use, kind of scary, so I decided to use CCleaner, to make myself clean.

This program works wonder but make sure you setup the configuration file according to what you want to clean. The developer website is full of support and help, so check it out.

Excerpt from http://www.ccleaner.com/

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

Macrium Reflect - Disk Imager

Who makes image of their hard drive as a back up? I do and it has saved me many hours of labor in reinstalling software. Whenever my computer acts weird because of some type of malicious activity, all I do is re-format and re-image my hard drive all within 30 minutes. Of course, I do have to re-load some of the latest FREE software not on the image on the computer when I make an updated clean image.

This method has saved me hours of labor and saved many important files and data when my computer crashed. Some people say, constant imaging of hard drive will shorten the life of a hard drive and my answer is, “really”. I agree it will shorten the life but nowadays hard drive is pretty cheap and so far one of my hard drive is still going strong after 5 yrs of use. The real questions we need to ask ourselves are how much is the files and data worth to us and labor time. You may agree or disagree with me but for your own sake just download the FREE software and make one back up image and save it on your external drive or on a different partition on your current drive. One image won’t kill your hard drive and down the road you’ll thank me.

Anyway, enough preaching and back to disk image FREE software. I found pretty neat software called Macrium Reflect that does disk imaging pretty well. This software, I was told, use to be not free a year ago but the company decided to make it free. They do have a paid version that does lot more, such as incremental imaging but from my experience the FREE version is all you need.

Excerpt from http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

Absolutely free! No strings! The only free XP and Vista compatible disk imaging software with BartPE and Linux based recovery options.
-Create a disk image whilst running Windows using Microsoft Volume Shadow copy Service (VSS). -Image to Network, USB, FireWire drives and DVD. -Built in scheduler. -32 bit and native 64 bit versions. -Industry leading compression levels and speed. -Linux based Rescue CD with Network access and full GUI. Only 6.5MB in size! -Built in CD/DVD packet writing engine. -Supports packet writing to DVD DL media with Windows Vista. -HTML log files.
Try it and let us know how you like it.

Returnil – Virtual System

Virtual systems, sounds pretty high tech, but have no fear it is almost same as loading another operating system on your computer. Here is a link to a definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine#Definitions. Please don’t ask me to explain it, because I’m confused too.

Why do I need it? Virtual system is for people who want to have multiple operating systems on one computer. Also, virtual system is good to test software and scripts without worrying about infecting your computer. So, does a normal person need it? Depend, for example, let say you want to learn UNIX but don’t want to buy another computer for it, so what do you do? Load it on your virtual system and save your money.

Another example; are you worry about getting your computer infected by virus, worm, and etc by your spouse or kid? Setup a virtual system for their use, that way all the bad stuff they download will be contained in the virtual environment, which comes to today NO COST software highlight – Returnnil Virtual System 2010.

I have not used it yet, but I’m planning too sometime this weekend. This software is good for people who worry about their computer getting compromised by bad people in the Internet. The only draw back about this software is that once you start using it, you’ll probably end up paying for the paid version because of the capability such as moving files. For the free version, you cannot move anything out of the virtual environment, which is good for your dangerous spouse and kids but can get very cumbersome. As we know, when company offer free version there is always a catch and I think in this gimmick, they give you a really good software to use for free and once you become a daily user, you’ll encounter frustration that only the paid version has the answer.

Excerpt from http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/rvs-home-free

RVS 2010 Home Free is a completely new product that uses a combination of antivirus, antimalware and a virtual system to protect your computer from all types of viruses and other malicious threats.

RVS 2010 uses an advanced anti-malware and virtualization technology. It clones (copies) your operating system and creates a virtual environment for your PC. Instead of loading the native operating system, a clone is loaded that allows you to run your applications and perform your online activities in an entirely isolated environment. In this manner, your actual operating system is never affected by viruses, Trojans, malware and other malicious threats. To return to the actual operating system environment, you just need to restart your PC. While working in the virtual environment, you have the option of saving documents and files so that your data will not be lost when the system is restarted.

Google Voice - IP Phone

Did you hear the news? Google is taking over the World, just kidding but looks like in the communication industry side they are inching their way to glory. First, their web browser that gave us a new set of eyes into the Internet world, and then came the Android phone and now IP phone called Google Voice.

To sign up you have to be invited, go to www.google.com/voice . I signed up couple of days ago and received my invitation yesterday. When I got the email, I was excited and immediately went onto signing up for the FREE (No cost for calls within USA) Service and phone number, except for International calls.

I went through whole bunch of phone number and pick the number I liked and set up call forwarding to my cell and home phone. I called my new number and set up greeting for my voice mail. Once done, I did some test by calling the number and as expected of Google, worked fine. I made some call via Google Voice webpage (only way to make call, I think) and worked great. Now that I had satisfied my curiosity of this new FREES Internet service, what am I going to use this for, hmmmmmm. I guess it would be great for business people or people who travel a lot that don’t want to rack up minutes on their cell phone. I wonder a normal guy like me need one, I have a landline home phone and a cell phone with family plan that I can’t even use half of the minutes I’m allocated. I can’t really come out with a good reason for it, so please help me convince myself why I need Google Voice. Here is an article about Google Voice usability but I don’t agree with some of the use. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/14/google-voices-secret-weapon-number-portability/#comment-3051911

Happy Holloween!

AxCrypt

Now, after reading the blog on Encrypt 4 All, we should feel little better about protecting our data and hope you are using it right now. But one thing that concerns me was email or portability (thumb drive). I remember couple of weeks ago I emailed a document in MS Words that had some financial information to my private email. If somebody had intercepted my email the document would be in a plaintext format, which means it can be read. Yes, I know you can use Encrypt 4 All to encrypt files but if you email it to somebody or some other computer, you have to have Encrypt 4 All loaded on the computer. Loading it is not a major issue but if you don’t have administrative right, it will be an issue, like your office computer. Also, some people don’t like other people loading software on their computer without their approval. So, what do you do simply use AxCrypt.

AxCrypt is interesting software and it really works. You have the option to encrypt and decrypt using the AxCrypt program or encrypt with decryption build into the encrypted file. Huh? What it does is, it encrypt the file and add in a very small decryption program into the file, so your file size will be little bigger. End product will be file name with exe (executable) extension. You can email it or carry it in your thumb drive and when you need the file, just double click and type in your password. I heard you, your email won’t allow .exe file to go through. Easy fix, change the extension to .txt or whatever you like and try it again. Oh, before you double click on the file, change the extension back to .exe.

I see somebody raised their hand, and your question? My MS Word document can encrypt and password protect so why do I need this program. Good question, and if that is all you need it for than I agree with you but I think for some people they probably want it to encrypt their other files such as media files and non-Microsoft files. Try it out and if you don’t like it don’t worry about it, it is FREE. Donation is accepted.

Excerpt from http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/

AxCrypt is the leading open source file encryption software for Windows. It integrates seamlessly with Windows to compress, encrypt, decrypt, store, send and work with individual files.

Features
Right-click integration with Windows Explorer makes AxCrypt the easiest way to encrypt individual files in Windows.
Double-click integration makes it as easy to open, edit and save encrypted files as it is to work with unencrypted files.
Many additional features, but no configuration required, just install it and use it.
AxCrypt encrypts files that are safely and easily sent to other users via e-mail or any other means. Self-decrypting files are also supported, removing the need to install AxCrypt to decrypt.
AxCrypt is translated into English, Danish, Swedish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Spanish, French, Italian and Norwegian so chances are it speaks your preferred language.

Encrypt 4 All

Couple of blog entries ago, I mentioned a FREE software called Keepass that encrypt information to protect against unauthorized access. For couple of days I been loading data (login/password, bank account, SS#, etc) and felt that I was going to be really secured from my family and those bad people (hacker) in the Internet trying to get into my computer, than I realized I had sensitive information all over my hard drive. I had scanned copy of my bank statement, broker document, scanned copy of my passport, and etc. I was pretty much an open book for anybody to read about me and felt really stupid. I been preaching to people about securing their personal data and I’m the biggest culprit.

I’m wondering how many people out there have their personal data sitting on their hard drive without any protection. To solve this embarrassing problem, I was thinking what can I do to protect my data while it is on my computer? Keepass does not protect files or folder, so I went on a search and found the solution – Encrypt 4 All.

Encrypt 4 All is an encryption program that can encrypt individual files and protect folder with password that also, disguise it with other computer icon. I’m currently using it to protect my sensitive data and feel much safer now from those prying eyes. To decrypt files, you have to have Encrypt 4 All software loaded on the system. Also, if you have Windows 7, you have to run it under Windows XP, until Encrypt 4 All comes out with Windows 7 version. If you need help on how to run Windows XP on Windows 7 leave comment.

Excerpt from http://www.encrypt4all.com/

Encrypt4all features
- The program is freeware.
- The program is easy to use.
- Unlike most similar applications, Encrypt4all implements a real bit-per- bit data encryption.
- Many ways to protect your private documents.
- Ability to encrypt any type of file (text, sounds, videos, etc...).
- Ability to put all of your important files in one encrypted archive.
- Ability to set password for encrypted archive.
- Encrypted archive cannot be open without its password (even if moved to another pc).
- Is a powerful tool to encrypt strings files.
- Ability to encrypt files larger than 2 gigabyte.
- Ability to lock folders.
- Ability to set password for locked folders.
- Locked folders cannot be open in other PCs.
- Folder protection just takes one second.
- Ability to use multi-level protection for locked folders.
- Ability to hide files and folders.
- Ability to create global protected folder in every drive that you can copy/move your private documents to it.
- No one can open your global protected folders without master password of program.
- Program support themes.
- FREE Theme Maker program that you can create themes for Encrypt4all and share it with your friends.
- The program works on (win9x, win2000, winxp, win2003, win vista) 32-bit and 64-bit versions of operating systems.
- Any type of physical media may be used to store and access the data on encrypted archives.
- It integrates nicely with Windows Explorer.
- Program is password protected.
- You can use program in your home or your business.

IObit Security 360 Pro – Free Limited Time Offer – end Nov 11, 2009

IObit.com is offering a free 1 year license for their security program. I have not used it before so I can’t really comment about it. If anybody out there used this product please send us a comment.



Excerpt from http://db.iobit.com/license-free/win7-special-offer.php

IObit Security 360 PRO is an advanced malware & spyware removal utility that detects, removes the deepest infections, and protects your PC from various of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, bots, worms, and hijackers. With the unique "Dual-Core" engine and the heuristic malware detection, IObit Security 360 PRO detects the most complex and deepest spyware and malware in a very fast and efficient way. IObit Security 360 PRO has a real-time malware protection and frequent automatic updating for prevention of zero-day security threats. IObit Security 360 PRO can work with your Antivirus for a superior PC security.

WinX DVD Author - FREE for Limited Time

Hurry, you'll have it till 12:00am GMT Nov 1st to download this free offer. The software goes for $29.95 and for some reason they are giving it away for free. I'm sure for some type of advertising gimmick but who care long as we can get it for free. If you missed this opportunity, check back for more, that is if I can find more :)
Excerpt from http://www.winxdvd.com/specialoffer/oct09.htm

WinX DVD Author is powerful DVD movie creator and DVD burning software to make DVD from various video formats, like AVI, MOV, MPEG, WMV, FLV, etc. With this DVD authoring software, it is easy and fast to create your stylish DVD by making DVD menu, clipping video segment, adding subtitles. Download WinX DVD Author for free and convert your favorite videos to DVD.

This software will be great for putting together my kids avi videos I have taken for several years.

DVDShrink - CD/DVD Backup

I am getting tired of my kid destroying their DVDs that I bought for them and have to buy a replacement. While back, I bought a set of kid DVDs (5 DVDs), two got destroy because my son kept on rubbing the video side on the floor, scratching it with his finger nails, and other act of destruction. What am I going to do; well my light bulk went on and told me why I don’t make a back up copy, so if the original gets destroy I can burn the backup copy onto a blank DVD. What a relief, no more wasting my money and no stress on what my kids do with their DVDs. Just to warn you some retail DVD does not allow you to make backup copy, so follow the law. If you plan to buy a DVD cloner, they run for $20 plus, but why spend your hard earn money for something you can get it for FREE, or if you feel guilty donate a $1 to the developer. I recently downloaded DVDShrink and it is very easy to use in making ISO file or TS_VIDEO, which is the file you need to burn it to a blank DVD. If you don’t have a burner, go see my entry on free CD/DVD burner. The site I provided has instruction and information about DVDShrink. The site does not have the download link but you can get it from here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_shrink.cfm

Exceprt from http://www.dvdshrink.org/why_en.php

Why do I need DVDShrink?

Most DVDs are designed to prevent you from making copies.

The first preventative measure is encryption. Commercial DVD titles are often encrypted, which prevents you from either copying them to your hard drive, or if you manage to do so, being able to play the resulting files. DVDShrink overcomes this problem with built-in decryption algorithms.

The next problem is not so easy. Most DVD video titles are simply too large to fit, without modification, onto a single recordable DVD-R disk. DVDShrink overcomes this problem by compressing or "shrinking" the data from your original DVD.

DVDShrink also allows you to re-author your DVD. You can make your own compilation from one or more source DVDs, or select only the parts of a DVD which you intend to view, thus preserving more space on your backup for the highest quality viewing.

Last but not least, why use DVD Shrink? Because DVDShrink is free!

DynDNS - Free Dynamic DNS Service

Do you have an IP camera at home? How do you access the camera from other location (outside of your home)? Oh, you have static IP, lucky you. Most of the people have dynamic IP from the Internet service provider like Road Runner, which mean at determined hours or days the IP will change. For my house it seems to change every 5-7 days. So, what does this have to do with IP camera? A lot; what is the point of having an IP camera, if you can't access it wherever you are with Internet connection. If you have static IP, yes there is no issue, but it comes with higher monthly cost for leasing the static IP. For the rest of us, we have DynDNS option. The only drawback about DynDNS is that you have to download a small program from DynDNS that update your IP with DNS name you choose, so it means that you have to have one of your computer on all the time to update the DNS.

Anyway, to explain DynDNS, it is a FREE service provided by DynDNS, of course there are paid services too. The only thing you need to do is go to their site and register and select a DNS name and select the extension DynDNS offer. I believe you can get up to five DNS name. Once that is done, and the software is running on your computer, it will update your IP with the DNS name so that all you need to do is type in the URL from anywhere you have an Internet connection and should be able to connect to your IP camera (You may need to do some router configuration, if a router is used at home). I use this service whenever I go on vacation or business trip to monitor my house. You may feel uncomfortable about leaving your computer on but most of the time I'm betting you leave your computer on, of course there are those people who shut down there computer every time they are done using it. I use to be like that, thinking it will save electricity but I didn’t notice a change, unless you have a powerhouse computer constantly processing files like a server. This is just an example and I'm sure there are many different ways to use this service, especially if you are running a server at home. All instruction is provided on the website and for your home router, information should be with your router instruction. Have fun.

Excerpt from http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/

Dynamic DNS Free (DDNS) allows you to create a hostname that points to your home or office IP address, providing an easy-to-remember URL for quick access. We also provide an update mechanism which makes the hostname work with your dynamic IP address. We continue to offer this service free to the Internet community as we have done so for nearly 10 years.

Capabilities and Features
•Get five (5) hostnames in 88 available domains for free.
•Forward web requests or mark host offline for maintenance or downtime.
•Configure MX records for flexible mail routing.
•Update host using ddns update clients for a wide variety of platforms.
•Modify DNS TTL values for fast propagation or reliable static IP caching.
•Deliver your DNS records to 5 DNS servers in 5 tier-1 datacenters around the globe.
•Query volume up to 648,000 queries/month

Keepass - Encrypted Password Manager

Are you good at remembering passwords or are you like me and have to write it down someplace because I know I'm going to forget it. If you are good at remembering password, how about remembering several passwords for multiple websites, accounts, and etc? That can be a challenge and why use up your brain cell for those tasks rather than to write it down on a secured and encrypted vault. All you need to remember is one user name and password to open the vault to access your information. Sounds like a winner? No? You say, I jot down all my userid and password on a piece of paper and carry it in my wallet for safe keeping. If you are doing that than you are a high risk because there is a high chance of loosing your wallet, or your piece of paper could fall out by accident, or you could actually leave that piece of paper on a desk after using it. For me that is too much risk for me to handle. Wait a minute, I see somebody yelling at me saying he has a better method. So, what is it? I jot my password on MS Word or MS Excel and password protect it. Sounds better than the wallet practice, but I hope you know that there are password crackers for MS Word and MS Excel files. But, if you insist on using MS Word or Excel, use a strong password and select one of the encryption listed on the advance tool. Bottom line, encryption doesn't matter if you have weak password.

Anyway, why am I writing this? I’m hoping to bring awareness and to introduce you to a FREE software called Keepass. I just started using this great software to manage all my userids and passwords for all my websites and accounts and works great. I still have not figure out all the capabilities but from what I know it is a lazy man wish come true. For example, you create an entry with web site url, userid amd password. Right clicks entry and click “url” and select “open in browser”, which opens up the webpage. Again right click entry and click on “perform auto type”, which automatically fill in the userid and password and enters into the secured website. Good thing about the auto type is that if your computer gets compromised with a keylogger (record all your key strokes) it won't record your userid and password because there are no keystrokes (If I'm off on this please correct me). Keepass is very configurable and I’m sure there is a way to just click the entry and it automatically opens the web site and fills in the userid and password. For now, I’m satisfied with its capability and don’t have to spend $20 plus on a secured password manager.

I was actually planning on buying an encrypted wallet for keeping track of accounts, websites, family information (passport, SS#, and etc) but figure I do a search for a FREE software product. I tried couple of them and Keepass seems to be the best one for me. Try it and see if it meets your requirement and save money, of course the developer always welcome donation.

Excerpt from http://keepass.info/

What is KeePass?
Today you need to remember many passwords. You need a password for the Windows network logon, your e-mail account, your homepage's FTP password, online passwords (like website member account), etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. Also, you should use different passwords for each account. Because if you use only one password everywhere and someone gets this password you have a problem... A serious problem. The thief would have access to your e-mail account, homepage, etc. Unimaginable.

KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES and Twofish). For more information, see the features page.


Is it really free?
Yes, KeePass is really free, and more than that: it is open source (OSI certified). You can have a look at its full source and check whether the encryption algorithms are implemented correctly.

Security Tools

I am sure some people will be asking why I don't have security tools on the blog and the reason is that there are so many tools out there it would be a full time job to jot it all down on the blog. So, what I did was find a site that list lots of the tools and I'm sure there are many more great sites out there but the one I found covered lots of the security tools. The only problem with the site is, it is hard to read because the site owner has his background in black and it kind of mask the letters. To me the site is pretty good as it list by operating systems.

PS. I sent an email to the website owner to look into his background color.

OWASP - Application Security

If you are interested in application security or thinking about venturing into application security career check out OWASP. All information (downloadable) are free and they have great training. If you are serious about application security career, make sure you have some programming skill.

Truecrypt - Encryption

This FREE encryption program is great for protecting your data against anybody that desire your data in your computer, external hard drive, or thumb drive. You say, why do I need this? Let say you have a personal laptop with all your private information and you lose it in a taxi, airport, and etc, I wonder what will happen to your information. You say, your laptop is password protected, great, it'll take an amateur couple of minute to break it. But you say, how safe is Truecrypt in protecting my data? Truecrypt encryption algorithms runs on AES-256, Sepent, and Twofish, which are used by the military and government agencies.

Another scenario, you bought a 8 GB thumb drive and loaded with whole bunch of porn or other embarrassing pictures and video and guess who found it on the living room floor, your mom or wife. To be fair to the guys, your dad or husband. Now, if it was encrypted, no worry and this would work on desktop computer too. But you say, how am I going to use my thumb drive or external hard drive on a different computer such as office, friends home, and etc? Great question, the answer is portable mode, which mean you carry the program with you on the thumb drive or external hard drive.
I been using Truecrypt (portable mode) for my thumb drives for several months, carrying family personal information. I feel confident that if I loose my thumb drive, I won't have to worry about my data falling into the wrong people.

Excerpt from http://www.truecrypt.org/

Main Features:

-Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
-Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
-Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
-Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
-Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive was not encrypted.
-Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password: Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.
-Encryption algorithms: AES-256, Serpent, and Twofish. Mode of operation: XTS.

On the site it says it support Windows XP and VISTA and no mentioning of Windows 7. I have tried it on Windows 7 and it works fine. Don't pay $20-$100 on thumb drives that comes with encryption when you can get it for FREE. Also, if you use VISTA and Windows 7, it come with encryption program called Bitlocker and I believe it is only provided on Professional and Ultima versions (please correct me if I'm wrong). I have Windows 7 Ultima and it will encrypt internal and external hard drives and thumb drive. I have not used it so I can't really talk about it; maybe somebody out there can shed some light on the bitlocker capability.

Windows SkyDrive - Remote Storage

How many people wanted a place to store their files, pictures, videos, and etc. and get to it wherever they are with Internet connection? I hear several voice saying me me me me...but don't want to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription fee. I know there are lots of off site storage service that charge you very small monetary fee but with time it does add up. Looks like Microsoft heard your voice and came up with Windows Live SkyDrive. SkyDrive provide up to FREE 25 GB of online storage and all you need is an account with Windows Live. If you already have a hotmail account, you can access it right now. I been using it since it became available to the public and it has been great. You can set up folders for private, public, and for invited people, which has a potential for lots of use. I usually use it for family pictures and let certain people around the world to view it. But if invited person don't have hotmail or Windows Live account what then? Don't worry, you can send invite with link to people to view your folder without account. For more information on SkyDrive see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live_SkyDrive.

With all these FREE software and services I wonder how much money you saved, hmmmm.

CDBurnerXP - CD/DVD Burner

I came across this program when I was trying to burn a CD (or was it a DVD), on my computer and realized that my paid-for burner did not work on Windows 7. So, I was contemplating if I should pay for an upgrade but decided to check the Internat and see what was out there for FREE. My hope wasn't too high because I never heard or seen a free burner but to my surprise there were few out there. I tried couple of them and decided on CDBurnerXP because it worked best. Don't let the XP confuse you because this burner works on Windows XP, VISTA, and 7. I loaded it on my Windows 7 computer and did its job, now I wonder why I paid money for a CD/DVD burner when there are FREE good burners. Also, CDBurnerXP burns Blu-Ray and HD-DVD too, of course you have to have the proper writeable ROM.

I was wondering if you have noticed lots of the FREE software website ends with .se, which represent Sweden. I must admit, Sweden must have lots of peple who believe in FREE software, which is great for people like us, trying to save money wherever we can, thanks Sweden.

VLC Media Player

We all watch movies on our computer and sometime it won't play because our player does not have the right codec, so you go to the player's website that you bought for $20 plus and find out you have to pay additional dollars to get the codec. So, you decide to do your own Internet search for free codec but not sure if it will work with your player and worse of all it might be contaminated with malware (virus, rootkit, worm, and etc). Does this sounds like you? It was for me, and was it worth all the time and fustration to watch a movie on a player you pay money, probably yes if the movie you want to watch is worth the trouble but for most people probably not.

I solved this fustrating problem when a co-worker told me about VLC player several years ago that was free. Being free, I didn't think too much about it because I didn't have too much faith in a free player because my experience with free player was pretty disappointing. Anyway, I came upon a video files I couldn't play with all my different free and paid-for players, so I tried VLC and that is the only player I been using up to this date.

VLC plays all video files and has great sounds; try it and judge it, besides it is FREE.

OpenOffice Suite

Do you need word processor but didn't want to pay $100 plus for Microsoft Office suite than OpenOffice is your answer. But you say, your other computer has MS Office and want the flexibility to read your word document and you shall have that flexibility. OpenOffice can read MS Office suite files (Word, Powerpoint, and Excel) but not 100% sure if OpenOffice can save in MS Office format. I read in a forum that if the SAVE AS drop down does not have a choice than manually type in the extension .doc, xle, and ppt. For example free.doc, free.xls, and free.ppt.

For detail review of OpenOffice check out http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=420358

I never used OpenOffice but talked with few people who are currently using it and are happy with it. In my opinion, if you are going to use it for home and school, it should be fine but to use for work might create some problem as almost everybody is using MS Office and as you make more and more configuration change for your files might create some import/export problem from MS Office.

So, next time when your kid tell you they need MS Office to do their school work or you needing a word processor for home use, think about OpenOffice, which is free and gets the job done. I know, it maybe hard to break away from MS Office but sometime it might be well worth it. I'll probably load OpenOffice for my son's computer when I have saved enough money to buy him a computer. Life is tough with our bad economy so, we need to save whereever we can and this might be a good place to start.

HandBrake - Media Converter

We are not talking about brake for your bike but a software that is very useful if you have Ipod Touch and/or Iphone. People who use or own Apple computers are familiar with Handbrake as it was originally designed for MAC OS, now available for Windows. My-worker who loves Apple computer told me about this software but didn't really pay any attention as I am a full pledge Windows user (for now) but when I bought an Ipod Touch I was re-introduced to Handbrake. Why Handbrake you asked, will let me explain, if you want to watch video on your Ipod Touch or Iphone it has to be in certain video format. Most of my videos are in AVI, MKV, and DVD, which does not work on Ipod Touch or Iphone, they only accept format in MPEG-4 and H.264. By the way, Handbrake does not come with Ipod Touch or Iphone, so don't go looking for it in your box.

Why so great; will we are not all computer savvy like some people and end up not using some of the functions like watching video. Give an Ipod Touch to a grandma or grandpa and tell them to load an AVI file of their grandchildren on their Ipod Touch or Iphone and see what happen, most likely nothing. Don't get me wrong here, there are some savvy computer geek grandma and grandpa out there but most are not really into this kind of stuff.

So, how easy is this stuff? Will in most media converter I used, of course free, it took two steps with many little configuration steps when I was trying to convert a movie. First I had to ripped the file than convert it to MPEG-4, sounds simple but not really because there are whole bunch of configuration you had to do such as video size, sound, and etc. For AVI, I can't remember what process I used because once I got a hold of Handbrake that is all I been using. Anyway, if you use Handbrake it is a one stop shop. Run the program, select the file and that is it. My amazement was that it ripped my movie and converted all by itself without my intervention, which could of mess it up. Once done, connect your Ipod Touch or Iphone to Itune and move the video file and enjoy.

For AVI files I'm assuming all you need to do is convert it, there should be no ripping required (all done by Handbrake). Now when you assume, you make an ass of U and Me, so if somebody out there can chime in and tell me the fact I would appreciate it. Or maybe when I have time I'll try it myself. I'll post other media converter in the near future for the video mania people.

ISO Recorder

I never used this program but sounds like a winner, especially supporting all Windows OS, including Windows 7. I personally used MagicISO that cost me $20 plus dollar a year ago and now feel ripped off. If anybody decided to download and use this program please send me comment on your experience, so we can share it with our readers. Also, if you like it please donate to the developer for his/her services. Donation don't have to be a big amount, but I would recommend at least $1, or any amount you feel it is deserving. Of course, if you prefer none is okay too, no pressure and obligation, just enjoy it.

Excerpt from http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Welcome to the ISO Recorder download page. ISO Recorder is a tool (power toy) for Windows XP, 2003 and now Windows Vista, that allows (depending on the Windows version) to burn CD and DVD images (DVD support is only available on Windows Vista), copy disks, make images of the existing data CDs and DVDs and create ISO images from a content of a disk folder.

ISO Recorder has been conceived during Windows XP beta program, when Microsoft for the first time started distributing new OS builds as ISO images. Even though the new OS had CD-burning support (by Roxio), it did not have an ability to record an image. ISO Recorder has filled this need and has been one of the popular Windows downloads ever since. With an advent of Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2003 the version 2 of ISO Recorder has been released, which introduced some new features including ISO image creation and support for non-admin user. Finally, in Windows Vista it became possible to address another long-standing request and provide DVD burning capability.

Virtual (Emulator) CD/DVD-ROM

MagicDisc Virtual (Emulator) CD/DVD-ROM http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

For anyone unfamiliar with the terms 'virtual CD/DVD' or 'CD/DVD emulator', they mean that you can copy the entire contents of a CD/DVD-ROM to your hard disk as an ISO file and run the programs or access the files without the need for the original CD. This can make files more accessible, faster and more convenient. Given the speed and size of today's hard drives, you could easily fit a number of CD/DVD onto your hard drive without noticing the difference. Assuming you had 30 full CDs, these would take around 20GB on a hard drive and all will be accessible after a few clicks of a mouse.

Hard drives are about 10 times faster than a CD/DVD, plus you can instantly access the file instead of grabbing the CD/DVD case, inserting the CD/DVD and awaiting for the contents to load. It's true, you could try copying the files over to the hard drive, but this can get messy, plus some programs require a CD/DVD to be loaded in order to run. This virtual CD/DVD program 'pretends' it is a CD/DVD drive (even though the files are on your hard drive), so your programs will run as normal.

This program works on Windows 7 and it works great. What would you use this for? This program will save you money on CD and DVD by running the ISO on this program, instead of burining it on a CD/DVD. If you have ISO movie and/or program file, you can run it right off the computer hard drive, which is faster and time saving.

Excerpt from http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso-magicdisc-overview.htm

MagicDisc is freeware. It is very helpful utility designed for creating and managing virtual CD drives and CD/DVD discs. For anyone who deals with CD-based programs – it is a MUST. MagicDisc allows you to use almost all CD/DVD image without burning them onto CD or DVD in order to easily access your favorite games, music, or software programs ---- It works like a real CD/DVD-ROM: You can run programs, play games, or listen to music from your virtual CD-ROM. Allowing you to run your game images at over 200x faster than from a conventional CD/DVD-ROM. MagicDisc is a powerful utility that uses a unique combination of options to ensure a perfect back-up every time. Partner with MagicISO, Your original games/program discs can be safely stored away, MagicISO mean that you always have your expensive media stored safely as CD/DVD image file on your hard drive, and use them with MagicDisc just like using the original discs. At the office: Program discs and many other applications generally require the original disc to be in the computer's CD-ROM drive. This restricts the amount of people in your office who can have access to the same software at the same time without the cost of additional discs. MagicDisc virtual drives resolve that problem for you. No more hunting around the offices for that elusive disc you need to run your application, everything you require is just a click away.

Daemon Tool Lite for CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/products/dtLite

I used Daemon lite while back on my Windows XP and works really well. I changed over to MagicDisc because at that time it did not support Windows 7 but reading their website looks like they got a beta version to support Windows 7. Once they finalized, I'll probably change over to Daemon because it support basically all media compare to MagicDisc.

Excerpt from http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/products/dtLite

DAEMON Tools is an advanced application for Microsoft Windows which provides one of the best optical media emulation in the industry. With DAEMON Tools you can back up your physical CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray discs into “virtual discs” or so called “disc image” files, which run directly on your hard drive. You can also work with images created by other burning programs! DAEMON Tools supports variety of image types. Use CD/DVD image converter to have one format images in your Image Catalog!
A virtual disc has much better access rates than a physical one in a corresponding physical drive because the reading speed of a virtual CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray-ROM is 50x faster compared to normal drive.
No more CD/DVD drive noise. No waiting for disc loading. No need to buy external optical drive for your netbook. DAEMON Tools enables you to use your CD/DVD images as if they were already burned to CD/DVD.

Threatfire - FREE Behaivor Based Antivirus Software

I hoped you enjoyed reading the article on free antivirus software and I'm sure that you came to a realization that these free software are as good as paid one. Of course, the paid product comes with other services, such as spyware, firewall, some type of zero day attack protection, and customer support. Lots of the free antivirus software comes with spyware protection, including Microsoft security essential but none comes with zero day attack protection. If I'm wrong please let me know, so we can share it with the rest of the community.

For Firewall, there are free Firewall software, which I'll post it here in the near future but in my opinion I don't really think a normal computer users need one, beside, if you are running Windows XP sp2, VISTA, and Windows 7 comes with Firewall. So, now we are left with customer service, which I believe very small amount of people actually call customer service for their anti-virus software. I'm curious what they call customer service for, and if anybody can provide me with real customer support call I would appreciate it. Beside, what can they do that you can't do by yourself. If the software acts funny, just uninstall and re-install. Need instruction, these free antivirus software comes with HELP section but you won't need them because they are pretty simple. Actually, the only thing you need to configure (if you desire) is when you want the automatic scan to be conducted and definition download. You may think if you get infected by a virus and lose data, the customer service might help, not really, I bet searching Google will come up with better solution. In the near future I'll post one of the best technique in protecting your system and data against virus and worm.

Oh my, it is 12:33 AM and I better finish this off before I get in trouble with my wife. Anyway, one thing free antivirus software missing is the zero day attack protection, which is provided by a FREE software called Threatfire, which has a very good rating. It also offer a pro version that has a yearly subscription fee, which you don't need. Check out the article and decide for yourself.

Excerpt from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2191336,00.asp:

ThreatFire 3's ability to block installation of malware strictly by identifying bad behavior is phenomenal. It did a better (and faster) job than Norton AntiBot and even beat out Spy Sweeper, our current Editors' Choice for signature-based antispyware. This free tool is an excellent addition to your security arsenal. But don't spend your money for the scan-and-clean Pro version—it's just not up to the job.

Microsoft Security Essential - FREE Antivirus software

This is what got me all excited and started on this free software search, thanks to Microsoft. As I mentioned on my previous post, I needed an anti-virus program and commom one I know of are Norton and McAfee, which cost money to buy that is paid on a yearly basis subscription. Paying $20 a year is very cheap but if you can get it for free, why not and use the money for something else. Anyway, as I was searching for a product I came accross an article about Microsoft providing free anti-virus service called "Security Essential" so I did some research and this is what I found out:


Excerp from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353699,00.asp:

Security Essentials successfully detected all of AV-Test's current wildlist samples, nearly 4,000 of them. In a test using over 500,000 samples of viruses, worms, Trojans, and other high-risk malware, the product detected 98.44 percent. It wasn't quite as effective in a separate test using about 14,000 adware and spyware samples, but it still detected 90.95 percent of them.

Excerp from http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/290838/review/security_essentials_beta.html:

The app's ability to detect and block malware was neither especially good nor particularly bad. Its 97.8 percent overall detection rate put it in fourth; but it did well in proactive tests, which use two- and four-week-old signature databases to simulate how well a program detects new, unknown malware. Its results of 52 percent and 43.8 percent, respectively, were second only to those of the top-ranked Avira AntiVir Personal, our overall winner.

I have downloaded and installed it on my system. It is pretty simple to install and setup. Scan does takes long but if you schedule it when you are not using the computer than it should not bother you. Also, it does provide real time protection and update defintion automatically.

Finally, if you are not sure of using a free anti-virus read this article titled "Can You Trust Free Antivirus Software?" at http://www.pcworld.com/article/170587-2/can_you_trust_free_antivirus_software.html

I hoped I saved you some money on protecting your computer from virus.

Why am I doing this?

I'm sure people are asking the question "why I'm wasting my time posting free software information for everybody to go to a one stop place to read about free software". The answer is that I'm doing it for money (joking) by advertising my blog and hopefully people will click on the advertising and/or donate money to help me defray some of the cost (If you like). Another reason is that recently I was planning to buy an antivirus program for about $20 and accidentally came upon a free program that does just as well as a paid software or even better. So, I got more interested in the free software and did some research and did I hit a gold mine. What was weird was that I had been using some of the free software for my home computer to do all sort of things. I figure I had saved hundreds of dollar on software by using free and open source program and figure this would be a good thing to share with other and hoped that lots of people will visit my blog site to save money (really want to help).