What "little" program could you simply not do without?

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Originally posted by MPTech
Is there software that will identify everything that runs at startup (from run\msconfig\startup) and tell me what all of those programs are?

I know I can go into the msconfig\startup and copy\paste it to Google and de a search to see what I've got, but that is pretty tedouis.

What I'm trying to do: I've had several people approach me in the last couple months to fix their computers that are just riddled with Adware & Spyware. Once those are taken care of with the 3 wisemen (AdAware, SpyBot S&D, and SpySweeper), the next challenge is too cleanup the junk they have probably loaded over time that runs at startup (QTtask, AIM, MSmsgs, etc etc etc). It's very hard to tell what they need and what junk. Any suggestions would be appreciated. (Can someone tell me what startups to never delete? (I think: Symtray is the only one I must have (is it different for W98?))

Thanks

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Sorry for takeing so long MPTech but this site should do the trick= as list of all start up items
windows online startup repository

i'm sure that this site has already been mentioned (altho i couldn't find it when i tried a search) but if you need to
"Translate a block of text" try:


http://babelfish.altavista.com/


it'll translate up to 150 words at a time into many different languages & for FREE!!!

thanks to Dan C who provided me with the info about the this


p.s. ATTN MODERATORS: This thread is absolutely FANTASTIC...can anyone publish this thread in book form or some how provide an index on all the mentioned sites...(i'd be willing to pay for it and i'm sure others would too...webopedia could gain lots of extra money by selling it this way)

CPU Identifier
This tool turns the user unfriendly markings from any Athlon XP to Athlon Thunderbird based processor to human readable information such as CPU frequency, FSB, operating voltage, cache size, multiplier and so on. One of the most useful functions is that the script automatically identifies whether the CPU core is Thunderbird, Palomino, Thoroughbred (A or B revision), Barton or Thorton.

http://hwspirit.com/tools.php?m=cpu


Power Wattage Calculator
Do you need a better idea of how much power your system will need?
Or maybe your PSU don’t have enough juice to run all your goodies
In your box.
Just use this and figure what you need.

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

By far, the best (Freeware) Add-In for Excel is
www.asap-utilities.com

It offers 300 functions built in that are extremely useful & for anyone that uses Excel to fix or modify customer files, this is a Godsend.

Although part of my trade-secrets, I am now trying to cut down on the "Pre-flight" part of my job.

Also, try Openoffice.org for a very good alternative to MS Office, much, much better than MS Works.

Some very good sites for Freeware:

http://www.snapfiles.com

http://www.nonags.com/nonags/

Most are spyware or Adware free, they also include some good freeware to create PDFs, which are better than using PDFMaker.

Access Manager's been mentioned before, but now it's been upgraded so it has the ability to run completely from a USB key (all files installed on USB key), so you can run it on any machine that has .NET framework installed. There is a free personal version without nags or spyware or you can upgrade to the Pro version for a mere $19.95 (US)(lots of neat features in the Pro version).

This is one program you won't be sorry you upgraded.

Thanks for the info on Access manager.

Just upgraded to the pro version. You're right, it's well worth the price (even the free version is more than what you get with some "paid for" programs).

JRSplitPro

Great program that allows you to split large files into a specified chunk size. It creates a batch file to put it all back together.


HTML Font Colouriser
Saves me so much time when trying to find that ellusive HEX number. Type in some text, choose a start colour and end colour, click colourise, and bingo, it colourises the text in a fading pattern so you can choose the colours you want. E-mail me if you want the program [email protected]

RazorLame and ExactAudioCopy are good music tools.

Here's one I don't think has been mentioned (at least it doesn't show up in a forum search) JAlbum.

In my opinion, there is not an easier to use or more functional web album generator out there. This product is completely free, without nags, and has a very fast learning curve. If you have a web site with images, you can't afford not to try this product.

Try it, you'll like it!!!!

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Originally posted by newme
Sorry for takeing so long MPTech but this site should do the trick= as list of all start up items
windows online startup repository

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I clicked that link and it said no such program. Can you give us the exact page for it. Or something that does the same thing.
Thanks

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Originally posted by luvskenny
I clicked that link and it said no such program. Can you give us the exact page for it. Or something that does the same thing.
Thanks

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The link works fine for me? Just clicked on it and goes right to page?here it is again .

windows startup repository

This is a really handy tool for ie6. Its free. I check both boxes not to run the scf /scannow and reinstall ie and hit apply. Helped me out lots. http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFIX.htm Hope the pin this or add it to something that is. Sure does help tons.......peace......im out

if these were already suggested..please forgive me..i couldn't find them in a search & i haven't read all the posts (YET)

1st) a friend referred me to a neat program that eliminates ads (pop-up & otherwise) ... i downloaded it about a month ago & it's been great. it's ad-muncher at www.admuncher.com PLUS IT'S FREE (at least for now)
also,you can also tweak it to your own liking.

2nd) i also want to suggest the another translation site that i like and use more than the one i suggested some time ago & of course it's FREE, too www.freetranslation.com

i use both of these & think they are GREAT; but, that's just my own opinion.

please note that i'm not sure that i qualify to suggest anything; since, i think of myself as being computer illiterate & i've only asked for help prior to this post...so be forewarned.

p.s anyone looking into getting this whole thread published into book or pamphlet form as i have been wanting this done for some time now.

SYNCBACK (Free version)
SyncBack is a powerful freeware program that helps you backup and synchronise your files to: the same drive; a different drive or medium (CDRW, CompactFlash, etc); an FTP server; a Network; or a Zip archive.


More info & download at:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/

This is a really sweet paint and graphics program and the freeware version is way better than anything else I have found on the market: Project Dogwaffle is the name. It's at
http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/free/index.html
A good program for making DVD copies is
http://www.dvddecrypter.com/
works great with http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.htm
for resizing files to fit the stock. Enjoy ;)0

KennJ

I've downloaded a few things from this thread...now it's my turn to help someone else. We all take precautions to keep our PCs clean of malware, but what if something bad gets in anyway and somehow sends data out? Or what if someone steals the PC so they will have more time to extract the data on it?

With these worries in mind, I looked for some way to encrypt my most important data. I didn't want to do the whole drive and I wanted something I wouldn't need separate certificates for. (IOW, something I could use to recover the data somewhere else without a lot of pain and suffering.)

Two free programs I've ran across that I can easily recommend for data encryption/decryption are:

AxCrypt AxCrypt offers 128-bit AES encryption that can be for both individual files and/or folders (files are individually encrypted inside each folder for easy separate access if needed.) It's simple to use and IMO, runs quite fast when doing it's thing. It also includes a very basic (but effective) file shredder.

dsCrypt dsCrypt also uses AES encryption but is strictly for individual files only. But where it excels is that it can reside on a floppy and does not become part of Windows when ran. So it's a portable encrypter. VERY handy! I keep it on my flash drives in case I need to load a private file onboard. Since dsCrypt is self contained, the PC my drive is plugged into doesn't need to have any part of dsCrypt on it. (There is also a very tiny, free file splitter tool on this website... among other handy tools.)

Last, if you delete a file or files from the recycle bin by accident, you may be able to recover them with Restoration Restoration is simple and like dsCrypt, it does not become part of Windows. So it's small and unobtrusive. Restoration also has a file shredder function too.

(FWIW, if you have Spybot Search & Destroy, you already have a file shredder. It's located under the Tools section.)

This has all ready ben said but http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Fire fox is the best

Agreed. Firefox is by far the best freeware available on the internet

Another freeware program is AM Deadlink. It searches all your favorites and will create an HTML file for backing up.

I can't take credit for this, as POPPY4 posted it in another thread.

I found this free encyclopedia site that I wouldn't want to be without. Also, there is a tech site that I didn't know about that you might like. All of my favorite programs have already been mentioned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

www.dailyrotation.com




If you're interested I have some other good links on my new web site http://www.geocities.com/rgarr5/index.html

Sorry nothing interesting but this is the 500th post to this thread.

That it was, and I've actually got something to add.

SmartFTP - Smartftp.com

This is a great little free FTP client program. I like it even better than CuteFTP.

Free to try (for 30days)..

aside from that, it is easy to get into, rather feature packed.. will give it a good burn for the trial period..

cheers

Quote:

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Originally posted by Undertaker02
Free to try (for 30days)..

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What is ?

best freeware always-on quick-note taker

I do not have any shareware, just the basic $-ware, and mainly use freeware for “extras”, so there may well be a better product out there with a price tag on it, but I recently ran across an extremely useful gem that I thought that I should share with you all. And no, I am not a developer for the product, but as extremely useful as it is, it is beta and it could use a few tweaks to be maximally beneficial, and I figure that the more people that latch on to it, the more likely it is to be perfected, hence to my benefit…

So. I have always wanted an easy to access, uncomplicated, basic “scratchpad” to capture links, make notes, save info, etc., and have tried all of the freeware competitors for this “notepad” category, with no clear winner. Recently, I tried yet another one, named “Shirusupad”, and while not yet perfect, is extremely helpful for the purposes outlined above.

A few of the more winning features that it has over it’s (freeware) competitors are as follows, with the link to the site to download it following that…

1) you can choose to have a small, always on top, floating, opaque initiator button with which to easily and quickly fire up the (resident)“notepad” (I “hide” this out of the way at the top in the descriptor bar of most full screen windows..); this quik-access button is of course in addition to an icon for it in the system tray (which I always hide, therefore, an extra unwanted step to access anything there...)…

2) you can drag (and resize to a small, titled “button”) any of (or as many of) the notes to the desktop as you would like to have, floating, easy, quick access to whichever notes you choose; these floaters can also be made to be opaque and/or always on top also (this feature is much like the “post-its” applications, such at ATnotes (which I also use))

3) you can set “alarms” for the notes or create “reminders”…

4) in addition to general notes, you can also select a new file to be a to-do list, with checkboxes, etc..

5) there are lots of other little nifty ease-of-use features that I will not bore you with, but for just one (well two) example(s), after firing it up and doing a note, simply clicking on the window that you were on to go back to what you were doing, minimizes the textpad box so that you do not have to quit out of it (it auto-saves too…)

TIP – right click on the icon in the system tray, the left bar on the text pad, the bottom bar on the text pad, the text area within the text pad, or the always on top button, for various options…

Conclusion/disclaimer: yes this app is simplistic, it will not do it all, but it is to me a very useful extended fast “scratchpad”, which serves very well as a quick capture point for data, links, and notes (not yet images, but you can capture the links to images and note them …), generally to use as an interim medium to transfer data to more permanent repositories at a later time…

Screenshots are at this link, with a tab there to select download (a new forum also, for ideas)…
http://www.shirusupad.tk/

ADDITIONAL NOTE: noteIT is pretty good too, you might want to check it out as an INTERMEDIATE note repository... http://www.dssf.net/english/noteit.htm

Why I didn't think of this before, I don't know. But a great program I use everyday is Judy's TenKey. It's a PC calculator but sooooo much more powerful than the one MS bundles with Windows. It's not free ($19.95) but IMO, it's worth every penny. I ditched my desktop calculator once I got this. :D

Here are some of the features. You can customize it extensively and it will even do RPN number entry for those who don't like the "=" sign.

I have used this for several years and would not trade it for anything else...

Quote:

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quote:Originally posted by Undertaker02
Free to try (for 30days)..



What is ?

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sry Nix,
I was refering to Smart FTP posted by Webshark2000..

Free program to make your own tutorials in flash, can also be used for art projects, nice: Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots of your software, use images that you already have, type-in explanations for each step, create a navigation sequence complete with buttons, delays, titles etc and create a highly effective tutorial for your users. http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

Noid

keywester
Take a look at QuickNote found at:

http://www.jens-m.de/jcmb/quicknen.html

FROM THE SITE
What is Quicknote?

The freeware JC&MB Quicknote is an always-ready desktop-notepad. It
does not matter which programs you are currently using; whenever you
want to write something down that comes to mind you only have to touch
the Wake-Up Line located on the top of your screen or press a
shortcut. Quicknote can also remind you at a certain time with these
notes. If your system crashes and you didn't save recently, you don't
lose your text! Quicknote shows it at the next time it starts. It is
possible to encrypt your notes. Other tools are an integrated
task-manager and a tool to adjust the system volume by pressing
certain hotkeys. You can draw small images, convert different units of
measure, select colors for HTML code and play DTMF tones.
END SITE INFO
Rich S

RICH S:

I have Quicknote 3.1 installed as a button on firefox toolbar, and altho it is useful, I personally find that it is too limited, and prefer shirusupad (for quick captures) and noteit for offloading captured notes and also for quick reference...altho I was not aware of the "wakeup line" in quicknote, which may not be a feature of the toolbar installed version...

Is this Quicknote Toolbar a Firefox extension?

Wonder if we're not talking about two different programs?
There is no mention of a toolbar version on the site I directed to.This is a stand alone utility.

The "wake up" button appears as a small translucent box along the top of your monitor screen.When you pass your cursor over it,the program window pops up.
Rich S

Rich:

Yes, it is a Firefox extension, listed as "Quicknote 0.6"...

http://quicknote.mozdev.org/

And, whereas it could be useful in some circumstances (clicking on the toolbar button brings up the QN "tabs" in the browser), as stated, it does have what I perceive as limitations, in the form of the extension anyway, of being basically a somewhat convenient quick capture or quick reference tool (or not so quick via the browser...)...

The FF extension version appears to be provided by the same folks that put out the version that you refer to. And altho the desktop version sounds similar to the Shirusupad tool, I will give it a try, always looking for a "better mousetrap".... Thanks for the tip...

EDIT: FYI, I had already installed the desktop version of Quicknote described, along with a bunch of other similar tools back when I was evaluating them all to find the optimal tool, and for some reason had written that one off and forgotten about it, probably because it intially appeared a little "obtuse" with a learning curve, but more likely because it does not (at this point) appear to be as fast or as easily "usable" as the other tools that I did select to use - however, I am going to give it a second chance and devote a little more time to "shaking it down", as it does appear to have some extra features... Has anyone else already done this type of evaluation and arrived at conclusions as to the best quick-edit text tool??? Maybe this should be a topic for another thread or "poll" rather than going any more off-topic here...

Another little tool I've found handy is RC Google.

Description - rcgoogle is a small application that allows you to highlight any word within a webpage, click the right mouse button (or press the context menu key on your keyboard), then choose to search Google for that word instantly in a new window.

Very handy when doing research.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK (40KB)
http://www.vipnews.org.uk/rcgoogle.exe

Rich S

Don't remember if I put this up or not in the past but if so it deserves reposting as it is such a good quality program and has a freeware version and a inexpensive pay version that are both excelent(way better than MS Paint)
called Project Dogwaffle http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/free/index.html
KennJ

I have to have Scarabay, or all of my 32 emails would be expired!

It is possible this may be of help to someone IF certain events should ever happen but, of course, we hope they don't. Drivers backup software:
The info in this link could someday save your bacon if your hard drive should ever crash and burn:
http://users.adelphia.net/~abraxas/....up_Install.msi

http://www.gui-dynamics.com/RadarSaver.shtml

Free to try, $15.00 to buy. Worth every penny

I want to help the guy because he gave a free key to use in the Dispatch area of the Sheriff's Office I work in.

Great to have for traveling business men, Sportsmen, any outdoor activities.

ok lets be a little more controversial.

WinMX.
ALBW Extractor
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Less controversial=

norton ghost
Spybot search and destroy
McAfee Virusscan and Firewall
Adaware

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Yahoo toolbar (I play their online games)
Google toolbar
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I am new to V Doc. and came quickly to this thread, and went through every page. Found so many great things! Thanks to all for the input. Hard to happen upon what's out there, and this has been great.

My favorites are iespellcheck, which I saw was mentioned, Iceows Zip utility (easy no frill) found here, http://www.iceows.com/HomePageUS.html and my very favorite CD burner Deepburn, found here: http://www.deepburner.com/ If these were mentioned I missed them.

All are free and work like well oiled machines with no problems whatsoever. I've been using all of them for more than a year.

Thanks to all and I am so glad to find this forum!!


E.

elke, you are most welcome here and we are glad you "found" us. Hang around and visit all of the forums here. Very knowledgeable and willing to help folks are here.

Elke,

Welcome to VDR. IMO, this is the best tech support site on the internet. I can find answers here, when I can't find them elsewhere. There are lots of people here, who are very generous in sharing their knowledge and expertise with others.

Be sure that you check out the search features -- advanced search features on VDR. By using the advanced search capabilities, you can do a search on a particular poster by name, or search on specific text. These searches can be restricted to a specific time frame. IMO, this is one of the best features about VDR. Sometimes, if I think that the question that I have may have been posted by someone else, then I do a search before creating a new thread.

Sometimes, I do a search on my posts, to find specific text that I am looking for.

Again welcome to VDR.

Cheers,

Linda

;) :rolleyes: :eek: