techsupportallertissue149

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IN THIS FREE EDITION:

0. EDITORIAL: Gizmo's guide to protecting your PC

1. TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES

1.1 Major Update to Tech Support Alert Website

1.2 Test Suspicious Files for Malware

1.3 Free Online Service Offers Alternative to Powerpoint

1.4 Website Identifies Mystery Files

1.5 13 Reasons Why Linux Won't Make it to a Desktop Near You

1.6 Free Service Lets Know how you are Using Your Time

1.7 Missing Out on Social Bookmarking? (Premium Edition)

1.8 How to Check Your Surfing Anonymity (Premium Edition)

1.9 Two Gigabytes of Free Online Backup (Premium Edition)

Alert! Extend Your Security Reach Beyond The PC (sponsored link)

2. TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES

2.1 Free Program Removes Ugly Wires from Your Digital Photos

2.2 The Best Free 3-D Graphics and Modeling Programs

2.3 Tiny Free PDF Reader

2.4 Firefox Extension Attaches Sticky Notes to Webpages

2.5 A Portable Email Checker

2.6 Free World Time Clock Impresses

2.7 Extension Sorts Firefox Bookmarks

2.8 Freeware Replacements for Excel and Visio (Premium Edition)

2.9 Improve Your Network Security on the Cheap (Premium Edition)

2.10 Free Utility Converts Video Files for iPod Use (Premium Edition)

3. SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES

3.1 Microsoft Security News

3.2 Microsoft Shuts Down AutoPatcher

3.3 Multiple Flaws in Yahoo Messenger

3.4 Security Update for Apple iTunes

3.5 Details of Vista Service Pack 1 Released

3.6 A Caution About the FileHippo Update Checker

3.7 A New Way to Check Out Downloads for Potential Malware

3.8 Malicious Websites Threaten Normal Users

3.9 New Improved Version of HxD Hex Editor /Disk Editor

3.10 An Apology from Gizmo

The Best Registry Cleaner Yet (sponsored link)

4. OTHER USEFUL STUFF

4.1 Disk Drives Hit 1000GB

4.2 How to Track Changes in Web Pages

4.3 New Study: Cell Phones Fry Brain Cells

4.4 PC in a Keyboard

4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department

4.6 Print Your Own Calendars (Premium Edition)

4.7 Waste of Time Department Compilation (Premium Edition)

4.8 How a Subscriber Got RoboForm for One Cent (Premium Edition)

5. TIP OF THE MONTH

5.1 How to Convert a U3 Flash Drive to a Normal Drive

6. FREEBIE OF THE MONTH

6.1 A New Way to Find Out What's Eating Up Your Disk Space

6.2 The Best Way to Surf Anonymously (Premium Edition)

7. MANAGING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

0.0 EDITORIAL

What security software do I use on my own PC?

It's a question I often get asked. Usually the unstated motivation behind the question runs along the lines "if I find out what Gizmo is using then that must be a good guide to what I should use."

There is some truth in this but the story is complicated by the fact that some of the security software I use is there because it is being evaluated.

That said, I wouldn't be evaluating it on my own personal PCs unless I though it was good now would I? :>)

I have three PCs in my office. Across these machines you will find the following front-line security products in use:

I also have a few other goodies that I'm not publicly disclosing. That's because I don't want to reveal all my defenses; that might allow someone to make a targeted attack on me personally.

Now there are several notable aspects to the security products I use:

First, the three AV scanners I use are all commercial products, not freeware.

Why? Because AV scanners are of critical importance and I only want the best. (Note: I do not sell or carry ads for any of these products. Indeed, I personally paid for the actual products I use)

Second, I only use anti-spyware scanners for on-demand use; I have their active monitoring disabled.

Why? These scanners, while useful, have in the last year never detected anything on my PCs apart from cookies and they just slow down my PCs too much. If they were actually finding things my view would be different.

Third, I only have relatively few layers of defense.

Why? Because I now rely more on preventing malware from entering my system in the first place, rather than trying to detect it on my system.

Fourth, the mix of products I use today is totally different from what I was recommending just a year ago.

Why? In the last year the whole security game has changed. The threats are different and the security products themselves have also evolved.

I know a few readers are going to be shocked at the relative sparseness of my defenses but I regard my PCs as better protected today than they were a year ago when I had six different layers of active defense.

Not only are my computers better defended, they run much faster because they are not bogged down by layer after layer of security products.

Don't get me wrong; layering your defenses using multiple security products is still important. Indeed, if you are not using sandboxing or other measures to prevent malware from getting into your system, layering is as important as ever.

Similarly, if you can't afford to use the best security products, you really should use layering.

The preventative approach I use also requires some discipline. If you or the users of your computers are not prepared to exercise that discipline, then stick with layering your computer defenses.

The computer security products I use today directly reflect my current view on how to best protect your PC from malware.

I have expressed that view in this newsletter throughout 2007. For those who missed the issues or simply missed the message, I've written a short article called "Gizmo's Guide to Protecting Your PC." It's possibly one of the most useful items I've written this year. If you have time, you should read it.

Gizmo

editor@techsupportalert.com

PS This month I'm giving away six free copies of the the top rated anti-virus NOD32. For details, see below.

Support Alert is not produced by a giant publishing empire, it's the work of one man, working alone, namely me.

Support Alert relies on paid subscriptions to the Premium Edition to survive. If you feel that you've benefited from reading the free edition perhaps you would like to consider subscribing to the Premium.

The Premium Edition contains almost twice the number of great tech sites, free utilities, tips and other content as the free edition. It's also ad-free.

When you subscribe you'll also get immediate access to the archive of all past issues of the Premium Edition where you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities you missed in the free edition. If you like the free edition you'll love the premium. At $10 per year it's just the cost a few coffees.

This month I'm giving away to new Premium subscribers, six free copies of the the top rated anti-virus NOD32.

NOD32 is a brilliant program for protecting your PC yet it only consumes a modest amount of your computing resources. That's why I use it on my key work computers. At $39 it's good value but it's even better value when you can get it for free.

The six copies I'm giving away will be allocated at random but your chances of scoring one are actually quite good. So if you have been thinking of subscribing, now's the time.

Even if you don't win anything you'll still get my special report "Gizmo's Desert Island Utilities" which outlines the software I use myself, including many free products.

How to subscribe to the Premium Edition: 12 months subscription to the Premium Edition costs $10 which can be made by credit card, PayPal or eCheck. Use the link below to subscribe now:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/se-edition.htm

1.0 TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES

1.1 Major Update to Tech Support Alert Website

I've been a busy boy in the last month updating the "46 Best-ever Freeware" list [1] and the "Extended List" [2]. The "Extended List" now has 71 items including 14 brand new entries. Even the home page [3] has seven new "how-to" guides.

[1] http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_free_tech_support_sites.htm

[2] http://www.techsupportalert.com/more/extended.htm

[3] http://www.techsupportalert.com

1.2 Test Suspicious Files for Malware

It's a good practice to run any file you download (or borrow) through a free web based file testing service that will check it for malware using multiple anti-virus and spyware engines. Here are two of my favorites: Jotti [1] currently uses 20 different anti-virus scanners, while Virus Total [2] uses 32! Using one of these services can't guarantee that a file is 100% free of malware, but it's a lot safer than installing an unknown program on the blind faith that it's OK.

[1] http://virusscan.jotti.org/

[2] http://www.virustotal.com/flash/index_en.html

1.3 Free Online Service Offers Alternative to Powerpoint

These free online apps just keep coming. Preezo allows you to create and use presentations directly from their site. Presentations can also be mailed directly to clients. Collaborative working is fully supported.

http://preezo.com/

1.4 Website Identifies Mystery Files

Usually you can identify the program you need to open a file by the file type, but what if it hasn't got one? This free service allows you to upload the file and have it identified. I tied it with a PDF file with the .pdf extension removed and it worked just fine. Thanks to subscriber Christian Dorfmair for the suggestion.

http://mark0.net/onlinetrid.aspx

1.5 13 Reasons Why Linux Won't Make it to a Desktop Near You

This short and whimsical article by regular contributor "Briard" is so accurate it's painful.

http://www.technoledge.com.au/pdfs/linux_desktop.pdf

1.6 Free Service Lets Know how you are Using Your Time

RescueTime is an online application which gives you a breakdown of how you spend time on your computer. The broad stats for me were email: 51%; surfing: 23%; reviewing: 11%; writing: 9%. However, much finer breakdowns are possible by tagging your activities, and this could prove useful to those who bill out their time to clients. To use RescueTime you need to install a small utility on your PC that collects the usage stats for the RescueTime server.

http://www.rescuetime.com/

** These items appear only in the Premium Edition **

1.7 Missing Out on Social Bookmarking?

1.8 How to Check Your Surfing Anonymity

1.9 Two Gigabytes of Free Online Backup

Got some great tech sites to suggest? Send them to: editor@techsupportalert.com

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2.0 TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES

2.1 Free Program Removes Ugly Wires from Your Digital Photos

If you take a lot of digital photos you will really appreciate this free utility suggested by subscriber Ken De Pree. Wire Pilot is photo retouching software, available as a stand-alone program or Photoshop plug-in, that's specially designed to allow the easy removal of unsightly wires, poles, antennas and other linear objects from your digital photos. I found it worked particularly well where the background behind the wire or pole you wanted to remove was sky, snow or other untextured surface. In these circumstances Wire Pilot was quicker to use than Photoshop's own tools and the results were just as good. The results with textured backgrounds were not quite as acceptable and clearly looked "processed." That reservation aside, this is a really useful free tool that can greatly improve the appearance of some of your favorite digital snapshots. You can either download the stand-alone program or a plug-in that works with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements 4, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Macromedia Fireworks or XnView. Freeware, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, 1.9MB.

http://www.colorpilot.com/wire.html

2.2 The Best Free 3-D Graphics and Modeling Programs

Subscriber David Bruce recently sent in a series of suggestions in this category. I suggested he write them up as a webpage and he's done just that. Check out his suggestions at:

http://scoobysnacker.googlepages.com/3dartandgraphics

2.3 Tiny Free PDF Reader

I've used the free Foxit PDF reader for more than a year because it's smaller and much faster than the Adobe Acrobat Reader, but recently I've been using the free Sumatra reader that is even smaller and faster. It's also Open Source and portable. Yes, the interface is a little cruder than Foxit and no, it hasn't got quite as many features, but 99.9% of the time all I want of a PDF reader is to be able to read PDFs. I guess I must be strange :>) Free Open Source, Windows compatibility unstated, 802KB

http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/

2.4 Firefox Extension Attaches Sticky Notes to Webpages

I don't like sticky note utilities much but for this one I make an exception. Internote allows you to attach notes to webpages so that when you revisit the page the sticky note is automatically displayed. Neat eh? Free Firefox extension, Firefox 1.5 -> 2.0, 118KB. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2011

2.5 A Portable Email Checker

Recently a subscriber wrote asking if there was a free program that would run from her work PC (which had no administrator rights) that would let her check her personal email accounts. She wasn't looking for a full fledged email client but just a program that would let her know if she had new and possibly urgent personal mail.

There are several free portable POP email clients, including the excellent portable Thunderbird [1], but this was overkill for her needs. What she needed was simply an email notifier that would let her know if she had new personal mail. Happily she has two excellent choices available.

My favorite email notifier for normal (as opposed to portable) use is PopPeeper [2]. It not only supports POP mail but IMAP and all the common webmail services including AOL. It also can handle HTML mail as well as plain text, offers full support for attachments and allows you to reply to mail from within the product. Installation is easy as it allows you to import your mail account data from several common email clients.

PopPeeper is a great productivity tool. It just sits in your system mail, quietly checking all your email accounts at regular intervals. When new mail arrives it lets you know and you can quickly check the new mail by clicking the PopPeeper system tray icon. It's an effective way to quickly scan for something of importance without disturbing your normal work too much.

PopPeeper is not normally portable, but if you go to the download page [3] there is a special version that doesn't use an installer. To set this up as a portable app just download the zip file and unpack it to a suitably named folder on your USB flash drive and run it from there. Simple as that.

A good though more basic alternative to PopPeeper is nPOPuk [4]. It's a tiny 143KB file, but it packs quite a punch for the size. Sure, it only displays HTML email as plain text and lacks some of PopPeeper's fancier features, but it provides everything that many POP mail users will ever need from a notification program.

[1]

http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/thunderbird_portable

[2] http://www.poppeeper.com/ Freeware, All Windows versions, 1.31MB [3] http://www.poppeeper.com/download.php

[4] http://www.npopsupport.org.uk/ Freeware, all Windows versions, 143K.

2.6 Free World Time Clock Impresses

Subscriber Scott Youngman writes "Gizmo, with a son now stationed in Japan and everyone wondering what time it is here or there, I've reinvestigated free "world clock" utilities. As you probably know, a world clock displays the time and date simultaneously in multiple time zones. The current generation of software also adjusts automatically for daylight savings time, and can optionally synchronize to an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server over the Web. After searching the web for available programs, I ended up with the latest version of Wim's clock [1] (now v3.1.26). It is now much easier to configure and use -- just install, pick the time zones to display, and set a few other options including time and date format."

One thing I like about this world clock is that it properly handles daylight saving time changes around the world - most clocks don't. I also like the fact that it is also small: only 134 Kb zipped. It is a simple program that accomplishes a focused task. Times are shown in a tool tip over the tray icon, or click the icon to open a small box listing the selected time zones. You can have it auto-start with Windows but unless you are a frequent user it may be better to set up as a desktop icon and start the program only when needed.

[1] http://www.wimsprograms.com/programs.html#wclock30

2.7 Extension Sorts Firefox Bookmarks

One of the features missing in Firefox's otherwise excellent bookmarks system is the ability to easily sort bookmark lists in different ways. I used to use Torisugari's "Sort Bookmarks" extension for this but it doesn't support Firefox V2. Thankfully someone has updated the extension to work with the latest versions and even improved the interface.

http://www.oregontechsupport.com/sorting-bookmarks-in-firefox/

** These items appear only in the Premium SE Edition **

2.8 Freeware Replacements for Excel and Visio

2.9 How to Improve Your Network Security Without Paying a Ton of Money

2.10 Free Utility Converts Video Files for iPod Use

Got some top utilities to suggest? Send them to

editor@techsupportalert.com

3.0 SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES

3.1 Microsoft Security News

It was a quiet month for Microsoft with only four security patches released on "Patch Tuesday" the 11th of September. Only one was rated as "critical." This dealt with a problem with the much-disliked Microsoft agent "Clippy" that could allow Clippy to be co-opted by attackers to help take over your computer.

Further details of the September updates can be found here [1]. All the updates are distributed automatically via the Microsoft Update Service. Dial-up users in particular need to be aware that these updates are large files and you will need a considerable period of time online for them to download successfully. If you have any doubts whether you have received the updates, then visit the Microsoft Update Service [2] now.

[1] http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms07-sep.mspx

[2] http://update.microsoft.com (Requires IE5 or later)

3.2 Microsoft Shuts Down AutoPatcher

AutoPatcher [1] is a free service that allows users to download a single file containing all Windows monthly updates released since the last service patch. It is an enormously useful service that saves users with a new PC the tedious task of spending hours connected to the web to download patches from Windows Update. Not any more. Microsoft has forced AutoPatcher to shut down.

I just can't understand Microsoft. The company is already widely disliked for its business practices and moves like this can only further antagonize computer users. No wonder Apple is doing so well. Now for some good news: The last AutoPatcher releases are still available via BitTorrent and from this download site. I suggest you go grab a copy while you can. I just downloaded the core August 2007 update for XP SP2 and have all 248MB burnt to a CD and safely stored away for future use.

[1] http://autopatcher.com/

[2] http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-Tweak/AutoPatcher-XP.shtml

3.3 Multiple Flaws in Yahoo Messenger

Two separate serious flaws were disclosed in late August. Check your version number and if less than 8.1.0.419 then update now from here:

http://messenger.yahoo.com/download.php

3.4 Security Update for Apple iTunes

A buffer overflow flaw has been discovered in both the Mac and Windows versions of iTunes that could allow the host computer to be compromised simply by playing a maliciously crafted media file. Users should upgrade to the latest V7.4 release from here:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

3.5 Details of Vista Service Pack 1 Released

Like a lot of other users, I've decided not to use Vista on any of my production PCs until Vista SP1 is released. Well that date is fast approaching. Microsoft has just released details [1] of the SP1 release. Beta versions will be available to a restricted group of testers in the next few weeks and a full public release is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2008. SP1 looks to be more than bug fixes; it will include a number of security and product enhancements plus support for a wider range of hardware. Full details here:

http://tinyurl.com/2p2yks (windowsvistablog.com)

3.6 A Caution About the FileHippo Update Checker

In recent issues I've strongly advocated that all users should regularly use the free Secunia Software Inspector Service [1] to check whether any software on their PC has known security flaws and needs updating. This prompted a number of subscribers to write in about the FileHippo Update Checker [2] that also scans the software on your PC and advises if a new version is available.

But there is a big difference between the products. The Secunia service will only advise of programs that need updating because they have security flaws and a patched version is available. In contrast the FileHippo program is not looking for security problems at all. It's only interested in letting you know if new versions are available.

Now clearly there is some overlap but frankly I prefer the Secunia Program. First, because it has a specific security focus and second, because it generates many fewer update suggestions. Indeed, the first time I ran the FileHippo program on my laptop it suggested 71 programs needed updating! Not one of these updates was security related.

Sure, if you are the kind of dude who always wants the very latest software versions and you also have a lot of time on your hands, then by all means try the FileHippo updater. Me, I only update utilities when the new version has a feature I want, or patches flaws in the old version that were annoying me. In the world of software, newer does not always mean better.

[1] http://secunia.com/software_inspector/

[2] http://filehippo.com/updatechecker/

3.7 A New Way to Check Out Downloads for Potential Malware

In item 1.2 I mentioned that it's always a good idea to check downloaded programs for malware by using one of the free online services that will run the file through multiple scanners.

That approach, while highly useful, won't catch new malware that's not yet in the signature database of the scanners. Here's another way you can test programs for malware, one that doesn't rely on signatures.

Mandiant Red Curtain is a free program that looks at a program and assigns it an "interest" score based on certain characteristics of the file. The higher the score, the more suspicious.

According to the website, Red Curtain looks at "... multiple aspects of an executable ... such as the entropy (in other words, randomness), indications of packing, compiler and packing signatures, the presence of digital signatures, and other characteristics."

The scoring system is as follows:

I tried it on a set of 10 files known to be safe and 10 known to contain malware. Seven of the safe files rated below 0.7 while eight of the infected files rated above 0.7.

Now that's not perfect detection by any means, but for a non-signature based program it is reasonably impressive. Certainly good enough to suggest that in experienced hands this is a useful new tool that can be used to complement the signature scanning of suspicious files.

I say "experienced hands" because the results need interpretation and the high rate of false positives may cause unnecessary concern among novice users.

http://www.mandiant.com/mrc

3.8 Malicious Websites Threaten Normal Users

Until recently the chances of an average user encountering a hostile website was very small. Those at risk were mainly adventurous surfers who roamed to the nether regions of the web.

Not anymore. Take this letter from subscriber Roy Waidler as a warning:

" Gizmo, the proliferation of drive-by spyware downloads has expanded to places where you'd least expect them. My daughter went to a recipe site - yes, a recipe site - and when she closed out the window after getting her recipe a drive-by installer for EraseSure got in so fast that she didn't have a chance. It got our OS big time. What impressed me was the speed in which this thing got into our computer, I've never seen the like - and it ate ZoneAlarm's firewall like candy in the process. Two other people with whom we have frequent contact have reported getting drive-bys at Xanga PC Optimizer and another at an unnamed guitar information site; the latter had SpySheriff waiting for him. Those who are in your words "adventurous surfers" have classically been the ones at risk for drive-bys but the expansion of them into "normal" websites is somewhere between amazing and appalling."

Roy's letter underscores the risk. It also highlights that even the best security software is vulnerable to a malware program that is allowed to run on your PC. That's one of the reasons I've moved away from running ever more security products. Instead I put more effort into preventing these nasties getting a foothold on your PC in the first place

Here are two free preventative measures to protect against hostile websites:

First, install McAfee Site Advisor [1]. It's a free browser plug-in that appends site security ratings to search engine listings. This will help to prevent you from accidentally surfing to a hostile site while sifting through your search engine results.

Second, always surf in a sandbox or with your browser running with limited user rights. You'll find full instructions [2] as to how you can do this on my website. It won't cost you a cent either.

[1] http://www.siteadvisor.com/

[2] http://techsupportalert.com/safe-surfing.php

3.9 New Improved Version of HxD Hex Editor /Disk Editor

Last month I gave a strong recommendation for HxD, the free Hex editor that also includes a raw disk editor and memory editor. One feature I mentioned that was missing was binary file comparison. Not any more; the program author Dario Valenzo has just let me know that the latest beta version now has this capability. Nice work Dario. It's great to see a software author so responsive to suggestion. Nice change for me too. Often, when I say anything negative about a product, the usual response of the author is to attack me personally rather than address the problem. Ah, such is life.

http://www.mh-nexus.de/hxd/

3.10 An Apology from Gizmo

I've been having terrible trouble delivering this newsletter in recent months because certain webmail providers, notably Yahoo, have been blocking delivery of the newsletter from my list server.

In frustration I wrote at the end of August to all affected subscribers telling them what they could do to ensure future delivery.

Unfortunately I made an error and the email was sent to a much wider group including a number of subscribers who had never had problems receiving their newsletter.

I apologize to these subscribers for having caused unnecessary concern. The error was no one's fault but mine.

At least something good came out of it. You now have a healthier appreciation that when it comes to computers, I can make as many mistakes as other folks :>)

One of the suggestions I mentioned to ensure delivery was to use my free RSS notification service [1] to let you know when each premium monthly issue is published. For those without RSS I suggested they make use of a free third party notification service [2] that's email based.

I strongly recommend that if you use Yahoo you sign up for this free service as your chances of reliably receiving future issues are poor. Better still change your subscription email delivery address from Yahoo :>).

Even if you have been reliably getting this newsletter I still recommend you use a notification service. It's a useful backup and it doesn't cost you a cent. You can subscribe using the links below.

[1] http://www.techsupportalert.com/rss/monthly-issue-premium.xml => RSS

[2] http://www.techsupportalert.com/feedburner.htm => email notification

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The Best Spyware Detector

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The Best Drive Imaging Program

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http://techsupportalert.com/drive-imaging-reviews.htm

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http://techsupportalert.com/cheap_inket_cartridges.htm

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4.0 OTHER USEFUL STUFF

4.1 Disk Drives Hit 1000GB

Who would have ever though we would see terabyte drives arrive so quickly. The Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 not only gets 1000GB into a single 3.5 inch drive but Hitachi can somehow manage to retail it for $400. It's fast too. Now one terabyte, folks, is one thousand thousand megabytes. By comparison, my first PC hard drive was 10 megabytes. People talk about Moore's Law and how quickly computer processing power has gone up, but the increase in disk capacity is proportionally thousands of times greater and shows no sign of stopping. When will we have terabyte USB flash drives? My guess: within five years.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/13034/1

4.2 How to Track Changes in Web Pages

There are several web services, both free and paid, that will alert you by email when a nominated webpage changes. An alternative approach to using these web services is to run a special stand alone "alerting" program on your own PC. Both approaches work fine and offer a great way to keep track of what your competitors are doing or simply to keep an eye on a site that interests you. You can find a good summary of both the web service and software options available at this site.

http://www.rba.co.uk/sources/monitor.htm

4.3 New Study: Cell Phones Fry Brain Cells

A report [1] on a research study from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel claims they have found that human brain cells show pre-cancerous changes with as little as ten minutes exposure to cell phone radiation. These findings come at a time when a number of other recent studies suggest that using cell phones may have adverse impacts on users. It's hard to know what to conclude but it would seem prudent to avoid buying phones with a high level of radiation such as those listed here [2].

[1] http://tinyurl.com/ywksgd (dailymail.co.uk)

[2] http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020357-1.html?tag=txt

4.4 PC in a Keyboard

Or in a monitor if you prefer. Nice idea where space is a premium. Thanks to Callie Jordan for the link.

http://www.cybernetman.com/default.cfm?DocId=602

4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department

This shadow puppetry video, suggested by subscriber Alan Hall, will have you smiling in wonder and at times, gasping in admiration. Simply stunning. You'll need broadband for this.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/774922/great_shadow_puppetry/

** These items appear only in the Premium SE Edition **

4.6 Print Your Own Calendars

4.7 Waste of Time Department Compilation

4.8 How a Subscriber Got RoboForm for One Cent

5.0 TIP OF THE MONTH

5.1 How to Convert a U3 Flash Drive to a Normal Drive

U3 smart drives are USB flash drives which comply with the U3 mobile computing standard set down by U3 LLC (www.u3.com), a consortium of vendors lead by Sandisk.

The main idea behind U3 was to develop a platform where programs could run independently on USB drives without leaving any trace on the host PC. The U3 standard also provides for a user menu (the Launchpad) that pops up when the USB drive is inserted into a host and it also mandates password protection.

It's a great idea, in principle, but in practice there are not a lot of programs around that are written for U3. Indeed, some software authors have avoided writing for U3 because they feel that it's a proprietary standard. Furthermore, there have been a lot of reports that U3 drives simply won't work with particular host PCs.

Another limitation is that U3 drives will only work with Win2K SP4, XP and Vista. Older Windows operating systems, Mac OS, Linux, and UNIX are not supported. That's quite a limitation, particularly when using public terminals.

Don't get me wrong; U3 applications on U3 drives can work wonderfully well. It's just that you don't really need U3.

I had a couple of U3 drives but have since removed U3 from both. U3 removal is not hard. In essence, what you need to do is remove the LaunchPad.

Removal may not be hard, but be aware that it is irreversible (apparently it can be reversed on SanDisk drives). That said, it is essential that you backup your flash drive data before proceeding.

The best way to remove the LaunchPad is to use the removal tool provided by the manufacturer of your flash drive. With some drives this option is available from the LaunchPad menu itself under the item "Status and Settings". More likely, though, you'll need to download the removal utility. You can locate the utility for your drive by filling in this form at the official U3 site:

If you can't find a utility for your drive then download the generic utility provided by U3.

Before running the utility, ensure your U3 drive is the only USB device plugged into your PC.

After running the U3 removal utility you may find your drive is formatted using the FAT system. I suggest you re-format it using FAT32. You can do this by right clicking on your flash drive in the Windows Explorer window and selecting "format." Then check the FAT32 option.

Before proceeding with the reformat, double check that you have selected your USB flash drive and not your hard disk. Remember the carpenter's motto "measure twice, cut once" :>)

Once it's reformatted, your drive will be just a stock standard USB flash drive with nothing on it. But hey, who wants an empty drive? Go to www.portableapps.com and load it up with a whole bunch of free non-U3 goodies.

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6.0 FREEBIE OF THE MONTH

6.1 The Uninstaller You Have Been Waiting For

Sooner or later every user encounters the situation where they try a program, decide they don't want it, and proceed to uninstall it only to find the uninstall goes wrong, or worse still, no uninstall program was included with the original program.

Normal uninstall utilities are of little help in this situation. That's because they work by taking a snapshot of your system before and after installing a software product and use the difference to uninstall that product if required. This is a useful capability but its weakness is that the uninstaller program must actively monitor every software product you install. Often this is not the case.

Revo is an uninstaller that works differently. It can uninstall a program without the need to monitor its installation. It works by automatically doing what an experienced user would do manually. It removes all the program's files, autostart entries and removes all obvious registry entries.

This process can never be better than an inspired guess, but it's sure better than nothing at all.

I ran some tests by getting Revo to uninstall a product whose installation I had monitored using ZSoft Uninstaller, a before and after uninstaller.

By and large Revo did a fine job, though not quite as good as a skilled user would do manually. There were still some remains left over, notably files stored in the user/local settings folder.

That said, the leftover files did no harm other than take up disk space, and they certainly would not interfere with the normal operation of the PC.

Note that when you ask Revo to uninstall a program, it first looks for the product's uninstall program and will run that program if it is found. Only if the search fails will it try to remove files and registry entries itself.

Note, too, that Revo can also act as a before and after uninstaller, but frankly this is not its forte. The freeware utility ZSoft Uninstaller [2] is a better choice for this particular application.

Overall I was very impressed by Revo. It is the only freeware product I know of that will make a decent job of cleaning up a failed install. It's not perfect in its un-installation, but it does a fine job in the circumstances and offers a lifeline to average users. Next time you encounter a failed uninstall, remember Revo. You will be glad you did. Thanks to subscriber Dieter Callens for the suggestion. Freeware, Windows 2000-Vista, 1.27MB.

[1] http://www.revouninstaller.com/

[2] http://www.zsoft.dk/

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6.2 The Best Way to Surf Anonymously

Ever wanted to remove all traces of where you have been surfing? Need to go to a website without any chance of anyone tracing back where you are located?

These are serious concerns. For most people it's just a need for personal privacy but in some politically oppressed countries the need may be far more urgent; a person's life or freedom could be at stake.

Happily there are several different ways you can guarantee your surfing privacy. Indeed it has become an industry with some commercial services charging hundreds of dollars a year to provide secure, private internet access to their customers.

But it's possible to do it for free. In fact I've just found the best free product yet. It's small, portable, simple to use and provides outstanding security. It's so good I've decided to use it myself ... Full details in the Premium Edition.

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This month I'm giving away to new Premium subscribers, six free copies of the the top rated anti virus NOD32.

NOD32 is a brilliant program for protecting your PC yet it only consumes a modest amount of your computing resources. That's why I use it on my key work computers. At $39 it's good value but it's even better value when you can get it for free.

The six copies I'm giving away will be allocated at random but your chances of scoring one are actually quite good. So if you have been thinking of subscribing, now's the time.

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7.0 MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

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See you next issue, due out on the 18th of October

Gizmo

Ian Richards

editor@techsupportalert.com