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[Windows] FiRE is an excellent, portable file renamer that allows bulk renaming of files
Organizing or reorganizing your computer can become a frustrating chore, especially if it involves renaming large number of files. While Windows does provide a batch renaming facility, it is basic at best, allowing you to specify a common name for the first file, after which the remaining files in the [...]
[Windows] Convert videos into dozens of different formats using Video to Video Converter (and it’s portable!)
Be sure to check out dotTech’s review on Best Free Video and Audio Converter for Windows!
Windows Media Player’s inability to support a large number of media formats means that people who use it to watch videos on their computers often have to skip watching some of the videos that [...]
Read More »[Windows] Measure your Windows boot speed with BootRacer
As computers get faster, so does the expectation of faster boot speed. Keeping tabs on how long it takes your PC or laptop to boot up may provide a good indication whether the computer has been optimized to work at its full capacity. Long boot up time may indicate the [...]
New malware (ransomware) locks your computer claiming you violated the law under SOPA, asks for $200 if you want your files back
Ransomware is a type of malware that locks your computers, encrypts your files, etc. to prevent you from accessing your data and asks for money if you want to regain access. In other words, your data is held ransom, hence the name ransomware.
A new ransomware is floating around the [...]
Read More »[Windows] Use a USB flash drive as login authenticator for your computer with Rohos Logon Key
Increasing reliance on computers in different walks of life means that computer security has emerged a major factor not only in research and businesses, but also among individual users. While there are in-built protection measures that allow users to lock their computers using long and complex passwords, it becomes rather [...]
[Windows] Color Archiver helps you find and save colors in HTML, hex, and more
Color Archiver is an application that acts as your color diary. Web developers and graphic artists will definitely find Color Archiver quite useful for what it is able to bring forward on the table.
What is it and what does it do
Main Functionality
Picking, saving, and searching for colors [...]
Read More »[Windows] Multi Commander is feature-filled, multi-tabbed file manager — an alternative to Windows Explorer
Multi Commander is a file manager that is an alternative to the standard, default Windows Explorer. With this program users can potentially get work done faster by using advanced features compared to using Windows Explorer.
What is it and what does it do
Main Functionality
Windows Explorer is good; one [...]
Read More »Microsoft Surface tablets will be around $350, according to Dummies.com
The release of Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface tablets is almost here yet the speculation about Surface tablet pricing is still alive and kicking. We have had multiple people chip in over the months about Surface pricing, from a $199 rumor to Microsoft CEO hinting at iPad-like pricing. Today we [...]
Read More »[Windows] SearchMyFiles is an excellent desktop search program
Microsoft has had to deal with a negative response from both critics and users regarding the built-in search function for Windows 7. There have been numerous complaints about the efficiency of the feature with users saying that Windows Search is not able to find files which they know exist on [...]
FTC takes aim at fake tech support from India, shuts down more scareware operations
Yesterday we learned Innovative Marketing, a firm that developed scareware programs, has to pay a fine of $163 million. In the comments of the article, Rob mentioned another scareware scam — “tech support” calling up people, telling them there are issues with their computers, and charging them for the privilege [...]
Read More »Court orders developer of scareware programs to pay $163 million
In this day and age, most semi-tech savvy computer users know what scareware is. For those that don’t, scareware is not malware, per se, but it is software that make you think like you have a problem on your computer (when you actually don’t) and charge you a large sum [...]
Read More »[Windows] Paint.NET is a free, feature-filled image editor
When it comes down to cutting, cropping, or editing one of your favorite images, the default Windows Paint software isn’t enough to get these basic tasks done. This is where Paint.NET comes in, a software that saves you from installing large programs like GIMP or buying Photoshop.
What is it [...]
Read More »[Windows] Sumatra PDF is a lightweight, easy-to-use PDF reader
Sometimes less can be considered as more; such is the case with Sumatra PDF reader. It doesn’t have all the extra features found in Adobe Reader to slow it down, and that is the reason why Sumatra hits the right spot as many users who have PDF readers only use [...]
Android apps will seamlessly run on Windows 8, thanks to a partnership between AMD and Bluestacks
Windows Store may only have a few thousand apps when Windows 8 is launched but Windows 8 tablets and PCs running on AMD processors will have access to hundreds of thousands of more apps. Hundreds of thousands of Android apps and games, to be more specific.
AMD has teamed up [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] Learn about your neighborhood by reading Wikipedia on Explora
What are some cool or interesting places to visit in your area? If you’re new to the area, you probably don’t know–but with Explora, you can find out. Explora lets you view Wikipedia articles on local businesses, neighborhoods, and more, while in the process, you learn about your world.[...]
What
Read More »[Windows] Keep track of files and add the date to the end of filenames with Append Date
Many computer users deal extensively with files every day. However, they often loose track of which exact version of a file something is, or when it was created. With Append Date, that’s not an issue: this little program lets you append the date to any filename with the click of [...]
We have another Windows 8 hater — the developer of Minecraft
Valve hates Windows 8, Blizzard Entertainment isn’t very enthusiastic about Windows 8, and a user interface expert feels Windows 8 is a “cognitive burden” on people. Who else is a Windows 8 naysayer? How about the developer of Minecraft.
Minecraft is a popular game for PCs. Markus “Notch” Persson, the [...]
Read More »[Windows] Attachments too big? Split them with Split Byte
Email, for some bizarre reason, still has an upload limit of around 25-50MB. It’s slowly getting better, but you still can’t send very large attachments to certain people. If you need to email something to someone, try splitting the file with Split Byte.[...]
What is it and what does it
Read More »[Windows 8] Pop the bubbles or die trying in Bubble Star
Bubble Star is a free game on the Windows Store that offers 100 levels and ”hours of fun”–and it’s not just talk. It’s for real. Bubble Star, which is essentially Frozen Bubble with powerups, is a great game to play for a few minutes at a time, eventually working your [...]
[Windows] Monitor CPU usage, memory usage, and computer temperature from your system tray with Perfgraph
Keeping tabs on your CPU and memory usage is a must for anyone who likes to keep their system in tip-top shape. If you’re one of those people, try Perfgraph. It’s a free program that adds a surprisingly minimal chart to your taskbar that can show CPU, memory, network ping [...]
[Windows] Test USB drives for actual storage capacity with H2testw, because knockoff USB drives lie
“$12 for a 64GB flash drive?! Send me 20!”
Cheap thumb drives and hard drives off of Ebay and from street vendors can often be of dubious quantity and quality, even if they claim to work when you plug them into your computer. H2testw is a program that one ups [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] Watch and listen to YouTube videos with Youtube Player
The internet is all about sharing photos, videos, music, and much much more. A large part of this is entirely YouTube, the online video sharing site that has become a home for high quality (and low quality) videos produced by everyone and their dog. Youtube Player brings that great content [...]
EU is getting ready to sue Microsoft which could result in a fine as high as $7.4 billion
Remember that browser choice screen Microsoft promised to include in all EU-destined Windows PCs from 2009 onwards? That same browser choice screen Microsoft “accidentally” forgot to include in Windows 8 but has now promised to add it? Yeah, well, despite Microsoft’s assurance, EU regulators have finalized their probe into Microsoft [...]
Read More »Good lord, we have another one: Adobe is starting rapid release cycle for Flash
Trying to mimic Chrome, last year Mozilla introduced a rapid release cycle for Firefox — Mozilla decided they would release a new major version of Firefox every six weeks or so. This resulted in Firefox, which used to see roughly one major release every year, going from Firefox 4 to [...]
Read More »[Windows] Open Firefox and Firefox Portable at the same time with TwinFox
One of the coolest things about Firefox is that it’s available in both installable and entirely thumbdrive-based portable editions. If you’re a user of the portable version, however, you might find it annoying that you can’t run the installed version at the same time as the version located on your [...]
[Windows] Open frequently used applications and files quickly with the free dock Winstep Nexus
Handy as Windows 7′s taskbar may be for launching all of your favorite apps and programs, it’s still not perfect. There’s still no official way, after three years, to dock specific files on your taskbar–only programs, and within their jumplists, files. Winstep Nexus is a beautiful dock that, along with [...]
[Windows 8] MetroPuzzle is a simple, fun puzzler that makes you think
So few games released today are slow, relaxing puzzlers. That’s what makes MetroPuzzle stand out: rather than being all about rushing as fast as you can, it makes you stop and think. It’s all about the relationships between the blocks themselves, and trying to remove the central white shape by [...]
Be careful what you rent — rent-to-own computers from seven companies spied on users, stealing passwords and photographing… sex
You know those scary stories you hear about how a hacker took control of someone’s webcam and videotaped or photographed them without their knowledge? Yeah, well, it turns out hackers aren’t the only ones doing such things — companies that rent out computers do such things, too.
The Federal Trade [...]
Read More »[Windows] Help your concentration and sleep better with White Noise Sleep System
Extraneous noise can be very distracting–it’s our brains trying to pick patterns out of the background. White noise can help. Random frequencies that combined create the sound from an old CRT TV on the wrong channel, white noise contains no patterns, and thus is impossible for our brains to use. [...]
[Windows] Back up, transfer, and restore your Gmail inbox and archive with GMVault
A lot of people use Gmail to manage their day-to-day lives. But what happens if Gmail were to suddenly get wiped off the face of the earth, or if Google were to close down your account? It’s important to keep backups of your emails for the sake of your data’s [...]
[Windows 8] Watch full-screen TED talks with TEDTalks HD
Ever seen a TED video? If not, then you don’t know what you are missing. TED – which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design – is a nonprofit organization that organizes TED conferences and talks where people give speeches on ideas or inventions they have. They’re amazing to listen to, and [...]
New Java vulnerability in Java 5/6/7 bypasses Java security sandbox, affects 1 billion users worldwide
Is it open season on Java? Or has the season for Java never ended? Who knows. I do know, however, that yet another vulnerability has been discovered in Java. This time the vulnerability affects Java 5, Java 6, and Java 7, meaning roughly one billion users around the world are [...]
Read More »[Windows] Help scientists unravel the mysteries of protein folding with Folding@home
Did you know that, around the world, there are numerous projects to use home computers as distributed supercomputers? There are, and Folding@home is one of the most famous ones. Created by scientists at Stanford University, it lets your computer join a vast network that allows them to study the science [...]
[Windows] Download and upload to remote fileservers (FTP, SCP, SFTP) with WinSCP
There are tons of people who use FTP clients every day. Graphic designers use them to upload completed designs. Web programmers use them to upload finished scripts and programs. Whatever you use them for, try WinSCP. It’s a free and popular client that does not only FTP, but SFTP [...]
[Windows 8] Read the latest issue of Popular Science with the free PopSci app
Popular Science is a cool magazine, and has made a great switch over into web magazine form. It has an official Android app, an iOS app, and now, a Windows 8 app. It rolls all of the latest stories and headlines into one big, beautiful app that lets you read [...]