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If you
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IN THIS FREE ISSUE:
0. EDITORIAL: The New Generation of Intrusion Prevention Products
1. TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES
1.1 More Free Software from Microsoft
1.2 HijackThis Logs Analyzed Automatically
1.3 Send Emails at Future Dates
1.4 Identify Unknown Programs from Their File Name
1.5 Identify Unknown Processes
1.6 A Free DNS Server That's Better and Safer
1.7 Record Your Screen Sessions for Free (SE Edition)
1.8 Social Bookmarking Sites Compared (SE Edition)
1.9 Common Computer Questions Answered (SE Edition)
2. TOP FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE UTILITIES
2.1 How to Get Acronis True Image for Free
2.2 Covert an Old PC into a Mass Storage Device
2.3 A Free Anti-Spyware Program with Active Protection
2.4 Google Releases Free Bookmark Syncing Tool
2.5 Recover Information from Damaged Data CDs
2.6 Free Tool Re-arranges Your Task Bar (SE Edition)
2.7 Free Utility Checks Web Site for Broken Links (SE Edition)
2.8 The Best Internet Business Guide is Now Free (SE Edition)
3. SECURITY PATCHES, SERVICE RELEASES AND UPDATES
3.1 Microsoft Security News
3.2 Firefox Updated to V1.5.0.7
3.3 New Version of SandBoxie Fixes Vulnerability
3.4 Weaknesses of Anti-Virus Software
3.5 How to Stop Delivery of Internet Explorer 7
3.6 Organized Crime Behind Latest Malware Wave
3.7 Is Your Security Software Killing Your PC?
4. OTHER USEFUL STUFF
4.1 Where to Find Good Computer Deals
4.2 Weird Cases for Your iPod
4.3 Free Utility Prevents Digital Photo EXIF Data Loss
4.4 Lots of Free Games
4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department
4.6 How to Find Free Music; Get Access to Blocked Sites (SE)
4.7 Multiple Function Cable Saves Space (SE Edition)
4.8 Free Utility Converts Video Files for Use on Your iPod (SE)
5. TIP OF THE MONTH
5.1 How to Schedule Programs to Run Automatically
6. FREEBIE OF THE MONTH
6.1 A Program Scheduler That Handles Automated Keystrokes
6.2 Free Utility Offers Anonymous and Secure Browsing (SE Edition)
7. MANAGING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
0.0 EDITORIAL
It's
been over a year since I last looked at intrusion
prevention and detection systems and since that time the range
of products available and the capabilities of these products
have changed remarkably. In particular the latest products have
improved greatly in usability and are now much less annoying
than their predecessors.
Intrusion
prevention systems, or HIPS (Host-based Intrusion
Prevention Systems) to use the current jargon, are software
products you run on your PC that are designed to warn you about
programs that are behaving suspiciously and prevent them from
doing anything harmful.
Unlike
anti virus and anti spyware programs that try to identify
malware programs by their signatures, HIPS products try to
identify malware programs by their behavior.
For
example, most users will at some time have seen a popup
warning that looks something like this:
Alg.exe
is trying to contact a remote computer.
(A)llow
(D)eny
This
is a typical HIPS warning message. What it is saying is
that the program alg.exe is behaving suspiciously. It is not
saying alg.exe is a malicious program; rather it's leaving that
decision to you.
This
approach has both strengths and weaknesses:
On
the plus side it can catch brand new malware programs that
aren't yet in your anti virus signature database. This is a real
strength as the number of new malware programs in circulation is
rising sharply and anti virus vendors are hard pressed to keep
their signature files up to date up-to-date.
Another
advantage is that it can catch malware that are
exploiting previously unknown flaws in Windows and other
software products. These so called "zero-day" attacks are also
escalating rapidly; indeed, they are approaching plague
proportions.
On
the downside, HIPS systems put a heavy burden on the user:
First,
users have their work interrupted by warning messages.
Worse still, most of these warning messages are false alarms
created by perfectly legitimate activities such as programs
phoning home to check for updates. Simple activities like
installing a new utility can became a nightmare with whole
strings of warning messages generated.
Second,
users are asked to make decisions whether a program is
legitimate or not. Take the example HIPS warning I mentioned
above. The only way a user can give an intelligent response to
this warning is to know exactly what the program alg.exe does
and whether it should be exhibiting this behavior. Quite
frankly, most users wouldn't know and, equally frankly, it's
unreasonable to expect them to.
Anyone
who has used WinPatrol, Prevx or other first generation
HIPS program knows these problems all too well. In net effect
these early HIPS were 99.9% annoyance and 0.1% protection.
The
latest HIPS products try to address these problems by using
a variety of different techniques, the most common of which are
white lists and black lists.
White
lists are catalogs of trusted programs. White-listed
programs can pretty well do what they want without the HIPS
program generating popup warnings. This approach greatly reduces
the number of warning messages and more importantly reduces the
number of false warnings.
Black
lists are catalogs of known malware programs. Any action
by these programs is blocked and the user is notified. This
approach greatly reduces the need for users to interpret warning
messages and to know what programs are malicious.
Prevx1,
the replacement for Prevx, is an excellent example of
this new generation of HIPS. It combines both black and white
lists and on most systems it generates hardly any warning
messages unless there is a genuine problem. By contrast its
predecessor Prevx was notorious for generating a plethora of
messages. So many, in fact, that most users quickly became
annoyed and uninstalled the product.
Prevx1
is not the only HIPS product with improved usability.
DefenseWall and others have impressed too. And even some older
HIPS products like Process Guard and System Safety Monitor have
improved in their usability.
This
is good news for all. HIPS systems have become more
important as the prevalence of zero-day attacks has increased.
Anti-virus and anti-spyware products offer only limited defense
against these threats but HIPS programs promise a high level of
protection.
So
how well do these HIPS products actually perform? Do they
provide a useful degree of additional protection beyond that
offered by your anti-virus and anti-spyware software? Do they
still annoy and confuse users? Will they slow your PC down?
The
answers to these questions will have to wait to next month's
issue. I'll give you a full report on the technical aspects and,
equally importantly, I'll provide an end-user's perspective
based on the experiences of a group of subscribers who are
currently testing these products for me.
If
you can't wait then check out the HIPS reviews over at http://kareldjag.over-blog.com/. These reviews are quite
technical but they are the most comprehensive I've seen and well
worth wading through.
See
you next month.
Gizmo
Ian "Gizmo" Richards
editor@techsupportalert.com
PS
This month I'm giving away six free copies of the the top
rated Anti virus NOD32 plus lots of Google GMail invites. 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 survive. If you
feel that you've benefited from reading this newsletter perhaps
you would like to consider donating by subscribing to the
premium "Supporters' Edition" of this newsletter.
The
Premium SE 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.
You'll
also get immediate access to the archive of all past
issues of the Premium Supporters' Edition of the newsletter
where you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities you
missed in the free edition. The SE Edition is a great deal
and at $10 per year it's a bargain.
This
month I'm giving away to new 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.
I'm
also giving away invites to Google Gmail to new
SE subscribers. Last month everyone who wanted one got one and
I expect the same to happen this month. Just email me at
editor@techsupportalert.com after subscribing to the Premium SE
Edition and I'll send your invitation.
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
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1.0 TOP TECH SITES AND RESOURCES
1.1 More Free Software from Microsoft
Last
month I gave a link to the "Ultimate List of Free Software
from Microsoft [1]." Subscriber Wayne Paterson has written in to
let me know the same author has now compiled a new list of
Microsoft freebies specifically for MS Office [2].
[1]
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1231.entry
[2]
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1344.entry
1.2 HijackThis Logs Analyzed Automatically
I've
mentioned the free HijackThis security utility [1] several
times in this newsletter. It's a free program that lists the
programs running on your PC, those that start up automatically
with Windows, installed browser toolbars and a variety of other
key pieces of data that help identify if any malware programs
are installed on your PC. Interpreting a HijackThis log is an
expert task and I normally recommend posting the log to a
specialist Tom Coyote web forum [2] for analysis. This site [3]
offers another option: instantaneous on-line analysis. Don't
expect it to be as thorough as an experienced human operator but
then again you don't have to hang around a day or more waiting
to find out if your PC is infected. Just create a HijackThis log
then cut and paste it into the web form and press the button.
Bingo; instant analysis.
[1] http://www.hijackthis.de/en
[2] http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/
[3] http://hjt.networktechs.com/
1.3 Send Emails at Future Dates
A
subscriber recently asked how he could schedule to send an
email to his children every day for a whole week in advance. It
turned out to be easier than I thought as I found two sites that
offer this service for free. Good for reminders too.
http://futureme.org/
http://www.mailtothefuture.com
1.4 Identify Unknown Programs from Their File Name
It's
often hard to work out the name of an application just from
the file name but it's easy with the help of this site. Just
enter the file name and you can discover the product name,
publisher, original publication date and more. Well worth
bookmarking. Thanks to regular contributor Rhiannon Dent for the
suggestion.
http://fileadvisor.bit9.com/services/search.aspx
1.5 Identify Unknown Processes
Another
site to bookmark. Here you can look up any of the
processes running on your PC and find out whether they are
friend or foe.
http://www.processlibrary.com/
1.6 A Free DNS Server That's Better and Safer
Subscriber
Eric Villarreal writes, "Open DNS offers their DNS
server free of charge to replace the DNS servers that one's ISP
uses. They claim it to be faster, safer (from phishing sites,
which are blocked), and smarter as it changes typos like .og to
its correct form, .org and so on. I've been using it for a few
days, and it does what it claims. Just one more little thing to
keep things safer." Nice find, Eric. I tried it and it works
well.
http://www.opendns.com
**
These items appear only in the Premium SE Edition **
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 How to Get Acronis True Image for Free
When
subscriber Warren Stark emailed me about this I thought it
was a hoax but it's not. Acronis is giving away an older version
(V7) of its class-leading imaging program. Now V7 may not have
the fancy features of the latest version but it's still a great
product. In fact, I used it myself when it was the current
version. Sure it can't backup to DVD and it requires 2 CD drives
for cloning but it's a totally usable product. The only small
downside here is you have to register to get a serial number; a
tiny price to pay to get a top product. Once registered you need to login to
download the software. The download link is under "My Products" on the "My
Account" page. Thanks Warren. Free
promotion, Windows 98 and later, 21.3MB.
http://www.acronis.com/mag/vnu-ati7
2.2 Covert an Old PC into a Mass Storage Device
Subscriber
Richard Game writes, "Gizmo, I've come across some
software that allows you to convert an old PC into a mass
storage device by adding one or more additional hard drives. The
software replaces the normal operating system so you don't need
Windows or Linux. It's not free but I could not be bothered to
figure out all the packages and configuration I would need to do
this on a normal Linux box to compare the price. Using this
software it took only 15 minutes to have an old 500Mhz Dell PC
acting as a NAS server. Once the NAS server is attached to a
Windows network each drive on the server is detected and labeled
automatically within the Network Neighborhood. It doesn't get
any simpler than that - the best $30 I have spent in ages."
Great find, Richard. It's a good use for an old PC and the
economics are really attractive. For example, four 250GB drives
should cost you less than $280 and when you add the $30 cost of
the server operating system you end up with a terabyte of
storage for $310! That's quite enough to rip most CD collections
in uncompressed WAV format or store more than 120 DVD movies.
And you can use any old Pentium PC as long as it's got a fast
network card and plenty of drive bays. Another attractive
feature is that you are relieved of the normal operating system
maintenance requirements for the server. For example, there's no
need for Windows updates. On the downside, you are limited in
your security and disk management options compared to a server
running a full operating system but for home users this is not a
big issue. Of course, similar results could be achieved by using
a series of external USB drives but then you have the additional
cost of the drive enclosures plus the complexities of separate
power supplies for each. Additionally, external drives will put
more load on the host PC compared to using a separate server.
Commercial software, various prices up to $29.95.
http://www.serverelements.com/naslite-2-cdd.php
2.3 A Free Anti-Spyware Program with Active
Protection
Ad-Aware
and SpyBot Search and Destroy have long been the
mainstays in the free anti-spyware utility category but, alas,
their stars have fallen in the last year as these once great
products have been overwhelmed by the latest generation of
malware products. Hopes for another solution were raised when
Microsoft bought out Giant's excellent Antispyware product and
released it for free. However, these hopes were dashed when
Microsoft changed the Giant product into Windows Defender. It
was no enhancement; in fact, a step backwards. So I've been
keeping my eye out for a new contender, particularly one with
good active protection to prevent initial infection. One such
product is Spyware Terminator [1]. I've known about it for quite
a while but have approached it cautiously as there was a cloud
hanging over the reputation of the vendor [2]. Thankfully, that
cloud has now been lifted. Installation proved to be very simple
as the product has an excellent configuration wizard that walks
you through the setup. One option offered is the capacity to
harness the open source anti-virus product ClamAV to provide
another layer of detection in addition to Spyware Terminator's
only inbuilt detection. This is a nice idea; ClamAV is not the
most effective AV scanner on the market but it's certainly
competent and the additional protection can only be a plus. The
Spyware Terminator (ST) user interface is very clean and
professional, a complete cut above the amateurish look of
products like SpyBot S&D. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of
ST is its comprehensive active protection. Over fifty different
system variables are monitored in four separate areas.
Additionally,
there is a built-in HIPS system that works in a
similar manner to products like WinPatrol to prevent programs
starting up on your PC or making changes without your
knowledge. A nice feature here is the ability to set the HIPS
warnings to a level appropriate to user experience. Other HIPS
products could do well to offer a similar feature.
Unusually
for a free product, ST allows you schedule scans
automatically. Updates, too, can be set to automatic.
Scanning
proved to be on the slow side. A full spyware scan
took 896 seconds to scan 21000 objects while Windows Defender
took only 503 seconds to scan 78000 objects. A combined Spyware
and AV scan took even longer.
I
tested spyware scan detection rates on a limited sample of 110
currently circulating malware products obtained from P2P
networks. ST detected around 31% by scan and 49% on execution
compared to 34% and 56% for Windows Defender and 42 and 71% for
the class-leading product WebRoot SpySweeper. The sample size
here is too small to get pedantic but it would be reasonable to
say that ST approaches Windows Defender in performance but is a
distinct notch below the top commercial anti-spyware products.
This
conclusion needs to be qualified. ST has a much stronger
HIPS capability than Windows Defender and this provides
additional protection for experienced users who now how to
interpret and respond to warning messages. Less experienced
users will benefit less.
In
the technical area ST was less impressive. It can be easily
terminated using basic methods; Windows Task Manager was
sufficient. It doesn't detect rootkits, can't detect process
injection, it doesn't scan within archives and can only handle a
limited number of compressed executable schemes. Mind you, most
other anti-spyware products perform badly in these areas as well.
Where
ST does shine is active protection against hostile web
sites. Here it is the HIPS that is carrying the main load but
the result is impressive. ST protected my PC against infection
at my three standard hostile sites, easily outperforming most
other anti-spyware products with the exception of SpySweeper.
In
conclusion, Spyware Terminator is an excellent free spyware
scanner with useful auxiliary anti-virus capabilities. Its
active protection is well ahead of the other major free anti-
spyware products: SpyBot, Ad-Aware, and Ewido Free. Its
detection rates are good, just a notch behind Windows Defender
but well ahead of Ad-aware and SpyBot. It does not, however,
approach the rates achieved by the top commercial anti-spyware
products.
So
do I prefer it to Windows Defender? For users of older
Windows systems it's a non-question as Windows Defender will not
work on these systems. Windows 2000 and XP users do, however,
have a choice. I'd have to say at a technical level I think
Spyware Terminator's HIPS gives it the edge however this is
offset in my mind by lingering concerns over how a high-support
product like this can remain viable as a free product.
Freeware, Windows 98 and later, 2.3MB
[1] http://www.spywareterminator.com
[2]
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm#spyterm_note
2.4 Google Releases Free Bookmark Syncing Tool
Regular
contributor Rhiannon Dent writes, "Gizmo, check out
Google Browser Sync for Firefox [1]. It's a free Firefox
extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings
including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved
passwords, across your computers. It also allows you to restore
open tabs and windows across different machines and browser
sessions." It does even more than that, Rhiannon; it provides
back up for your bookmarks and other settings as well. For many
users that alone would justify installation. I've been using it
for a week and am really quite impressed. By default the syncing
process is totally automated but can be manually tweaked to suit
your needs. I also liked the ability to encrypt your data with a
PIN so that not even Google can read your personal information.
Overall, a brilliant solution to a common problem. Requires
Firefox V1.5 on all PCs that are to be synced.
[1]
http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/browsersync/
2.5 Recover Information from Damaged Data CDs
One
of the worst PC experiences is to find your precious backup
CDs or DVDs are unreadable due to scratches or surface
degradation. At this site [1] they list three utilities,
including two freebies, that will help you recover your vital
data. I've previously used one of these programs, ISOBuster [2],
and it does a great job with both CDs and DVDs. Don't expect
miracles though, like the guy who wrote to me last year who had
put a hot fry pan on a precious CD accidentally left on his
kitchen counter. I'm sure even ISOBuster couldn't read the
molten plastic mass welded to the bottom of the pan. :>)
[1]
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/09/recover-data-files-from-damaged.html
[2] http://www.isobuster.com/ Donationware, all Windows versions, 2.6MB
**
These items appear only in the Premium SE Edition **
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
During
the month Microsoft released an out-of-course cumulative
update [1] for Internet Explorer. The update fixed a critical
flaw in the Vector Markup Language that was being widely
exploited by hostile web sites to infect unsuspecting visitors
with rootkit stealthed keyloggers and other malware. Even fully
patched XP SP2 machines were vulnerable to this particularly
serious vulnerability, providing yet another example of the
rapidly increasing escalation of zero-day computer security
threats.
The
out-of-course patch brought little joy to Microsoft.
Security experts complained of too little too late, referring to
the failure to fix yet another critical Internet Explorer flaw
that has been known about since July. There was other bad news,
too, for Microsoft Office with the discovery of a new PowerPoint
exploit in circulation that affects even fully patched systems.
On
Patch Tuesday, October 10, Microsoft released ten patches,
six of which were rated as "Critical."
The
majority of these patches covered flaws that could be
exploited by hostile web sites for drive-by downloads and other
exploits. Also included were patches to a number of extremely
serious Microsoft Office flaws, exploits for which have been in
active and widespread circulation for some time.
Full
details of the October updates can be found here [2]. All
the updates are distributed automatically by the Microsoft
Update Service but there have been delays in getting the latest
batch of patches to users. Dial-up users in particular need to
be aware that the latest updates can be up to 50 megabytes in
size and may need several hours to download. If you have any
doubts that you have received the updates then visit the Update
Service [3] now.
[1] http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-055.mspx
[2]
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-oct.mspx
[3] http://update.microsoft.com (Requires IE5 or later)
3.2 Firefox Updated to V1.5.0.7
Yet another proactive
security update. The latest V1.5.0.7 covers seven potential flaws as well as
some improvements to product stability. To my knowledge there are no current
exploits in circulation that utilize any of these flaws. However, it is
essential that you update as the malware developers routinely reverse engineer
security updates to identify flaws to exploit in unpatched machines. Users with
Firefox automatic updates enabled should have had the new version automatically
delivered and installed. You can check by selecting Help/About from within
Firefox. If your version number is less than 1.5.0.7 then update manually from
here:
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
3.3 New Version of SandBoxie Fixes Vulnerability
Ronen
Tzur, the author of SandBoxie, has released a new version
2.62 that fixes a bug that I reported to him. That bug allowed
the product to be terminated by rebuilding the SDT. Quite
separately I'd like to send my thanks to Antti Koponen who noted
an error in my original SandBoxie testing. Antti quite
correctly pointed out that SandBoxie does NOT prevent sandboxed
programs from accessing user data. I goofed. Well it was a
transcription error actually, which is, of course, just another
way of saying I goofed. :>) I've now corrected the web version
of my report.
http://www.sandboxie.com
3.4 Weaknesses of Anti-Virus Software
This
paper offers a thorough documentation of the limitations of
AV software as a defense against modern malware. In essence it
provides the answer to one of my most common subscriber
questions: "Gizmo, I have a really good AV scanner. Do I really
need any additional protection for my PC?" The link below is to
an Adobe Acrobat PDF file so you'll need the Adobe Reader.
http://www.securityelf.org/html/software_misuse/
3.5 How to Stop Delivery of Internet Explorer 7
IE7
is nearing official release and will be automatically
distributed to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 machines via
the Microsoft Update service. That means that if you have
automatic updates enabled on your PC, you'll get IE7 whether you
want it or not. I think most home PC users would want the update
but some commercial users may prefer a phased implementation to
prevent potential software incompatibility problems. If you want
to prevent IE7 automatically downloading and installing you can
use a special toolkit that Microsoft has made available. Full
details here:
http://tinyurl.com/kwkgt (Microsoft.com)
3.6 Organized Crime Behind Latest Malware Wave
I've
mentioned before that the age of the amateur hacker is now
passing and instead we are increasingly seeing highly
sophisticated attacks by organized criminals. Check out this
Reuters article for a few more details about this new trend.
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=13501952
3.7 Is Your Security Software Killing Your PC?
There
is no doubt that using security products slows down your
PC. There's no doubt, too, that some products take up more
resources than others. These effects are not subtle; everyone
who has replaced Norton AV with NOD32 has been shocked with the
performance improvement. Some people extrapolate from this to
say you shouldn't run any security software as it will kill your
PCs performance. It's an amazing position to take. It's like
arguing you should replace the steel body work on your car with
aluminum foil to make it accelerate faster. Indeed, it will
accelerate faster and your fuel economy will be better, too, but
at what cost to your safety? One of the folks who pursues this
line of thinking is Tec Republic's Technical Director, George
Ou. He supports it with a set of tests that show how much
various security products slow your PC down. I generally like
George's blog and his tests are most interesting but I just
can't agree with his conclusions. To be fair though, his
original comments were pitched towards PCs used in corporate
environments using perimeter virus screening. However, if you
are a home PC user don't even think about removing all your
security software just to improve performance. Unless, that is,
you have a penchant for Russian Roulette. ;>)
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=327&tag=nl.e622
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last a remote access solution that actually works! Quite frankly we agree with
him, it's an impressive product. Read the full review here:
http://www.pcsupportadvisor.com/best_remote_access_software.htm
The Best Drive Imaging
Program
In this race there are really only two runners worth considering. In this review
we do an in-depth comparison of the top contenders but in the end, one product
is the clear winner.
http://techsupportalert.com/drive-imaging-reviews.htm
The Best Free Kids Craft
Projects
Keep your children engaged and amused with healthy, creative arts and craft
activities that won't cost you a cent. Free weekly newsletter packed with easy
kids craft projects.
http://kidscraftweekly.com/
------------- end of
sponsored links --------------------------
4.0 OTHER USEFUL STUFF
4.1 Where to Find Good Computer Deals
Regular contributor JW
writes, "Gizmo, in the last issue you mentioned the good deals at BitsDuJour [1]
and FreeAfterRebate [2]. Here are a few additional shopping sites [3]-[5] that
I've found from experience also offer good deals."
[1]
http://www.bitsdujour.com/
[2]
http://www.freeafterrebate.com
[3]
http://www.weeklycloseouts.com/page/en/home.aspx
[4]
http://www.antirebate.com/
[5]
http://www.ableshoppers.com/
4.2 Weird Cases for Your iPod
This blog author claims to
have come up with the five strangest cases ever. Not sure about that but a
couple are certainly, eh, different.
http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-5-strangest-ipod-cases
4.3 Free Utility Prevents Digital Photo
EXIF Data Loss
Subscriber Tony Bennett
writes, "Gizmo, I have found a very good software program called Exifer that
preserves EXIF data. In fact, I am so impressed that I'm going to mention it in
a talk I'm giving next week to our local photographic group. I've looked at
other programs that do this but found nothing as good as this freebie." Thanks
Tony. In simple terms, EXIF data is a set of information attached to your
digital image files that stores details of how and when the photo was taken.
This includes exposure, aperture, date and more. The problem is that a lot of
imaging software such as IrfanView and ACDSee destroy the EXIF data. Exifer is a
neat little utility that ensures it is preserved. Apparently it won't work with
all image processing programs but will work with most. And it's not free; you
have to send the author a postcard. :>) Postcardware, Windows 98 and later,
1.62MB
http://www.exifer.friedemann.info/
4.4 Lots of Free Games
Subscriber John Pratt has
sent me a very long list of "family- friendly" games that he's also found to be
spyware-free. I've listed his favorites below:
Absolute Mastermind
http://web.telia.com/~u43509647/
Block130 (Ball and bricks)
http://www.interq.or.jp/tohoku/kenta/e/download/block/block.htm
YASC Sokoban
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sokobanyasc
Bobble Puzzle
http://djes.free.fr
Skooter
http://www.leandrocorreia.com/skooter/skootere.htm
B-zero (bouncing ball)
http://gamehippo.com
4.5 Useless Waste of Time Department
Confident you can pick a
real picture from a computer generated one?
Then take this simple test [1]. I scored 4 out of 10. ;>( Want to waste more
time? Then check out this neat illusion [2].
[1]
http://www.alias.com/eng/etc/fakeorfoto/quiz.html
[2]
http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html
** These items appear only
in the Premium SE Edition **
5.0 TIP OF THE MONTH
5.1 How to Schedule Programs to Run
Automatically
It's often very handy to be
able to schedule tasks to run unattended. The classic example is backup. I
backup my key data each night at 2.00 a.m. and thankfully I don't have to be
there to make it happen. Instead it takes place automatically using the task
scheduler built into the backup program.
However, not all programs
have an inbuilt task scheduler. In these cases it's still possible to run the
program using the Windows Task Scheduler that comes free with all Windows
versions from Windows 98 onwards. In fact, many programs that have automatic
scheduling make use of the Windows Task Scheduler to do the real work.
Let's explore the use of
Windows Task Scheduler by setting up an automated daily task to clean all the
junk files off your hard drive.The program we will use to do the cleaning is the
excellent free utility CCleaner. If you don't have a copy, go grab it now from
here:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
After downloading, install
the program on your PC. During the installation make sure you un-check the
option to install the Yahoo Toolbar, unless, that is, you really want it. After
installing CCleaner start the program and check the default cleaning options to
make sure these are what you want. For example, if you want to retain your
browser history and auto- complete make sure those boxes are unchecked. Once you
are happy with the options, shut down CCleaner.
Now start up the Windows
Scheduler by clicking Start / Control Panel / Scheduled Tasks / Add Scheduled
Task. This will start the Scheduled Task Wizard. Click <Next> and this will
bring up a list of programs. Select CCleaner then <Next>. Then select Daily and
<Next>. Then whatever time you want the program to automatically run and <Next>.
After that, enter your username and passwords followed by <Next>. Don't click
<Finish> just yet.
Now we need to use a little
trick. If you stop at this point CCleaner will run automatically at the
prescribed time but won't actually do any cleaning. It will be just sitting
there waiting for you to press some buttons.
To get around this you need
to tell CCleaner to run without any user intervention. Thankfully the folks at
CCleaner have provided a special command line option to do this.
To add the command line
option, check the "Open advanced properties" box in the Task Scheduler Wizard
and then <Finish>. In the "Run" box you should have something that looks like
this:
"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\ccleaner.exe"
Now click at the end of
this line just after the .exe, leave a space and then type in /AUTO so the
complete line now looks like this:
"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\ccleaner.exe
/AUTO"
The
/AUTO tells CCleaner to run automatically once started and
exit automatically when finished which is exactly what you want.
Well
that's it! You've now created a scheduled job that will
clean your hard drive of unwanted files every night.
If
you want to create other scheduled jobs such as backup or
defragging your hard drive you can do so in the same way.
Unfortunately, not all programs have command line options like
CCleaner that allow automatic running without user input. For
these programs to run automatically you need a program that can
automate the entry of keystrokes. There are many such programs
available, including some excellent free programs. In fact, if
you read the next item, you'll find one. ;>)
6.0 FREEBIE OF THE MONTH
6.1 A Program Scheduler That Handles Automated
Keystrokes
It's
possible to use the Windows Task Scheduler to automate the
running of just about any program. However, some programs
require user input once they are started and will sit waiting
forever for a keyboard response. There are several solutions to
this problem but subscriber Mark Smith has come up with on that
is simple, free and effective.
Mark
writes, "Gizmo, I just found a utility that has filled a
major gap for me. I use Diskeeper Lite for defragging but the
scheduling feature is only available in the paid version. I
overcame this by using a free utility called System Scheduler
[1]. It's simpler to use than Windows Scheduler and also allows
you to enter parameters for a scheduled program or file. In
particular, it allows you to enter key-presses in an easily
understood manner which is great for non-programmers. So for
example, with Diskeeper Lite, I could close the nag screen (Alt
F4), activate the correct menu selection, Actions (Alt A) and
press the key for defragment (D), all on one line without
separators even. Very slick. So now I have the only feature that
I really wanted in the paid version of Diskeeper!"
Great
find, Mark. I'm sure a lot of subscribers will find this
very useful. I note that the developer makes a free and a Pro
version. The latter has some useful additional features such as
the ability to reboot and run as a service but the free will do
for most folks. Furthermore, the free version covers both home
and business use. Freeware, Windows 9X and later, 1.0MB
[1] http://www.splinterware.com/
**
Bonus Freebie in the Premium SE Edition **
6.2 Free Utility Offers Anonymous and Secure
Browsing
This
freebie is a gem. It delivers two immediate benefits:
First
it provides you with the most convenient way yet of surfing anonymously.
Second,
it provides you with a secure connection so that you surf over open Wi-Fi networks without
the need for expensive VPN networks.
And
that's not all. You can install and run it from a USB Flash drive.
... full details in the
Premium SE Edition
GET THE PREMIUM "SE"
EDITION NOW
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great web sites, get twice as many top utilities and great
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You'll
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where you can catch up on the hundreds of great utilities you
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and at $10 per year it's a bargain.
Use
this link to subscribe online now:
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This
month I'm giving away to new 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.
I'm
also giving away invites to Google Gmail to new
SE subscribers. Last month everyone who wanted one got one and
I expect the same to happen this month. Just email me at
editor@techsupportalert.com after subscribing to the Premium SE
Edition and I'll send your invitation.
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.
Use
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http://www.techsupportalert.com/se-edition.htm
7.0 MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
Support Alert is a free newsletter. If you liked this issue why not email it to a friend. Anyone can subscribe by signing up online at
http://www.techsupportalert.com/al_subscribe.htm
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The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm
The Extended List of the Latest Freebies
http://www.techsupportalert.com/more/extended.htm
For lots more free IT newsletters see
http://www.TechNewsletters.com/infobase.asp?TPubId=79
Thanks to subscriber
A.Belile for proofreading this issue.
You can contact this newsletter by snail mail at:
Support Alert
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Support Alert is a registered online serial publication ISSN 1448-7020. Content of this newsletter is (c) Copyright TechSupportAlert.com, 2006
See you next issue
Gizmo
Ian Richards
editor@techsupportalert.com
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