Software Review on Freeware and Applications Freeware

How To Secure Your Wireless Network

2011-08-23T21:03:00.001-07:00

People have more flexible time due to wireless network. Thanks to the invention of wireless. People can now work from home while taking care of their kids or doing house works. No more stress from traffic jam anymore. Is this great?

Well, there is something you should realize. Working from home while using a wireless local area network (WLAN) may lead to theft of sensitive information and hacker or virus infiltration unless proper measures are taken. As WLANs send information over radio waves, someone with a receiver in your area could be picking up the transmission, thus gaining access to your computer. They could load viruses on to your laptop which could be transferred to the company's network when you go back to work.

Believe it or not! Up to 75 per cent of WLAN users do not have standard security features installed, while 20 per cent are left completely open as default configurations are not secured, but made for the users to have their network up and running ASAP. It is recommended that wireless router/access point setup be always done though a wired client.

You can setup your security by follow these steps:

1. Change default administrative password on wireless router/access point to a secured password.

2. Enable at least 128-bit WEP encryption on both card and access point. Change your WEP keys periodically. If equipment does not support at least 128-bit WEP encryption, consider replacing it. Although there are security issues with WEP, it represents minimum level of security, and it should be enabled.

3. Change the default SSID on your router/access point to a hard to guess name. Setup your computer device to connect to this SSID by default.

4. Setup router/access point not to broadcast the SSID. The same SSID needs to be setup on the client side manually. This feature may not be available on all equipment.

5. Block anonymous Internet requests or pings. On each computer having wireless network card, network connection properties should be configured to allow connection to Access Point Networks Only. Computer to Computer (peer to peer) Connection should not be allowed.

Enable MAC filtering. Deny association to wireless network for unspecified MAC addresses. Mac or Physical addresses are available through your computer device network connection setup and they are physically written on network cards. When adding new wireless cards / computer to the network, their MAC addresses should be registered with the router /access point. Network router should have firewall features enabled and demilitarized zone (DMZ) feature disabled.

All computers should have a properly configured personal firewall in addition to a hardware firewall. You should also update router/access point firmware when new versions become available. Locating router/access point away from strangers is also helpful so they cannot reset the router/access point to default settings. You can even try to locate router/access point in the middle of the building rather than near windows to limit signal coverage outside the building.

There is no guarantee of a full protection of your wireless network, but following these suggested tips can definitely lessen your risk of exposing to attackers aiming at insecure networks.

protect files on your USB drive

2010-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

USB Safeguard

Our Rating: (Very Good)

USB Safeguard enables you to encrypt and password protect sensitive data on your USB drive. You can selected one or more folders to be encrypted and choose to securely delete the original (unencrypted) files with the built-in file shredder. The program also includes a handy Safe Browsing feature that allows you to launch Internet Explorer without leaving any Internet traces on the host computer. Other features include an on-screen keyboard for secure password input and free space wiping. USB Safeguard uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect your date. The program is not installed on your PC, it runs directly from your USB pen drive.

Freeware

Access Your Computer anywhere - remote PC access

2010-08-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

ShowMyPC (Free Version)

Our Rating: (Good)

ShowMyPC combines VNC remote access technology with an open-source SSH forwarding client to provide you with the option to allow other users to view and control your desktop(access your computer with permission). The remote user needs to download the standalone ShowMyPC application and can access your computer with just a password (no IP address needed). The temporary session password is automatically generated when you start the viewing session and must be provided to the remote user by email, phone or other means. The free version is limited to one hour per session and lacks some advanced features.

Pros: Easy to use, one-click connectivity

Cons: Very slow connection, using the provided SSH server.

Freeware

ShowMyPC provides Remote Support and Meeting services to all users.
Services include free and premium Remote PC access, Desktop Sharing, Screen Sharing, and others. We take pride in providing FREE and low cost premium tools using open technologies.

With remote PC access, ShowMyPC has revolutionized the way businesses operate by removing all geographical barriers and allowing companies to collaborate online with colleagues, customers and partners in real time, all with just a PC and an Internet connection. We have made it possible for home and business PC users to access their PC from anywhere, receive remote support, schedule online meetings and web conferences, access remote PCs and provide IT support.

More Productive and Profitable

The ShowMyPC suite of features offers flexibility to businesses, making them more efficient. By allowing access to remote PCs, ShowMyPC transforms the way businesses operate. An employee can now collaborate with remote coworkers via web conference. An online meeting can be scheduled without having to physically travel to another location. Sales presentations and demonstrations can be made using broadcasting and webinars. If a customer has a problem, solutions can be provided via the IT support facility, by gaining remote PC access.

Best of all, there is no special training required to set up or use ShowMyPC on your system. The application is reliable and secure, ensuring that confidentiality is maintained. By using ShowMyPC's various packages, company employees can access files, programs and email from wherever they are, making them more productive. It's like carrying the office or home business wherever you go.

If you are an organization looking for complete data control and security options, ShowMyPC provides you with options to use your private server and customize the software.

Convenient, Simple and User-friendly

The three direct advantages you can enjoy with ShowMyPC remote access software are convenience, IT support through remote PC access and better productivity. The service is secure and easy to use, and it ensures that collaborative projects go smoothly, saving users time. Our customers choose ShowMyPC for its simplicity, convenience, ease of use and security. Just about anyone can learn to access a remote PC. Share files. Control, view and access a remote PC desktop, securely.

backup and synchronization software

2010-08-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

PureSync

Our Rating: (Very Good)

PureSync is a file backup and synchronization software that can automatically keep a backup of your important files, import files from your digital camera and synchronize the contents of multiple folders. The program offers a step-by-step wizard to configure your backup and synchronization tasks and set advanced options like file exclusions, conflicts management, compare options and more. You can choose to run the backups manually as needed or automatically on a regular schedule. The program can also synchronize your files automatically when it detects that they have been modified, or when a specific device (e.g a USB drive) is connected or a certain folder is found.

Freeware

Free personal firewall

2010-07-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

ZoneAlarm

Our Rating: (Very Good)

ZoneAlarm provides essential protection for Internet users. Combining the safety of a dynamic firewall with total control over applications Internet use, ZoneAlarm gives rock-solid protection against thieves and vandals. ZoneAlarm makes ironclad Internet security easy-to-use. ZoneAlarm gives you control over the door to your computer. With Stealth Mode enabled, ZoneAlarm`s Firewall renders your computer invisible to the Internet and potential intruders. If you can t be seen, you can t be attacked. Because you tell ZoneAlarm how you use your computer, the firewall only allows traffic that you understand and initiate. ZoneAlarm s firewall provides the ultimate intrusion security for your personal computer. ZoneAlarm also introduces MailSafe which enables users of ZoneAlarm to detect and control Visual Basic Script attachments to emails they receive while ZoneAlarm is running. Free for personal and non-profit use.

Freeware

personal firewall

2010-07-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

PC Tools Firewall Plus

Our Rating: (Good)

PC Tools Firewall Plus is a personal firewall that monitors incoming and outgoing traffic on your computer and allows to to create rules to limit and control network connections. The program includes an application level firewall as well as a rule based TCP/IP firewall. The default settings of the firewall will prevent several common attacks while allowing normal internet traffic. You can create your own rules using protocol, port and IP address - however it requires some experience with TCP/IP configuration, as no documentation is provided. The integrated application filtering engine will prompt you each time an unknown program is trying to connect to the Internet, giving you the option to block or allow current and future activities by the same program. Requires free registration after 30 days.

This program automatically installs the Google toolbar unless you opt-out. [?]

Pros: Controls incoming and outgoing traffic

Cons: No documentation; application rules are not verified with file fingerprint; default settings block LAN connectivity;

Freeware

capture HTTP/HTTPS traffic

2010-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

HTTP Analyzer

Our Rating: (Very Good)

HTTP Analyzer enables you to capture HTTP/HTTPS traffic in real-time, allowing you to analyze, debug and diagnoze web application traffic. The program supports all application that support WININET or Mozila NSS API, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Outlook, Outlook Express etc. It can trace Header, Content, Cookies, Query Strings, Post data, Request and Response Stream, redirection URLs and other information and comes with a requirs builder to generate custom HTTP/HTTPs requests. Other features include Internet Explorer integration, request filtering, cache and cookie clearing, log export to XML and more.

Free Trial, $129.00 to buy

monitor network/internet traffic

2010-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

AW Ports Traffic Analyzer

monitor network/internet traffic

Our Rating: (Very Good!)

Atelier Web Ports Traffic Analyzer is a network traffic sniffer and logger that allows you to monitor all internet and network traffic on your PC and view the actual content of the packets, showing you exactly what was transmitted and to where. This includes all traffic initiated by software products, web sites etc. The capability to audit what flows in and out of every piece of software is critical for security aware users. Atelier Web Ports Traffic Analyzer providesReal-time mapping of ports to processes (applications and services) and shows the history since boot time of every TCP, UDP or RAW port opened through Winsock. Optionally, AWPTA can also log (up to 500mb) all traffic since the last boot to a file.

Free Trial, $35.50 to buy

monitor global Internet speed and more

2010-07-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

AnalogX ITR Client

Our Rating: (Excellent)

AnalogX ITR Client is a small suite of basic network tools, combined with global Internet traffic statistics from internettrafficreport.com. It runs in the system tray and allows you to view the current status of the Internet, regardless of your own connection. You can choose to display global statistics, or specific to your continent. ITR uses a number indicator between 1 and 100, with 100 being the best. If you notice that your connection is slow, however global Internet conditions appear to be fine, you can use the built-in traceroute and graphical ping utilities to further investigate the cause of the problem. The traceroute feature is fast and returns detailed geographical information, including city, of the nodes that your connection travels through to reach a specified web site. The next time you wonder whether your connection is just slow today, or if the Internet is slow in general, you can just look at the ITR tray icon to find out.

Freeware

network traffic monitor

2010-07-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Etherscout

Our Rating: (Good)

EtherScout records and analyzes Internet traffic patterns on your local network. It runs as a service, and can be administered via a web based interface from where you can generate various real-time reports. The reports can reveal which Web sites were recently or most frequently visited, how much network traffic users are generating per day, week, or month and more. In addition, advanced users can write their own report, using HTML and SQL queries - unfortunately, it the software only contains basic documentation and customization is not documented, nor easily accomplished. Etherscout can monitor traffic from all network machines without the need to install any client software, however it should be installed on or close to your Internet gateway.

Free Trial, $49.95 to buy

specialized virus scanner

2010-07-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

More screenshots...

McAfee AVERT Stinger

Our Rating:

McAfee AVERT Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system. It utilizes McAfee scan engine technology, including process scanning, digitally signed DAT files, and scan performance optimizations. It detects more than 40 viruses, Trojans and variants. The interface is simple and straightforward, just select the drive or folders to scan and click a button. You can choose an action to perform if a virus is detected (delete, prompt, quarantine or rename) and also configure which types of files to scan.

Freeware

find and remove adware and spyware

2010-07-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

SUPERAntiSpyware (Free Edition)

Our Rating: (Good!)

SUPERAntiSpyware scans your computer for known Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers and many other types of threats, and allows you to remove or quarantine them. It offers daily (manual) definition updates, as well as home page hijack protection and customizable scan options. Furthermore, the program includes a Repair feature that allows you to restore various settings which are often changed by malware programs, but usually not corrected by simply removing the parasite. The free version lacks real-time blocking and protection as well as several other advanced options.

Freeware

virus and malware removal tool

2010-07-23T01:18:00.002-07:00

Norman Malware Cleaner

Our Rating:

Norman Malware Cleaner is a standalone virus and malware removal tool that can detect and remove specific malicious software (malware) from your PC. The program does not require installation and does not provide proactive protection from future infections. It is designed to clean a computer that has already been infected.

Freeware

monitor folders for file changes

2010-07-23T01:18:00.001-07:00

Directory Monitor

Our Rating: (Good)

Directory Monitor allows you to monitor selected directories or network shares for file changes, modifications, deletions and new files that were added. The program can alert you with a balloon tip from the system tray whenever a file action is detected and you can also choose to execute a custom command for each monitored folder. Other features include an option to exclude specific file types from the monitor and export to text log file.

Freeware

internet traffic control

2010-07-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

NetBalancer Free

Our Rating: (Very Good)

NetBalancer enables you to set bandwidth restriction for your Internet application. It allows you to set limits and priorities for upload and/or download speeds on a per-application basis and also block all Internet traffic for selected processes. The program also provides detailed information about all programs that are using the Internet, how much data they have transferred and what IP addresses they are connected to. The free version has some limitations, it only allows you to set restrictions or priorities for up to 5 processes at a time, however this should be sufficient for most users.

Freeware

domain lookup tool

2010-07-23T01:15:00.000-07:00

WhoisThisDomain

domain lookup tool

Our Rating: (Very Good)

WhoisThisDomain enables you to view owner and registration information for any domain name. It supports generic domains as well as country code domains, and you can look up multiple domain names at once by pasting the domain names or URLs into the input window. The results can be saved to text files or exported as HTML report. Standalone program, no install needed.

Freeware

Anti malware scanner

2010-07-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

Norton Power Eraser

Our Rating: (Fair)

Norton Power Eraser is a standalone tool claims to find and eliminate malware items that are difficult to remove or often overlooked by other spyware scanners. The program uses aggressive methods and is intended as a last resort, after you have exhausted other options. We agree, Norton Power Eraser should definitely be the very last app to use for malware removal because the accuracy of the results is comparable to a shot in the dark. All the programs it found during our test scan were false positives, many of them apparently flagged because the Norton user database did not have sufficient information on the file or there were `some indication` that the file is untrustworthy (unfortunately they don`t disclose what those indications are). Maybe Power Eraser will become more useful as the user community grows and accuracy of the results increases, but until then you should look elsewhere for comprehensive malware detection.

Freeware

analyze disk space usage

2010-07-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

GetFolderSize

Our Rating: (Very Good)

GetFolderSize enables you determine the size of folders and sub-folders on your local drives and other storage devices. It produces a report that shows the total size for each folder, the overall percentage of disk space used and the number of files in each folder. You can also drill down and inspect the content of each folder and sort the view by file date, extension, size and other details. GetFolderSize can display sizes in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes, either as rounded values as decimals. Other features include options to print or export a folder list, Unicode support, optional Explorer integration and more.

Freeware

backup tool

2010-07-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Back4Sure

Our Rating: (Good!)

Back4Sure is a simple backup program that allows you to backup all your important files and folders. The program performs incremental backups, so only new or changed files will be copies to the backup location. You can select the folders to be included in the backup with simple check boxes and also choose to include or exclude files based on their extension, age and size. The backups can optionally be stored in compressed format (.zip or .7z). Other features include a cleanup option that will remove obsolete files from your backup set and detailed logging of backup operations. Back4Sure does not come with a built-in scheduling feature but allows you to create shortcuts on the desktop that will automatically run a backup when clicked (or you can used Windows Task Manager to schedule them). The program is free but shows a nag screen every 10 days that asks for a donation.

Freeware

installs popular audio and video codecs

2010-07-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

K-Lite Codec Pack (Full)

Our Rating: (Excellent)

K-Lite Codec Pack (Full) includes 99% of all the audio and video codecs you will ever need. Just install this pack, and you will be able to play just about any media file out there. It includes DivX, Xvid, x264, MPEG 1/2,MP3, Monkey`s Audio,Media Player Classic, On2 V6/V7 and many others. The installer lets you choose which codecs to install, or you can use the default profile which installs all of them. K-Lite Codec Pack also provides access to configuration options for each codec whenever available.

Freeware

password recovery tool

2010-06-24T03:22:00.000-07:00

Cain and Abel

Our Rating: (Excellent)

Cain and Abel is a password recovery tool that enables network administrators to test network security, or home users to recover a variety of stored network passwords. The program reports sniffing and recovery of most popular protocols, including FTP, SMTP, POP3, HTTP, mySQL, ICQ, Telnet and others. It can also recover passwords hidden behind asterisk (***), stored in VNC profiles, SQL Server Enterprise Manager, Remote Desktop connections and wireless connections. Other features include LSA Secrets Dumper, Protected Storage password revealer, network enumeration, VoIP filtering and more. Probably one of the most complete network password recovery/security tools you can find. Cain and Abel is intended for network administrators or advanced users.

NOTE: Expect your antivirus software to alert you of a password cracking or hacking tool when installing this software!

Freeware

Free backup and restore software

2010-06-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Free backup and restore software for your system, partition and hard disk!

EASEUS Todo Backup

backup and restore your system

Our Rating: (Very Good!)

EASEUS Todo Backup is a disk imaging tool that enables you to backup, restore or clone your entire hard drive or selected partitions. It enables you to create a complete system backup with all your current applications and settings, allowing you to restore your system to the same state in the event of a system crash or hardware failure. You can also use the software to migrate your system to a new hard disk, without the need to reinstall your operating system and applications. Other features include mounting of backup images as virtual partitions (allows you to explore the content), disk cloning, creation of bootable recovery disks and more.

Freeware

Are your system, photos, music and financial data protected? EASEUS Todo Backup, supporting Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 and Windows Server 2000/2003/2008, is potent FREE backup software providing system backup & restore, hard disk or partition backup & restore, disk clone to protect your system and disk. It can back up whole PC, including the operating system plus your data, applications, settings and everything!

If your system is crashed or Linux based bootable CD fails to restore the system, we recommend you to restore system with WinPE based bootable CD which is more powerful than Linux one: operate without installation, support Windows 7 and Hardware Raid, etc.

Meanwhile, EASEUS Todo Backup is useful if you want to replace the older smaller hard disk by a newer larger hard disk or migrate/upgrade to Windows 7 without reinstalling the operating system and applications once again.

manage disk partitions

2010-06-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

EASEUS Partition Master

Our Rating: (Very Good)

EASEUS Partition Master (Home Edition) enables you to configure and manage partitions on your hard drive(s). You can delete or format, and also resize and move your partitions. If you do not have any free disk space you can reduce the size of an existing partition, and use the unallocated disk space to create new or enlarged partitions to better manage your data. In addition, you can view disk and partition properties, set an active partition, change drive letters and more. EASEUS Partition Master can be run from within 32-bit Windows.

Freeware

Product Details

protect files on your USB drive

2010-06-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

USB Safeguard

Our Rating: (Very Good)

Freeware

personal backup tool

2010-06-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

Uranium Backup Free

Our Rating: (Good)

Uranium Backup Free is a personal backup tool that enables you to backup your data to local drives, network drives or external USB/Firewire drives. You can create multiple backup sets and choose to run them manually or schedule them for automatic execution. The free version is limited to simple backup sets, other versions can be purchased that offer features lacking in free version.

Pros: Can be scheduled for automatic backups

Cons: No CD/DVD backups; no FTP backups;

Freeware