Madhur Kapoor's Blog

Create Multiboot USB Drives with YUMI

Madhur Kapoor — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:01:33 +0000

YUMI is a free multiboot USB creator which enables you to add multiple Linux distributions on a single USB drive. Normally you can have only a single operating system inside your USB drive but YUMI lets you do much more. Apart from having multiple Linux distributions, you can even install various utilities on the USB drive.

The usage of the program is simple. Run the program and it will ask you to select the Drive letter of the USB drive. Once you have done that, you will able to select the Linux distribution that you want to install. The program contains a list of the popular distributions along with some antivirus tools and other system utilities. You can then select the path of the ISO file to install. You can even select custom ISOs that are not listed by the software. If there are ISOs present in the folder from where you are running YUMI, it will auto detect them. You can even uninstall any distribution that you have installed from the same tool. After installing the distributions, you can boot the Computer from USB drive and you will get a menu allowing you to select the distribution to which you want to boot.

The program is simple to use and makes creating multiboot USB drives easier. It works on almost all the version of Windows.

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Prevent Accidental Clicks on Touchpad with Touchpad Blocker

Madhur Kapoor — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:40:08 +0000

Touchpad Blocker is a freeware that can disable the Laptop’s touchpad while you are typing something using the keyboard. It can be very frustrating if you are typing something on your notebook and the cursor moves to a different paragraph because your hand accidentally touched the keypad while typing. The program is especially for laptop owners who prefer using the touch pad as a mouse and notebook keyboard for typing.

The program can disable the touchpad while you are typing something using the keyboard. It is very easy to setup. Just run the program and select the options that you want. You can even block touchpad clicks and can select the time interval to block clicks. You can even block the move and wheel events and can even disable/enable the whole touchpad using a simple hotkey.

The program is free and works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and requires .Net Framework 4.

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TinyWall is a Non Intrusive Windows Firewall

Madhur Kapoor — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:39:20 +0000

TinyWall is an advanced Windows firewall that is designed to let you easily configure the way Windows Firewall works. The default windows firewall comes with many options but it is difficult to configure it for a simple user. It even displays a number of popup asking you to allows access to or bock certain applications. The program provides a simple interface which lets you quickly configure the firewall the way you like.

The program is accessed by the system tray icon using which you can perform a lot of actions. The default built in rules with TinyWall will block most of incoming or outgoing connections. The program has a learning mode which temporarily allows all traffic and automatically adds the exclusions. The program does not display the annoying popups like windows firewall. It has an option which can unblock all LAN traffic. The program lets you password protect the settings so that they cannot be changes and it can even protect the firewall setting from getting tampered. The program can automatically suggest application that may be white listed. The program does not install any additional drivers and so does not bring any additional overhead to the system.

Some of its features include

Automatic learning mode
Firewall tampering protection
Optional password lockdown of settings
Normal protection, Allow outgoing, Block all, Allow all and Learning modes
Support for temporary/timed firewall rules
Port and domain blocklists
Hosts file protection

The program acts as a front end for Windows Firewall but is very useful and easier to configure. It works on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

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Create and Share Notes with TinyPad

Madhur Kapoor — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:44:04 +0000

TinyPad is a small notepad type application which lets you create notes and also share them with your friends. You may call it a notepad replacement as it comes with all the basic features but it has some unique features also which separates it from the rest.

The program has got a simple tabbed interface. You can create unlimited number of notes. Each note is created in a new tab which makes them easily accessible. The name of the tab can be changed as per your liking and a timestamp can also be added to each note. The program offers text editing features. You can change the font color, make heading, format data in form of lists etc. One of its nice features is that it also auto saves all the tabs that you have created so you don’t have to individually save all the tabs. Since the program supports multiple tabs, you may be wondering what happens as the number of notes increase. The program lets you archive tabs so that they are no longer displayed but can be quickly accessed by a button click.

You can export all your notes for backup and you can also sync the notes online and share them with friends. The program uses an online service called SharedNote to sync the notes and share the same with others. The online notes are encrypted with 256 – bit encryption to protect it from unauthorized people. It even has a twitter integration allowing you to share your notes through twitter.

The program runs on all the version of Windows.

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Multi Commander is an Advanced Tabbed File Manager

Madhur Kapoor — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:59:36 +0000

Multi Commander is an advanced file manager which is a nice alternative to Windows Explorer. Apart from having standard file management features, the program also comes with various advanced features which are very helpful.

The program has got a simple interface which can be used in both single or dual panel mode. Most of the options it offers are available through buttons which are visible on the menu. The program offers basic file management features like copy, move, rename, view etc. It also offers advanced features like image conversion, file comparison, FTP support etc which makes it worth trying out. The program can be customized and you can add your own custom command buttons or choose from different interface layouts. You can also create scripts to automate various tasks and most of the tasks can also be performed by using the keyboard.

Some of its features are

Caching that enable fast file browsing.
Multi Tabs support makes it easier to work with Files/Folders
Show Movie information from IMDB/Rotten tomato as extra columns on you movie files
Audio tools like View Audio file properties, View/Edit MP3 Tags
Open API for developers to create extensions and plugins.
FileOperations plugins that can automatically sort / unpack files when they are moved or copied
Powerfull script engine allowing you to create script that automate tasks

A portable version of the program is also available which requires no installation and can directly be run from USB drive. The program is a freeware and runs on Windows Vista, 7 and Windows 20008.

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Check Which .Net Version is Installed with .Net Version Detector

Madhur Kapoor — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:05:56 +0000

.Net Version Detector is a small and simple application that tells you which .Net versions are installed on your machine. There are certain software’s which requires a particular version of .Net to be installed on machine. The program makes it easier for users to find which version is installed or even download the version which they need.

A normal user may not have idea on how to find out which version of .net is installed on the machine. The program lists out the versions of .Net where the installed versions are shown in green and the others in red. The program also provides download links to Microsoft sites and it also lists out the location where the frameworks are installed.

The program requires no installation and works in Windows XP, Vista and 7.

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Block Sites Appearing In Firefox History with HistoryBlock

Madhur Kapoor — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:01:19 +0000

HistoryBlock is a Firefox extension that prevents certain domain names from appearing in your browser history. If you want to keep your privacy and does not prefer using the private browsing mode every time, this extension will be very helpful.

The program is easy to use and prevents the urls from appearing in the history, recently closed tabs and Firefox download manager. The sites can be blocked using the Firefox right click menu or you can add the domain manually from the extension manager. The same thing can be achieved using the Private browsing session but that prevents everything from appearing in the browser history. If you want to keep your browser history uncluttered, then this is something worth trying out.

The extension is compatible with most of the version of Firefox.

1By1 is a Simple Music Player

Madhur Kapoor — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:36:32 +0000

1by1 is a small and simple music player which can play all the files in your music directory without the need to create any playlists. The program is very small and size and takes very less system resources. If you are looking for a barebones music player to handle your file collection, then this one is worth trying out.

Even though, it does not have lot of features like other mp3 players, it does offer a lot with its small size. It has got a very simple and easy to use interface. Just specify the directory and it will start playing all the files inside it one by one. It offers features like shuffle, sorting by name, enhanced mode etc. Right click on any music file and you will get a lot of options. You even have an option of creating a playlist. Some of its features include

Full Resume play: remembers last track and position
Gapless play · simple cross fading · Audio enhancer
Folder tree file navigation · Directory finder: plays whole drive
Supported decoders: ACM (mp3), mpglib (mp2, mp3)
BASS decoder library support (ogg, wav, aac, mp4, cd…)
File utils: copy, move, rename while play, delete, date change
Folder compare tool · Rename tool · Big title display

The program uses very less system resources and does the job well. It is a freeware and works on all the version of Windows.

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