Metascan Client scans for viruses from the cloud, but doesn't remove them
OPSWAT has announced the availability of Metascan Client, a lightweight on-demand virus scanner.
The program is extremely basic -- there’s no real-time protection or scheduled scanning, and it can’t remove whatever it finds -- but could still be useful as a backup to your regular antivirus tool.
Folder SimpBurn is a fast, free and portable disc burner
Are you tired of bloated disc burning suites? You’re not alone. Modern burning programs are mostly very overweight, packed with unnecessary functions which you’ll probably never use.
If your needs are very simple, though, there are some effective freeware burning apps around, and Folder SimpBurn is a particularly straightforward example.
Chocolatey uses PowerShell command line to keep software up-to-date
Windows software management is a tedious business. If you want to download a particular program, you have to find the relevant website, then the download link, save the file locally, grab any other components the program might need, and install everything in the right order. You’ll need to start again for every new program. And they’ll all have their own procedures for updating, or uninstalling.
What if you could automate all of this, though? Manage downloads, updates and everything else, just with a few keypresses? That’s the aim of Chocolatey, a tool which brings Linux-like package management to the PC.
PhoXo is an excellent photo editor
Launch most photo editors for the first time and they’ll try to impress you with their serious credentials: flyout toolbars, feature-packed menus and so on.
Run the free PhoXo, though, and what you’ll notice first is the Clip Art window, all smiling emoticons and cartoon pigs. Not much chance of doing any serious work here, you might think, but wait -- give the program a little time and you just might change your mind.
Make the most of your keyboard with MadAppLauncher
There are plenty of ways to launch programs using hotkeys, and even Windows has one of its own (right-click a shortcut, select Properties > Shortcut and click the “Shortcut key” box), but remembering enough of these to cope with all your applications is extremely difficult.
The open source MadAppLauncher takes a different approach, though, which is very much simpler. It uses a simple QWERTY-type layout, and allows you to assign one program to each key. The relevant application icon and name is displayed alongside the key letter, so if you press H, say, whatever is in the H box will be launched.
Monitor your graphics card load, temperature, fan speed and more with GPU-Z
TechPowerUp has released GPU-Z 0.6.9, the latest version of its lightweight graphics card information tool.
This build adds direct support for even more graphics cards, including AMD Radeon HD 8870M, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost, GT 415 and GT 750M.
Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013 Free is now Windows 8 compatible
Paragon Software has revealed the latest edition of its excellent imaging tool, Backup & Recovery 2013 Free.
The most important addition this time around is the program’s new “Windows 8 Compatible” stamp. If you’re upgrading soon, or have done so already, then Paragon Backup & Recovery 2013 Free should work just as it always has.
JPEGView is a surprisingly powerful image viewer
At first glance, JPEGview doesn’t appear as though it’s going to be a particularly interesting image viewer. A 798KB download suggests there can’t be too much power here. And on launch the program asks you to choose an image, and then just displays it, with no menus, toolbars or other obvious signs of any interface.
First impressions aren’t always reliable, though -- and you’ll quickly realize that as you begin to explore.
Uh-oh, that spreadsheet was important after all? Pandora Recovery restores deleted files fast
It doesn’t take much to accidentally delete a file. A brief lapse of concentration, a click in the wrong place, selecting “Yes” instead of “No”, and that’s it: your data has gone.
As long as you’ve a good undelete tool to hand, though, this doesn’t have to be a disaster. And this doesn’t have to be expensive.Pandora Recovery comes with plenty of useful features and functionality, and it’s entirely free (for personal use, at least), with no adware or annoying restrictions.
Keep software current with OUTDATEfighter
There are plenty of tools around to check your PC for missing updates, but most have significant issues. Soft4Boost Update Checker is good at detecting updates, for instance, but it won’t download or install them – that’s left up to you.
OUTDATEfighter (from the makers of SPAMfighter) is a little more ambitious. Not only will it find updates, but it can also download and install them for you. There’s a Windows update checker as well. And the program is free, so there are no annoying omissions and you’re not forever being nagged to “upgrade”.
Identify resource-hogging Firefox add-ons with about:addons-memory
If Firefox seems to be using a lot of memory on your system then a resource-hogging add-on could be responsible, but finding out for sure can be a challenge. Entering about:memory in the address bar will provide lots of figures on RAM allocations, for instance, but they’re extremely technical, more about "heaps" and "compartments" than providing information which most people can actually use.
About:addons-memory is a simple Firefox extension which takes a different approach. There’s no jargon, no unnecessary technical details, just install it (no restart required) and enter about:addons-memory in a new tab for an instant report on your extensions and their memory usage.
Use YouTube Ratings Preview to find the best videos on YouTube
While YouTube’s vast choice of clips means there’s always something good to watch, tracking down the best videos can take a while. Especially if you’re clicking each clip in turn, checking the ratings, then returning to your search results to try something else.
Install YouTube Ratings Preview, though, and you don’t have to worry about that any more. This smart Firefox extension (also available for Chrome) highlights the best-rated videos immediately so you can spot them at a glance.
Stay informed with Desktop BBC News
Monitoring the latest BBC news from your Windows desktop used to be very easy: just install the official News Desktop Alert and Ticker and it would keep you up-to-date. The move to smartphones and tablets meant the service was closed a couple of years ago, though, which left your desktop options a little limited.
Unless, that is, you install the (strictly unofficial) Desktop BBC News.
Taskbar Pinner lets you pin anything to the Windows 7 taskbar
Getting easier access to a Windows 7 shortcut is extremely easy: right-click, select "Pin to taskbar", and an icon will pop up on your taskbar, ready for immediate use.
Right-click a file, though -- or a folder, a drive, a Control Panel applet or just about anything else -- and you’ll find no "Pin" option. There are various manual workarounds you can apply, but your life will be much simpler if you grab a copy of Taskbar Pinner, which allows you to fill the taskbar with just about anything you like.
Kaspersky releases Anti-Virus 2014 and Internet Security 2014 tech previews
Kaspersky Lab has announced the public availability of Technical Previews for Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2014. These are very early releases and some way from being complete, so there’s little information on new features yet – but a few basic details have appeared.
The interface has been updated, for instance. It’s not radically different, just simplified, and even more Windows 8-like than it was before. The new releases now support touch screens, too, and our initial impressions are that the program could work well in a touch environment. Kaspersky’s Safe Money (a feature which helps to secure your online transactions) now supports more banks and web stores, and allows you to choose your preferred browser.
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