StExBar extends Windows Explorer with some time-saving extras
StExBar is a tiny freeware tool which extends Windows Explorer with some handy features.
The program has been around for years, but it’s just been updated to work fully on Windows 10, so we grabbed a copy to see how it would perform.
WebCatalog runs your favorite web apps natively
WebCatalog is an open-source cross-platform tool which runs your favorite websites and services as native desktop applications.
A huge list of supported services includes Amazon, Basecamp, BBC iPlayer, Bing, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook Messenger, Gmail (and just about every other Google app), iCloud, iCQ, OneDrive, Netflix, Outlook.com, Skype, Spotify, Twitter, WhatsApp, Wikipedia and more.
Over 60 percent of organizations hit by ransomware in 2016
Ransomware continues to be a major problem, a new report reveals that more than 60 percent of organizations suffered some form of ransomware attack in 2016.
The good news is that 54 percent successfully retrieved their data without resorting to paying the ransom. These are among the findings of the fourth-annual Cyberthreat Defense Report from security research firm CyberEdge Group.
wtrace is a process monitor for Windows
wtrace is an open-source console-based process monitor for Windows. It’s essentially a stripped-down version of Sysinternals Process Monitor which you can run at the command line.
The program is entirely portable, with no drivers or Windows services involved. Just unzip the single executable and run it from an elevated command line.
Firefox 52 lets you send tabs to other synced devices, ups the security ante
Mozilla has released Firefox 52.0 for Windows, Mac and Linux, with Firefox for Android 52.0 due imminently.
Firefox 52 now supports syncing tabs to specific devices, makes various improvements to the Downloads button and introduces a raft of security, developer and other enhancements. It’s also the final release for Windows XP and Vista users.
Lossless Cut trims videos with no loss of quality
LosslessCut is a simple open-source video editor which enables cutting and trimming videos without any loss of quality.
The program imports videos via the regular File > Open dialog, or via drag and drop. LosslessCut’s player is based on Chromium, so most browser-friendly formats are accepted (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, OGG, WAV, MP3, AAC, H264, Theora, VP8, VP9).
Three ways to inspect Google Chrome history
Viewing Google Chrome’s history is easy -- just press Ctrl+H -- but the standard window is basic, and doesn’t give you much information or control.
Using a third-party portable tool provides extra details on your recent browsing past, and may be a more convenient and stealthy choice if you’re hoping to check what someone else is doing in Chrome.
Are you safe from information-stealing malware?
SpyShelter Security Test Tool is a portable tool which can check whether you’re protected from keyloggers, webcam snoops and other information-stealing malware.
The program is entirely safe and from a trusted developer, but its use of malware-like techniques means there’s a chance your antivirus will flag it as dangerous. It’s not -- this is a false alarm.
Wox is a versatile launcher for Windows
Wox is a versatile Alfred-like launcher which supports file and web searching, and can be extended with more than 100 plugins.
Activate the program by pressing Alt+Space and a simple command bar appears. Start typing a program, file name or something else, Wox displays matches and you choose whatever you need.
Desktop Dimmer takes Electron-based RAM-hogging to a whole new level
We’ve always been fans of ultra-lightweight programs, anything which measures its RAM requirements in kilobytes rather than megabytes. Other people see that as old school, and in some ways they have a point. If your PC has 16GB of RAM, do you really care whether a program uses 500KB or 5MB?
That view is partly why Electron apps are now so popular. They’re great for cross-platform development, building native applications with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, so it doesn’t really matter that you’re running a copy of Chromium in the background… Right?
Resize windows to exact dimensions with Sizer
Sizer 4 is a free tool which resizes desktop windows to precise dimensions: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, or any other values you might need for a specific design or document.
The program starts very simply. Run it, start to resize a desktop window and a tooltip updates in real time to show the current dimensions, a helpful way to see exactly what you’re doing.
Share files securely and anonymously with OnionShare
OnionShare is an open-source cross-platform application for sharing files securely and anonymously.
The program uses Tor to temporarily host the files on your computer, and provides you with a cryptic and unguessable URL. Pass this on to the recipient and they can download the file directly from you.
SniffPass captures email and FTP passwords from network traffic
Saving email passwords in the client is quick, easy and convenient -- unless you need to recreate the account somewhere else and can’t remember the details.
Most clients have specialist password recovery tools which can help. Mail PassView, for example, accesses a local Outlook installation to display its stored account details.
Batch rename a folder of images with PhotoRenamer
PhotoRenamer is a free Windows tool which can rename photos from the usual DCS014752.jpg-type garbage to something more consistent and meaningful.
The program opens with an Explorer-like tree view. Browse to the folder containing your images and thumbnails are displayed, eventually (it seems much slower than Explorer).
Wavosaur 1.3 released
Quirky audio editor Wavosaur (32-bit) has hit version 1.3 with some major additions and extensions.
New Wavosaur Widgets are small dockable windows which display real-time scopes, stereo balance and other charts and measurements. The Widgets launch within the Wavosaur interface, but you can drag them onto your desktop for sort-of independent viewing.
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