Simple security: In last year’s roundup of best free stuff, the beta version of Microsoft Security Essentials 2 impressed us. Since then, Microsoft has officially released the utility to the public, and our admiration has only grown. With its combined antivirus, antispyware, and firewall protection, Security Essentials provides a solid layer of protection against the most common threats without hobbling your PC or nagging you with annoying update reminders.

File killer: When you delete files from your PC via the Windows Recycle Bin, Windows marks them as erased and hides them from view; eventually it fills the drive space they occupied with newly created or downloaded content. To get rid of data right away, use Eraser, a free file-deletion utility that works with DoD-grade algorithms to overwrite deleted data repeatedly until it’s practically unrecoverable.

Facebook defense: Facebook is fun, but it’s also rife with malicious links that can damage your PC and compromise your private data. Defensio for Facebook intercepts those threats and alerts you before they can do any harm.

Software updater: Now that almost every PC application can access the Internet, dozens of potential security holes lie scattered across our systems. Secunia Personal Software Inspector helps mitigate the risk by searching for important security patches for every program on your PC. When I ran it, PSI found seven outdated programs on my machine, and pointed me straight to the download links for the updates I needed. Suddenly I feel much more secure.

USB protection: How much do you trust the USB drive that your friend wants to plug into your PC? If you use Panda USB Vaccine, you don’t have to take anything on faith. This simple utility automatically neutralizes common flash-drive threats to keep malware from making the jump to your hard drive.

Password keeper: You want to get to the Websites you use without stopping to recall a dozen unique passwords every day, but using the same password at multiple sites is a good way to compromise your data. Password Safe gives you the best of both worlds by storing all your logins and dropping them into the sites you visit as needed. As a result, you can maintain as many different, complex passwords as you need while having to remember only one master password to rule them all.

Any suggestions, ideas? Feel free to comment on this article!

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1. Bitstream Vera Fonts (freeware): Description, Download

2. Legendum (freeware, OpenType): Description, Download

3. Garogier (freeware, OpenType): Description, Download

4. JUnicode (free for personal use only): Description, Download

5. Computer Modern Unicode Bright (freeware, GNU GPL, X11): Description, Download

6. Computer Modern Unicode Serif (freeware, GNU GPL, X11): Description, Download

7. Computer Modern Unicode Sans Serif (freeware, GNU GPL, X11): Description, Download

8. mgOpen Cosmetica (freeware): Description, Download

9. mgOpen Moderna (freeware): Description, Download

10. jGaramond (freeware): Description, Download

11. Chrysanthi Unicode (freeware): Description, Download

12. Linux Libertine (freeware): Description, Download

13. Andron Scriptor: Description (visit the site to download the font)

14. Porson (freeware): Description, Download

15. Teamouse (freeware): Description, Download

16. Fontshop Freefont: FF Milo Regular: Description & Download

17. Vollkorn (freeware): Description, Download

Any suggestions, ideas? Feel free to comment on this article!

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They are free and yet have a lot to offer…

Zamzar

zamzar is free and all-inclusive(video, music, images, documents) file conversion service. In 4 quick steps you can convert almost anything to anything else;

• simply enter a file you want to convert by pointing to its location on your local drive or address on the web(ex; youtube video)
• select output format(eg. PDF, doc, 3GP mobile, iPod, PSP…)
• enter email address where it should send converted file and
• convert it.

Special features;

• supports all popular video, music, image and document formats.
• provides browser bookmarklet (Firefox, IE) which lets you convert and save files from any webpage.
• convert and save any video while you are watching it(supports Youtube, GoogleVideo, Myspace, Revver, PutFile, Break.com, Apple, Trailers,
  Dailymotion, Metacafe, iFilm, Grouper, Blip.tv)
• file size can’t exceed 1 MB

Media-Convert

media-convert also lets you convert all types of files, i.e. video, music, images, docs and archives. It’s also free and supports almost all conceivable file formats. Procedure is pretty much the same; select file, specify output format and let it do the rest. Once it’s done with a file, it will provide you with a link from where it can be downloaded.

Special features;

• each converted file remains accessible for 6 more days, so if you want to share it with friends you can forward them a link to download page.
• input file format auto-detection(no need to specify input format)
• additional option to adjust conversion settings(like fps, bitrate, codec, audio rate, etc..)
• download file directly to your mobile via WAP or GPRS.
• file size can’t exceed 150 MB

Mux

mux lets you convert youtube and googlevideo videos to following formats; mpeg-4, Quicktime, iPod(m4v), flash video, windows media, mpeg-1/2, windows avi, 3gb mobile and OGG Theora. It’s not as powerful as above mentioned zamzar or media-convert however it has some handy features that you won’t find with others(see below).

Special features;

• for more demanding users there is a power mux which allows users set additional settings on output file(bitrate, fps, file length…etc).
• there is also a mux mobile which lets you convert web-videos to mobile format(3GP, AMR) and instantly forward them to any mobile for free.

Any suggestions, ideas? Feel free to comment on this article!

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• Firefox – Most loved browser.
• Google Earth – Navigate and search through satellite images around the world.
• Daemon Tools – Virtual CD/DVD drive which supports all popular copy protections.
• OpenOffice – Office Suite
• FoxIt Reader- Fast, free PDF viewer.
• Thunderbird – Mozilla foundation’s open source e-mail client.
• uTorrent – The lightweight and efficient BitTorrent client
• VLC – Mediaplayer that plays everything except realmedia files.
• AVG Antivirus – An Anti-virus Utility
• IrfanView – IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact graphics viewer
• Skype – The most popular Voice over IP (VoIP) client.
• ccleaner – CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.
• picasa – Find and enjoy the pictures on your computer in seconds.
• Spybot Search and Destroy – Anti-spyware program
• DVD Shrink – Free DVD backup utility
• Ad-Aware – Ad-Aware Personal provides advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components.
• Audacity – The best and simplest open source audio editor out there.
• Filezilla – Fast FTP client for Windows with SFTP/SSH and SSL/TLS.
• Opera – An equal alternative to Firefox
• VirtualDub – VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms
• Media Player Classic – This multimedia DirectShow player looks like the old Windows Media Player 6.4, but has a lot more features like switching audio streams in an MP4 file.
• Unlocker – Unlocker helps delete locked files with error messages like:
• Filemon – This monitoring tool lets you see all file system activity in real-time.
• Apache – Open-source HTTP server
• TweakUI – XP user interface tweaker.
• Real Alternative – Real player alternative
• Pidgin – Pidgin is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows.
• 7-Zip – 7-Zip is a file archiver with high compression ratio.
• Google Talk – Talk and IM with your friends for free
• VMware Player – VMware Player lets you evaluate new or pre-release software contained in virtual machines.
• Zonelabs Firewall – Free firewall
• Eraser – Eraser is a secure data removal tool, which allows you to remove sensitive data from your hard drive overwriting it with carefully selected patterns.
• Notepad++ – Notepad++ is a free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.
• Inkscape – Scalable vector graphics sofware
• Autoruns – See what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots and you login.
• nLite – Have you ever wanted to remove some Windows components like Media Player, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, Messenger…
• wink – Wink allows you to record desktop action or application windows and create smooth, animated Flash demonstrations.
• SpywareBlaster – SpywareBlaster prevents you computer from becoming infested with spyware by blacklisting known bad ActiveX components.
• Tor – An anonymous Internet communication system
• PDFCreator – “PDFCreator easily creates PDFs from any Windows program. Use it like a printer in Word, StarCalc or any other Windows application.”
• PageDefrag – Defrags the windows page file
• WinDirStat – View the files in any folder or drive in your computer as a grid of filesize-proportional boxes.
• TugZip – Great windows integration with lots of support.. Supports ZIP, 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, BH, BZ2, CAB, CPIO, DEB, GCA, GZ, IMP, JAR, LHA (LZH), LIB, RAR, RPM, SQX, TAR, TGZ, TBZ, TAZ, YZ1 and ZOO archives.
• XnView – XnView is a utility for viewing and converting graphic files
• FreeCommander – freeCommander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard windows file manager. * Dual-panel technology * Optional tree view for each panel * Built in file viewer * Built in archive handling * Easy access to system folders, control panel, desktop and start menu * Create and verify MD5 checksums * File splitting * File properties and context menu * Calculation of folder size * Folder comparison / synchronization * Modification of file date and attributes * Folder / program favorites * File searching * File filters for display * DOS command line * Multiple language support
• HijackThis – A general homepage hijackers detector and remover.
• K-Lite Codec Pack – The K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video.
• xp-AntiSpy – Prevents XP from auto calling MS
• TCP Optimizer – The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.
• MWSnap – Capture selected parts of the screen.
• ZipGenius – File compression suite
• Dependency Walker – Dependency Walker is a free utility that scans any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows module (exe, dll, ocx, sys, etc.) and builds a hierarchical tree diagram of all dependent modules. For each module found, it lists all the functions that are exported by that module, and which of those functions are actually being called by other modules. Another view displays the minimum set of required files, along with detailed information about each file including a full path to the file, base address, version numbers, machine type, debug information, and more.
• Avast AV – Excellent free AV. Protects internet mail, instant messaging, network shield, Outlook/Exchange, P2P shield, standard shield and web shield.
• Yahoo Widgets – Bring life to your desktop with fun, stylish,and useful
• FastStone – Image viewers and screen capture utilities
• TMPGEnc – MPEG tool for Windows
• Httrack – Download entire websites
• AbiWord – AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks.
• KlipFolio – RSS Dashboards & Desktop Alerts
• Darik’s Boot and Nuke – DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
• Regmon – This monitoring tool lets you see all Registry activity in real-time
• World Wind – World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth.
• Outpost Firewall – Basic Firewall Protection Standard packet and application filtering safeguard your computer from unwanted communications.
• SlickRun – SlickRun is a floating command line that lets you define short aliases for any program or website.
• FLV Player – FLV Player is a standalone application to play Flash .flv files with.
• TiddlyWiki – A completely standalone wiki implementation written entirely in a single html page. Uses JavaScript for dynamic page capabilities and allows saving with backups as well as RSS feeds.
• trillian – Trillian is a multiprotocol instant messaging application for Windows
• Azureus – Java BitTorrent Client
• Celestia – The free space simulation that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions
• Photofiltre – A powerful and easy to use image editor.
• Copernic Desktop Search – Standard desktop search, does files, emails, history/favorites, will index on the fly. Nice features include the able to index network drives, can set schedule on how often files/emails/favorites/history are to be re-indexed, as well as a index clear/re-index feature and the ability to change where the index is stored on the hard drive.
• SyncToy for Windows XP – The smart way to copy files
• Pandora Desktop Player – Pandora Desktop Player allows you to listen to the Pandora jukebox in your system tray ad free
• Aqua Dock – Aqua Dock is a task bar and a Windows program launcher that looks just like an Apple.
• ClamWin – Free Antivirus
• PC INSPECTOR File Recovery – Recovers deleted files from your hard drive.
• PDFCreator – PDFCreator is a free tool to create PDFs easily from nearly any application.
• FlyakiteOSX – FlyakiteOSX is a transformation pack. It will transform the look of an ordinary Windows XP+ system to resemble the look of Mac OS X. The installer simply automates the process of replacing critical system files, setting registry tweaks, and installing extras such as cursors, sounds, visual styles, etc.
• Brico Pack Vista Inspirat – BricoPack Vista Inspirat is a free pack which modifies Windows XP system files in order to change its appearance and make it look
  like Windows Vista.
• MediaMonkey – Get Your Music Collection in Order!
• Microsoft Reader – E-book software
• LinkSync – Sync bookmarks with multiple browsers
• Advanced Disk Cleaner – Search for temporary and garbage files and delete them to free up space. Very thorough.
• Driver Cleaner – Removes parts of drivers that are left after uninstalling the old drivers.
• SimpleOCR – SimpleOCR is a fully-featured, free OCR application.
• Helix Cameo – Video compression software for REAL MEDIA format.
• NTREGOPT – Registry Optimization for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP
• UNDOReg – Use with regshot
• RegShot – A small registry snapshot and compare utility
• Dia – Dia is a program to draw diagrams.
• etuner – Internet Television Client
• VideoInspector – VideoInspector is a tools designed to provide you with as much information as possible about your video files. With VideoInspector you’ll know why your video files has no sound or refuses to play correctly. VideoInspector will help you installing the required CoDecs (coder/decoder software) for an optimal performance. VideoInspector can also inspect your system to find which codecs are available, and it can also process multiple video files and export its result in HTML or plain text files.
• psp video – Convert regular PC video files (avi, mpeg, etc) into PSP video files
• Autostreamer – With this you can create new Windows installtions CD’s with the proper service already installed.
• Spyware Terminator – Protect your computer with Free Real-Time detection from spyware, adware, and keyloggers.
• SilentNight Micro CD/DVD/ISO/Audio Burner – No installation is needed, just one single file, and it has its own ASPI layer build in.
• Satscape – It produces real-time displays of where any Satellite is, and predicts passes for your locale. There are about 8000+ satellites in orbit, a lot of these are just junk and debris such as discarded rocket bodies, but quite a few are working Satellites.
• QuickReg – QuickReg allows to register or unregister many DLLs in one mouse click. Select all the DLLs to register, drag and drop in QuickReg, save the DLL
  list and register/unregister them as many times as you want
• Resource Hacker – Resource HackerTM is a freeware utility to view, modify, rename, add, delete and extract resources in 32bit Windows executables and resource files (*.res). It incorporates an internal resource script compiler and decompiler and works on Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT, Win2000 and WinXP operating systems.
• IBM – Hitachi Drive Fitness Test – Has your computer ever crashed or failed to boot up, causing you to suspect that your hard drive might be broken?
• Roadkil’s Undelete – Allows you to undelete files that you have accidentally deleted from your drives.
• Unstoppable Copier – Recovers files from disks with physical damage. Allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, scratches or that just give errors when reading data. The program will attempt to recover every readable piece of a file and put the pieces together. Using this method most types of files can be made usable even if some parts were not recoverable in the end.
• LeakTest – Test your firewall
• WinMorph – WinMorph is a high performance morphing and warping software.
• SWF2AVI – swf2avi is a freeware tool to convert or batch-convert Flash movies (swf) to bitmaps, bitmap-sequences (bmp, jpg) or videos (avi).
• GSplit – GSplit is a powerful file splitter
• IceSword – English version of the famous rootkit finding software made by the Chinese programmer pjf.
• Paint.net – Awesome free photoshop-like program.
• FlashGet – A download manager with the highest amount of users on the internet
• GIMP – the GNU Image Manipulation Program like photoshop
• Vista Codec Pack – Use any media player, limited only by the players’ capabilities, to play DVD’s, movies and video clips of almost any filetype.

Any suggestions, ideas? Feel free to comment on this article!

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Original article for power defragmentor was posted here.

The never-ending two-step defragmenting process of Vista can soon become a thing of the past. With certain tools, we were able to cut defragmentation time of a 25 GB drive with Vista Ultimate on it from 82 minutes to 6 minutes!!! That is defragmenting 10X faster than the built-in Vista defragmenter! The tutorial also works with Windows 2000 and XP.

Right now, many things are probably whirling around in your head:
- Is this true? Yes, it is.
- Does it work? Yes. We will show you charts on hard drive fragments before and after defragmentation.
- This has got to cost money. Absolutely free.

These “certain tools” we will be using are called contig.exe and PowerDefragmenter.
When we used these two programs, the results were as follows:

Hard drive before defragmenting:

8 minutes later:

However, using the Windows Vista Defragmentation tool took longer… much longer. To further exaggerate the comparison, we ran the Vista Defragmentation Tool AFTER we had already defragmented that same drive with Contig and PowerDefragmenter. It took 8 minutes alone to analyze the drive. By now, contig.exe and powerdefragmenter would have already finished defragmenting a drive. On top of that, it took Windows Vista 75 more minutes to defragment the hard-drive. As you can easily see, the new tools we will introduce to you will greatly cut your defragmentation time.

Tutorial:
The two programs that we have talked about work together to defrag your computer.

Download powerdefrag archive containing contig.exe and Power Defragmenter

Once you have finished downloading the zip file unzip into a folder on your desk top.

No installation is required. The next step is to run Power Defragmenter. Click next, and you will arrive at the screen below:

You may then select from the following options:

Defragment File(s): Allows you to defragment up to 4 files

Defragment Folder(s): Allows you to defragment up to 4 folders

Defragment Disk: Allows you to defragment a disk

PowerMode(TM) Disk Defragmentation: Defragments at a power equivalent to two consecutive defragmentations.
To defragment your hard drive at the speed of light choose Powermode(TM)

After you click next, just choose the desired drive, and you’re good to go. When you are finished, the command prompt window will read “Windows Disk Defragmenter…”

Any suggestions, ideas? Feel free to comment on this article!

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