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Freeware Reviews - Jan/Feb 1999 |
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| Bounce Spam Mail v1.8 [277k]
W9x/NT FREE
Here's an issue I usually don't tackle in Lockergnome: SPAM. Some people accuse legitimate e-mail newsletters (like this one) as being unsolicited commercial mail. It's rather upsetting when I get caught in the crossfire. What I can't figure out is: why do spammers even bother? If you're tired of getting junk from a particular company, you can use this program to replicate a server bounce. However, be careful when replying to some spam messages--by answering them, you might (inadvertently) be added to another spam list. It's truly depressing. Sly Autorun v1.0 [396k] W9x/NT FREE When you insert a data CD into your system, nine times out of ten, it will launch into a menu. Some people have Autorun functionality turned off, but if you use removable media (CD-R, ZIP, etc.) and want something to automatically launch when that media is inserted, you'll need to be a little sly. And here's the kicker: it'll Autorun any associated file type! Web pages, documents, programs, etc.. Even though you might not appreciate Autorun functionality, this might come in handy when you're making "stuff" for other people. Small and simple!TitleTime v1.03 [25k] W9x/NT FREE There are tons of time applets to take into consideration, but where's one place (on your screen) that you know is always going to be on top (yet never in the way)? Look at your Title Bar... seems like an awful lot of wasted space (in most windows). Throwing the time in there shouldn't hurt anything--especially if you're a constant clock watcher. TitleTime will help you; in a matter of seconds (no pun intended) you'll have the time & date sitting in your Active Title Bar. You can set alarms, too! NOTE: it may not work with all windowed applications.NewURL v0.99 [25K] W9x/NT FREE Sometimes, when I'm not online (perish the thought), I need to save a web page's URL for later viewing. Sure, I could open up Notepad and save the address in a text file, but I want an easier way. NewURL can definitely help! You simply launch the program, enter the title, URL type, and actual web address, and it'll create a ready-to-use IE4 Internet Shortcut (by default, it will save it in the same directory as the program). This program is also compatible with Simulbrowse (another outstanding FREEWARE web browser). Pretty cool time saver, indeed.Escape from the Mousetrap v1.0 [375k] W9x FREE I remember the day when I used the keyboard more than the mouse for OS operations. I have to admit, it was difficult for me to switch, but thank goodness Windows 9x still has keyboard shortcuts. I've been asked if there were any good resources for learning about all of the "shortcuts" available in Windows 9x, but I didn't know of a good, downloadable one--until now! You'll need a PDF viewer; there's a link for it here. There are a couple other Windows 95 PDFs available, too. If you have to use Windows 9x, you might as well learn to be efficient. Now you'll know how!RA2WAV v1.5 [1.4M] W9x/NT US$30 You can grab a WAV to RealAudio converter straight off of Real's website. But what if you need to get a RA file back into WAV format? It's nearly impossible... without using this tool. This version also supports batch conversion and varying sampling rates. You can use a fully functional version for 15 days; audio fanatics should register it immediately. While you're downloading RA2WAV, be sure to check out their MagicSpell utility (a killer ICQ add-on) as well as X-FileGet (for downloading streamed RealAudio files).Enigma v1.0 [568k] W9x FREE Ah, finally the chance to sit down to a nice, hot dinner. I can't wait to tear into that steak and those... the phone is ringing. Who could be calling now? Hello? Oh... great. Just what I always wanted: a better long distance plan. The author of this software was so fed up with being interrupted that he created something for all of us to use when those pesky phone solicitors call. It's pretty straightforward--when a telemarketer calls, pull up this program, ask a few questions, etc., and it will "log" the call for future reference. By law, they'll have to remove you from their calling list. Cool tool!TrayWeather v1.0 [650k] W9x/NT FREE Don't let the file size fool ya, this is a relatively tiny app. I've been looking for something that'll give me the local temperature at the click of a button. Sure, it'd be nice to get all those other weather reports, graphics and such, but I didn't need all of that. Just let me know if I need to wear a jacket or not. The UI is clean, and it runs from your System Tray. In fact, the graphic will change depending on what kind of weather you're having. Since this is only the first version, I'm sure that the author will be adding more functionality to TrayWeather as time goes on. Mostly sunny!The Cleaner v1.02 [159k] W9x/NT FREE I love getting e-mail from you Lockergnomies. I might not have the opportunity to respond to every message or every question, but I appreciate the time you take to write. Now, that being said, I'm really not up for getting "forwarded" messages (especially jokes). Sending me news flashes is GREAT, but I typically delete anything that has fourteen 'greater than' symbols preceding each line: > > > > > -- Here's a program that will remove all that extra junk from those messages. That's all it does, but it works well.ITSDiag v1.2 [900k] W9x FREE Is your Internet connection giving you headaches? Well, if you decide to call tech support, it's good to have extensive information about your computer's setup. However, some of you might not know enough about your PC's configuration to relay that info to someone else. This program was designed to help the Internet tech support person troubleshoot potential problems on the end-user's (your) computer. When run, it'll extract network-related information and allow you to print it off or e-mail it to tech support. Very helpful!Sequential Folder Creator v1.0 [38k] W9x/NT FREE "Hadley, I need you to create 137 folders in this particular folder." No problem, boss! One little, two little, three little folders... this is becoming a pain. I need to download the Sequential Folder Creator. With it, I can easily create any given number of folders with the click of a button. I can name them whatever I want to name them, too. This will definitely save me a lot of time, so I can get back to playing Solitaire! Okay boss, I'm done. "That's great, Hadley. Now, start working on installing those modems." Ugh.CLOX 2000 v6.1 [2.4M] W9x/NT FREE Most of us have a clock sitting somewhere on the screen--it's usually sitting in the System Tray. A single clock works great if you only need to keep track of the time in your particular time zone. But what if you've got to keep track of what time it is on the other side of the world? Or even on the other side of your continent? CLOX 2000 will allow you to view the time in up to five other time zones simultaneously--all from ONE program. There's even a "Daylight Map" which shows where the sun is currently shining. Time to download!ASPack v1.5 [135k] W9x/NT FREE As strange as it sounds, this program actually works... at least, it appears to work. What it'll do is compress your EXE or DLL files... and there's (virtually) no difference in launching or running speed! I tried it on a few different applications on Mr. Bigglesworth, Joe, and Manny III... each time it worked flawlessly--and rather well. If your hard drive is running low on space, consider compressing your EXE files. Of course, you should always backup before doing anything like this--YMMV! It's pretty darn cool, if you ask me.Automate v4.1b [5.7M] W9x/NT US$60 Throw away all those other "macro" programs--this is the undisputed champion. It's not a toy, but it's just as much fun as one. It shines on standalone PCs (automating just about any given task possible), and it's absolutely brilliant in networked environments. Of course, you're going to pay for this power--but if you're tired of performing rudimentary tasks (online or offline) in 9x or NT, Automate will rock your world. It even has built-in FTP and e-mail clients--a true all-in-one solution. Scripting is available in the Pro version. It's my new mate!StayAlive v2.0b [307k] W9x US$35 Party crashing can be fun, but Windows crashing isn't. Some people would rather staple bagels to their faces than suffer a crash... especially when they seem to happen at the most inopportune times. Ya know, just when you were about to click the "save" icon? You've probably heard of the big boys' crash protection software, but I've always seen it as bloated and ineffective. Well, StayAlive solves both of those problems. They've put up benchmarks (done by NTSL) to show the world that bigger doesn't always mean better. If your computer crashes often, consider this program a true godsend. Of course, you should try it yourself to see the "real world" results. Let the bugs beware!Txt2Web v1.5.0 [978k] W9x/NT US$25 Everybody has text files sitting around on their hard drive. What if you've got a text file that you'd much rather see as a web page? Sure, it wouldn't be fancy or anything (after all, it's just text). But what's the easiest way to turn a text file into a working HTML file? Well, it won't get much simpler than this, gang. Just select which text file you'd like to convert to HTML, how you want it converted, and this program will do the rest. It'll automatically translate http, ftp, mailto, etc. tags wherever necessary. In a matter of seconds, you've made a "working" web page. This is a no-nagged (albeit feature limited) shareware version.SafeHouse v1.80.043 [1.0M] W9x/NT DEMO Manny III (my new laptop) hasn't left my side for long. But what someone stole him at some point in the future? Obviously, the thief would have access to all my files and settings. That's a scary thought. But here's the perfect way to protect your laptop (and desktop) data from prying eyes! This is a 40-bit evaluation version which doesn't expire--give it a spin. Everything you put on the encrypted "drive" will be inaccessible without a password. If you want more powerful encryption algorithms, you'll have to register (which isn't a bad idea at all). There's also an exportable retail version for International users.Simple DNS v1.03.02 [1.6M] W9x/NT FREE What's in a name? Quite a bit. So when you see program with "Simple" in its title, you assume it won't be complicated. In this case, you'd be correct. It's a free DNS server that uses the Windows 'hosts' file as its database (it acts as a stand-alone server and does not interact with other DNS servers). The author notes: "it won't provide MX-Records (used by mail servers, not mail clients), NS-Records (used by other DNS servers) or CNAME-Records (aliases)". This means it's perfect for configuring local mail and web server addresses (and that's about all). If you don't understand that, you don't need this. Sure, it does little, but what little it does, it does well.RegRepair 2000 v3.3 [866k] W9x US$30 Did you know that Windows runs into errors even before it is completely up and running? Sure, you don't see the errors... but they're usually the ones that'll eventually come around and byte you in the ASCII. The problem: they're nearly impossible to detect and fix. The answer: getting one of Wolf Agency's excellent system tools... RegRepair 2000. It'll fix IOS (Initiating Operating System) errors when it encounters them and tell you WHY there was an error in the first place. Whether your computer is two years old or two hours old, you might have "unseen" problems. And if you're in need of other great system tools, this site can definitely deliver. VB5 runtimes required. YMMV.Planet.MP3Find v1.0 Beta [1.3M] W9x/NT FREE MP3: quite possibly today's most popular audio format. There are hundreds of thousands of different MP3 songs out there today, waiting to be downloaded. But without knowing where to get them (or without having a CD "ripper"), you're stuck with silent speakers. Here's a program that was specifically designed to help you find the songs (by the artists) you're looking for. It'll automatically determine whether or not a site is online (great time saver). This is only in beta, but has great promise.Kaylon Powermarks v3.04 [450k] W9x/NT US$25 Question: Do you have to be power user in order to use powerful software? Answer: Heck no. Powermarks is an excellent bookmark/favorite management utility that can be enjoyed by novices and wizards alike. Many of us have hundreds of sites stored in our Favorites (and Bookmarks). Their management can be a hassle without using a utility like Powermarks. There are no folders to organize--everything indexed is fully searchable. Plus, this puppy will update outdated links and identify when pages have moved! Keep the same links between Netscape, IE, and Opera without breaking a sweat. It's powerful, indeed.PC-Pine v4.0 [1.4M] W9x/NT FREE The other day, my Lockergnome e-mailbox bloated to 30 megabytes in size (overnight). I couldn't grab any e-mail through Outlook (or Outlook Express); POP3 would stop cold, and IMAP wasn't working properly through my two favorite mail programs. I tried loading Pine through my shell account, and that didn't work either. My system administrator over at DigitalDaze told me to check out PC-Pine... I'm glad I did. It's wonderful! If you want to check your e-mail remotely (IMAP), this works great. It was the only thing I could use to delete all the unwanted messages on Lockergnome's server. Please gang, don't send me large attachments without asking first?Update AnyWare v2.0 [1.4M] W9x/NT FREE How many times have I told you that newer versions of software are usually better? That's fine if you only have two programs installed on your computer. But what if you have hundreds? Keeping all of them up-to-date could quickly turn into a full-time job. Lockergnome can't inform you of every new program or driver revision, but Update Anywhere can! It'll download and install all the updates for you automatically--no more having to search for them individually. The choice is ultimately yours; registration is FREE!TextToGif vv1.0b [265k] W9x/NT FREE If only making textual graphics was as simple as typing in what you wanted. Now it is! I'm sure you already have some sort of graphics editor, but if you want a QUICK way to translate text into graphics, this is the tool to get. Simply pick the colors, the font, and the style, then type in the text you want translated into a GIF image. Within seconds, you'll have something ready to publish on the web. Granted, this proggie is still in early development stages, but it already has command line options! TextToGif is definitely unique. More importantly: it works.DUN Monitor v2.1 [175k] W9x FREE Modems are great--when they work. The problem is, dial-up networking isn't very informative. Sure, it'll tell you that you're connected (and how long you've been connected), but what if you want to know more about your connection? This puppy is one of the better DUN tools I've found; it'll display specific statistics (current send/receive, max send/receive, total & average throughput, various errors, etc.) and a "live" line graph depicting your send & receive stats. DUN Monitor is extremely configurable; you can even add sounds to DUN events.Zoom Shell v3.0b [1.8M] W9x/NT FREE Gone are the days of entering commands manually instead of pointing & clicking. Or are they? You still have command prompt access within Windows, but it's somewhat limited by the COMMAND.COM command set. Zoom Shell is an excellent enhancement for any Windows 9x user; you can use this tiny app to execute "shell" commands without having to be sitting directly on a command line. It supports aliases, history, filename completion, environment variables, and has a handful of useful UNIX ports! If you really wanna be a power user, zoom in on this download.Rei's More Extensions v1.0 [91k] W9x/NT FREE With a right-click here, and a right-click there... man, without that second mouse button, I'd be lost. Seriously, when was the last time you right-clicked on an object (file or folder) and discovered something new about it? When you install Rei's More Extensions, you'll be able to see and do more with that object! The "Touch" tab will allow you to modify the file time stamp, the "Icons" tab will enable you to extract the icon and cursors from that particular file (if available), and the "Bitmaps" tab will extract BMP resources from an EXE file. Also included is a handy "DOC identifier" (which detects Microsoft Word Documents from plain text documents, both of which might have the .DOC extension). Right on, Rei!Swatch Internet Time v1.0 [52k] W9x/NT FREE Now that I'm communicating with more people who live in other time zones (and countries), I have to keep in mind that some of them are fast asleep when I'm wide awake. I could say I'm in the Central Standard Time Zone, but if you're from Russia, you're probably not going to know how that relates to you. The Internet is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And unlike television, we can usually see what we want to see when we wanna see it. Swatch has come up with something called "Internet Time", so there's no chance of being confused about what time you're going to do something online. Anyone can use it (and everyone should)!CD-ROM god v5.5 [1.1M] W9x FREE When was the last time you made a boot disk? Don't remember? Well, perhaps you should double check to make sure you've got one lying around--you never know when you're gonna need it. Windows 9x makes it relatively simple to make a boot disk, but sometimes it doesn't recognize your CD-ROM drive. That can be a problem, especially if you need CD-ROM access from the command prompt outside of Windows. Time to "pray" to the CD-ROM god. It runs from the command prompt, and as long as you can guestimate what kind of CD-ROM you have, it'll create a boot disk for you (replete with CD-ROM drivers). It knows of 50+ different types, so there's a strong chance it can work for you.Javascript Editor v1.12 [200k] W9x FREE I'm sure there's an end-all, be-all JavaScript editor floating around out there, but it probably costs just about as much as a brand new computer. If you understand the basics of JavaScript, you probably don't need a terribly fancy editor; this one's for you. You could probably liken this puppy to Notepad, because there aren't a lot of fancy buttons, and use is pretty much straightforward (again, if you know what's going on in the JavaScript coding world). Be sure to swing by the author's site to pick up other small utilities--including a crossword creator!RealUninstall v3.0 [195k] W9x FREE The Add/Remove Control Panel applet usually works like it should. However, sometimes it might not log every installation you make on your computer. Sometimes there are things you need removed, but you have no idea how to remove them. Now, before I go any further, this software should only be used by people who know what's on their system (and what shouldn't be). It works similarly to Add/Remove Control Panel applet, but is a tad more robust; you'll find entries with it that don't show up normally. Uninstall it... for real.SuperFassst v1.0 [1.1M] W9x FREE Sometimes fast just isn't fast enough; everybody wants to have the quickest computer on the block. Of course, Windows tweaking can take you only so far. The gang over at Acceleration Software have created a program that'll maximize your hard drive's speed. It reported a 277% increase on Joe (which was definitely visible). The program is free, but you'll have to change your "start" page permanently to Homepageware.com (the performance increase makes that change worthwhile). Settings are accessible from your System Tray, and... well, you should be much happier with a SuperFassst system!BIGpage 1.51 [382k] W9x/NT FREE I don't feel at home unless I've got a remote control in my hand. Even when I'm in the shower, I take my 'mote with me. Okay, perhaps I'm stretching the truth here, but I think you get the picture. Wouldn't it be nifty to surf the Internet on the PC with a remote control? When you're using BIGpage, your favorite sites are merely a click away. The program looks (and acts) like a remote control on your screen. You can configure the preset categories to your liking, too. Channel surfing online--whoopee!BrowserSizer v1.03a [469k] W9x/NT FREE I've featured this program before, but it deserves to get mentioned again. Not only is a new version available, but it now has a big brother (BrowserMaster, which is shareware--and worth every penny). If you're a web page developer, it's great to know what your web page will look like under different resolutions. Instead of actually changing resolutions, why not change your browser's size? BrowserSizer will help you do that, and it's very precise. With BrowserMaster (shareware), you can get size customization, browser safe color palette checking, and other great features.TaxAct Standard [4.3M] W9x/NT FREE Another year, another tax return. While I'm sure CPAs are supplementing their annual income, average American Joes are feeling sick to their stomachs. Wait, my dad's name is Joe and he's a CPA. Hrm... at least someone in my family understands taxes. I'd go nuts if I had to do this stuff myself. If you're the type of individual who loves working on his/her own, then you should seriously check out TaxAct. The Standard version (here) is free, but the Deluxe version will cost ya. Either package should help you get through wabbit... er, tax season.Stationery Paper Maker v3.4 [1.3M] W9x/NT FREE Some people loathe HTML mail, while others love it to the point where they need to be locked up. I guess I'm somewhere in between. I like HTML mail, as long as it looks good and serves some sort of purpose. Like Lockergnome's Daily HTML--I designed it in Notepad (no joke). If you don't have any HTML skills, but want to create original "Stationery" to use in Outlook Express or Outlook 98, I'd suggest using something like the Stationery Paper Maker. Even advanced users should enjoy its simplicity.CyberView Image Pro v4.1 [1.4M] W9x/NT US$30 JPEG compression is great... especially if you want to get a large picture from point A to point B quickly; they're usually a lot smaller than other graphic formats. JPEGs are all over the web--I bet you see at least one every day. However, JPG picture quality isn't all that great. Tweaking JPG size & quality is virtually impossible without using this tool. If you deal with JPG graphics at all, then you won't want to pass this one up, gang; it's one seriously awesome JPEG tweaker. Save space without sacrificing quality!Eurolator v1.1 [159k] W9x/NT FREE "What's all this talk about a Euro? Wasn't that the name of some car in the early '90s?" Well, if you deal with international currencies, you definitely know what the Euro is. Some people like it, other people... not so much. But no matter what you think of it--the Euro is probably here to stay. So how much is the Euro worth, especially when compared to the Shilling, Franc, Peseta, Pound, or other European currencies? I've already seen a few dozen "Euro conversion" programs, but this one is the most user friendly (IMHO). I'm elated with the Eurolator.QNX IAT Demo v3.0 [1.4M] W9x/NT FREE I'm leery about playing with different OSes on the same computer, but when I heard about this ultra-small download, I had to try it. To put it bluntly, I was simply amazed. You have to try this, gang! It's an Internet operating system that fits on a 3.5" floppy disk. No joke! After installation, just boot to the IAT floppy. Be sure you know one of your DNS servers (run WINIPCFG if you don't know) and your dial-up information. The minimum requirements: a 386, 3.5" floppy drive, VGA monitor, 8 MB RAM, a modem, an ISP, and a mouse. No Hard disk required! You can surf the web from a floppy! Network version also available.Mimar Sinan Compression Software File compression is the "poor man's" disk space saver. Well, hey--it works. It also makes downloading a heckuva lot faster. The smaller the file, the quicker you can transfer it (that's logical). Some people prefer to archive DOS/Windows files with ZIP compression. Others choose to use RAR. Well, here's a site FULL of compression software for ya. Check out the Cabinet (CAB) compression utils--you can get archives up to 50% smaller when you use them (compared to a ZIPper). I can't think of a situation where I wanted an archived file to be large. If you upload things to the Internet often, think about using better compression.Cupertino v1998-10-10 [301k] W9x/NT FREE Getting a file from one computer to another is usually an easy task. If two computers are sitting across the room from one another, it's simple to do. And, of course, copying a file from your computer to an FTP site isn't a problem. But what about copying or moving files between two different FTP sites? Um... never seen it done before--until now. Sure, Cupertino is like most other FTP clients (drag & drop, keyboard controls, local-to-remote & remote-to-local file transfers, etc.). But it's unique in the sense that it'll allow you to copy, move, and/or delete multiple items (including directories) between two different FTP servers or within the same FTP server. Killer!Tray Shortcuts v3.2 [15k] W9x/NT FREE Internet Explorer 4.0 added new toolbar functionality to both the Windows 95 & 98 Taskbars. But, what if you don't have IE4 installed and would still like to have miniature shortcuts residing somewhere in your Taskbar? To use this (incredibly small) program, simply place shortcuts you'd like to have show up in your System Tray in any given folder, "Browse" to that folder, and voila! You can configure Tray Shortcuts to respond to single or double clicks, too. Of course, you probably have more than enough programs sitting in there to begin with... but at least with this program, you could add ANY shortcut you wanted. Classic Windows 95 users should love it!Cacheman v3.51 [424k] W9x FREE I believe it's been a while since I last mentioned this utility (although it is listed on Lockergnome's cool stuff page). If you wonder why your computer is running slowly (or not as fast as it should be), understand that Windows 98 didn't "come" pre-optimized. You have to do a lot of tweaking on your own. The latest version of Cacheman takes out the guesswork. You can tweak the disk cache, name cache, and file cache settings--essentially making your system behave the way you want it to. I discovered a noticeable speed increase after using it. There are also presets for 'novices' and everything is undoable--never fear. You want this.Local IP v1.2 [1.9M] W9x FREE Where am I right now? Oh sure, I'm sitting at home in my chair... but what's my IP? Yes, I could gather basic IP information by entering "WINIPCFG" in the Run Command line, but what if I wanna know more? This tool can help. It'll show your local, current, and "decimal notation" IP address, as well as your Hostname, Media Access Control address (NIC), Network Class, Winsock information, and Asc / LongIP address. The values can easily be copied to the clipboard, too. IP freely!PalmPilot Emulator v2.0 Beta 3 [291k] W9x/NT FREE The first PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) I ever owned was the Sharp Wizard. Of course, I was a high school student at the time, so there wasn't much I had to keep track of back then. PDAs have come a long way since the early '90s--and now you can emulate one on your Desktop! This will work as long as you have a PalmPilot ROM handy (which, if you own one, shouldn't be a problem). There are even skins available at the third-listed URL! I wouldn't suggest trying to put a Desktop system in your pocket.Crystal Forest v1.0 [12k] W9x/NT FREE When I was in the Cub Scouts, I grew a crystal garden of sorts. I remember it took a long time to develop, but in the end, it was very "cool" looking. Unfortunately, the most beautiful crystals can't grow overnight. And while this screen saver shouldn't take the place of traditional crystal gardens, it'll give you something "entertaining" to stare at. There's not much to configure with this sucker, but it's incredibly small and (somewhat) colorful. Plus, you don't have to wait for weeks to see it's beauty. |
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