Like all the domestic animals, dogs are susceptible to many diseases. So in order to keep them healthy, it is necessary to understand the various diseases they can suffer from. Here is your quick guide on common dog diseases:
Rabies: This disease is caused due to a virus which affects the central nervous system of the dog. It generally spreads through the saliva. Rabies has several stages. In the first stage, there appears some behavior changes in your dog. As it reaches the second stage, the dog becomes very aggressive and by the third stage the body parts of the dog stop coordinating with each other. Once encountered the disease, there remains no cure.
Distempter: This is considered as the biggest threat to the whole population of the dog species. The symptoms are heavy nasal discharge, congestion in the chest, weight loss, coughing, gunky eyes and diarrhea. As the disease reaches its later stages, it has a direct effect on the nervous system of the dog causing paralysis. It is a contagious disease and the virus can be encountered by the air. Even by coming in contact with the excretion of the infected dog, the healthy dog can get afflicted. Once the dog is infected, then there is no cure for the disease. This deadly disease can be prevented by giving a proper vaccination to the dog.
Bloat: It is a serious disorder in a dog, wherein there occurs a twisting in the stomach of the animal. It generally occurs due to over eating. If the dog appears restless and depressed with dry heaves, then you must treat him for bloat.
Parvovirus: This virus is a fast killer as the symptoms can be seen in the dogs within hours of the virus attack, even killing the dog within 48-72 hours. It is a contagious disease and directly attacks the intestinal tract of the dog’s digestive system. The effect of the virus can also be seen on the heart of the dog. The symptoms include depression, severe form of diarrhea, vomiting and also loss of appetite. In this disease the color of the feacel matter changes and often have blood stains.
Canine Viral Hepatitis: This disease directly targets the kidney, the liver and the blood vessels of the dog. The symptoms include loss in appetite, intense thirst, vomiting and hemorrhages. The virus of the disease spreads through the faecel matter of the other dogs. The dogs can be prevented from this disease by administering them with the vaccination.
Kennel Cough: This is the most common respiratory disease among the dogs, wherein a typical kind of cough can be seen in the dogs. If given proper treatment, the disorder can be mended.
Leptospirosis: It is a bacterial disease. It spreads through the excretion of the animals. If human beings any how come in contact with this virus, they can also be infected. There is not one but several species of bacterias that produce this disease in dogs. The common symptoms of this disease are kidney inflammation, lethargy, conjuctivita, low grade fever and even sometimes clotting of blood. If the disease is more chronic the symptoms can be jaundice, pneumonia and intestinal inflammation.
Retinal Dysplasia: It is a disorder where there is an abnormal development of the retina. There occurs folds in the outer layers of the retina. It is the most common type of disease that is present in most of the breeds of dogs. A minor form of dysplasia causes minor vision problems, whereas an acute one can lead to total blindness in dogs. Cataract is also accompanied by this disorder.
Lyme Disease: It is a bacterial disease that is spread by ticks. The dog suffers from joint pains, loss of appetite, fever and lethargy. Tetracycline, an antibiotic is used for the treatment of this disease.
It is thus important to detect early symptoms of these diseases in your pet dogs and meet your vet as soon as possible. This will not only keep your dog healthy but will also keep it away from any of the life threatening diseases.
Ashish Jain
AtGoogleTalkshttp://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/atgoogletalksHowtoChristopher, mcdougall, Running, barefoot, SuperathletesAuthors@ Google: Christopher McDougall
The outbreak of the pandemic flu in the South East Asian countries created a wave of terror through out the world. There were evidences of the bird flu being spread to West and infecting some of the African countries. The possibility of a strike in the western world cannot be neglected since the pathogens or viruses of the bird flu are carried by the migratory birds.
The death of people in certain countries has raised an alarm about the incompetence of science and technology to create a vaccination for bird flu.
The preparation of the bird flu vaccine is not an easy task. The most important fact is that a vaccine for a virus cannot be prepared beforehand since the strain of the virus is not known till it attacks.
The bird flu viruses go on mutating through antigenic shift or drift. The mutation cannot be traced to find out what form it is taking. So, the scientists cannot prepare the vaccine before a pandemic occurs.
Thus, there lies the problem in formulating a vaccination for bird flu. The world is totally unaware of the kind of virus that is going to infest the humankind. Next problem in the line is, the preparation of the vaccination will take a long time after the outbreak. That is, it will take almost six months to prepare a vaccine and a year for its mass distribution.
At present, prototypes of the H5N1 virus vaccination have been prepared by the scientist which are able to provide some kind of protection to the body. The prototype vaccine is not a complete Squalene/Mercury laden Vaccine’s apparently have Zero side effects
protection against the bird flu. All the health organizations of different countries are still working on it and China has claimed that they have prepared two types of vaccines for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The vaccination can produce high accentuated antibodies in the immune system that can target the H5N1 virus and remain longer in the immune system. The WHO has acclaimed this effort and will provide China with a prototype vaccine for humans, for developing a more effective vaccine.
It’s a good news that vaccines are soon going to be available for the deadly H5N1 virus which is the present threat to the world. The CDC and WHO are providing instruction to the Health Departments of the countries throughout the world to teach people how to prevent the infection of the bird flu.
There are some antiviral medicines like Tami flu, Relenza, and alike that can be taken to reduce the intensity of the attack and help the immune system of your body to fight.
Let’s hope for better that the vaccines are made available, as soon as possible. Maintain personal hygiene for preventing the virus, because it cannot attack you if you are clean and healthy to beat it.
When we think about what happened on September 11 , the facts make us think about terrorism and if, when, and how it could happen again. When we read about outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu virus in birds in the past few years around the world, it leads us to think were facing the beginning of a pandemic, an event that could indiscriminately kill millions of people all over the world. A disease pandemic could have more impact than a terrorist attack or a hurricane and might be comparable in scope to a war. Most influenza experts agree that a pandemic – a deadly global epidemic – of some kind of flu is inevitable. Could terrorists use the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus as a bioterrorist agent? Everyone in the world is talking about Bird Flu, but most scientists, doctors and politicians in the United States dont want to talk about this matter. There is an economic issue.
Since 2003 poultry and other birds have been continuously affected by the bird flu virus. Humans also got affected and it seems that since 16 January 2007, 267 cases of human bird flu infection were registered. These patients got into close contact with infected birds and that is why they got infected too. 161 persons from the group of 267 did not survive the contamination.
Until now scientists declared that the virus is still unable to transmit from human to human, but the population is still concerned about the avian flu as there is a possibility for the virus to mix with a human flu virus and then pass from human to human.
All viruses have the possibility to mutate or mix with other viruses and transform in to more dangerous ones. In case this thing happens a global pandemic can occur and millions of people will die if researchers do not fid an effective vaccine soon.
Until now governments have instituted flu immunization programs to protect those who work with poultry and can contact the virus if the poultry is affected.
This vaccination program is voluntary but until now all the personnel from the poultry industry has presented for a shot. This vaccine is protecting humans from catching the flu human type of virus and so it reduces the possibility for the bird flu virus to mix with a human virus and transform into a more dangerous one. This seasonal flu vaccination does not protect humans against the bird flu virus.
As scientists tell us the bird flu is a disease which affects birds and is highly contagious among them. It is produced by the influenza A viruses. Birds can be mild affected by some viruses and so they develop only mild symptoms, but they can also be severe affected by other viruses which lead to their death. It seems that the bird flu virus is one of the most pathogenic strains of virus that can affect a bird.
The virus is shed in feathers, droppings and secretions of birds and so it can easily spread to other birds and even humans through inhalation or ingestion.
The most affected birds are the poultry. It seems that the wild birds like ducks and geese are the carriers of the virus but they do not have any symptoms of the illness. These birds are spreading the virus to the poultry which will develop the disease as they are more vulnerable to epidemics.
The influenza A virus has many different subtypes. The H5 subtypes along with the H5N1 are considered to be quite dangerous and are a threat to humans. The H7 and H9 also caused severe infections in poultry but none of them was as dangerous as H5N1 is.
The outbreak of H5N1 began in mid-December 2003 in poultry from South Korea and until now it has affected birds from Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. This virus resembles very much with the one that caused a lot of damage among poultry in 1997 in Hong Kong.
The world governments have instituted controls in order to prevent illegal importation of dead poultry, of living birds or illegal entries of ill persons in certain countries.
What makes Rollback Rx so unique is that it is fast, it is easy and it can restore computer settings even when the Windows operating system does not boot up, regardless of whether it is one pc or a whole network of computers. PC restore is possible with a click of the mouse. And the system is up and running, healthily, just as you would like.
Rollback Rx achieves its miracles with a system called snapshots. If your network or PC has crashed, you can simply do a pc restore to the last system snapshot. Snapshots are pictures of the system taken at specific times. They prevent loss of data that could sometimes set you back by months; it only takes two or three seconds to take a snapshot.
Schedule Tasks On Rollback Rx
Rollback Rx makes your life really easy by allowing you to flexibly schedule various tasks so that you no longer have to worry about cumbersome computer repairs. As a routine, Rollback Rx can be scheduled to restore computer or keep taking snapshots even when you are not near your computer. It can do this automatically and can be set to restore computer hourly, daily, weekly and monthly. You can also schedule Rollback Rx to log off at particular times. It can take snapshots automatically when you restart your system or when you shut down. The feature rich Rollback Rx system restore software can be customized to your personal or organization’s need.
Option To Control Access
It is up to you to allow or restrict access to users when you have Rollback Rx. You can keep other users from doing a PC restore, by setting password and allowing specific users to access the software. You can also set it so that only certain parts of Rollback Rx are accessible to a user. You can create many users and control their access to Rollback Rx. It is possible to hide access to the application console and subsystem console interface from regular users.
Optimum Performance Tips
It is recommended that for Rollback Rx to give you optimum performance, you should do the following before you install it in your computer. The hard drive should be defragmented, in case this has not been done for a substantial period of time. It is a good idea to run an anti virus scan with your antivirus software so that any virus is detected and removed from your system. After the scanning is done, disable the antivirus program. Critical files should be backed up to CDs and server. If the NTFS volume on your computer is compressed, decompress it. Then after a thorough study of your user manual install your Rollback Rx!
Jacob Henderson
The original video is open to members and visitors at seo.mhvt.net with a resolution of 900 x 675 pixels. TOKYO (machouse) – Yesterday, we introduced the hacked website of an European organization called enr. An organized cyber criminal group hacked this website and installed a number of spam webpages to redirect Internet users to malicious websites. As we reported before, one of the final destinations is the fake scan website hosted through the domain of win-x-defender.com. We knew that wasn’t not the only destination. It’s just that redirection stopped working soon after we detected the fake scan website. So we couldn’t confirm other possible destinations.
Running Windows applications on a computer connected to the Internet without antivirus software is insanity to say the least. There are countless viruses and worms that can be introduced via the Internet to any computer. Your wisest investment for your computer is your antivirus software. It should also be your highest priority to purchase.
For the benefit of the new computer user, let’s explain what a virus scanner is. Authors of viruses and worms insert code into programs that will do damage to a target computer if run. This code can come in the form of a file with a .exe extension on the filename or as a Microsoft Word or Excel macro. These are the most popular delivery methods. What happens usually is that you will receive an email attachment or your web browser will run a script and it will invoke the damaging code. Damages are invoked depending on the virus. Some will deny you further access to the Internet. Some will even install there own email sender and spread the virus to everyone in your Outlook address book by sending unsolicited mails with the virus attached. The reason you need an antivirus program is so that it can catch the introduction of this software into your computer and either delete it or isolate it in some way. Folks work to discover the attributes of a new virus and then write ways into the antivirus software to detect the virus or worm. This is called detecting the “signature” of the virus or worm.
Many new computers come with an antivirus package already pre-installed. These pre-installed antivirus packages come with a 90-day evaluation license for automatic updates of virus definitions. When the 90-day period expires, you are given the choice to renew the license for usually a year or if you do not want their product then you can buy another one. If you continue to use the antivirus program you will probably not receive updates of new signatures and therefore will not have protection from new viruses. This is where you would be wise to shop a little more to find the antivirus scanning program that meets your needs.
Freeware antivirus software is virtually nonexistent. Usually if you do find a freeware antivirus program it does not have three very important features. The first feature is the ability for it to scan for viruses introduced into memory or while Windows is running. This is an automatic scanning feature that requires no human interaction. The second feature is the ability for virus and worm signature updates to be automatically applied via the Internet. You also have to manually download the signature updates and apply them. The third feature has to do with support. You do not get the vendor support for freeware antivirus programs like you do with the ones you pay for. You might find information on Internet forums but the live technical support from the vendor is just not there.
Microsoft has an excellent program where you can get 90-day trials of antivirus programs. These are fully functional trials and you can see how they will work with your system. The link to this offer is at:
Try them out and pick the one that suits you the best. Make sure you check out the Downloads32.com Discounts tab (http://www.downloads32.com/discounts.htm) because you will probably find an antivirus package that qualifies for a vendor discount making it even more fitting to your budget. Some antivirus programs may not work well on your system because they are resource-intensive. Keep in mind that the automatic scanning has to do this task at periodic intervals and this will consume resources such as memory and processor time. So by comparing all the trial antivirus programs you can be certain of the one that will work the best for you before you spend money on licensing it for your use.
Joe Cohen
Mumbai, July 09: Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, announces the launch of Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 a new generation of solutions to protect home users from IT threats. The new version 2010 products incorporate the advantages of advanced Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) technology in the Application Control module that assigns a security rating to previously unknown malware; unique Sandbox technology embodying virtualization technologies and providing a dedicated secure runtime environment; and the innovative Kaspersky Security Network that uses information from millions of users to dramatically reduce response times to new threats and replenish reputation databases with the most up-to-date information about clean and infected files. Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 can be purchased online at: www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_internet_security & www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_anti-virus The Kaspersky 24 x 7 Tech support number for SME and Enterprise customers is: 1800-425-0052
We’ve all heard about computer-virus nightmare stories from friends and colleagues. What begins as an innocent-looking email can end up ravaging your PC, wiping out files and destroying your software programs. However, many websites and unassuming files can inflict damage as well, without us ever knowing until the damage is already done.
Even the best antivirus software cannot fully shield a user from the bugs and trojans running rampant on the Web. However, many software packages are designed to ward off new viruses as they are emerging. There are many aspects of viruses people don’t know about and before choosing an anti-virus software program, it’s necessary to separate fact from fiction.
Do these virus FAQs surprise or scare you?
• A virus can be spread when its host file is replicated. For instance, if you copy The TRUTH about Hacking Facebook, MySpace, or anything with a Database
a file from a friend’s jump drive that contains a virus, your computer can get it.
• A virus does not need permission from a PC’s user in order to download and spread.
• Resident viruses do not need a host to spread. These viruses load themselves into memory of a PC’s files and transfer control to the host.
• Nonresident viruses look for hosts to infect and replicate themselves.
• Viruses can hide their file extensions from anti-virus programs, making it necessary to stay on top of your security updates in order to outwit the virus.
• Virus signature definitions only protect users from viruses pre-dating their last virus signature update: another reason to run automatic updates whenever possible.
• Heuristic software protection involves protection based on virus’ common behaviors, before there is an outbreak.
A virus’s capability to wreak havoc is truly extensive, but can be preventable. Every person will most likely come face-to-face with a virus at least once during their computer-usage. This makes it necessary to compare antivirus security and find one to begin protecting you.
6StarReviews is a great place to look for programs like The Shield Pro, which is designed to scan for viruses at high speeds and offers immediate security-breach alerts. Before you fall prey to the next Trojan, consider the benefits of purchasing yourself some security software.
As a professional Technology geek, I sometimes get my hands on the coolest tools and utilities. Mostly out of necessity, as I’m in a crunch and need to get something fixed. When I’m in the field, and need to find that cool little app that does just what I need, I also don’t have time to whip out my credit card and purchase what I need.
So, I turn to the Open-Source community, and thanks to the geniuses that make up this community, I am hardly ever disappointed. Find out the ten coolest (and FREE) apps you’re not using… but should!
What qualifies as one of the Ten coolest (and FREE) apps? First, in order to qualify as one of the ten coolest (and FREE) apps, there are criteria. These can’t be just any old applications off the street, they have to be able to meet a set of standards. Here are the criteria:
1. They have to be Free. Free means not having to purchase prior to download. However, Free doesn’t always mean no money. A good amount of time and effort went into making these applications for you and I to enjoy, so donations to the authors are highly encouraged. In other words, if you find an application that doesn’t charge you to use it, consider making a donation to the developer(s) as a means to enable them to continually improve the product, which will allow others to enjoy the software as well. Plus, it’s just good ju-ju!
2. They cannot be “trial-ware” or “nag-ware”. Shareware was really big in the 90’s. Try it before you buy it was the big mantra back then. Well, these ten coolest ( The Queue: Week in review
and FREE) apps have to not have the shareware thing happening at all. No messages with how many days are left to try their product. No disabled features that get unlocked if you buy the product. None of that crapola. Zilch, nada, zip! Again, in order to have good karma come your way, you should donate to the software makers, but these software authors politely and rightfully ask for a donation; but do not disable any features in order to hold your software hostage until you pay for it.
3. They have to be easy to use. Now, I don’t necessarily mean brain-dead easy. I mean, still, in this day and age, there still has to be some sort of blip on the evolutionary radar to even use a computer, let alone the ten coolest (and FREE) apps that will make your life SO much easier. So, easy to use means that an average user can use these utilities if they read the how-to’s that come with them. OK, you’ve been warned! If you don’t read the how-to’s, and don’t donate to the software authors, and your PC starts spewing smoke, don’t come crying to me about the bad ju-ju. Good things come to those who do nice things for others (and who read the how-to’s that come with the software).
4. The apps are created by knowledgeable pros. There have been tons of stories of how this person or that created the coolest app or computer in their garage by not sleeping (or showering) for days, living on Doritos and Full Throttle. However, in order to make the cut, there has to be some sort of professionalism behind these apps. The biggest reason for that is that if I’m going to use an app at a client site that I am consulting for, it has to look good and work right. By using these apps myself, I am in a sense endorsing them. So, if my name is attached to something, it has to make me look good. So, even when it comes to software, production value counts. Some guy who’s “tinkering” by creating some utility that was written poorly can very well hose a PC. I’m just going to be sure it isn’t one of the one’s I happen to be working on.
5. The apps have to be useful. Just because an app is free, and is cool, doesn’t always mean it will do something useful. These aren’t flying toasters (dang I’m old!), or dancing aliens, these are useful applications that will speed up your PC, protect you from virus and malware, optimize your Internet bandwidth, and restore health to your hardware and hard drive. How’s that for useful?
And now for some disclaimer…
Well, now that you know what it took for these awesome application to make the grade, let’s list them for you now. But, before I do that, let me just give you a couple of disclaimers I have to. It wouldn’t be responsible of me to do otherwise.
Disclaimer
Neither, I, nor HelpfulAdvisor.com, or any person or organization affiliated with HelpfulAdvisor.com is responsible for the use of the software listed in this article. HelpfulAdvisor.com makes no warranties or guarantees of performance or improvement as a result of the use of these applications. HelpfulAdvisor.com does not support these applications, and any sort of support or assistance required, would be the responsibility of the user to obtain by whatever means made available by the software author. Using the software and applications listed in this article are solely at the discretion and responsibility of the individual user.
Ok, now that we got the legal stuff out of the way, here are the ten coolest (and FREE) apps you’re NOT using… but should!
On to the apps!
Please note that all software mentioned in this article can be downloaded for free by going to http://www.HelpfulAdvisor.com.
10. DriveImage XML by RunTime.org
What makes this application so cool is that it does the same thing that commercial software does, and does it very well! DriveImage XML is a drive imaging tool that takes a snapshot of your entire hard drive, and stores it for recovery any time you need it. This is powerful because taking a snapshot of your entire hard drive will enable you to restore your hard drive, operating system, settings, preferences, applications, everything, should you need to upgrade your hard drive, or replace a failed drive. Comparable commercial software runs anywhere from $100 to $1,000, and yet this product does it for free!
9. Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows (UBCD4WIN) by Benjamin Burrows
Has there ever been a time when your Windows XP just blew up and you couldn’t boot into it? Or worse, has your hard drive become so infected by virus and malware that you couldn’t do anything once you did get in? Well, the Ultimate bood CD 4 Windows comes to the rescue, literally!
Back in the days of DOS and Windows 95/98, a boot diskette was a formidable weapon against computer crashes and virus infections. That was because back in the day (showing my age, AGAIN!) a diskette could contain the most essential bootup information in order for you to at least boot your PC and run an anti-virus, or perhaps access your drive to get data off, or to restore a backup from a system crash.
Nowadays, Windows XP uses an encrypted file system called NTFS. Long story short, there’s no way all the NTFS bootup information can fit on a diskette, let alone, not many PCs that have diskette drives anymore. So, UBCD4Win, solves all that and more by being a Swiss-Army Knife for your PC.
As it’s packed with features, essentially, you download this program, select the features you want the BootCD to have, and voila! By booting up from a boot CD, you can restore a drive image created by DriveImage XML (see number 10 above), or you can clean out pesky viruses, or you can do a variety of other things. To me, this is essential gear when working with PCs. Great job Benjamin and Team!
8. ClamWin Antivirus by ClamWin Pty Ltd.
This is one of those instances where Linux technology ends up helping the Windows users of the world. ClamWin Antivirus is an open-source anti virus that aims to be as comparable in features and reliability as any commercial product. And, in my opinion, they come very, very close.
It’s based on the ClamAV engine that was developed for Linux servers and desktops, and is ported into a Windows compatible GUI. It has great features like virus pattern updates that you can schedule either hourly, daily or weekly. You can schedule scans of specific directories or whole drives. You can right-click and scan individual files, and best of all, it integrates right into MS Outlook.
Aside from Outlook virus scanning, the only thing I can see this application lacking is the real-time virus scanning feature that most commercial products have. Of course, real-time scanning can be a resource hog, so this may be a blessing iin disguise. I’ve found ClamAV to be able to handle most threats out there, and does a very good job. And, if there’s a sticky virus that you just can’t get of, well then the Ultimate BootCD 4 Windows (see number 9 above) may be your next option.
7. Smart Defrag by IOBit
Although Windows comes with a defragmentation utlity, there certainly is room for improvement. Enter Smart Defrag. This utility literally goes where Windows Defrag has never gone before. Ok, I went over the top on that. But here’s the thing. Smart Defrag is easy to use. It’s also schedule capable, where you can set what time and day to run the defrag. To be fair, this can be done with Windows Defrag IF you use Windows Scheduler with it. In the case of Smart Defrag, it’s all self-contained, eliminating the need to use two separate programs.
Now, are you ready for the best feature Smart Defrag has that Windows Defrag doesn’t? There has to be something that gets this utility on the list, right? Ok, here it is. This defrag utility can be set to run in the background. That’s right. When you’re doing your regular work on your computer, this utility will be working along with you in the background. Plus, the software has a threshold that will stop the defrag if it starts using too much of your PC’s resources. This is great because then you’ll always be sure that your defrag is not going to slow down your PC.
Always having a defragmented disk is extremely valuable to your PC, as it speeds up access to your programs, and eases strain on your hard disk. This is the defrag utility that you can’t beat for the price.
6. Tune XP by DriverHeaven
Did you know that Windows XP has several hidden settings that could actually speed up your PC? In fact, the default installation settings can actually be slowing down your PC, even after a fresh install!
Well, now you can harness the hidden powers of WIndows XP and give your PC the speed boost it deserves. Best of all, you can give it that boost without buying a single piece of hardware or a stick of RAM. Although this utility is powerful, it is a bit advanced, so it is highly recommended you read the help file before using.
5. 7-Zip by 7-Zip.org
This is another one of those great utilities that replaces what already comes with Windows XP. Windows comes with a file compression and archiving utility called WinZip. However, 7-Zip does a few things better than WinZip. For one, 7-Zip compresses files much smaller than WinZip, making for smaller archive (.zip) files.
For two, 7-Zip supports more types of archive types than WinZip. This is especially useful when downloading from the Internet, only to find that the compressed file you just downloaded isn’t recognized by WinZip. Therefore, having this utility can ensure that whatever you download can be uncompressed and useful for you.
4. Cobian Backup by Luis Cobian
Have you tried to use the NT Backup that comes with Windows? Yeah, so have I. It’s pretty fussy to say the least. Well, your backup troubles are over. Cobian Backup is fast, easy to use, and extremely flexible.
Imagine a backup utility that will compress your backup file into one large file, or several smaller ones. Imagine a backup utility that will automatically store your backup file to any drive you select, or better yet, will upload your file via Internet FTP to an off-site server of your choosing. Imagine a backup utility that you can schedule or initiate right on the spot.
Cobian Backup is so flexible and versatile, you would be amazed that it can be offered as donation-ware. However, by going to Luis Cobian’s website, it appears his next version isn’t going to be open-source. Therefore, you’d better grab Black Moon while you can.
3. Firefox Web Browser by Mozilla
In my arsenal, this is considered essential gear. That’s because Firefox allows for safer browsing of the Internet without being acosted by all the pop-ups, automated Active-X downloads that spy on you and your PC, or other forms of malware that come in via your regular Internet Exporer browser.
Anyone who surfs the net can appreciate pop-up free, malware free surfing. Firefox also has many add-ons that make an already poweful browser even more beastly. There are download accelerators, proxies, YouTube extensions, and all kinds of stuff to make your Internet time as cool as it ever was.
If you need to keep Internet Explorer because some sites absolutely require you use that browser, at least download and use Firefox for the other times you don’t need IE. You’ll find that you’re spending a lot less time herding cats by way of malware and mailicous Active-X on your browser. And that, my dear reader, spells more fun for you on the Internet; which is how it should be.
2. Free Download Manager by FreeDownloadManager.org
This is what’s called a download accelerator. A download acclerator does just that, speed up your downloads. The concept is cool because you can queue up your downloads, and when they are downloading, they will download faster using this technology than say, a standard download from your browser. This is because your browser initiates a single session for the download of your selected item. However, a download accelerator will initiate multiple sessions at a single time and download your file across multiple sessions. Therefore, your download will happen faster and increase your bandwidth for the download.
Free Download Manager does this very well, and has tons of cool features. It even offers BitTorrent support for download of torrent files, and allows you some very powerful management of your downloads. This tool can integrate with Windows, and is compatible with Firefox and Internet Explorer. I can’t live without this app, and I think after using it a couple of times, you won’t be able to either.
And now for the number 1 Coolest (and FREE) app you’re NOT using…
1. CCleaner by Piriform, LTD.
This utility used to be called CrapCleaner, but has since toned down it’s title to be just CCleaner. Perhaps it was a politically correct thing to do, who knows. All I know is this tool works! The basic premise is that this tool goes in and finds all the little files that get left behind by Windows, and other apps you’re using on a daily or even irregular basis.
Junk files can add up. When they add up, they rob your PC of valuable hard drive space, and what’s worse, it can rob your PC of performance. By running CCleaner at least on a weekly basis, you can clean out all those junk files and free up space. When you run this utility in conjunction with SmartDegrag by IOBit (number 7 on our list), you are keeping your PC tuned up and ready for action.
We’re not done yet. CCleaner also has a neat feature that allows you to clean your computer’s registry. A clean registry is the second half to a fast running PC. When software gets installed in Windows, stuff gets written in the registry. However, when software gets uninstalled, the entries in the registry don’t always get removed. Call it sloppy or lazy programming, or just a way of life in the Windows world. Either way, a bloated registry makes for a slow running PC. CCleaner help you keep that in check.
CCleaner also has other cool stuff like a startup manager, that helps you manage your programs that launch at startup. Which, you guessed it, will eat away at your system resources and slow down your PC, unless you pare down the apps you don’t have to have at the time of Windows startup.
All in all, CCleaner is one of the most useful utilities for cleaning out junk files, clearing out your web browser cache, emptying your recycle bin, and allowing your PC to reclaim space that is otherwise taken up by “stuff” that only serves to slow down your machine. Because this tool is so easy to use, and so powerful, it has earned our number one spot on our list.
One Final Thought
Although the software on our list is open source, or doesn’t cost anything to obtain, these applications cost time and money to develop and make available to the public. These applications are in many cases supported by donations of any amount the user deems fair for use of the product. If you download and find any of these applications useful, please consider a donation to the developer(s). You can do so by going to their respective websites and clicking on a donation link that is usually prominently displayed on their sties.
Most times, the only way to remove spyware from your computer is to install spyware software, or anti spyware software. This software will take care of that nasty spyware quickly.
Anti spyware software works a few different ways. They can either do a scan of your system to see if there is presently any spyware installed, or the anti spyware program will actively protect your system from spyware that is attacking your computer presently.
The first type of protection, the scan, is used for detecting and removing the current spyware that is installed on your computer. This is usually how anti spyware software works, and it is usually the most popular. You can usually do a quick scan, or a smart scan, which will scan only some of the files in your computer which spyware is known to regularly infect and install. The good thing about this is that the scan will find a lot of spyware, or most of the spyware fairly quickly. The downside is that the scan is not going through all the files in your computer. The other option is a full scan. The full scan takes longer, but it will scan your entire computer and maximize its chances at finding all the spyware. The anti virus software will run the scan in the background while you can still do work on your computer.
The other way the anti spyware software will protect your computer is through real time protection. Now, some software may contain each type of protection, or a combination of the two. Having both types is best. This way you can have your computer actively protected against spyware attacks all the time. A pop up window, a small one, will sometimes come up alerting you that a spyware attack has been blocked. It happens maybe once a day with my program.
With the addition of new spyware, anti spyware programs have to become increasingly good at detecting and removing spyware to satisfy the user. No one wants spyware on their machine, it steals your personal information and takes up bandwidth, ultimately slowing your connection and stealing your information. Make sure your anti spyware software updates itself automatically to the latest spyware definitions so it can properly defend your computer against spyware.
Paul Abrams
For More Info or to Buy Now: www.hsn.com Receive cutting-edge, proactive protection around the clock with the VIPRE antivirus & antispyware Software with PC Lifetime Service. This high-performance security software delivers real time… Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #768728
Most times, the only way to remove spyware from your computer is to install spyware software, or anti spyware software. This software will take care of that nasty spyware quickly.
Anti spyware software works a few different ways. They can either do a scan of your system to see if there is presently any spyware installed, or the anti spyware program will actively protect your system from spyware that is attacking your computer presently.
The first type of protection, the scan, is used for detecting and removing the current spyware that is installed on your computer. This is usually how anti spyware software works, and it is usually the most popular. You can usually do a quick scan, or a smart scan, which will scan only some of the files in your computer which spyware is known to regularly infect and install. The good thing about this is that the scan will find a lot of spyware, or most of the spyware fairly quickly. The downside is that the scan is not going through all the files in your computer. The other option is a full scan. The full scan takes longer, but it will scan your entire computer and maximize its chances at finding all the spyware. The anti virus software will run the scan in the background while you can still do work on your computer.
The other way the anti spyware software will protect your computer is through real time protection. Now, some software may contain each type of protection, or a combination of the two. Having both types is best. This way you can have your computer actively protected against spyware attacks all the The Bad AntiSpyware List
time. A pop up window, a small one, will sometimes come up alerting you that a spyware attack has been blocked. It happens maybe once a day with my program.
With the addition of new spyware, anti spyware programs have to become increasingly good at detecting and removing spyware to satisfy the user. No one wants spyware on their machine, it steals your personal information and takes up bandwidth, ultimately slowing your connection and stealing your information. Make sure your anti spyware software updates itself automatically to the latest spyware definitions so it can properly defend your computer against spyware.
As a professional Technology geek, I sometimes get my hands on the coolest tools and utilities. Mostly out of necessity, as I’m in a crunch and need to get something fixed. When I’m in the field, and need to find that cool little app that does just what I need, I also don’t have time to whip out my credit card and purchase what I need.
So, I turn to the Open-Source community, and thanks to the geniuses that make up this community, I am hardly ever disappointed. Find out the ten coolest (and FREE) apps you’re not using… but should!
What qualifies as one of the Ten coolest (and FREE) apps? First, in order to qualify as one of the ten coolest (and FREE) apps, there are criteria. These can’t be just any old applications off the street, they have to be able to meet a set of standards. Here are the criteria:
1. They have to be Free. Free means not having to purchase prior to download. However, Free doesn’t always mean no money. A good amount of time and effort went into making these applications for you and I to enjoy, so donations to the authors are highly encouraged. In other words, if you find an application that doesn’t charge you to use it, consider making a donation to the developer(s) as a means to enable them to continually improve the product, which will allow others to enjoy the software as well. Plus, it’s just good ju-ju!
2. They cannot be “trial-ware” or “nag-ware”. Shareware was really big in the 90’s. Try it before you buy it was the big mantra back then. Well, these ten coolest (and FREE) apps have to not have the shareware thing happening at all. No messages with how many days are left to try their product. No disabled features that get unlocked if you buy the product. None of that crapola. Zilch, nada, zip! Again, in order to have good karma come your way, you should donate to the software makers, but these software authors politely and rightfully ask for a donation; but do not disable any features in order to hold your software hostage until you pay for it.
3. They have to be easy to use. Now, I don’t necessarily mean brain-dead easy. I mean, still, in this day and age, there still has to be some sort of blip on the evolutionary radar to even use a computer, let alone the ten coolest (and FREE) apps that will make your life SO much easier. So, easy to use means that an average user can use these utilities if they read the how-to’s that come with them. OK, you’ve been warned! If you don’t read the how-to’s, and don’t donate to the software authors, and your PC starts spewing smoke, don’t come crying to me about the bad ju-ju. Good things come to those who do nice things for others (and who read the how-to’s that come with the software).
4. The apps are created by knowledgeable pros. There have been tons of stories of how this person or that created the coolest app or computer in their garage by not sleeping (or showering) for days, living on Doritos and Full Throttle. However, in order to make the cut, there has to be some sort of professionalism behind these apps. The biggest reason for that is that if I’m going to use an app at a client site that I am consulting for, it has to look good and work right. By using these apps myself, I am in a sense endorsing them. So, if my name is attached to something, it has to make me look good. So, even when it comes to software, production value counts. Some guy who’s “tinkering” by creating some utility that was written poorly can very well hose a PC. I’m just going to be sure it isn’t one of the one’s I happen to be working on.
5. The apps have to be useful. Just because an app is free, and is cool, doesn’t always mean it will do something useful. These aren’t flying toasters (dang I’m old!), or dancing aliens, these are useful applications that will speed up your PC, protect you from virus and malware, optimize your Internet bandwidth, and restore health to your hardware and hard drive. How’s that for useful?
And now for some disclaimer…
Well, now that you know what it took for these awesome application to make the grade, let’s list them for you now. But, before I do that, let me just give you a couple of disclaimers I have to. It wouldn’t be responsible of me to do otherwise.
Disclaimer
Neither, I, nor HelpfulAdvisor.com, or any person or organization affiliated with HelpfulAdvisor.com is responsible for the use of the software listed in this article. HelpfulAdvisor.com makes no warranties or guarantees of performance or improvement as a result of the use of these applications. HelpfulAdvisor.com does not support these applications, and any sort of support or assistance required, would be the responsibility of the user to obtain by whatever means made available by the software author. Using the software and applications listed in this article are solely at the discretion and responsibility of the individual user.
Ok, now that we got the legal stuff out of the way, here are the ten coolest (and FREE) apps you’re NOT using… but should!
On to the apps!
Please note that all software mentioned in this article can be downloaded for free by going to http://www.HelpfulAdvisor.com.
10. DriveImage XML by RunTime.org
What makes this application so cool is that it does the same thing that commercial software does, and does it very well! DriveImage XML is a drive imaging tool that takes a snapshot of your entire hard drive, and stores it for recovery any time you need it. This is powerful because taking a snapshot of your entire hard drive will enable you to restore your hard drive, operating system, settings, preferences, applications, everything, should you need to upgrade your hard drive, or replace a failed drive. Comparable commercial software runs anywhere from $100 to $1,000, and yet this product does it for free!
9. Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows (UBCD4WIN) by Benjamin Burrows
Has there ever been a time when your Windows XP just blew up and you couldn’t boot into it? Or worse, has your hard drive become so infected by virus and malware that you couldn’t do anything once you did get in? Well, the Ultimate bood CD 4 Windows comes to the rescue, literally!
Back in the days of DOS and Windows 95/98, a boot diskette was a formidable weapon against computer crashes and virus infections. That was because back in the day (showing my age, AGAIN!) a diskette could contain the most essential bootup information in order for you to at least boot your PC and run an anti-virus, or perhaps access your drive to get data off, or to restore a backup from a system crash.
Nowadays, Windows XP uses an encrypted file system called NTFS. Long story short, there’s no way all the NTFS bootup information can fit on a diskette, let alone, not many PCs that have diskette drives anymore. So, UBCD4Win, solves all that and more by being a Swiss-Army Knife for your PC.
As it’s packed with features, essentially, you download this program, select the features you want the BootCD to have, and voila! By booting up from a boot CD, you can restore a drive image created by DriveImage XML (see number 10 above), or you can clean out pesky viruses, or you can do a variety of other things. To me, this is essential gear when working with PCs. Great job Benjamin and Team!
8. ClamWin Antivirus by ClamWin Pty Ltd.
This is one of those instances where Linux technology ends up helping the Windows users of the world. ClamWin Antivirus is an open-source anti virus that aims to be as comparable in features and reliability as any commercial product. And, in my opinion, they come very, very close.
It’s based on the ClamAV engine that was developed for Linux servers and desktops, and is ported into a Windows compatible GUI. It has great features like virus pattern updates that you can schedule either hourly, daily or weekly. You can schedule scans of specific directories or whole drives. You can right-click and scan individual files, and best of all, it integrates right into MS Outlook.
Aside from Outlook virus scanning, the only thing I can see this application lacking is the real-time virus scanning feature that most commercial products have. Of course, real-time scanning can be a resource hog, so this may be a blessing iin disguise. I’ve found ClamAV to be able to handle most threats out there, and does a very good job. And, if there’s a sticky virus that you just can’t get of, well then the Ultimate BootCD 4 Windows (see number 9 above) may be your next option.
7. Smart Defrag by IOBit
Although Windows comes with a defragmentation utlity, there certainly is room for improvement. Enter Smart Defrag. This utility literally goes where Windows Defrag has never gone before. Ok, I went over the top on that. But here’s the thing. Smart Defrag is easy to use. It’s also schedule capable, where you can set what time and day to run the defrag. To be fair, this can be done with Windows Defrag IF you use Windows Scheduler with it. In the case of Smart Defrag, it’s all self-contained, eliminating the need to use two separate programs.
Now, are you ready for the best feature Smart Defrag has that Windows Defrag doesn’t? There has to be something that gets this utility on the list, right? Ok, here it is. This defrag utility can be set to run in the background. That’s right. When you’re doing your regular work on your computer, this utility will be working along with you in the background. Plus, the software has a threshold that will stop the defrag if it starts using too much of your PC’s resources. This is great because then you’ll always be sure that your defrag is not going to slow down your PC.
Always having a defragmented disk is extremely valuable to your PC, as it speeds up access to your programs, and eases strain on your hard disk. This is the defrag utility that you can’t beat for the price.
6. Tune XP by DriverHeaven
Did you know that Windows XP has several hidden settings that could actually speed up your PC? In fact, the default installation settings can actually be slowing down your PC, even after a fresh install!
Well, now you can harness the hidden powers of WIndows XP and give your PC the speed boost it deserves. Best of all, you can give it that boost without buying a single piece of hardware or a stick of RAM. Although this utility is powerful, it is a bit advanced, so it is highly recommended you read the help file before using.
5. 7-Zip by 7-Zip.org
This is another one of those great utilities that replaces what already comes with Windows XP. Windows comes with a file compression and archiving utility called WinZip. However, 7-Zip does a few things better than WinZip. For one, 7-Zip compresses files much smaller than WinZip, making for smaller archive (.zip) files.
For two, 7-Zip supports more types of archive types than WinZip. This is especially useful when downloading from the Internet, only to find that the compressed file you just downloaded isn’t recognized by WinZip. Therefore, having this utility can ensure that whatever you download can be uncompressed and useful for you.
4. Cobian Backup by Luis Cobian
Have you tried to use the NT Backup that comes with Windows? Yeah, so have I. It’s pretty fussy to say the least. Well, your backup troubles are over. Cobian Backup is fast, easy to use, and extremely flexible.
Imagine a backup utility that will compress your backup file into one large file, or several smaller ones. Imagine a backup utility that will automatically store your backup file to any drive you select, or better yet, will upload your file via Internet FTP to an off-site server of your choosing. Imagine a backup utility that you can schedule or initiate right on the spot.
Cobian Backup is so flexible and versatile, you would be amazed that it can be offered as donation-ware. However, by going to Luis Cobian’s website, it appears his next version isn’t going to be open-source. Therefore, you’d better grab Black Moon while you can.
3. Firefox Web Browser by Mozilla
In my arsenal, this is considered essential gear. That’s because Firefox allows for safer browsing of the Internet without being acosted by all the pop-ups, automated Active-X downloads that spy on you and your PC, or other forms of malware that come in via your regular Internet Exporer browser.
Anyone who surfs the net can appreciate pop-up free, malware free surfing. Firefox also has many add-ons that make an already poweful browser even more beastly. There are download accelerators, proxies, YouTube extensions, and all kinds of stuff to make your Internet time as cool as it ever was.
If you need to keep Internet Explorer because some sites absolutely require you use that browser, at least download and use Firefox for the other times you don’t need IE. You’ll find that you’re spending a lot less time herding cats by way of malware and mailicous Active-X on your browser. And that, my dear reader, spells more fun for you on the Internet; which is how it should be.
2. Free Download Manager by FreeDownloadManager.org
This is what’s called a download accelerator. A download acclerator does just that, speed up your downloads. The concept is cool because you can queue up your downloads, and when they are downloading, they will download faster using this technology than say, a standard download from your browser. This is because your browser initiates a single session for the download of your selected item. However, a download accelerator will initiate multiple sessions at a single time and download your file across multiple sessions. Therefore, your download will happen faster and increase your bandwidth for the download.
Free Download Manager does this very well, and has tons of cool features. It even offers BitTorrent support for download of torrent files, and allows you some very powerful management of your downloads. This tool can integrate with Windows, and is compatible with Firefox and Internet Explorer. I can’t live without this app, and I think after using it a couple of times, you won’t be able to either.
And now for the number 1 Coolest (and FREE) app you’re NOT using…
1. CCleaner by Piriform, LTD.
This utility used to be called CrapCleaner, but has since toned down it’s title to be just CCleaner. Perhaps it was a politically correct thing to do, who knows. All I know is this tool works! The basic premise is that this tool goes in and finds all the little files that get left behind by Windows, and other apps you’re using on a daily or even irregular basis.
Junk files can add up. When they add up, they rob your PC of valuable hard drive space, and what’s worse, it can rob your PC of performance. By running CCleaner at least on a weekly basis, you can clean out all those junk files and free up space. When you run this utility in conjunction with SmartDegrag by IOBit (number 7 on our list), you are keeping your PC tuned up and ready for action.
We’re not done yet. CCleaner also has a neat feature that allows you to clean your computer’s registry. A clean registry is the second half to a fast running PC. When software gets installed in Windows, stuff gets written in the registry. However, when software gets uninstalled, the entries in the registry don’t always get removed. Call it sloppy or lazy programming, or just a way of life in the Windows world. Either way, a bloated registry makes for a slow running PC. CCleaner help you keep that in check.
CCleaner also has other cool stuff like a startup manager, that helps you manage your programs that launch at startup. Which, you guessed it, will eat away at your system resources and slow down your PC, unless you pare down the apps you don’t have to have at the time of Windows startup.
All in all, CCleaner is one of the most useful utilities for cleaning out junk files, clearing out your web browser cache, emptying your recycle bin, and allowing your PC to reclaim space that is otherwise taken up by “stuff” that only serves to slow down your machine. Because this tool is so easy to use, and so powerful, it has earned our number one spot on our list.
One Final Thought
Although the software on our list is open source, or doesn’t cost anything to obtain, these applications cost time and money to develop and make available to the public. These applications are in many cases supported by donations of any amount the user deems fair for use of the product. If you download and find any of these applications useful, please consider a donation to the developer(s). You can do so by going to their respective websites and clicking on a donation link that is usually prominently displayed on their sties.
Recording of the Google Trifecta webinar held on July 8, 2008. Speakers provide introductions to Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, and Google Website Optimizer and answer common questions. Individually, each tool offers valuable and actionable information about specific aspects of your site; combined, you get a comprehensive understanding of both your visitors and your pages.
