Keep your favorite software programs up-to-date with a few clicks
Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7
32bit and 64 bit

There are many programs which claim to keep your other programs up-to-date. But we are sticklers for not having a bunch of programs running in the background. The software updaters we've tried are all programs-running-in-the-background-all-the-time-soaking-up-resources kind of programs. So what's a person to do? Manually go through all the programs and see which needs to be updated? Or have yet another program running in the background, sucking computer juice, and making start-up and shutdown a little bit slower?

We've found a Web site that lets you check your favorite programs and update them without having anything running in the background. You simply put a checkmark in the checkbox next to the programs you want to check for new versions. This is getting a little checkered, isn't it? Anyway, you just check off the programs that you want to check for upgrades and click a button - and all the installers are gathered up into one installer - which you download and install. It's quick and painless and you won't be stuck with a brontosaurus in your system tray dragging its brontosaurus tail and draining precious computer juice. Juice is an funnyism for "computer resources" - you're supposed to chortle now.

Now, before we send you off to this site, we want you to know this site tries to make its updater sound like the best thing since refrigeration - but the updater, should you decide to BUY it and install it will run in the background much to our (and your) chagrin. Plus you have to pay for the updater. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, eh?

Ninite offers a free service where you can simply visit a web page and put checkmarks to programs you have installed on your computer. Then Ninite will combine all necessary installers and combine them for you. You simply download that one file and it updates all the programs you selected. Many programs are listed on Ninite - but now all programs are listed there. There will be many programs you have installed that are not listed there - but many will be and that makes it worth the trip.

The service is free - but if you choose the updater - it's not. We're just recommending the free service - the one where you visit a web page and select the programs you'd like to update. The only problem with this method is that you have to remember to do it. But I'd rather remember to do it than to have yet another program starting up with Windows, draining juice from my computer, and making it take even longer to start up and shut down my computer. For Heaven's sake! Windows already takes long enough to start up and shut down, doesn't it?



Go update your software by selecting them on the main page. You don't need the updater to keep your software updated. See more, do more, select more, update more at https://ninite.com/ .

Free security programs
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
32bit and 64bit

So you're not happy with Avast (we're not happy with them anymore either), you don't like AVG (we don't much like AVG's Norton approach), and for some reason you don't like Microsoft Security Essentials (we really do like MSE). So you're looking for a free antivirus that you can love as much as you used to love Avast and AVG before they became Nortonized. To each his/her own, right?

Before we give you a list of free antivirus programs, we want to give you a heads-up: Never install 2 antivirus programs on your computer - UNLESS the second antivirus program is made to work along side of your current antivirus. There are a couple cloud-based antivirus programs which were created to run side-by-side with your current antivirus. We think that's overkill but, then again, everyone has their own ideas. We don't think it would hurt anything to have side-by-side antivirus programs (if the second one is one of those made to run along side your current AV) but do you really need it? Well, if you don't like to use an online scanner every couple of weeks to double-check your system - or you forget- maybe one of these online (cloud-based) antivirus programs would be good for you.

With all that in mind here are some free antivirus programs you can try if you're really not happy with the AV you're using. We have not tested all of the following programs and we are not guaranteeing their efficacy. We're not quite that insane...yet.

Clearsight (Free Edition) Antivirus
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
32bit and 64bit

http://www.clearsightav.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=79

Clearsight is not a cloud-based antivirus program, so make sure you uninstall your current antivirus before installing Clearsight Free Edition.

From the developer's site:

Clearsight Antivirus for your Home - non-commercial use only.

The product is simple to use and is designed with the home user in mind.
Clearsight antivirus easy to use, extremely fast and it should never slow down your computer. Provides information about threats, current statistics and a database of viruses. The virus alarm allows you to warn visitors to your website about all current threats.

Make sure your home computer is protected from malicious online threats. Clearsight antivirus programs are the ideal solution for your digital data security – and your peace of mind! Effective antivirus program for Windows-based home computers. Easy-to-use for beginners and experienced users alike.

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Zillya Anti Virus
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
32bit and 64 bit
http://zillya.com/en/zillya_antivirus.html

This is not a cloud-based antivirus program. Make sure you uninstall your current antivirus before installing Zillya. OK?

From the developer's Web site:

Zillya! Antivirus takes 100Mb of system memory which is 50-100% less than up-to-date antivirus products. Lightweight yet efficient scanning algorithms doesn’t slow down even performance-demanding tasks.

Works lightning-fast due to the lowest memory and processing usage
Simple and user friendly interface – all needed features right at your fingertips
Built-in tools for contacting emergency on-line antimalware service
Instant understanding of current level of protection
Unique heuristic analysis algorithms
Real-time check of files and mail messages
Powerful extra utilities
More than 2 millions of unique malware footprints

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digital defender Antivirus Free
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
32bit and 64bit
http://www.digital-defender.com/digital-defender-antivirus-free

This is not a cloud-based antivirus program. Make sure you uninstall your current antivirus before installing digital defender Antivirus Free. This program received 100% protection awards from independent testing lab Virus Bulletin @ http://virusbtn.com.

From the developer's web site:

Antivirus software can be very hard to use, it often slows down your computer and seems to be built by engineers for engineers. We designed digital defender antivirus to be the opposite: easy to use, extremely fast and it should never slow down your computer. Simply put an antivirus designed for today and the future. Download it directly here or read more about it.

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Immunet FREE Antivirus
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7

This cloud-based antivirus can be used along side of most antivirus programs. To see a list of compatible AV programs visit this page .

This is from the Immunet web site:

Fast Antivirus Protection leverages the speed of cloud computing to deliver real-time protection to your PC. Stay protected against over 13 million viruses and thousands of new threats daily without ever downloading another virus detection file again. Simply stay connected to the Immunet Cloud to keep all virus detections up to date. Immunet FREE Antivirus is ideal for consumers who want fast protection that doesn't slow down their PC, including students, families, and netbook users.

Fast, Companion Antivirus with Basic Online Protection
Fast Antivirus
Won't slow down your PC
Real-time, Cloud-based Detection
NO virus updates required
Small Footprint
Low disk and memory use
Extra Layer of Protection
Compatible with existing antivirus
(Companion antivirus list)
Community-based
Protect your closest contacts
(Add people for free)
Strength in Numbers
Powered by Collective Immunity™

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So all of you who've written us wanted to know if there are any other choices for free antivirus besides the three we've been recommending in our newsletter - the answer is "Yes". Are we recommending any of the above, no. We haven't tested them. But we wanted you to know there are other choices. Yes, there are more than we've listed here.

We have tried Immunet, and found it didn't interfere with our current AV protection. As to how much extra protection it provided, we cannot say since we didn't encounter any viruses during the month we tested it.

We use a combination of Microsoft Security Essentials and SuperAntiSpyware Pro to protect all our computers. We have no problems with either. So we will continue to recommend to you what we use ourselves. But we understand that everyone's computer is different. So if you're not satisfied with your antivirus - and don't like any of our recommendations, we wanted you to know you have some other options.

If you decide to try any of the above programs, please take a minute and let us know what you think.

Add your name (or anything else) to your Windows Clock
Windows Vista and Windows 7

What's the point of this tip? To show you that you can add your name or a short message to your Windows clock. You may think that only you'll see it, but what you add will also show up on your emails (depending on your email program - most will display your time exactly as it appears on your Windows clock).

Note that this tip won't work if you use the 24/hour clock option, so you must be using the 12-hour clock with AM / PM showing. If you don't have AM / PM time showing you must switch to the 12-hour Windows clock first before trying this tip.

Here's how you add your name or a message to your Windows clock.

1. Click on the time in your system tray and click "Change date and time settings".
2. Click "Change date and time"
3. When the time dialog appears click on "Change calendar settings"
4. Click the Time tab
5. Type anything you want before "AM" and "PM" (see image below):
 

6. Click "Apply/OK" and see the result immediately appear on your clock.

Keep in mind when you're adding your name or any text to the clock, you're limited to ten characters - including spaces.

These are just a couple of ways you can use the start menu search form to save time! Try it. We're betting you like it.

Make posters from your digital photos
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32/64bit)

OK so it's not free - it's only $5.00 - and well worth it. We seldom feature a program in our tips and tricks section that isn't free...so you know this one has to be pretty darn good. This is far superior to the free cloud-based poster-creator - it has many more options and the results are more professional.

Anyway, EB is known for her vanity. One of her biggest issues with her self-portraits is that they're never big enough. So, as I'm always one who is wont to please the Queen of Cloudeight, I found this program to assuage her ego. This program lets EB turn her self-portraits into huge - and I do mean huge - posters. How about 20 meters by 20 meters? Or for us Americans- how about 65.6 feet by 65.6 feet? Even EB's head isn't that big!

Seriously, if you have digital photos you'd like to "posterize" quickly and easily - this is the program for you. If you have a great landscape photo, or a picture of your children, grandchildren, or you spouse with a mouth full of mashed potatoes, you can create 36" x 36" wall-size image by mounting the sections on foam board (or other sturdy material) and frame. With the special effects included in this program you can take it from photograph to a work of art - depending on your artistic tastes and talents. In any case, this program is easy to use - you don't have to have any particular experience with graphics editors to use it.

The program is called EPP or Easy Poster Printer. Here's what its developers have to say:

"Ever wanted to create your own poster?

That's exactly what Easy Poster Printer can do for you. You don't even need a special poster printer! - Easy Poster Printer does the job with a regular every day printer. Drag your image into Easy Poster Printer, choose your layout (size, zoom, orientation, resolution etc.) and click print. - Yes, it's that easy with Easy Poster Printer.

As something new, Easy Poster Printer now supports text editing. Create cool text effects with textures, gradients, shadows, rotations and blending. See your text effects in realtime and real scale 1:1.

With Easy Poster Printer you can…

Make posters of any size (max 20x20 meters) using a regular printer (A4 for example).
Save your poster and share it with others.
Print or Preview any page at any time.
Load, Clear, Rotate or Flip the poster image on the fly.
Define your poster size in Millimeters, Centimeters, Inch or even pages.
Adjust the poster size using build-in snap algorithms for up or down size.
See your posters as thumbnails in Windows Explorer (Vista or later only).
Save your own custom formats for easier reproduction.
Make high quality posters from regular images (super resample algorithm) (150-600 DPI)
Use Drag n Drop for both data-files and image-files.
Change background color
Copy and Paste images directly into the poster
Export pages as images to use your own software for print etc.
Print using edge to edge printers using the new zoom feature. (requires a printer with a hard margin of 0.0mm)
Create cool texts with several effects such as textures, gradient, rotations, drop shadow and more.
64 Bit support
Realtime zoom and preview..."

This program is easy and fun to use. One bit of advice: If you're making a poster for the first time, print one test page first to make sure the photo is printing to your satisfaction. There's not sense wasting ink, right. Once you get it looking the way you want it, then go a head and print the poster.

If it's good enough for EB's big head, it's good enough for the rest of us - that's how I look at it. Easy Poster Printer is easy to use. It costs $5. Yes, it's not quite free - but it's worth $5.00 for sure. We don't make any commission from this program - but we thought those of you who were interested in printing posters from your digital photos would really like this program. It works on all versions of Windows - 32bit and 64bit.

You can get Easy Poster Printer from here.  And be sure to look at some of the actual posters made by EPP users while you're there too.



Actual poster created with EPP. Beautiful!