Friedbeef's Tech » Freeware http://www.friedbeef.com Solving Everyday Problems With Simple Technology - Freeware, Productivity, Useful Tips & More Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:28:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 http://www.friedbeef.com http://www.friedbeef.com/favicon.ico Friedbeef's Tech Top 8 Best Windows Defrag Alternatives http://www.friedbeef.com/top-8-best-windows-defrag-alternatives/ http://www.friedbeef.com/top-8-best-windows-defrag-alternatives/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:28:37 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/10/17/top-8-best-windows-defrag-alternatives/ cracks

One of the low points of using Windows as your operating system of choice is that you have to defrag its file system once in a while to keep it running at an optimal level. This is because of the way Windows stores and delete files which makes your data scattered all over the hard disk, thus making the process of finding it later becomes slower over time.

To makes matter much worse, the default Windows defragmenter is not that efficient but thankfully, there are many free Windows file defragmenter applications out there that does a better job.

Here are 8 of the coolest, free windows disk defragmenter alternatives:

1. How to defrag just files and folders with Defraggler [download]

Defraggler does not only enables you to defragment selected disk drives, it also allows you to defragment selected files and folders! That way, you can quickly defrag what you want without having to wait for a lengthy, full disk defragment process. It also comes in a portable and single 1MB executable file.

2. How to defragment files that are open for exclusive access with PageDefrag [download]

Unlike Windows NT or Windows 2000 default defragmenter, PageDefrag is able to defragment files that are open for exclusive access which is the highlight of this cool product.

3.How to defrag in the background with IOBit Smart Defrag [download]

cracks2

SmartDefrag will perform the defragmentation process automatically without your intervention. Being smart, it continuously runs in the background as you work with your computer. A manual defrag option is also available. This is one of the best, free disk defragmentation program that you can find out there. Best of all, it is free for home and commercial use!

4. How to get a portable defragger with WinContig [download]

Yet another free disk defragmenter that comes with a file / folder specific defragmentation option so you don’t have to defrag an entire disk partition. Does not require any installation and Windows Vista ready.

5. How to defrag using less system resources with JKDefrag [download]

With this tool, defragmentation can be run automatically or manually with the user’s consent. JKDefrag suits techies that prefer extra defragmentation options because it is run from the Windows command line interface. One of its unique features is a screensaver version that shows you the defragmentation process.

6. How to defrag faster with Auslogics Disk Defrag [download]

disk1

This tool supports FAT 16, FAT 32, and NTFS volumes. Comes with a user friendly interface and performs defrag slightly faster than the default Windows defragmenter. Excellent, easy to use user interface for both beginners and experts.

7. How to defrag and optimize file placement with UltimateDefrag Freeware Edition [download]

Another free disk defrag that comes with a file placement tool that aims to place your files effectively so you can have maximum performance from your hard disk.

8. How to defrag files upon detecting changes with Buzzsaw On-The-Fly Defragmenter [download]

This tool install and runs as a Windows Service and will defrag your files as soon as it detects changes, only when your computer CPU usage is minimal, thus reflecting the On-The-Fly catchphrase above.

 

This post was written by Syahid Ali, our new ongoing contributor to Friedbeef’s Tech.  Want to write for us?  Just contact us and we’ll work something out.

How do you feel about defragging?  Tell us in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/top-8-best-windows-defrag-alternatives/feed/ How to Accelerate iTunes downloads http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-accelerate-itunes-downloads/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-accelerate-itunes-downloads/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:51:03 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/10/13/how-to-accelerate-itunes-downloads/ autobahn

It’s hard to find a faster download accelerator which works better than the Firefox extension - ‘DownThemAll’.  It uses a smart download technique called ‘multipart download’ where it splits files into multiple sections which are downloaded simultaneously. This maximizes the use of bandwidth, and increases average download speed up to 400%.

While ‘DownloadThemAll’  is brilliant for browser based downloads, ‘Autobahn‘ is an iTunes accelerator which applies the same ‘multiple download’ technique to iTunes downloads.

Speaking from personal experience, I was extremely please with the results yielded during testing, and the download speeds for podcasts were literally blazing fast compared to whatever I was getting earlier.  Aside from iTunes, ‘Autobahn’ also optimizes video download speeds from Veoh and Myspace videos.  Available for Windows and Mac, Autobahn is free.  

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-accelerate-itunes-downloads/feed/ How to Turn a Video File (DivX, AVI etc) into a DVD http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-a-video-file-divx-avi-etc-into-a-dvd/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-a-video-file-divx-avi-etc-into-a-dvd/#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:48:09 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/?p=388 explosion

I’m fortunate enough to own a DVD player which can play video files like DivX and AVI directly on my TV, but what if you just want to create a proper DVD or VCD so it would be able to run on regular players?  Avi2DVD is the perfect tool for that task.  What it does is convert your video file into a ISO file which you can then burn into your disk with any basic DVD Burner.

Aside from basic conversion, key features include multiple audio streams, subtitles, and even DVD menus for easy selection.

Do you typically watch movies from your PC or TV?  Let us know in the poll & comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-a-video-file-divx-avi-etc-into-a-dvd/feed/ How to Backup ANY Browser - 5 Tips for Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-backup-any-browser-5-tips-for-google-chrome-firefox-safari-internet-explorer-and-opera/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-backup-any-browser-5-tips-for-google-chrome-firefox-safari-internet-explorer-and-opera/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:18:55 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/09/27/how-to-backup-any-browser-5-tips-for-google-chrome-firefox-safari-internet-explorer-and-opera/ firefox 

No matter which browser you’ve picked for everyday use - chances are you’ve customized your browser to make it your own.  Here are 5 free tools which will let you backup and preserve your browser profile, so all the tweaking you’ve done is safe.

1. How to backup Google Chrome

googlechrome

Google’s shiny new browser doesn’t come with extensions yet - but ‘Google Chrome Backup’ will help you save all your bookmarks and settings.  Not only that, you can easily create multiple user profiles (each with different settings/bookmarks) and switch between them quickly.

2. How to backup Firefox & Flock

mozbackup

Mozbackup is a cross Mozilla backup utility which allows you to backup and restore bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, cache etc.  It works for Firefox, Flock, and any of the other Mozilla based browsers eg. the Sea Monkey browser.

3. How to backup Safari

afari

(Mac Only) Apple provides an uncharacteristically round-about way of backing up your bookmarks on its support portal, but if you’re interested in getting a tool which would help automate the process, try out ‘Safari Backup And Restore’

4. How to backup Internet Explorer

ie

BackRex Internet Explorer Backup is a backup and restore tool for Internet Explorer. It allows you to backup favorites, history, proxy settings, fonts, autocomplete passwords and cookies.  Not only that - it supports backups across different versions of IE eg. IE 6 to IE7 and vice versa.

5. How to backup Opera

opera

The good folks at Opera were the only browser group to actually release a proper official backup utility for their browser, and as a result - it’s a top class product called OperaFly.  Aside from handling the basic backups, it also has the ability to backup and restore to/from an FTP server, send backups via email, and to restore backups from a http site.  It also allows for pre-scheduled backups and automatic backups when the browser is closed.

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-backup-any-browser-5-tips-for-google-chrome-firefox-safari-internet-explorer-and-opera/feed/ How to Adjust All Your MP3s to Similar Volume Levels http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-adjust-all-your-mp3s-to-similar-volume-levels/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-adjust-all-your-mp3s-to-similar-volume-levels/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:59:43 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/09/21/how-to-adjust-all-your-mp3s-to-similar-volume-levels/ headphones

The issue:

Picture this - You’re listening to soft, soothing music… which then gets turned into ear piercing tune the moment the song changes! 

The freeware solution:

Rather than constantly scrambling for the volume button, you can try out ‘Mp3Gain’.  This lovely piece of freeware adjusts songs in your MP3 collection to have similar sound levels so your listening experience is a more pleasant one.  With this, one track just flows smoothly to another.

Cool features:

Of course, there will be cases where you don’t want all the volumes of songs to be similar, and for that, ‘MP3Gain’ has something called ‘Album mode’.

With ‘Album mode’, you want some songs to be noticeably quieter than other songs, just like they are on an album. If you’re playing a classical CD, you expect the track with the flute solo to be quieter than the track with the big full-orchestra finale.  Applying ‘Album’ gain is like adjusting the volume knob once for each CD you put in your CD player. 

Also, the program stores analysis and undo information inside each file’s metadata, so reversing the process or make additional changes later on would be possible. 

Final words:

Before you download MP3Gain, just a note that iTunes already supports this function with their ‘Sound Check’ feature.  However, in case you are not using an iPod or iTunes, or if you want to make the changes more permanent (iTunes doesn’t write into the actual file’s metadata), then MP3Gain is perfect for you.

What other tools do you use to manage MP3s?  Tell us in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-adjust-all-your-mp3s-to-similar-volume-levels/feed/ 5 FREE Solutions for Data Recovery http://www.friedbeef.com/5-free-solutions-for-data-recovery/ http://www.friedbeef.com/5-free-solutions-for-data-recovery/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:50:07 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/09/10/5-free-solutions-for-data-recovery/ supergirl

Everybody has had that moment of dread where you discover the file you need is corrupt, unreadable, or accidentally deleted.  Here are 5 pieces of software which can save the day.  The thing about recovery software is that they don’t necessarily use the same methods to get back your data - so if one doesn’t work out for you, you can try another solution listed here and hopefully one of them will work!

1. Undelete Plus

If you want to get back files which you deleted accidentally from your hard drive I’d recommend Undelete Plus. It is one of the best software you can use in such cases. It can also recover files that have been emptied from the Recycle Bin.  Lifehacker.com rates it highly saying that “Undelete Plus is the most user-friendly option of the bunch, with advanced filtering options that make it easy to find your needle of a file among the haystack of deleted garbage.”, and it has snagged a 5 star rating from Softpedia. Undelete Plus works under Win 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista operating systems.

The program supports all Windows file systems for hard and floppy drives including FAT12/16/32,NTFS/NTFS5 and image recovery from CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MultiMedia and Secure Digital cards.  Free of course. 

2. Recuva

Recuva (pronounced "recover") is another freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This will also take care of files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players.  Also - It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses! It is a product from the same company which gave us the excellent Ccleaner.

3. Roadkil’s Unstoppable Copier

Unstoppable Copier is useful to copy files from any damaged media sources, like CD’s, DVD’s, USB and hard drive as it recovers files from disks with physical damage.  This allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, scratches or that just give errors when reading data. The program will attempt to recover every readable piece of a file and put the pieces together. Using this method most types of files can be made useable even if some parts were not recoverable in the end.  Multiple directories structures or single files can be dragged and dropped onto unstoppable copier for transfer. 

4. Restoration

Restoration is an easy to use and straight forward tool to undelete files that were removed from the recycle bin or directly deleted from within Windows, and even Flash cards that had been formatted. Upon start, you can scan for all files that may be recovered and also limit the results by entering a search term or extension.  The program is small and standalone, it does not require installation and can also run from a Floppy disk/USB.

5. Recovery Toolbox for CD Free

This is the best software on this list.  Recovery Toolbox has saved me loads of money by recognizing and helping save data of CDs which otherwise would have been useless. This software has bailed me out of many tricky situations like when my PC refused to recognize the CD I’d stuck in its guts. This is the best CD recovery program out there and if you download any one software from this list, it has to be Recovery Toolbox! It has an attractive GUI. It is also quite simple to use. Users only have to select which files to copy and where to copy. This program works on all things, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and also HDVD (For those unlucky souls who bought them). Like the name suggests it is completely free. A worthy download. Download Recovery Toolbox for CD Free

This post was guest-written by Pritesh Desai, an Indian blogger who blogs mainly about Linux on his blog ‘Help For Linux’, and edited by James Yeang.  If you want to guest blog on this site, do drop me a line!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/5-free-solutions-for-data-recovery/feed/ How to Remap Your Keyboard http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-remap-your-keyboard/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-remap-your-keyboard/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:18:52 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/06/23/how-to-remap-your-keyboard/ escape key

I recently switched laptops at work and I just could NOT get used to the annoying fact that my delete button has shifted so far away that its became noticeably difficult to use.

Rather than try to adapt (or sprain my hand), I am using Sharpkeys, which is an excellent piece of freeware which allows you to remap your keyboard so your keyboard *ahem* "works the way it’s supposed to".

Want an extra ‘Alt’ or ‘Shift’ key?  Just remap another key to it.  You can also choose to turn off some keys on your keyboard altogether (like capslock), if you they get in the way.

One thing I like about it is that it’s not a program which sits in the background.  Instead, Sharpkeys has no system footprint as it writes all the changes you want directly to the registry itself. 

Don’t settle - Take control of your keyboard!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-remap-your-keyboard/feed/ How to Create Your Own Patches for ANYTHING http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-create-your-own-patches-for-anything/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-create-your-own-patches-for-anything/#comments Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:30:48 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/06/15/how-to-create-your-own-patches-for-anything/ legofix

The issue of sending large files across has always been a hard one to tackle.  We’ve previously talked about uploading to services like Yousendit as viable solutions, but here’s another approach you can take which may be much quicker. 

PatchOnClick allows you to send and receive updates to large files without having to send or receive the whole file each time.

What it does is it helps you to compare two files, and automatically create a patch which only stores the differences between the two files.  For example, if you have a 5mb document and you added in 3 sentences to it, you no longer have to send over the entire 5mb to anyone who wants an updated copy… you just need to send over the patch which will be a few kb in size!

Aside from email limitations, sending and receiving smaller patch files is less burdensome on servers, firewalls, and security programs which scan data as it is sent and received.

While useful, there are a few minor limitations to this service. 

  • You need the other side to have a copy of the original document before you can send over the patch (obviously)
  • The other side must have PatchOnClick installed to apply the patch to the document

Work around these two simple points though, and you have yourself an incredibly useful freeware as it can work on any file type!

How do send over large files?  Tell us in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-create-your-own-patches-for-anything/feed/ How to Give You Right Mouse Button Super Powers http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-give-you-right-mouse-button-super-powers/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-give-you-right-mouse-button-super-powers/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:33:44 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/04/04/how-to-give-you-right-mouse-button-super-powers/  mouse

Press right-click inside windows and you open up a typical context menu which looks something like this…

rightclick

Install Lopesoft.com’s FileMenuTools (free or course) and your menu will look something like this…

rightclick2

More than just shortcuts, this neat piece of freeware has some really powerful functions built in.  Here are a few of my favourite features:

  1. Advanced file renaming - allows you to bulk rename files, add file sequencing, append text to filenames
  2. Advanced file deleting - where you get to quickly filter and delete files which match a certain naming criteria
  3. Synchronize folders - to ensure that two directories are in constant sync
  4. Enhanced visualization of size of folders - where on top of the size of the folder you get a quick chart showing you how your space is allocated
  5. Shred files - delete your confidential files permanently and make them irretrievable

…and the list goes on an on.  Give it a try and your right mouse button will never feel the same again :)

What other mouse tips do you have? Let us know in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-give-you-right-mouse-button-super-powers/feed/ How to Recover Damaged Files http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-recover-damaged-files/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-recover-damaged-files/#comments Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:39:25 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/03/16/how-to-recover-damaged-files/ copier

Most PC users have had the unfortunate experience of having their data corrupted in some form or another. 

Unstoppable Copier is an excellent free tool which allows you to copy files from disks with problems such as bad sectors, physical damage, or those which just give errors when reading data.

The program will attempt to recover every readable piece of a file and put the pieces together. Using this method most types of files can be made useable even if some parts were not recoverable in the end!

One of my favourite aspects of this piece of freeware is that you can just run it without having to install anything, which means you only need to run it when you need it, and you can carry it around in a thumb drive.

Other top notch features include the ability to:

  • Set a maximum number of retries (so the tool knows when to give up trying to copy the file if it’s too far gone.
  • Resume partial files, so that if a file is part way through a copy operation, it will continue on from where it was previously up to.
  • Copy undamaged files first, so that the program leaves all files with errors until after all uncorrupted files have been transferred - then comes back to transfer them. 
  • Auto Skip Damaged Files, in case you want to maintain perfect data integrity so that if a file is damaged - it is not copied.

Keep this tool handy, it can be a lifesaver!

What other tools do you use for data recovery?  Let us know in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-recover-damaged-files/feed/ How to Turn Windows Explorer into a Powerhouse http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-windows-explorer-into-a-powerhouse/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-windows-explorer-into-a-powerhouse/#comments Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:45:45 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/03/01/how-to-turn-windows-explorer-into-a-powerhouse/ windowslogo 

If you liked my previous post on 5 ways to pimp Windows Explorer, you’ll love this gorgeous piece of freeware.  DMEXbar is a plug-in for Windows Explorer which turns it from a clunky system to a real powerhouse. 

Once installed, your Windows explorer will have the ability to:

  • Open two explorer windows aligned side by side
  • Split and reassemble large files
  • Create “Hot Paths”, which are like the “Favorites” in the Internet Explorer, for simple and fast change to these directories
  • Fast copying and moving of files between two aligned explorer windows by shortcuts
  • Synchronize files and directories between two aligned windows
  • Open DOS shell windows or run any other user-specified programs using the current directory or selected files as parameters
  • Calculate the total size or used disk space of directories including all subdirectories

…and so, so, so many other features for both power and novice users.

What I really like about DMEXbar is the fact that I don’t have to use an alternative explorer, but I can just use Windows explorer like I’ve always done, and take advantage of all the new functionality when as and when I need to, and yes - it’s free.  Works for Windows 2000/XP, no Vista support yet.

Two thumbs up!

Link: DMEX Bar

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-turn-windows-explorer-into-a-powerhouse/feed/ How to Save Ink and Paper When Printing http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-save-ink-and-paper-when-printing/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-save-ink-and-paper-when-printing/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:35:41 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/02/15/how-to-save-ink-and-paper-when-printing/ greenprint

Printing web pages can be very ink intensive when you’ve got a fancy page at hand.  Yes, there are some basic measures you can take to save ink using selective printing- but here’s how you can automate the process!

Greenprint is an interesting piece of freeware that scans through whatever you want to print and helps to optimize the print layout.  With just a few simple clicks you can eliminate extra pages, remove selected images, and just tweak it so that you’re not wasting paper and ink.

Here’s WSJ tech guru Walt Mosberg running through a quick review of the product so you can see it in action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When it was first released it was paid software only, but now there is a 100% free version available for download, so not only will you be saving money from your pocket, but saving the environment as well.

Still not certain about optimizing your printing? Consider this:

  1. 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree (and those add up quickly)
  2. Global paper products consumption has tripled over the past three decades and is expected to grow by half again before 2010
  3. Production of 1 ton of copy paper uses 11,134 kWh (same amount of energy used by an avg household in 10 months)
  4. Making one single sheet of copy paper can use over 13oz. of water– more than a typical soda can.
  5. 4281 acres of rainforest are lost every hour worldwide
  6. If you filled an Olympic-size swimming pool with ink it would cost $5.9 billion
  7. A single mature tree can release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings

What other ways do you save ink and paper? Tells us in the comments!

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-save-ink-and-paper-when-printing/feed/ How to Unlock Shared Files http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-unlock-shared-files/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-unlock-shared-files/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:39:03 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/02/13/how-to-unlock-shared-files/ unlocked

If you’ve seen this error message…

error

…or any of these:

  • Cannot delete file: Access is denied
  • There has been a sharing violation.
  • The source or destination file may be in use.
  • The file is in use by another program or user.
  • Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

I’m sure you can identify how frustrating it can be not to be able to move, copy, rename or delete those files!

Unlocker is a free tool which helps locate any file locking handles running, and give you the option to turn it off.  Then you can go ahead and do anything you want with those files.

It’s that simple :)

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-unlock-shared-files/feed/ How to REALLY Hide Folders http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-really-hide-folders/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-really-hide-folders/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:24:45 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/02/10/how-to-really-hide-folders/ hidden

Hidden files are good for organizing files, and helping to ensure critical files don’t get accidentally deleted. 

Hiding them as a security measure however, is pretty much useless.  A few simple clicks in Windows is all one needs to view everything which you’ve hidden on your system.

Free Hide Folder is a free tool which helps you REALLY hide everything, make it invisible, and secure it.  You’ll even need to run the program and enter a password before you’re be able to even view those files.

What I also liked about it was that you could back up the hidden key (Not the data just the key) so you can restore the data easily if something happens with your system.

I wish you could drag and drop files into the program though rather than having to browse from the program itself, but aside from that it’s a beautiful piece of freeware.

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]]> http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-really-hide-folders/feed/ How to Automate Turning Off Your Computer http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-automate-turning-off-your-computer/ http://www.friedbeef.com/how-to-automate-turning-off-your-computer/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:55:05 +0000 James Yeang http://www.friedbeef.com/2008/01/08/how-to-automate-turning-off-your-computer/ winoff

Leaving your computer on overnight is usually the easiest option when you need the computer to perform a task that takes quite a long time to complete (e.g. Downloading large files, ripping DVDs, etc.)

It is however, neither energy efficient nor an environmentally friendly option to take.

WinOff is an excellent piece of freeware which very simply shuts down your computer after a defined time so you don’t need to wait till the morning to attend to your PC.

3 things I like most about WinOff

  1. It’s flexible.  You don’t HAVE to shut it down.  You can also schedule it to - restart, log off, suspend, hibernate or just lock the computer.
  2. You get to see the last thing that happened before shutdown.  There’s an option for capture a screenshot of the desktop right before the shutdown.  With this, you can see if everything turned out OK before the PC shut itself down
  3. It’s free.  Need I say more?

In what other ways do you automate windows tasks?  Tell us in the comments!

[tags] freeware, windows [/tags]

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