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This electronic newsletter is registered – ISSN 1441-6840
Welcome to the CFS Weekly Newsletter.
The programs listed here are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functional. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
If the link below does not work (does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid. Please use the CFS Site Search facility (above) to locate the program.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE
Asteroids v1.5 – Win9x/ME/XP
Asteroids is a fast-paced space shooter where, "as a lone fighter pilot leading a convoy of bulk cruisers into deep space, your job is to blow a way through the uncharted asteroid field". It features superb animated graphics, excellent background music & sound effects, is highly addictive, and more. Rocketing along to the Star Wars theme music, Asteroids is one of those games which keeps on bringing you back for more, and more and... The frenetic action will require a superhuman effort as you sweep backwards and forwards across the screen trying to prevent the falling asteroids from smashing your base. If you like a good fast shooter, with inspirational music, sensational ray-traced graphics, and great sound effects, you will love Asteroids. Get it now! Access this 724kB download from: Win9x General Games
SpyBot Search & Destroy v1.2 – Win9x/ME/XP
SpyBot Search & Destroy is a utility which searches out spyware and/or advertising links within a computer which can then be selected and removed. It features optional PC immunization to prevent spyware from loading on a computer, can clean the tracks of where you've been, offers semi-auto updates, full data recovery, and more. This is a neat program for cleaning spyware from your computer. It searches through your Registry and hard drive to find spyware, and then gives you a list of folders, files and Registry keys which it can remove for you. It offers a huge range of features, and you can even specify spyware to exclude for the search. It even offers a choice of skins! Once it has conducted a search you can see information about nearly every file or Registry key it lists. This helps to know what you might, or might not, be deleting. We did find at least one problem with the program. It stated that a particular HTML file was part of the Alexa program but, in fact, it is a Windows XP file which should not be removed. We don't consider cookies to be "spyware" as they serve a valuable service when you are moving around the Net but these are easily excluded from the list – either in their entirety (no cookies are included) or just specific cookies. Information from programs like this one should always be viewed with caution and simply deleting everything that the program deems to be "spyware" is not wise. However, judicious use of this program could increase your computer and Internet speed enormously. We were very impressed with SpyBot Search & Destroy and are happy to recommend it for intermediate and advanced computer users. Access this 3.51MB download from: Win9x Desktop Utilities
X-VCD Player v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
X-VCD Player allow you to play slideshow VCDs through a television using a DVD player. It supports multiple video tracks, zooming and full-size display. Unfortunately we were not able to review this program. The publisher says that X-VCD Player is: "VCD and DVD slideshow creation software ... create VCD slideshows from images, videos and music and write them directly to a CD. VCDs can then be played on your television using a DVD Player. VCDs make it easy to share your images with your friends and family, particularly those who do not have a computer. And they are as easy to use as a normal DVD!" Access this 429kB download from: Win9x Multimedia Programs
Clipboard TCP v1 – Win9x/ME/XP
Clipboard TCP allows you to exchange your Clipboard data between computers in a network (LAN or Internet). This is a handy little tool which minimizes to a desktray icon (next to the clock) so it is kept out of the way when not required. It requires a copy of the program on each computer. You can set up one copy to "listen" for an incoming Clipboard file by designating "server" in the destination box and the other copy simply requires the IP address or the computer name of the "listening" copy. Click on the "Send" button to copy the contents across the network to the "listening" computer. While this might sound complicated, in reality it is quite easy to use and probably the hardest part of the exercise is knowing the IP address (or computer name if it is a LAN) of the receiving computer. There are many occasions when something needs to be copied to another computer and Clipboard TCP is the easiest way of achieving this. It lacks any bells and whistles, but is highly practical and is not bloated in size so this is one occasion when function is more important than form. If you use a network – specially a LAN – you could find Clipboard TCP essential. Why not try it out and see? Access this 258kB download from: Win9x Desktop Utilities
Pirates Luck v1.0 - Win9x/ME/XP
Pirates Luck is a three-wheel casino-style slot machine game which does not require an Internet connection and which does not use real money. It features superb animated graphics, good music & sound effects, and more. This is a simple slot machine where you bet (and occasionally win) "money". You can load up the machine with as much money as you like by clicking on the $ sign next to your balance and then you can bet in any amount you like from $1 up to whatever is in the "kitty". Even with its terrific graphics and sound effects, the game has limited long term appeal because gambling with non-existent money is even more boring than gambling with real money. If you can't get away from the slots then this is a great way of saving your paycheck by gambling with pretend money. Note: parents should be aware that while this game is technically not advertiser supported, if you click on a link within the game, and you are connected to the Internet, you will open up a gambling site which uses real money. Access this 1.27MB download from: Win9x General Games
WAV to MP3 Encoder v2.2.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
WAV to MP3 Encoder is a tool which converts (encodes) WAV format audio files to MP3 format audio files. It features a choice of 40 bitrates & 3 sampling rates (from 8kbps 11,025kHz to 320kbps 44,100kHz), a choice of stereo or mono, batch file encoding, WAV file preview, and more. This is a terrific audio file encoder. It easily converts WAV files (often ripped from audio CDs) into the MP3 file format which is much smaller than WAV files and which has become the most popular audio file format in use today. With the option of creating MP3 files in one of over 40 bitrates and 3 sampling rates, you can create the file size and sound quality you want. WAV to MP3 Encoder is an impressive tool which is worthwhile having, even if you rarely have to convert audio file formats. Access this 1.71MB download from: Win9x Multimedia Programs
MetaMagic v1.2 – Win9x/ME/XP
MetaMagic is a meta tag builder & analyzer, plus a doorway page maker & preview tool. This tool can create up to 12 meta tags, it has a Clipboard copy tool, it contains an analyzer of page content with keyword suggestions, and more. While meta tags are not used as much as a few years ago, some major search engines still use them to help create a picture of your site. They use this picture to direct searchers to your site so meta tags are still a critical item to include in your Web page. MetaMagic offers an easy way to generate these tags and, once generated, they can be either copied to the Windows Clipboard or pasted directly into an HTML document. It will analyze an HTML page and report on the usage of meta tags, and also analyze the body of the page to suggest keywords. This handy little program also creates a doorway page for you and allows you to preview it directly from the program. Designed for both the beginner and the advanced HTML coder, MetaMagic does a credible job of presenting meta tags for both groups though there is a lack of real help for raw beginners who may not understand the ramifications of using some tags. This aside, MetaMagic is a great little program and worth grabbing. Access this 76kB download from: Win9x Internet Related
MyPrivacy v3.0.1 – Win9x/ME/XP
MyPrivacy is a tool that helps maintain user privacy by removing all traces of Internet and PC activities. It features support for both IE and Netscape browsers, optionally cleans 7 different Windows items & 10 Internet items, easy to use, optional auto-cleanup on log off, and more. Not just for the paranoid, MyPrivacy helps remove the trails that we leave on our computers as we carry out different tasks. It has been suggested that sometimes this information is used by some spyware programs, and even by Microsoft itself. Of course, it can also be used by other people who have access to your computer and may not need to know what you have been doing. Simple and easy to use, you can preselect any number of items you like and have the program automatically clean them when you log off, or you can manually clean your computer any time you like. Minimizing to an icon in the desktray (next to the clock) MyPrivacy stays out of sight and out of the way when you are working, but is still available if you need it. This is a handy tool to have around and is worth grabbing. Access this 1.48MB download from: Win9x Desktop Utilities
Novel Mines v1.2.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
Novel Mines is a deluxe Minesweeper game. It features 5 different fields, 3 levels of difficulty (plus Custom), clickable flags, optional "first click won't die", best times & statistics counters, and more. Requiring free registration to access all but the Beginner level, Novel Mines is one of the best Minesweeper games we have seen. The levels of difficulty are: Beginner (a 9x9 grid with 10 mines); Intermediate (16x16 grid with 40 mines); Expert (30x16 grid with 99 mines); and Custom (up to 30x24 grid with up to 667 mines). The 5 playing fields are: Tri Field (each block has 3 adjacent blocks); Quad Field (4 adjacent blocks); Hex Field (6 adjacent blocks); Oct Field (8 adjacent blocks) & Dodec Field (12 adjacent blocks). Offering a huge variety of options, Novel Mines will keep any Minesweeper fan happy for months because you can make each game virtually as hard as you like – or as easy as you like. Minesweeper is one of those games that has been around for a long time – and with good reason. While there is a free version with Windows, it pales into insignificance compared to Novel Mines. Grab a copy now! Access this 364kB download from: Win9x General Games
UPDATE
Freeware Finder (formerly FFinder) – a skinnable IE-based Web browser with a built-in list of freeware sites – has been updated to version 3.0 with a new download size of 2.74MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: a new keyword features, providing 1 word access to the best of the web; minor bug fixes; navigation bug also fixed; plus the Tucows search feature was fixed. Grab this updated program from: Win9x Internet Related
Trash Killer – an amusing space action shoot-em-up – has been updated to version 2.0.1 with a new download size of 1.80MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: redesigned game graphics to make in even more addictive; and added three different power-ups. He says that this new version has been enhanced with more action. Grab a copy of this latest version from: Win9x General Games
ActivIcons – allows you to change the Windows' default desktop icons/cursors, restore desktop positions, etc – has been updated to version 3.24 with a download size of 1.53MB. The author advises that changes in this version include minor compatibility enhancements for XP systems. Get this update from: Win9x Windows Enhancements
MovieTrack – an IMDb-enabled movie collection organizer/database – has been updated to version 3.14 with a download size of 544kB. The author advises that changes in this version include: a skinned GUI with a freeform versatile skinning engine; addition of unlimited categories; addition of comments field; extended actor list retrieval from IMDb; search database according to actors/directors supplied by IMDb; and various bugfixes (most notably involving IMDb info retrieval). Get this latest version from: Win9x Multimedia Programs
COMMENTS
We would like to thank the regular visitors to the CFS site who have told us their favorite freeware. If you have a favorite program which isn't listed on the CFS pages we invite you to share that information with everyone through this site and this newsletter. If you are an author of a freeware app (or would just like to suggest a program) and would like it listed on these pages, please fill in the Submit Software form.
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Win 9x/ME/XP
