Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #522 issued October 2, 2009

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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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Driving Speed 2 v2.0.7 – WinXP/Vista
Driving Speed 2 is a 3D sim where you race high powered V8 muscle cars on one of 2 touring car circuits. It features single & multiplayer (LAN) modes, choice of 4 muscle cars, up to 11 computer controlled opponents, choice of auto or manual gearboxes, choice of metric or imperial measurements, realistic 3D graphics, realistic car physics & performance, backwards camera view, most monitor resolutions are supported (including widescreen), and more. This racing simulation (sim) is amazing. It packages photo-realistic track and car images with realistic physics where, if you put on too much power at the wrong point, wheels will spin, smoke will be generated, and you can even see the tire tracks on the road surface. If you hit a barricade you will see the shower of sparks and, in many cases, you will have to reverse out if you stop hard against a barricade. Limited by the clumsy keyboard arrow controls (left and right for direction, up for throttle and down for reverse) like most sims of this type you will need to spend some time in practice to master both the controls and the circuits. You will need to use a judicious combination of power and steering or you will spend more time trying to get off the barricades, or out of the dirt, than you will racing! Driving Speed 2 requires a graphics card with pixel shader support, though most modern 3D graphics cards are suitable. We were interested to note that the two circuits offered were in Australia, including the challenging Bathurst circuit which hosts one of the most famous, and toughest, V8 muscle car races in the world, a 1,000 kilometer (600 mile) all day race. Tracks include all Aussie advertising signage, etc you would expect to see at the real circuit, and the whole game has a feeling of realism. It is hard not to effuse over Driving Speed 2 – the sim has everything you would want from touring car racing game, except the smell of burning rubber. Driving Speed 2 is one of the best sims we have seen! Grab a copy now. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 124MB download from: WinXP General Games

Extension Renamer v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Extension Renamer is a tool that renames batches of file extensions without changing the file content. It features full use of standard DOS wildcards (* and ?), optionally recurses sub-folders, fast, simple to use, and more. This is the easiest way of bulk renaming file extensions (those three-character parts of a filename that follow the fullstop). Extension renaming is handy if a program has created a special file extension just for itself but is, in fact, just a standard filetype with that unique name. To open those files in another program is generally impossible without renaming that file extension so that it reflects the true filetype. For example, we have an old copy of Harvard Publisher which is actually a rebadged Serif PagePlus. However, while it uses the PagePlus file format, the file extension is different. We were able to convert all our old Harvard Publisher files into PagePlus files by simply renaming file extensions. This does not alter the content of files, just renames the file extension to one that is accepted by our current PagePlus program. Many graphics programs offer what they call their own native file format but the images are generally JPG or TIF with a different file extension. You can make these files acceptable by other image editors by renaming the file extension. It should be noted that, by default, Windows does not always display file extensions of known filetypes (EXE, etc). This can be made visible in XP and other versions by going into Windows Explorer, selecting Folder Options from the Tools menu. and then selecting the View tab. You will find a checkbox labeled "Hide extensions for known file types". Uncheck that box and file extensions will magically appear where they had been hidden before. Extension Renamer is a great little tool to keep on hand for those times you need to bulk rename file extensions. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Get this 528kB download from: Win98 Desktop Utilities

X2X Free Audio Converter v3.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
X2X Free Audio Converter is an audio converter that converts most popular multimedia files to one of 5 audio formats (MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA & OGG). It features 2 conversion modes (1-click & advanced), various quality presets for each format, input supports most popular multimedia formats (AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, MP4, RM, RMVB, ASF, etc), files can be trimmed, ID3 tags can be added or edited, and more. This really is a simple and easy-to-use audio converter. It can rip the audio from most popular video file formats, or simply convert between audio formats. Because there are various quality presets for each format you can use it reduce the existing size of, say, MP3 audio files and make them much smaller so you can fit more onto an MP3 device. We were a little disappointed that X2X Free Audio Converter cannot rip CDA (CD audio) files, but there are many other free CD rippers so that task can be carried out by other programs. The trimming function is also a little strange. While it will trim any supported file format, it does not give a preview of audio files, and even the preview of some video files was not supported. If you know that you only want to convert the audio between two known timed points you can use the slider to set those parameters. However, without a preview it is almost impossible to be exact. That aside, X2X Free Audio Converter is a terrific way of converting between audio files, or ripping the audio from video files. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 3.34MB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

Your Free Registry Cleaner v3.2 – WinXP/Vista
Your Free Registry Cleaner is a small program that scans and cleans the Windows Registry of entries that have an invalid path. It features an optional Registry backup prior to removal of bad entries, it has an easy-to-use interface, you can select all & deselect all buttons, and more. This is a handy little tool that simply looks for invalid paths – Registry entries that point to a location, or a file, that doesn't now exist. If there are enough of these dead links you could see a speed increase in your operating system because Windows does not have to search through lots of redundant entries to find the correct ones. We always recommend that the Registry is regularly cleaned of dead entries using a Registry cleaner, and that usually means using a number of programs because no single program does everything. Your Free Registry Cleaner is yet another tool for keeping your Registry mean and clean. We were pleased to see that, by default, you are prompted to backup your Registry before cleaning it, but we were less pleased to note that the "Check for Update" button took you to another program's Webpage – a program that is not free. Likewise, there is a "Clear More..." button that leads you to the same page, and yet again once you have cleaned your Registry you are asked if you wish to "clean more" with yet another link to that sales page. Your Free Registry Cleaner is clearly a feeder program for a shareware "big brother" program, but you don't have to click on those links (well, not more than once just to see where they go) and you certainly don't have to purchase that other program. We found that Your Free Registry Cleaner did a good job of identifying Registry entries which linked to nothing (had an invalid path) and is therefore worthwhile to download and use. We liked. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 789kB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

Speakonia v1.0.3.6 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Speakonia is a text-to-speech program. It features a choice of 26 voices, pitch control, speed control, volume control, optional reading of Clipboard entries, tells the current time & date, optionally saves the spoken text to a WAV file, can read a Webpage (even if it is password protected), includes a Lexicon button to control how words are used, and more. This program uses a Notepad-type interface that really is simple and very easy to use. It can be used to open a text (TXT) document and, like Notepad, you can edit the text. Click on the play button and it will read the text to you using the voice you selected. If you are visually impaired, and still wish to read the text, the font size can be changed to ensure the text is large enough for you. If you choose to have Clipboard text read to you Speakonia will read all copied text, and can also read the text already in the Clipboard. Speakonia is able to read Webpages through an internal HTTP interface, and read them aloud for you. Neat. One of the best features is the Lexicon button that allows you to add words to the program, and even modify how that word is spoken. Speakonia lacks a pretty face, and requires free on-line registration before you can use it, but it is a highly functional program for anyone who is visually impaired, or who just likes text spoken to them. Superb! Access this 2.58MB download from: Win95 Text Programs

Pos Free Photo Editor v1.26 – WinXP/Vista
Pos Free Photo Editor is a user friendly photo editor that was specially designed for novices. It features a small learning curve, includes 12 image enhancements (brightness, contrast, hue, RGB, gamma correction, sharpen image, etc), 12 effects filters, offers multiple undo/redo, can print multiple images per sheet (18 combinations), and more. This is an excellent photo editor that offers the most widely used effects and enhancements in a way that even a novice can use. It also offers some more sophisticated features that are not commonly seen, even on some professional editors. These include a "smart mask" tool that can highlight a section of an image with a similar color. Click on the "crop" button and that masked section is retained (even if it isn't rectangular) and can be saved separately. With multiple undos and redos (we tested to 10 levels) you can repair any errors you may have made in the editing. Most of the effects are simple one-click tools, though many of them offer a slide control and a realtime preview so you can see what each effect does and how to modify it. Pos Free Photo Editor lacks only layers and the ability to add text to an image for this to be a tool that even professional photographers would desire. If you can live without those two functions then Pos Free Photo Editor is probably all you need to manipulate and improve your digital photos. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Get this 12.6MB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

Aciqra v1.2.2 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Aciqra is a desktop planetarium and sky map. It has the ability to track nearly 120,000 stars, the 8 planets, all 109 Messier objects, the sun & the moon, from any location on Earth to an accuracy of 1 degree for the next 50 years. Aciqra also includes a number of built-in tools, called "widgets" – Solar System, Conjunction Engine, Solar Events, Ephemerides & Planet Locations. When the program opens you can set your location from the Setup/Set Location menu, and there are seven icons down the left hand side of the screen. These are Daylight (clicking on the image of the sun will toggle a virtual atmosphere and blue sky), Horizon (choose between a real or lined horizon), Planets (toggle the viewing of planets/shadow of the Earth), Comets (toggles the view of comets), Stars (toggles the view of stars), Deep Sky Objects (toggles the view of DSO – nebulae, galaxies, etc), and Grid (toggles the display of the two main grid types – equatorial and horizontal). It has the ability to "go to" the major items in the Solar System by clicking on a menu item. Aciqra is a fabulous tool for anybody interested in the Solar System and beyond. It is quite easy to use, though there is no built-in Helpfile to get novices started. We liked its ability to display the skies from any location in the world, and from any time within the next 50 years. You can use it check out on Solar eclipses, on the location of a planet or star (in real time) or even on one of the major bodies which affects Earth (the larger comets, etc). If you enjoy star gazing then Aciqra could be exactly what you are looking for. We liked! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 4.98MB download from: Win98 General Programs

Dragon Ball Arcade – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Dragon Ball Arcade is a Space Invader clone where you must fight Pilaf's robots before fighting Pilaf itself. It features lots of bonuses (weaponry, energy, etc), HUD, good animated graphics, fun gameplay, good sound effects & background music, and more. This is a light-weight, though fun, shooter where you must blast your way through waves of Pilaf's robots before confronting Pilaf itself. It has a HUD (heads up display) and lots of bonuses to collect. The storyline is: "Young Songo during his journey at the Magic Cloud comes across the army of Pilaf's robots. Poor young hero has to soldier on against the evil forces, while Piccolo and others are Sunbathing on holiday somewhere far, far away." if you are looking for a few minutes to kill, and enjoy Space Invader type shooters, grab a copy of Dragon Ball Arcade. It really is lots of fun. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 20.6MB download from: Win98 General Games
UPDATE
DefragDrives – a tool that overcomes the limitations of the defrag tool supplied with Windows – has been updated to version 4.3.0.1 with a new, much larger download size of 127kB. The author advises that changes in this version include: re-coded with application framework; and fixed some minor bugs. Grab this latest version from: WinXP Windows Enhancements
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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