Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #536 issued February 19, 2010

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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Narbacular Drop v1.4 – WinXP/Vista/7
Narbacular Drop is an adventure set in a 3D dungeon where you overcome obstacles using a unique portal. It features Newtonian physics, 3 camera views, particle & lava effects, mouse & keyboard control, non-violent gameplay, and more. This is an unusual adventure-style game where you assist the princess to escape the dungeon using magic portals she can deploy. The author says that Narbacular Drop is "an environmental puzzle game in a fantasy setting, where the player navigates a dungeon with two interconnected portals". He also says that the "dungeon has a series of traps and puzzles, which the player must solve by moving around objects in the environment using the portals". Due to the nature of the puzzles which must be solved, we won't say too much about what to do as this is something that the player must learn for themselves. However, we will give you one tip – to move to the second level you must depress both buttons in the floor at the same time, and one can be depressed by using an object. 'Nuff said. Just because Narbacular Drop is non-violent and, as such, is suitable for younger players, don't think that it is not suitable for experienced gamers – it is. The obstacles you must overcome are quite challenging and are lots of fun. Narbacular Drop is a game that, once played, will not be easily forgotten. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Get this 25.6MB download from: WinXP General Games

Xinorbis v4.2.6b – WinXP/Vista/7
Xinorbis is a powerful hard disk analyser offering a complete overview of the contents of a hard disk, folder, removable or network drive. It displays data as graphs/tables/trees, has a built-in search engine, the Folder History allows comparison of the contents of a folder or drive at different times & dates, it finds duplicate files by name or size, offers complex report generation, shell support, and more. This is an amazing tool that not just displays comprehensive information about your files and folders, but allows you to generate very complex reports in HTML, ASCII, CSV or XML formats. By using the History Folder feature you can see changes made to files, folders or even drives over a period of time. You can also perform powerful searches and save the results to file or Clipboard. It offers such detailed information about your data it can be somewhat overwhelming at times, but if you need to see why your hard drive is getting filled too quickly, or even just the mix of programs, data and system files in your computer, then Xinorbis is for you. It generates so many charts and graphs covering areas of disk management that you probably hadn't even thought about that, at times, it feels like information overload. Xinorbis is a superb data management tool, and a "must have" for all PC users. In one word – exceptional! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 4.26MB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

DiscStudio v2.0.1.2 – WinXP/Vista/7
DiscStudio is a program that designs & creates CD & DVD labels. It features over 1,000 clipart images, 25 templates (CD/DVD labels, miniature disc labels, business card CD labels, CD jewel case inserts, DVD case inserts, etc), over 290 detailed backgrounds, 200 TrueType fonts, design assistants (grid overlay, etc), label designs can be saved as images, and more. DiscStudio is an awesome, and very large, suite of tools to create CD & DVD printable labels and inserts. It includes a huge number of clipart images which can be placed (and resized) on your label, plus a large number of high definition backgrounds (197MB in size!). It supports JPG, BMP, GIF, TIF, WMF & PNG image formats, and all images can be resized on the template, and then brought forward or sent back depending on what you require as a background image, and what you want as a foreground image. Text can be added, and manipulated, and then you can print directly onto your favorite label stock. To ensure that the label alignment matches your stock, you can manually adjust the alignment of the labels to ensure that they are printed in the correct position. It is hard not be totally impressed with DiscStudio. While it is not really suitable for printing directly onto disks, if you have a disk labeler that uses separate sheets of label stock then DiscStudio should be very high on your list of label designers. Of course, the clipart, background images and fonts are a fabulous bonus and can be used in other projects. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 171MB download from: WinXP General Programs

ACleaner v3.5 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
ACleaner is a Registry cleaner and privacy protection tool (erases common Internet & computing tracks). It features a customizable cookie cleaner (you can select which cookies to keep), it erase the tracks of up to 100 popular applications, has a built-in Registry scanner & cleaner (repairs invalid entries), it backs up & restores repaired entries, and more. This is an easy-to-use cleaner that puts the power back in the hands of the operator. You can easily select which Registry entries you want repaired, or which tracks you want removed, and ACleaner will automatically create a backup before carrying out its appointed tasks. If you made a mistake, then it can quickly restore all Registry settings to what they were before the changes were made. Unfortunately you cannot selectively restore specific Registry items, it is all or nothing. That aside, ACleaner is a superb tool and one that most PC users (specially those using the Internet) will find valuable. We liked! Access this 1.15MB download from: Win95 Windows Enhancements

Zback v1.80.1 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
Zback is a no-frills file/folder backup & synchronizer. It features various copy modes (update files, refresh existing files or mirror source to target), fully portable (runs from USB drive), file filter, manual or scheduled operation, command line operation, and more. It would be easy to dismiss Zback because it lacks the professional appearance of many similar products, but that would be doing it a dis-service. Zback is a very powerful tool that synchronize files and folders, or perform standard backups. Because it does not compress files to a single archive, it does require more space for a backup, but the upside is that you can easily select a file or folder to restore (copy back) if you have a single corrupt file or you wish to go back to an earlier version. The interface is a little strange at first glance but it is reasonably logical so most users shouldn't have too much trouble setting up backup and/or synchronization scripts. With its ability to be able to run from a USB stick or pen drive, Zback is a very powerful file/folder backup & synchronizer. Sensational! Access this 182kB download from: Win95 General Programs

VideoCacheView v1.53 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista/7
VideoCacheView is a small program that extracts video files from a Web browser's cache and saves them for watching later. It features support for all major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera & Chrome), extracts videos from locked TMP folders, optionally deletes cached videos, and more. When you view a video on-line, your Web browser places a copy in its cache on your computer. This is often in a temporary folder that is locked so that the user cannot access the video except when on-line. This temporary folder is emptied when you close down your browser. VideoCacheView allows you to extract the video from that cache and save it in another folder. It can access both FLV and SWF video files. It has a menu item to open the download URL in a Web browser, but when we tried it in both Firefox and Internet Explorer 8 it simply opened the browser at our homepage and did not open it at the address of the clip. However, in all other areas VideoCacheView works extremely well and is a great way to save those videos you've watched on-line but which didn't have a download button. Anyone who watches videos on-line will enjoy VideoCacheView. Why not try it for yourself? Access this 182kB download from: Win95 Multimedia Programs

7capture v1.0.0.12 – WinXP/Vista/7
7capture is a fast, easy-to-use and high quality screen capture tool. It supports the capture of rounded windows' corners & transparent backgrounds, and exports the capture as a semi-transparent PNG, JPG, GIF or BMP image. It is not easy to capture the rounded corners of modern windows (Windows XP and later) which use transparent backgrounds to create the rounded illusion. Most screen capture tools cannot properly handle these transparent corners and we are pleased to see a screen capture tool that does support them. 7capture can save these captures as high quality images in any of the four supported file types. Unfortunately 7capture lacks the ability to capture the full screen, or a specified portion of the screen, and can only capture the entire active window. While this might be suitable for some users, it does limit the value of this program. We were most impressed with its ability to handle rounded corners and, if you want to grab good quality screenshots which have transparencies or rounded corners, 7capture will worth grabbing. Check it out yourself. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 2.45MB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

Fantastic Trio v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista/7
Fantastic Trio is a run 'n jump platform game with a choice of 3 characters (Mario, Sonic or Aladdin). It features 3 levels (desert, dungeon & jungle), good graphics, challenging gameplay, and more. This is an Adobe Flash game that is fun to play for anyone who enjoys Sonic-style run 'n jump platform games. Even though you have a choice of three characters, all seem to be identical in how they perform so they don't appear to be, say, three levels of difficulty. They are, as they seem, just three characters... In Fantastic Trio you jump, collect coins that bring you points, and kill enemies by jumping on them. As you go you collect points and, at the end of the game, you can post your high scores on-line. Fantastic Trio is spoilt by having a loud, and very annoying music track and, as you cannot turn off the background music in the game, you will probably find you will be turning off your computer's speakers after a few minutes of gameplay. That aside, Fantastic Trio really is a great little game, and one that you can play multiple times. In spite of the background musical bling, we loved this little game. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 3.57MB download from: Win98 General Games
COMMENTS
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