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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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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
Rogue's Quest v1.01m – Win9x/ME/XP
Rogue's Quest is a graphical roguelike RPG (role playing game) where you must kill every monster you encounter. It features 2 dungeons (you can download a further 31 dungeons – 102kB), a dungeon editor, dockable/floating toolbars, you can drag 'n drop items, it has automapping, you can save a game, and more. This is an excellent dungeons-style RPG where you prowl around a dungeon, killing monsters, finding various items, and fulfilling the quest for that dungeon. The included dungeon editor means that you can build your own dungeons, or you can just grab the extra dungeons so you have a total of 33 to prowl. Graphics are very good, and we really liked the toolbar at the top which makes carrying out various functions easy. Even though further development of the game was abandoned back in 1997, it is extremely playable and quite addictive. If you play roguelike games you will really enjoy Rogue's Quest. If you have never played a roguelike game then, with its excellent graphical interface, this is one of the best to start with. Get this 1.12MB download from: Win9x General Games
Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery is a data recovery tool, specifically designed to work with digital images, to recover photos accidentally deleted from digital camera memory. It supports GIF, JPG and TIF images. While it works with almost any media type (eg CompactFlash, MemoryStick, SmartMedia, etc), some cameras overwrite deleted images with zeros and they cannot be recovered. If you own a digital camera, and one that doesn't securely delete images from memory, you can usually recover those images using this program. Occasionally a camera isn't compatible with it so, in those cases, images can be recovered when the memory card is inserted into a memory card reader. In many cases, incompatible cameras do not use a USB interface. Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery is not a fast tool and, depending on the size of the memory card, can take in excess of 30 minutes for a 128MB card. Images are saved to a location on your hard drive. As the program always defaults to the root of the C:\ drive, you may wish to continue to use that as your recovery point, renaming and moving images to other locations once they have been recovered. The concept behind Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery is excellent and the program works extremely well if your camera is compatible with it. If you own a digital camera then this is a "must have" recovery tool – if your camera is compatible. Access this 620kB download from: Win9x Graphic Programs
ASX Playlist Buddy v3.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
ASX Playlist Buddy is an MP3 manager which can compile collections of MPs from a hard drive and can create MP3 music CDs, or just play the files through the Windows Media Player. This is a terrific tool for anyone who has a large collection of MP3 files and who wishes to create MP3 audio CDs which can be played through an MP3 boom box, a computer's CD drive, or a DVD player. It will help you compile your collection and, once compiled, will copy your MP3 collection so it can be pasted into your CD burner software window. While ASX Playlist Buddy does little which can not be done with existing tools, it does it so easily and makes light of what can be a cumbersome task. For that alone, it is worth the download! If we had a problem with this program it would be because it did not remain visible in the tray and kept on getting "lost" when other programs were opened over it. A "feature" we could do without... That aside, ASX Playlist Buddy is definitely worth the download if you plan on burning your MP3s to a CD, or if you just want to compile them for playing through Windows Media Player. Access this 2.14MB download from: Win9x Multimedia Programs
ZFind Popup Stopper v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
ZFind Popup Stopper is a popup ad blocker add-on for Internet Explorer which blocks ads that popup automatically, but still allows popup windows when a link is clicked on or when "Open in New Window" is selected. This is one of the most effective ad blockers we have reviewed. Unlike like many other popup ad blockers, it really does only select windows that popup automatically while allowing access a popup window link which is deliberately clicked on (like the CFS Program Review windows). Alas, it seems that this add-on does have one bad habit which can affect your browsing – it mangles some Java applets, and that can include applets which contain navigation links. We had trouble with one site which uses the popular Apycom Java Menu Applets – the navigation links were unusable while ZFind Popup Stopper was activated. If you do experience this problem you can switch off the popup window blocker by right clicking on the "Home" button and deselecting "ZFind". Closing and re-opening your IE browser should then allow the Java applets to work properly (and also allow any popup ad windows to activate too). We were disappointed to find this problem because ZFind Popup Stopper was looking like one of the best add-ons of this type we had seen. Generally we do not like ad blockers because many site owners rely on these ads being viewed so they can pay their bills, but popup ads can be abused by some sites and some ad agencies. As long as you realize that ZFind Popup Stopper might prevent some Java applets from working properly, you should be very happy with this IE add-on. Unfortunately, there is not a version for Netscape... Access this 1.24MB download from: Win9x Internet Related
Piramidka v1.00 – Win9x/ME/XP
Piramidka is a Polish solitaire game which uses dominos instead of cards. It features optional timing on games, optional sound effects, choice of 12 backgrounds (or none), choice of 6 domino faces (with or without the associated background), good graphics, sound effects, and more. This is a terrific, and highly addictive, solitaire game. There is a pyramid of 28 dominos and only the dominos with either nothing above or below them can be turned over. Drag pairs of dominos together when the total dots on both equals 12 and those dominos disappear. If that exposes the top or bottom edge of another domino it can be "turned over" and included in the play. The game finishes when there are no dominos left, or no more moves. This is not an easy game to win, though it is an easy game to play. Sometimes you can only get one or two pairs to disappear and have to start a new game. You soon get fast at adding dots (or knowing which pairs of dominos total 12) and you get faster and faster. There is a timer but we suggest that it be turned off, at least until you build up your speed. Piramidka is an excellent game and one which most people will enjoy. A game only lasts a short period of time so it is handy as a quick break from work. Get it! Access this 492kB download from: Win9x General Games
Time Money and Activities v1.1 – Win9x/ME/XP
Time Money and Activities is a Wizard-driven program which looks at some interesting statistics on buying and time spending habits over a lifetime (how much money could be saved by kicking the smoking habit, or how much time is spent watching TV compared to the amount of time devoted to children, etc). This is a somewhat whimsical look at the statistics of your life, though it is only as accurate as the information entered (GIGO – garbage in, garbage out). It collates the information and presents it as either pie graphs or bar graphs. Unfortunately, it was written with the American date format (mm/dd/yyyy) and cannot be used with the English date format (dd/mm/yyyy). Non-US users will have to change their computer settings through the Control Panel so that the US system is used. This is the biggest downfall of the program, and makes it much less of interest to anyone who does not normally use the US date format. Apart from that, Time Money and Activities is a fun little program which could be used seriously if you could accurately feed it with the right information. If you use the US date format then grab a copy – you will enjoy seeing your life reduced to statistics. Access this 580kB download from: Win9x General Programs
PC Inspector File Recovery v3.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
PC Inspector File Recovery is a data recovery tool for the salvage and reconstruction of damaged files, even after a format. It features support for FAT 12/16/32 & NTFS (used by hard disks, disks, Smartmedia, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, & others), it finds partitions automatically, recovers files with the original time & date stamp, saves recovered files on network drives, recovers files even when a header entry is no longer available, supports 25 file formats, and more. While this amazing program can recover apparently lost files, much of the recovered data is simply clusters of information, some of which might be valuable, most of which will probably not be. It does not fully support the NTFS file system. Experienced PC users should find that PC Inspector File Recovery an amazing tool. It is a high level tool for recovering data from undamaged drives, even though they might have been formatted, the data files erased or partially overwritten. This is very much a last line of defense against rogue viruses and accidental data loss. More conventional data recovery tools should possibly be used before letting PC Inspector File Recovery loose on your computer, but it can be a lifesaver for that once-in-a-lifetime horror data loss. If you are an experienced PC user then you should have a copy of PC Inspector File Recovery! Access this 2.81MB download from: Win9x Desktop Utilities
Bible Text Screen Saver v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
Bible Text Screen Saver is a Christian screen saver that displays biblical texts on a black background. It features a choice of which texts to display, you can show texts randomly or in sequence, adjust display speed, choose display fonts, includes a library of 100 biblical texts, full Helpfile included, and more. This is an excellent way of having Bible texts flashed on the screen whenever the computer is not in use. It offers good control over the text, how long it is displayed for, what the fonts used are, and more. This might not be a fancy screen saver but the message is clear and the output controllable. If you like Christian screen savers, then grab a copy of the Bible Text Screen Saver. Access this 112k download from: Win9x Windows Enhancements
Baccarat v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP
Baccarat is a casino-style card 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 card game where you bet (and occasionally win) "money". You can load up the bank 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 casino 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 1.17MB download from: Win9x General Games
UPDATE
VAMP Media Center – a suite of sensational multimedia tools & toys – has been updated to version 3.70 with a new, slightly larger download size of 6.16MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: multiple user accounts; customized file mapping process; added transition menu in Slideshow; print for visuals now available in Media Organizer; enable manipulation of order of pics in the working bin in all sections; an a new look for the icon bar. Grab this latest version (or the smaller update file) from: Win9x Multimedia Programs
WinGuard – a utility which locks selected program windows which can only be accessed with the correct password – has been updated to version 5.5.43 with a new download size of 674kB. The program has been renamed to WinGuard Pro 2003. The author advises that changes in this version include: add you own windows for locking; new Lock browsing of the file system via Internet Explorer; and interface improvements. Access this latest version from: Win9x Desktop Utilities
EasyComm – allows you to communicate (chat) with other computer users in a Local Area Network (LAN) – has been updated to version 1.2.3 with a larger download size of 1.62MB. The author advises that changes in this version include: the ability to add/remove friends; now covers the whole network, no matter what workgroup or domain you might be in; messages are now encrypted; improved multilingual support; and some bug fixes. Grab this latest version from: Win9x Internet Related
Falling Formulas – a mathematics-based Tetris clone – has been updated to version 1.3 with a download size of 216kB. The author advises that changes in this version include: more special falling blocks; bonus numbers that need to be matched; more backgrounds; more game options; and an expanded tutorial. Get this update from: Win9x General Games
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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