Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #454 issued November 23, 2007

Home > CFS Weekly Newsletter #454: issued November 23, 2007

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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Forbidden Galaxy v1.5 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Forbidden Galaxy is a superb quasi-3D space shooter. It features over 50 worlds to transverse, 3 levels of difficulty, optional intro mode, sensational animated graphics, lots of powerups, mouse/keyboard/gamepad interface, highly addictive gameplay, high scores, and more. In this game you must reach the Forbidden Galaxy and retrieve the secret key that will define the future for all of humankind – well, that's the storyline anyway. This is one of those rare games that looks good, feels good, offers a challenge (but not an impossible one), and makes you want to come back for more, and more, and more! There are lots of powerups to collect along the way and they can boost your spaceship in many ways. They can also degrade your performance so you shouldn't just grab everything that comes along. Forbidden Galaxy is technically a 2D side scrolling shooter, but the excellent graphics give the game a 3D look 'n feel. A "must have" for all space shooter fans. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 55.5MB download from: Win98 General Games

Unlocker v1.8.5 – WinXP/Vista
Unlocker is an Explorer extension that allows the removal error messages such as "error deleting file or folder", "cannot delete folder: it is used by another person or program", "sharing violation", and similar messages. We have all been annoyed by error messages preventing the moving or deleting of a file that is currently open. As the author says: "Unlocker is a tool which will help you removing this scandalous Windows bug. Simply right click the file or folder and select Unlocker. If the file or folder is locked then a window will appear with a list of processes locking the file or folder. Select the locks and click Unlock and you are done." Simple to use, this tiny program is a "must have" for all serious Windows users, though we do not recommend it for novice users. Clearly it is better to close an errant program, if you can. If not, Unlocker is the answer. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 192kB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

AIMP v2.07.1 – WinXP/Vista
AIMP is an audio player that includes a CD ripper, audio recorder & tag editor. It features support for a huge number of audio formats (MP3, OGG, WAV, MOD, WMP, AIF, CDA, etc), an equalizer with built-in effects, 6 visualization modes, supports 5 playlist formats (PLC, PLS, M3U, CUE & ASX), Internet radio support, skinnable, multilingual (supports 22 languages), and more. This is a superb audio player that is also an excellent, if a little basic, recording studio, and it can even rip audio CDs (with full CBBD information!). To round out an excellent program, you can use it as an advanced tag editor, and it minimizes to an icon in the desktray if you just want it playing in the background. Cool. AIMP has three different sized windows (apart from the icon) so you can display just as much as you want displayed – with the playlist, just the main window or a small version that can be tucked away on the screen but still available. The author says that the "technology of reproduction essentially differs from Winamp and WMP" which produces a crisper sound. AIMP includes a good selection of plug-ins, but you can always add more. The WMA, MP3 & OGG tag editor can edit tags, and also rename files by group, sort out according to the assigned template, or apply values to a group of files. The program has one major deficiency – there is no Helpfile. The fly-over help is not always satisfactory and, initially, there is a small learning curve to get the best from this program. However, with its wealth of features, AIMP is one of the best audio players we have seen. Don't miss this great player! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 2.63MB download from: WinXP Multimedia Programs

Sandboxie v3.20.01 – WinXP/Vista
Sandboxie is a small utility that isolates and runs programs in a "sandbox" so program data, rogue scripts, trojans or viruses cannot access your computer (they are trapped in the "sandbox" until you approve or delete them). This is an excellent, if somewhat novel, way to protect your computer against outside attack. By opening programs, like your Web browser, in Sandboxie those programs run in a protected state, working normally except that data cannot be written to your computer (except to the protected "sandbox"). This means, for example, you could run a game and not have the high scores recorded, or you could run your Web browser and not have the cookies saved. More importantly, it acts as a barrier against malicious activity, trapping backdoor-type programs and preventing them from accessing your computer. Sandboxie has a learning curve and we suggest you read the on-line documentation carefully to get the best from this tool. The author points out that it is suitable only for 32-bit programs, it does not run well in a 64-bit environment. We were most impressed with the concept and execution of Sandboxie. We were less impressed with the automatic addition to the Registry so that it always starts with Windows, and also places itself in the QuickLaunch bar every time it opens – we were given no options to prevent either of these activities from happening. In some ways, it is these type of activities which Sandboxie is supposed to prevent... That aside, it is not just for the paranoid but delivers another layer of protection beyond anti-virus programs, spyware detectors, etc. Impressive! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 310kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

Chicks Gone Wild v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Chicks Gone Wild is a fun 3D arcade game where your Frog must collect as many balloons as he can while protecting himself from the Crazy Amazon Chicks. It features lots of powerups, it gets progressively harder as you play, it offers keyboard-controlled action, it is suitable for children of all ages, and more. This is an amusing little game that really is suitable for everyone from 2 to 92. The object is to collect the balloons scattered everywhere while either avoiding the Crazy Amazon Chicks, or jumping on them (turns them into a totem which gives you an extra life). Watch out though, because they will try to peck Froggy to death. If you jump on the rocks they turn into bottles of elixir which will keep Froggy on the hop. While the gameplay is rather simplistic, never-the-less it is an amusing way to kill an hour or so and it does get progressively harder as you play so there is some challenge. The 3D corridor-style graphics are reasonably good, in a VGA kind of way. Froggy directional movement is controlled with the arrow keys, and the Shift key makes him jump. We found Chicks Gone Wild a good, novelty arcade game which will probably appeal more to children than adults. Worth a look! Access this 6.35MB download from: Win95 General Games

PSPOP3 Inspector v1.3.317 – WinXP/Vista
PSPOP3 Inspector is a tool that allows access to POP3 accounts so that unwanted mail can be checked and deleted on the server before being downloaded. It supports up to five POP3 accounts, has color markers to assist viewing, includes a timer, mail is grouped/hierarchically, can include black- & whitelists, automatically determines the format of the e-mail (Text/HTML/Attachments), allows the first few lines of text to be displayed to see if the mail is required, logs all deletion processes, supports RFCs (RFC-1225, RFC-1734, RFC-1939, RFC-2449 & RFC-2595), supports SSL/TLS connections (Explicit & Implicit modes), and more. This is an excellent program for anyone who downloads all mail before culling spam and other unwanted mail. While some servers support both Webmail and POP3, Webmail is slow and it is easier and faster to let PSPOP3 Inspector delete obviously unwanted mail from the server so you can download the remainder to your desktop. We found PSPOP3 Inspector a terrific tool to both limit mail download bandwidth, and to ensure that potentially malicious mail does not reach your computer. Its biggest limitation is that you can only check five POP3 accounts without having to register and pay for the unlimited version. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 1.13MB download from: WinXP Internet Related

PhotoStage v1.00 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
PhotoStage is a program that creates a slideshow from digital photos & videos. It features transitional effects, image panning & zooming effects, it allows you to add narration for each slide, you can add background music to the slideshow, includes optimization tools, burns slideshow to disk (DVD, CD, Blu-ray Discs & HD-DVD), saves to all popular video formats (AVI, WMV, MPG, 3GP, MP4, MOV, etc), imports 16 image formats & 28+ audio formats, and more. This is an amazing slideshow creator. It offers a wealth of tools and features rarely seen on this type of program – and does it all with a tiny download! You can import a selection of slides (digital photos) from your computer, add individual narrations to each slide, crop the image, use the panning or zooming effect (say, start in the center of the image and slowly zoom out until the entire image fills the window, or pan between two points in an image), and lots, lots more. You can then finish off the slideshow with some tasteful background music, and burn it to disk or save it to your computer. You can even save it to formats suitable for iPod, iPhone, PSP, Mobile Phone or Pocket PC. The biggest problem with PhotoStage is that the final size of the slideshow it creates can be enormous, even with just a few slides! This negates the value in being able to add it to, say, a portable device (unless you have a huge unused memory) and even a CD may not be large enough to hold a medium-sized slideshow. However, the overall effect of the slideshow is awesome, and we were most impressed with all aspects of PhotoStage. A "must have" for anyone with a digital camera! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 391kB download from: Win98 Graphic Programs

Lab Enigma v2.0 – WinXP/Vista
Lab Enigma is a logical puzzle where you must match up 3 or more same-colored viruses to make them disappear. It features 3 levels of difficulty, simple but addictive gameplay, good animated graphics, good background music, strong storyline, and more. This is a bright and breezy game that is both fun and simple-to-play. You face an 8x8 grid with lots of different viruses on it. You can swap any two adjoining viruses as long as at least one of them makes a match with two other same-color viruses either horizontally or vertically. While the game is not the most challenging logical puzzle we have played, it has a fun element to it that makes you want to come back for more. Lab Enigma finishes with a 5-second nag screen for other games from the same author plus the seemingly now-obligatory opening the author's page in your Web browser. The author advised us that Lab Enigma was suitable for all 32-bit Windows – from Windows 95 to Vista. However, the game's Webpage states that it requires at least Windows XP plus DirectX 5. We don't know which statement is false, but we erred on the side of safety. If you have the hankering for a light-weight time waster, grab a copy of Lab Enigma. You might be pleasantly surprised! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 13.9MB download from: WinXP General Games
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