Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #464 issued February 15, 2008

Home > CFS Weekly Newsletter #464: issued February 15, 2008

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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

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COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE

Bail Out v1.01 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Bail Out is a 3D combat jet fighter flight simulation. It features 6 missions, missile & canon weaponry, HUD, enemy sight lock, responsive 3D graphics, challenging gameplay, Japanese & English HTML Helpfiles, and more. This is a Japanese flight sim where you fly a jet fighter and have dog fights with enemy planes. The game is highly addictive and offers some challenges, even to experienced flight sim gamers. Bail Out is also a great way for a novice to learn flight sim techniques. CFS created an English Helpfile (a WorldLingo translation) which we have included in a zipped download (the original uses LZH compression) and have made it available from our server. Bail Out is a terrific game and one that will bring you back for more and more. We liked! Get this 1.91MB download directly from CFS at: Win95 General Games

Arrange Startup v3.3 – WinXP/Vista
Arrange Startup is a program that classifies all programs executed at startup as system programs, suspicious applications that can be viruses, and the programs not necessary for startup. It features over 175,000 programs in database, optional monitor (with statistics), virus repair, 1-click Google search of unknown programs, and more. This is a great tool if you suspect that a virus may have inhabited your computer, or if you think that your computer is taking longer to boot up now than it did before. Arrange Startup examines every start up program and reports on what it finds – usually giving the publisher's name, the location of the file on your computer, the version, and any other relevant information. If you want more information about a program it will open up a Google window in your browser and conduct a search of that filename. All you need do is to read the results from the various sites offering information about that file so that you can decide if you want it to load with Windows, or if you want to block it. Arrange Startup lacks a detailed Helpfile and some items, like the virus repair, have no information about them. We could not test that feature because we are not infected with a virus so we don't know exactly what it does or how effective it is. The lack of a good, detailed Helpfile detracts from what is otherwise an excellent program and we would urge the author to rectify this immediately. That aside, Arrange Startup is a wonderful program and one that most Windows users will find invaluable. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 4.98MB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

daBurner v1.2.0.0 – WinXP/Vista
daBurner is a program that burns CDs & DVDs. It features a fully portable executionable (runs from a USB drive!), it offers underrun protection, it is extremely simple to use (no complicated burning options), offers re-writable disk erasure, and more. This is an interesting CD/DVD burning program. It lacks nearly all bells 'n whistles, yet still manages to produce a usable disk. Unfortunately, it does have a number of limitations. For a start, it only burns data disks – there is no option for creating an audio disk or a multimedia disk (VCD, etc). It will not add folders or their contents – it only works on a flat file system where everything is in the same folder. It does not warn you that the files you have selected will not fit on a disk – it just tries to burn them all and then presents an error message when it fails. Finally, it does not finalize a disk so a completed disk cannot be shared with other people and can only be used on the burner that created it. These are serious limitations, which means that daBurner will not be for everyone. However, within these defined limitations it does a credible job and is still a very, very small program (less than 1MB in size!). If you need a truly portable burning program, and can live with its deficiencies, daBurner could be for you. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 937kB download from: WinXP General Programs

Enso Words – WinXP/Vista
Enso Words is a universal spell checker that can be used in any program (Word, Firefox, Macromedia Fireworks, etc). It features on-line definitions & thesaurus (through Answers.com), word count of selected text, 4-function calculator, cut/copy/paste selected text, upper & lower case, tutorial, and more. This is an excellent "after market" or universal spell checker. By highlighting text and using the program's hotkey (by default, the CapsLock key), a program window pops up and the user can type in a command. This might be to spell check the highlighted text, to use the calculator, to change the case of a word or series of words, to define the word (get its definition through the Internet), or to use the on-line thesaurus. One of the best aspects of Enso Words is that it works in almost every text-based program – including Web browsers (even though you can't change a word in a browser). The default hotkey (CapsLock) did not suit us as we use the ToggleKeys' section of the Accessibility Options applet (in Control Panel) to hear a tone when the CapsLock key is depressed and it was annoyingly noisy if you had to hold down that key while you entered a command. However, we found the right Shift key to be a more suitable hotkey for us and we used the Sticky key option. Enso Words is reasonably cumbersome in its operation, requiring the user to type in the command words and phrases. Fortunately, you could type in part of a word and the program would give you a list of options that matched what you typed so you could select the command from the offered list. However, the results are excellent and we really were impressed with this tool. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 12.3MB download from: WinXP Text Programs

Nanozoa v1.1 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Nanozoa is a "Fantastic Voyage" type shooter in black & white where you fight enemy organisms using nanotechnology. It features multiple levels, 3 guns (Pulsar, Sonic & Multibomber), 7 enemy organisms (including a Boss), timed gameplay, and more. This is a strange but stylish shooter where you enter a human body searching for enemy organisms which you destroy with mini-sized cybernetic nano-microbes called Nanozoa. You start by selecting your level and then your gun (levels must be completed in order) and then get propelled into the body of Aki Ross where you mission is to heal her body by destroying enemy organisms. You have limited time to carry out this delicate mission. Nanozoa is a fun game that is enhanced by its black and white graphics. It is similar in gameplay to many space shooters but the novel aspects of its setting within the human body gives it a different look 'n feel. Nanozoa is a game for the whole family, though don't expect to be educated about the human body – this is simply a shooter in a novel setting. We loved! Access this 9.21MB download from: Win95 General Games

TuberVideo v1.03 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
TuberVideo is a multiple format video player that automatically detects and uses codecs already installed on the system. It features windows & fullscreen video modes, unicode filenames support, control of sound volume with the mouse wheel, subtitle display, mute button, and more. This is a handy video player that can play many of the popular video formats. Even though we have codecs installed for other video formats, we could only view AVI, MP3, MPG and DivX videos. We could not view our MOV and MP4 videos, or the FLV Flash videos even though we can view them through other programs. Possibly other formats would be playable, but we did not have any further sample videos on hand. TuberVideo has few controls, which means that it is easy to use though lacks the usual array of bells 'n whistles. We liked the audio control that uses the mouse's scroll wheel, but that was one of the few controls on offer. TuberVideo is a great little interface for the codecs you have already installed on your computer. We were less impressed with the 8MB sample video included with the program. While it is an excellent clip, it makes up well over 95% of the total size of the download and we feel that this should be an option, not mandatory. TuberVideo does what it does as well as the codecs on your computer, and provides a simple, yet effective interface. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 8.28MB download from: Win98 Multimedia Programs

EvoKeys v0.2 beta – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
EvoKeys is a hotkey manager which can be used to launch applications and/or files. It features an easy-to-use interface, it has 9 pre-configured system tools (just add your own hotkey combo), and more. This is a fabulous tool for creating program launch hotkeys so you can quickly load your favorite program or open a commonly used document. While the user must be careful not to use hotkeys that are used by active programs, in most cases you can simply minimize your desktop, use the appropriate hotkey combo without worrying about it being used by, say, MS Word, and the program you want will be launched. This makes working with Windows much, much easier – and that is the Holy Grail of computing. EvoKeys is still very much under development, but we were most impressed with the 0.2 beta and found it quite stable. We are eagerly looking forward to later versions that should, we hope, be even better. EvoKeys is a "must have" for anyone who wants to improve their computing experience. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 309kB download from: Win98 Desktop Utilities

Bobble Dragons World v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Bobble Dragons World is a "Bubble Bobble" variant platform game where you help two little brave Dragons save their magic world. It features 1- & 2-player modes, 100 levels, Dark Dwarf Boss, 18 different powerups, more than 100 bonuses to collect (fruit, jewels, etc), non-violent action, and more. This is a great platform game based on the original Taito Corporation game from 1986. In this game you must work your way through many levels, capturing enemies in bubbles and collecting bonuses along the way. If you are too long on a level you will find the ghost tracking you, and he will follow you through each level if you aren't quick. This is quite a challenging game that is fun to play. The graphics are excellent and the game is highly addictive. A "must have" for lovers of platform games, Bobble Dragons World is an excellent example of this genre. We loved! Access this 2.69MB download from: Win95 General Games
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