Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #506 issued May 8, 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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Clouds Kingdom 3 v1.3 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Clouds Kingdom 3 is a run 'n jump arcade game with Ninja fighting action sequences. It features many chapters (with a Boss at the end of each chapter), lots of enemies to avoid or kill, collect weaponry & diamonds, in-game help, great graphics, fullscreen or window modes, good storyline, and more. This is a game you won't finish in 5 minutes, but will give you lots and lots of enjoyment playing. In this game you play a Ninja who must defeat his old enemy, a magician. In the search for the magician, your Ninja character (JiKah) must face many, many obstacles and enemies. While Clouds Kingdom 3 might be seen as a traditional run 'n jump game, it includes some arcade action to add even more interest and is very addictive, keeping you playing for long after you would normally have given up. Animation is smooth, graphics are very good, and gameplay is excellent. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Get this 7.28MB download from: Win98 General Games

Dew-IRCus mp3 v2.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Dew-IRCus mp3 is an MP3 search engine that uses the Undernet IRC Network to locate tens of millions of free audio files. It features auto-linking to over 110 IRC sites, built-in audio player, multiple file download capability, fast file search, and more. This is an awesome tool for finding free MP3 audio files on the Internet using the IRC network. Because it does not use the P2P system (like, for example, Limewire) there is little likelihood of viruses and spybots being included with the downloads (IRC channels are controlled by operators who ensure that files are clean, and the program itself had built-in protection). Dew-IRCus mp3 is simple to use but requires a lot of bandwidth as the listing from every supported IRC channel must be downloaded and stored on your computer. This can amount to over 680MB of downloads in addition to the main program. If you have a limited bandwidth ADSL service, or are still using dial-up, you may not find this program suitable because of this massive bandwidth requirement. Do not forget that every MP3 file you download will probably be over 3MB as well. We were most impressed with this service. Not only did we find some extremely rare songs from the 1950s which we thought were now unobtainable, but it was fast and efficient in operation. A search of artist, album or song title (or any combination) quickly brought up all matches and we just had to check the track we wanted, right-click and select "Request File" or, if you have a number of tracks checked, "Request Selected Files". They are then downloaded and placed in the C:\Downloads\mp3 folder which Dew-IRCus mp3 creates upon installation. It also shows up in its own Library tab and can be played using the built-in MP3 player. Neat. We are unsure of the legality of downloading copyrighted songs but the author has made the following statement in his FAQs: "I am not a legal advisor. It is certainly legal in certain parts in the world such as the United States." We hope it is. We were most impressed with Dew-IRCus mp3. It is a superb tool which is somewhat marred by the massive bandwidth requirements to get the initial listings. If you like your music free, then Dew-IRCus mp3 is for you! Access this 16.1MB download from: Win95 Internet Related

hott notes v4.1 – WinXP/Vista
hott notes is a deluxe sticky notes reminder program. It features checklists, you can set alarms, draw on notes (scribble), choose the note style (color, font & translucency level), edit notes, manage notes, archive notes, it has a backup manager, and more. This is a great program that puts sticky notes on your desktop. It offers excellent control over the look 'n feel of the notes, and you can also tie them to an alarm so it can be used as a reminder. We loved the scribble note function where you can draw on your sticky note using the mouse cursor. With its superb array of options, its almost total control over how a note looks, and its advanced functions (like the "crumple" feature), hott notes is a better solution than plastering your monitor with paper sticky notes. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 3.84MB download from: WinXP Text Programs

WinSnapShot CMD v2 – WinXP/Vista
WinSnapShot CMD is a command-line screen capture tool. It captures a specific window or all of the desktop, it can capture a specific window by its name, it can activate a specific window when capturing, it can capture to file (PNG or BMP) or Clipboard, and more. This is an excellent screen capture tool for anyone wishing to use a BAT file to launch the screen capture. This can be done remotely, launched by time using an alarm utility, or simply by running a pre-prepared BAT file. WinSnapShot CMD runs under the Windows DOS-box (command-line) and it can even activate a window that is either minimized or is behind other windows (not the active window). It requires some knowledge of DOS commands – batch file syntax and the ability to add switches to a BAT file to launch specific commands. This isn't rocket science but it does require an understanding of DOS principles, principles that seem to have been lost by many users. WinSnapShot CMD is a terrific way of getting screenshots through a command-line – screenshots that can be scheduled or remotely activated. Impressive! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 465kB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

FrogGamer v2.77 – WinXP/Vista
FrogGamer is a collection of 5 popular puzzles in 3D. The games are Block Down (Tetris), Swap-it (like Jewel Quest & Diamond Mine), Sapper (Minesweeper), Color Lines & Columns. This is a terrific collection of five puzzle games in awesome 3D. Each of the games is well presented, with fabulous graphics and great animation. Individually, each is worth grabbing, but together they are a "must have" for anyone who not just likes puzzles, but likes puzzles with awesome eye candy. We did have one major problem with FrogGamer – three of the games would not work until we added the D3DX9_29.DLL file to our Windows/System folder. This 1.03MB download is freely available from CFS so you have no excuse – grab a copy of FrogGamer now! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 8.40MB download from: WinXP General Games

Easy Week v0.1 – WinXP/Vista
Easy Week is a small utility that gives information about a date, its week of the year and its week of the month. It also notifies if the date is in a leap year, how many days and weeks in the year of the nominated date, saves data to TXT file, minimizes to the tray, and more. It presents the date information in the local format, according to how your computer is set (MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, etc). Easy Week is a neat little tool for anyone who wants to know about a specific date – what its position is in that year, and information about the year. We aren't quite sure why anyone would want this information but, if you do, then there is a small program which will give you that information. It will even save it to a TXT file, should you require it kept. Easy on the eyes, simple to use, the only complaint was that it did not place itself in the Windows program menu and you had to go looking for the program to open it. That aside, Easy Week does everything that it is supposed to do, and does it well. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 385kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

MediaCoder Audio Edition v0.7.0.4385 – WinXP/Vista
MediaCoder Audio Edition is an audio file converter. It supports most audio formats, converts the audio track in video files, converts the audio track of DVD/VCD/CD, converts network streaming audio, records audio streaming with on-the-fly & in batch, supports CUE Sheet & M3U playlist, built-in multimedia player (MPlayer), and more. This is an amazing tool. It not only can convert audio files from almost any format into almost any other format, in most cases with full control on audio quality, but it can also rip the audio from DVDs and CDs, and record streaming audio. Not only is it easy to use, but audiophiles can adjust the sound quality of converted files. It supports 15 separate codecs and over 20 different file formats (some do need additional codecs to be downloaded, but there is a link within the program to get them). It also automatically transfers tags from one format to another (where possible). MediaCoder Audio Edition is one of those programs that most PC users will find valuable – and audio lovers will consider essential. Easy to use and extensive in its file support, it still offers sufficient control for even the most enthusiastic amateur. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 10.5MB download from: WinXP Multimedia Programs

Pestering Birds v2.0 – WinXP/Vista
Pestering Birds is a fun arcade game where you shoot birds, matching colors to create groups of 3 or more. It features 3 game modes (Adventure, Arcade & Action), 150 levels (3x50), 3 levels of difficulty in each mode, coins to collect, lots of bonuses, superb animated graphics, fullscreen & windowed modes, high scores, and more. This is a great arcade game that has been spoilt by the addition of advertising – preventing the game from loading unless you agree to three different intrusions. The first is a toolbar in both IE and Firefox, the second is to use the MyPlayCity search engine by default, and the third is to set the MyPlayCity Web search as your default homepage. Any one of those would be sufficient for us to ignore this game, but most good anti-virus/anti-malware programs will prevent your homepage from being changed (certainly in IE), and you can quickly disable the toolbar. Most browsers will ask if you want to keep your original search engine so the end effect is annoyance and not a total intrusion. Still, it does detract from what is otherwise a fabulous game with excellent animated graphics. Pestering Birds is a fantastic game, totally destroyed by intrusive advertising. We removed this game from our computer as soon as the Review was completed! The advertising in Pestering Birds is pestering annoyance. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 13.5MB download from: WinXP General Games
UPDATES
X2USBP – prints the DOS command screen outputs to Windows 32-bit printers – has been updated to version 2.8 with a download size of 25kB. The author advises that changes in this version include: added one display line to first program screen; and changed one display line on second program screen (screenshot). Grab this excellent little program from: Win95 Desktop Utilities
PairMEM – memory game – has been updated to version 1.3.0 with a new download size of 341kB. The author advises that a Score Board has been added to this version. This displays game statistics in a clear and detailed manner. Additionally, "HI-SCORES" is stored. If you get a better score in a level, your HI-SCORES will be updated for each level. Get this latest version from: WinXP General Games
WinXP General Programs
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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