Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #524 issued October 16, 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(does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid.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

Star Wings v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Star Wings is a fast paced Space Invaders type shooter where you are at the controls of a heavy space destroyer, fighting an alien invasion. It features 3 levels of difficulty (Easy, Normal & Hard), lots of bonuses to collect, good animated graphics, good sound effects, and more. This is a typical 2D space shooter where you control your ship, and your weapons, from the mouse. The action is somewhat frenetic as the alien invaders attack in waves, but there are no real surprises and Star Wings is another in a long line of good, but not spectacular, space shooters. Still, it is fun to play and we enjoyed reviewing this game. Check it out yourself. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 2.10MB download from: Win98 General Games

Microsoft Security Essentials v1.0.1611.0 – WinXP/Vista
Microsoft Security Essentials is an anti-virus program that provides real-time protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It uses both definition file & real-time defenses, includes automatic updating (up to 3 times per day), a tabbed interface, a choice of fast scan or full scan, and more. As Microsoft Security Essentials cannot install when other anti-virus programs are already installed, we were unable to review this program. We understand that Microsoft Security Essentials lacks a firewall, or other PC enhancing tools, included with most commercial anti-virus packages. There are separate versions for Windows XP and for Vista (plus Windows 7). If your computer is currently unprotected, or you cannot afford a commercial anti-virus suite, then you should grab a copy of Microsoft Security Essentials. However, it does require that you have a legal (genuine) copy of Windows and not a pirated copy. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 8.61MB download (XP version, 4.28MB for the Vista/7 version) from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

AVStoDVD v2.2.2 – WinXP/Vista
AVStoDVD is a video to DVD authoring tool. It features video/audio editing, encoding, DVD authoring & burning, a DVD menu editor with a customizable menu, it supports all formats that can be played in Windows Media Player (depends on installed codex, CFS recommends K-Lite Codec Pack from www.codecguide.com), and more. AVStoDVD is an OpenSource suite that utilizes other OpenSource programs as its core. These are: video & audio editing using AviSynth; video encoding using QuEnc/HCEnc/ReJig/FFmpeg; audio encoding using QuEnc/FFmpeg/Aften/Wavi; subtitles encoding using SubtitlesCreator; DVD Authoring using MuxMan/BatchMux; ISO Image Building & DVD Burning using ImgBurn; and DVD Menu Editor. AVStoDVD acts as a GUI (graphical user interface) for these various individual programs and provides an integration so that you can use it as a single suite, rather than as a group of separate programs. The interface is easy-to-use and, even though there is a good Helpfile, most users should not need to use it. We were most impressed with AVStoDVD. It is reasonably fast in operation and offers a high degree of customization. A "must have" for your multimedia toolbox. We loved. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME (though some parts may work under Windows 98 or later). Access this 21.5MB download from: WinXP Multimedia Programs

InstalledCodec v1.10 – WinXP/Vista
InstalledCodec is a small utility displays the list of all Codec drivers and DirectShow filters currently installed, and allows the user to enable or disable them. It features extensive information about each item (Display Name, Type, Disabled Status, Installed/Modified Time, Description, Company Name, Filename, etc), you can export the list to a TXT/XML/HTML file, copy the list to Clipboard, conduct a search, and more. This is a great little tool for anyone wishing to know what audio/video Codex and DirectShow filters are installed on their computer, and who may wish to enable or disable selected items. The depth of information offered is enormous – probably much more than most people would want to know – and the control over each listed item is excellent. InstalledCodec is probably not a tool that many people would require on a constant basis, but it is extremely handy to have available. Worth grabbing. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 41kB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

Chasys Draw IES vv3.01.01 – WinXP/Vista
Chasys Draw IES is a layer-based image editor with animation. It features the fast JpDRAW2 graphics engine, it has a task-oriented user interface, supports most popular image file formats (BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, PCX, TGA, ICO, etc), offers excellent image enhancement (many filters & effects), includes GraphAsm programming support for adding custom effects, plug-in support, blue-screen effects, password protection of images, multi-level undo & redo, and more. This is an amazing image editing and drawing suite that includes super-resolution via image stacking (Chasys Draw IES Artist), a multi-threaded image file converter (Chasys Draw IES Converter) and a fast image viewer (Chasys Draw IES Viewer). It offers an excellent array of drawing tools, as well as the more popular image editing tools, plus it can create (and preview) animations. We loved the multi-level undo and redo function that offers to undo (or redo) all changes, the last five, or just the last one. Cool. Chasys Draw IES includes TextArt, a basic text tool to create some good effects. It also has a superb Helpfile. Contary to the License agreement that comes with Chasys Draw IES, it is not a demo or trial version, and it does not time-out unless a payment is made. We were highly impressed with this imaging suite, which is more than just an image editor. Chasys Draw IES offers some very powerful effects to create drawings and to enhance your digital images. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 5.59MB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

PDF Text Extractor v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
PDF Text Extractor is a small program that extracts the text from a PDF file and saves it as a TXT file. It can convert multiple PDF files to text files at one time, it does not require Adobe Acrobat Reader to be installed, it supports PDF 1.5 protocol, supports drag 'n drop, offers very fast processing time, and more. PDF files might be great for sharing across multiple platforms but they are not so great if you want to extract text from them. PDF Text Extractor is one tool to extract the text from a PDF file and save it as a TXT file. Even though the author says that it keeps original page layout, that was not our experience, and we have quite a few PDF files (comprising mainly text) that it could not process (it seemed to work but the resultant TXT file was empty). When it does carry out a successful conversion the text must be edited to repair the errors made by the program. We were not very impressed with PDF Text Extractor... Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.13MB download from: Win98 Text Programs

Efficient Diary v1.76 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Efficient Diary is an electronic diary. It features organizing information by hierarchical grouping, adding attachments, inserting tables, inserting URLs, inserting separators, unlimited number of diary entries, information search, import & export, backup & restore, password protection, multiple interface styles, setting importance for diary entries, and more. This is a great way of writing down your day-to-day thoughts and saving them in a secure, encrypted environment. You can add attachments (photos, etc), Internet addresses – even export it to an HTML file to share it with your friends. The free version lacks a spell checker, but that is the only feature missing from this version. Everything else is identical with the Pro version. Efficient Diary also uses an hierarchical grouping system so you can sort your secret thoughts in lots of different ways. There is also a portable version (3.96MB download) if you want to carry your diary with you on a USB stick. If you have a penchant for writing down your innermost thoughts then Efficient Diary truly is an efficient way to do this. We loved! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 2.98MB download from: Win98 General Programs

Rock Paper Scissors v1.1.0 – WinXP/Vista
Rock Paper Scissors is the old classic where you compete against the computer with this 3-way game of chance in a 10 game slug-it-out. In this game rock defeats scissors, scissors defeats paper, and paper defeats rock so you must try to second-guess your computer opponent and win more games than you lose. The gameplay is simple, but very addictive, as you see how many times you can beat your computer opponent. This game is simply a wrapper for an on-line game so you must have an active Internet connection to play Rock Paper Scissors. If you played this game in the schoolyard during your younger days you will enjoy the nostalgia of this fun game. If you are new to it then you are in for a treat. We liked! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 343kB download from: WinXP General Games
UPDATE
Sudoku1 – the popular numbers puzzle game – has been updated to version 3.0 with a new, larger download size of 25.1MB. The author advises that changes in this version includes the addition of 6 game modes, more than 40 variants added, and grids from championship 2006 to 2009. Get this latest version from: Win98 General Games
COMMENTS
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