McAfee warns about '12 Scams of Christmas'

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Retailers aren't the only ones gearing up for the holiday season. Criminals are also out in force.

To highlight the increased crime during the holidays, security company McAfee has come up with the "12 Scams of Christmas" ranging from bogus electronic greeting cards that deliver malware instead of cheer to fake charities that steal your money and your identity.

It's especially important to be extra careful this time of year, says McAfee's David Marcus. "The bad guys know people are spending more time online, they're paying more bills online so [the criminals] stand a chance of being a bit more successful this time of year.

In a podcast interview (scroll down to listen), Marcus counted down the 12 scams of Christmas starting with:

1. Charitable phishing scams: Marcus warns consumers to be wary of e-mails that appear to be from legitimate charities. Not only will they take your money and deprive charities of needed funds, but they will also steal your credit card information and identity.
2. Fake invoices from delivery services: During this period, scammers will send out fake invoices and delivery notifications appearing to come from Federal Express, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service or even the U.S. Customs Service saying that they were unable to deliver a package to your address. They ask you to confirm your address and give them credit card information to pay for delivery.
3. Social networking friend requests: Bad guys take advantage of this social time of year by sending out authentic looking friend requests via e-mail. Marcus recommends that you not click on those links but sign into Facebook and other services and look for friend requests from the site itself. Clicking on a link could install malware on your computer or trick you into revealing your password.
4. Holiday e-cards: Be careful before clicking on a holiday e-card, especially if it's from a site you haven't heard of. This is a way to deliver malware, pop-ups, and other forms of unwanted advertising. Some fake e-cards will look like they come from Hallmark or other legitimate companies, so pay close attention and make sure it's from someone you know. If you're going to send an e-card, be sure you're dealing with a reputable service lest you risk infecting yourself and your friends.
5. Fake "luxury" jewelry: If you see an offer for luxury gifts from companies like Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer at a price that's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. These links could lead you to malware and take your money or merchandise that will probably never arrive (or be fake if it does). Some of these sites, according to McAfee, even display the logos of the Better Business Bureau.
6. Practice safe holiday shopping. Make sure your wireless network is secure and be sure you're shopping on sites that are secure. Though it isn't an iron clad guarantee, you should look for the lock icon in the lower right corner of your browser and make sure the Web page starts with https. The "s" stands for "secure."
7. Christmas carol lyrics can be dangerous: Bad guys know that people are searching for holiday related sites for music, holiday graphics, and other festive media. During this time, they create fraudulent holiday related sites.
8. Job search related scams: With the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, there are plenty of job seekers looking for work. Beware of online offers for high paying jobs or at-home money making schemes. Some of these sites ask for money up front, which is a good way for criminals not only to steal your "set up fee" but misuse your credit card too. Marcus said that some "get rich quick" sites are all about money laundering, asking you to accept an inbound financial transfer and pay them.
9. Auction site fraud: McAfee has observed a rise in fake auction sites during the holidays. Make sure you're actually going to eBay or whatever site you plan to deal with.
10. Password stealing scams: Criminals use low-cost tools to uncover passwords, in some cases planting key logger software to record keystrokes. Once they get your passwords, they gain access to bank accounts and credit card accounts and send spam from your e-mail accounts.
11. E-mail banking scams: A common type of phishing scam is sending out official looking e-mails that appear to come from your bank. Don't click on any links but type in your bank's Web address manually if you need to access your account.
12. Files for ransom: Hackers use malware to gain control of your computer and lock your data files. To access your own data you have to pay them ransom.

Bottom line--Don't let the eggnog and holiday cheer keep you from using your critical thinking skills when you go online during the holiday season. And, of course, make sure your operating system is updated and that you're using up-to-date security software.

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Movies : 2012 Doomsday the movie (2009)

Friday, November 20, 2009

The film begins in year 2009, when there is a huge explosion on the surface of the sun. We then see Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an American scientist, traveling to a copper mine in India to meet his friend, who discovered that Earth's temperature is increasing rapidly. He returns to Washington D.C. and submits a report to his supervisor, who immediately takes him to the president.

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here

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Camfrog Video Chat 5.3.224

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Camfrog Video Chat allows you to join real streaming video chat rooms where you can hear, see, and chat with many people at a time. Instant message a user to get to know them before you Webcam chat, and add them to your contact list. This videoconferencing software also works behind most firewalls and routers. Camfrog Video Chat allows multi-user videoconferencing where you can join a room with up to 1000 users and just click a user name to begin seeing someone. Press the 'talk' button to talk to the entire room with audio. The video chat rooms are hosted by broadband users who are running the Camfrog Video Chat Room Server software so any user can set up their own multi-user video conference for other users to join. No Webcam is required to see people, but some rooms might not allow users without Webcams. Camfrog Video Chat is optimized for broadband users so it has fast video.

If you're sick of hopping from one chatware program to another, looking for the perfect mix of video, audio, and text socializing, CamFrog might be what you're looking for.

The chat rooms feature everything from music lessons to sign language to non-English chatting, and integrating video, audio, and text components are a great leap forward for chat communities since a Webcam is not a requirement. Be warned, though: There's also a slew of X-rated chat rooms--this is not a program that kids should use without supervision.

The interface should be familiar to anyone who has used any messaging software. You can create your own chat room and password-protect it, and the Contacts list has a section for favorite rooms and one-click contact adding, user searching, and profile management. New in Version 5 is high-resolution video support, interface tweaks, and the ability to send little "virtual gifts" to both friends and anonymous recipients that borders on the annoying.

Cautious users should note that the install includes several toolbars and a Weather Channel widget, which you can opt out of. Despite those drawbacks, if you're looking for a well-trafficked video chat program that serves a diverse community, CamFrog is cool place to land.

Version 5.3.215 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.


What's new in this version:

Version 5.3.224 adds new Green Diamond virtual gift, new dialog for e-mail address change for increased security. Password limitation length minimum is now 6 characters.

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TweakNow RegCleaner 4.7.1

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

When applications fail to remove their own Registry entries when uninstalled, TweakNow RegCleaner will help you get rid of them. To keep your computer at top performance, it is recommended you periodically clean your Windows Registry to prevent slowdowns. TweakNow RegCleaner has been designed to do this. It has been made to quickly remove unwanted registry items accurately.

This excellent freeware utility makes the potentially daunting prospect of cleaning your Windows Registry safe and simple. The interface is spare and straightforward, and most users will probably only need the Scan and Remove buttons.

The settings are configured for immediate use, although you may exclude some Registry branches and references to removable drives from the scan. The default Beginner mode only displays items marked safe to remove, and the Expert mode makes clear which ones aren't. In case something goes wrong after deletion, you can quickly restore the removed keys.

In our tests, the utility found and removed hundreds of junk entries in minutes, making it a worthy download for almost any home user, especially those who are less technically inclined.


What's new in this version:

Version 4.7.1 has fixed problem with notification of some file are locked by Google Chrome in Windows XP. Other minor improvements and bug fixes.

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TweakNow PowerPack 2009 1.7.1

TweakNow PowerPack is a fully-integrated suite of utilities that lets you fine-tune every aspect of your computer's operating system and Web browser. The Registry Cleaner module provides you with a safe and simple way to clean Windows Registry. To keep your computer always at top performance, we recommend to clean your registry at least once a month. For Windows tweaking lovers, the suite provides more than 100 hidden Windows settings in the Windows Secret section. Using modules included in this section, you can easily customize your Windows like geeks do. The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four custom-designed desktop configurations simultaneously, allowing you to tailor your computer screen to your mood and your work requirements

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is a free set of tools that give you the power to tweak, modify, and personalize just about every aspect of Windows and your PC. It features a fully integrated suite of modular utilities. There's a Registry Cleaner module, a nice touch in freeware since so many of them cost more than they're worth, but there's also a Registry Defragmenter that reorganizes things for speedier performance. The Windows Secrets module gives you access to more than 100 hidden Windows settings. The Virtual Desktop module lets you run as many as four different virtual desktops at once, so you can try out a wide range of looks and configurations, or keep separate desktops for work and play.

The icon-driven interface is the sort we love: simple, intuitive, and reasonably attractive in a Vista-ish way. It basically just lists its utilities in the left-hand pane, and the selected application displays in the main window. Selecting, for example, Miscellaneous Tools calls up a selection of icons for some interesting extras, including a RAM Optimizer, CD AutoRun and Auto Shutdown managers, a Process Manager, and the Virtual Desktop module. The System Information and Startup modules make it easy to manage Windows' start-up, which too easily gets gummed up with unnecessary programs. Icons simplify adding shortcuts to your favorite modules.

TweakNow PowerPack 2009 is free. New versions have enhanced support for Windows 7. Support for Google's Chrome has also been added the Track Cleaner module, which erases browsing traces and other digital footprints.


What's new in this version:

Version 1.7.1 adds tweaks: Enable custom Logon background and Specify Logon screen text and button set style.

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Unlocker 1.8.8

Ever had such an annoying message given by Windows: Cannot delete file: Access is denied. There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in use or the file is in use by another program or user. Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use. Unlocker is the solution. Unlocker is an Explorer extension that allows you with a simple right-click of the mouse on a file or folder to get rid of error message such as error deleting file or folder, cannot delete folder: it is used by another person or program.

This single-function system utility removes a file's access restrictions, but lacks some common features. Unlocker is unobtrusive: it resides in the system tray; an Unlocker command appears in files' right-click menus.

The application removes file-access restrictions that prevent a user from moving, deleting, or renaming a file. The user right-clicks on a file and selects Unlocker, which displays information regarding the selected file, such as Path Locked, PID, Handle, and Process Path. This program also allows terminating a currently running process. In some cases, files cannot be accessed due to Windows file-access bugs, for which Windows informs the user the file is currently in use--even when it's not.

Unlocker can effectively bypass this bug's restrictions; it unlocks or disables whatever is preventing the user to access that file. This tool would be a lot easier to use if it allowed hot keys. Novices to advanced users will find this free application very useful.


What's new in this version:

Version 1.8.8 adds fully optional shortcuts to eBay during the installation and improves the way DLLs are unloaded.

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Easeus Partition Master Home Edition 4.1.1

EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition is an excellent partition management freeware. With its help, you can extend system partition, have better disk space management, settle low disk space problem! The most attractive feature is it can resize/move partition without destroying data.

This free partition software works perfectly with hardware RAID and Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows7 Operating Systems. It not only provides convenient user-interface to simplify your job but also enables you to configure and manage partitions of hard drive. Safely copy dynamic volume to basic disk with resizing this basic disk and extend NTFS system partition without reboot are available now. In addition, Disk & Partition copy is designed for protecting your data.

A plucky little piece of freeware that packs a subtle punch, Easeus Partition Manager partitions hard drives like a reigning champ. Loaded with features, EPM runs smoothly and lacks only a glitzy interface.

A row of task icons sits on the toolbar, followed by a Windows XP-style left nav and central pane that shows your hard drives and information about them. To partition a disk, click on one of the drives and then use either the toolbar or the context menu to run the Resize feature. This brings up a slider for adjusting the drive volume sizes. You can also use the text fields to set a partition size precisely. Hit OK to run the resizing, and then run the Create feature. This will allow you format and label the partition in the newly-created empty space. While running, EPM will keeps you informed of the progress of the overall task, as well as the multiple steps it takes in partitioning your drive. A helpful color-key lives in the status bar at the bottom, divvying up drives by type as well as allocation use.

Other useful features include partition copying, a boot disk creator, a Properties option that will tell you everything from the physical geometry of the drive to the serial number, drive letter swapping, and password protection. In testing these features, the only glitch encountered occurred when a task had completed and the program window hid behind other active program windows. This did not, however, affect the use or execution of EPM, and we recommend it unequivocally for partitioning tasks.


What's new in this version:

Version 4.1.1 adds Windows 7 support.

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Advanced SystemCare Free 3.4

Slow down, freeze, crash, and security threats are over. Advanced SystemCare Free is a comprehensive PC care utility that takes a one-click approach to help protect, repair, and optimize your computer. It provides an all-in-one and super convenient solution for PC maintenance and protection. All work will be done with 1 click and 1 minute. Compared with its nearest competitor, Advanced SystemCare Free provides the more essential and practical formula for Windows: Removing Spyware and Adware, Preventing Security Threats, Privacy Protection, Fixing Registry Errors, Temporary Files Cleanup, Startup Cleanup, Repairing Windows, Speeding up System and 1-click Mechanism.

This utility offers a one-stop-shop for cleaning and maintaining your computer for better overall system performance. The interface is very simple, featuring only a few buttons, which makes it easy to get down to cleaning immediately (in fact, it automatically runs on start-up) and doesn't confuse you with multiple steps.

The Maintain Windows section focuses on four areas of maintenance: spyware removal, Registry cleaning, a privacy sweep, and deletion of junk files. The Diagnose System button provides system optimization tools, detects spyware, defragments your disk, and scans for hijacked Windows settings. In our tests the scan and clean for each of these areas took less than 10 minutes to complete. In many of these scans, it is difficult to tell what exactly is being accomplished by some of the tools, but we were able to test against other trusted apps, which confirmed Advanced SystemCare's efficacy in those areas.

Under the utilities section you are given several tools, which are similar to plug-ins, for other areas of optimization and diagnostic tests. Overall, Advanced SystemCare Free is a good way to maintain your system's speed and clear out junk files, but you'll need to remember to run it regularly because scheduling of scans is only available in the paid Pro version.


What's new in this version:

Version 3.4 improves "System Optimization" for Win 7 and Vista, "Registry Fix" and "Utilities" sections, adds "IObit Toolbar".

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WinRAR (32-bit) 3.90

WinRAR is a 32-bit / 64-bit Windows version of RAR Archiver, the powerful archiver and archive manager. WinRAR's main features are very strong general and multimedia compression, solid compression, archive protection from damage, processing of ZIP and other non-RAR archives, scanning archives for viruses, programmable self-extracting archives(SFX), authenticity verification, NTFS and Unicode support, strong AES encryption, support of multivolume archives, command line and graphical interface, drag-and-drop facility, wizard interface, theme support, folder tree panel, multithread support and Windows x64 shell integration. WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack and convert CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, Z, 7-Zip archives. WinRAR is available in over 40 languages.

There are plenty of solid compression utilities to choose from, but this shareware powerhouse offers the features and ease of use that place it at the top of the compression category. WinRAR is easy to use, lightweight, and flexible.

An intuitive interface lets you mouse over icons to see their functions, and if you don't like their candy-coated appearance, you can always choose from several themes at the developer's site. The Folder Tree Panel makes sifting through your directories to find files easier than ever. But once you see the size savings of a RAR archive, with a compression ratio of 8 percent to 15 percent better than the ZIP format, you'll understand why so many users and developers are making the switch from other apps. With virus scans now integrated and minor interface tweaks for Vista, only the slightly slower decompression speed holds the app back.

Beyond its good looks and right-click readiness for basic compression and unzipping, WinRAR offers unpacking support for a large number of archive formats, including TAR, ACE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, and ZIP. WinRAR's advanced features are icing on the cake, with Unicode support for international formatting, embedded file comments, damaged archive repair, archive locking, self-extracting archives, and easy encryption. There's also the option to automatically delete temporary files and just-archived files. Anyone seeking an all-in-one archiving solution would be remiss to not check out WinRAR.

What's new in this version:

• WinRAR version for Windows x64 is available. If you use Windows x64, it is strongly recommended to install 64 bit WinRAR version. It provides a higher performance and better shell integration than 32-bit version.
• RAR compression speed is improved for multi-core and multi-CPU systems. This improvement is most noticeable in Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.
• "Remove duplicate folders from extraction path" option in "Settings/Compression" di... see all new features

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Foxit Reader 3.1.3.1030

To put it gently, Adobe Reader is a real pain in the hindquarters. It's monstrously large, slow to load, and includes many features most users will hardly ever need. Foxit PDF Reader 3.0 kills the bloat and throws in some useful features, such as multimedia support and content-sharing options, while still allowing you to quickly access your PDFs.

Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer, with incredible small size, breezing-fast launch speed and rich feature set. Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7. In the past, you've had to download a huge PDF reader from another software company, go through a lengthy installation process and wait for an annoying splash window to disappear just to open a PDF document.

The interface mimics Adobe's, so you won't have to change your reading habits. In our test, the text readability was similar. The small program starts surprisingly fast compared with Adobe. You might need to fiddle a bit to get it to work with your Internet browser, but you can find help on Foxit's support forums. It's a nice touch that it opens PDFs from the Internet in their own Foxit window, instead of sucking resources from within the browser.

Foxit's biggest flaw in the old version was hogging memory and that has been corrected. Recent updates include fixing the hyperlink problem, multimedia support, printing highlighted-only sections, and tabbed PDF browsing, so you can read multiple PDFs simultaneously and with ease. Overall, unless you're tied to Adobe we strongly recommend this freeware competitor.


What's new in this version:

The latest release fixed the issue in Foxit Reader 3.1.2.1013, where the text in PDF documents could not be printed with specific printers.

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MoreMotion Web Express 3.3

Web design isn't just for the pros. As proof, consider MoreMotion Web Express, a free WYSIWYG editor that lets even novices build attractive and functional Web sites. With MoreMotion Web Express, creating a Web page is as simple as dragging and dropping page elements such as text boxes, panels, buttons, CSS, and JScripts. The extensive library allows you to reuse page elements, and the program also comes with an image-map editor and an XML editor. After you've finished building your site, you can publish it using the built-in FTP client. MoreMotion doesn't include a full-fledged HTML editor, but it does let you control compilation of the HTML code. Overall, given its clean design, excellent feature set, and freeware price, we heartily recommend MoreMotion Web Express to hobbyist Webmasters.

MoreMotion Web Express is a WYSIWYG HTML editor that enables users to develop Web sites and their pages without knowing HTML. The program can be extended with compile-time functions and library elements. MoreMotion Web Express also allows experienced users to enter HTML code and ASP/JSP/PHP tags to let them build professional dynamic applications. The key features are real WYSIWYG design, powerful design tools (align, size, dock, anchors, and usage restrictions), extensibility and reusability through library elements, page templates, advanced theme support, DHTML events, an integrated JavaScript editor, an integrated image-map editor, a Web-safe color palette, graphic text (especially useful for creating buttons), compile-time functions, broken-links checking, and an integrated FTP client.

Version 3.3 includes fixes for important bugs and document improvements.

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PageBreeze Free HTML Editor 4.0b

PageBreeze Free HTML Editor is a powerful HTML editor which has both visual (WYSIWYG) and HTML tag modes. PageBreeze's design emphasizes simplicity and ease-of-use. You'll find that you'll be creating great looking Web sites almost instantly with virtually no learning curve. It offers the kind of power you would find in the leading commercial products. It's visual editor is actually powered by Microsoft Internet Explorer, so you can always be certain that you are seeing exactly what you will get when your Web site is uploaded to your server.

Even in the world of instant blogs and MySpace pages, the ability to create a basic Web page from scratch remains important. PageBreeze Free HTML Editor provides a basic set of tools for this task, allowing page designers to work in visual (WYSIWYG) or hands-on HTML tagging mode. It's simple to use, installing quickly and easily, with an interface that will be fairly easy to understand for anyone who has spent much time with Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Every Web page you create can be viewed in several ways, showing off the basic code you've written, displaying all the HTML tags you've included, or previewing the way the site will actually look online. The program does lack advanced options such as JavaScript, which would produce effects for links and buttons and help expand page-layout options. Another critical gap is the lack of an editor that would mark mistakes in an HTML page--a bit like a spelling checker in Word. With these caveats, PageBreeze is a capable choice for creating basic Web pages.

PageBreeze HTML Editor includes a drag-and-drop form builder which makes it easy to build powerful Web forms and get them working almost instantly, without the need for programming or scripts. You can switch between HTML source and visual modes at any time with a click of the mouse. Version 4.0b may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.


What's new in this version:

Version 4.0b may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

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LimeWire 5.3.6

From its start as a post-Napster clone to its leading role as the quintessential Gnutella client, LimeWire is the highest-profile P2P application. Version 5 re-envisions LimeWire for a Web 2.0 world, with an emphasis on sharing with friends, square buttons with rounded corners, and overall a cleaner interface.

LimeWire is a P2P file-sharing application for all types of computer files, including music, video, pictures, games, and text documents. Other features include dynamic querying, file previews during download, advanced techniques for locating rare files, and an easy, clean user interface.

Two search bars and two sidebars cap off the redesign. The uppermost search bar is the global search that scans what everybody is sharing over the P2P network, while the secondary one on the right searches your library. The sidebars are set up in a similar way. Both are on the left, with the outer one offering three options: your library, the global P2P network, and your friends. Click on My Library and your inner sidebar shows your collection of music, movies, and documents. The P2P Network option shows what you're uploading and downloading, while the Friends option lets you share your library specifically with your Google/Jabber contacts, which you can import. Search results can be presented in both the new Web 2.0-style that surfaces just the most relevant information, with an Information button to dive deeper or the "classic" spreadsheet view.

The Advanced Tools feature is also new, which lets power users drill down and get highly specific information about who they're connected to, similar to what's available from torrent clients. This data includes IP addresses, bandwidth, the program being used and its version. The new features and overall functionality make this by far the most mature version of LimeWire to date. Despite the typical performance flaws found in all file-sharing clients, this latest version continues to offer solid performance and good looks across the board.

LimeWire's new spam blocker gets rid of junk results, and automatic updates will keep you sharing faster than ever with the latest version. You can search for Creative Commons and Weedshare licensed files, and publish your own creative works with Creative Commons licensing. LimeWire continues its guarantee of no adware or spyware. Includes built-in bittorent support.


What's new in this version:

Version 5.3.6 updates interface for smoother navigation and BitTorrent downloads are faster.

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Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.1.0

One of the first applications built to find and remove malware and spyware, Ad-Aware's reputation is well-justified. The latest version continues the publisher's tradition of adroitly addressing user concerns, but isn't yet perfect.

With behavior-based threat detection and integrated real-time monitoring, Ad-Aware focuses on core consumer security needs. Instead of adding layers of bells and whistles--thereby slowing your computer and scans down--we have decided to focus on what really matters. Ad-Aware provides advanced threat protection, and is significantly lighter and faster than our previous versions.

Building on the improvements made in version 8, former Ad-Aware users should be glad to hear that the program installs faster than it used to. Without a doubt, though, this version of Ad-Aware improves greatly on what has come before. It loads faster during your boot cycle, and scans are faster. Empirical tests noted that while the Quick Scan finished in less than 10 minutes for version 8, the current version's Quick Scan finished in under three minutes. Previous files that had been falsely detected as threats weren't flagged this time around, probably due in part to Ad-Aware's behavioral detection engine. Called Genotype, it's based on heuristics and uses a one-pass scanning system, Genotype isn't directly exposed to users, although you can opt in to anonymously contribute data from the Settings menu. The new version also explicitly calls out in the scan windows what the scan looks for.

New users should note that Ad-Aware Free performs faster than integrated antivirus and antimalware programs in part because only the paid version of Ad-Aware comes with an antivirus engine. Other important features are disabled in the free version. While rootkit detection is present, behavior-based heuristics and real-time registry protection are not. Ad-Aware Free cannot scan networked drives, and even a basic feature like the scheduler remains off-limits to nonpaying customers. The proprietary real-time defender Ad-Watch Live has been reconfigured to run more smoothly in the background, however, and long-time fans will notice the change. Ad-Aware continues to make improvements and seems to be unwilling to rest on its malware-removing laurels, but the free version is undeniably hamstrung.


What's new in this version:

Version 8.1.0 includes new anti-malware technology with new Genotype detection and behavior-based heuristics, new usability features that allow you to tailor the program to fit your needs, and the community collaboration that will allow you to customize Ad-Aware to your needs.

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Avast Home Edition - Free Antivirus 5

Avast Free Antivirus is based on multiple protective layers that work together to provide security. The product is designed for the average consumer who wants easy-to-use protection for basic email and web surfing. It is limited to home and non-commercial users.

New features match top detection with increased efficiency. Computer memory requirements for the new antivirus and antispyware engine have been cut in half. Scanning is 40 percent faster, saving both time and computer resources. Complete rootkit protection includes real-time detection to ward off initial installation, on-demand scanning and boot-time scans. The user friendly 5.0 has a new interface with easy-to-adjust settings, a context-sensitive help menu and graphs showing ongoing protection activities. Users can set the time and conditions for complete scans, with avast even waking up their computer from hibernation for midnight scans before putting it back to bed. Multiple shields prevent the spread of malware via email by checking incoming and outgoing emails for suspect content, identify malware by its anticipated behavior or by looking out for unusual activity and attempts at system modifications.

Avast Free 5, an A-list freeware antivirus app, provides the same steadfast protection of well-known, pricier antivirus programs. Avast is remarkable for both its effectiveness and arguably providing the most complete free antivirus on the market.

Avast Free 5, formerly known as the Home Edition, protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent-gaming mode and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing. In its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It's also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can't remember where you tweaked a particular setting.

Avast's recent independent third-party testing has been notably solid, able to hold its own against better-known programs from Symantec and Microsoft. Avast 5 Free lacks features in the paid upgrade including antispam measures, a testing sandbox, a Script shield, and a firewall. Even without those, Avast Free 5 is probably the strongest, free antivirus currently available.

What's new in this version:

• Antivirus and anti-spyware engine
• Real time anti-rootkit protection
• Potentially unwanted program detection
• Code emulator
• Heuristic engine
• Wake-up for scan
• Scheduled scanning
• Fast application of updates
• File System Shield
• Mail Shield
• Optimized for Intel's new Core i7 chip
• Multi-threaded scanning optimization
• Graphical user interface

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Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus 9

Consistently at or near the top of independent efficacy testers, Avira's AntiVir remains one of the best freeware security solutions around. Its scans are flexible, allowing the user to fully scan both internal and external hard drives, run a preloaded scan--for rootkits, for example--or customize a scan. The latest version introduces antispyware protections, scanning tech that can crack open "locked" files, improved internal security to prevent AntiVir's files from being maliciously altered, and one-click threat removal--no more baby-sitting.

There are few interface changes in version 9, and older users are not likely notice anything different in the interface besides a refreshed banner logo. The main window offers a left side navigation with drop-down menus and a central pane for more detailed information. AntiVir opens to the Status menu, informing you of your last scan, your last definition file update, whether the real-time guard is active, and premium upgrade link. Events logs changes to the program and the Reports tab keeps a history of threats. Both are exportable.

The Local Protection and Administration navigation options reveal the Scanner, Guard, Quarantine, and Scheduler features. Combined with the Configuration button located at the top of the central pane, users can customize their scans as necessary. Quarantined file information is on display, with options to scan it again, restore, delete, and e-mail the file to Avira. The rebuilt heuristic engine retains the same choices from the previous version's, and can be turned on or off in part or in full and offers three intensity levels. The scheduler offers much that other free antivirus programs don't, and the help features are excellent, with mouse-over information on each feature.

Savvy users will notice the removal of the on-demand e-mail scan, and AntiVir is still challenging to fully uninstall. Despite these hang-ups and the nag screen that follows definition file updates, AntiVir offers such effective protection and a well-rounded set of features that as long as the updates keep coming, it'll be our first line of defense.

Avira AntiVir Personal Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms; Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software; Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring; Install and configuration in just a couple of steps, setup to protect your PC in minutes; Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system; Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system; Forum and phone support; Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on web site; Rootkit Detection and Removal; A modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance.


What's new in this version:

Version 9 introduces a quick-removal button for eliminating viruses with a single click, enhanced anti-spyware and anti-adware engines, and support for low resolution netbook screens.


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AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9

Friday, November 6, 2009

AVG Free provides the bare necessities when it comes to security, but that should be enough for savvy Windows users. You'll get a combined antivirus and antimalware engine, LinkScanner, and e-mail scanning. AVG Free 9 introduces a few new features, with improvements focused on performance, including claims of faster scan and boot times. One new feature is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions," accessible only from the AVG toolbar in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The interface is nearly unchanged from the last version, and generally it's easy to use. From the main window, though, you must double-click to get further information on any feature, whether virus scanning, LinkScanner settings, or updating. Streamlining this to one click would be helpful. A scheduling utility automates both scans and updates, while the upgrade ad at the screen's bottom can be easily hidden using the Hide Notification button. When starting a scan, a slider makes it easy to jump between Slow, Automatic, and Fast scans: the faster the scan, the less comprehensive it is, so users should take advantage of the scan optimization that is recommended during installation to speed up that first scan. A progress meter for regular scans would've been useful, though. Should a virus create serious problems, AVG creates a rescue disk to scan your computer in MS-DOS mode.

The LinkScanner feature protects you from third-party code exploits before they load in your browser and for ranking search results. Annoyingly, when you install its optional toolbar, it commandeers your new-tab page, decidedly inappropriate behavior. The program doesn't obviously tax your system when scanning or when running in the background, although CNET Labs determined that it will significantly slow down your system's boot time, and slightly delay shutting down. AVG also detected some image files as threats, when two other scans decided they weren't--we decided these were false positives. AVG might not be the fastest or the most effective free security option, but it still gets the job done and you're better off with it.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is an anti-virus protection tool available free of charge to home users. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability.

The new 9.0 edition is faster, safer and easier to use. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition gives you free rock solid protection for your basic security needs. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner in AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition runs up to 50% faster than earlier versions and doesn't get in your way. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition also delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques, which can quickly and accurately determine whether or not a web page is hosting a phishing attack. Additionally, version 9.0 comes with basic anti-rootkit protection to ensure protection against sophisticated hidden threats.


The Download Now link will download a small installer file to your desktop. Remain online and double-click the installer to proceed with the actual download.

To learn more about AVG products and to ask questions and receive answers from AVG company representatives, please visit CNET's dedicated AVG Forum.


What's new in this version:

Version 9.0 runs and installs faster, delivers new anti-phishing detection techniques and introduces the AVG LinkScanner to proactively screen the Web pages you haven't even visited yet. For added peace of mind, you also get safety ratings for your Google, Yahoo! and Bing/MSN search results.

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Orbit Downloader 2.8.17

Downloading videos, Flash games, and large batches of files is greatly simplified with this freeware download manager, but Firefox users may have difficulty with integration.

Orbit's primary interface is bland, but the basic toolbar and info boxes guarantee everything is easy to find. Orbit shines with Internet Explorer integration. To get a media file, simply right-click a video or photo and choose Download from your context menu. Grabbing a Flash game is even easier. Hover over a Flash file, and Orbit displays a button for a fast download.

Fast and small are key traits of this application. It uses a bare minimum of memory, and downloads are much faster than with a browser alone. Where Orbit shines is its one-button simplicity for downloading multiple files on a site. From there, you can easily filter for file type. Orbit's numerous configuration options make it one of the more flexible download managers available.

Although designed to integrate with the IE, Firefox, Opera and Maxthon, we had great difficulty getting Orbit to work seamlessly with Firefox. We finally gave up trying to get the Flash download feature to work. Nevertheless, anyone downloading large numbers of files will find this freeware indispensable.

Orbit Downloader, leader of download manager revolution, is devoted to new generation Web application downloading to make downloads more easier and faster. It is a free all-in-one downloader which can download any social media.

What's new in this version:
Version 2.8.17 adds 'OneClick YouTube Downloader' add-on on Firefox, improves The process of 'GetIt' button, and fixes some bugs may cause IE crash when operating Grabpro.

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YouTube Downloader 2.5.3

This simple freeware application works pretty well, given how basic the interface is. It has two main features: to download FLV files from YouTube, and to convert them to most major formats. If there's a YouTube URL in your clipboard, it will automatically paste it for you when you click on the dialog box. From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. One more left-click is all it takes to load the file in the converter, which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.

This is one of the lightest editors around, but the simplistic interface belies its functionality and it performs exactly as advertised. We'd like to see support in future editions for hunting down missing codecs, and version 2.1.5 and earlier won't work because of embed code changes on YouTube itself. Still, the YouTube Downloader is proof that not only is video-making accessible to everyone, so is video downloading and editing.

It's software that allows you to download videos from YouTube, including HD and HQ videos, and many others and convert them to other video formats. The program is easy to use, just specify the URL for the video you want to download and click the Ok. It also allows you to convert downloaded videos for iPod, iPhone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3. Allows you to access YouTube videos for which you need to be 18+ years of age. Now, plays videos downloaded.

What's new in this version:
Version 2.5.3 fixes downloading after the October 21, 2009 YouTube site update

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