uTorrent: It's a bittorrent for u...I mean you....

If you don't know whaat "bittorrent" is, it's basically letting other people download files that are on your comptuer, so that people do not have to host them on and use space. If you don't know what uTorrent is, it's a program that makes bittorrent easy.

uTorrent is probably the most popular bittorrent client in existance. Here's some of the reasons:

-Tiny tiny tiny: Ok, it's one executable, and it's 263kb. That's about as small as you can get.

-Light on resources: right now, I am seeding one active torrent, and it's only at 2mb of RAM. That's really light.

-Easy for the simple, but complicated enough for intermediate/advance: It practically runs itself with very little configuration, but then if you are more used to torrents, there are plenty of advanced options to supply your every need.

-Frequent updates: The developers are always working hard to make uTorrent better, and it shows.

-Portable: Again, it's one executable, but the neatest thing is that the uTorrent EXE is the installer. You run it, and it asks "Would you like to install?" and you can click "Yes", or "No." So this means that when you carrry it around on your flash drive, you not only have the program, but the installer as well, if you're friend decides he/she wants uTorrent. But anyway, it is indeed portable,

-Skinnable: Not required, but pretty nice. It's very very easy to skin, just go to uTorrent's site and browse the skins, then download, and extract to a certain directory (check uTorrent's site for details.)


That's just the main good stuff. There's even more like multiple simultaneous downloads, smart bandwidth uses, and even RSS downloading. Over the years, I've been really pissed at uTorrent because AVG 8 was interferring, but I switched to AVG 7.5 and it works fine. I don't really see the need for anything beyond uTorrent (even though I'm not a big torrenter). It's small, fast, feature-rich, everything.

*I did make the icon at the top based on the program's icon, so if you use it somewhere else, please let me know....and give credit where credit is due. :-)

Visit uTorrent website for download

Mini Explorer: Aptly named.

Mini Explorer is a the very tiny brother of Windows explorer, except this tiny browser is faster, leaner, and all around put together better. It might not have tabs like other shells, but it offers its own unique style to the explorer community.

-T&P: 400kb minimum to run, and has an INI file, meaning that Mini Explorer takes it up a notch.

-Freakin, freakin fast: Some may argue that it is fast, but I'd say heck yes it is! For me, explorer windows don't always open up instantly. ME (I'm lazy, I'm abbreviating) does. And I don't exaggerate much when I say "instantly." Explorer (at least for me) has a hard times sometimes when opening huge folders like Program files, but ME doesn't seem to. It takes a very simplistic approach.

-Explorer-like: I have it and Windows explorer side by side right now, and they're alot alike, in terms of features. ME has "New Folder," "New File," (which WE doesn't have (man, I am lazy, aren't I?)) cut, copy, paste, view from large icons, small icons, list or details, up one level, sort by, and refresh. True, WE has alot more options, but ME has all that I need, at least.

-Different icons!: This made me chuckle to myself when I first found it: ME is so small, but it comes with 5 icon options. Windows 98, XP, Vista, and even two linux distro files. And all you do is go to File > Options to change it. (It's the only thing in that options menu, besides "View hidden folders.") I don't know if you can make more, but I do know that you can delete ones that you don't want, if you need to save disc space (it's like 500kb extra....). It has Windows 95 built in, so that's always good.

So despite all of the goodness above, there are two main things that I find "meh"ish about ME. But it's really only one...I'll explain below:

-No address bar: I like to type on the fly, but ME doesn't have it. Oh well. Not too bad if you keep it hidden anyway.

-No search: Yes, ME does not have a search function, HOWEVER, the developer recently (December '08) fused ME and another of his programs Snowbird (a search utility), so now it really might be a replacement for explorer, search and all. I haven't looked into it. I actually just figured out about it today.

So technically, Mini Explorer 2.0 is not the latest version, kinda. But I put it up here because, it truth, it and the newest Snowbird are different programs, and maybe someone wants just an explorer. To be honest, I haven't transfered from Windows Explorer, but I want to some day....old habits die hard, I suppose.

Visit Mini Explorer (Madhaven's) website for download

LAN Messenger: A great IM client...for LAN!

LAN Messenger is a very simple program that essentially acts as an IM client on a LAN connection. That means that it cannot connect to the internet, but there's already a ton of great IM clients for the internet, and this is the first LAN IM program I've seen, and it's good. So a few good things about it:

-T&P: Tiny and Portable. Weighing in at 460kb, LAN Messenger is very light, meaning you can take it wherever you want. Also, it has it's own INI file (which is actually only five lines), which means that it really is portable!

-Plenty of features: Here's the main features:
-Name: You can give yourself your own name, and edit it at any time.
-Avatar: You can pick from the 10 icons that it comes with (which actually aren't that bad) or even pick your own.
-Status: You can set your own status by typing it in or select just "Available" or "Busy,"
-Private and public chat: Private is one on one, public is basically a group chat that everyone can see.
-Buzzing: Like in some IM clients, you can "buzz" another person.
-Ignore: You can choose to ignore someone (which assume is by IP, since names can be changed).
-Save: You can save chats to TXT files.
-Minimize to tray: Self explanatory.

That's all of the features. It's actually very feature filled, for just talking over a network. My favorite part about it is.....

-Looks nice: The most shocking thing that I found to this program would be the looks. The icons, the interface, and everything is so simple, but nice looking!


There are a few catches though:

-Both people must have the program: Should go without saying, but everyone who wants to chat needs the program. Both people need a phone to talk, and it's no different here. Not a problem at all if both people have a flash drive, and you plan ahead of time.

-Beta: Though I can't see why, the author has decided to put v1.2 as a beta. To me, it seems stable enough, and has more than enough features, but it is beta, so just know that.

The author of LAN Messenger (Madhavan) took it down from his website... Yay! It's back up!
Visit LAN Messenger (Madhavan's) website for download

PS - click HERE for a screenshot of LAN Messenger, since it was requested.

Adobe Reader Version XI (11.0.06)

Adobe Reader XI/Volume distribution

Distribute free Adobe Reader in volume.

Free Adobe® Reader® software is available for volume distribution beyond a single-user installation. A Reader Distribution Agreement is required for:

• Corporations and organizations that want to distribute Adobe Reader on a company intranet site or local network
• Commercial vendors that want to bundle Adobe Reader on physical media such as a CD or DVD or on OEM hardware such as computers, mobile devices, and scanners

Individuals interested in the software for personal use can download free Adobe Reader from the Adobe website without a Distribution Agreement.

Download

 Windows

• 1.3GHz or faster processor
• Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 3 for 32 bit or Service Pack 2 for 64 bit; Windows Server® 2003 R2 (32 bit and 64 bit); Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2 (32 bit and 64 bit); Windows 7 (32 bit and 64 bit); Windows 8 or 8.1 (32 bit and 64 bit)
• 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
• 320MB of available hard-disk space
• 1024x768 screen resolution
• Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11; Firefox Extended Support Release; Chrome

Microsoft Security Essentials 4.4.304.0 (64 bit)

Free and simple antivirus software from Microsoft
Operating system, web browser, media player... Microsoft had everything covered, except for a security application. Until now, with the release of Microsoft Security Essentials.
After some months in beta stage, Microsoft has launched the final version of its security application, though I have to say Microsoft Security Essentials hasn't changed that much in the final release. It still features a simple, clear tabbed interface with four main areas in which the user can take a look at the system's security status, update virus and spyware definitions, check the history of previously detected items, and tweak the program's settings, respectively.
Microsoft Security Essentials includes three types of scan - quick, full, or customizable. They can be scheduled to run at a give time or particular location, and can be modified to work when the computer is not actually in use. Handily, Microsoft Security Essentials automatically updates its database, and is fully integrated with Windows Explorer and the Windows Firewall. It also boasts a system restore point, in case you need to undo any over-enthusiastic cleaning.
Microsoft Security Essentials is Microsoft's first attempt at a standalone security application for home use. Given its simplicity and suitability for beginners, it probably isn't the best choice for more advanced users or professional network administrators, but for the average user, it covers all the bases. Bear in mind, however, that Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't disinfect files - it only deletes them in case of infection.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a gentle introduction to the sometimes complicated world of home computer security.

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Notes

This version of Microsoft Security Essentials is suitable for 64 bit systems. If you are looking for the 32 bit, or are not sure which version you need, please download Microsoft Security Essentials instead.

Free Download McAfee Anti Virus Plus

Different forms of viruses can threaten your PC and slow down its performance. For an optimum protection, McAfee AntiVirus Plus can provide the latest tools that give complete security.

This application has the ability to detect and

block viruses in just few seconds. It can stop the threats from different websites before they are downloaded in your computer. 

McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 does not only remove adware, viruses and spyware. It can also block programs which are specifically designed to slow down your computer. Aside from it, you can monitor the status of your protection and identify the number of threats that are blocked.

You don’t have to wait longer for the regular arrival of updates. There is also improved system of product alerts. This system is reconfigured to deliver the most crucial and less intrusive alerts.

Bring out the fastest performance from your PC with McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010. It has all the simplified security functions while delivering essential protection.

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Free USB Disk Security

Free USB Disk Security is a small, free app that claims to keep your pendrives and USB disks safe and secure.

On first looks, it's a decent app. The interface is simple and clean, although we found it annoying that although the app creates a shortcut icon for you, you can't actually access Free USB Disk Security with it - you need to click on the Free USB Disk Security icon in the notification area in the taskbar to see its options and open the main interface.



 

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Free USB Disk Security claims to offer two main USB tools - a shield, to protect you from incoming threats, and a scan, to scan pendrives once they are inserted. From the main interface, you'll also see an option to repair your system (which are just a selection of basic tools already provided by Windows). The home button provides an overview of the app's services.

In theory, Free USB Disk Security is a great idea and an excellent free tool, but in reality it's very, very difficult to tell if it's doing anything useful. When we did scan, it was extremely quick - to the extent that we weren't sure if it had even scanned. As for the monitoring, Free USB Disk Security claims the protection is real time, but when we inserted a USB stick, it didn't even tell us it had registered the event.

Free USB Disk Security looks good, but it's so hard to tell if it's doing anything useful, we'd prefer to rely on a standard antivirus program instead.