Ace Backup: Versatile Backup Software

Backups are important. I'm not only saying this because of the three dedicated servers that I'm running on the Internet that host my websites which earn the money I'm living from. No, it's also important at home. The importance depends mainly on how the computer is used. If you just play some games and surf the web you probably do not need to fear data loss. If you are writing a book for the last year you should make sure you create regular backups to avoid loosing all of your work of the last twelve months.

Ace Backup is a versatile backup software that was commercial and is now freely available. The basic features are to create backups of data on local drives, ftp servers or CD and DVD. It supports encryption offering five different encryption algorithms, versioning of files, compression, file filters, logs, multiple backup locations and scheduled backups.

One interesting aspect of Ace Backup is the opportunity to launch applications before and after a backup job. This would make it possible to run a disk cleaner after backup for instance or an application to shutdown the computer.

Multiple backup locations can be managed independently from each other or synchronized. Lastly the Explorer integration makes it relatively easy to add new files and folders to a project.

Network Settings Manager

If you have to access different networks with your notebook, say at home, work and at a friends house, you might have cursed the fact that Windows cannot save different network profiles. A location change would always mean a change of the network settings to be able to access the network without difficulties.

NetSetMan, short for Network Settings Manager, is a software for Windows XP, 2000, 2003 and Vista that provides up to six network profiles that can be activated with two mouse clicks. The settings are divided into three sections: IP, DNS Server and Additional.

The IP section defines if the IP address is obtained automatically in that profile or if a predefined IP, Subnet Mask and Gateway should be used. The DNS server can also be obtained automatically or added in the preferred and alternate slots in that section.

The Additional setting finally contains several important configurations such as the default printer, network drives, PC Name, Workgroup and DNS Domain as well as links scripts - bat, vbs, js - that can be executed.

The settings are saved separately which makes it easy to transfer them to another notebook or computer. The Professional version of the Network Settings Manager comes with a few extras like unlimited profiles, network-domain and proxy settings. NetSetMan is a great application for users who have to switch network settings regularly.

Windows Software: Comodo Firewall 3.0

Firewalls are used to keep computer nasties such as malware, spyware and trojans from invading our computers. Comodo Firewall is a free firewall solution that will allows you to control what data can be transferred to and from your computer.

If a program is trying to download information you have not "allowed", Comodo Firewall will alert you, and let you decide if you want the transfer to continue.

Comodo Firewall not only presents well, but it is also quite easy to use. Using this firewall gives you complete control over what data is allowed to be transferred over your network. It also shows you in depth information about which programs are accessing the network, and how much data is being transferred through these programs.

From all the reviews I have read on it, Comodo Firewall is a solid competitor to many commercial products. My own experience has found the same results. Comodo is one very powerful and effective firewall.

You probably already have Windows Firewall running on your computer, but from what I have seen of it, Windows Firewall is a tiny program with an on/off switch, and not much else. The only thing it sometimes does well, is complicate networking. It's better than nothing, but you can have so much more control and security with Comodo Firewall

Download your copy for free from comodo.com.

Sync Your Files with Windows Live FolderShare

Windows Live FolderShare is a great, easy way to keep your files synced between multiple devices. With FolderShare, you create a private peer-to-peer network that syncs your files and lets you share them with colleges and friends. You no longer need to worry whether your files, photos, or videos are on your home PC, your laptop, or your work computer. FolderShare keeps them all in sync, letting you access them from any computer set up with FolderShare or any web browser - even the browser on your mobile device! Files can be up to 2 GB in size, there are no limits on the quantity or size of files transferred, and all file formats are supported. 

The software's sharing feature is an easy way to send others large files - no more trying to zip files to get them through email, burning to CD/DVD, or uploading to a website. To use FolderShare, you must download and install the FolderShare Satellite - the software that is installed on the device(s) you want to sync or share files with. This software runs in the background and automatically updates your files on the other connected devices. The software, part of Windows Live Services, works on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or OSX and it's completely free! FolderShare can be downloaded here.

Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup

Backing up your email accounts regularly is a pretty important task and a safety measure in case something goes wrong and you cannot access the account anymore. Most users collect emails over the years and keep them just like they would keep letters that have been send to them by friends and relatives. Loosing those emails, apart from business correspondences, account information and recipes, would be an irreparable loss without a backup on another drive or media.

Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup is a backup application designed by Microsoft to backup Personal Folders Files, also called .pst files. It is compatible to Outlook 2002, 2003 and 2007 and every operating system these have been designed for.

The Outlook backup can be started by clicking in File > Backup in Outlook. A click on Options presents a list of all available .pst files of which all or some can be checked for backup. Afterwards a location for the backup has to be selected. I would suggest to burn the backup to CD or DVD to have it in case the hard drive has a defect.

A reminder can be set as well which reminds the user every xx days that a new backup is due. The backup can then be created, or saved as it is called in the application which writes it to the location specified in the options. The same menu provides the option to load a backup into Outlook.

ZoneAlarm ForceField

Virtualized surfing – Creates a "bubble of security" around your browsing session that works two ways: it protects your PC from Web site threats such as drive-by downloads; and protects your browsing session from threats on your PC Seamless use – surf as you always do without any special knowledge required and no interruptions Keylogger jamming – protects your browsing, banking and shopping by disabling keyloggers/screengrabbers that may reside on your PC Anti-spyware scanning during your browsing session to protect you as you bank and shop Phishing and fraudulent Web site warning and protection Dangerous download scanning and protection Private browsing to completely erase your surfing tracks from your PC (not yet in the beta) 
Svelte proportions – ForceField can be deployed to any PC within about 30 seconds in its Instant ForceField™ form (not available in current beta), making it convenient for on-the-go use on shared public computers.

Download : ZoneAlarm ForceField v1.0.331.0 Beta

Advanced Run

It is sometimes required to run a command or software as another user in Windows. Say you followed the advice that is posted on many sites to work with a regular user account and not as an administrator in Windows then you will sooner or later find out that you sometimes need administrator privileges to run certain commands or applications.

Windows itself provides this feature with the Run As command in the right-click context menu for instance. But what about the command line, run dialog or task manager ? That's where Advanced Run comes into play. It replaces the windows run as dialog and adds itself to the File > New Task menu in Taskmanager and Windows R shortcut.

The advanced run box provides several advanced features that make it a good addition to your operating system. It does have a history function which means that you can quickly issue a command that you have given in the past without having to type it in manually or finding the executable in Windows Explorer.

The user can be easily switched with the arrow keys provided, every user account known to the system can be selected this way. Advanced Run is compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. A system restart after installation is required before the application can be fully used.