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Monday, November 19, 2012

I Love Free Software

I Love Free Software


Create and Join Chatrooms with Video, Audio and Text Support: PalTalk

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 07:00 PM PST


Paltalk is a free instant messaging client and a chat service which you can use to send text messages, conduct video chats and conferences and make calls to millions of members of the Paltalk community. Video chat rooms are available, and if you open up the main website there’s even a browser based application which you can use to connect to this free instant messaging network without using desktop clients.

Paltalk default window

Next to the web based access, you can also install a desktop application, which can be seen on the image above. iOS and Android apps are also available which you can use in order to access Paltalk from your smartphones so with Paltalk you’re covered all around, no matter what kind of devices it is that you want to use. The desktop client is only available for Windows though, but don’t despair, users of other operating systems can just use the browser version of Paltalk. Some of the interesting features offered by Paltalk would be:

  • Instant messaging – with several thousands of chat rooms available
  • Ten way video and voice chats
  • Create your own free chat room where you can set the topic of discussion
  • Calls and SMS are supported

A lot more features get unlocked for you if you decide to switch to paid membership, where you get to have better quality video and audio during chats, you can participate in more rooms at once, no ads and several other extras. You can use the free version to see if Paltalk would be the thing for you, and if you like what you see, you can upgrade to one of the available paid memberships.

Similar software: One Instant Messenger, Xfire, Instant bird.

How to use Paltalk, free chat and messaging service

Registration would be the first step. You can register with the Paltalk network right after you install the desktop client, or you can register on the main website. Once you do that you’ll be able to login and start browsing the chat rooms:

Paltalk browser app

What you see on the image above is the browser based version of Paltalk. On the left you can see the list of available chat room, where you can find people for chat. They are divided into groups based on location and interest that people have, music, sports, games and so on. You can even find rooms where you can look up potential partners. Find a room that you would like to use and double click on it, and you can start chatting, send video or make calls.

Paltalk browser chat

Make sure that if you want to have video chat and share audio that you have webcam with a microphone. Find people in the right sidebar and start chatting and sending messages.

Conclusion

If you want to create a chat room for your team or friends, you can do that, and there you can communicate, share messages, have video chats and everything else that we talked about up until now. Try out the PalTalk free account, it should be more than enough for people who are just starting out, and then if necessary, switch to the paid version where more options are offered.

Create and Join Chatrooms with Video, Audio and Text Support: PalTalk was originally published at I Love Free Software

Related posts:

  1. 5 Free Group Video Chat Software for Free Video Conferencing
  2. Eyeball Chat: Free Video Instant Messaging Client
  3. Camfrog Video Chat: Live Webcam Chat Rooms

Change Video Extensions with Special Video Converter

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PST


Special Video Converter is as the name of the application suggests a very special video format converter which you can use in order to change videos from one format to another in just a few seconds. Such fast conversion is made possible by the fact that Special Video Converter doesn’t actually convert video files, it just changes the hidden extension that files have, which can sometimes cause players not to detect and play videos even though they support the codec in which the video was made.

Special Video Converter default window

Interface of this extension changer is relatively simple and note that it’s still in beta so you might come across some minor bugs when using it, we haven’t but you never know with these things. Special Video Converter is a very small application, less than a megabyte in size, considering what it does it’s no surprise. Keep in mind that this really is only an extension changer, it’s not gonna encode videos, it’s only gonna change their extension, which is something that’s usually hidden on Windows.

Similar software: Best Video Converter, MeGUI, Koyote Free Video Converter.

How to change video extensions with Special Video Converter

Using the program isn’t very difficult, because there really aren’t that many options for you to setup before the actual conversion can take place. All the video file formats can be opened inside Special Video Converter, there are no restrictions, but the types of video formats to which you can change the extension of the selected file is limited, you can select between 20 different formats. All the common formats are supported, and there’s even support for some which are not so common:

  • MOV
  • AVI
  • MP4
  • MKV
  • WMV
  • MPEG
  • TS
  • WAW

To change the extension, you’re gonna have to browse for the video and then select the extension on the dropdown list in the lower left corner of the screen. Once that you do that, you can click on Convert button and then you should see a new file created in the same directory where the old one was located.

Special Video Converter converting file

If you are interested in converting a new file, click Restart and then repeat the process, only select the new file, instead of the old one. Remember that with this you’re not actually encoding the video, you’re only changing the extension. In Windows file extensions are hidden, and if you want to change them you’re either gonna have to change Windows settings to show extensions, or use a program like Special Video Converter to avoid doing that.

Conclusion

Special Video Converter is a useful application if you happen to need to change the extensions of videos. Sometimes if the codec used in a video can be read by standard DVD players, all that you need to do is change the extension in order for the video to become detected by the DVD player. You can do that easily with Special Video Converter without having to change the Windows files setting, which if you’re not sure what you’re doing could cause problems. This free video extension changer is very simple to use, and it costs nothing.

Change Video Extensions with Special Video Converter was originally published at I Love Free Software

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Complete System Maintenance and Optimization Suite: Puran Utilities

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST


Puran Utilities is a complete PC optimization suite which has over 20 different system utilities for doing pretty much everything from simple junk file removal to advanced things like fixing registry and recovering deleted files. This set of computer optimization tools is completely free, and it’s very small, especially when compared to other similar tools some of which offer only a fraction of what Puran Utilities offers and they even cost money.

Puran Utilities default window

Precise number of system tools that’s offered on the image above, which is the main menu of Puran Utilties, would be 27, and we’re gonna say a couple of words about each and every one of them in the following lines.

Similar software: Cloud System Booster, Argente Utilities, PC Brother.

Puran Utilities – Disk Check

Disk check is a great way of how you can search for corrupt Windows files and hard drive problems in general. Files have a nasty habit of getting damaged when computer isn’t shutdown properly, and that’s exactly where Disk Check Tool can help you out the most, by detecting system problems and fixing the filesystem.

Puran Utilities disk check

Uninstaller

Uninstaller can be used to remove applications which do not supply the uninstall wizard, or if the application who’s main uninstaller has become corrupt and is no longer needed. After you open up the uninstaller, list of apps will be shown and you can either Uninstall them regularly or use the Force Uninstall.

Startup Manager

A lot of people are not even aware about all the different programs which are starting up with Windows when they turn on their computers. With Startup Manager you’ll be able to see and deactivate applications which are not important to you.

Puran Utilities startup manager

Service Manager

Windows Services are built in system apps which every Windows system has. Depending for what you’re using your computer, you probably don’t need all of them running. Fax service is one example, with Service Manager you can select which services are gonna be active and which won’t.

Disk Cleaner

Disk Cleaner is pretty much the standard when it comes to these types of system utilities, and since the definition of Puran is all-in-one system optimization utility, Disk Cleaner tool is a given. Use it to clean junk files which are costing you valuable disk space.

Puran Utilities disk cleaner

Delete Empty Folders

If you have a lot of empty folders on your system for some reason with the Delete Empty Folders tool you can delete them all in just a few mouse clicks.

Fix Shortcuts

Use this tool when you delete applications but shortcuts are left behind. They are gonna be detected and you can easily remove them from the desktop, or from anywhere else on the computer where they are gonna be creating unnecessary clutter.

Registry Cleaner & Defrag

With these two tools you can easily get your registry in order, find obsolete or broken keys, which are often left behind after applications are uninstalled and you can of course delete them.

Puran Utilities registry tools

Duplicate File Finder

Having several copies of the same file can eat up a lot of disk space, this usually happens when people have large song collections. With Duplicate File Finder you can easily detect duplicate files and remove them.

Data Recovery

With Data Recovery tool you can easily find files which were deleted from the hard drive and recover them. You can adjust the scan types from slow but precise to fast but with less precision.

Puran Defragmentation

To fix fragmented files which aren’t saved in sequential order on the hard drive you can use the Puran Defrag tool. Your system will work faster, and it’ll be more responsive when browsing the files.

Puran Utilities defragmentation

Disk Files

With Disk Files you can analyze partitions to see what kind of file types are using up disk space the most. Disk space usage results will be grouped. 5 file groups are present audio, videos, images, documents and compressed archives with disk usage written next to each one of them.

Gaming PC and Minimal PC

These two options are system optimizers which you can use to deactivate unnecessary Windows services, applications and desktop effects when you are running Windows on older PCs or when you are about to play a video game, so that more of the resources can be spent on actual game performance.

Permanent Delete

Like the name of this tool, and every other tool from the Puran arsenal for that matter suggests, Permanent Delete can be used in order to delete files without the possibility of recovery. Up to 7 pass file deletion can be used.

Puran Utilities permanent delete

Wipe Disk

Similar to Permanent Delete Tool, with Wipe Disk you can clean up free space, to make sure deleted files really are deleted, or you can delete the entire partitions and even entire hard drives permanently.

Shutdown Timer

Turn off, restart, log off, lock, hibernate your PC at scheduled times and dates. Useful if you are running a task and you need the computer turned off upon completion.

Splitter

Open large files and cut them up in smaller pieces. Useful for uploading files to the web or sending them via email.

Puran Utilities splitter

Delete History

Delete usage history for Windows, internet browsers, email clients, and a dozen other third party applications which can be found on a lot of computers.

Batch Fix

Schedule all of the previously mentioned system utilities and optimizers to check your computer automatically, so that you don’t have to remember to run disk defragmentation for example or to perform disk cleanup.

Maintenance Wizard

If you are not sure what previously mentioned tools do exactly and how to use them, Maintenance Wizard can help you out by guiding and teaching you important techniques for speeding up the computer.

Puran Utilities maintnance wizard

Conclusion

Last tool that we didn’t mention would be the System Information utility where you can find out important info about the hardware and software installed on your system. With all of the tools and utilities that we mentioned Puran Utilities climbs the top of our system maintenance and optimization tools chart. There’s very few similar suits out there, and best of all it’s free. Small size of only 8MB makes Puran even more impressive, try it out, you’ll find something helpful for sure.

Complete System Maintenance and Optimization Suite: Puran Utilities was originally published at I Love Free Software

Related posts:

  1. Download Glary Utilities: The complete suite of Best Free System Utilities
  2. Complete PDF Suite: Advanced PDF Utilities
  3. Cloud Based System Optimization Software: SlimCleaner

MiHome Launcher For Android

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PST


MiHome Launcher is a free launcher for Android. Its not just some any other homescreen launcher. It radically changes the way your homescreen and lockscreen works. MiHome launcher is the default launcher for the MIUI Rom.

Before we move to the actual launcher, let me give you a brief about MIUI ROM on which this launcher is based (sorry for forcing you to read this, but I truly love this ROM :) )

MIUI ROM:

This ROM is simply amazing. What happens if you add bucket load of elegance to Android? The result is MIUI ROM which is one of the most popular aftermarket firmware for Android based phones. It is heavily modified interface version of Android which has a close resemblance to Apple’s iOS. But don’t think that this just a cheap rip-off. It is an amazing piece of quality software that brings the functionality Android and the elegance of iOS together. Still not getting me? Watch and enjoy this video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you want to try it out then navigate to the officail website and the process is fairly technical and a little boring. But if you want to have the basic feel how MIUI feels and looks, then go ahead and download the MiLauncher which is available for free on Android Market and is the same homescreen launcher that comes with the MIUI ROM.

Features of MiHome Launcher:

  • This free launcher for Android on it own is a really good homescreen replacement application. It will change the way you interact with your phone. Also it changes your lockscreen as seen below. I know that there is a hint of Chinese going on the screen and I don’t care about it.
MiHome Launcher loockscreen
  • First thing that you will notice when you open up the application it’s that it does not have an app drawer.
  • The icons look amazing and very colorful. I really love the interface.
  • There are some widgets which are only for this launcher. These widgets add both aesthetics as well as functionality to your phone. I really like the clock widget that comes with this launcher; it just looks fabulous. Here in the screen shot below you can see the switcher widget that allows you to toggle most of the functionality of the phone directly from home screen. Plus the RAM cleaner widget that removes and cleans the RAM so that it will return to its optimal state.

 MiHome Launcher widgets screenshot

  • There are amazing mount themes that are available for this launcher and all on them free (Weee). The theme change both the homescreen as well as the lockscreen. Also you can customize and mix and match different homescreen themes with the lockscreen themes.
MiHome Launcher screenshot themes

Install MiHome Launcher App:

You will find MiHome Launcher app here. Just click to download and install the app. You can even scan the QR Code below to install the app.

MiHome Launcher makes your Android experience a wonderful one by making your app managing faster and easier. Try something new and experience the changes by installing launcher apps on Android. Warming you might get hooked on this launcher and get the itch to install the full custom rom.

Anyway If you like switch homescreens (homescreen junky) then click here to read about more launcher.

MiHome Launcher For Android was originally published at I Love Free Software

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  2. 5 Free Launcher Apps for Android
  3. Make Android Look Like iPhone: Espier Launcher

Sogo: Free Collaboration And Groupware Server For Linux

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PST


Sogo is a free and open source groupware server which you can use to easily setup collaboration inside your company. It’s designed for the Linux platform, but once that the server is set up it can be accessed from any operating system and not only that, usage, synchronization, and collaboration is possible by using both free and paid office and email clients like for example Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird.

Sogo groupware server

Also, check out our post on Simple Groupware.

Image above is the screenshot of the Sogo web interface, for which you only need a web browser in order to access all the components that this free groupware and collaborative server has to offer. Like we already said, access to the Sogo server is also possible from other applications, and even operating systems. Once that you have main server setup, and it goes online, collaboration is possible from all over the world, where there is internet connection of course.

Key Features of this Free Groupware Server are:

  • Free and open source, no need for expansive license or software.
  • Compatible with Microsoft Office; Microsoft Exchange server alternative.
  • Create and share task calendars, address books, exchange mail, and more.
  • AJAX based web interface where you can access all the components.
  • Can be used with Thunderbird, Outlook, BlackBerry, iPhone, etc.

Sogo can be used to connect together and allow collaboration of various different people within the company, even if they are spread out across the world. It can connect your email gateways, databases, LDAP directories and all communication between all of these components. Here, are few tips to improve collaboration and communication in your team and/or company.

How to Get Started with Sogo Free Groupware Server?

The most important thing that you need to do in order to use Sogo would be setting up the backend, the part of the application that’s gonna be working in the background. This is a bit harder to do, source files of Sogo are available for download and installation. Next to them you can also use package for Red Hat, Debian and Ubuntu, installation with them is a lot more easier.

Sogo login window

Actual setup of Sogo takes a lot of work, and if you’re not familiar with groupware server setup, it’s best that you let this to support or take help from someone with more experience. When the setup is finished, you’re gonna be left with a local address that you can access with your web browser. There you’ll be greeted with the login window. Use the info that you created during setup.

Sogo adding tak to calender

Task management would be one of the most important parts of any collaborative group. Click Calender in the left sidebar to access it and there you can add various task for the team that you’re managing. Email notification is possible directly from interface.

Conclusion

The same web interface of Sogo that you can see in the image above can be accessed from all the devices that we mentioned before. It’s very fast, the only drawback would be setup, but considering what you get, it’s worth trying out this software. Try it absolutely free.

Sogo: Free Collaboration And Groupware Server For Linux was originally published at I Love Free Software

Related posts:

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  2. Simple Groupware: Free Groupware and CMS for Enterprise
  3. Free Team Management and Collaboration Software: TeamWox

Audio Video Converter for Windows 8: Format Converter X

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PST


Format Converter X is a free Windows 8 media format converter app available under the 'Music & Video' category of Windows 8 App Store. Here, in this media format converter Windows 8 app, you can easily convert Audio files and convert Video files to desired formats. You need to follow a few simple steps to convert files, maintaining / decreasing the sound quality, or just extract audio out of a video.

All the converted files are saved in a selected path. Yup.. you can set a location where you want all your converted files to be got saved. You will also get a notification once the file has been converted successfully. Supports source formats such as  MP3, MP4, WMV, AAC, WMA, AVI, MPEG, MPG, MOV, M4V, WAV, M4A, PCM, AC3 and lets you convert files to formats such as MP3, MP4, WMA, WMV, and AAC.

Windows 8 media format converter app

The interesting part about this Windows 8 media format converter app is that you can make multiple files to convert in the background (at the same time), while you are working on other important assignment. Let me tell you how to do that.

How To Convert Multiple Audio / Video Files At One Time:

  1. Open the app, click on the format to which you want a file to get converted. I selected MP3, for example.
  2. Select the file you want to convert (click on 'Files' to choose a folder or file).
  3. Just select a file you want to convert to a different format. Soon, you will find 'My Conversions' category including the file you have set to convert. Also, you can change the format to which you want to convert your file. In addition, there is a 'Path' option where you can select a location for your converted file.
    Windows 8 media format converter
  4. Now, to add another file conversion, just click on a format to which you want to convert a file. Proceed with same instructions. Similarly, you can add as many as you want to convert at one time.
  5. Once you have uploaded a number of files, right-click anywhere on the screen → a horizontal panel will open → click on 'Convert All' button to start with your file conversion. Just click 'Convert All' and forget your conversion. Continue with your important assignment. The app will automatically show you a toast notification with the completion of each operation.
  6. Its done..

On the home page of the app, you will find ads.. well, you can remove these ads in case you find them irritating. However, to get the 'no ads' version, you need to pay  $1.49 to the Windows Store. For this, press 'Win+C' to open the Charms Bar → click on 'Settings' → click on 'Remove Advertising'. Once you buy this paid item, you will never get any ad on the screen. If you are very much into media files conversion, then it would be beneficial to pay a small amount and get all the ads removed. Otherwise, ads are not that annoying.

Also, check out our posts on Android Video Converters, MP3 Media Converter Android App, and iPod Video Converter Apps.

Key Features Of Windows 8 Media File Converter App:

  • Lets you convert media files to a desired format.
  • Lets you extract just the audio part out of your favorite videos.
  • Supports format such as MP3, MP4, WMA, WMV, and AAC to convert to.
  • Lets you convert multiple files at one time.
    media converter
  • Make conversions in the background, while you are working on some important assignment.
  • Brings you toast notifications with the completion of each conversion.
  • Lets you remove advertisements forever, by paying a small amount.
  • It’s very easy to convert formats in this file conversion Windows 8 app.

Do not miss out other interesting Windows 8 apps: Currency Converter App, PDF Reader App.

How To Install Format Converter X In Windows 8:

Open this link in IE10 and click on 'View in Windows Store', else just switch over to Windows Store and search for 'Format Converter X' (press Win+Q to open the search bar). Proceed with further installation procedure. You will soon find the app placed on your Windows 8 start Screen.

In Short, Format Converter X is a good utility Windows 8 media file converter app to convert audio and video files to different formats or to extract audio from video files. No more browsing through the entire Internet just to find a good conversion tool. Download Format Converter X and you are all done.

Audio Video Converter for Windows 8: Format Converter X was originally published at I Love Free Software

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Media Player to Play Music, Watch Videos and View Photos: doubleTwist

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PST


doubleTwist is a free and lightweight multimedia player and a great iTunes alternative which you can use in order to open and listen to your music collection, but not only that, you can also manage and view images and videos. You can use doubleTwist on Windows and Mac, and if you’re by any chance using a smartphone, Android based smartphone, you can install doubleTwist there, just head on to the Google Store and find the app available for free installation.

doubleTwist default window

Notice that there are a lot of similarities between doubleTwist and iTunes. Interface design and coloring is the same, even the object arrangement is very similar, but there are some very important differences. Player controls are for example at the bottom, and the left sidebar doesn’t have as much as options like iTunes has. Some of the more interesting features found in doubleTwist would be:

  • Good format support, MP3, WMV, FLAC, WAW, they all work just fine
  • Cross platform availability – works on Windows, Mac and Android
  • iTunes -ike album array with thumbnails is available, see image above
  • Video imports and reproduction – both offline and online
  • YouTube and Flickr video and photo uploading
  • Image and photo collection managing with inbuilt viewer

As you can see, doubleTwist is in a lot of ways an improvement over iTunes, because with it you can not only listen to songs, but you can manage and view a whole selection of different multimedia content, even YouTube videos which are gonna be downloaded before added to your collection, which doubleTwist a YouTube video downloader as well.

Similar software: Danjukebox, Mcool, Boom Player.

How to manage songs, videos and photos with doubleTwist

Well as soon as you open up the program for the first time, all the songs and videos from the My Music and My Videos folders are gonna be loaded automatically and displayed in the doubleTwist library.

doubleTwist video library

If you want to open up additional files, select Library option at the top and there select either Add File or Add Folder depending what it is that you’re interested in importing. Notice the YouTube icon in the lower right corner of the screen. By clicking there you can start the video upload process for which you’re gonna have to login to your Google Account.

doubleTwist YouTube download

If you want to import online videos you need to click on File and then select Import from Web. A window will pop up where you’ll be able to post YouTube links and after you click import, download should start. Imported videos are gonna be automatically loaded into your doubleTwist video collection.

Conclusion

doubleTwist is a versatile multimedia player which you can use in order to manage and view images, videos and music. All the common formats will work in doubleTwist, so you don’t have to worry about your files not being detected because of format not being supported. iTunes is a very resource demanding application, and if you are interested in an alternative, then doubleTwist is just the thing that you’re looking for, you get even more functionality than what you get in iTunes, try it and see for yourself.

Media Player to Play Music, Watch Videos and View Photos: doubleTwist was originally published at I Love Free Software

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Free Online Collage Maker: Picture2Life

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST


Picture2Life is a free online collage maker where you can create a collage with your photos. Use all the facilities of the website without any account and start creating collage online for free.

Picture2Life is an easy way to create collage and download it or share it using your photo sharing accounts. This online collage maker has many templates and interesting features to design your own collage. This website can be opened in HTML5 compatible browsers i.e. the latest versions of browsers. Design great looking collages using this online collage maker.

online collage maker

Process Of Using This Online Collage Maker:

As soon as you visit the website, click on Get Started now button (in yellow color as shown in above screenshot). You don't even need to make an account in this website; if you are not interested. Just start creating collages as a guest. Let's see the steps on how to use this online collage maker.

Step 1: Click on the template option and you can select from various templates categories like: baby & kids collage, family collage, happy collage, love collage, miscellaneous collage, and other categories.

online collage maker templates

Step 2: Choose the template which you like and just click on it.

Step 3: Click on upload button available on the bottom to upload images from your PC.

online collage maker upload

Step 4: You can also click on connect to import images from: Bebo, Box, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Myspace, Photobucket, Picasa, Tumblr, and webshots. Just login with your login and select the photos that you want to include in your collage.

Step 5: Drag the photos to your template and place them according to your choice.

Step 6: Click on any one of the options shown in below screenshot to customize your template.

online collage maker options

Click on align to choose alignment options, color option to customize your background color, click on Size option to customize the size of the collage (the list also contains pre-defined sizes). You can click on Space option to define the space between the collage pictures and click on Zoom button to zoom the collage in or out.

Step 7: Choose elements option available below templates to choose some images that can displayed on the front.

picture2life options

Step 8: Use the text option to modify the text size, font, etc.

When you are all done, click on the Save and Download button to save the collage , share it in your photo sharing accounts, or just download to your PC.

Here is the collage that I made using this service (all the guys n gals below are from the fantastic team at I Love Free Software):

Picture2Life Collage

Features of Picture2Life Online Collage Maker:

Let's discuss the features of Picture2Life:

  • Templates: The website has many interesting templates for use. You can use any one of them, without having to create your own.
  • Drag and Drop: This website offers a drag and drop option to easily access the interface. You just have drag and drop the pictures you want in the collage and you can also adjust the position of the images by dragging them.
  • Import Images: You can import images from your other photo sharing websites. You just need to login to them and you can access those images.
  • Easy Sharing and Publishing: After you have done your collage, you can directly publish the collage to your photo sharing websites.

This online collage maker is very easy to use. It is completely free and you don't even need to make an account in it. You can also try Collage it and Photo Collage Max.

Click here to start collaging on Picture2Life.

Free Online Collage Maker: Picture2Life was originally published at I Love Free Software

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Download Free Software To Encrypt Files: The Vault

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 09:00 AM PST


The Vault is a free software to encrypt files present on your system. It's a handy and reliable file encryption tool which uses strongest encryption methods, and hash functions to encrypt files on your system. The application supports the following encryption techniques: AES 256, Blowfish 448, Twofish 256, and Serpent 256; and the following hash functions: MD5 128, Sha 256, Sha 384, and Sha 512.

Sometimes, you may want to hide the sensitive data present in different files on your system. The Vault comes handy in those situations since it allows you to encrypt files, and prevent them from being viewed by other people. The Vault lets you create multiple folders on your system where you can keep the encrypted data. You can add multiple files in these folders. The files which you add automatically gets encrypted using the same encryption parameters you have chosen while creating the folder. The vault protects your files using a secret password. You can get access to the files, only by entering that password.

the vault to encrypt files

Getting Started with The Vault:

The Vault is a stand-alone application which does not need to be installed on your system. You can simply download the software and run the executable file. When you run it for the first time, you will be asked to enter a master password, which you need to enter every time you access the application. After entering the specific password, you can start creating safety folders to keep your encrypted data.

Encrypt Files using The Vault:

To encrypt files, first you need to create safety folders (or Vaults). The program's interface consists of a set of commands on the right panel, which lets you perform different operations. To create a new Vault, simply click on the "Create a new Vault"  option. This will open a new window where you can specify details like folder name, folder location, access password, encryption method, and hash function.

the vault create vault

After specifying the details, you can hit the "OK" button to create the folder. Then you can add files to that folder. To add files, either browse and add them through the "Add Files to Current Vault" option, or simply drag and drop them to the program's interface.

The files that you add automatically gets encrypted using the folder's encryption technique and hash function.

Also, check some other free file encryption software like Ghost Puzzle, Androsa FileProtector, and CloudFogger.

Access Files using The Vault:

Once you encrypt the files, you can access them only through the program’s interface. The only thing you need to keep in mind is the password, without which you just can't do anything. Neither you can open the application, nor you can access any vault. Unfortunately, the application provides no way to recover your password in case if you lose it. So just remember all the passwords, including the master password.

To access any file, just open the parent Vault which contains that file and make a double-click on it, or select the "Run File from Vault" option from the left panel. The program then opens the selected file, wait till it gets closed, and update any changes made to the file.

Decrypt Files using The Vault:

To decrypt the files back, simply open the container vault, choose the file to be decrypted, click on the "Extract Files from Vault" option, choose the desired output location, and hit OK. This will decrypt the file back and place it to the selected location.

the vault options

Key Features of The Vault:

  • Encrypt Files: The Vault helps in protecting your private data from unauthorized access by encrypting files present on your system.
  • Support for multiple encryption techniques: It supports some of the best data encryption algorithms, including AES 256, Blowfish 448, Twofish 256, and Serpent 256.
  • Support for hash functions: It further uses hash functions to ensure a highly secure file encryption. The supported hash functions includes MD5 128, Sha 256, Sha 384, and Sha 512.
  • Password Protection: The Vault protects every file using secret passwords, that only you knows.
  • Encryption Performance test: It also provides ways to test the encryption performance for different combinations of encryption methods and hash functions. This helps you in judging which combination would be better for encrypting the files.

the vault encryption test

Drawbacks of The Vault:

  • You can create as many vaults as you want, but can open just a single vault at a time.
  • There is an option to add new files to existing vault, but it didn't work in my case.
  • There is another option to create child folder in an existing vault, but again it didn't work out.
  • No password recovery methods.
  • No help file.

The Final Verdict:

The Vault is a nice file encryption software which encrypt files present on your system, using strongest encryption methods and hash functions. It's a handy and reliable tool to keep your private data hidden and protected. Moreover, it allows you to securely remove all the used temporary files so that they can't be recovered by other people through any file recovery software. Although, I personally didn't get much idea about what it's actually doing, however, you can try it at your end.

All in all, The Vault is safe, reliable, and above all, is completely free.

Download The Vault free.

Download Free Software To Encrypt Files: The Vault was originally published at I Love Free Software

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RegCross: Free Registry Cleaning And System Optimizing Tool

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PST


RegCross is a free registry cleaning and system optimizing tool which you can use to clean and fix registry errors, manage Windows startup applications and you can also perform scheduled system tune up. Backup is also available in case that you are not too sure about the changes that this free registry cleaner will do. Save a registry backup so that it can be easily restored if something goes wrong.

RegCross free registry cleaning software

Try out some other similar software like Cloud System Booster, Argente Utilities, and PC Brother.

Image above is the default interface of RegCross. When you first run it, after installation, and each time that you run it after that, a registration window will appear. With the free registration you get to update RegCross so that it’s improved with the latest system optimization patches. Main menu is available on the left, and there you can see 4 Windows optimization tools that we mentioned a few line back.

Key Features of this Free Registry Cleaning Software:

  • Free, small, and very lightweight, it’s less than 2MB in size.
  • Works on all major versions of Windows, optimized for Windows 7.
  • Scans uninstall leftovers, empty reg keys, shared DLL errors, etc.
  • Available in several different language, multilingual support.

Note that during installation RegCross tries to also install toolbars and other third-party applications. These can harm your web browsing experience and may also cost you system resources. System optimization is one way of how you can gain additional speed. Here, are few tips to get started with this free registry cleaning software.

How to Optimize and Speed Up PC with RegCross?

To start a registry scan, make sure that you are on the Scan tab in the left sidebar menu. You can see the scan window in the image above. If you haven’t fixed your registry in a long time, select all the options offered there, put a check on the check box available for Automatically Repair Errors After Scanning option and let RegCross do its job.

RegCross startup applications repair

Next thing that you can do is open up the Manage Startups menu option. There you can select the applications that you want running when the Windows start. If you have a lot of programs that run with Windows startup, then it could seriously slow down the time it take for the computer to turn on and become functional, and it could even cause freezes. Mark the startup entry that you no longer want and click on the Remove selected button.

RegCross registry backup

Backup is also available, and a great thing about it is that you don’t need to do it manually. As you run a registry scan, a backup is gonna be saved automatically. The only thing that you need to do would be to open up the Manage Backups option from the left menu and hit Restore Backup in case that something goes wrong.

RegCross scheduling registry scan

To complete your protection, use the Scheduler, automate registry cleaning and repair on a weekly, daily or monthly basis.

Conclusion

Windows operating systems are known for slowing down over time. Buildup of registry errors is one of the reasons why that is happening. RegCross is gonna check your Windows system thoroughly for errors and report back to you if any are found. Download and try RegCross for free.

RegCross: Free Registry Cleaning And System Optimizing Tool was originally published at I Love Free Software

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  3. Download Free Registry Cleaner to Repair your Registry

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