Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

PROS: A simple application that lets you control multiple PCs with one keyboard and mouse. The concept isn’t new but the execution is clean and simple and simple file drag and drop as well as seamless copy/paste make this a great tool. CONS: None VERDICT: This is even easier to use than Synergy and InputDirector. If you want a no-frills solution to a virtual KVM (minus the video switching), this application will almost certainly satisfy. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: 2.1.0.9 DOWNLOAD: Mouse without Borders

Mouse without Borders Features

We’ve reviewed a couple of virtual-KVMs (keyboard, video, mouse controllers), technically KMs, on Windows Guides: Synergy and InputDirector and they both work well. This time, we bring you another option: Microsoft Garage Mouse without Borders.

Mouse without Borders (MWB) takes the agony out of setting multiple PCs with one keyboard and mouse. You don’t need to worry about IP addresses, network names etc. It doesn’t really get much easier than this. With that said, here’s how to set up MWB for the first time:

1. Download and install Mouse without Borders

2. Start the Program and click No

3. Write down the security code and computer name:

4. Now install Mouse without Borders on your second PC and, instead of clicking No, click Yes. When prompted, type the security code and computer name provided on your first PC. Click Link.

5. Now you are ready to control two (or more) PCs with your mouse and keyboard:

Mouse without Borders Configuration

Once set up, MWB doesn’t need any more configuration. However, if you link multiple PCs (each with their own monitor on the same desk), you might want to re-order them to match their physical footprint.

1. In the System Tray, right click the MWB icon and click Settings

2. Here you can drag and drop the order of machines:

3. Click the Other Options tab to configure keyboard shortcuts (you’ll want to at least use the Switch between machines shortcut to save time and help focus on one PC at a time.)

You can take screen captures from connected PCs using “Get Screen Capture from“. This is useful if you have a download running and want to monitor it periodically or if you want to, you know, “spy” on your own PCs.

You can even configure your logon screen… perhaps it’s a way to tell which PC you are on—even if it’s locked. To do so, right click the MWB icon and click Personalize Logon Screen and choose a screen (In the System Tray.) Voila!

My only gripe is that I couldn’t set up my second PC via RDP. This is, of course, by design so you don’t distort reality and cause funky things to happen… I’m just lazy and I really didn’t want to actually go to the PC to install it. So, I used Team Viewer…

Download Mouse without Borders

Download Mouse without Borders

The easiest way – WinCDEmu

If you need a simple solution to mount an ISO image, this is the best that you can have - WinCDEmu. WinCDEmu is an open-source CD/DVD/BD emulator which allows you to mount optical disc images with just a few clicks, and you can easily unmount them.

Installation is really simple. Just click download WinCDEmu, double click the downloaded file and click Install. Once you are done with the installation settings and you are almost there. Windows Installer will most probably ask for the installation of SysProgs Storage Controllers driver – don’t worry, just install it. And that’s it.

How to mount ISO image?

To mount an ISO image, just double click on the ISO image file. And you are done. Isn’t that amazing? If you need some extra options (choosing virtual drive letter, disable autorun etc.) for the mounting, right click on the ISO image, then choose Select drive letter & mount, and a small dialog will appear. Click OK after you done with the settings and the image file will be mounted immediately.

And to unmount ISO image?

Just double click on the same ISO image file! It’s really this simple. Alternatively, you can right click on the virtual drive and select Eject.

What’s more?

Even though it is open source and free, WinCDEmu is an excellent piece of nifty tool.

• Supports unlimited virtual drives
• Lightweight
• No rebooting is required after installation
• Release drive letter when not in use
• Portable version is available

One more thing…

With WinCDEmu, you can also create ISO image file for your data disc (eg. Microsoft Windows installation disc, Microsoft Office installation disc etc.) as a backup or for future use. Simply insert the disc to your optical drive, then right click on it in Windows Explorer, and select Create ISO image. The next thing you know is your data disc has turned into an ISO image file.

Hope this is helpful for you. To download WinCDEmu, visit their page in sourceforge and look for the latest version. For portable version, you can get it here.

Other Options

If you’re looking for a more complete feature set or something a little more tech-user-friendly (is there such a thing?), consider the following options:

• DAEMON tools
• Slysoft Virtual CloneDrive
• PowerISO

Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

PROS: Tuneup Utilities 2012 is built upon years of tweaking and re-tweaking to get the most out Windows with all types of hardware. The Program Deactivator removes overhead from your system by temporarily disabling applications (and their associated processes and services) while you enjoy the benefit of more system resources–for your important tasks. Economy Mode saves battery while you’re on the go. CONS: An upgrade is required each year to get the latest features (like Economy Mode in 2012 and the Program Deactivator in 2011.) VERDICT: If TuneUp released a product for cars, mechanics would go out of business. TuneUp Utilities makes PC maintenance easy–very easy. I recommend this program for users who are not comfortable tweaking and maintaining their PC and would like an easy way to keep things in check and have a PC that runs without unnecessary interruption. PRICE: $29.95 (Upgrade) $34.95 (Full Version as of 11/13/2011) VERSION REVIEWED: TuneUp Utilities 2012 DOWNLOAD: TuneUp Utilities 2012 15-day Trial (aff)

TuneUp Utilities is a long-standing member of the PC tweaking programs club and they’ve continued to improve their product, at a steady pace, year after year. For 2012, they’ve introduced Economy Mode, which helps save battery life—keeping you connected for longer while you’re mobile. This is the only new major feature this year; however, the program has been updated with more tips and tricks, revisions to previous tweaks, and UI improvements to help you work your way around this powerful collection of tools.

If you’re new to TuneUp Utilities, you might enjoy this little overview; otherwise, skip to what’s new.

TuneUp Utilities Overview

TuneUp scans your PC’s settings, system files, registry, and more and, based upon what it finds, offers you tips to improve your PC’s performance. TuneUp can take care of everything for you with one click or can walk you through the process of speeding up your PC.

Download and install TuneUp Utilities 2012. I recommend you check the Custom Installation box on the first screen:

I like to check for updates myself and I don’t use desktop gadgets; here are my configuration choices:

When you first start using TuneUp, you are guided through the 1-Click Maintenance wizard. Before you go through the Wizard, I recommend you configure the Settings:

Once you’ve made your choices (or if you chose not to configure your settings yet), click Start analysis now:

TuneUp scans your PC and identifies:

• Registry problems
• Registry fragmentation
• Broken shortcuts
• Temporary files
• Startup optimizations
• Shutdown optimizations

Click Show details (where available) and view more details about the recommendations given:

Clicking Run maintenance will fix the errors and problems and get you on your way to a cleaner PC:

After running the automatic maintenance for the first time, you can “set it and forget it” and TuneUp will tweak your PC in the background:

You can manage TuneUp right from the system tray and get a quick overview of any potential problems that exist. You can also switch between Turbo, Standard, and Economy Modes.

Note: Some of the following screenshots come from the TuneUp Utilities 2011 review–the features in 2012 are the same.

By telling TuneUp your computing preferences (e.g. what level of visual effects you like) and information it may not be able to determine alone (e.g. Internet connection type and speeds), it can customize your computer for best performance according to your needs:

TuneUp will, at first, offer you many performance-enhancing changes and tools. Don’t worry, it wont take you long to get through all the suggestions, and you’ll be glad you did afterward. Here’s an example of TuneUp offering to scan your drive with the TuneUp Disk Doctor to check your hard drives for errors:

I decided to scan all hard drives:

Here’s another example where TuneUp identifies programs you haven’t used in a long time and asks you if you recognize them or not. If you don’t recognize the program, TuneUp will help you determine its purpose and help you disable it (more about that later) or uninstall it:

As with all good optimization programs, you can back out your changes at any time. The TuneUp Rescue Center can help you fix and problems that may be caused by over-zealous clean up.

Disable Programs; Verify their Usefulness by Rating

The Program Decactivator deactivates programs that you currently don’t use. By deactiviating a program, you stop the services and supporting programs that are run by it. If you need some of these programs occasionally, it could be tedious to uninstall and reinstall these programs again and again. The Program Deactivator is designed to “pause” a program until you need it again. I deactivated iTunes (which tends to slow down my PC), plugged in my iPhone, and TuneUp popped up to let me know iTunes had, in an instant, been reactivated for use again — easy!

Not sure which programs to deactivate? TuneUp comes with a user-driven rating system that lets you rate the programs you use and view the ratings left by others:

Aware of privacy concerns, I checked out What data will be transferred? and saw the following:

I also spoke to one of the founders of the company, Tibor Schiemann, and he verified that no personal or identifiable information is sent in this process and that your anonymity is high priority.

One feature that isn’t new but is very useful is TuneUp Shredder. Find out how to use it here: Permanently delete files with TuneUp Shredder.

That concludes the overview. Now, on to the new features in 2012.

TuneUp Utilities 2012 New Features

TuneUp Economy Mode

TuneUp Economy mode changes system settings, disables hardware, and helps your PC run more conservatively to help save battery life. If you’re someone who is on the go all the time, you know how much an extra 20 minutes of battery life can help when you’re, for example: stuck on a plane; finishing a report just before class; or cramming a revision session in outside the exam hall. Economy Mode can be accessed with just two clicks (click TuneUp in the system tray and click Economy Mode) and it will instantly start saving you power.

Test Results:

I tried TuneUp Economy Mode on my wife’s netbook:

Setup: New installation Windows 7 Ultimate w/SP1 and VLC Player. Battery fully charged.

Test: Play HD (720p) MKV on loop until battery drains

Standard Mode: 2 hours and 15 minutes

Windows Power saver mode: 2 hours and 23 minutes

Economy Mode: 2 hours and 53 minutes (a 28% improvement! over standard mode)

The results of this test are fairly significant; use of Economy Mode is a far better option than Windows “Power saver” mode or no power savings.

Optimization Status

New in TuneUp 2011 was the Tuning status bar; this year, it’s been improved to be a little more intuitive and help you understand what needs to be done to improve performance:

2011:

2012:

As you can, see there is more information on what steps you’ve taken to optimize and what is outstanding–unused potential.

TuneUp Utilities Settings

As each utility within TuneUp has it’s own configuration, you can quickly get lost in settings screens and even change the same settings twice or three times through different panels without realizing. This year, TuneUp Utilities comes with a unified settings console to help you configure each tool in a central location. While this isn’t really an exciting feature, it really does help you organize yourself a little more and take a more systematic approach to your optimizing.

Other notable changes include:

• Enhancements to the program deactivator; now the assistant reactivates programs for use and then automatically deactivates them again for you. Read more about the Program Deactivator in the overview above.
• A modified dashboard UI with integrated settings buttons for each utility as well as a switch for the three performance modes

Download TuneUp Utilities 2012

TuneUp Utilities 2012 15-day Trial (aff)

If you have more than a couple of PCs in your home, it’s easy to get confused and forget which PC you’re working on. For example, on my current home network, it have the following Windows PCs: D7UH, D7UG, LXHM, L7UR, L7UM, PI2R, and PI3R. After a few remote desktop connections, I would get lost without BgInfo.

BgInfo shows key information about your PC right on the desktop. BgInfo is a standalone executable and can be pinned to your Taskbar. Then, when you’re on any PC, you can launch it (if it isn’t already running) to bring up information like: computer name, MAC addresses, computer name, operating system and service pack etc.

To display key information on your desktop:

1. Download BgInfo and put it in a permanent folder (recommendation: C:\Program Files\BgInfo\ or in your DropBox for multi-PC use)

2. Pin BgInfo.exe to the taskbar (how to pin a program to the taskbar)

3. Start BgInfo and select the information you want displayed:

4. Click OK (or apply if you are planning on making more changes to the layout) and view key info right from your desktop:

If you’d like to download Bginfo to your PC with a whole collection of other system administration tools, you can download the Sysinternals Suite. Want to learn more about Sysinternals Tools?

Download Sysinternals Suite

Download Sysinternals Suite

Here’s a list of the tools you’ll get with the suite:

That’s it. Now you have the whole Sysinternals suite ready for use. If you’d like to access the Sysinternals tools online–without downloading or installing the tools–you can use Sysinternals live. If you want tolearn more about Sysinternals tools such as Process Explorer, head here.

Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
4.5 out of 5	Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

PRODUCT: Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 PRO VERSION REVIEWED: 5.1.1.0 PROS: Lots of tools to help you tweak your PC and get it running faster. License is good for 3 PCs. CONS: Pricey for a PC repair tool unless you’re using it on two or three of your computers. VERDICT: I don’t use many automated third-party tools to maintain my PC so I always look down a little on one-stop PC tuning solutions; however, I’d say this product is up there with TuneUp and is useful for system maintenance. PRICE: $49.95. DOWNLOAD: Get BoostSpeed 5 SE (Special Edition) Free here (Updated Oct 27, 2011) PURCHASE: Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 PRO ($49.95 USD aff)

Auslogics BoostSpeed Features

Like many other programs that make changes to speed up your PC, BoostSpeed checks your PC for Registry errors, junk files, disk errors, and checks for fragmented files:

Even though Windows has a built in disk checker and defragmenting tool and even though invalid registry entries (for the most part) and junk files don’t really slow down your PC, a one-click approach to fixing these issues is very nice.

Thankfully, BoostSpeed has other features to boast such as:

• System Advisor: Detects problems with your PC and makes recommendations based upon what the issue is and what solutions are available
• Free Up Space: Checks for duplicate files to free up disk space
• Software Control: Control which programs start with–and thus slow down the start up of–your PC
• Disaster Recovery: Recover lost files even when they’ve been deleted
• Speed Up Internet: Makes automatic changes to your network settings to speed up your internet connection

Download Auslogics BoostSpeed 5

Get Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 SE

Purchase Auslogics BoostSpeed 5 PRO ($49.95 USD aff)

Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
4+ out of 5	Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

PROS: One Click Action, Rip directly to ISO, remove copy protection and burn ISO to DVD (or Blu-Ray). CONS: It does take a lot CPU power while working, but that’s about it. No Heads up when the program is finished. No Downsizing possibilities. VERDICT: A simple, yet powerful application. It’s a “One Click Action” program which is very easy to use. Insert your movie, Click RUN and wait. PRICE: Absolutely FREE VERSION REVIEWED: 2.0 Build on 20110802 DOWNLOAD: BDlot DVD ISO Master

BDlot DVD ISO

I must admit being a bit un-enthusiastic when I get an email about a “fantastic product” promising to be the best product to ever hit the market. But I am weak for flattery, and when the person requesting me to review, loves our site… well I think you get the idea. So filled with bias and pre determined not to be amazed I downloaded this fantastic product and gave it a run.

So simple, any one can use it

First thing that struck me, was the simplicity. The design is clean. No Fancy gleering logos or graphical details. A plain and simple interface. I loved it. The interface has two main tabs, one for transferring your DVD to an ISO-file, and the other for burning your ISO-file to a DVD. Everything you need to get it working is there. Insert the DVD, Choose where to store the ISO file, hit the RUN-button and let the program do its thing. After about 20 minutes of waiting the job was done. Now came the time to test the finished result. One thing I sort of missed is that BDlot does not tell you its done. It just stops. No ding, no pop-up, nothing. I would prefer some notification that the process was completed. The finished ISO was exactly the same size as the original DVD 6.11 GB – which is too large for me to burn on a regular DVD. But mounted on my computer it worked like a charm. Seeing as the developers of BDlot say this is a “Do It All” program I would expect to find a “downsize” function to be able to burn the finished result on a regular 4,7GB DVD.

Disney Status

In addition to removing the common CSS protection (copy protection), removing of FBI Warning and other commercial clips, BDlot promise to keep the “Genuine Disney” protection. This would make sure that any online features provided with your purchase would still be available on your copy. I slammed in a Disney DVD, and hit RUN once more, to check it out. About half way in I could hear the “unreadable” sectors being processed by my DVD-burner. I thought, “uh-oh I don’t like the sound of that”, but amazingly enough – no errors, nothing. And the finished ISO played like a charm.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a simple and efficient program to back up your DVDs (which you’ve spent your hard-earned money on) I say look no further. The program is really great and deliver what it promise. Except for the missing Down-size Option I would prefer, this is one of the best DVD-Copy programs I’ve tested. And best of all, it’s free. But don’t just take my word for it – test it yourself. Did I mention the FREE part ??

Features

• Save Different DVDs to Hard Drive and USB Easily with Strong Reading Ability
• Backup Any Protected DVD with Unique Decrypting Technology
• Backup DVD to ISO without Compression or Quality Loss at Top Fast Speed
• Burn Any ISO to DVD/CD/BD under High-efficient Processing
• Error Proofing Technology Guarantees DVD Data Integrity after Burning
• High Compatibility and Good Stability Light Your Everyday Life

More information

You can read more about the program and its features here: http://www.bdlot.com/dvd-iso-master/

Download BDlot DVD ISO Master

Download BDlot DVD ISO Master

Oh, yeah and it’s FREE, did I say that already ??

Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
4 out of 5	Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

PROS: This free tool helps you identify “cold” spots in your home/office. Easy to use and does not require a location-aware PC setup.CONS: You have to sign up with your email address to get to the download but you can unsubscribe any time. You’ll need to use a laptop to take readings throughout your home. VERDICT: If you’re a geek and you want a map of wi-fi signal strength in your home, this application will do exactly that. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: 1.1.2 DOWNLOAD: HeatMapper

HeatMapper Installation

To download HeatMapper, go here, enter an email address (that works), and open your email to download HeatMapper:

Double click the installer and follow the instructions:

When prompted, click Install:

HeatMapper Features

When you start HeatMapper, you’ll be asked if you have a map. I got a map from the survey of our home that we had done prior to purchase. If you don’t have access to a map, I recommend you make one (it doesn’t have to be completely accurate) so you know where to click when you walk around your home.

Here’s the map I used for my first level. It’s very simple and something that you can create in Paint in a  minute or two:

Once you’ve loaded your map, you’ll be asked to walk around your home and to click the map in your current location. This will draw the path you take and record the signal at each checkpoint. Here’s my first level (click to enlarge):

Here’s my second level (good coverage):

Once you’ve completed your walk around the home, you’ll have a map of the signal strength throughout your home (plus a list of all dominant hotspots in your home.)

Download HeatMapper

Download HeatMapper

Note: You’ll need to enter a valid email address and can unsubscribe after you receive the first email.

The lack of security may lay in an outdated browser version, but also in the plugins, add ons and what not installed. The over eager use of plugins (as done in MSIE and Firefox) is why I personally dread most browsers. Mostly because these plugins tend to clutter my “browsing space” but also due to the lack of security.

How do you know how safe your browser experience really is ?

The short answer is: BrowserCheck By Qualys

BrowserCheck by Qualys is a free tool that allow you to test your browser and plugins for known security issues, vulnerabilities  and outdated software.  But that’s not all. BrowserCheck also help you solve your discovered problems by offering links to the new and updated software you need to fix your Browser issues.

Clicking on each topic in the results page, will show you which driver, plugin and version BrowserCheck found on your system and what action they recommend you take.

All links is directed to the vendors / developers sites so you don’t risk downloading from an unknown or unsecure site. In other words, the BrowserCheck is not scamming you to use a certain software or paid subscription.

On my first run I found that not only was my browser outdated (by a couple of days), but so were my Flash-, Pdf-, Quicktime and Java plugin. I was able to download and solve these issues within 5 minutes, and now I’m browsing even more secure than before. Now it’s your turn…

https://browsercheck.qualys.com/

Featuring: WIM-images and Diskpart

When I first bought my netbook from Acer it came with the  Windows 7 Starter (scam) Edition. Luckily for me I had an extra Home Premium license I could use. Problem was that the graphics driver needed was not available for download, and was not available through Windows. A fact I only discovered once I had re-installed windows. Another irritating thing I discovered was that the bundled software that was pre-installed with my windows starter edition, did not run anymore.

The solution? The hidden recovery partition.

Most new computers today comes with pre-installed Windows and bundled software. These licenses or programs does not come with an installation disk, package or user-manuals. Instead the setup files (or recovery disk) is stored in a hidden partition on your hard-drive, together with various extra drivers and tweak files. At the end of this article I will show you where to look for the files and how to retrieve them, but first lets unhide the partition. To unlock or get access to this hidden partition we need to unhide it. This can be achieved using the built-in DiskPart Tool. You can choose to get access to the disk on a one-time basis or permanently assigning a drive letter for it. In most cases you are able to assign a drive letter using the Windows Disk management tool. The Recovery Partition is normally set to have no drive letter by default. We can override this feature by using Diskpart.

Diskpart

Diskpart is a Command Line Utility which allows us to control every disk and partition on our system. We have shown you different uses for this tool on occasion, and this time we will use it to get access to the hidden partition. To make a hidden partition available we need to assign a drive letter, and this is how:

1. Click Start-button and type DISKPART and press Enter.
2. Click OK when the UAC prompt you
3. In the Diskpart Dialogue Window, type: list disk This will show you a list of the disks  installed on your computer.
4. Type Select Disk 0 (where zero is the disk we want to use, if you have more that one disk you might want to try accessing one by one until you find the right one)
5. Type List Partition. You will see a list of all partitions on the drive, in my case there are two. One large and one small. The small one is the one we want to change. You can also identify the hidden partition by the fact that there are no drive letter assigned to it.
6. Type Select Partition 1 (Where 1 represent your partition)
7. Type Assign If successful you should get an Auto-run dialogue.
8. Type Exit to close the Diskpart Tool.

Hidden on reboot…

On some computers the partition will be hidden again on the next boot. This is due to a setting called “nodefaultdriveletter”, which tells windows that the partition is to be hidden by default. If you would like to keep the partition visible,  you will have to change the setting.

1. Open the Diskpart tool
2. Type Select Disk 0
3. Type List Partition
4. Type Select Partition 1 (Replace 1 with the corresponding letter)
5. Type Detail Partition This will display the settings for your partition. If the Type is set to 27 the partition is set as hidden.
6. Try one of the following commands: Set ID=07 OVERRIDE attributes volume clear hidden
7. Type Assign to assign a drive letter.
8. Type Exit to close the Diskpart Tool.

The next time you boot your computer the partition will still be visible.

Looking through the Recovery Partition Folder

Now it’s time to do a bit of digging inside the Folders. The location of drivers and software will vary depending on your brand or computer type. In my case, everything I need is  hidden inside the ACER-HQ1 folder. You will see many different folders containing everything from Windows Recovery or setup-files, drivers and the licensed software that came bundled with your computer. The content of these folders will most likely be WIM-files or images. The Windows Imaging Format (WIM) is a file-based disk image format (like ISO, RAR and ZIP). It was developed by Microsoft to deploy its latest Windows operating system releases, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, which use it as part of their standard installation procedure. It works equally well with older versions of Windows.

Windows Setup Files Found in the Recovery Partition

Accessing WIM-Images

To access the contents the WIM-files you need a WIM capable reader. I suggest you use WinMount which works similar to WinRAR, but allow you to mount WIM-images temporarily.

Inside a WIM-image you will usually find 2 folders and a xml-file (it may vary). Usually the content you seek is within the folder named 1 (one). After mounting you might need to copy the contents to a new folder before installing the program or driver. Once you have done that, you can install the software as you please.

Bundled software licenses

In order to make sure you don’t install the bundled software onto other computers most setup files have a CMD-file attached to it. This is a scriptfile that will check the identity of your computer before allowing the setup to start. Delete this file to avoid it from running.

The serial is usually found inside an INI-file or a XML-file. And that should be all you need to know. Good Luck

Download WinMount

Download WinMount