Secunia PSI now in final form

Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) is now officially out of beta and at version 1.0 (well, OK ... version 1.0.0.1). I have used versions prior to 1.0 and found them excellent. I'll be downloading, installing, and running PSI 1.0 today. I encourage you to do the same. This free software checks your programs for any updates.

While Microsoft Update (or the lesser Windows Update) does a great job, they naturally only deal with Microsoft products. Your computer has tons more programs, each of which may need a security patch, bug fix, or enhancement. Why check them all manually? Let PSI check for you. Try it; you'll like it.

To really stay on top of patches, I also use Driver Detective (not free, but very worth having).

• Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI)

IE 7 Add-ons make surfing better

Internet Explorer 7 is a nice browser, but certainly not perfect. I also have Firefox installed on my PC, though I routinely use IE7. Among other things, online Blogger post editing seems to come out better than Firefox. No browser is perfect.

Case in point -- spell checking. I like the Firefox spell checking feature. Well, if you are an IE7 user, there's a free spell check add-on (but I like the Firefox implementation better). Actually, there are different add-ons that let you add features or customize IE7 more to your liking.

Here are a few IE add-ons that I wish Microsoft had included in IE7:

• IE Spell (See IE7Pro below, though). Note that this spell check is only for form fields and similar ares to be filled in -- not for general web page views. It works fine within the Blogger post editing area, for example, though you have to manually force the check.
• Inline Search (from IE Forge. See IE7Pro, below, though.)
• Add Search Providers (surprisingly, from Microsoft)

Other handy Add-ons:

• IE7Pro. IE7Pro adds several features, including Spell check and inline searching. The IE7Pro spell checks as you type, unlike the spell check on request method of "IE Spell" (above). That can be a blessing or a curse -- you decide.
  Note: IE7Pro didn't function well on my system, perhaps due to a couple of other browser helper objects installed. It crashed on use.
• Web Developer Toolbar
• Feed Folder. I prefer the IE7 Feed display in the left pane, but if you like Firefox's feed display better, check out Feed Folder.

Software Patch Inspector

Secunia's Personal Software Inspector (PSI) is now in Release Candidate 1 (RC-1).

Of ZD Net's top 10 free security utilities you should be using, they say, "Number one is the Secunia Personal Software Inspector, quite possibly the most useful and important free application you can have running on your Windows machine."
http://content.zdnet.com/2346-12691_22-95490-1.html

The latest update features an improved look plus easier use by novices, yet advanced options can be turned on.

You can even track the results of your patching. Run, don't walk, and get Secunia's PSI now!

You need more than Windows Update

If you use Microsoft Windows, you are likely familiar with Windows Update, the free service that installs security patches, bug patches, and some enhancements to Windows. But you really need much more.

You need to get updates for other Microsoft prograns, such as Microsoft Office. You can do that by installing "Microsoft Update ".

Next, download and install the Secunia Personal Software Inspector and check for outdated programs and ones needing updates. Though in beta, it works well and is an eye-opener.

Don't put it off -- prote t your computer now!

Google now packs StarOffice

Google has announced that it will include Sun's StarOffice as a free download as part of Google Pack. Previously, a StarOffice download form Sun cost $70. Since Google let's you select exactly which apps you want as part of Google Pack, this is a no-brainer.

If you are an average home user, why pay for Microsoft Office when you buy a PC? Just download StarOffice as part of Google Pack.

I'll shortly be ordering a computer for a relative and stocking it with apps. Below are the programs I'll pick from Google Pack:

• FireFox with Google Toolbar
• Adobe Reader
• StarOffice
• Picasa
• Google talk (this only because the relative is not a Gmail user).

Scrybe: Sneak Peek

[video removed - was not working]

This looks like the coming of Semantic Web that Tim Berners-Lee talks about. It looks extremely useful.

[May 8, 2007 update]

Some reviewers seem to be treating Scrybe as a calendar. It's really more of a shareable organizer concept - calendar, to do, and notes, for example.

The YouTube video link was not working here or on the Scrybe site. So I have removed it and added a couple of links about Scrybe:

• Scrybe - the seamless organizer
• Calendar Review - Scrybe

New email version from Mozilla

Thunderbird 2.0 email software is now available from Mozilla -- the folks who bring you the FireFox web browser. I have in the past used Outlook Express, Outlook, and Eudora email clients. But my current choice is Thunderbird.

My fast take on version 2.0:

• Spiffied up icons (in general)
• Weird looking sideways folder icons
• Some nice new features
• One big disadvantage: Mozilla still has not built in the needed ability to delete a message and return to the message list. The only action built into Thurderbird is to automatically display the nest message. This is a horrible program behavior for security reasons. What if the next message is malicious? What if it contains an invisible GIF web bug? You have no chance to just not open it -- Thunderbird will open that message anyway. As a result, some Thunderbird 2.0 users are reverting back to version 1.5 and using the "Unselect message" add-in.
• Another downer: The "Unselect message" add-in (extension) that I used with version 1.5 does not work with version 2. I used this as a workaround for the terrible lack of that capability in Thunderbird (as mentioned above). Hopefully the author will revise the code so it's compatible with version 2.x.

Hold on to Windows XP?

You may want or need to hold on to Windows XP instead of upgrading to Vista. If so, you should know that you can still get some of the benefits of Vista by adding on to XP. Here are some cool add-ons, (courtesy of an article by Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows). These are free unless a price is listed. Read Paul's article for a more in-depth review of each category.

• Desktop search: Windows Search
• AntiSpyware: Windows Defender
• Web browser: MSIE 7.0 (not yet in final release)
• Sidebar and Gadgets: Yahoo Widget Engine or Google Desktop
• Backup/Restore: Windows One-Care ($15-$20/yr)
• Email: Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Windows Live Mail Desktop Beta
• Calendar: Mozilla Sunbird or Google Calendar
• Photo gallery, management, & sharing: Picasa 2 from Google.
• Digital Media Jukebox: Windows Media Player 11 for XP
• Digital movie editor: Windows Movie Maker 6

Clean up Windows files and folders

Fred Langa, author of the LangaList newsletter, offers great tips. His 2002 series on cleanup of multiple versions of Windows is still a classic. The linked page contains:

• Basic cleanup for all versions of windows
• Advanced cleanup batch file (Win 9x)
• Advanced cleanup for other versions of Windows (including XP)
• Sageset tips
• Sagerun tips
• Cleaning of temporary files folders
• Advanced use of cleanup commands

At both work and home I use a custom version of "cleanxp.bat". It's fast and handy. You wouldn't believe how many problems it "magically" fixes. I often tell clients to exit from all programs and then run it before trying more advanced troubleshooting. Too many programs leave behind temporary files that they should delete when you close them.

Fred's LangaList newsletter comes in two versions -- free and an inexpensive paid ("Plus") version. It's available in varied emailed formats as well as on the web. The Plus version gets you even more juicy tips. Oh ... and despite coming from New Hampshire, Fred doesn't take anything for granite.

Private Folders lets XP users protect data

Microsoft now offers, for free, Private Folders 1.0, using password protected folders. It is a step to protect sensitive data from prying eyes. Though billed as being for a computer that multiple people use, it may also help protect against data theft by hackers and thieves.

Then there's file and folder encryption too using XP's Encrypting File System (EFS). The Federal Government will soon have to start using encryption on all its laptops, notebooks, tablets, ... (portable computers). Just remember -- encryption is not for files you need to share.

• The article on CNET
• Download Private folders 1.0 from Microsoft