We have a set of recommended software and utilities to maintain and protect your system.
File Data Corrector is a great program to re-impose the Date Created attribute of your working files or data. If you have made wholesale changes to your computer, transferred data to another system or otherwise changed the Modified Date so that the Creation Date is lost you can use this program to bring back that information.
AdBlock Plus is a great utility that goes a long way toward blocking unwanted ads on websites and devices. Browse faster and more securely with AdBlock Plus. Visit the site and select the version for your browser. Install in a minute or two and enjoy ad free browsing!
Speedfan “is a monitoring program for users who think that the Windows Task Manager is too basic. It allows you to monitor the health of your hard drives, the temperature of different components, and change the speed of the fans. The main interface of SpeedFan can be intimidating at first but once you get past the deluge of data, you’re greeted with a very powerful application that can help you troubleshoot the most difficult PC problems. SpeedFan offers more functionality and information than even your PC’s BIOS can.” You should click the green download button, then click it again to begin the download process. Once complete double click to install using the default settings.
Flip and Rotate Video Utility. Have you ever created or downloaded a video only to find out it is upside down or rotated incorrectly? To make it worse, the video is a clip of something that cannot be replicated, such as a graduation, event or a moment in time. What do you do?
You can download a free flip and rotate utility that solves the problem. Click the first link (Free Video Flip and Rotate). Install the utility and let it run.
Once open, click in the upper left corner to select the Input file. Browse to the file location to open. Double click the file you want to change and it should appear in both windows in the program. The right side is where you can rotate the video. Once you have it looking as desired, click the top of the right side window to send it to a different location or leave the current location in place and it will save it in the same place as the original. Click Convert.
The size of the file determines how long it takes to convert the video.
Want to move files from a Mac system to a PC? There is a utility called HFSExplorer that will allow you to access data on the mac drive and extract it (copy), to your PC. You can then access your mac data as you would any other files on the computer.
Attach your Mac drive to your computer. Either use a USB cable to attach the hard drive from the mac computer or attach the external hard drive that you used on the mac system to hold the mac data. The PC will not recognize or read the mac drives yet, so nothing will pop up saying there is a new drive installed. Now download, open and install the utility, HFSExplorer.
Once installed, click on the Program folder and select the Administrative option to run the program. Click on File and then select to Load file from device. A smaller window opens. Click the AutoDetect button at the top left of the window. That option will find the hfs hard drive and allow you to open and access the data.
Go to the folders you want to extract, (copy), and then click the Extract button. Make sure you have a location, or new folder, to put the extracted files. Browse to that folder and click to begin the process. The amount of data will determine the amount of time it takes to complete.
Delete text messages permanently: In an earlier Tip we discussed how to create more space on your smart phone by removing text messages you don’t need to save. As you may know, those messages are still stored on the iPhone data base and can be found using spotlight. To eradicate them permanently we suggest using a free utility called PhoneClean.
The program is free and installs in seconds. You should always backup your data on the iPhone to your computer and in a folder that will not sync with your device later on, and thereby putting all the data back on to the smart phone. Create a folder on the desktop, (right click, new and then folder). Name it iPhone data. Now start PhoneClean. Follow the prompts to clean your device.
Having a hard drive that is running out of space is frustrating when you do not understand how your drive filled up to begin with. There is a neat utility that is effective at showing where all the space has gone. It is FREE and called WinDirStat. Click the green button to the right to begin the download process.
Windows Directory Statistics will display a screen showing folders and their sizes. You can open each folder, if you need to, and view the file sizes as well. This tool is very helpful in determining what is taking up so much space and will allow you to understand what can be moved to another drive without affecting your system performance.
When you consider the increasing integration of PCs and Macs the program that is very helpful is Libre Office. The software allows the users to easily open, edit and save documents and other office files across platforms. The requirement for a PC version or Mac version for your Office software is gone. Click the link to download your version. Libre Office
One of the best ways to protect and maintain your computer is to run a series of utilities that clean the hard drive and remove threats. These are some of the utilities we use. The links provided should not include any additional software that can be installed with some downloaded files. Please follow the directions to avoid this issue.
Ccleaner: click to download the first utility. Click the green Download Latest Version button to the right. Easy to use and great to keep your system clean.
SuperAntiSpyware: Very effective utility. Click the green Download Latest Version button to the right. Update as needed, however, do not purchase the product, unless you want to.
Malwarebytes: A very effective utility that removes unwanted malicious software and bugs. Click the Download Now button just below the utility name.
Want to convert documents or spreadsheets to the PDF format? Use this link to download and install dopdf. Click the download now button and then a second download now button. Install using the default settings.