Monday, August 13, 2001		Downloads of the week

CODE RED! All computer users must have learnt about the new worm on the sprawl. This dreaded worm has caused extensive loss to computer users. The Internet abounds with worms like Code Red and probably there is one in your computer also. Despite the fact that you may have installed an anti-virus software on your PC, you are not 100 per cent safe from these viruses and worms. However, with WormGuard you can tighten the security of your PC. WormGuard uses generic and heuristic techniques as well as advanced hooking and blocking to prevent worms (known and unknown) from infecting your system. This is a very powerful program and can warn you of the potential dangers before you attempt to run the affected files. However, if you run the file, the program will run a series of tests to find out if the worm is hostile. If a file is found to be hostile or containing malicious codes, this program, besides recording a log of activity, can optionally also delete the affected file(s) or put it in a quarantine folder. The power of this program is not just limited to detecting worms in your system-it is also capable of checking VBScripts, JavaScripts, HTML and other types of files, which are prone to worms. This software also checks various unusual file names for any possible threat and can run its tests on them. Since macro files, used in common Office applications, may also contain viruses, it checks all of those too.

If you are very fond of sharing files over the Internet with your friends, then this is a must for you as it will check your files before you download them. Moreover, it can also protect your computer from password stealers. Downloaded from http://www.diamondcs.com.au/

Modem Booster

Speed is a common concern of all Internet users. Given the limitation of line conditions and also the bandwidth limitation of ISPs, it is not possible to get the maximum out of your connection. However, with certain software you can overcome the limitation of your ISP and the line condition. However, we strongly recommend that you should first try out the measures, which have been suggested in Login... Tribune earlier. However, if that does not help much only then these measures should be tried.Modem booster is basically a program that tunes your TCP/IP settings for data fragmentation. The settings affected by the modem booster are quite complex and streamlines the flow of data into your PC. This helps in boosting the performance of your Internet connection. It runs a series of tests to determine the right system settings for your modem and these settings are not optimised; then it modifies or tweaks the settings, which are normally not accessible for most Windows users. Among the main settings the Modem Booster edits the Maximum Transition Unit (MTU), Receive Window (RWIN), and Time to Live (TTL) settings. It also modifies Internet cache files to a higher size in order to boost your browsing capacity. However, having higher Internet cache is not very desirable for your other computer functions and, thus, you must regularly clear the cache file for smooth performance of your PC. This program could be useful for people who use Internet for downloading, on-line gaming and other Internet activities. On the whole, it's a good program and can be downloaded from http://www.inklineglobal.com. A word of caution: the results of this program may vary from ISP to ISP and the results could be from average to good.

This is for the aspiring Steven Spielbergs. Photography, both still and moving, is a passion for many. However, the high cost associated with it restricts most of us from trying our creativity in the fascinating word of digital photography and videos. But computers have made it anybody's cup of tea. All you need to have is a multimedia PC and the software called Personal AVI Editor. This is an excellent program for capturing video images and also editing them to suit your requirement. It can be used for recording, editing and producing video clips in AVI format. Not just that, the editing feature allows you to add special effects to your creation, thereby adding a lot of value to your work. Some of the prominent special effects, which can be given using this program include fading for video and audio, audio mix, video wipe, blue screen superimposing and a video title plug-in. There are many more advanced special effects, which can be incorporated by using the timeline-style editor to place effects via simple drag-and-drops. This program is quite comprehensive and allows a lot of flexibility in the operations. Moreover, it also incorporates audio tracks for producing and incorporating sound files in your video. The interface makes it easy to synchronise both tracks. Despite its having so many advanced features, it is very simple to use. For using this software you would require a video capture card besides an audio-visual source like a camcorder, a digital camera or even a Web camera. If you have these gadgets, you can realise your aspiration of becoming a movie master. Using this software, you can also digitalise your memories of all small and big occasions of your life. On the whole, in the world of digital editing AVI Personal Editor could be your best companion and also a great resource. Download from http://www.flickerfree.com.