Free Trials

Free Trial of GoToMeeting – Conduct Online Meetings

By terry Leave a Comment

GoToMeeting: The Next Generation in Online Meetings Has Arrived – Try it FREE today.

GoToMeeting is the easiest and most cost-effective way to organize and attend secure online meetings. Sign up for a free trial today with no obligation to buy. Host meetings on-the-fly with sales prospects, perform live demos in real-time to multiple customers or collaborate on projects with your colleagues. You’ll be able to host unlimited online meetings – with up to 10 attendees per meeting!

>>>>> Sales Demonstrations: Give spontaneous demonstrations during sales calls.

>>>>> Presentations: Conduct presentations as if you were in the same room with your attendees.

>>>>> Collaboration: Boost productivity by collaborating with colleagues in real-time.

>>>>> Training: Save the hassle and expense of travel by conducting live training sessions with GoToMeeting.

Find out for yourself how GoToMeeting can change the way you do business.

Try it today, absolutely FREE.

Filed Under: Broadband, Free Trials, Office, Sales, Specials, Web Browsers

Optimize 2.0 Review – Five Months Later Review

By terry Leave a Comment

Optimize 2.0 Review Number 2

Back in February, 2008, I bought a license for Optimize 2.0 and was very impressed with its cleanup and speedup changes it made on my computer.

Now, five months later, is it still a worthwhile tool?

As I ran the program on Friday night, it had been several weeks since I had used it to check the optimization and for cleanup.

Continue reading Optimize 2.0 Review – Five Months Later Review or get more information

Filed Under: Free Trials, Optimize, Other, PC Repairs, Registry Repair, Software, Speed-up, Stability, System Control, Terry's Computer Tips, Troubleshooting, Vista, Windows XP

GoToMyPC – Remote Access to Your PC – Review

By terry Leave a Comment

As I wrote in one of my weekly newsletters, I’de been trying the 30-day free trial of GoToMyPC. I’m very impressed with this service and its capabilities.

GoToMyPC is designed to allow a PC user to access his computer remotely. This user might be a salesman, a tech support person, a business man who left some files at the office (or at home), a traveler for business or pleasure. Access could be from across town or across the country.

Getting Started With GoToMyPC – 30-day free trial

On the remote PC, the PC that you’re actually using, you use a Java-capable web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc) to access your host computer (your office or home PC). Any web browsers that supports Sun Microsystems’ Java (free, www.java.com) will work, although not all features may be available on some browsers. You can even access and control your Windows PC from a Mac.

Filed Under: Firefox, Free Trials, Internet Explorer, Networking, Opera, Other, Software, Terry's Computer Tips, Usability, Web Browsers

CounterSpy 2 Released

By terry Leave a Comment

Sunbelt released CounterSpy 2 last week. The new version features a new antispyware / antiadware engine aimed at providing much enhanced capabilities.

In addition, CounterSpy 2 has much improved memory usage and runs on XP, 2000, and Vista (32-bit only). I’ve updated my computers to CounterSpy 2.

Sunbelt has continued the 15-day free full-function trial version. At the end of 15 days, if you haven’t licensed your copy, it becomes disabled.

CounterSpy 2 is only $19.95 for one computer, with significant discounts for multiple computer licenses.

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, Free Trials, Software

Sunbelt Kerio Firewall – Intrusion Detection

By terry Leave a Comment

Another neat feature of the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (my choice of firewall programs), is its two Intrusion Prevention systems.

The free version includes the Network Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS)

According to the program’s control screen:

NIPS scans network traffic andblocks recognized attacks based on a database of known attack signatures. Network connecitons carrying detected attacks are closed and dangerous data is not allowed to reach the application. NIPS can generate a small number of false positives.

One of kerio’s other features — one that’s available only in the paid version or during the free 30-day full-function trial — is its Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS).

According to the program’s control screen:

HIPS pevents attacks that reach vulnerable applications from succceeding by blocking any illegitimate behavior attmpted by the affected applications. HIPS does not require signature updates to learn about new threats and therefore is effective at stopping newly spreading or mutated attacks. HIPS rarely generates false positives.

I’m glad that I use the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall

Filed Under: Firewalls, Free Trials, Intrusion Detection

Sunbelt Kerio Firewall – Intrusion Prevention

By terry Leave a Comment

I use the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall. on all my family’s computers and my business computer, too. It’s easy, convenient and inexpensive.

I also like that it stops a lot more things by default — I hate firewalls that accept outbound connections automatically without even telling me.

Ads by Terry

Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall

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CounterSpy

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I used to think that was just the Windows Firewall, which is only a one-way firewall. It only stops outsiders from getting to your computer. But, one of its biggest flaws is that it accepts anything originating on your computer as if it were valid — and it permits it to access the Internet.

That might be a program calling home to check for updates. Or, it might be a program calling home to log that it’s being used from that IP address, or even more details like the “registered user” of the computer. Or, it might even be a spam program or other nasty that you picked up on the Internet by accident, and don’t even know that it’s there!

I used to use the ZoneAlarm firewall. It wasn’t until I changed to the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall that I learned that Microsoft itself was calling home way too often. ZoneAlarm used to tell me about the “call home” in Windows Media Player. But, it never told me that Windows XP called home when I simply clicked on Search (Start, Search).

But, the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall told me. I’m much more comfortable knowing when an outbound connection attempt is made — and allowing it if I want — than to let the program have a pre-defined, un-editable list of “OK programs.”

Sunbelt offers a free full-function 30-day trial of the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall. After 15 days, if you’re using it at home and not for business, you can use it for free (but with fewer functions).

Regularly $19.95, Sunbelt offers a special two-fer — two licenses for Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall for only $29.92. At this price, all my copies are “paid” copies.

Filed Under: Firewalls, Free Trials

Computer Security Software Recommendations

By terry Leave a Comment

My Philosophy: Many people want to pick their most economical solution and prefer an all-in-one anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall solution. In concept, that’s a great idea. In actual practice, this type of package is not likely to be the best in all the protection categories you need.

Other people want to pick the best of each type program. I’m one of the these folks. Read about my security software choices.

So, I’ve got two types of recommendations: the all-in-one solutions and my picks of the individual products for people who want to pick a program of each type.

Read more in my article Computer Security Software Recommendations at www.TerrysComputerTips.com

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-spam, Anti-Spyware, Firewalls, Free Trials, System Control, Updates

XP Repair Pro 2006

By terry Leave a Comment

I found the Windows registry repair tool for which I had been looking…XP Repair Pro 2006 has been a great tool for me.

My very first evaluations of it were awesome. It knocked the block off the version of Norton WinDoctor that I had been using, as it found and fixed many, many more errors.

Since then, it has been a regular tool in my arsenal. When I uninstall software, I run XP Repair Pro to do another cleanup behind the usually-incomplete removals

I also run it about every two weeks just as a general preventive.

Although there is an Advanced Scan level, this is recommended for experts. I have yet to try the Advanced, since the basic mode has been so useful.

XP Repair Pro 2006 offers a free download and free scan. It will disclose its findings from the free scan, and requires registration in order to have the program perform the fixes. The license is surprisingly user-friendly and allows use on multiple home computers.

Defending Your Computer with WinPatrol

By terry Leave a Comment

One of the tools in my computer defense arsenal is a free program called WinPatrol, which lets me have easy access to control automatically starting programs and a lot more.

Actually, I’ve registered WinPatrol, so I’m running “WinPatrol Plus” with access to their program information database.

I used the free version for several years before I broke down and bought the Plus license. At the time, the only difference was that the Plus gave only access to their program information.

The change was an epiphany. It was like going from a VCR to a Home Theater PC (or even a TiVo®. Like going from dialup Internet access to a cable or DSL connection.

WinPatrol will monitor my computer, if I let it (and I do!), to allow me to block changes that are made to certain Internet Explorer and Windows settings, as well as allowing me to block programs from starting automatically.

Does your computer start up slowly? Do you have a bunch of icons in the Windows Status Bar? Each of those programs took some time to start, each takes some of your RAM all the time and some CPU cycles to monitor whatever they are monitoring, and each takes some time to shut down, too.

Is your computer slow? If your anti-virus and anti-spyware (your ARE running both, aren’t you?) are up to date, the problem usually falls into one or both of these categories:

There are too many slightly-valuable or useless programs running all the time
Not enough RAM

WinPatrol Plus can give you the information and ability to control those extra programs — and speed up your computer in the process!

WinPatrol is free. WinPatrol Plus is $30 — but, during September’06, the author has made the “Plus” information available to everyone free of charge. Give it a test drive. I think you’ll like it.

Technorati Tags: autostart programs, startup programs, WinPatrol, Win Patrol

Filed Under: Anti-Adware, Anti-Spyware, Free Trials, System Control