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Regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy recommending the great free software tools that I use every day on my own computers and mobile devices.
One of the most amazing things about the Internet age is how we can download useful programs and apps to complete most any task we can imagine at absolutely no cost whatsoever.
I like to call it the era of ubiquitous freebies.
But the above being said, free downloads can often have a dark side…
If you’re like me you love installing free software and trying it out.
And why not? After all, it’s free!
That means if you don’t like a program you’ve downloaded you can simply uninstall it and you won’t be out as much a cent!
But there’s a problem with installing many free programs and apps: They tend to install a bunch of junkware along with them if you aren’t careful.
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Microsoft provides a utility called MSCONFIG that allows us to determine and control which programs Windows loads at Startup, but unfortunately it is woefully lacking.
MSCONFIG does list the major applications that start up automatically, but it doesn’t provide anywhere near a full list of all the independent processes that load into memory with every boot-up and consume precious CPU clock cycles.
Luckily, there is a better much better Windows Startup manager, and it is available as a free download. [Read more…]
Regular readers of this blog know I’m a huge fan of free software because I routinely recommend the use of freeware whenever possible to accomplish whatever the task at hand may be.
But as you probably also know there can be hidden dangers lurking behind the scenes every time you install a piece of free software.
The dangers range all the way from the installation of unwanted add-on software to installing viruses and other forms of malware right along with the programs themselves.
If you enjoy listening to the radio, chances are you occasionally hear a song and wonder who’s singing it or what its title is.
Well, now you can stop wondering thanks to a nifty free smartphone app called Shazam.