Software Reviews by Muad`Dib

The reviews and opinions below are posted by SnapFiles visitors. They do not necessarily reflect our opinion, and they are solely based upon the experience of individual users.

Dariks Boot and Nuke (DBAN) Dariks Boot and Nuke (DBAN)

It may work, but be very careful!! 2 stars
I had problems getting DBAN to start from a CD - I kept getting a "DBAN Finished With Non-Fatal Errors" immediately after starting the actual wipe (a common problem according to reviews on other websites), which may be related to having unneeded devices connected to your computer, though I had removed all such devices). However, even if I had gotten it to work, another problem with the program REALLY worries me: The first time I ran DBAN, the drive I was trying to erase (an external box with an eSATA connector) appeared 2nd on the list (the 1st one was my internal laptop drive). After I rebooted (and changed absolutely nothing), the order of the two drives on the screen were switched (my internal drive appeared 2nd). Had I not been paying attention, I could have easily started wiping my laptop's internal drive by mistake. When I discovered this switch, I decided to stop even trying to use the program. Yes I know you're supposed to be careful with such tools (and fortunately, I was), but if DBAN can't keep track of which drive is 0 and which is 1, and display them in a consistent and logical order, then I'm not comfortable trusting the program not to 'accidentally' wipe the wrong drive with my data. If I were trying to wipe many drives and could set up a machine disconnected from all HDDs except the one I'm wanting to wipe, then maybe I'd try to use it. Price: Free
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AptDiff AptDiff

Easily compares files (byte-by-byte or text) 5 stars
You've got two files on your computer, file sizes are the same, but maybe the name and/or timestamp is different. Are the contents of the two files identical? AptDiff makes finding this out very simple. Just enter the two file names, click the "Compare" button and if they're the same, a big green equals sign appears (if they're not, a comparison list of all the differences will be displayed). This program works on ALL file types, not just text files (choose "Compare as Binary" for non-text file comparisons). There are a lot of options available with this program. Some are to change how the display looks, others (more importantly) are to protect the files you're comparing from any accidental changes. Do check out the options to see how powerful this program can be. The one enhancement I'd suggest would be to add a drag-and-drop of the file names into the comparison boxes. But hey it's free, so I can live without that feature. I've been using AptDiff for several years and have found it extremely helpful in eliminating duplicate files (and knowing for sure that they ARE duplicates). Price: Free
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CCCalc CCCalc

Much more powerful than it first looks! 4 stars
While this is simply a four-function calculator (with memory), its paper-tape display is surprisingly sophisticated. Not only does it display recent calculations on a simulated paper-tape, you are able to DIRECTLY edit that paper-tape. For example, you are calculating a list of numbers (balancing your checkbook?), and the total just doesn't seem right. You look at the list, and see that one of your entries was slightly off. With CCCalc, you can change that entry (even a single digit in that entry), and the total will automatically be recalculated. Now THAT`S powerful! It also has the ability to export your calculations (via copy/paste) to an external file, so you're able to keep a permanent record of the transaction. Try this program for a little bit and test out the various options. You'll see how useful it can be. Let's hope they can add more math functions in a future version (add enough of them, and I'd be willing to pay for it!). Price: Free
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Everything Everything

Small and fast, but works only with NTFS 3 stars
I just started using this, so I can't be report extensively on its usefulness, but the first thing I noticed is that it did not index my FAT32 partitions. According to the online FAQ, the only way to fix that is to convert the FAT32 partitions/drives to NTFS (thanks, but no thanks!). Also, the export function is nice, but it only copies the path and filename to the export file, size and timestamp (which show up on the program screen) do not get saved to the export file. Might be useful (especially the portable, ZIP file version on the developers own site), but without support for non NTFS partitions, it will be a rarely used program in my arsenal. Price: Free
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ISO Recorder ISO Recorder

Easy to use, but there is a bug... 4 stars
There is a bug that users should be aware of: If you try to burn to a CD that's too small (i.e. using a 650mb CD, when you need a 700mb), ISO Recorder will falsely tell you the CD is burned without displaying an error message (though in my case, the burn happened VERY quickly - in under 3 minutes - so I was already suspicious. Therefore I wasn't surprised when I couldn't create a new ISO from the CD (but this was the first time I had used the program, so I didn't know quite what to expect)). Many other programs that burn discs from ISO files (I use AShampoo Burning Studio), warn you BEFORE burning that the capacity is too small. Yes the program is very easy to use, but make sure the disc can hold the files, or at least make sure you can access the files properly from the CD before you erase the source ISO file. And if anything strange happens (very fast burning, strange disc capacities, etc.) be suspicious and try another program or a bigger CD! Price: Free
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myTimeZone for eBay myTimeZone for eBay

What ebay never bothered to do - done better! 5 stars
It always seemed a bit silly that eBay couldn't display your local time zone in the auction listings. Well because of this oversight, myTimeZone for eBay has been created, and it does so much more! Not only will it display auction end times in YOUR local time, it will optionally display a countdown timer, add a "total price" column that totals the item price and the S/H fee (and optionally converts the item currency to your currency). If you use Firefox and shop on eBay, you must try this add-on. Even if Firefox is not your primary browser, try it with this program and you may switch browsers simply for the features myTimeZone adds to eBay listings. A very impressive eBay tool! Price: Free
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