dirtnap

Software Reviews by dirtnap

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.

Hidden Menu

Still my favorite

I've been using Hidden Menu since their debut. I've tried out many other similar products but always chose to keep HM. It is a simple and effective solution that fits my need perfectly. Even the older versions are better than other similar products. Thanks, HM, for making my computer life easier. Price: Free

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Thunderbird

Outlook users... get a clue!

For the application-challenged... Get a clue! T'Bird is the current freebie champ in the e-mail category. If it's not working right on your computer it is most likely that YOU are the one who needs to clean up junk, config, and conflict problems on your system. A clean system will run this program Perfectly, and it will run rings around your beloved M.S. e-mail apps. Hundreds of experienced people in my user's group rank T'Bird as the premier mail app. If you're having a problem, go to the T'Bird forum and find out what it is that YOU are doing wrong which is causing such simple problems that even a novice should be able to figure out and correct. And T'Bird is FAR more secure than M.S. e-mail apps. Price: Free

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Boilsoft Video Splitter

Easy to use -- works great!

I can't comment on another reviewer's complaint about being charged for upgrades because I have not tried to do that yet. The reason I bought this splitter instead of about a dozen others I tried is because it is "a splitter for dummies," i.e., ANYONE can use this software with virtually no learning curve -- I split my first video in less than 5 minutes without reading any help files or tutorial. It worked great with no problems. Even with help files I couldn't get the software from many other vendors to work for me -- they were very confusing to use -- not at all intuitive. Boilsoft's splitter isn't pretty, but it's simple to use and it works! Price: Free Trial ($34.95)

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DoubleSafety

A superior backup application

DoubleSafety deserves more than 3 stars. I've been using it for several months and it is easy to use, has good features, and is superior to most other backup apps in its price range. Download the trial version and give it a try. Price: Free Trial ($44.95)

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Atlantis Word Processor

Word without the bloat

I have used Atlantis Pro version for years, since it's beginning. I've tried many word processor alternatives but never found any better for my needs. I use it at work and home. The only time I use MSWord is when I do heavy duty drawing or graphics work. Atlantis is amazing. I've never paid for an upgrade. Give it a try. Price: Free Trial ($35.00)

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FileBack PC

Sloppy uninstall routine

I say there are better backup apps out there than this one, for the same price or less. I uninstalled it because it did not update the backup profile when I wanted to add or subtract files. The real mess came when I uninstalled it. Their uninstall routine deleted several config and dll files which belonged to other applications. I was not asked if I wanted to delete them. I had to either restore those files from an image backup or reinstall the other software apps. Be careful! Price: Free Trial ($25.00)

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TreePad Lite

Stay with free version if adequate

I upgraded to TreePad Safe at a reasonable cost, but a couple of months later they offered a new version number and wanted to charge me again for the new upgrade. I protested and one of their reps sent me a very rude and arrogant response. (How dare I question them for wanting more money.) I'm now using MyNotesCenter, also a premium tree-notes app, and upgrades are free forever. It's reasonably priced and even includes encryption without extra charge, unlike TreePad Safe. Price: Free

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Gadwin PrintScreen

Ok, but not my favorite

This app is okay, but an old freeware program called PrintKey2000 is still my favorite for all-around features which allows for cropping, etc., before saving a graphic. Price: Free

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Stomp PC Backup

I changed my rating

I previously gave PC Backup a good rating. It worked ok until I installed 3 other software apps which also use my burner. Every time I ran one of these apps my XP OS would fatal crash. I did 1-by-1 uninstalls and reinstalls of all 4 apps and it turned out that PC Backup's CD-drivers were the offender. I tried for weeks to get Stompsoft tech support to help me resolve the conflict but they didn't even give me the courtesy of a single reply to any of my online tech requests. I keep my OS very clean and mean with top-rated utility software, so I am confident that PC Backup was the offender. I had to permanently uninstall it. No refund. Price: Free Trial ($39.99)

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Ashampoo UnInstaller

Software conflicts

Previously I gave this app a good evaluation. After using it for several months I began to have problems with it. The primary problem was conflicts with my new spyware and antivirus programs. No conflict with my firewall. The secondary problem was that it would not fully track installs because of these conflicts; therefore, the monitored installs were incomplete or defective. I use other Ashampoo products that I am perfectly happy with, but not this one. Price: Free Trial ($44.00)

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avast! Professional Edition

I was so impressed...

After dumping the [..], I installed avast! home edition. I was so impressed that I eventually upgraded to the avast! PRO 4.6 edition to get the script blocking feature. You will NOT be disappointed with this app. If anyone is reporting a problem with avast! they probably need to simply clean up their registry of old entries that were left behind after uninstalling past applications. Left-behind registry entries can conflict with many new software installs. Price: Free Trial ($39.95)

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Absolute Backup

Very under-rated

Version 2.3 is a fine upgrade. If you tried an earlier version you should take another look at 2.3. I have evaluated about a dozen mid-range backup apps and I rate Absolute one of the best in that range. There are more expensive apps that are not as good as Absolute 2.3. Price: Free Trial ($29.95)

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ZoneAlarm Free

Have used it for 2 years - no problems

Who are these people who have problems with ZA!? It is THE premium free firewall on the 'net. Perhaps those having problems need to clean their registry of old applications which can conflict. I use ZA with antivirus and spyware software without problems. If you'll clean up your registry you should not have any problems with ZA. Also review ZA's "Program Control" list to disable apps no longer on your computer. If you aren't using ZA you are not getting the BEST protection. Price: Free

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Avast Free Antivirus

Avast! is cutting edge technology

I wanted to dump my ... that took over my system and disk and slowed Everything down (booting took Forever!). I tried several of the top-rated free virus apps and avast! was the hands-down winner for me. This virus program is awesome, efficient, small and fast with great features. Norton better pay attention because many others like me are dumping them. With an app like avast! you don't need Norton and their pricey upgrades, and it's FREE! Price: Free

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Ashampoo Burning Studio

May be the best...

In my opinion this is probably the BEST burner in this price range (free to $30), and I have tried 15 or more. And I have had zero install and user problems on my XP system. Free upgrades. Good tech support (but you probably won't need it). Has features found in much more expensive burners. Price: Free Trial ($50.00)

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Spybot Search and Destroy (Free)

Still one of the best

S&D has apparently left Ad-Aware in the dust at this point in time, because they are updating definition files more often to keep up... Price: Free

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Back4WinXP

Excellent backup at this price

If your backup needs are simple this is an excellent choice. The interface is not graphically fancy but it is very intuitive and quick to use. Has zip AES password feature but no archive encryption -- you may not need this. I use b4winxp as a secondary backup app and it is superb at doing the job it was designed to do. ***Best of all -- b4win is not buggy*** very few backup apps can make that claim. You will also like the tick-box approach to selecting files and folders. I do NOT recommend the freeware version because it does not save many of your configuration settings. Turn off the "verify" archive feature if you use a password or else you will have to re-enter it for the verify to run. This is not a bug -- just an annoyance, which I have asked them to fix. Price: Free Trial ($29.00)

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The software developer responded to this review on Aug 22, 2005: Password verification updated to remove this annoyance - Alistair+

Backup4all

Lacks two important features

My primary complaint is that b4all does not automatically update the backup database when files or folders have been deleted from the hard drive; I have had to do this manually...a big hassle. Second, b4all does not offer encryption -- this may not matter to some but that is a deal killer for me. Price: Free Trial ($49.95)

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The software developer responded to this review on Jun 17, 2005: This is really a malicious comment. I do not understand why on earth a backup program should delete files or folders from it s backup database. Backup4all marks the files as deleted and keeps the old versions in the database. This is not a synchronization program, it is intended to back up your work. You have automatic clean up features built in to the Type and Advanced page of the Backup Wizard if you want to get rid of obsolete files and folders. The second remark about encryption is also not true. Backup4all offers ZIP compression and encryption available from the Type page of the Backup Wizard.

Software Reviews by dirtnap

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