techyTim » Freeware http://blog.techytim.com Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:00:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Keep Your Programs Updated with File Hippo http://blog.techytim.com/2007/04/06/keep-your-programs-updated-with-file-hippo/ http://blog.techytim.com/2007/04/06/keep-your-programs-updated-with-file-hippo/#comments Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:25:54 +0000 techyTim http://blog.techytim.com/2007/04/06/keep-your-programs-updated-with-file-hippo/ Windows Only: You probably fall into one of two categories: a) you are constantly checking the websites of your favorite freeware programs for the latest and great updates OR b) you update your software only when prompted or when you get a new computer. File Hippo makes checking for and installing updates simple. Just download the exe and run it, no installation necessary! File Hippo will quickly scan (took about 5 seconds on my system) and display the results in a web browser. You’ll get a simple list of regular updates, as well as a separate list of beta updates for early adopters. Perhaps the best part of the service is that you can just click on the download icon on the File Hippo update page and download the file directly from the File Hippo servers. No searching the vendor site to find the correct download for your system. File Hippo: quick and simple!

]]> http://blog.techytim.com/2007/04/06/keep-your-programs-updated-with-file-hippo/feed/ 1 Cobian Backup 8: Backup Bliss! http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/29/cobian-backup-8-backup-bliss/ http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/29/cobian-backup-8-backup-bliss/#comments Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:01:29 +0000 techyTim http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/29/cobian-backup-8-backup-bliss/ I’ve been looking for a good freeware backup utility for some time now and I think I’ve finally found something great. With Cobian Backup 8, not only can I backup from my hard drive to hard drive and hard drive to FTP, but FTP to hard drive or FTP to FTP! This is great for backing up my web development work on remote servers. Cobian offers the full range of backup options:

  • Full: this backs up everything
  • Incremental: the first time the backup is run everything is backed up; subsequent backups contain only the files that have changed since the previous backup
  • Differential: like incremental, the first time the backup is run everything is backed up; subsequent backups contain only the files that have changed since the last FULL backup

Obviously, incremental and differential will save backup time, however, recovery may be a bit more complex since recently modified files are scattered across several archives. Depending upon your backup size and how often you modify files, I’d recommend running a full backup once a week so you don’t have too much to piece together in the case of a recovery.

One setting I activated was to run missed backups, in case my computer is off when I scheduled to run the daily backup. Go to Tools ? Options ? Functionality and check Run Missed Backups; I also checked Run Without Asking.

Other notable features:

  • Archives can be compressed as a standard zip file for easy recovery.
  • Optional system shutdown after backup is complete.
  • Exclude certain file types

From someone who has lost files before, if you are not backing up the data you care about, get on that now!

]]> http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/29/cobian-backup-8-backup-bliss/feed/ 0 Synchronize Firefox Bookmarks with Foxmarks http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/19/synchronize-firefox-bookmarks-with-foxmarks/ http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/19/synchronize-firefox-bookmarks-with-foxmarks/#comments Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:25:05 +0000 techyTim http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/19/synchronize-firefox-bookmarks-with-foxmarks/ Do you have several computers at home or maybe you have Firefox Portable on your flash drive? Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer is a great little tool to synchronize your bookmarks across all of these computers. After a simple account setup, Foxmarks runs transparently in the background keeping your bookmarks in sync.

]]> http://blog.techytim.com/2006/12/19/synchronize-firefox-bookmarks-with-foxmarks/feed/ 0 Dump Real Player: Real Alternative http://blog.techytim.com/2006/10/20/dump-real-player-real-alternative/ http://blog.techytim.com/2006/10/20/dump-real-player-real-alternative/#comments Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:11:05 +0000 techyTim http://blog.techytim.com/2006/10/20/dump-real-player-real-alternative/ Do you ever get tired to entering your registration info for Real Player every time you install it? Then you get the email “Thanks for installing real player… etc. etc.” Might I recommend Real Alternative? This no nags, ad free program includes Media Player Classic which works in conjunction with the codecs in Real Alternative to play streaming Real content. I’ve had no problems with it and it’s totally invisible (just check “Don’t Create a Start Menu Shortcut” during install). Apparently, Real Alternative only plays the first part of .smi and .smil, but I haven’t encountered them and the installer mentions that are “not used very often”.

For more media player replacements check out QuickTime Alternative. Note that if you use iTunes, however, QuickTime is bundled with the iTunes installation. I’m trying to find a standalone installer.

]]> http://blog.techytim.com/2006/10/20/dump-real-player-real-alternative/feed/ 0 Pidgin: A Better Instant Messaging Client http://blog.techytim.com/2006/08/26/gaim-a-better-instant-messaging-client/ http://blog.techytim.com/2006/08/26/gaim-a-better-instant-messaging-client/#comments Sat, 26 Aug 2006 23:00:54 +0000 techyTim http://blog.techytim.com/2006/08/26/gaim-a-better-instant-messaging-client/ Update 4-13-07: Due to legal concerns, the previously named GAIM instant messaging client has changed its name to Pidgin.

To those of you who still use AOL Instant Messenger, listen up! You don’t have to endure an advertisement filled instant messaging client anymore. Pidgin is a modular messaging client capable of using AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Jabber, ICQ, IRC, SILC, Novell GroupWise, Lotus Sametime, Napster, Zephyr, and Gadu-Gadu all at once. The interface is clean, though I like to tweak the default settings a bit. First, hide the buddy icons by unchecking Show buddy icons in the Preferences. This compresses the buddy list quite a bit so you can view more of your buddies without the need to scroll. Secondly, enable the tray icon so Pidgin can minimize unobtrusively to the system tray. This is done easily by enabling the System Tray Icon plug-in (included with Pidgin, along with a number of other plug-ins).

What won’t work: Unfortunately, not all features of the AOL client transfer over, but I haven’t run into much of a problem. The main thing I noticed was that you cannot voice or video chat with other people, but that’s what Google Talk and Skype are for, aren’t they?

Pidgin Instant Messaging
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