tag:freeware

Hana & Sarah’s blog

Sorry this is not about my article, but I have to recommend and post this link to my blog so I can come back this site again later.

This blog contains the guides to the best Design Freewares and resources.

You can find guides about free vector graphic editor, Flash editor, 3D editor, … and free icons image s and more.

http://www.snap2objects.com/

Some of the great posts are

• 12 Gems of Freeware Design Programs
• 85+ Free Killer Resources Every Designer Should Know

Enjoy.

Few days ago, my friend told me about this simple utility that makes the Internet connection much faster.

I usually don’t believe in these kind of system enhance utilities. They usually are very confusing because of lots of controls and options. And most of the time, it is hard to notice any improvements.

But I decided to give a little try.
When you visit the website(http://www.unblocka.com), there is this statement in his website.

The Windows operating system is not configured by default to take full advantage of modern high speed international high latency broadband connections.

UnBlocka will tune the Windows computer to the optimum values based on the type of internet connection that you have e.g ADSL2+ or Cable

The download is a simple executable that you can execute without installation.
And the options are very simple. You can just select the download and upload speed that you want and click on the “Tune System” button. It doesn’t mean that you can actually obtain that speed indicated since there is physical limitation.

Then, I was required to reboot the system for the changes to be effect.

I did several tests in order to measure the enhancement

• First I did download a large Fedora Linux ISO file into my desktop computer and compared the speed before and after the unblocka execution. It was amazing, the speed was increased by 30 ~ 50 % .
• And then I retried the similar downloading test in the laptop which is using wireless at home. The speed enhancement is clearly visible as it was with desktop. However, at some point, the Internet connection suddenly dropped and I had to reboot the Internet router that I bought few years ago. Maybe my old router was not able to handle the modification. I don’t know what went wrong. I experienced several dead connection afterwards so I had to return the setting to original state.
• You can easily return to the original window settings by click “Microsoft defaults”

Unblocka says that it modifies the TCP related values in windows registry.

In general, unblock is easy to use and actually enhances the Internet speed. However , it appears to be little bit unstable with old devices.
If you are using desktop and cable internet service, I definitely recommend you to try this great utility.

WEBSITE: http://unblocka.com
DOWNLOAD: http://unblocka.com/Default.aspx?tabid=52

At work , I deal with lot of files stored in my local hard drives. And it’s very important for me to organize these files properly. So I would not do the same task - creating the same reports - over and over again.

But with so many folders and sub directories, it is virtually tiresome for me to search the right folder every time I open an Explorer Window.

However , with the help of these three freeware utilities, Now it’s quick and easy to find the right folder. Efficiency has increased 200%.

In the below image , the right column icons are all actual folders.

1. iColorFolder
This utility lets you change the folder icon and its color. By default you are required to select the folder icon styles ( Aqua, Mac OS X, Vista , Windows XP) and you can change the color of the folder icon. Therefore, it helps me to distinguish each folder with different importances and classifications.

You can change the icon by right mouse click on the folder.

DOWNLOAD : http://icolorfolder.sourceforge.net/download_icolorfolder_page.htm

2. Shedko Badges
This program allows to show small emblem icon over the Windows Icon. There are 10 different types of icons you can mark. This program is not confined to Folders. It can apply the emblem icon to any Windows file and folders.

DOWNLOAD : http://eng.softq.org/badges.htm

3. Folder Guide 1.1
This program allows you to setup the favorite folders to appear in the right mouse context menu of Windows Explorer.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.freeware365.com/desktop/folderguide.htm

All three utilities are also perfectly working in the Open/Save File Dialogs.

Microsoft provides several useful freeware utilities in its download website. PowerToy series is the most renounced utilities, but also there are some user friendly multimedia softwares such as PhotoStory 3.

PhotoStory 3 is a wizard program that let users to create a wmv movie file with a set of images.
You can

• edit , rotate, or enhance image quality
• apply special image effect.
• insert text message at the position you want (top , middle, bottom , left, right , center)
• define custom motion or transition effect. The program automatically set transition upon importing images.
• record and insert your narrative voice anywhere you want.
• set a background music using an existing music file or a generated music from a predefined set of customs musics.

It is very user friendly and provides preview button in each step for easier preview.

Selecting images

Here is the sample file that I made LINK It’s only about 1 MB. Enjoy.

Here is the website for you to download PhotoStory 3.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

Now you can experience that fancy Vista Windows Flip 3D (START + TAB) switch effect in Windows XP.

The program is called Shock Aero and can be run without any setups.

Of course , it is not exactly the same as Vista’s but it works for me.

The 3D windows are flipping when you scroll mouse wheel or ALT+TAB continuously.

Vista Flip Style

Mac OS X style

Pros

• Freeware
• Very nice 3D effect . Very similar to the Vista Flip 3D effect
• Macintosh OS X style can be selected instead of Vista Flip 3D style. But Mac style seems little bit slower than Vista Flip style.
• No setup is required.

Cons

• Slow loading the Flip screen compared to the original ALT+TAB

Website : http://www.docs.co.kr
Direct Download