Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #487 issued September 5, 2008

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This electronic newsletter is registered – ISSN 1441-6840
Welcome to the CFS Weekly Newsletter.
The programs listed here are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functional. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
If the link below does not work (does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid. Please use the CFS Site Search facility (above) to locate the program.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE

Drakkhen v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Drakkhen is a dungeon-style RPG, released by Super Nintendo in 1991, and uses a 3D playing field. It features an animated day-night cycle & the ability to wander freely about the game world (both rarities for a game of its era), good VGA graphics, interesting gameplay, and more. When it was first released Drakkhen introduced some of the features we take for granted in today's games. One of the first to use a 3D playing field, it did not employ a conventional 3D game engine, instead emulating one using character-scaling algorithms. Gameplay is interesting and, in some instances, even a little challenging, but it is fun to play and most players should be able to overcome the obstacles. The help screen mentions keys A, B, X and Y but these are SNES keys, not PC keys – the A key in the game equates to the PC's X key (used for making a selection), the B key equates to the Z key (cancel), the X is the A key and the Y is the S key (the last two for character selection and movement). Drakkhen is more than just an historic game for retro buffs, it is a playable game that most should find enjoyable. The graphics are a little clunky compared to today's graphics but this is a minor problem in a game that is almost timeless. We loved! Access this 1.42MB download from: Win95 General Games

Virtual Desktop v1.02 – WinXP
Virtual Desktop is a is a tool that creates multiple virtual desktops so the user can switch between them (using Alt-1, Alt-2, etc). This is a simple way of de-cluttering your desktop. It creates multiple desktops that you can quickly switch between using the Alt and a number key – from 1 to 4. For example, you might have games on one desktop, the Internet on another, Microsoft Office on a third, and a graphics program on the fourth. Virtual Desktop auto loads with Windows and runs entirely in the background – there are no dialog boxes for options, no main screen, nothing. You don't even realize that the program is running until you use the Alt key combo and switch between desktops. Cool. From our tests, it is not suitable for Windows Vista. Virtual Desktop is a terrific tool for anyone who runs multiple open programs and wants to reduce the clutter. Grab a copy now! Note: we have been advised that this program is only suitable for Windows XP (plus NT & 2000). Access this 459kB download from: WinXP Windows Enhancements

Dollar Deal Finder v1.03 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Dollar Deal Finder is a tool that searches expiring eBay (USA) auctions to find deals under $1. It features 21 different categories, a general eBay item search, items are listed with soonest-to-close at the top, and more. This is an easy way to discover auction items which are carrying bids of $1 or less that are due to close. It lists the items from a category in order, from the one that will finish soonest, with over 100 items listed. Click on an item and a browser window will open on the eBay site so you can check the details and make a bid. There are two observations we will make. The first is that many of the items are less than a dollar for a good reason – they are deficient in some area (broken, parts missing, etc) or they have a very high postage cost. This is typical of many Chinese sellers who deliberately sell cheap but pad out the postage to cover costs and make a profit (for example, a 16GB USB pen drive has a price of 1 cent but a postage cost of $30.99 from Hong Kong). The other point is that only eBay in the USA is used so people from other countries may find that the sellers cannot (or will not) deliver to them. Of course, some International traders (again, often from China) are happy to sell anywhere in the world. Realizing the limitations of the items being displayed, Dollar Deal Finder is still a great way to find a bargain or three if an item has been missed by others and slips through to the end of an auction without anyone bidding on it (except you, of course). Needless to say, it requires an active Internet connection to work. We enjoyed Dollar Deal Finder. It is fun to check out items which are extra cheap and there is always the opportunity to bag a great bargain. Worth a look! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 4.38MB download from: Win98 General Programs

SnapChord Transposer v1.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
SnapChord Transposer is an automatic chord transposer that can transpose most chord files, including ChordPro files. It features a guitar tuner, autoscroll, an automatic chord chart generator, it can optionally can show sharps & not flats, it can recognize chords within text, you can paste text (lyrics with chords) directly into the program, there is a simple printing function, and more. SnapChord Transposer has a host of wonderful features that makes this the perfect companion for anyone who plays the guitar. In almost all situations it can recognize chords but it still has a special tool so that you can mark a line as a line of chords or, conversely, as a line that contains no chords. This overrides the automatic detection feature. We particularly liked the guitar tuner that acts like a pitchpipe and gives a remarkably clear audio representation of a string's pitch to assist tuning a six-string guitar. Simple to use, SnapChord Transposer is a "must have" for anyone who plays the guitar. We loved! Access this 537kB download from: Win95 Multimedia Programs

Shamrock Solitaire v1.06 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Shamrock Solitaire is a moderately difficult solitaire that requires a satisfying balance of skill and luck to win. It features a good Helpfile showing the rules and a short tutorial, good graphics, excellent gameplay, it is fun to play, and more. This is one of the better solitaire variants. In this game you must build each pile, starting with the Ace and then going 1, 2, 3 etc to King in the same suit. You can move your cards around the 17 piles of three cards in the playing area as long as the cards are numerically adjacent to the top-most-card in the stack (a 3 could have a 2 or a 4 placed on it) and that there are no more than 3 cards in a stack. While this might sound complicated, it is very easy to play, though not as easy to win. Winning at Shamrock Solitaire relies upon careful planning so you can move cards around without blocking yourself in, but still release cards to go on to the foundation (where the Aces are placed). We found that it was advisable not to completely empty a stack unless absolutely necessary – the more options you retained to move cards around the better. We really enjoyed playing Shamrock Solitaire and it is a game we will be happy to play again, and again, and again. Grab a copy and try it for yourself! Access this 1.63MB download from: Win95 General Games

PageNest v3.10 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
PageNest is an off-line Web browser that copies Web pages or entire sites to the hard drive for later browsing. It features multi-threaded downloading, fast script processing, retains file structure, downloads all files, pause/resume, built-in Web browser, advanced range settings, include/exclude by file type, specify minimum/maximum file sizes, download multiple sites at once, and more. This is an excellent tool for browsing Websites when you are off-line. It is easy to set up and use, and the downloaded sites can be browsed within the program (using a modified version of Internet Explorer) or with your default Web browser. The free version does have one major drawback – it cannot access password protected areas because it does it not give you an opportunity to input a username and password. However, the free version of PageNest does let you set the "depth" of information drawn – whether it is just the prime site that is to be downloaded or linked sites too. It also give the user an opportunity to decide if graphics, which come from other sites, are to be included. We were most impressed with PageNest. It does what it does without hassle and without any real effort from the user. Worth a look if you wish to browse sites off-line. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.69MB download from: Win98 Internet Related

Easy Boxshot v1.0.0.121 – WinXP/Vista
Easy Boxshot is a tool to create boxshots for software. It features over 50 ready-to-use templates in 6 categories (Audio, Internet, Education, Tools, Multimedia & Business), images saved to common formats (BMP, PNG, GIF & JPG/JPEG), optional water-like reflection, zoom view, and more. This is an great program for anyone who wishes to create boxshots for their software. The strength of the program is in the templates. To use it you just choose a template, add the product name for the edge of the box (the side) and the product name for the front of the box, and then add the company name. Simple. The result is excellent and the image can be saved to one of the four image formats supported. Because a mask is used, some photo viewers might have trouble reading the images in the saved format (we were prompted to rename a BMP image and a GIF image as PNG images) but any of the better image editors shouldn't have trouble with the formats. Overall, Easy Boxshot lives up to its name offering an easy way to create professional-looking boxshots. We liked! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 10.2MB download from: WinXP Graphic Programs

Prevent Restore v1.0 – WinXP/Vista
Prevent Restore is a utility that prevents deleted files from being restored. It does this by over writing, with random data, all free space on a hard drive that can contain fragments of deleted files to avoid any possibility of recovery. This is an excellent way of ensuring that deleted data truly is unrecoverable, and even targets fragments of deleted files to ensure the complete and unrecoverable erasure of all your deleted data. It uses several security algorithms (you can replace deleted data with random characters, digits or spaces) but does not touch existing files so Prevent Restore will not destroy your important data. Simple to use, it is reasonably fast and overwriting 20GB of "free space" takes about 7 minutes. Prevent Restore works with both FAT32 and NTSC drives. A "must have" for anyone wishing to keep their deleted data completely private. Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 2.15MB download from: WinXP Desktop Utilities

Space Combat v1.0 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Space Combat is an awesome, mouse-driven 3D space shooter where you blast away at everything that moves. It features 4 levels of difficulty (Novice, Experienced, Professional & Veteran), 16 levels, over 20 enemies, amazing 3D visual effects, and more. This is one of the better space shooters we have seen. The 3D graphics are excellent and the gameplay fast and furious once you pass the first couple of levels. The enemy ships attack like raiders, unexpectedly coming out of hyperspace or appearing close by. However, they rush in attacking and then keep going just as quickly while you try and keep them in the cross-hairs of your gun. Everything is mouse-driven – you move the ship with the mouse, you fire the weapons from the left (gun) and right (rocket) mouse buttons, and the center button or scrolling wheel activates the repulsing shield when available. Space Combat is simply a shooter. It professes no high ideals, strategy is at a minimum, everything is in the shooting. Visual effects are what makes this game so great and the 3D graphics are superb. You can reduce the system demands if you have an older computer, but most modern computers should be able to handle everything that this program throws at it. Our only complaint with this game is the time it takes to load new missions (levels). Quite often you are waiting 20 seconds or more while the next mission loads. Boring! Space Combat is like stepping out into another place, another time. It is lots of fun too! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 17.8MB download from: Win98 General Games
COMMENTS
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