Portable apps have proven to be very popular and quite resilient in spite of the popularity of on-line apps. On-line apps like Google Apps, Zoho and Basecamp offer solutions for collaboration and portability, but there aren’t many good on-line solutions for applications like text editors, image editors, operating systems and browsers. Because of the need for these types of applications and the benefits of using USB apps I have been adding to my USB app collection. To be fair I have replaced some portable apps with on-line apps, e.g. I prefer Google Reader to GreatNews because desktop RSS readers become bloated and slow down as you add feeds, but at the same time I have discovered a few new portable applications. (more…)

A friend of mine asked me to help because he had a very annoying “popcorn.net” popup. I suggested that he install Ad-Aware and Windows Defender, but he called back saying it didn’t help. So I had to try harder and I was surprised to see how much of a problem it is. Popcorn.net is not simple spyware and the removal process can be tough for non-technical people. PopCorn.net, also known as Movieland and MoviePass, is a P2P program that offers a free trial download for online users. PopCorn.net takes displays pop-ups to keep reminding you that payment is due. Anyway, we were able to remove it using a few free tools. (more…)

I recently discovered the IE Developer Toolbar and it got me searching for some more hidden free tools available from Microsoft.  Some of them have been around for a while, but they are still useful utilities for Web developers.

Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
It is not a full featured anti-virus application, but it is a quick scanner for the most popular malicious software. It is Microsoft’s version of the McAfee Stinger.

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found.

Windows Defender
A very good anti-spyware tool that has received very good reviews. It has a simple interface and is very unobtrusive.

Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar
The Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar is similar to Firefox’s Web Developer extension (not quite as good). It allows you to do several things like outline tables, table cells, images, or selected tags and validate HTML and style sheets. It includes something similar to Firefox’s live bookmarks (RSS Web feed links).

Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools
Although the title suggests that the tools are for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP is also supported. The toolkit includes useful little tools like Tail (Unix like tail for Windows).

The Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are a set of tools to help administrators streamline management tasks such as troubleshooting operating system issues, managing Active Directory®, configuring networking and security features, and automating application deployment.

Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Resource Kit Tools
SelfSSL is a tool for generating ssl certificates, which is very useful for developers trying to develop secure sites. The Log Parser is a powerful command line tool for querying log files database style.

The IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools can help you administer, secure, and manage IIS. Use them to query log files, deploy SSL certificates, employ custom site authentication, verify permissions, troubleshoot problems, migrate your server, run stress tests, and more.

Another useful free virus scanner is McAfee Stinger.  It does not have fancy features like on access scanning and scheduling, but is great for quickly scanning a possibly infected PC.

Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system. Stinger utilizes next generation scan engine technology, including process scanning, digitally signed DAT files, and scan performance optimizations.

Stinger does not require installation so it’s completely mobile.  Updates are made by downloading the latest executable.

McAfee Stinger

AVG Free for Windows is a free anti-virus protection tool developed by Grisoft for home use. AVG Free offers all the regular anti-virus features including on-access scanning, auto updates and scheduling. AVG is a great alternative to Clamwin (previously mentioned here) which does not do on-access scanning, however, it has more licensing restrictions (i.e can only use it for home).

GRISOFT Free Advisor: Get AVG for your home PC virus protection

ClamWin is a Free Antivirus for Microsoft Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003. It offers a neat, easy to use interface without clutter and complexity. It can be used as a standalone anti-virus scanner or can be integrated into IE and Outlook. It does not do on-access scanning (which is great for performance), however, it does offer scheduling. The software is completely free so you can use it at home, at work and on your Web servers at home :). I have been using Clamwin for a couple of months now and am very happy with it.

ClamWin Free Antivirus