The Useful Freeware Thread

[ET3D]

I recently installed Pismo File Mount Audit Package as my ISO mounter and got rid of Virtual CloneDrive. The main reason I installed PFMAP is because it can mount zip archives as (read only) folders. Since it can also mount ISO files (which I only occasionally use outside VirtualBox), I don't think I need anything else.

BTW, thanks to this thread I'm trying Explorer++ again. I tried it a couple of years ago but decided it was a bit raw. I see that it has had quite a bit of development since then, and it has a good mix of features for me.

[Sean]

Nice find, first time I've heard of this and now installed on my system. Very light utility also, can't believe it's just 1.5MB considering its features. Now added to the first post.

This is a nice improvement over Windows ZIP folders with contents being directly accessible as if they were already extracted. I also like how it can also map a ZIP file as a drive letter.

[Sean]

After posting a double rainbow that I had to stitch together, I realised that this utility Hugin was not here, so I've added this to the first post.

To prepare for a panorama, take a succession of photos from left to right, making sure each photo overlaps by at least a third. Once you're back home, load the sequence of photos into Hugin and follow the steps. To add more height to the panorama, turn the camera sideways (as if taking a portrait) and take a succession of pictures left to right.

Hugin can also be used to create very high resolution photos of non-moving objects. Basically, this is done by taking several rows of photo sequences zoomed in such that each row overlaps the above row by a third also. When stitched together, this can give very high resolution images that normally can only be achieved by a $10,000+ medium back camera. I've a few 20 to 40 Megapixel photos from Utah that I took with a 6 Megapixel Fuji-film F30 camera at the time.

[Hameister]

After posting a double rainbow that I had to stitch together, I realised that this utility Hugin was not here, so I've added this to the first post.

To prepare for a panorama, take a succession of photos from left to right, making sure each photo overlaps by at least a third. Once you're back home, load the sequence of photos into Hugin and follow the steps. To add more height to the panorama, turn the camera sideways (as if taking a portrait) and take a succession of pictures left to right.

Hugin can also be used to create very high resolution photos of non-moving objects. Basically, this is done by taking several rows of photo sequences zoomed in such that each row overlaps the above row by a third also. When stitched together, this can give very high resolution images that normally can only be achieved by a $10,000+ medium back camera. I've a few 20 to 40 Megapixel photos from Utah that I took with a 6 Megapixel Fuji-film F30 camera at the time.

For those folks who do not have a "Panorama" mode on their cameras, this is a very viable alternative. Glad you added it Sean!

[Sean]

Added H2testw, which tests blank flash USB drives and memory cards for defective blocks. Basically what it does is fill the drive with random data and reads it back to check if it matches what was written. To run this utility, the drive must be empty.

This utility can also test if the memory card or USB drive is fake, which is a very big problem on eBay where rogue traders are selling counterfeits that have a fraction of their advertised capacity. E.g. a counterfeit Kingston 64GB would show up as a 64GB drive in Windows, but when data is written beyond the 4GB mark (or what ever the real capacity), it starts overwriting existing content. It is not until the user later tries reading back the data that they realise something is not right.

After my new 32GB Lexar microSD card started giving problems with my phone over the weekend, I ran a full format, followed by H2testw:

Failed_microSD_H2testw.png

As shown above, this card also dropped near the start of the verify stage, so time to RMA it.

[SmogHog]

Get the best open-source Wi-Fi scanning software – for Free!

Program updated to v2.1.1.13

http://www.metageek.net/products/ins...heckUpdateForm

[Sean]

Nice find! I've two access points - one running B+G and the other on a separate channel configured to N only, the B+G access point has an external aerial and the N has an internal aerial. I tried this utility on my Netbook and while walking room to room around the house, it was neat seeing how the signal level varied and clearly showed the difference between the two access points.

As some may have heard, N supposedly travels further than G, but as I've discovered, this is not the case when the N access point has an internal aerial, when compared to a G access point with an external aerial. The signal from the N access point dropped off much quicker than the G access point and lost it completely in areas I still get a good signal from the G access point, so if you're thinking of upgrading to an N access point or router to get better signal range, make sure it has an external aerial.

[renosablast]

Been using the inSSIDer for some time now. Using 3 wireless adapters on 3 separate PC's. Once in a while I have to change wireless channel due to local other signals interfering. Very easy to identify problem with this software!

[renosablast]

Here is a useful way to block tracking of your web-browsing activity:

Do Not Track Plus

So far this is one of the first I have seen that does not seem to slow the browser down.

[Bad_Machine]

Added to the first post:
FILEminimizer Pictures v3.0.0.210
Simple Socket File Tranfer v1.0
The Onion Router (ToR) anonymous browsing standalone bundle v2.2.35-7.1