Uniblue Powersuite 2013 is released with more benefits for users.

Powersuite 2013 is Uniblue’s complete PC performance solution that allows you to unleash your PC’s optimum performance by increasing processing speed and improving stability, whilst providing ongoing maintenance in an easy-to-use interface. This established product ensures that you benefit from a smooth-running operating system, an optimized hard disk alongside improved hardware functionality with the latest drivers.
Powersuite 2013 comes with a fresh new look that tells you, at a glance, the state of your PC’s overall health, as well as a range of customer-centric features and benefits such as three types of scans and a direct link to support.



Uniblue Powersuite 2013 will:

• Find out what is slowing down your PC. With one click, start a full system scan to discover how to optimize your system and identify refinements that can be made, such as removing invalid registry entries, unused processes, junk files and outdated drivers;
  
• Make your PC faster. Custom speed tools sharpen your PC speed by managing CPU resources, boosting software and thumbnail image launches and decreasing start menu launch times;
  
• Clean up, gain space. Uniblue Powersuite 2013 cleans unnecessary items, such as junk files and old backups which take up space and can slow down a PC. You can also choose to compress large files to gain hard drive space;
  
• Improve PC health and stability. Uniblue Powersuite 2013 deactivates unused processes and removes invalid registry entries for a cleaner, healthier PC whilst preventing slowdowns, crashes and freezes;
  
• Ensure your disk runs smoothly. A disk analysis will help you find out which files can be defragmented and how much disk space isavailable. The software will organize your disk files to enhance file access speed;
  
• Enhance your hardware efficiency. Every PC needs a fully-functional set of audio, video and other drivers to communicate with and control various hardware devices. Your drivers can be checked against a daily updated, tested and maintained driver information database supporting more than 88,600 drivers.

Auslogics BoostSpeed 5

Auslogics BoostSpeed is an outstanding PC system utilities application that’s sure to keep your computer optimized and maintained with its numerous speedy, effective features. Every feature in this application that seemed difficult to use had an additional section that simplified its tools for less experienced users. The only disappointing thing about this PC system utilities application is the sparse customer service that backs it up. This application is easy to use, but it would be helpful to have a solid support system to lean on in case anything goes wrong.

Management/Diagnostics: 

Auslogics Disk Explorer finds the areas on your hard drive that are taking up the most space. With this feature within the PC system utilities, you can free the maximum amount of hard drive space when you start to run out.

Auslogics Startup Manager lists the processes that are currently set to open when your operating system starts up. This feature allows you disable dangerous startup entries, but it falls short because it doesn’t indicate whether your system needs any of the startup entries to function properly. Unfortunately, you won't know whether one of the startup entries was important until disabling it causes your system to slow down or crash.

Auslogics Uninstall Manager displays the applications you have installed and indicates whether they’re well-used or trustworthy. With this list, you can choose to uninstall any of the applications using the uninstaller that comes with that respective application. We would’ve liked it if this feature went back and removed any traces the uninstalled application left on your hard drive or in the registry though.

Auslogics System Information provides in-depth data on every piece of hardware that’s associated with your computer. With this feature, you can maintain your computer better because you will be able to look up support information for each peripheral device based on the manufacturer and model number.

Auslogics Task Manager is one of the PC system utilities that let you terminate applications, processes, services and locked files that are currently running on your system. Other task managers only let you deal with applications, so it’s nice to see one that expands its coverage into other items running on your system.

The System Scan PC system utilities feature looks for junk and fragmented files in addition to disk and registry errors. Since this feature doesn’t incorporate any optimization features, we question its effectiveness. It does make a difference, but without optimization features, that difference isn’t going to be significant. The System Advisor picks up where the System Scan left off, presenting a list of additional tweaks that could improve the performance of your system.

The Resource Usage section displays graphs that analyze how a variety of system resources are being used. This PC system utilities feature is strictly informational and does not offer any options for increasing your system’s performance in any of the areas it analyzes.

Repair/Recovery: 

Auslogics Disk Cleaner empties your browser cache and the history of what you’ve downloaded from the internet. It also removes unnecessary system files and temporary files. We were impressed with this PC system utilities feature because it dealt with 22 file types that usually clutter hard drivers. Auslogics Disk Doctor analyzes and repairs your hard drive much faster than similar features. Usually, you would have to restart your computer and wait a long time to complete this process, but this feature does it all without interrupting your current tasks.

Auslogics Duplicate File Finder browses your hard drive looking for files that are the same size and share similar names and content.

Auslogics File Recovery effectively restores files you’ve deleted from your hard drive or from various forms of removable media. You can also use this PC system utilities feature to determine if a file you wanted to delete really was deleted after all. If any changes you make with Auslogics BoostSpeed result in your system performing worse than it did before, you can undo them in the Auslogics Rescue Center.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner scans 16 types of registry keys looking for invalid or erroneous entries. We were impressed with how fast this PC system utilities application processed the registry. It scanned thousands of registry keys in a matter of moments and returned our scan results quicker than we had seen with other registry cleaners.

Auslogics Track Eraser is one of the PC system utilities that remove traces of your activity from Windows, your internet browsers and other applications in an effort to maintain your privacy. If this information remains on your system, it can be used to track your activity and possibly steal your personal information. Auslogics File Shredder permanently deletes selected files or folders, but it doesn’t let you choose the method it’s going to use to delete them. Auslogics Disk Wiper permanently erases files you’ve already deleted, ensuring that files you’ve deleted remain deleted.

Optimization: 

Auslogics Disk Defrag does a fantastic job of quickly scanning your hard drive for fragmented files. The disk defragmenter that comes with Windows slows down your computer while it's working. This PC system utilities feature completes the defragmentation process so fast that it doesn’t even have time to slow your computer down.

Auslogics Tweak Manager presents a wide assortment of tweaks you can perform to optimize the performance of your system. We liked this feature because of the optimize button that’s in each section; however, the fact you have to optimize each section individually can get a little tedious. Auslogics BoostSpeed’s Optimize Services feature doesn’t do enough to truly optimize every Windows service. It only deals with a handful of services while there are plenty of them that could easily be disabled.

Auslogics Registry Defrag is another PC system utilities feature that benefits from the lightning fast scan speeds present in Auslogics BoostSpeed. We were disappointed that we had to reboot our computer to complete the defragmentation process, though.

Auslogics Internet Optimizer is broken into sections for manual and automatic optimization. We recommend the automatic optimization section. The manual optimization section is far more complicated, and the odds that you'll accidentally disable an important setting are high. The automatic optimization process might take a little longer, but you’re not going to open yourself up to the risk of disaster if you use it.

Ease of Use: 

We found Auslogics BoostSpeed to be very easy to use. All of its features, except for the manual optimization option for your internet connection and the system tweaks section, were self-explanatory. Every feature that scans your hard drive or the registry does so in a remarkably quick fashion. This PC system utilities application has pretty much every tool you would need to keep your computer running smooth and presents them in a fashion that makes them universally usable.

Help & Support: 

Auslogics provides a frequently asked questions section for this PC system utilities application, but it covers more common sense terms and problems with installing and registering the application than anything else. They have a contact form on their website in case you have any pressing questions. We would like to see them have more contact methods and add information to their help documentation. The current resources can answer numerous questions, but they don't present the user with enough options to get their questions answered in a way that works best for them.

Summary:

Auslogics BoostSpeed has the tools necessary for getting the job done. If Auslogics were to improve their customer service for this application, it would increase its standing in this category. We were impressed with how fast this application’s features were. You’re going to be able to optimize your computer quickly if you perform an all-in-one scan or use each of this application’s features individually.

review source : www.toptenreviews.com

Screenshot:

Linux – 40 Essential Commands You Should Know

• Linux is the oft-ignored third wheel to Windows and Mac. Yes, over the past decade, the open source operating system has gained a lot of traction, but it’s still a far cry from being considered popular. Yet though that may be true, Linux still earns new converts every day. Will you join them?

The learning curve of Linux is what deters most users from even trying it in the first place. It can be a traumatic experience having to go from a GUI-based operating system like Windows or Mac to one that requires command line fiddling. But if you can get over that initial hump of difficulty, you may find that Linux is surprisingly robust.

If you want a crash course on all that is Linux, we’ve got a great Linux newbie’s guide that will teach you all you need to know. For the rest of you who just want a brief overview of some important commands you ought to know, the following list is all you’ll need.

Newbie Commands

cd - Changes the current working directory in the command line console.

exit - Exits out of the current program, terminates the current command line terminal, or logs you out of a Unix network depending on the context.

kill - Terminates the specified running process. The Linux version of Windows’ “End Process” in the task manager.

ls - List all of the contents of a specified directory. If no directory is specified, it will use the current directory.

man - There’s a running gag in the Linux community that man is the only command you need to know. It stands for manual, and it will give you detailed information on commands and aspects of Linux.

pwd - Displays the current working directory for the command line terminal. Good for when you’ve lost track of where you are in your system.

reboot - Immediately stops all running processes, shuts down the system, then reboots.

shutdown - Stops all running processes and shuts down the system. Parameters can be specified to issue a delayed shutdown or a shutdown at a particular time.

sudo - Runs commands as root, which means no limitations due to permissions.

System Information

date - Prints out the current system date and time. Specified parameters can change the format of the output.

df - Reports the disk space usage for the file system.

hostname - Displays the name of the current host system.

ps - Displays information about all of the processes currently running on the system.

quota - Displays disk limits and current disk usage for a specified user. Useful when there are multiple users assigned to a particular system.

top - Displays all of the top processes in the system, by default sorted by CPU usage.

uptime - Reports how long the system has been running since last boot. Extremely useful for servers.

File Manipulation

bzip2 - Compresses specified contents into a .bz2 archive or extracts from a .bz2 archive depending on parameters.

chmod / chown - Changes the access permissions of one or more files (chmod) or changes the ownership of a particular file to a new user (chown). Only users with permission or ownership of a file can change that file’s permissions or ownership.

cp - Copies files to a new location with a new name depending on the parameters. Can copy directories too, whether recursively (includes all subdirectories) or not.

find / locate - Searches the system starting at a specific directory and matching all files within that location to a set of conditions laid out by the command parameters. Very useful for quickly finding certain files.

grep – Searches through all of the files in a specified location trying to find files that contain lines that match a given string. Returns a list of all the files that scored a match.

install - Used in conjunction with Makefiles to copy files from one location to the system. Not to be confused with installing packages from a software repository.

mkdir / rmdir - Creates a directory (mkdir) or deletes a specified directory (rmdir). Directories can only be created and deleted within directories that you have permission in.

mv - Moves files and directories to another location. Can be used to rename files and directories by keep their source and destination locations the same.

open – Opens a specified file using the default system application for files of its type.

rm - Remove and remove directory. Used to delete files and directories from the system, whether one at a time or in batch.

tar - Creates a .tar archive or extracts from a .tar archive depending on specified parameters.

zip / unzip - Creates a .zip archive or extracts from a .zip archive depending on specified parameters.

Other Noteworthy Commands

apt-get – Advanced Packaging Tool. Use this command to install, remove, and configure software packages on your system. For a menu-based version, use aptitude command. Available on Debian-based Linux distributions.

ftp / sftp - Connects to a remote FTP server in order to download multiple files.

wget - Downloads files from the Internet at the specified URL to your system.

yum - Yellowdog Updater, Modified. An open source package manager used to easily install software packages from repositories. Available on RPM-compatible Linux distributions.

emacs – One of the most well-known text editors on Unix-like systems.

nano - A newbie-friendly command-line text editor that uses keyboard shortcuts to simulate menus.

vim - Vim is the successor to Vi, both of which are command line text editors for Unix-like systems. Though Vim is popular, it doesn’t use menus or icons for its interface so it has a reputation for being newbie-friendly.

Why Use Internet Monitoring Software?

When asked for their view on Internet monitoring software, organizations typically give one of two answers. Some will say that Internet monitoring software is needed because otherwise employees will abuse their Internet privileges and waste a lot of time online instead of working. Others will tell you that privacy is sacred and Internet monitoring software may be seen as abusive and as an infringement on employee privacy.


In reality, both answers are incorrect, especially in the context of an organization’s security. Internet monitoring is not about spying or controlling employees per se; it’s about the safety of your network.

Although employee privacy needs to be respected, there are important business considerations as well. Being too strict and ‘prying’ into users’ online activity can lead to low morale and lower productivity. In some cases, it can lead to abuse or discrimination. However, a good Internet
monitoring solution can anonymize the data when reports are generated. This means that the administrator can get a detailed view of the organization’s Internet activity without knowing who is generating that traffic. Only in particular cases, such as in a legal investigation and the gathering of forensic evidence, would it be possible to identify an individual’s use of the Internet.

The real problem is how to protect the organization from web-based threats. Irresponsible Internet usage can put a company at risk inseveral ways;from downloading malware-infected software to
visiting websites that carry drive-by downloads or other exploits, as well as phishing sites. With a good Internet monitoring solution it is possible to allow users to access only authorized sites that are
relevant to one’s work – this greatly reduces the risk that your network is exposed to malicious sites and malware. Internet monitoring software will also scan any downloads for malware,sometimes using multiple anti-virus engines to ensure the biggest possible virus detection rate.

Internet monitoring software will also give valuable information that can help an administrator to detect problems and take corrective action in a timely manner. For example, if bandwidth usage is
excessive, the computer and application responsible for using excessive bandwidth can be identified and fixed. If there is no indication that the connection is being abused but bandwidth utilization remains high, it may be the case that the organization’s Internet backbone needs to be upgraded.

In security terms,information on bandwidth usage and the time of day when this usage occurs can help to identify malicious activity. If large bandwidth spikes are recorded on weekends when few or no one is working, then the network may have been infected with a botnet and the organization’s machines are being used to send spam or run DDoS attacks.

RobustInternet monitoring software will allow the administrator to strike a balance between productivity and personal freedom. Allowing users time to check their personal email or browse for a short time can have a positive impact on productivity. To prevent abuse, you can use Internet monitoring software to set quotas limiting the time a user can spend browsing certain site categories.

Internetmonitoring software can give you control over your Internet connection and employee browsing yet enable you to maintain a high level of security without impacting on productivity and morale. There is no need to take draconian measures. Simply use Internet monitoring software.

This guest post was provided by Emmanuel Carabott on behalf of GFI Software Ltd. GFI is a leading software developer that provides a single source for network administrators to address their network security, content security and messaging needs.

Find out more about what should be included in yourInternet monitoring software.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook calls Microsoft Surface ‘a compromised, confusing product’!

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Microsoft launched the ingenious Surface tablet yesterday and early reviews have emerged in favor of the compelling and exceptional hardware with a few pointing software and usability flaws within the Windows RT environment. And among the few who aren’t in favor of the Surface device is Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook. After calling Windows 8 a combination of a toaster and refrigerator, he called Surface a confusing product!

During the company’s earning call early yesterday, Tim Cook said:

I haven’t personally played with the Surface yet, but what we’re reading about it is that it’s a fairly compromised, confusing product.

In all honesty, the above statement by Tim is pretty laughable, more so when it comes from someone who hasn’t used the product, but is more than willing to lend his ‘expert opinion’. Agreed that Tim Cook is the CEO of a major software company and that he does possess sound knowledge of the software devices and their ecosystem but a Surface device cannot be gauged upon from its first looks instead as can be done with the iPad, which seemingly has the same UI since its inception. Microsoft Surface runs on Windows RT, a fresh, new operating system especially suited for tablets and touch-slates and brings along a new and exciting user experience.

Tim Cook pointed out that the ‘iPad competitor might be biting off more than it can chew’. Well as a consumer myself, I’d prefer a tablet device which does ‘more‘ for me having almost similar specifications/dimensions than its competitor. Here, Surface not just does ‘more’ for the consumer but it does it in a fresh new way armed with the Modern UI.

According to Tim:

I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but I don’t think it would do all of those things very well. I think people when they look at the offerings will really want an iPad.

Not really!

An iPad was indeed a revolutionary device when introduced but it isn’t the same in the present scenario where we have a new iPad launching every six months and Apple announcing no support for the earlier versions. That’s almost like asking consumers for their hard-earned money and later throwing back a sign at their face which reads ‘YOU ARE OUTDATED’. Not good at all.

And given the recent gaffes which went Apple’s way, including the disastrous Apple Maps introduced with iOS6, the consumer’s perception towards Apple has changed significantly.

No one would want to buy a ‘new iPad’ or whatever the naming convention they follow, only to see a new version with little modifications emerge within few months.

The highest rated comment on CNET on an iPad-launch related article was by an Angry iPad owner – “To Apple: Thanks for making my ‘new iPad’ obsolete”. No one would also want to search for a place in Brazil and be directed to head over to Russia (Apple Maps)… except die-hard Apple fans.

As far as Surface is concerned, it’s definitely worth a try, if not a buy. But use it for a few minutes and you’ll want to take the beauty home! As for Tim Cook, if you are reading this, please do search for the hashtag #surfaceflyingcar on Twitter. You might do your day with some amazing hilarious responses!

Reminds me of a quote by Mahatma Gandhi – First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win!

If you have liked this post, you might want to check out some more, on topics like Apple,Surface.

Download Windows 8 For Dummies – Free eBook from Dell

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So you say Windows 8 has got you flustered! Really? Apart from the start screen, what is really so different in it as compared to Windows 7? Sure I agree the start screen does fly in your face when you don’t want it to and it may get some time getting used to, but in a week or so, when you have got used to it, you may actually even start (gulp) liking it. Nevertheless, if there are some of you or your friends, who have made the switch to Windows 8, and need some help, the Windows 8 for Dummies is  a great eBook. It is now available as a free download from Dell.

This Dell Pocket Edition has been authored by Andy Rathbone who has written many a ‘- for Dummies’ books and is a 12 MB download. I would have liked to see a few more   illustrations where there were required, but hey – it’s free so can’t really complain!.

The content includes:

• The New Start Screen
• What’s New in Windows 8?
• The Traditional Desktop
• Storage: Internal & External
• SkyDrive: Your Cubbyhole in the Clouds
• Working with Apps
• Engaging the Social Apps
• Chatting through Messaging
• Getting Connected and Having Fun
• Ten Things You’ll Hate about Windows 8 (And How to Fix Them)

To be able to avail of this free download offer, you will be required to register at the Dell website and give your email ID. I think it’s a worthy download – one you definitely want to keep handy, when you start using Windows 8.

Hat tip.

If you have liked this post, you might want to check out some more, on topics like eBook,Resources.

Windows 8 Released, Here are 7 Things for You to Start with

After over a year of buzzing around, Windows 8 officially released to the public today on October 26, 2012. For those who like us having been closely following around, Windows 8 isn’t a new thing anymore. But for the majority people out there, Windows 8 is still a undiscovered land full of secrets waiting to be found. So we compiled a list of 7 FAQs that will help the starters to get their foot on this thing easily, quickly, and correctly.

First thing first, how many editions in Windows 7?

Microsoft decided to make things easier for everyone this time. There are only 3 choices, plus one specifically for Enterprise. Out of this 3 choices, Windows 8 is the most basic version that is mostly for the majority consumer users, Windows 8 Pro, on the other hand, has a computer version that is made for all computer power users who want to explorer more power of the Windows, while Windows RT, a limited version of Windows built on ARM process, is made exclusively for tablets.
It’s pretty clear, and straightforward, isn’t it.

What are the upgrade options?

Here is a post explaining fairly well with a visual chart for all Windows 8 upgrade path.

From now until January 31, 2013, you can order an upgrade version of Windows 8 Pro for only $39.99. And you can do so by downloading an upgrade package right from Windows 8 website. It’s a good deal. Don’t miss it.

Is my computer ok to run Windows 8?

Windows 8 has the exact same hardware prerequisite as Windows 7. So the rule of the thumb is that if your PC is capable of running Windows 7, it will have any issue running Windows 8. However, if you want to see if your computer is capable of upgrading from the current version of Windows you are running, here is a standalone Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant (direct download link) from Microsoft that you can run to find out.

Is there a trial version of Windows 8 to try out?

Unfortunately, I am not aware of Microsoft having this option available. However, the 90-trial Windows 8 Enterprise is still available. Since it’s the RTM version that is not far from the final release, it’s as close as you can get your hands on a Windows 8 system.
While we are still on the topic of talking about trying out Windows 8, I have to mention 4 best ways of trying out Windows 8 that will definitely help you greatly.

What is the best way to dual boot Windows 8 and Windows 7?

If you are installing Windows 8 Pro, the best way of dual-booting Windows 8 side by side with your Windows 7 is the Native VHD Dual Boot that doesn’t require a separate hard drive or partition with the whole system wrapped up in a single VHD file.
However, if you are installing just the Windows 8 which doesn’t support Native VHD boot, the only option for you is to make another partition or hard drive and load the system on it.

Do I need a Windows Account?

You don’t have to have it in order to run Windows 8. However, to make the most out of it, it’s best you have a Windows Account that you can use in Windows 8 to take advantage of all integrated services, like SkyDrive, data sync, mail, people, Windows Store, etc..  The Windows Account you are using will also let you easily manage all your devices you use.

Keyboard shortcuts to rescue

Windows 8 is a touch-device oriented system. Because of this, it feels different if you use it the first time. You could get lost if you are only using your keyboard and mouse. To make the best use of it, here are 13 keyboard shortcuts you definitely need to know and get use to them. You are going to love them whether you are using Windows 8 on a touchable device or not. On top of that, here is a cheat sheet that maps Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts and mouse to the touch equivalents.

Anything else I should be aware of?

Yes, actually there are a lot tips, tricks, tweaks that make Windows 8 better. But we will save these for next time. The above FAQs are good enough to make you comfortable heading into the way Windows 8 is leading you.