Download Hotspot Shield – Secure Your Public Internet Connections

On weekends, I’ve noticed that a disproportionate number of hits on this site come from Hotels. How do I know this? It’s easy really -  I just look at the Label IP Address in my site’s hit counter (StatCounter), which gives me this information.

Don’t be alarmed; no personal information of any kind can be deduced from the statistical information StatCounter generates.

Your Internet Browser provides much more information to every web site that you visit. For example, the information below is available to every web site I visit. I have X’d out certain parameters for privacy purposes only.

Your computer is connecting to the internet at xxxxxxx, xxxx, in the xxxx, with an IP address of 24.xxx.xxx.xxx

Your User Agent is being reported as: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/Firefox/3.6

Your Referrer is being reported as: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&client= ient=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en

Your IP Address is 24.xxx.xxx.xxx

Your Host Name is x2xx- xxx.xxx.xxx.cable.net

As opposed to this, the following graphic illustrates what StatCounter’s report looks like. I’ve used an example from a Police agency in the UK, since I’m reasonable sure this is a hardened site, rather than a Hotel, which I’m reasonable sure would not be a hardened site.

So what kind of information can I gather from this Hotel traffic? Well, nothing personal, or of any real value, except this; these Hotel guests are potentially playing with fire.

Hotel room Internet connections including both Wi-Fi, and wired, are notoriously vulnerable to hacking. This vulnerability is not restricted to Hotel rooms of course. Other vulnerable locations include internet cafes, and public terminals in libraries.

The YouTube video “Sidejacking using Ferret and Hamster”, is a good illustration of just how easy sidejacking (session hijacking) can be.

Hotspot Shield, is a free solution which uses both a proxy server and encryption technology, which can increase security (particularly at off site locations), and protect your privacy as well, by effectively hiding your IP address .

According to the developers “Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone, and our Internet gateway. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers, hackers, ISP’s, from viewing your web browsing activities, instant messages, downloads, credit card information or anything else you send over the network”.

Upside: I’ve been using this application for some time now, and it does exactly as it says. Despite the fact this is a proxy service, I find no slowdown in accessing sites, pages, or streaming content.

I’m satisfied with its performance – it works well, and is easily turned on/off via the system tray icon.

Incidentally, Hotspot Shield was named as one of the best free applications of 2008 by PC Magazine.

Downside: This is an ad supported application and it puts banner ads on every web page that you view.

Fast facts:

Securing your web session with HTTPS encryption

Secure your data & personal information online

Hiding your IP address for your privacy online

Securing your connection at both your home Internet network and public Internet networks (both wired and wireless)

Allowing you to access all content privately without censorship; bypass firewalls

Protecting you from snoopers at Wi-Fi hotspots, hotels, airports, corporate offices and ISP hubs

Recommendation: If you’re looking for a free application which will raise your level of security and keep your web surfing private, Hotspot Shield is definitely worth a look.

System requirements: Windows 7, Vista,  XP, 2000, Vista. Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger), Mac OS X (10.5 Leopard), Mac OS X (10.6 Snow Leopard)

Download at: Major Geeks

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – February 9, 2010

Top Tech Support Survival Tips – No one likes talking to tech support. Use our tips to help get your problem fixed–and maybe receive a little something extra, as well.

10 Things Apple Doesn’t Want You to Know About the iPad – Apple has been touting its iPad since it was first announced a few weeks ago. But after the hype wears off and we take an honest look at the iPad, we quickly find that there are some major flaws with the company’s tablet device that it just doesn’t want us to know about.

How Wi-Fi Attackers Poison Browsers – Public Wi-Fi networks such as those in coffee shops and airports present a bigger security threat than ever to computer users because attackers can intercede over wireless to “poison” users’ browser caches in order to present fake Web pages or even steal data at a later time.

Stubborn Trojan stashes install file in Windows help – Security researchers have spied malware that stashes a copy of itself in a Windows help file to ensure victim computers remain infected. (submitted by Dar).

The Complete Guide to Windows System Restore (It’s Better than You Remember) - Most of us remember Windows System Restore as a lame-duck feature from Windows XP; when it seemed we might benefit from using it, it never quite worked how we expected. That’s no longer the case.

FlashFire for XP – I love the tiny FlashFire utility/driver, and here’s why: I bought a netbook with an 8GB solid state drive and loaded Windows XP–but XP, not being optimized for a super-slow SSD, froze while data was written to the disk. Once I installed FlashFire, the stuttering stopped, XP booted faster and the overall performance amazed me.

How to Find Free Stock Video Footage – You don’t have to pay a fortune or anything at all, to find and use stock video footage. Check out SpinXpress.

Zeus Trojan Attacking NSA, .gov Sites – Criminals are spamming the Zeus banking Trojan in a convincing e-mail that spoofs the National Security Agency. Initial reports indicate that a large number of government systems may have been compromised by the attack.

Hotels Major Target of Credit Card Hacks – Hackers hit the hospitality industry more than any other – including the often-hacked financial services industry, according to a new report.

Off Topic:

Smart Grid cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified – Energy industry stakeholders and regulators are trying to secure the smart grid and just finished a second draft report that identifies 120 points of vulnerability. Can we guarantee the smartgrid’s security and reliability?

Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife – The American Army has its bunker-busters and fuel-air devices. The British Army has the Challenger 2 on the ground and the Typhoon for air cover. The Swiss Army has the Wenger Giant Swiss Army Knife, a weapon of Mass… umm… Mass… err… A Weapon of Mass. (submitted by Dar).

Tesla Motors Roadster Heads to Britain – Tesla Motors has unveiled a right-hand-drive production version of its limited-production Roadster electric sports car in London.

Today’s Quote:

“There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action”.

-      Bertrand Russell

Today’s Free Downloads:

Valentine Printables – I didn’t exaggerate earlier when I said there are lots of Valentine’s Day printables at the FreePrintable.net sites. There are literally hundreds to choose from, including coloring pages (cupids, hearts, and many more), place cards (perfect for Valentine dinners and parties), romantic certificates, gift tags, banners (a great way to welcome home a loved one), party invitations, and even a fax cover sheet.

SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition – This freebie does a great job removing spyware–but since it doesn’t have real-time protection, it’s just one layer of armor.

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – February 8, 2010

Facebook may challenge Internet giants with Gmail killer – Facebook has been challenging the Internet giants since infancy. Now, at 400 million users and growing, it’s firing a salvo directly at Google and Yahoo: creating its own Web-based e-mail.

PayPal suspends service in India – PayPal, the online payment processor, has put some of its services in India on hold temporarily and is reversing funds requested through PayPal India, according to reports.

China Closes Hacker Training Site, Arrests Three Members – Chinese police have shut down what they called the country’s biggest hacker training Web site and arrested three people linked to the site, local media said.

Early Windows 7 Testers Must Soon Upgrade or Backtrack – The unprecedented number of PC users who installed Windows 7 release candidate (RC) will soon have to decide whether to upgrade to the new OS or face bi-hourly shutdowns and significant hassle re-installing their old version.

Apple’s iPad Will Be the Death of the Mobile Web – Who needs an iPhone if you have an iPad? And who needs the mobile Web if you don’t have an iPhone?

Lifehacker: Five Best Podcast Managers -Podcasts offer a fantastic way to catch up news, listen to radio shows, and get great media delivered right to your computer (they’re like newsreaders for media). Check out these five popular podcast managers and let the entertainment come to you.

New Flaws Pry Lid Off Cloud Frameworks – A new set of vulnerabilities came to light at Black Hat DC, and its appearance provides a good look at our bleak “next-gen” security future.

Police want backdoor to Web users’ private data – Anyone with an e-mail account likely knows that police can peek inside it if they have a paper search warrant. But cybercrime investigators are frustrated by the speed of traditional methods of faxing, mailing, or e-mailing companies these documents. They’re pushing for the creation of a national Web interface linking police computers with those of Internet and e-mail providers so requests can be sent and received electronically.

Microsoft Patches Coming Tuesday: Brace Yourself – Here are two keys words for Microsoft Windows shops to remember come this Patch Tuesday: “six” and “restart.” Six is the number of a critical bulletins Microsoft will release on February 9 that affect all the currently supported versions of Windows on both the desktop and server.

Off Topic:

Take Exciting Photos at Night – Leave the shutter open after dark for engaging, dynamic photos.

Drinking Beer Could Help Prevent Weak Bones – A new study claims that certain types of beer are a rich source of dietary silicon, and can help prevent osteoporosis. Beer is a rich source of a nutrient that can help prevent weak bones – but it depends what type you drink, claim researchers at University of California, Davis.

GM Crops Facing Meltdown in the USA – Major crops genetically modified for just two traits – herbicide tolerance and insect resistance are ravaged by super weeds and secondary pests in the heartland of GMOs as farmers fight a losing battle with more of the same; a fundamental shift to organic farming practices may be the only salvation. (submitted by Dar).

Today’s Quote:

“Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day”.

-      Thomas Jefferson

Today’s Free Downloads:

Giveaway of the Day: Simpo PDF Merge & Split – Simpo PDF Merge & Split is an Award-winning PDF tools, which can precisely merge and split any pdf files. With merge function, you can help you to merge several pdf files or specific pages in pdf files into a single document, while split function allows you to extract pages out of a document or remove any pages from pdf document.

VisiPics – If you spend any time with a camera at all, you have hundreds of pictures on your PC. Actually, you may have many hundreds of them, taking up gigabytes of storage space. But somehow, some way, no matter how good you think you are at managing your photos, you’ve most likely have duplicate pictures taking up a substantial amount of hard disk space. Trying to weed through them all and find duplicates is a wearying, thankless task. VisiPics does it all for you, and it won’t cost a penny.

Duplicate File Hunter – Duplicate File Hunter is a welcome app indeed. While other operating systems have commands to root out duplicate files (instantaneously in the case of Linux), it’s next to impossible to do so in Windows.

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Valentine’s Day Spam – Get Ready for the Blitz!

In real life, love can sometimes leave you with a broken heart. But in Internet life (not that it’s not “real”), love can leave you with a broken heart, a broken wallet, and much more likely, now that Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, a broken/infected computer.

With just a week to go before this annual romantic holiday which celebrates friendship, love, and marriage, it’s time, once again, to be on the lookout for Valentine’s Day spam.

“Love” spam historically rises 700% or more, as we approach Valentine’s Day, and this year, I’ve noticed a definite increase in the “Russian Bride’” spam scam. I had to laugh, when I read one pundit referring to this type of invitation as, “male insecurity spam”.

It’s estimated that this year, 8 per cent of “romantic” emails, or one in every 12 emails, is likely to contain malware. So, stay alert when dealing with emails that claim to be Valentine’s greeting cards, romantic videos, etc. Make sure you have an effective security solution installed, capable of detecting both known and new malware strains.

If you’re unsure if your existing AV solutions are up to the task, take a look at Tech Thoughts Top 8 Free Antimalware Applications.

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – February 7, 2010

FBI’s Most Wanted: Your Browsing Activity – FBI Director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to track “origin and destination information” about their customers’ browsing habits and store them for authorities’ use for two years, according to a CNET report.

Toyota’s lesson: Software can be unsafe at any speed – Software glitches may be behind sudden acceleration and braking failures in Toyota vehicles. It’s ironic that Toyota, the leader in building quality automobiles, may have become the poster child for poor software quality. It probably won’t be the last auto manufacturer to suffer this fate.

Lifehacker: Top 10 Tools for Finding Cool Stuff Nearby – Sometimes the most interesting stuff in an unfamiliar city is hiding in plain sight. With the right location-aware and map-friendly web tools, you can find the best cheap eats, picture-worthy sights, and much more. Start with this list of in-the-know apps.

How Wi-Fi attackers are poisoning Web browsers – Public Wi-Fi networks such as those in coffee shops and airports present a bigger security threat than ever to computer users because attackers can intercede over wireless to poison browser caches in order to present fake Web pages or even steal data at a later time. This, according to a security researcher presenting at the Black Hat conference

Why Chrome Will be Your Next Browser – Google Chrome’s market share numbers are skyrocketing, blowing past Safari and Opera to become the number three most-widely-used Web browser. That’s pretty impressive, and I don’t think it’s going to stop there.

Facebook revamps home page – Having turned 6 years old Thursday, Facebook unveils yet another redesign, tweaking the home page to display more of the core features and settings in one single place.

Billions to be spent on smart-grid cybersecurity – As the industry has increasingly built up smart grids to better control and regulate electrical power, the threat of cyberattacks has become a greater concern. Dangers ranging from terrorist attacks to hackers to accidents to natural disasters could cause substantial damage.

Off Topic:

Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World: You Can Finally View FREE Online – Sweet Misery is the movie that Pepsi and Coca Cola don’t want you to see. Now at last the enlightening film is available on the Internet, in its entirety. (submitted by Dar)

Remember in the days before digital music and MP3 players? – If you do, then you probably made compilations of all your favorite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, on good old fashioned blank cassette tapes. If you miss making mix tapes this product will inspire you again! (submitted by Dar).

Jesse Ventura Takes the Soaring Interest in Conspiracy Theory to TV: Viewers Are Flocking to It – Bringing formerly taboo issues to TV, the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler’s show has caught on. Conspiracy theorists probably aren’t surprised. (submitted by Dar).

Today’s Quote:

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis”.

-     Margaret Bonnano

Today’s Free Downloads:

Giveaway of the Day: Wondershare Video to iPod Converter – Wondershare Video to iPod Converter is a universal iPod Video Converter. With this smart tool, you can convert any favorite videos for your sweet memories to your iPod supported formats to enjoy them anywhere and anytime. Also, you can create tailor-made videos as you wish to view it on your iPod with full screen.

NoScript – This free Firefox extension blocks JavaScript from running without your permission, but NoScript doesn’t allow you to stop its own devices.

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Download Predator – Lock Your PC with a USB Key

We’ve all heard it – “can I use your PC for just a minute?” My answer to this seemingly innocent question is always a resounding “NO”, usually followed by “not a chance”, “you must be kidding” ………. .

Sounds unreasonable, right? Well, it might sound unreasonable, but is it really?

I spend weeks, tweaking and massaging my PCs so that I get just the kind of response I need, and I’ve learned the hard way that some, or all, of what I’ve done, can be undone – by a ham-fisted “guest”.

As well, since my PCs, just like yours I suspect, contain personal and confidential information, I have no intention of allowing unauthorized access either accidentally, or by design.

Until recently, I’ve used the old Windows standby – Windows Key + L, to lock my PC. That is, until I came across a freeware application, Predator (last update October 31, 2009), which locks a PC, even if the Windows session is still open.

Fast facts:

Insert the USB drive.

Run Predator (autostart with Windows is possible),

When you’re away from your PC, you simply remove the USB drive.

Once removed, the keyboard and mouse are disabled and the screen darkens.

When you return to your PC, insert the USB flash.

The keyboard and mouse are immediately released, and the display is restored.

You can protect several PCs with the same USB flash drive, e.g. your home and office computers.

What really convinced me to use this neat tool are the advanced security features which are included in Predator.

Security features:

Records all security-related events in a log file: start, alarms, stop. By reading this log, you will know if intruders have tried to use your computer while you have been away.

Frequently changes the security codes recorded on your USB drive. If an intruder manages to copy your stick, this copy will not work because the codes on your own stick will have changed in the meantime.

Disables the Windows task manager when you unplug the USB drive. Nobody can stop it with Ctrl-Alt-Del.

Lets you regain control of your computer if you lose your stick: when you start the software for the first time, you set a password that will unlock your session if your USB drive is not available.

Can sound an audible alarm if somebody enters an invalid password.

Running Predator for the first time:

Launch the software via the Start Menu / All Programs / Predator item or via the Predator icon on the Desktop

A dialog box will ask you to enter a password and to prepare a USB flash drive:

Insert your USB drive and click OK to continue.

Note: the current contents of your flash drive will be unchanged by this operation. Files on your USB drive will not be deleted nor modified in any way.

You will then see the Preferences window:

Type the password of your choice in the “New Password” field. You will use it to unlock your session if you lose your USB key.

You must enter at least 6 characters, letters, figures or signs. The password is case sensitive (uppercase and lowercase letters are different).

Check that the drive letter displayed under “USB key drive” actually matches your flash drive or choose the correct letter from the dropdown list.

Click the “Create key” button

Finally, click “Ok”

If you have a need to lock your PC when you are away from your desk, this free application will give you that sense of security you have been looking for.

System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit), Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit).

Download at: Developers site

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Your Old Computer is NOT a Boat Anchor, Yet!

The herd mentally really cracks me up. The latest manifestation of this, at least for me, is all the hype surrounding the iPad.

I’m guessing here, but it seems to me that roughly 70%, or so, of tech “experts”, are just falling all over themselves pontificating on the value of the iPad. A 9 inch screen – please, spare me! Can these people spell – regression?

The other 30% or so, are like me, who’s take on the iPad can be summed up as follows: Who cares?

I’m just a little tired of being made to feel left out if I don’t BUY the latest, the supposed greatest, and being made to feel as if technology will leave me behind if I don’t get on the “buy, buy, buy”, wagon.

We’re under constant bombardment, it seems to me, to add more processing power, more RAM, larger Hard Drives, an updated operating system, new and “improved” versions of the very applications that we already have, bigger screens, Wi-Fi this, and Wi- Fi that.

I must have very unusual “non techie” friends, and what makes them so is – they just don’t buy into the update (spend more money), game. By and large, they’re satisfied with the technology they have. It does what they want it to do – what it was designed to do.

Virtually every one of them is adamant, that for everyday work; word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and general Internet surfing, they don’t need the latest, greatest, and most expensive computer.

Most of them are aware that simple maintenance, practiced regularly, (Checkout “Old Computer? Think It’s Junk? – Give It One More Chance!”), which is easy even for a non-expert, can keep an older PC running smoothly for years.

Here’s a perfect example of this in action: I test new software on a daily basis, and I do some of that testing on a Dell OptiPlex 110 with 512 Meg of memory, running Windows XP Professional, with all the applicable service packs and patches in place.

This is a 7 year old computer, and I kid you not, 80% or more, of the software, and Internet testing that I perform, runs smoothly and adequately on this platform.

Sure, it won’t run Windows 7 – but so what? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not coming down on Windows 7. Without a doubt, it’s the best OS Microsoft has ever released, and I do have more than one multi-core machine running Win 7.

There’s no doubt, that the Internet has evolved into a multimedia extravaganza in the last few years, and will continue to evolve in this way. But you don’t need (at least right now), a new high end machine, or Windows Vista/Windows 7 installed, to be able to enjoy virtually everything the Internet has to offer.

I occasionally run that old Dell OptiPlex 110 on the Internet, and while I won’t go so far as to say there’s no difference in response time versus running a multi-core Windows 7 machine – I find the difference is surprisingly marginal. Note: using a very high speed Internet connection is obviously advantageous.

If 67% of users continue to operate with Windows XP (as the following graphic indicates), which would generally indicate an older machine, there’s something being said here, loud and clear – the existing level of satisfaction is relatively high.

Graphic and data source courtesy of Net Applications

If your current operating system is Windows XP, and your machine is 3,4,5 or even 6 years old, keep it. Don’t buy into the hype   You’ll need to upgrade soon enough – but not now.

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Comodo “Really Simple Security” – Free and Uncomplicated

Just like “free”; “simple” is good. When you combine free and simple thought, you often get “great”. Comodo Group’s new, free, Internet security series, is just that – great.

Internet security advice, is often free, but too often it’s far from simple. In fact, it tends to be complex, and occasionally, frustrating to grasp.

We’ve written here previously about Comodo TV, a terrific free service offered by Comodo, the developers of a number of very well known free applications including, Comodo Antivirus, Comodo Firewall, Comodo Time Machine, System Cleaner, and Comodo BackUp.

Comodo VP Bill Fallon and his team have taken this concept one step further, and have developed a new Internet video series, Really Simple Security, published on a dedicated YouTube channel.

As Bill explains “Each program is about a minute, and in a light and entertaining way gets the point across about what every Internet user needs to know, and needs to do, to be more proactive about their own protection… We produce and distribute two new programs every week.”.

To ensure the security lessons are topical, current, and reflect the “real” Internet environment, Comodo wants to hear from you. Or, as Bill Fallon puts it, “ if you have any suggestions for topics to cover, we’re all ears”.

We know that running security applications alone, will not ensure safety on the Internet; education and awareness have taking on a new urgency.

While you may not need to be convinced, your friends, relatives, and associates, particularly those who are new Internet users, undoubtedly need to learn the basics of Internet security.

Let them know that they can do this in a  constructive, yet lighthearted way, and point them to Comodo’s Really Simple Security. They’ll be glad that you did. As well, by doing so, you will have helped raise the level of security for all of us.

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Tech Thoughts Daily Net News – February 6, 2010

10 Firefox extensions that enhance security – Compromising Web sites has become cybercriminals’ favorite method of getting malware installed on computers. Here are 10 ways to beef-up Firefox, making it more difficult for the bad guys.

Lifehacker: TVGorge Brings Dozens of Location-Blocked TV Shows to Users Around the World – If you’re outside of the US and sick of not being able to see good TV online or just tired of waiting for Hulu to get your favorite shows, you’ll want to check out TVGorge and its huge archive of shows.

Mozilla Admits Malware Sneaked into Firefox Add-ons – Mozilla says a pair of malicious Firefox add-ons slipped by its security checks and infected approximately 4,600 Windows computers over the last five months. The browser add-ons, described my Mozilla as “experimental,” contained a Trojan horse that executed when Firefox started and infected the host computer.

10+ ways to recover a corrupted Word document – Few computer experiences are worse than having a Word document blow up on you. But before you resign yourself to losing the document contents, check out these techniques for salvaging your text.

Get Paid to Install Malware – Kevin Stevens, an analyst at Atlanta-based security consulting company SecureWorks, says sites with names like “Earnings4U” offer to pay users for each file they can install on someone else’s PC; the practice is called “pay per install.” Stevens found sites offering rates ranging from $180 per 1,000 installs on PCs based in the U.S. to $6 per 1,000 installs on PCs based in Asian countries.

Majority Of Online Banking Customers Use Same Credentials On Other Less-Secure Websites – Trusteer data finds that 73 percent use the same password for their online banking account on at least one nonfinancial Website

NEW YORK TIMES: Hacking For Fun And Profit In China’s Underworld – Most of China’s hackers aren’t skilled coders, anonymous hacker says.

Off Topic:

Two-inch LEGO gun gets 4th-grader in trouble - Patrick Timoney, a 9-year-old student, was in the school cafeteria Tuesday playing with LEGOs when he was taken to the principal’s office and threatened with suspension. One of his toys was a LEGO policeman that holds a 2-inch plastic gun.

Want to scale walls like Spider-Man? New device could pave the way – Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new adhesive device that could one day let humans hang from and scale walls.

Compulsive Internet use linked to depression – People who spend a lot of time using the Internet are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to a new study.

Today’s Quote:

“The shortest distance between two points is under construction”.

-     Noelie Altito

Today’s Free Downloads:

Giveaway of the Day: Easy Start Menu Organizer 3.0 – Easy Start Menu Organizer is a tool for arranging and removing start menu items with ease. The software makes it easy to sort applications into target groups. The software also allows copying and deletion of application icons from the start menu. Arrange start menu alphabetically and group folders. All this saves your time and helps you to keep your business in good order!

Disk Investigator – Disk Investigator helps you to discover all that is hidden on your computer hard disk. It can also help you to recover lost data. Display the true drive contents by bypassing the operating system and directly reading the raw drive sectors. View and search raw directories, files, clusters, and system sectors. Verify the effectiveness of file and disk wiping programs. Undelete previously deleted files.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

Media Monkey – Media Control to the Max

Guest writer Glenn Taggart is a true music lover, and he has some definite ideas on the best free media player out there. Glenn gives you his views on his favorite music media player – Media Monkey.

In the world of web based music media players, there are many to choose from.  I know many of you are quite content with the pre-packaged media players that come with the Microsoft operating system.

However, if you want to listen to other file types such as OGG or FLAC, or, say you want to sync your iPod, iPhone, or other Mp3 players, Microsoft can be a real bummer.

Enter my favorite music media player – Media Monkey.

Media Monkey will play all music files and will also sync with your iPod. Other great features of Media Monkey include the ability to retag your music collection in case you have music that is tagged improperly. Media Monkey will also rip CDs, and will convert your audio files between the various music formats.

The user interface is intuitive and is easy to set up. Whether you want to have your music collection in file format or playlist format, Media Monkey has you covered.

Did I mention system resource use? As a former XP user on an older machine, CPU and RAM resources were thin. Media Monkey solves this equation and operates on very low system resources.

Of all the music players out there, and I have tried them all, only Media Monkey has all of the bells and whistles and ease of use for the casual and power user.

Media Monkey is compatible with XP, Vista, and Win7

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Fast facts:

Organize music and edit tags in your audio library with a powerful, intuitive interface.

Automatically lookup and tag Album Art and other metadata.

Manage 50,000+ files in your music collection without bogging down.

Manage all genres of audio: Rock, Classical, Audiobooks, Comedy, Podcasts, etc.

Play MP3s and other audio formats, and never again worry about varying volume.

Record CDs and convert MP3s, M4A, OGG, FLAC and WMA files etc. into other formats.

Create playlists and let Auto-DJ & Party Mode take care of your party.

Sync iPhones, iPods, & MP3 players, converting & leveling tracks on-the-fly.

Plus much more…

If you have been thinking about downloading a FREE 3rd party music player, give Media Monkey a try!

System requirements: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/7

Download at: Download.com

Guest Writer: This is a guest post by Glenn Taggart of The Crazy World of G, who brings a background as a high level super user, to the Blogging world.

Drop by Glenn’s freeware page.

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