Get Organized with Free All My Notes Organizer

Popular guest writer Rick Robinette, is a very busy guy. I know Rick doesn’t have a lot of spare free time. Rick, who’s always on the hunt for the best in Freeware, has just come across All My Notes Organizer, a high performance personal information manager that’s very easy to use. Perfect for a busy guy!

After reading Rick’s review, I downloaded All My Notes Organizer myself.

Here’s Rick’s review:

I have always have had an attraction to software, such as personal information managers and sticky notes programs, to help me stay organized. I have tried and tested numerous types of these programs and many of them are very, very good; however there is always a downside.

Many of the personal information managers often carry with them a steep learning curve, and with many of the sticky notes programs I end up cluttering my desktop (with virtual sticky notes).

If only I could have a little of both worlds… Well, after a week of searching and testing I believe I found what I was looking for, in a program called AllMyNotes Organizer…

AllMyNotes Organizer is simply a program that you use to centrally store and organize all your notes; whether it be recipes, to do lists, vacation plans, shopping lists, correspondence, a diary, blog articles, or private information. Anything you can imagine can be stored in AllMyNotes Organizer.

The best parts I like about using this notes organizer is that it is easy to use, has a very nice notes’ editor, is available as a portable app, all notes are searchable, can be password protected (using 1800 bit key), and is absolutely gorgeous.

One thing to point out…  AllMyNotes Organizer is available in a FREE version and a Deluxe (paid) version. When you download and run AllMyNotes Organizer you are treated to a 14 day trial of the Deluxe version. After the 14 days the software reverts to the FREE version, minus some of the options that were available in the Deluxe version.

In the end, the FREE version is still awesome and who knows you may like this enough to buy the Deluxe version.

Major Features:

Strong security: files are encrypted and can be password-protected. Data file on disk is encrypted using 1800-bit key even when password is unassigned, to do not leave a trace of your private information on hard drive or USB stick!

Functional and yet simple interface with skins and translated to number of languages (English, German, Spanish, French,Swedish, Italian, Portuguese (+Brazilian Portuguese), Czech, Croatian, Korean, Mainland Simplified Chinese, Taiwan Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, more will be available soon…)

Powerful Global Search feature, for searching text across one or all notes with different options. Filter-on-typing for extra fast, real-time. Global search allows powerful Google-like query language (*).

System requirements: Windows 2000 and all higher versions – 2000/XP/Vista/7, including all server versions of Windows.

Download at: Developer’s site (Vladonai Software)

This is a guest post by Rick Robinette, who brings a background as a security/police officer professional, and as an information technology specialist to the Blogging world.

Why not pay a visit to Rick’s site at What’s On My PC. Like me, you’re sure to become a frequent visitor.

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XnView – An Irfanview Competitor?

For those readers who prefer XnView over Irfanview, here is an older post (April, 2008), which reviews this graphics editor. XnView is a free utility for viewing graphic files, and the simple and easy conversion of those files.

Having XnView installed on your system allows you to resize, crop, correct red eye, flip, rotate, and carry out a wide variety of image adjustments, including brightness, contrast, and gamma.

With XnView you can import more than 400 graphic file formats then convert them to other formats such as GIF, BMP, JPG, PNG, multi page TIFF. As well, you can export more than 50 graphic file formats.

The Image viewer (Browser) resembles the very familiar Windows Explorer. You simply navigate the directory structure and any image files found in a directory, are displayed in miniature (Thumbnails). This gives you an overview of the images available and at the same time lets you rapidly view and select specific images.

XnView doesn’t stop there however; it also provides you with more advanced features such as Web page creation, contact prints, multiple conversion (format and transformation), slide shows, screen capturing and twain support for scanners and digital cameras.

Quick facts:

· Import over 400 graphic file formats

· Export over 50 graphic file formats

· Multipage TIFF, Animated GIF, Animated ICO support

· IPTC, EXIF

· Resize

· Copy/Cut/Crop

· Adjust brightness, contrast…

· Modify number of colors

· Apply filters (blur, average, emboss …)

· Apply effects (lens, wave …)

· Full screen mode

· Slide show

· Picture browser

· Batch convert

· Thumbnail create

· Screen capture

· Contact Sheet create

· Multi-page file create (TIFF, DCX, LDF)

· TWAIN support

· Print support

· Drag & Drop support

· 44 languages support

System requirements: Windows XP/2003 Server/Vista

Download at: Download.com

Free Process Quick Link 2 – Improve Windows Task Manager

Windows Task Manager is a bit of a tease. Sure it provides you with some usable information, but it falls far short of providing you with the information that you really need. It is most commonly used to display information on all processes running on your computer, as well as advising you of the CPU and memory usage stats for a giving process. Additional selective information on running applications, performance, local area connection, and on users is also available.

Most importantly, from within Task Manger you have the option of selectively killing processes. But how do you determine which processes are safe to kill based on the limited information Task Manager provides?

If you’re a skilled computer user, it’s probable you’re aware of every process running in the background, the application or service that is responsible for launching it, and the function it performs. Better yet, you probably have the know-how to selectively kill processes to optimize memory use and trim your machine for maximum performance.

But what if you’re a novice or casual computer user? Where can you get the information on running processes so that you can make an accurate assessment on whether to kill a process or not?

Fortunately, there are a number of free tools available that will help any computer user, novice or not, to determine which process/processes can be safely shut down.

One such free tool is ProcessQuickLink 2, a small application (413 KB), from Uniblue Systems, the company which provides the indispensable process listing database ProcessLibrary.com, to the computing community free.

After downloading and installing ProcessQuickLink 2, the latest process information will be available to you directly through Windows Task Manager. Simply click on the Icon next to the process you are querying, which will now be visible in Task Manager’s process tab, and the ProcessLibrary.com website will be accessed where the essential information on the selected process can be viewed. The information provided is extensive enough to allow you to make an educated decision on the process.

If you’ve always wondered just what all those processes running in the background on your computer are up to, this cool little application will give you all the information you need.

Quick facts:

Instant one click access to process descriptions and advice through the Task Manager

Quickly and easily search 9000+ entries in processlibrary.com database

New process descriptions are added on a weekly basis

System Requirements:

Windows 2000 / 2003 / XP / Vista

Internet connection and an Internet browser

Download at: Uniblue Systems

Speedup Your Slow Computer – Free Solutions to System Slowdown

In computing, I find that there is nothing that aggravates me quite as much as a slow boot time, or a machine that continuously responds in a sluggish manner.

Unfortunately, it seems with a Windows machine it is inevitable that it will slow down over time. There are a ton of reasons for this, but the following causes are the most common.

In most cases, since a slow computer is generally suffering from more than one problem, you will probably find that you will have to resolve the issue using more than a single solution.

A Messy Registry

The longer you use Windows, the more disordered your registry can become, especially if you regularly install and uninstall software. Many applications, on being uninstalled, leave behind “orphan” registry entries. They don’t remove all traces of themselves; causing problems such as sluggish performance, system lockups, or a bloated registry that takes longer to load on startup.

The easiest way to clean your registry is to use a free registry cleaner, such as RegSeeker. With the click of a button, RegSeeker will scan your registry for these fragmented files, and safely remove them. As with all Registry cleaners, use caution and be sure to backup using the backup feature of the application.

Download at: Hoverdesk

Full Hard Drive

A full hard drive will not function efficiently. You require at least 2 – 3MB of free space for programs to run smoothly. If you lack this much free space, you should uninstall unused programs on your primary drive. A superior program to uninstall programs from your computer is Revo Uninstaller. This free program with its advanced and fast algorithm scans before, and after you uninstall an application.

After the program’s regular uninstaller runs, you can remove additional unnecessary files, folders and registry keys that are usually left over (those “orphaned” registry entries we talked about earlier), on your computer. This feature is a definite plus.

Download at: Revo Group

Not Enough Memory

It’s important to have enough memory on your computer to keep programs running smoothly. Current recommendations are that you have at least 512MB on your PC, although at this point, 1GB/2GB seems to be a safer bet. If you need to upgrade your RAM, check your local retail ads for sales. You can usually get a RAM upgrade at a great price.

Alternatively, you can run a free memory manager such as FreeRam XP Pro to free and optimize your computer’s RAM (Random Access Memory). The result should be an increase in system performance and productivity. The application automatically configures itself for ease of use, and also features advanced options and customizability. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike. I have been using this application for several years, and I am delighted with its performance.

Download at:  MajorGeeks

Too Many Start-Up Programs

When you boot your computer, there may be a large number of programs that start automatically. These programs impact your computer’s available processing capacity and memory usage, and can slow it down dramatically. In all probability, you don’t need all of these programs to automatically start when you boot your computer.

Autoruns is a free utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, in my view, and shows you what programs are configured to run during system boot up or login, and the order Windows processes them.

These programs will include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show additional locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and more. Autoruns goes considerably beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows.

Download at: Softonic

Turn off unnecessary services

If you are a typical computer user, then the fewer services your system runs the better. This issue is too comprehensive to discuss in this article but you can read my article on this Blog which will assist you in determining which services you can turn off in Windows XP Pro/Home, to improve performance and boot time.

Spyware and Malicious Programs

A common spyware complaint is; it slows down the operating system. As spyware accumulates on a computer, performance can grind to a dismal halt. Combating spyware starts with learning to recognize its presence and understanding its impact on system resources.

Recognizing when spyware is installed on a computer system and removing it promptly is the best method of protecting computers from catastrophic problems caused by spyware. There are many free applications available to help you recognize, control and remove spyware, adware, Trojans, and other malicious malware/programs that can infect and slowdown your system.

Here are some free applications that are reliable and I feel confident in recommending.

SpyBot Search and Destroy

AdAware

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

ThreatFire 3

Comodo Firewall Pro

Boost Windows Task Manager! – Free ProcessQuickLink 2

Windows Task Manager is a bit of a tease. Sure it provides you with some usable information, but it falls far short of providing what you may really need. It is most commonly used to display information on all processes running on your computer, as well as advising you of the CPU and memory usage stats for a giving process. Additional selective information is also available.

From within Task Manger you have the option of selectively killing processes. But how do you determine which ones are safe to kill based on the limited information Task Manager provides.

If you’re a skilled computer user it’s probable you’re aware of every process running in the background, the application or service that is responsible for launching it, and the function it performs. Better yet, you probably have the know-how to selectively kill processes to optimize memory use and trim your machine for maximum performance.

But what if you’re a novice computer user? Where can you get the information on running processes so that you can make an accurate assessment on whether to kill a process or not?

Fortunately, there are a number of free tools available that will help any computer user, novice or not, to determine which process/processes can be safely shut down.

One such free application is ProcessQuickLink 2, a small application (413 KB), from Uniblue Systems, the company which provides the indispensable process listing database ProcessLibrary.com, to the computing community free.

After downloading and installing ProcessQuickLink 2 the latest process information will be available to you directly through Windows Task Manager. Simply click on the Icon which will now be visible in Task Manager’s process tab and the ProcessLibrary.com website will be accessed where the essential information can be viewed. The information provided is extensive enough to allow you to make an educated decision on the process.

If you’ve always wondered just what all those processes running in the background on your computer are up to, this cool little application will give you all the information you need.

Quick facts:

• Instant access to process descriptions and advice through the Task Manager
• Quickly and easily search 9000+ entries in processlibrary.com database
• Free – new process descriptions are added on a weekly basis

System requirements: Windows 2000 / 2003 / XP / Vista

Download at: Uniblue Systems

XnView – Free and Easy Photo Tool

XnView is a free utility for viewing graphic files and the simple and easy conversion of those files. With XnView installed on your system you can resize, crop, correct red eye, flip, rotate, and carry out a wide variety of image adjustments, including brightness, contrast, and gamma.

With XnView you can import more than 400 graphic file formats then convert them to other formats such as GIF, BMP, JPG, PNG, multi page TIFF. As well, you can export more than 50 graphic file formats.

The Image viewer (Browser) resembles the very familiar Windows Explorer. You simply navigate the directory structure and any image files found in a directory, are displayed in miniature (Thumbnails). This gives you an overview of the images available and at the same time lets you rapidly view and select specific images.

XnView doesn’t stop there however; it also provides you with more advanced features such as Web page creation, contact prints, multiple conversion (format and transformation), slide shows, screen capturing and twain support for scanners and digital cameras.

Quick facts:

· Import over 400 graphic file formats

· Export over 50 graphic file formats

· Multipage TIFF, Animated GIF, Animated ICO support

· IPTC, EXIF

· Resize

· Copy/Cut/Crop

· Adjust brightness, contrast…

· Modify number of colors

· Apply filters (blur, average, emboss …)

· Apply effects (lens, wave …)

· Full screen mode

· Slide show

· Picture browser

· Batch convert

· Thumbnail create

· Screen capture

· Contact Sheet create

· Multi-page file create (TIFF, DCX, LDF)

· TWAIN support

· Print support

· Drag & Drop support

· 44 languages support

System requirements: Windows XP/2003 Server/Vista

Download at: Download.com

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Update Freeware/Open Source Apps Automatically – FreewareUpdater

I’m a strong advocate of open source and freeware software applications, and have been since I began computing in the early 1980’s. In fact, 65 out of a total of 86 applications on my home machine are either open source, or freeware applications. So, just over 75% of the applications I use fairly frequently I’ve downloaded and installed at no cost to me.

I have no way of knowing if these statistics are high, or relatively normal, for an advanced user; without question they’re certainly not on the low side.

I do know that trying to keep open source and freeware applications updated with the latest version can often be a hassle. This is particularly true if, like me, the majority of your installed software is open source, or freeware applications.

To reduce the drudgery involved in manually updating to the latest software version you can subscribe to an Internet service that will help do the job for you, such as Freeware Updates. Alternatively, to retain more control over the update process, you can download and install a tiny application FreewareUpdater that will allow you to conveniently manage and update, the open source and freeware applications on your computer.

Simply download and install FreewareUpdater to your computer, and then update the application list using the application’s intuitive and user friendly interface. From now on the application will keep track of any updates to the software on this list.

When any of the listed applications are updated, or a new release is issued, the list will be automatically updated. Installing the update, or new release, is as easy as double clicking on the software in the list and FreewareUpdater will download and install it on your system.

Quick facts:

• Collects data on freeware/open source software online
• Automatic update of application list
• Installs new applications directly from FreewareUpdater
• Advises you on both installed, and non installed, applications

System Requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Microsoft .NET Framework

Download at: Download.com

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