Troubleshoot Windows 8 System Crash with Windows 8 Log Collector

System crashes are hard to prevent especially when it’s Windows Operating system. Worst it is even more difficult to fix them without log files. Hence most IT admins often rely on log files to detect and fix system crashes or conflicting hardware, however it becomes very cumbersome task when you got hundreds of computers on network and manually collection all log files.
What if you can have tool which can automatically collect all the log files on Windows OS, do you think will be help for you?? If you answer is yes then here is freeware tool Windows 8 Log Collector.

As the name suggests, this tool is for Microsoft’s next major operating system, i.e Windows 8. Windows 8 Log Collector is the standalone executable which lets you to collect the log files for Mini Dump , MSINFO32, host file , event logs, and Internet Explorer crash logs with just clicks.
The Windows 8 Log Collector has simple user interface with easy to understand options. Each button is named with kind of logs it will collect. You can collect individual logs or grab all logs with on click which will be placed on your desktop under folder name W8. However you must run Windows 8 Log Collector as administrator or with right click context menu option “Run as administrator”.

Download Windows 8 Log Collector.

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How to Copy The Files Blocked by a program

While working with windows you tried to copy a file but unfortunately windows won’t allow you to copy that file and also display a message that the file is being blocked by a program. Moreover you might be in very need of that file. There is a way to copy the blocked files. You can copy any file that is blocked by a program. By default Windows will never allow you to copy a program/file that is currently being used by windows. Most probably you will face this situation when you try to copy video files that has just been played in your browser it may be Internet Explorer in most cases. I used to do this before and ” i can’t copy a file that is being used” . There are certain sites that block files this way. So i tried to find a solution (to copy any files that are blocked by a program) for this.


HoboCopy is a small utility that can do the job of copying a file that is being used by a program. It is actually works like a backup utility that needs to be run from the command line i.e. the command prompt utility in Windows. It can t be run by double clicking the program’s exe file. Thats why it needs to be run in command line.

How HoboCopy could copy the files used by a program?

HoboCopy uses the VSS (Volume Shadow Service) to “snapshot” the disk before copying. The File is then copied from the snapshot instead of copying from the “live” disk directly.

Download Hobocopy

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How to Copy / Backup Changed or Modified Files Automatically

Daily computer users make a lot of changes to their system. There can be mistakes that can happen such as accidentally overwriting an important file or accidentally deleting it. What ever be it we dont (most of us) usually are reluctant to make backups. This is seriously frustrating when we have a lot of files that need to be backed up, which are changed most often. So it is really a time consuming task backing up or copying the modified files, when they are in bulk. So here is a nice software than can help you out of this tedious job of backing up/copying only the changed or modified files automatically.


The copy changed files utility is a small tool that lets you to copy changed files from one directory to another.
The program copies only the changed files, the non changed files will be left intact.

Features of Copy Changed Files

* Copy changed files only
* Multi threaded
* Append current date to destination directory for easy version maintenance
* Set from directory
* Set to directory
* Set the from date, to scan for files changed after that date
* Compare date AND time
* Maintain directory structure in destination directory
* Exclude files from copying, eg. thumbs.db
* Automatically check for new version

Screen Shot Of Copy Changed Files

The program doesn’t needs to be installed, it just needs to be extracted and can be run directly.
Download Copy Changed Files

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how to Restore Bookmark on Firefox

If you are the type of person who depends on website bookmarks a lot for reading and for your work, you’ll have hard time when you lose them or accidentally delete them.

You might sometimes delete the bookmarks accidentally or the bookmark might not work due to a corrupt file. You’ll be saved in such a situation if you have activated the cloud sync service that Firefox provides. Yes, firefox sync feature is staggering useful if activated, you’ll not have the pain of moving your firefox data to another pc for resuming your browsing session. Syncing firefox on a new pc would help you resume the work you’ve paused in another pc. Its really that useful. Sorry about talking too much regarding this, I’m sure this tend some users to start using the sync feature if you’ve still haven’t started using it.

Restore Bookmarks in Firefox

1. Bring up the Bookmarks Manager Library by Clicking Bookmarks > Show All Book Marks.
2. Click on “ Import and Backup “ to see the drop down menu.
3. It is important to create a current backup of your existing bookmarks. (This is important!). For this click on “ Export Bookmarks to HTML “.


4. After creating the backup, Hover the mouse over “ Restore “ option this show you backups of bookmarks created by firefox on different dates.


5. Clicking on a date would restore the bookmarks but it overwrites the existing bookmarks. No worries, just import the bookmarks backed up earlier and you’re set to go.

There is another option for creating backup of the bookmarks file manually. For this you need to click the “ Backup “ option which shows up when you click on “ Import and Backup “ . The backup file would be saved in JSON format.
You will see an option below those bookmarks backup (see step 5) , to “ Choose File ” which will help you to restore the bookmarks using the json file.
Did you come across such a situation where you lost all the bookmarks ? Did you get them back via any other option ? What did you do to restore them ?

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How to Reset Windows 8 Setting to Factory Default

With Windows 8, its now far more easy to get your computer to previous state. You now no longer need to reinstall windows from the beginning to get the settings to factory default.  Reset Your PC option in windows 8 will help you restore the settings to the default. Caveat: You will lose all your documents and files stored in the drive you’ve installed windows 8.

• Insert the Windows 8 DVD into the drive / a bootable windows 8 USB Drive.
• Open up “ Control Panel ” from the main Mero Window.
•  Click on ” General ” and you could see the ” Reset Your PC & Start Over ” option on the right panel.
• After Clicking on the ” Get started ” button you will see the following screen.
• Click on ” Next ” and windows will bring up another screen asking whether you want to remove all the files from all the drives or you just want to remove the files in the drive windows 8 is installed. Clicking on the ” Show me the list of driver that will be affected ” option will show you the drives that would be affected during windows reset process (Applicable only when you choose  ” all drives ” option).
• Clicking on ” Only the drive where Windows is installed ” is preferable if you are concerned with the files stored in other drives.
• Now click ” Reset ” option in the window displayed. The Windows 8 reset process would start off and reboot your PC.
• The process would take a while and once this process is finished, you’ll be asked to enter the Windows 8 product key. If you are using the developer version of windows 8, you can progress by clicking the ” Skip ” button.
• Now Accept the Windows 8 License Agreement and Windows will ask you to enter the Computer Name.
• Thats it. Your Windows 8 PC will be back to new again.

If you don’t want your files to be removed and only need to have a fresh copy of windows 8 installed its better not reset windows 8. Instead go for the Refresh your PC option which will preserve all your documents while doing a reinstall of the operating system

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Top 5 Software to create Videos from Photos

Since Digital Cameras have become cheap, it has become must carry thing on Holiday Tours. Landscapes, “we”, the bar, the hotel, the palm tree, the bush and the thousands of fuzzy duplicates. Our virtual photo albums are full of the most improbable shots, repeated in many different ways.
Perhaps, after returning from the vacation, we have a distressing habit of forcing friends and relatives to attend endless projections of photos accumulated. To mitigate the drama, the first advice is, of course, to make a skimming. But it might not be enough.
The best solution may be to create slideshows with music: will take a little time and ‘commitment, but results will be more satisfied and our loved ones may even discover that the ritual photographic projection back from vacation can be an enjoyable experience!
Among the numerous software to create video from photos and music we have chosen five, in our opinion the best:

The Easiest

MAGIX PhotoStory on CD & DVD – Easy to use. A wizard guides you in creating the slideshow, and you do not have to worry about anything. If you are a beginner, it’s a good option to bet on. It supports many different formats in the entry, which can save you from the boredom of having to convert video files, audio or image to be.
Two Disappointing things in the overall evaluation of the program: the heaviness of the application in terms of resources and the highest quality output, which remains very low. But let’s face it, often export to HD is totally useless and sometimes counterproductive. So, if you’re not a video artist and you’re not obsessed by the high quality MAGIX PhotoStory on CD & DVD is a good solution.

The Microsoft Classic

Windows Movie Maker – What can I say? Well, which needs no introduction. Present by default in Windows XP, is now back with a version for Windows Vista and 7. A holy hand for his followers having regard to the disappointment of the successor to  Windows Live Movie Maker.
If you’re a traditionalist, you do not like change and you are fond of the old editor of Redmond OS, then continue on your way. It is true, those who leave the old road to the new … But for once, is it better to trust those who have already tried alternative routes? Windows Movie Maker is really very basic and supports a few formats.

Working in High Definition

Ashampoo Slideshow Studio HD – Guarantee of stability and efficiency, can not go wrong with this program. Operation is intuitive, clear interface but with many features at your fingertips. The editor is not particularly rich, but to make the transition effects are many and are automatically inserted between a photo and the next. If you want you can also add subtitles or audio commentary. The strong point remains the ability to export movies in full HD quality . In short, if you want reliability, quality and an intuitive your search ends here.

For DVD Player

DVD Slideshow GUI – DVD Slideshow GUI program to create presentations designed specifically for your DVD player. Obviously with all the corollaries various outbuildings, including the ability to create the menu for the DVD , save to the subtitles, and divided into chapters. Do not expect much more though: the interface is very sparse, most of the available effects and does not support drag and drop . The output quality is high, but it gets better.

Multiple Devices, Many Formats

Photostage – is itself a pretty basic program, available with fewer side effects- installation of other applications for video editing. You can install Video, Photo and Wave editor when the installation file, but if not you felt at the time, you can always do it later by pressing Later. The best things about it are the usability of the application, the output video format and the ability to export in HD. If you do not have excessive demands and prefer the high compatibility of format you are made ??for each other!
In conclusion, each of these 5 programs has its pros and cons and the choice depends on your personal needs… Which one do you prefer?

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Optimize & Speedup Windows 7 with EnhanceMySe7en Freeware Utility

I am sure all those users who have used Windows 7 Beta or Windows 7 RC will accept the fact that performance of Windows 7 is superior to Windows Vista or XP. However a big issue with all windows operating system is performance degradation over period of time.
Here is handy freeware utility EnhanceMySe7en with which you can tweak, optimize & control many aspects of the windows 7 with maximum convenience. It has all necessary features for maintaining Windows 7 in a perfect condition.
EnhaceMySe7en has tools that take care of the registry, disk space and its defragmentation, installed software, HDD temperature and all sorts of things related to system’s health. Also there are lots of other options helping to boost your system’s performance.

Features of EnhaceMySe7en for Windows 7

1. Process Identification – Identify unrecognized software
2. Start-Up Management – Disable unnecessary software increasing performance
3. Registry Cleaner – Can easily checks your registry and repair incorrectly linked registry entries, automatically remove invalid entries
4. Disk Cleaner – Find out which files or folders engross your disk space and shown with chart
5. Registry Defragmenter – Rebuilds and re-indexs your registry to reduce application response time and registry access time
6. Disk Defragmenter – Reduces the amount of fragmentation in file systems
7. Hard Drive Monitor – Gives the current values of various hard disk parameters such as Temperature, Head Flying Height, Spin-Up Time etc.
8. System Tools, File, network and Security Tools
9. Security – EnhanceMySe7en has easy to configure security settings for managing the new security features of Windows Vista
10. Optimization – Optimize settings for maximum speed and stability
11. Customization – customize system desktop, menus, toolbar and notifications settings
12. Network – Optimize your Internet connection speed

Screenshot of EnhanceMySe7en

Download EnhaceMySe7en to Optimize and Speed Up Windows 7.

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View Programs & Files Loaded After Windows Boot with After Boot File Viewer

We are sure you would have noticed that machine with freshly Installed Windows boots faster than the one which has Windows running for past six months to year. The reason for this is as you start installing programs and applications many of the files are added to Windows boot process to load at startu and this is what causes the slowdown in Windows boot process.
If you can control & remove those unnecessary files and programs added to Windows startup then you can reduce the windows boot time significantly but unfortunately Windows doesn’t provide any way to let us know which programs are loaded in startup. To solve this problem here is free utility After Boot File viewer.

As the name suggest this utility lets you to view the programs that load after PC boots.  This utility can also become handy in case when you are suspicious about virus or malware infection. The utility can be run any time once your Windows is booted.

After Boot Files Viewer

Download After Boot File Viewer.

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View Windows 7 Startup Program List with Startup Discoverer

Windows 7 has several ways to start applications & programs automatically commonly referred as startup locations. A tight control over startup programs can save you from viruses & malicious programs. Manually keeping check of windows 7 startup locations could be cumbersome task and many don’t know all Windows 7 startup locations.

Here is nifty app Startup Discoverer which can retrieve list of programs added into startup locations of Windows 7. You can view program list based on startup category like machine runs, user runs etc.

Startup Discoverer

The main interface has 19 categories that you can click on to get the auto start programs list for each category. Blue category label means that there are auto programs in this category, black label means empty category.
Click on Show All Runs to view full list of Startup Programs.

It is also possible to save a list as a text file and to print the a list to the default printer.
Download Startup Discoverer to get Windows 7 Startup List.

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Speedup Windows 7 Startup with My Startup Delayer

Windows exhibits typical characteristics of system slow down, slow startup and frequent crashes as the time passes after fresh installation of Windows operating system. Though Microsoft has significantly improved the booting time from Vista to Windows 7 but there is no control over the applications which adds entry to startup process list in order to auto start with every Windows boot.
This could be very frustrating, especially when you want to quickly go online for some reason and patiently waiting for your System to startup. Not any more, My Startup Delayer is here to rescue you. As the name suggests, this is small application designed to help in removing or delaying the applications which auto starts with Windows there by increasing overall Windows boot time.
My Startup Delayer has simple user interface and multiple options to adjust delay of application launch on startup as per your need. It also offers option to either delay or completely disable selected application from Windows Startup.
My Startup Delayer is portable app, so it doesn’t need any installation. Simply download and run My Startup Delayer. You will notice that when you run this app, it provides you the list of all the application currently added into Windows Startup process list.


Right clicking on any entry and you will be provided with an option to Delay, Disabled or set Normal. You can also check the current status of any exe present in startup.

The executable set as delayed will be highlighted in yellow bar.

You can also define the delay options such as seconds to wait before launching delayed executable or seconds to wait before launching every executable etc. This will help you to prevent system becoming unresponsive during startup.

Please note that if you plan to remove My Start Delayer then you must revert back all the delayed executable to normal.
You may like to check out below articles,
View Windows 7 Startup Program List
View Programs loaded after Windows Boot
Optimize and Speed Windows 7
Download My Startup Delayer
Download My Startup Delayer.

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My 2012 Review Of PC Tools Antivirus Free v9

The latest in my series of reviews of free 2012 antivirus programs is for PC Tools Antivirus Free v9.

The Good:

• 1. Fair detection rates
• 2. Nice clean interface
• 3. Low memory usage during scans

The Bad:

• 1. Took a long time to install
• 2. Very high CPU usage during a full scan
• 3. -

If you are looking for a good free antivirus program should you consider PC Tools Antivirus Free v9, the company’s new program for 2012?
Lets find out…


Installation and first impression
The first thing that surprised me with this antivirus program was it’s size. The download was some 140 MB in size and it did take some time before I was in a position to run the program.
One thing you may want to look out for during the installation is the toolbar installation prompt. On the whole I hate toolbars and typically am wary of installing them. You may have differing views. In either case, you will be prompted to choose whether to install the PC Tools Defender Toolbar:

Once installed, however, I have to say that the new graphical user interface is very good looking indeed. The blue, white and green colour scheme works very well and the way the features are laid out make this a very simple and intuitive program to use.

The features on offer in this antivirus program are functional but quite limited and you’ll see an Upgrade link at the bottom of the screen. The paid for version (review coming soon) is much better in my opinion but this free version certainly does a job.
Conclusion
In use I found PC Tools Antivirus Free v9 to be very good at finding questionable files, such as adware and tracking cookies. When it came to the most important items to detect – malware – it certainly didn’t get a 100% detection rate against the sample list that I used. Thats not to say that it gave a disaterous result but it certainly didn’t do quite as well as the other free antivirus programs I’ve looked at thus far.

Of bigger concern to me was the resource usage.
On the plus side, this antivirus program never required a huge amount of memory. Even during a full scan I never saw more than half a gig of RAM being used by the entire system.
CPU usage, however, was an entirely different matter…
As you can see in the screenshot above, the central processing unit was kept very busy indeed during a full scan with usage typically above 80% for pretty well the entire operation.
To conclude then, I wouldn’t choose this program for myself as I’m always busy on my computer and multitasking whilst running a scan (yes, I know they can be scheduled but I like to turn my computer off when not being used) was a virtual impossibility. PC Tools Antivirus Free 2012 v9 isn’t the worst free antivirus program I’ve looked at but I believe there are better choices available this year.
Check out my other reviews of 2012 free antivirus programs.

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The Top 10 Free Antivirus Programs 2012

As summer 2011 comes around the security vendors cast their eyes to the following year and start releasing the paid for versions of their antivirus programs. For most people I would definitely recommend handing over a few dollars to get a good level of protection but, for some people, that may not be necessary.



With that in mind it is time once again for me to look at what free antivirus protection is available.
Over the next couple of months I will be writing some new reviews for what I believe are the top 10 free antivirus programs you can get in 2012 without parting with your cash. I’ll be looking at programs from the usual suspects, including -

• AVG
• Avira
• Avast!
• Comodo
• and, assuming no fingers have just fallen off, 6 others.

Check back soon to read each review as I add it and to see if you agree with the choices I make and the commentary I write.

Top 10 Free Antivirus Programs 2012

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012
Its quick, its free, its low on system resources. Well worth checking out.
2. Microsoft Security Essentials
Capped CPU usage and its free. Might not be well suited to business users though.
3. Avira Free Antivirus 2012
Quick, accurate and good detection rates.
4. Pc Tools Antivirus Free v9
Easy to use but high CPU usage may be an issue.
5. Avast! Free Antivirus 6
Offers the lowest memory and CPU usage I’ve seen yet.

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Review Of Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus

Today’s 2012 antivirus review features the latest offering from Webroot; Webroot Secure Anywhere.

Key Benefits:

• Quick scans
• Offers a sandbox mode
• Happily works in conjunction with other security products

There is a growing trend with antivirus programs these days and that is to combine traditional databases full of virus definitions with cloud technology which provides a quicker response to new threats. Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus bucks the trend somewhat by dispensing with the database model completely.
This of course offers some advantages, namely that most of the ‘work’ performed by the program is not reliant on your PC. Therefore, hourly/daily updates are not required as all the pertinent information is stored and frequently updated on Webroot’s own servers.

System Requirements
The minimum system requirements are as follows:

• Windows XP (32 bit and 64 bit) SP2 or later / Vista (32 bit and 64 bit) SP1 or SP2 respectively / 7 (32 bit and 64 bit) SP1
• 128 MB of RAM
• 10 MB of hard drive space
• Pentium / Celeron / K7 / Athlon / Duron or compatible processor

As you can see, this antivirus program should run on many older computers as well as more modern ones too.

Installation and first impression
the first thing I noted about Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus is that it is very quick. Very quick indeed. The program installed in seconds and then launched into a full scan. This again was very fast, taking less than 2 minutes!
When installation and the first scan have completed you will be presented with the screen shown above. You’ll note that the interface is very clean and uncluttered, making this an easy program for beginners to get to grips with.

Features
As a standalone antivirus product Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus was never going to be as feature packed as an internet security suite and that is quite evident when you start looking around the Settings area. Beyond the sandbox, which allows you to run suspicious programs in a protected environment, there is nothing much here that you won’t find in any other antivirus program on the market today.
You can see pretty much what is on offer in the screenshot below:

Effectiveness
This is a good antivirus program that does a fine job of detecting and blocking viruses as well as spyware, worms, etc. It’s key selling point, to my mind, is it’s ability to run on older machines and without using much in the way of memory or CPU.

Conclusion

I can think of nothing negative to say about this program but, equally, it just didn’t get me overly excited either. Thats not to say I wouldn’t recommend it though – its good at what it does, runs very well and is terrifically fast at scanning – it just, as you may have guessed by now, didn’t inspire me for some reason.
But if you want an easy to use program and quick scans then you may want to check it out for yourself…
Do you want to see what the other vendors are offering this year? If so, read my other 2012 Antivirus reviews.

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Review Of Norton Internet Security 2012 | Download

I didn’t originally have any intention of looking at any Norton products as part of my 2012 antivirus and internet security reviews, mainly because I have not been impressed their products in the past.  However, I have had many requests from you guys to do just that so, by popular demand, here is my impression of Norton Internet Security 2012.

Key Benefits:

• Packed full of features
• Very good malware detection rates
• Accurate spam filter

If you buy Norton Internet Security 2012 then you will discover that the download is around 100 MB in size and, as the screenshot below implies, it installs quite quickly.


After installation you may need to restart your computer before you can get going.
System Requirements
Norton Internet Security 2012 has the following system requirements:

• Windows XP (32 bit) SP2 / Vista (32 bit and 64 bit) with SP1 / 7 (32bit and 64 bit)
• 300 Mhz Processor (Windows XP) / 1 Ghz Processor (Vista and 7)
• 256 MB or more of RAM
• 300 MB of hard drive space

Installation and first impression
When you run Norton Internet Security 2012 for the first time you will be see the interface above. As you can see, the program will need to be updated straight away if you wish to be fully protected. Luckily, that update is quite quick, taking less than a minute to install on my machine. Strangely, perhaps, a system restart was required after the update. Thats not something I’m used to these days as most security programs I look at will update and then continue running.

Other than that, all is good however. The interface is nice and easy to navigate. (Thanks to Symantec for choosing yellow text to go with their dark background as white text on black gives me headaches!)
Features
As I mentioned at the beginning, this program is packed full of useful features, some of which you can see below:

It goes without saying that you should expect many features if you are buying a full internet security suite but with Norton you really do get a lot for your money. Not only that but some of the extras really are quite good. For instance, the antispam component works very well indeed. It may seem strange that I am highlighting something like that but it is a component that other internet security suites often struggle with so it was nice to find antispam that just works.

Other features include:

• Antivirus
• Firewall
• Exploit Prevention
• Antispam
• Performance Monitoring
• Identity Protection
• Anti-Phishing
• Parental Controls

Effectiveness

When reviewing internet security programs I typically find that they perform most of the tasks listed above quite well indeed, though they often don’t excel in each and every one (antispam seeming to be the common achilles heel). Norton Internet Security, however, performs very well indeed in each and every area.
Malware detection and cleanup of the samples I used was very good indeed. And the program performs very well in independent tests too.
the firewall performs admirably too, stealthing ports and proving
very difficult
impossible to terminate using traditional attack methodologies.
Anti-phishing comes courtesy of a Norton toolbar which uses behavioural analysis as well as a database in order to protect you from even the newest of phishing sites. Again, this worked very well when I tested it.
Parental Control doesn’t come as standard with this internet security suite but is free nonetheless. You can access it via a button at the bottom of the interface and then configure it via your Norton account. You can easily set rules and access controls and the program even lets you print these out to share with your children so as to let them know what they can and cannot do.

The program comes with it’s own Perfomance Monitoring tool, as seen above. Comparing this with Windows’  Task Manager showed it’s reporting to be comparable in terms of CPU and Memory Usage. As you may be able to tell from the graph displayed, Norton Internet Security 2012 is not too heavy on either whilst a scan is in process. Additionally, this is a useful tool for determining if a particular program or service is causing you a problem.
Conclusion
As noted at the beginning, this program offers a very large range of useful features which all work very well indeed.
My opinion, based on my own testing, is that detection rates (the most important feature) are, perhaps, second only to BitDefender’s Total Security program.
This edition of Norton is, at the time of writing, one of the more expensive options on the market right now but probably offers the best overall value if you think you will take advantage of all the features that it offers.
Overall then, I have to say that my previously poor opinion of Norton products (formed many years ago) has been changed considerably. If you want an all round good security suite and value antispam features highly then this may well be the program you want for 2012.
You can download a trial here and see for yourself.
Do you want to see what the other vendors are offering this year? If so, read my other 2012 Internet Security reviews. The Best 10 Antivirus Programs 2012

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Review F-Secure Internet Security 2012 | Download

Before  I review this F-Secure Internet Security 2012, I have reviewed F-Secure Internet Security 2012 but back then it was only in beta form. Now the final retail version has been released so I thought I’d take another quick look…

Key Benefits:

• Familiar interface
• Very easy to use
• Highly effective

As regular readers will know, F-Secure Internet Security products have been my favourite for some time now and, indeed, this year’s version, the subject of this review, is again my own personal choice.
Why is that?


Well, quite simply, it is very good at what it does. It is easy to install and even easier to use. It doesn’t use much in the way of system resources, stays largely in the background and my kids give it the thumbs up too. (Disclosure: F-Secure have given me a free key for this program {thanks @FSecure!} but I would like to think that I would wax lyrical anyway as I was a fan of this program long before that anyway).
System Requirements
F-Secure Internet Security 2012 has the following system requirements:

• all versions of Windows from XP through to 7
• 512 MB of RAM (1 GB recommended for Vista and 7)
• 600 MB of free hard drive space
• Internet Explorer 6 or better
• CD Rom and internet connection

Installation and first impression
I’m not going to go into too much detail with this review as I covered a lot of ground when I looked at the beta version a few months ago. For the most part the interface is unchanged though the keen-eyed amongst you will notice that the graphical designed has been spruced up slightly.

Features
As a full internet security suite, F-Secure Internet Security 2012 is feature packed. You can see what is available in the image below but they key highlights would be:

• Antivirus
• Anti-spyware
• Firewall
• DeepGuard
• Application control
• Intrusion prevention
• Dial-up control
• Email filtering
• Mobile broadband protection

Effectiveness
There are many reasons why I run this program on my own PC. Beyond being simple and unobtrusive the main point for me is it’s top quality protection. F-Secure Internet Security 2012 scores well in independent tests but, more importantly, it has done an excellent job of protecting my own PC for the last few years. And thats what counts!
Whats more, it passes my own key test: top quality protection without using an obscene amount of system resources.
As you may be able to see in the image below, CPU usage was very low whilst running a full system scan. Whats more, whilst this scan was in process I clicked on Send/Receive in my email client, watched a video on the BBC website and had another video running on YouTube. I also had another 3 instances of Chrome running and was playing some music too. All the while, F-Secure Internet Security 2012 was using around 10-15% of the CPU. Thats impressive!

Plus and minus points
I’m not really someone who gets overly excited about many things, perhaps because I’m getting old now, but I absolutely love this program. I’ve had various versions on my main desktop PC for a few years now and never had any issues whatsoever with malware or any other type of threat. The program does what it should, easily, simply, quickly and in the background.
I’ve tested many such programs and this is my favourite. I can’t think of anything negative to say here despite the fact that I do always look for potential problems in everything I review. It works. Simple as that. And, unlike some other security vendors that some of you may have experience with, these guys have, in my experience, always taken customer service very seriously indeed.
In comparison to all the other such programs I’ve looked at recently I’d put F-Secure Internet Security 2012 second behind BitDefender Total Security 2012 in terms of detection rates. Other than that, I’d rate this program as being the best in just about every aspect and would definitely recommended you add this one to your shortlist.


Do you want to see what the other vendors are offering this year? If so, read my other 2012 Internet Security reviews.

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Review Of Bullguard Internet Security 2012 | Download

Next up in my continuing series of personal reviews of internet security products for the coming year is BullGuard Internet Security 12.

Key Benefits:

• Very good at blocking malware
• PC Tune Up is good at what it does
• 5 GB of hosted online backups

Bullguard Internet Security 12 is a quick installation with the initial files coming in at a fairly modest 23 MB:


During the installation the program handily checks which version of Windows you are running and installs the appropriate files.
System Requirements
Bullguard Internet Security has the following system requirements:

• Windows XP (SP2) / Vista / 7
• An internet connection
• 512 MB of RAM
• 200 MB of available hard drive space

Installation and first impression
As I mentioned before, installation of this program is very quick and it will automatically detect which version of Windows you are running. A quick scan is automatically run as part of this installation process and, assuming all is well, you will firstly be greeted by a screen like the one above giving you the good news that your computer is safe.
After this you are free to run scans or check out the control panel:

Features
As you can see in the Control Panel screenshot above, Bullguard Internet Security 12 divides it’s functions into 4 main groups, namely:

• PC Protection (antivirus/firewall/spam filter/vulnerabilities)
• Data Protection
• Family Protection
• PC Tune Up (the all important Game Mode can be found here)

By clicking on the Settings link found in the bottom left of that screen you can see each of these main headings in more detail and configure the settings to suit your own needs:

Effectiveness
In terms of effectiveness Bullguard Internet Security 12 is a bit of a mixed bag.
An internet security program is obviously installed in order to provide multiple types of protection but the main component is still the antivirus side of things. I found that the program did well at blocking known viruses that I threw its way but wasn’t so good at detecting some newer samples I tried.
I’m also sure there were a significant number of false positives too. For example, the image below shows that it has detected Cookie.2o7 as malware. As far as I am aware that it is simply a cookie used by an advertiser – sure you may not want it on your system – but it isn’t a virus by any means.

Resource usage is also an issue. This isn’t the most sluggish internet security suite I’ve ever used but there were noticeable periods of system slowdown whilst a scan was in progress. As one commentator on a previous post mentioned, you can get around this issue by scheduling scans for the middle of the night if you wish but how many ‘average’ computer users would want to leave their PC on overnight?
The firewall that comes with this program is suspect too. If you go back to the Settings screen then you will see that there is a tick box for Self Protection. Ticking this should Allow Bullguard to protect its components against termination.

So its a shame that doesn’t work too well!
It will stop someone using Ctrl + Alt + Del to go into Task Manager and kill the program but other, not particularly difficult, techniques can be employed to switch the firewall off. A simple Registry tweak can render this firewall completely redundant and that is a trick I would imagine even the newest of malware writers could execute.
Its not all doom and gloom though.
The Data Protection element is very good, offering 5 GB of online backup space which is better than most of the competition. This free storage space can be used to host backups of your most important files and Bullguard Internet Security will remind you to configure this service whenever you start the program. You get a lot of control over what is backed up, how often and when or if backups are deleted or updated. You can also encrypt or compress you backups.
The other high point of this program is the PC Tune Up section. Here you can check for unnecessary files on your computer which can then be got rid of. Likewise, you can easily clear out temporary Windows files and temporary internet files too. You can’t undo anything here though so do please check that you know what you are getting rid of!
Plus and minus points
Bullguard Internet Security 2012 is very good at some things and so-so at others in my opinion.
The backup and PC tune up options are great. It is unfortunate, however, that the program is less convincing in areas such as virus detection and the firewall as these surely have to be a far, far bigger selling point of such a program.

This internet security suite isn’t bad by any means but my opinion is that a potential purchaser would and should want a better antivirus engine and firewall option.
I like the backup side of things, the PC Tune Up and the clean and simple interface. If Bullguard can keep those and improve on the core components then they may be able to produce a top product for next year but I don’t think they have it quite right just now.
For me that is a great shame as the guys at Bullguard offer great support and the chaps(girls?) behind their Twitter account are knowledgeable, informative and totally likeable. Heres hoping Bullguard #13 realises the potential that this program hints at.


Do you want to see what the other vendors are offering this year? If so, read my other 2012 Internet Security reviews.

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