Security Task Manager

If your PC is sluggish, there's a good chance you've got far too many programs and services running--many without your knowledge. And for all you know, some of them may be malicious. Running the Windows Task Manager helps, but only slightly, because although it shows you what's running, it doesn't show many details about what's there.

This program gives a wealth of detail about each program and process, including whether the program is likely malicious or not, and it lets you delete any program and process with a single click. You'll get an enormous amount of detail about what's running, including the manufacturer, type of program, how it started (for example upon startup or from within Windows Explorer), and the file name. It also rates files according to how harmless or malicious they may be. To stop a program, highlight it and click remove, and you're done.

--Preston Gralla

Security Task Manager is an enhanced process viewer, that provides detailed information about programs and processes running on the computer. It displays all the standard information, including file name, directory path, description, CPU usage etc. as well as a unique security risk rating. The security risk rating is based on an analysis that takes different aspects of the process into consideration, and indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan or keylogger. This indicator is purely based on generic analysis, and does not use any signature files, so it is open to interpretation by the (advanced) user. Security Task Manager also displays the start time, the icon of the process, hidden functions and more. That process viewer recognizes virtual driver software, services, BHOs and stealth processes hidden from the Windows Task Manager. You can choose to terminate any process, delete it, or alternately quarantine it, which will disable it from running again without actually deleting it. Additional information is provided via context sensitive Google results, and you can customize risk ratings by adding your own comments. If you buy Security Task Manager you get the software SpyProtector for free. SpyProtector contains tools to protect your computer from keylogger, spyware and trojans. SpyProtector deletes traces of your Internet and computer activity and prevents keyboard input monitoring. Furthermore SpyProtector warns you when the registry is changed. Snapfiles.com wrote: "Overall, a very useful TaskManager for novice and advanced users alike, that provides many unique features."

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nfsLondonMetroMap3

Mind the gap! The nfsLondonMetroMap3 screen saver puts the London Underground on your desktop. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with the Tube before traveling to London, or to reminisce after a trip to the city. The map includes information on station closures and other important details that are valid through 2011.

The screen saver is a quick download and runs smoothly. It's animated, with green blips representing trains moving through the stations. And it's quiet, so it would be appropriate for use in an office. My only quibble is the transparent NewFreenScreensavers.com logo that floats over a small bit of the map--but the screen saver is free, so it's hard to complain too loudly.

If you're traveling to London or want to commemorate a trip, load up nfsLondonMetroMap3 and enjoy.

Note: This updated version of the screen saver contains the current metro map as of August 2011.

--Kim Saccio-Kent

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Firefox

Note: This review addresses v4.0 of the software.

Much has changed since the Firefox 3.0 browser launched in June 2008. Google Chrome burst onto the scene, and has undergone frequent updates. Microsoft released IE8 and IE9. Safari advanced from version 3 to version 5. While Mozilla made some performance improvements and bolstered the feature set, Firefox started to feel like it was falling behind the curve. Firefox 4 makes Firefox competitive again, with its updated interface and better performance. The Mozilla designers did a good job simplifying the browser while maintaining the flexibility that Firefox is known for.

By default, Firefox 4 shows the address bar, a search field, the typical back/forward/reload/home buttons, the tab bar, and an orange "Firefox" button in the upper-left corner. Clicking the orange Firefox button brings up a single menu that contains most--if not all--of the menu items you're accustomed to using in older Firefox versions. If you're a Firefox power user--or just prefer the old menu bar--you can bring back the classic menu bar by clicking the Firefox button, mousing over "Options," then selecting "Menu Bar" from the drop-down.

One Chrome-inspired feature in Firefox 4 is the ability to "pin" Web apps to the tab bar. Open any Web app or Web page in a new tab, right-click the tab, then select "Pin as App Tab." This adds a tab showing only that page's icon to the far left edge of the tab bar. When you close then re-open Firefox, the pinned tabs will remain. Whenever something in your pinned Web app updates--say, you get a new message in your Gmail inbox--the pinned tab turns blue to notify you.

Like IE9, Firefox 4 includes a feature to prevent sites from tracking what you do online. This is a welcome addition, but it's flawed. When you enable tracking protection in FF4, it uses what are called HTTP headers to tell the site that you don't want to be tracked. The problem is that Websites don't have to honor this request, which renders the tracking protection feature useless. Mozilla is working to make this feature an industry standard, so I hope things will improve in time.

Firefox 4 also sports a number of new features designed to improve page loading and rendering performance. Firefox 4 can take better advantage of your graphics card than Firefox 3.x could; using it to play videos, for example. FF4 also includes an updated JavaScript engine.

We haven't done in-depth speed testing of Firefox 4, but we did test its JavaScript performance using the SunSpider 0.91 benchmark. Firefox 4 completes the test in 363 ms on average, making it competitive with other current browsers. In my testing, all browsers averaged between 329 and 439 ms. Your mileage may vary based on your hardware, OS, and other factors, but there's no denying the fact that Firefox 4 is much faster at handling JavaScript than Firefox 3.6.

New in Firefox 4 is Firefox Sync, which lets you sync your bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and other data with your other computers running Firefox. (This was previously available via an extension called Mozilla Weave Sync).

Firefox 4 is a must-have upgrade if you're running Firefox 3.x. If you've switched from Firefox to Chrome, however, Firefox 4 may not lure you back, as many of the new features--at least on the user interface end--are clearly influenced by Chrome. But no matter what, it may be worth downloading and taking for a spin.

Note: This link takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

--Nick Mediati

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FastStone Image Viewer

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Dominions 3: The Awakening

They are returning. Awakening from a slumber beyond comprehension to mortals. Awakening to a world they once tried to claim. They promise much to their followers, and to their enemies they will deliver blood, fire, and death.

The coming chaos is a rebirth of a fire long thought quenched. The Akashic records recall the Age when the world was ripe with pretenders, a legion claiming divinity. Then the antokrator ascended to true godhood. Bearing dominion over all, from the Heavens down to the deepest recesses of the ocean, the Pantokrator hunted down the false pretenders, casting them into eternal imprisonment. Not all pretenders were vanquished though; indeed, a great many managed to hide away and bide their time.

Now a new Age has dawned. The Pantokrator is gone. And now the pretenders who cowered beneath the Pantokrator's rule all those long years dare to show themselves again. Moreso, their newly remembered hubris has led once more to a war for true ascension to godhood. But they are not alone.

The ancient ones banished by the Pantokrator have broken their shackles. They are awakening.

There can only be one. A new chapter in the Akashic records is about to be written in the tattered flesh of the fallen...

Dominions 3: The Awakening, is the followup to the acclaimed fantasy strategy game, Dominions 2: The Ascension Wars. While that game set the bar for rich, engrossing turn-based fantasy strategy gaming, Dominions 3: The Awakening seeks to raise it once more.

Leading one of over fifty possible nations in three different Ages, it is your goal to ascend to true godhood using all the power at your disposal. In a world of magic and steel the options to attain victory are as numerous as the cries of mercy from your vanquished foes. Whether you use military might, eldritch power, or subterfuge (or more likely, a combination of all three) every turn is about options. Recruit troops (more than 1500 units found in the game), assassinate the enemy, scout territory, research magic (600+ spells and 300+ magic items), perform rituals, do a blood hunt, storm a castle, construct, pray, forge - the list goes on.

New pop-ups, an in-depth manual written by industry veteran Bruce Geryk, and less micromanagement all makes Dominions 3: The Awakening easy to get into. Lush maps, vividly depicted battles, and an ethereal musical score by Erik Ask Uppmark and Anna Rynefors, both awarded the title of Musicians of the Realm by the Swedish Zornmärkeskommité, contribute to turning the fantasy on the screen into your reality. Up to twenty-one players can participate in a single game, and with a simultaneous turn structure even a large game never gets unwieldy.

Dominions 3: The Awakening is very mod-friendly, and in fact has been designed from the very beginning with mod-making in mind. Any image can be turned into a map, opening up a wealth of possibilities. Even use your favorite Dominions 2 maps!

For many games "ultimate" is nothing more than hyperbole. For Dominions 3: The Awakening it may very well be an understatement. With hundreds of gameplay combinations, a challenging AI, strong multiplayer capabilities, mod-friendliness, this is very well the ultimate turn-based fantasy title for any platform.

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Digital Janitor

My Downloads folder can get messy. Before I started testing Digital Janitor, it contained over 150 different files, weighing in at over 700MB--and this is after a recent cleaning. Digital Janitor’s promise is to sort and tidy up any random bunch of files you throw at it, so my Downloads folder seemed like an ideal candidate.

When launching Digital Janitor, the first thing you do is select the folder you’d like to sort. Then, you set up “rules” for the sorting process. Each rule can match files per extension, “keyword” (a wildcard within the filename), or size. Once you set up your criteria, select a destination for those files. This can either be another folder (“Large ZIP Files”) or the Recycle Bin.

And then, before you click the “Add rule” button, pause for a moment and carefully consider what you’ve just configured. You need to do this, because once you add a rule, there’s no way to edit it--you can only delete it and write a new one instead, which would be added to the end of the list.  Also, I should point out extensions are case-sensitive, so if your rule specifies what to do with “PDF” files, it will not apply to any “pdf” files.

What makes the rule-based system even trickier is that there is no way to sort the rules. If you’ve ever played with a rule-based system before (such as Windows’ built-in user permissions system), you may know that the order by which rules are applied is very important. For example, if I have one rule specifying “Delete all files over 100MB” and another rule specifying “Move all ZIP files to the Archives folder” and Folder Janitor meets a 150MB ZIP file--what will it do with it?

I tested this, and Digital Janitor was not quite ready to handle such a scenario: It prompted me with a dialog showing the conflicting file (the large ZIP) and offered me to replace or rename it. The message wasn’t about a rule conflict (which was the real issue), but about a naming conflict--it said the file already existed, when it didn’t. Then, no matter what I selected, it deleted the file, probably because the deletion rule came first on the list. That’s a sensible thing to do; but since there’s no way for you to sort the list or edit your existing rules, you must carefully plan ahead and avoid any conflicts.

Once you have a solid set of rules, Digital Janitor works as you would expect. Click Sort, and all the files neatly go where they belong. The result can be a satisfying list of subfolders--“Large ZIPs,” “Installers,” “PDFs,” etc. If you’re happy with your rule set after trying it out, you can save it and then load it next time you run the app, and just click Sort to repeat the same operation again.

Digital Janitor is also supposed to have scheduling support for running profiles automatically, but this failed abysmally on my test system. Setting up this feature required elevation (but failed to prompt for it), and once set, the schedule would run, but Digital Janitor would crash right after executing it. The developer was unable to replicate the error.

Digital Janitor has several other tricks up its sleeve, including sorting your MP3 files (but only if they’re well-tagged, perhaps with MusicBrainz Picard). With editable and sortable rules, it could be a real powerhouse.

--Erez Zukerman

Digital Janitor is an application specialized in sorting files. To use it, you have to insert the rules on which the sort will be performed and press a button. Within seconds the folder that you wanted to sort is clean, and all the files are in the right place.

Example: You have the following files in a folder: "Text File.txt", "Another Text File.txt", "Word Document.doc", "Another Document.otd", "Image.jpg".
You set the following rules:
All text files (*.txt) go to C:\Text Files
All files that contain "Document" in their description go to C:\Documents
All images (*jpg) go to C:\Images

After selecting the folder that you want to sort, press the "Sort" button and the files will be automaticaly moved to their place!

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Adblock Plus

Note: This review addresses v1.1.3 of the software.

If you're bugged by Web ads, then Adblock Plus is for you. The well-designed Firefox add-on quickly and easily blocks the vast majority of online ads.

The Adblock Plus add-on consists of two parts: a utility to block images, scripts, and Flash; and a subscription component that automatically updates its list of what to block. When you first install the add-on you're prompted to choose a subscription source based on your home country. Choosing a source doesn't require providing any information from you, personal or otherwise-- it's there only to pull down a list of online ad sources.

You're prompted to choose a subscription when you first install Adblock Plus, but for most users that will likely be the only choice you have to make. After that, it largely just works.

If Adblock Plus does happen to miss an ad, or if there's a non-advertising image you don't want to see, you can right-click the image display to a new "Adblock Plus: Block image" option to add it to Adblock's list. By default the add-on will block everything coming from the same particular Web location (such as http://images.pcworld.com/images/common/), but you can instead choose to block just that one image or everything from that entire domain.

Since you only get a menu for Flash when you right-click on a Flash object, Adblock Plus will display a small tab on the upper-right of any such item when you move your mouse over it. Clicking the tab offers the same block options as right-clicking an image.

A red stop-sign icon icon on the right side of the Firefox navigation toolbar offers a route to other nice options. A left-click displays a list of all the blockable items on your current page, with blocked items listed in red. Right-clicking the stop sign allows for turning off Adblock Plus for the currently viewed site or page, or disabling it entirely.

Adblock Plus does its job very well. It works smoothly right away with no work required, and also offers advanced customization options for those who want to dig in. If you want to stop seeing ads in Firefox, this is all you need.

Note: This link takes you to the add-on's page at Mozilla.org, where you can automatically install the file into your Firefox browser. This program is donationware. It is free to try, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.

--Erik Larkin

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LAN Speed Test

Note: This file addresses v1.1.5 of the software.

How fast is your network connection? No, I don't mean how fast you think it is, or how fast your network provider says it is--I mean how fast is it in real-world conditions? LAN Speed Test is an excellent, free way to find out.

Using LAN Speed Test couldn't be simpler. Load the program, click Start Test, and it will ask where you want to store a temporary file it uses to test network speed. Don't worry about clogging your PC; it deletes the file after it performs the test. Once you've done that, click again, and after a few seconds, it shows results for both writing to your disk (essentially the equivalent of download speed), and reading from your disk (essentially the equivalent of upload speed). That's all it takes. Once you've got the results, you can print them.

Don't run LAN Speed Test test a single time and expect to get highly accurate results. From one moment to the next, there may be network traffic condition, and changing circumstances. I found that on several occasions there would be "outlier" results, results that were very different from the vast majority of other results. Run the test multiple times for a realistic picture of your connection speed.

It's also a good idea to run the tests at different times of the day, again to get the truest picture of network speed. If you're a network administrator, that will help you see when network congestion is highest. You may also want to run the tests on different PCs, to see whether certain computers or parts of your network have network issues.

LAN Speed Test would be more useful if it could save results to disk, or even average the results for you. But given that this program is free for business use as well as for personal use, that's a minor quibble. Whether you're a network administrator, or just an ordinary user who would like to know your true network speed, you'll find this a useful tool.

--Preston Gralla

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PC Wizard

Contrary to the implications of its moniker, there's really no wizardry involved with PC Wizard. Unless of course you consider a comprehensive querying and report on your system's hardware magic. This free utility from CPUID relays a lot, and I mean a lot, of info. Much of said info may be found in Windows Device Manager, but a lot of it can't.

In addition to the usual processor info, PC Wizard reports on the motherboard chipset, exact CPU model (mostly) and cache sizes, voltages, etc. hard drive spindle speed (5400, 7200, etc.), facts that Microsoft doesn't consider useful to the average user.  Microsoft  is correct; however, the more granular info is very handy to more technical types, repair people, and--dare I say it?--reviewers.

Installing PC Wizard is easy. However, it does want to install the Ask toolbar so don't blindly click through if you don't want that particular piece of software. PC Wizard takes from 5 to 15 seconds to gather basic information about your system when it first runs, and 5 to 10 seconds to gather UPnP info when you select that icon. Network device info requires scanning IP addresses so that of course will take a little while as well. PC Wizard also offers a stability test and benchmarking of various components.

My only gripe about PC Wizard is that it isn't as up-to-date with new hardware as its sister program, CPU-Z, which I've used for years to confirm vendor claims. For instance, it reported that a laptop CPU was a Core i5, but not the 2410M model number which CPU-Z reported. Unfortunately, neither program correctly reported the Radeon GPU used in tandem with the Intel HD graphics on the same laptop.

Despite those oversights, PC Wizard is a must-have for any tech's toolbox. The zipped version may be run without installation from a thumb drive. Here's hoping they set it to look for dual-graphics implementations soon.

Note: This program is donationware. It is free to use, but the author accepts and encourages donations towards further development.

--Jon L. Jacobi

It's hard to keep up with all the hardware on your PC--just ask your PC. If you want it to have the right answers, install PC Wizard 2005. This utility detects all kinds of hardware, from the obvious Bluetooth devices to the boards in the guts of your PC. PC Wizard 2005 updates its lists monthly to make sure your PC recognizes the newest devices. Not only does PC Wizard tell you about your peripherals components, it can benchmark your system so you see how it's doing with all that hardware.

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Windows Tools

III. A. Windows Tools – Command Prompt

There are a few ways on how to start the command prompt:

• Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt
• Start Menu > Run… > type “cmd”
• Win+R (“Windows” key + “R” key) > type “cmd”

Commands: (add /? to see the switches and how they’re used)

• “dir” – lists directory contents or searches for a specific file/directory
• cd / md / rd – change/make/remove directory
• del – delete file
• attrib – change the attributes of files/directories

III. B. Windows Tools - Registry Editor

• C:\Windows\regedit.exe
• Run… > “regedit”

III. C. Windows Tools – Group Policy Management

• C:\Windows\system32\gpedit.msc
• Run… > “gpedit.msc”

Tackling Side Effects

IV. A. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Command Prompt

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > “Prevent access to the command prompt” > “Disabled”

IV. B. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Task Manager

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Ctrl + Alt + Del Options > “Remove Task Manager” > “Disabled”
• cmd > “reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

IV. C. Tackling Side Effects – Disabled Registry Editor

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > “Prevent access to registry editing tools” > “Disabled”
• cmd > “reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

IV. D. Tackling Side Effects – Missing “Folder Options”

• gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Explorer > “Removes the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu” > “Disabled”

IV. E. Tackling Side Effects – Shutdown on “cmd”

• C:\Windows\regedit.exe
• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor > “AutoRun” > delete value (will usually contain “pc-off.bat”
• After the above, you can now use your command prompt.
• cmd > search for “pc-off.bat” and delete the file

IV. F. Tackling Side Effects – Traces of “autorun.inf”

Search every drive and every folder for instances of “autorun.inf” including normal, hidden, and system file attributes. Malicious “autorun.inf” files are usually found in root drives other than Drive C: and have hidden and/or system file attributes by nature. Don’t delete all the “autorun.inf” files you see because there are legitimate programs that use this file for automatically running upon detection (like the Microsoft Office CD, for example).

IV. G. Tackilng Side Effects – Suspicious Processes in the Task Manager

Signs of Infection

II. A. Signs of Infection – Disabled CMD, TaskMgr, Regedit

Worms usually infect units and disable as many ways to remove the infection. These range from disabling the command prompt (to disable absolute control over files), the task manager (to disable stopping certain tasks from running), disabling the registry editor (to disable us from removing the effects of the infection from the computer), and others.

II. B. Signs of Infection – Shutdown Upon Execution of the Command Prompt

As stated above, this is another method of disabling the command prompt with the additional nuisance of a computer shutdown if you even attempt to launch the command prompt. This is usually caused by a file that’s attached as an autorun everytime the command prompt is executed.

II. C. Signs of Infection - Missing “Folder Options”

Infections may also include the disability to see hidden and system files by removing the “Folder Options” in the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. This is done so that we won’t be able to change the visibility of files whose attributes were changed to “hidden” and/or “system”. If we can still view the Folder Options anyway, we won’t be able to switch from “Don’t show hidden files…” to “Show all hidden files…”

II. D. Signs of Infection – Unable to Safely Remove Flash Drive

“Safely” removing a flash drive or removable drive involves the computer checking if the flash drive is still being used or accessed. “Safely” removing a flash drive just makes sure that the computer is not reading or writing data onto the flash drive anymore. Being unable to remove your flash drive “safely” using the “Safely Remove Hardware” of Windows XP when we’re absolutely sure that the computer is not accessing the flash drive anymore possibly means that the computer is constantly saving an “autorun.inf” file onto the flash drive because of the infection. It is not a sure sign of an infection though because there are exceptions to the rule.

II. E. Signs of Infection – Different Title in Internet Explorer

There are worms that use the title bar of Internet Explorer for “bragging rights”. They label it with their own statements like “I WAS HERE” or something to that effect. Unless we ourselves edited the registry to change the title of Internet Explorer, it’s a sign that our computer is infected.

II. F. Signs of Infection – Different Folder Icons and/or Missing Folders

There is a type of worm that hides the folders in our root drives and then camouflages itself as an executable file with a fake folder icon mimicking the name of the folder/s it hid. If we look closely, the folder icon it uses is a bit different from our typical Windows XP folder icon (hopefully).

Prevention of Infection

I. A. Prevention of Infection – Antivirus Software Scan

It is always a good idea to scan your flash drive using your antivirus software BEFORE doing anything else with the flash drive, even if it’s just selecting an action when Windows prompts you with a question as to what to do.

I. B. Prevention of Infection - Using My Computer to Access Flash Drive

NEVER attempt accessing your flash drive by double-clicking on the drive letter of your flash drive on the right side of your “My Computer” window (common way to access a disk is to open “My Computer” and then double-clicking on the drive letter). Using the “My Computer” icon actually just executes “explorer.exe” or Windows Explorer (the main file manager of the Microsoft Windows operating system) and creates another instance of it. Double-clicking on your drive/flash drive this way “executes” the drive. When Windows “executes” a drive, it searches for an “autorun.inf” file in the root folder of the drive and runs the executable that the “autorun.inf” file points to. If the flash drive is infected with a malicious program set to “auto run”, the computer is then infected.

There are two ways to access a drive safely:

1. Open “My Computer”, click on the “Folders” icon on the toolbar, click on the drive on the left (Folders explorer bar) to see the contents of the drive without “activating” the drive.
2. Press the “E” key (keyboard) while pressing the “Windows” key (between the CTRL and ALT keys on the keyboard) to open Windows Explorer with the Folders window open already.

I. C. Prevention of Infection – Checking For Suspicious Files (cmd)

Check for suspicious files using the command prompt (see Section III-A for more details) at least in the root folders of all your drives (including flash drives). No drive (except for CDs/DVDs and some specially unique flash drives that have loaders) should have the “autorun.inf” file on them. Typical hidden/system files/folders on your Drive C: are the “autoexec.bat, boot.ini, config.sys, hiberfil.sys, io.sys, msdos.sys, ntdetect.com, ntldr, pagefile.sys” files and [recycled] and [System Volume Information] folders.

Basic System Troubleshooting for Windows

1. Prevention of Infection
   1. Antivirus software scan
   2. Using My Computer to access flash drive
   3. Checking for suspicious files using the command prompt
2. Signs of Infection
   1. Disabled command prompt, task manager, and/or registry editor
   2. Shutdown upon execution of the command prompt
   3. Missing “Folder Options” menu item in the Tools menu in Windows Explorer
   4. Unable to safely remove flash drive despite inactivity
   5. Different title in Internet Explorer
   6. Different folder icons and/or missing folders
3. Windows Tools
   1. Command Prompt
   2. Registry Editor
   3. Group Policy Management
4. Tackling Infection Side Effects / Remnants
   1. Disabled Command Prompt
   2. Disabled Task Manager
   3. Disabled Registry Editor
   4. Missing “Folder Options”
   5. Shutdown on “cmd”
   6. Traces of “autorun.inf”
   7. Suspicious processes/threads in the Task Manager
   8. Unable to open drive normally in My Computer
5. Other Tools
   1. Hiren’s Boot CD
   2. BartPE
   3. Linux Boot CD
   4. UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD)