Simply called “Startup Control Panel” , this program allows you to easily configure which programs run when your computer starts. An easy way to boost your bootup speed, as well as overall PC speed. Get it at http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml .

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I have used filezilla for all of my ftp needs, and probably will continue to do so. But I love having options, and so I have added this to my toolbox of FTP solutions. It’s called WinSCP and you can find it at  http://winscp.net/eng/index.php .

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If you do some type of programming, or are just interested at looking at a document’s data at the lowest level possible, check out Frhed, a free hex editor for editing at the lowest level. Find it at http://frhed.sourceforge.net/ .

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This is a unique little program. It seems to be a program that runs on windows, but acts like a virtual Linux OS. I have to install it and play with it myself. Check it out at http://www.cygwin.com/ .

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There are several of these utilities that give you a graphical representation of the data files on your hard drive. You can never have too many options in my book. If you haven’t got one you like, check out this one called SpaceSniffer.  You can find it at http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/index.html.

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If you clicked “save my password” in any of various places on your PC, like email or chat programs, the possibility exists for you to forget your password. If by chance you want to retrieve that password so you can use that program/functionality on another computer, then this is the utility for you. Asterisk Key will show you what those asterisks are hiding. Check it out at http://www.lostpassword.com/asterisk.htm?id=ariskkey_9_3_3275%C2%A0.

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A neat little utility for watching the health of your Hard Drive is called HDD Health. Sitting in the system tray, it monitors hard disks and alerts you to impending failure. If you’re lucky, you’ll know your hard drive is dying, before it actually happens. Check it out at http://www.panterasoft.com/ .

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There’s a program out there that seems to be able to check your network for botnet activity. I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds like it’s worth putting on a PC on my home network. I can’t say i recommend it or don’t, but I can say I am going to try it myself, so I thought I would share it with the blog. It’s called bothunter and you can check it out at http://www.bothunter.net/ .

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   Comodo has a product that will do multiple cleanings on your windows computer. It cleans the registry, useless files like temporary files, and even privacy related items. In addition it has some built in extras that might be useful, like some system tweaks and a “wiper” which I believe is a more permanent eraser than just a simple file deletion. Check it out at http://system-cleaner.comodo.com/ .

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Whatever the reason, comparing computers, hardware, or just getting a baseline of your clean system, you can benchmark your system for free. Check out OpenSourceMark and benchmark your computer. Find it at http://sourceforge.net/projects/opensourcemark/ .

Another Benchmarker you can check it out is 3DMark06. There’s a free basic  one, and very reasonable pay versions. Check it out at http://www.futuremark.com/download/ .

To stress and check your CPU and Ram, there is Prime95. Used most often for overclocking stress tests, give it a shot. Find it at http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=103 .

For those of you who own a Nintendo Wii, you can get charging station and batteries for only $15.25 shipped with Coupon code FS15, expires March 7,2010. I Bought one myself!! Click the image below to get yours.

     Ciao for now!!!!!