The Smiling Pirate

Ninite is a great tool when you are working on that PC with a fresh install of Windows. Or, even your existing PC that you want to install some great freeware applications on. You can do it with Ninite.

No more searching folders on your hard drive for the location where you think you downloaded it to, searching CD’s you burnt, or going to dozens of sites to get the freeware app you are looking for. Scrap all of those things and take a look at Ninite.

Ninite allows you to install dozens of great freeware applications all at once. These are the latest versions available of the apps so you won’t be installing an out-of-date version from some third rate download site.

Ninite installs all of the applications with the default settings and says “no” to browser toolbars and other junk.

Ninite runs on Windows XP/Vista/7 and works in the background 100% hands-free. It simply installs the latest versions of the apps you choose. That’s it. Not even Ninite is installed. Click it and walk away!

It’s all done in 3 easy steps:

1. Pick the apps you want.
2. Start your customized installer.
3. You’re done!

Check out Ninite here

inSSider is an open-source Wi-Fi network scanner designed for the current generation of Windows operating systems.

Since NetStumbler doesn’t work well with Vista and 64-bit XP, inSSIDer is a solid alternative to inspect your WLAN and surrounding networks to troubleshoot competing access points.

Download inSSIDer here

1. Never do something you can’t undo.

2. Always check the backups, Never assume they are working. Make sure you can restore from them too.

3. Write down what you did. Even if you know you will never forget it, you will.

4. If you do it more than once, write a script.

5. Get to know your users before there is a problem. Then when there is, they will know who you are and maybe have a little understanding.

6. Remember you are performing a service for your users, you don’t own the system, you just get to play with it.

7. Check your backups.

8. Never stop learning. There is always something you should know to make your job easier and your system more stable and secure.

9. Check your backups, again.

M4a to MP3 is a program that supports a number of input formats, like AAC, M4a, MP4 audio, M4b (audio books), and some other MPEG-4 based audio formats. You can convert any of  those types of audio files to MP3 or uncompressed WAV.

To use M4a to MP3 you can simply drag and drop your M4a or AAC files from Windows Explorer and then hit “Convert” (or F5 on your keyboard). If you need to set specific parameters for the output of your file, this can be done. The program supports a full range of MP3 settings including bit rates up to 320 Kbit/s and sample rates up to 48 KHz.

M4a to MP3 Converter is offered as freeware. There is no need to register or enter any codes. Just download the program and start converting your AAC and M4a files to MP3. Enjoy!

Download M4a to MP3 Converter here

AppDeploy Repackager is a simple, freeware snapshot tool for creating Windows Installer (MSI) setup packages.
Once downloaded, open AppDelploy Repackager and you will be able to navigate through the steps to start creating your MSI file from any executable for deployment on your network.

Here you can reference the steps to create an MSI file.

Download AppDeploy Repackager here

Insert your USB flash drive and enter the following commands at a command prompt:
(Note: The instructions below assume that your USB flash drive will be seen as disk 1. Confirm the disk number of the USB drive first by using the “list disk” command before the “select disk” command below. If you select the wrong disk you will wipe the wrong drive…possibly your hard disk drive.)




diskpart
select disk 1
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=fat32
assign
exit

The final step is to copy the files from the bootable ISO to the USB key. Mount the ISO using a program such as Virtual CloneDrive. Use Xcopy to copy the files from the ISO to the USB key. The command line below assumes that D: is the drive letter where the bootable ISO is mounted and E: is the drive letter for the USB key.

xcopy d:\*.* /e/f e:\

SpeedyFox is a free, small utility that will bring your Firefox browser back up to speed. Over time, Firefox slows down considerably causing long load times and overall slow browsing. This is largely caused by the fragmentation of databases. This is a common problem but thanks to SpeedyFox, with just one click your speed will be back to normal.

SpeedyFox can be run as often as you’d like, depending on your browsing activity. If you start to notice some lag, give it a run. Typically, after running SpeedyFox, you will notice start-up speeds that are at least 3 times faster, and your browsing history and cookies will be at optimal performance.

Download SpeedyFox here

FoxyProxy is a free, open-source advanced proxy management tool that completely replaces Firefox’s limited proxying capabilities. FoxyProxy is an add-on that automatically switches an internet connection across one or more proxy servers based on URL and IP patterns.

FoxyProxy automates the manual process of editing the proxy settings within Firefox. It also works on portable Firefox so you can change your settings on the go.

Download FoxyProxy here

KeePass is a free, open source, light-weight and easy-to-use password manager that is secure. KeePass helps you manage your passwords in a secure way by keeping all of your passwords in one database which is locked with a master key that you set or by using a key file. Now you only have to remember one single master password to gain access to all of your stored passwords.

The KeePass databases are encrypted using the most secure encryption algorithms currently known (AES & Twofish).

KeePass is open-source and completely free.

Download KeePass here

There are Web browsers that are continuously trying to get it right and then there are Web browsers that start on the right track from the beginning. Arora seems to be on the right track out of the gate with its built-in ad blocking feature; and it’s free.

Arora also contains a ClicktoFlash tool within that disables embedded Flash by default until you click the “Load Flash” button. There is an override to this so you don’t always need to click the button when accessing sites that you frequent. Just add them to the white list and you’re all set.

Arora is not new the the game but their latest release is feature-rich and worth mentioning.

Arora can operate on multiple platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) and is built on WebKit which is the same engine that powers Safari and Chrome. Although it may not win you over at first, load it up and give it a test alongside your current default. See which one wins out. You may be surprised.

Download Arora here