software

Infopackets Reader James D. writes: " Dear Dennis, After reading your in-depth review on Acronis True Image [disaster recovery / disk imaging software], I immediately purchased a registered copy. Unfortunately, I've run into a problem being able to ... record my image backups directly to DVD. According to Acronis, I need to install packet-writing software in order for this to work. What is packet writing software and why isn't it included as part of the Acronis package? " My response: This is a frequently asked question. In short: Packet Writing software is a "plugin" (per se ... (view more)

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the TCP/IP protocol (such as the Internet or an intranet). There are two computers involved in an FTP transfer. The first computer is an ... FTP server. This computer listens on the network for connection requests from other computers. Another computer (called the client) can make a connection to the FTP server by using FTP client software. Once connected, the client can do a number of file manipulation operations such as uploading files to the server, download files from the server, ... (view more)

Keystroke logging (often called keylogging ) is a diagnostic used in software development that captures the user's keystrokes. It can be useful to determine sources of error in computer systems. Such systems are also highly useful for law ... enforcement and espionage -- for instance, providing a means to obtain passwords or encryption keys and thus bypassing other security measures. Keystroke logging can be achieved by both hardware and software means. Commercially available systems include devices which are attached to the keyboard cable (and thus are instantly installable, but visible if the ... (view more)

Synopsis: Label Software, Business Card Software and more -- all with one program! With Print Designer Gold v8, you can create Business Cards, Mailing Labels, Envelopes, Post Cards, CD Labels, DVD Labels, Signs and more. Business users will love ... Print Designer for creating great looking business cards, mailing labels, envelopes, post cards, promotional mailers and more from your existing databases. And Home Users will love Print Designer Gold for labeling CD and DVD and collections, create personalized address labels, custom envelopes, custom post cards, invitations, and much, much more! ... (view more)

In the context of computer software, a Trojan horse is a malicious program that is disguised as legitimate software. The term is derived from the classical myth of the Trojan horse. In the siege of Troy, the Greeks left a large wooden horse outside ... the city. The Trojans were convinced that it was a gift, and moved the horse to a place within the city walls. It turned out that the horse was hollow, containing Greek soldiers who opened the city gates of Troy at night, making it possible for the Greek army to pillage the city. Trojan horse programs work in a similar way: they may look useful or ... (view more)

An exploit is a common term in the computer security community to refer to a piece of software that takes advantage of a bug, glitch or vulnerability, leading to privilege escalation or denial of service on a computer system. There are several ... methods of classifying exploits. The most common is by how the exploit contacts the vulnerable software. A 'remote exploit' works over a network and exploits the security vulnerability without any prior access to the vulnerable system. A 'local exploit' requires prior access to the vulnerable system and usually increases the privileges of the person ... (view more)

Die-hard Infopackets Reader Paul B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been a faithful subscriber to your newsletter for a few years now. While I immensely enjoy reading your articles (especially the software reviews), I am constantly second-guessing ... myself as to which utilities *I* need to keep my system running smoothly. As a newbie, I would like to know how many of these 'fix all programs' are really necessary? For example, which utilities do I need for: speeding up, uninstalling, defragging, anti-Spyware, anti-spam, firewall, anti-virus, registry cleaning / fixing... etc. I mostly use my ... (view more)

Synopsis: Tired of Windows crashing? Sick of having software lock up on you or taking forever to load? The problem might very well be the result of software installations and un-installations that went awry! If you are having problems with your ... system and want to ensure it stays fine tuned and error free, you need Registry First Aid Platinum! Registry First Aid was honored by the industry at the Shareware Industry Conference annual awards banquet in 2003 and again in 2005, and honored with a People's Choice Award. Find out why! Why is it necessary to maintain the Registry? Not all software un ... (view more)

An application programming interface (API) is the interface that an application provides in order to allow requests for service to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. For instance, a computer ... program can (and often must) use its operating system's API to allocate memory and access files. Many types of systems and applications implement API's, such as graphics systems, databases, networks, web services, and even some computer games. API: Description One of the primary purposes of an API is to provide access to a set of commonly-used ... (view more)

The posting today is more of a 'grab bag' than anything else. Mainly because I have had many little things come across my desk that deserve to be passed on but not enough information to make up a full post. First off, Open Office. There is a new ... release of the Open Office office suite, Version 2, and it is a corker. If you want or need an office suite for Windows, Linux (any distribution), UNIX (almost any flavor), or the Mac, this is the one to download. There are many goodies in the package and it works like a dream! Database, word processing that also does web pages, spreadsheet, ... (view more)