Do you have any important data in an optical disc that you can’t retrieve because the disc is scratched? Have you ever tried copying movies from a DVD only to find that it stops at 98%? And when you click Cancel, the whole file disappears. I have a solution to all of these problems.

The solution is IsoBuster, arguably the best data recovery software ever. I have been using this for years, and I can’t believe I didn’t write about this earlier. Well, IsoBuster, as I already mentioned is a data recovery software that supports all CD / DVD / BD / HD DVD formats and all common file-systems. It’s more than just a data recovery tool. It’s a complete suite to take care of all CD copying operations. The publisher explains:

“By better Error handling and several retry-mechanisms IsoBuster has a fair chance of recovering your data. The use of alternative ways to get to the data means that you get the best out of your drive. Furthermore IsoBuster circumvents Windows and does everything by itself, it communicates directly with the devices and takes care of all the data interpretation. This means that it is not limited to what Windows can see and it is able to deal with all sorts of logical issues as well. As a result discs stay ‘readable’ after problems, such as a Buffer Under-run or a failed disc finalisation, and all common file-systems, even the ones not supported by Windows are recognized and interpreted by the program. The program is however not limited by the file-system standards, it copes with a vast range of possible issues, hard coded or via virtual intelligence and on top of this it is able to build file lists based on file-signatures, independent from any file-system data.”

The best feature of IsoBuster is that it lets you keep a file that is only partially copied. Sometimes, a disc may be so badly scratched that it becomes impossible to read, even using IsoBuster. If you copy such a CD directly through Windows copy-paste function, Windows wouldn’t allow you to keep the partially copied file. Something that happens quite often while copying movie CDs. But with IsoBuster, you can copy and keep the file till the last bit that it was able to copy without error. That means that even if it encounters an impossible to read sector at 98% of file copy progress. You would still be able to run that 98% of the movie file.

IsoBuster also allows you to make iso copies of discs and save it various formats. With IsoBuster you can also selectively extract and copy tracks and sessions of a burned CD.

IsoBuster Homepage

Important data can be saved and retrieved when needed in the form of custom-burned CDs and DVDs. Although free website templates are available online to everyone, a need to consult a web development agency arises when there is a complex requirement critical to the business success. For such a web design consulting agency a viable web design contract can earn big bucks along with the market repute. Even the professionals make a profitable use of the various pre-designed flash templates or any other website design tool like css templates as easily as does a novice user of his/her cv template in the word processor.

Intego, makers of VirusBarrier and other Mac OS X security software, on Wednesday issued an alert regarding a flaw in the way that the Mac OS X v10.5 “Leopard” handles files that have been downloaded from the Internet. This affects Mail attachments, according to Intego. The problem was identified on Tuesday by U.K.-based Heise Security, which says it’s identical to a security flaw that first came to light in Tiger Mail back in March, 2006 — a security flaw that Apple actually patched in Tiger, but has apparently reappeared in Leopard (causing Heise to refer to it as “the same old error”).

Heise says that a file downloaded from the Internet can contain a resource fork that will cause the Mac to open the file (if it’s double-clicked by a user) in Terminal, automatically executing a shell command sequence. The file is “disguised” as another type of enclosure; in Heise’s example, a JPEG image. Apple has not yet released a security update for this issue, according to Intego. Intego has updated the virus definitions file used by its VirusBarrier X4 software to work around the issue. The definitions file is dated Nov. 21, 2007. A popular argument of almost every Apple fan saying that Mac considers no security risk is becoming a history…

Mozilla Corp. late Monday released the first beta of Firefox 3.0, but continued to warn most users to stick with production Version 2.0. “We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Firefox 3 Beta 1 milestone release,” Mike Beltzner, Mozilla’s interface designer, said in a note posted to the company’s development center. “It is intended for testing purposes only.” But while the official word was for users to stand clear, Beltzner’s personal recommendation was a lot less intimidating. “It’s a preview release, so use with caution and don’t expect your add-ons to work without some magic; but between you and me, I’ve been running on this ‘developer preview’ for at least three months, and have never looked back,” he said in a post to his own blog.

Beltzner also touted several of the improvements in Firefox 3.0, including new security features and tools, a redesign of the bookmarking and browser history and numerous back-end platform enhancements, but he said they all require more testing and user feedback. The company has posted a more complete list of new features in the release notes it added to its Web site Monday. On the security side, Firefox 3.0 adds malware check, a phishing filter-like feature that warns users attempting to reach a URL blacklisted for suspected malicious code hosting; one-click site information that displays site ownership; fixes for vulnerabilities in plug-in updating; and integration with antivirus software and Windows Vista’s parental control settings.

Mozilla also claimed that it has fixed more than 300 individual memory leaks and added a new cycle collector to eliminate other memory issues. Firefox has a reputation for leaking memory consuming large quantities the longer it’s left running, and ultimate slowing down its host computer although some of its developers have contested the claims, and even pegged the problem as one of perception. Most current Firefox plug-ins Mozilla calls them extensions will not work with Firefox 3.0, a stumbling block for some who might otherwise want to test the preview. “Users of the latest released version of Firefox should not expect their add-ons to work properly with this beta,” the beta’s release notes read. Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in 21 language versions from Mozilla’s site.

Glary Utilities offers numerous powerful and easy-to-use system tools and utilities to fix, speed up, maintain and protect your PC.It allows you to clean common system junk files, as well as invalid registry entries and Internet traces. You can manage and delete browser add-ons, analyze disk space usage and find duplicate files. You can also view and manage installed shell extensions, encrypt your files from unauthorized access and use, split large files into smaller manageable files and then rejoin them. Furthermore, Glary Utilities includes the options to optimize memory, find, fix, or remove broken Windows shortcuts, manage the programs that start at Windows startup and uninstall software. Other features include secure file deletion, an Empty Folder finder and more.

All Glary Utilities tools can be accessed through an eye-pleasing and totally simplistic interface.

Features:

* Optimize, clean and boost the speed of your Windows.
* Protect your privacy and security.
* Block spyware, trojans, adware, etc.
* Fix certain application errors.
* Simple, fast and User friendly interface
* For only private use

-Download Here.

Sometimes if your windows crashes, or if you modify the display resolution settings, you will find that the icon positions on your desktop will change and maybe even your wallpaper, and you will lose the setup you had going. but now you can avoid that easily with IconRestorer.

IconRestorer has been designed to remember the icon setup to avoid the boring job of manually restoring the right icon positions on your desktop.

IconRestorer can be used to place the icons back to their original location on the Windows screen when needed, or even to manage two profiles of icon position.

Features:

* Manage icons position separately for all screen resolutions
* Multiple backups for each resolution
* Backups management: rename, delete, export and import
* New: option to Save and Restore Desktop Wallpaper with Icon Positions
* New: option to move files with unsaved position to special folder on Desktop
* Start with Windows and start minimized to tray options
* Contexual quick help
* Windows Vista compatible
* Check for program updates feature
* Multilanguage: English, Italian , Spanish and Valencian, with support for non latin languages translations
* Free support forum for bugs report or requests

You can download it here.

Nothing beats holding an actual book in your hand, but sometimes it’s nice to be able to download it and take it with you. Especially if it’s completely legal. Here’s a list of 20+ sources for e-books for your use.

Downloadable

AskSam.com/ebooks/ - A small selection of classic texts like Shakespeare, and assorted legal & governmental texts.

Baen Free Library - A small library of downloadable science fiction novels, mostly the first in an ongoing series to get you hungry for more.

BookRags.com - Small selection of free choices, and thousands more for premium members. Can be downloaded as PDF or Word documents.

Gutenberg.org - The first project for converting public domain works into a digital format; their selection now numbers over 5,000.

ManyBooks.net - A large selection of books to be read on your PDA, cellphone, iPod, iPhone and more.

Mary Jo’s E-Texts - Hasn’t been updated in several years, but links still work. The books are formatted for a doc reader on Palm. Includes classic literature, the Oz books, and even some fan fiction.

Mslit.com - Over 1,500 texts provided by Microsoft for their MS Reader.

NetLibrary.net - Only a small selection for free; however, annual membership, and access to over 500,000 works, is only $8.95 a year.

Oxford Text Archive - Over 2,000classical texts you can download as ASCII or DOC files, some do require permission of the original uploader.

PlanetPDF eBooks - A decent sized collection of classic novels all in PDF format.

PocketPCbooks.net - Over 40 classic books specifically for your Windows Mobile Device. Come on, every one needs to carry Sun Tzu’s The Art Of War on their PDA.

The PDA Librarian - Run by an actual high school librarian, this site is specifically for Palm PDAs and features classic literature as well as books for teens and college bound individuals.

HTML Only

Bartleby.com - Harvard Classics and encyclopedias are included here in this easy to browse, HTML only site.

Berkeley Sunsite Classics - A small selection of true classics such as Jane Austen and Thoreau.

Bibliomania.com - Over 2,000 classic texts, study guides, biographies, and more.

Grtbooks.com - A large collection of free-to-read online texts dating back as far as 200 B.C.

Infomotions.com - A collection of over 14,000 documents from full novels to Western philosophy.

Internet Public Library - A large directory of online texts hosted at other sites.

The Perseus Digital Library - A large collection of classical texts broken down by the time period they were written in.

ReadEasily.com - A site with e-books specifically with the elderly and somewhat visually impaired in mind that allows you to change colors, fonts, and size to make it more legible.

The Online Books Page - A gigantic directory of e-books from all over the web.

[via:Mashable]

I’ve been using this program for a while now and i love it! TeraCopy is a program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed. It allows you to Pause and Resume file transfers. TeraCopy uses dynamically adjusted buffers to reduce seek times while Asynchronous copy speeds up file transfer between two physical hard drives. In case of copy error, TeraCopy will try several times and in the worse case just skips the file, not terminating the entire transfer. File list makes sure that all the files that are copied are listed and if any errors found during the process, it will be listed there. Also, it’s seamless integration with Windows Explorer allows you to keep working with files as usual.

TeraCopy is available both as a Freeware and a Paid version, but the freeware contains all the features that are required by a Home user and can satisfy one’s need.

You can download TeraCopy Here.