Find out whats taking up space on your computer

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Over the years I have used many different programs to look at hard drives in order to see what is taking up all the room. Some applications are great in that they display the information graphically. But the absolute best app I've used for this purpose is also FREE. WinDirStat (for win xp/vista/7) is available in an installer and as a portable application (I love portable applications).

One of the best things about WinDirStat is that not only does it display the make up of your hard drive in graphical and tree format, as well as providing you the option to display free space, it also color codes it and let's you click on anything and delete the file(s)/folder(s) by pressing the delete key.

Recently my 1TB backup drive gave me an error that it was full. I ran WinDirStat on it and found at least 10 occurrences of the same outdated 1gb file. I also found there was some old recycler files from a previous computer, another 9gb freed. By the time I was finished I had freed up over 600gb! Not bad for 30 minutes work.

What's even more amazing is you can run this app over a network. So I periodically use it to clean up my network shares. Because it's portable there is no installation and I can run it on virtually any windows box I come to.

I highly recommend this software to everyone who uses a windows computer.

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Bootable CD/USBs:SARDU vs UBCD4Win

I have written before on the benefits of using a Boot media other than your HDD when it has become infected. The article I wrote about creating a bootable CD/DVD/USB was mainly concerned with building a UBCD4Win on CD or DVD. Since then I have played around with SARDU (Shardana Antivirus Rescue Disk Utility) and it has not only been translated into English, but it has also impressed me so much as to prompt me to write this article.

There are many Boot CD images (ISOs) you can download and immediately Burn to CD. My favorite one of these is UBCD. The reason I like UBCD is that it is very versatile. There are many utilities included in the disk as well as AV and Anti-malware apps. There are many others and you can find them onthis webpage and download and burn them. I am even more drawn to UBCD4Win because it has everything that UBCD does as well as being a lot easier to configure and update. But SARDU surpasses both of these because I can update UBCD4Win and put that image as one of the many that will be included when SARDU creates it's ISO, DVD or bootable USB.

Basically SARDU is a utility that makes it simple to create a bootable DVD or USB. The main Menu is comprised of 4 sections, Antivirus, Utility, Linux and PE. Each section has a list of possible software you might wish to include, represented by a button each. This button links directly to the ISO, IMG, or Torrent file you need to download. There is no searching around for the correct files or arcane file naming in order to get it to work. Just click each button you wish to include and download to SARDU's ISO directory. If the file is zipped, you will need to unzip it.

Note that the way SARDU informs you of what is available is through the checkboxes and radio buttons. A greyed out area (checkbox/radio button) means it does not detect the image file, An unchecked white box or unclicked radio button indicates that the file is there but you have unselected it (ISOs are renamed with an IS extension, IMG with IM extension), and a checked box or clicked on radio button indicates the file is both present and active (will be used to burn ISO or USB). If you know you downloaded a certain file, but the checkbox remains unchecked (SARDU will automatically check anything it finds), then check the ISO directory and make sure it isn't in ZIP form (unzip it), in RAR form (UNRAR it), or in torrent form (download the torrent using a torrent tool).

The first time you do this is the most bothersome because it just takes a long time to download all the files (if you download everything it comes to almost 5 gb). I suggest downloading everything, even if you already have the ISO, because if it is named differently SARDU won't recognize it. For instance I've been using UBCD4Win for some time and have my own specially configured ISO, but when I downloaded the default ISO using SARDU it named the file U_B_C_D_4_WIN.iso. If I want to use my version I just rename from UBCD4Win.iso to U_B_C_D_4_WIN.iso and put a copy in SARDU's ISO directory.

One of the best things about using SARDU is that it combines all the best AV boot CDs and utilities, along with all your windows rescue disks (windows 98SE, XP, Vista, and 7), a Windows PE environment and a Linux distro like ubuntu, into one bootable image. If that isn't enough, SARDU also includes an extras folder (Sardu->ISO->extr), anything you put in that folder will be included as well. Below is a screencapture of the main menu of the boot image I created (4.4gb) running in VMWare Player:

The benefit here is amazing. You can boot to virtually any Antivirus/Utility bootdisk just by choosing from the menu. They are all on one USB stick or DVD.

So what exactly do you need to do?

• Download SARDU
• Run SARDU
• Click on each of the buutons to download the relevant ISO/IMG/Torrent

1. If it's a torrent folllow instructions on page for downloading torrent files
2. If it's compressed, uncompress it

When you have checked off everything you want included, I first suggest making the ISO. NOTE: The first time I made an ISO with SARDU it created a directory called ISO CREATED, and put sardu.iso in there. Subsequently, the sardu.iso file appeared in the ISO directory instead - I'm not sure why, but you should look out for this.

If the size indicated by SARDU is less than 4.4gb you can then burn a DVD, otherwise you will need to use the USB option

This is an excellent and easy way to make a bootable USB. (I did it with a passport drive and it was relatively simple in comparison with other methods)

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Seesmic vs Hootsuite for Twitter

For a long time I've been enamored of Seesmic's offerings of Twitter clients. I started out by using the Air application, Seesmic Desktop. I moved on to their .NET based application, Seesmic Desktop for Windows. The reason I changed was mostly because of the resources that the AIR application took up. The .NET application is much faster and takes up a lot less resources. I found Seesmic desktop for Windows a really nice app and used it for some time (it's still on my computer). But the one thing that made me switch is the portability of Hootsuite.

Hootsuite is web based, so whether I'm in my regular location, at home or on the go, my settings are EXACTLY the same.  With Seesmic I had to transport a settings file with me and install the software on each machine I was going to use it on.  With Hootsuite, since it's web based there is no need for that.  Yes I know, other apps including Seesmic have a web based client.  But Hootsuite has done a really nice job on theirs.  You can have multiple accounts, as well as multiple people tweeting with different access depending on what you want them to do.  It's like combining the best web twitter clients with something like cotweet.com.

In Hootsuite I have multiple accounts setup for twitter as well as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Foursquare.  I have many columns in each twitter account which includes lists I follow and searches.  Searches are a problem I found with Seesmic, they weren't updating correctly.  I also found that Seesmic lists didn't update correctly in their .NET client.  I reported both these problems to Seesmic, and although their team is very good, it seems they were concentrating more on mobile applications than the desktop clients.

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A free tool with a small footprint that gets a lot of use

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I've collected many small utilities over the years and some have come in very handy. One I use on a regular basis is VirtuaWin, a utility to create virtual desktops/windows. It is available in portable format (can be run from a stick) at http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?q=virtuawin&m=Search and the homepage is at http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/.

I have this as a startup item. Since I have 2 monitors I set this to have 2 rows by 2 cols which gives me 4 virtual windows * 2 monitors = 8 virtual desktops. I can then switch between multiple applications with a swift hotkey combo (the hotkey default configuration differs depending on the operating system - when I installed it on XP the hotkey is windows key + arrow key, while on a windows 7 laptop the hotkey was ctrl+alt+arrow).

This allows me to have many applications running at once and I can see them all in full screen view. For instance I have a different window open for gmail, blogspot, Seesmic Desktop for Windows, The publications Database I do upkeep on, my experts-exchange account, Adobe flash, a graphics app. Then I have various smaller apps open but minimized.

The increase in productivity is fantastic and I have found this is an application I can't do without. The icon sits in the system tray and either the hotkey combo switches screens or clicking on the icon and choosing the screen you wish to go to does the same, but lets you skip through the screens more quickly.

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Grisoft's AVG 9 - My experience updated

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Not long ago I wrote a blog on my disastrous update to AVG 9.0 from 8.5 (paid version).  Since then I have come to a conclusion about the software in question.  Even though I provided a number of different logs and information to the AVG support group, they said they couldn't help me with my problem unless I reinstalled AVG and sent them the minidump log from another BSOD.  That's all well and good for them, but I can't afford to keep blue screening my work computer so that they can solve their software problems. 

I decided that as good as AVG 9 looked (and thank goodness it is less of a resource hog than 8.5), I could do without it and immediately replaced it with 2 other pieces of software.

When Grisoft gets AVG 9 in better shape I will revisit it as a antivirus/firewall alternative.

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Top Portable Application Suites

Image by valentin.d via Flickr

I've been working with portable applications for too many years to count. Since I started I've written a help file which tries to explain the basics and gives brief reviews of a few launchers. At one point I started using LupoPensuite which was based on the ASuite launcher. As I noted in the my help file, ASuite has some problems, which is why I stopped using it. Anything based on Asuite, including the recent runner up in Lifehacker's Poll of best portable suites, LiberKey, seems to put all of the applications in an apps folder with subsequent applications in a separate folder. This is fine if you never look at the underlying structure of the directories, but if you care at all, it's a mess. Having hundreds of folders, each a seaparate application, to deal with when they are not categorized is a recipe for disaster.

The best part about LiberKey, in my opinion, is that it updates the suite and the applications automatically. This is an excellent feature and should be part of every launcher suite.

Lifehackers first place portable application suite, Portableapps.com, is an excellent platform, but it has the same problem as the ASuite launcher; all the applications must be in a subfolders of the portableapps folder. Again there is no categorization and worse there is no way to categorize the menu system itself (ASuite breaks down everything into categories in the menu system, even if they are a hodgepodge in reality). There is no doubt that the portableapps.com format is excellent (.paf.exe), but the fact that it will display all .exe files (although a recent change allows you to hide some applications you don't wish to display, this is a slightly backwards way of doing things in my opinion) in the main directory of each program makes adding portable applications that are not in a portable wrapper from their website confusing. Many times executables, like config apps will show up even if you don't want them to.

I found that the PStart menu system, although not bundled with a slew of software, is highly preferable. It allows you to specify your own directory structure on the portable device you are using. You can also decide which files you want to show up in the menu system. It certainly doesn't have the glitz or glamour that portableapps does, but it is much easier to configure and use, especially when you have more than 15 or so apps. I have 8 gigabytes worth of applications from all over the web on my stick. Pstart keeps everything categorized both in the menu and on my stick in the correct directories. All the portable programs I find work with this menu. (the only trouble I've run into so far has been portableapps .paf files of Google Chrome and Skype, both of these had to be installed in an upper level directory because the path was too long where I wanted to install them - u:\utility cd\usbportable\internet\browsers\googlechrome and u:\utility cd\usbportable\internet\misc\skype. They ended up in u:\)

Bottom line is that if I could have voted for PStart in the lifehacker poll, I would have, unfortunately PStart is not a suite, just a launcher.

Wakoopa the social software site

I recently started using another aspect of social media, a social software site called wakoopa. As with so many of the other social media sites I use, I was introduced to this by my son @chronotope on twitter. This site analyzes and tracks the software you are using on the computer you run it on. It tracks both the active application and the background applications. Not only can you review the applications you use, but you can also see other reviews and find other software. One of the options lets you set the site to alert you of software updates.



When you log in and start tracking your profile will look something like this. The top half shows your favorite applications and what you say about each one (you can mark anything as a favorite app), below that are the top ten pieces of software, according to your usage, divided into categories of the past week, past month, and newly used apps. Next to that is some basic info about your software usage and your level of usage according to how much you contribute, how many different apps you use, reviews you write, screenshots and icons you upload, etc.


The next part of the screen shows a usage history graph and some recently used apps (note that most stats are 1-2 days old). You will also see a message section, which can be used to communicate with people you have friended, and some of the point awards you have received to change your level. Below the Awards section is a section showing the most recent reviews you have submitted.



You can see what new software is being used and what people think about it. When you check out a piece of software on wakoopa, it lists other software that does the same thing. this can be real handy if you know a piece of commercial software but want a similar free version. Or if you are having trouble with a certain piece of software another app may do the same thing without giving you problems.

Other users reviews can be quite instructive and helpful in finding the appropriate app to use in any circumstance.

Portable applications

For quite some time now I've been using applications that run off my USB stick. It is almost essential in my line of work since I often come to a computer on which I have to run various scans or recover files and I want to do this with minimal intrusion. If I install something on a computer I'm trying to recover files from there is a good chance I'll end up writing over part of the file.

So I've culled a number of applications that all run on my USB flashdrive. All are free, there are more than a few you can purchase a "pro" version of, but most of these offer little extra functionality for the normal user.

I started off doing this as a project for my wife, but it took on a life of it's own. I currently have a bootable USB flashdrive (to linux, get it here) and almost 8gb worth of software. I wrote a basic windows help file with one of the portable apps and it is hosted here as well as residing on my USB flashdrive as portable apps.chm. I use the Pstart Launcher to organize and launch all the apps on my flash (check out the help file for pics).

Recently, a tweep on twitter asked what apps I had and I emailed him a basic list. This is some of it:

* rootkit detectors/scanners:
* f-secure blacklight (f-secure.com)
* Pavark
* Sophos anti rootkit (req verification)

* cleaners
o ccleaner
o rogue remover
o easy cleaner
o pc decrapifyer

* file/disk recovery
o cd recovery
o data recovery
o datarecovery
o diskdigger
o encopy4
o file recovery
o NTFSundelete
o Pandora Recovery
o PartitionRecovery
o Recuva (probably the best and easiest)
o Restoration
o Undelete
o undelete_plus

* password viewers
o IE password viewer
o Keyfinder
o LSASecretsView
o Password Assistant
o Wireless KeyView

* Password Manager
o KeePass Portable

* Encrypting/decrypting
o Drag'n'Crypt Ultra
o FreeOTFE
o LockNote
o PicoCrypt
o TrueCrypt

* backup
o windriversbackup

* Copiers
o unstoppable copier
o ycopy

* disk size tools
o WinDirStat Portable (BEST)
o Disktective
o drive cleanup wizard
o i.disk

* duplicate file finders
o Easy Duplicate

* file archivers
o IZarc (copy folder after install to USB)
o 7zip
o appCompactor
o pea zip
o universal extractor
o UPX Packer
o UPX Shell

* File managers
o Free Commander (best)
o Alt Commander
o ExplorerXP Portable
o Q-Dir
o Xenon

* File Renamers
o Ant renamer
o bulk renamer
o Rename Master

* Synchers
o Allway sync N Go (pay)
o freefilesync
o ozsync
o PUSS
o Toucan
o Syncback (free version)

* Graphics

o viewers
+ artsee
+ cornice portable
+ fsviewer (FastStone makes excellent apps)
+ MaxView
+ SlowView
+ XnView

o Editors
+ Gimp
+ Blender
+ Photofiltre
+ photoscape
+ artweaver

o Screen Capture
+ aviscreen (capture movies of desktop activity - no sound)
+ FastStone Capture
+ HandySnap (excellent)
+ Hover Snap (use this when handysnap doesn't work)
+ lightscreen portable

o other
+ FastStone Photo Resizer
+ fotosketcher
+ fastimageresizer
+ imagicon
+ pngoptimizer
+ redeye

* multimedia

o video players
+ VLC media player
+ smplayer
+ mplayer portable

o audio players
+ 1by1
+ AIMP2
+ coolplayer
+ evil Player
+ foobar2000

o editors
+ audacity
+ wavosaur
+ virtualdub

o cd burners
+ burnCDCC
+ cdrtools
+ DeepBurner (very good)
+ imgburn
+ infrarecorder

o cd rippers
+ bonkenc
+ DeepRipper (very good)

o Other
+ DVD Shrink
+ AVI Repair Utility
+ XMedia Converter (convert anything)

* system

o info
+ CPU-Z
+ currProcess
+ deviceinfo
+ ProcessExplorer (*****)
+ Process Monitor (*****)
+ SysSpec
+ System Explorer (does everything!)
+ System information viewer
+ winaudit

o startup
+ autoruns (not as good as SE above, but GOOD)
+ aspy32

o Antivirus/antispyware
+ clamwin portable
+ Multi Virus Cleaner (MVC)
+ Spybot search and destroy 1.6.x
+ Stinger AV

o defrag
+ jkdefrag
+ defraggler
+ fragutil
+ hdiskdefrag
+ powerdefragmenter
+ win contig
+ win merge portable

o registry
+ regassassin
+ registry cleaner
+ registry scanner
+ regshot
+ sysinterals registry monitor
+ xpredit

That is less than half the stuff I have on my stick. I also keep a ton of installable apps to clean computers. Things like startup mechanic and system mechanic and a couple of uninstaller apps.

Almost everything can be found on either portableapps.com or http://www.portablefreeware.com. otherwise just google it.

Another computer fixed, but interesting problem

Part of my job includes keeping all the computer equipment up and running here at the Cancer Center. This sometimes extends to our members. If they don't have someone else to help them out, I will troubleshoot their computer problems. This happened yesterday.

One of our researcher/clinicians called me about his computer (a PC). It was slow, very slow and the CD and DVD drive had stopped working. Since he was only 1 floor above me I went up to see what the problem was.

It was fairly easy to optimize windows for him, which took care of the speed issue. The more serious issue concerning the drives was the next step. After I had turned off the computer and disconnected everything I opened it up to find the power cables had been pulled out of both the CD and DVD drives! What was even more interesting than the power being pulled was the fact that one would have to reach behind the IDE cables in order to get to these plugs. It would have been very difficult to do, unless they had never been connected ...

He had to go to a meeting so I didn't get a chance to ask him when the last time he used the drives was, but I will eventually.