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Software Reviews
by Rustyboy
The reviews and opinions below are posted by SnapFiles visitors. They do not necessarily reflect our opinion, and are solely based on the experience of individual users.
- Freeware
Vista/7
Mostly good 
Microsoft Security Essentials (Vista/7) version 1.0.1611.0
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I am running this on my Win 7 RC box and it performs very well, using few resources and remaining unobtrusive. I installed it on my wife's XP laptop and it must have conflicted with something as it just made the laptop completely freeze as soon as it booted. Upon removal of MSE from the laptop and the return of AntiVir, all was back to normal. It is well worth a try though.
Review date: Oct 17, 2009
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Small and effective
MP3Gain version 1.25
- Interface: 4
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Mp3gain is great for "normalizing" your various mp3 files which, if sourced differently, will have the volume levels all over the joint. Choose the folder that holds your mp3s and press the "Track Gain" button. Then you can sit back while mp3gain sets the volume levels to a default around 89 (adjustable if you choose, but I find the default to be the best setting). It's amazing how many mp3s have settings that are way too high. mp3gain recurses sub folders, too, so once you choose the main folder all songs in folders within that one will have their volume normalized. Get it, you won't regret it.
Review date: Sep 06, 2009
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista
Slight improvement
SpeedyFox version 1.1
- Interface: 3
- Features: 3
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 4
- Overall:
I just downloaded SpeedyFox and ran it on my Firefox profile and it did make a noticeable difference to the startup time. It wasn't a mind-boggling improvement, but an improvement nevertheless.
Review date: Sep 05, 2009
- Freeware
- XP/2003/Vista/7
Simple yet effective
Explore&Burn version 1.1
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I have always been looking for a small burning program I can use when I don't need some full-blown app, mostly for those times I just need to burn some data quickly to disc. Well, I have found it in ExploreandBurn, which is very simple to use and is great for burning data from a Right Mouse Button click.
Review date: Jul 12, 2009
- Freeware
- 98/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7
Don't download it until you need it
Dr.Web CureIt version 5.0
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Great piece of software, no installation required. Because the database updates several times daily, you will always be asked to download the latest version (~11mb) unless you run it immediately. Keep the link and download it when you need to use it, that way you will have the latest database.
Review date: Jan 19, 2009
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Multi IM coverage
Trillian version 3.1.11.0
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Trillian (no ads!) covers a wide range of IM services and is easy to use and skinnable. It doesn't do webcam unless you upgrade, but when you want webcam you can always fire up one of those other adware messengers for a session. The other downside for the free version is that it doesn't merge users, so you have Fred@MSN and Fred@Yahoo showing up, not just one Fred. Oh, did I mention that there weren't any ads? :-)
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista
Five stars
CCleaner (Slim) version 2.15.815
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I have used other cleaners but CCleaner has the edge in that it covers a variety of things. Also, it doesn't automatically delete stuff but asks the user first, which is good for careful types. CCleaner is a regular part of my computer maintenance program.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista
Handles all my reminder needs
Rainlendar Lite version 2.4
- Interface: 4
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I love Rainlendar's ability to sit transparently on the desktop, pop up reminders for me (eg birthdays, appointments) complete with alert sound, have tooltips upon mouseover, etc. I use it for all my to-do things, it is brilliant.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- 98/ME/2000/XP
Very handy
SizeMe version 2.0.0
- Interface: 4
- Features: 3
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 4
- Overall:
A handy tool, even as an indicator and not necessarily for burning the final choices. I would have liked to have seen a method whereby you can choose one or more "must include these files" and SizeMe will fill up the rest.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- Win (All)
The reigning king of text editors
PSPad Editor version 4.5.3 (2298)
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I used to be a dedicated NoteTab Light user but PSPad is now the best text editor. One feature I love is the Tool Panel, the tabbed window down the left hand side which allows quick access to your files and even has a "favourites" tab where you can define your favourite files or folders. This is great if you often revisit a certain file for editing. PSPad has many, many features - in fact I am discovering more as I go. A must have.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/2003/Vista
A definite keeper
Revo Uninstaller version 1.75
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Revo is very good at removing stubborn remnants from incomplete or incorrect uninstalls. It hunts out left over registry keys and deletes those too (after user confirmation). An excellent piece of software.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- XP/Vista
Great software, but be careful
DriverMax version 4.7
- Interface: 4
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 4
- Overall:
I downloaded DriverMax and then went mad updating every single thing I could find. I ended up borking my network drivers and could not uninstall/import/revert them or even do a system restore as I got a BSOD every time I tried. In the end a Safe Mode system restore did the trick. What did I learn? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's handy keeping your drivers in a file just in case something goes wrong but DriverMax's "download from other users" means there is scope for people to download incorrect or uncertified drivers. In short, use DriverMax to back up your drivers but be careful about using its driver update feature.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista/7
Good, if a little fiddly
EASEUS Partition Master version 3.0
- Interface: 2
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 2
- Value: 4
- Overall:
This software does exactly what it says and does it well, but the downside for me is the GUI and lack of instructions in the help file as to its correct use. I fiddled and dragged my partitions until I got them exactly where I wanted them but because this took 5 moves to get it "just right", Easus performed those 5 operations. Make sure you do it in as few moves as possible, otherwise it will execute all operations, not just the final settings as I assumed. Perhaps I should have spent more time reading carefully, but the manual isn't clear on this point - I think it should either be an important warning for people to watch or make adjustments a different way. Good software though, just bear this little quirk in mind and adjust your sizes carefully.
Review date: Jan 13, 2009
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Persevere, it's worth it.
The GIMP version 2.6.0
- Interface: 4
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I tried The Gimp a while back and (like many others I suspect) gave up on it as I thought it "awkward". On my second try of The Gimp, I persevered and the results were excellent. It is extremely powerful and once you put in a little effort to understand how to use it you will be well rewarded. The documentation is downloadable but not straightforward to find. There are also some good tutorials to be found that can teach you the basics to get you going.
Review date: Oct 25, 2008
- Freeware
- 98/ME/2000/XP
Xmplay flies.
XMPlay version 3.4
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I like XMPlay because it is small (~300k) and does what it is supposed to do well. The default skin is a bit cheesy for my liking but there are many others to choose from and/or download. I used to use a media player for mp3s as well as video but found they took a while to start up. Now I use separate programs as sometimes the all-in-one approach is not necessarily the best. XMPlay flies.
Review date: Jul 04, 2008
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Great for kids
Tux Paint version 0.9.20
- Interface: 4
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
TuxPaint is fantastic for kids as it has a large variety of things to play around with and even has audio feedback on a lot of tools. For example, choose a stamp of a chicken and you will hear a chicken. Younger kids will enjoy exploring this, my [autistic] 9yo loves it. It is easy for them to navigate, too, with functions laid out in a logical and straightforward way.
Review date: Jul 02, 2008
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Easy to use
Star Downloader Free version 1.45
- Interface: 2
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
I have tried other downloaders and while they are good, they tend to be overkill for my needs. Star Downloader allows me to schedule download times and has a "download basket", a dropbox icon on the desktop that accepts dropped links. These are the two major features in my opinion and along with blistering download speeds, makes Star Downloader a great program. The only downside is that the interface is a bit plain Jane.
Review date: Jun 29, 2008
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Light on resources yet powerful
IrfanView version 4.10
- Interface: 4
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
One meg download, uses little ram compared to a lot of the others, has an impressive range of features (and many extensions via plugins). The only downside for me is the way the thumbnail window displays separately. An integrated one would have been better. Brilliant for creating a slide show or converting/resizing/altering/renaming a heap of image files at once. I have been using Irfanview for about a squillion years. Well, almost.
Review date: Jun 29, 2008
- Freeware
- 98/ME/2000/XP
Shame about yahoo
PopTray version 3.03
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 3
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Poptray is great, especially having rules that let you delete emails on the server before downloading them. The downside to Poptray is the inability to access some webmail providers (Yahoo for example) without installing yet another program (such as ypops).
Review date: Jun 25, 2008
- Freeware
- 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista
Lean and mean
7-Zip version 4.42
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
If you want a no-nonsense compression tool this is it. I used to use another freeware compression tool (which was very good) until I found it choked on larger files. 7-zip handles large files beautifully. It may not have the eye candy of some other programs, but it doesn't have the bloat either.
Review date: Jun 25, 2008
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/2003/Vista
The best dual paned file manager
FreeCommander version 2008.06
- Interface: 5
- Features: 5
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
It has so-o-o many features including the new ftp transfers, multiple renames, etc. It's amazing as I continually find nifty features that I have overlooked or not read about (Quickview [ctrl-Q on a selected file to view it] comes to mind here). Nothing else comes close.
Review date: Jun 25, 2008
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista
Very good, if a little annoying
Avira AntiVir Personal version 8.1.00.295
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Good: It's free, it has effective virus recognition, it is not a memory hog, the database is updated frequently. Not so good: It nags every time the database updates, sometimes the update servers are borked and updates will not run for a day or so.
Review date: Jun 25, 2008
- Freeware
- 2000/XP/Vista
Bloatware for noobs
iTunes version 7.6.2
- Interface: 3
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 1
- Value: 3
- Overall:
If you are an absolute beginner and want to be lead by the nose then this software was made with you in mind. If you have a little experience and just want to drag and drop mp3s and make your own playlists then steer well clear of iTunes - it is like driving and parking a huge truck when going to the supermarket on a Saturday morning - it can be done but it is not necessarily a pleasant experience. If you don't want other software installed also avoid iTunes as it puts Quicktime and Bonjour on your computer whether you like it or not. After you install iTunes, check your Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to see services running and eating up your memory even when iTunes is not running. So, for absolute beginners, yes. Anyone else, no.
Review date: Apr 19, 2008
- Freeware
- 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista
Almost perfect
cam2pc - Freeware version 4.6.1
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 4
- Value: 5
- Overall:
Perfect for getting pics from your camera to your computer. The only bug I found is where it reverts to the default directory naming convention, meaning I have to adjust this every time I download pictures. Other than that, a fantastic piece of freeware.
Review date: Jan 18, 2008
- Freeware
- Win (All)
Almost perfect
POP Peeper version 3.0.1
- Interface: 5
- Features: 4
- Ease of use: 5
- Value: 5
- Overall:
This is a very nice little program. It even allows you to download attachments from webmail accounts (yahoo, etc) without having to fire up your browser and wait for pages of ads. When the next version comes out with filtering/rules, it will be perfect.
Review date: Dec 30, 2006
Create educational quizzes in Flash format that can be distributed online or as standalone .EXE file.
A powerful monitoring solution to record PC activity, including keystrokes, email and more.
Create interactive Flash movies and tutorials to show how applications and systems work.
