Tech-Pro utilities (donationware)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Vegard Krog Petersen
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Vegard Krog Petersen

Found these on http://www.tech-pro.co.uk/utilities.html

NOTE: Donationware


Tech-Pro Utilities - more use, less bloat

Tech-Pro Utilities is a suite of micro-applications that perform useful
tasks to help you make more productive use of your computer. The
utilities are very small and quick to download and install. They use a
common set of runtime files which you only need to download once. After
you have installed these files, you can download and install as many or
as few of the utilities as you want.

Tech-Pro Utilities Startup
Tech-Pro Utilities Startup provides a handy system tray menu to start up
your favorite utilities and applications, plus a startup manager to give
you more control over the programs in your Windows Startup group.

This is also the "starter" package of the Tech-Pro Utilities suite. It
contains run-time files that are required by all of the Tech-Pro
Utilities. So whichever of the utilities you plan to install, you must
first install this one.

Startup also includes the Downloader - a custom web browser that lets
you easily check to see the latest list of all the utilities that are
available and download the latest versions.


Tech-Pro Textpad
Textpad is a replacement for Windows Notepad that runs in the system
tray. If you need to make some quick notes you can just pop up a new
Textpad window with a click of the mouse. If you need to save your notes
it's just as simple. You can save them in a special Textpad folder, from
where you can re-load them directly from Textpad's tray icon menu. Of
course, you can save files in any other folder if you wish.

Textpad can associate itself with any text file type and will store
preferences for each type such as word wrap and tab width. There's also
a cool encryption feature that lets you save your notes so others can't
read them.


Tech-Pro Sticky Notes
Our popular Sticky Notes application has been updated and improved, and
is now part of the Tech-Pro Utilities Suite.

Sticky Notes lets you write short notes on pieces of virtual
sticky-backed yellow paper and place them anywhere you want on your
computer screen. You can hide and show notes with a click of the mouse.
It's ideal for reminder messages, to-do lists and many other things.


Tech-Pro Atomic Clock Sync
If your computer clock keeps losing or gaining time, you need to install
Tech-Pro Atomic Clock Sync. This simple utility runs in your system
tray, and synchronizes your system click with an atomic time server on
the Internet at regular intervals. It also shows you the current time
and date when you point at the icon with your mouse. The new version 1.5
now works on all versions of Windows including Windows XP, and can use
the Windows Time Service if available.


Tech-Pro Search
Do you just hate the Windows XP Search facility? We do. Want a simple
file search tool that simply does what you want it to? Then Tech-Pro
Search is just what you need.


Tech-Pro Quick Uninstall
Do you often install and uninstall programs? Perhaps you're a software
developer and need to test setup and uninstall procedures? Are you tired
of clicking through Start, Control Panel, Add and Remove Programs every
time you want to uninstall something? Then you need Tech-Pro Quick
Uninstall. This small (14Kb) no-frills version of Add and Remove
Programs is blindingly fast and can be run from a desktop or QuickLaunch
toolbar shortcut, or from the Tech-Pro Utilities menu.


Tech-Pro Terminator
If you often need to terminate applications, Tech-Pro Terminator
provides a simpler, quicker and safer way to do it than using the
Windows Task List. It can be run from a desktop or QuickLaunch toolbar
shortcut, or from the Tech-Pro Utilities menu.


Tech-Pro WinTouch
This is a Windows version of the command line touch utility that is used
to set the date and time stamp of a file to anything you want. If you
can't think why anyone would need it, you probably don't!
 
Vegard Krog Petersen said:
Ooops, missed this one:

Nagware then. Sorry about that.
--
Click to expand...

You didn't mention Tech-Protect, which _is_ described as freeware, in
contrast to those identified as donationware with an "occasional" nag.
Tech-Protect scans files before they are opened (Win all) and when
they are written (WinNT/2k/XP). v1.01 added generic worm detection.
(Note, only personal-use F-Prot is free.) Developer claims very low
overhead (by comparison).

(Site excerpts)
Tech-Protect is a virus protection system that has been written in
Visual DialogScript. It can prevent new and unknown viruses from
running by alerting you to unexpected changes. It needs a conventional
virus scanner in order to detect known viruses, and so it makes use of
the F-Prot for MS-DOS virus scanner as a scanning engine.

if you want to use F-Prot but don't like Frisk's own Windows version,
if you have some old, underpowered PCs that struggle to run most of
the current anti-virus "bloatware", or if you simply need a very
low-cost anti-virus solution for your school, charity or office,
Tech-Protect might be worth a try. However, we're currently
recommending that those who are not technically savvy choose something
else because we aren't sure of the extent to which it might cause
unexpected behavior that would be baffling to newbies.

I thought it would be cool to be able to detect viruses when they are
written to disk, instead of just before the infected file is opened.
I'd developed an automatic file backup application called Tech-Pro
GetBack, which used some APIs available in Windows NT and its
successors to detect when a file was written. I used these same APIs
to trigger a virus check. Because these APIs aren't available under
Windows 95, 98 or Me, however, Tech-Protect doesn't have that
functionality under those Windows versions.

Despite its reliance on old DOS technology, Tech-Protect is pretty
effective at detecting viruses. Its check log also produces a useful
record of new and changed files. Tech-Protect uses less resources than
the majority of current Windows anti-virus products, with their
obsession with fancy graphical user interface "skins." Tech-Protect
doesn't use any undocumented system hooks so it should coexist happily
with other software. It does use registry file associations in an
unusual way, which sometimes results in unexpected behavior, but
there's a "compatibility" option that enables you to overcome this.

Tech-Protect doesn't interfere with your email or your web browser so
it can't cause mysterious errors when communicating with external
servers. I consider this a big plus point, as troubleshooting has
become increasingly difficult in recent years due to conflicts caused
by virus checkers, personal firewalls and other software. Technically,
it's much simpler to virus-check your email and downloaded files once
they have been received and written to disk than to do it while they
are still contained in TCP/IP data packets en route from the server.
As soon as you try to open (or save, under NT) an infected attachment
from an email, Tech-Protect will warn you about it. What it can't do,
since it isn't watching your web browsing or email, is catch worms
that use various HTML exploits to infect systems using unpatched
versions of Microsoft programs. But the solution for that problem is
to install the patches, which you ought to be doing anyway if you
insist on using Outlook Express and Internet Explorer.

Version 1.01 (released 3 November 2003)

Changed name to Tech-Protect to avoid possible trademark infringement
Added generic detection for common types of worm virus
 
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