Internet Access, Tools & Security

Last updated 20-May-2009

Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.06    2.9Mb   (11-December-2005)
For Windows 98/NT4/ME/2000/XP.  You should run either this program or Spybot Search & Destroy further down on this page.  Many software packages come with embedded third party software which sends information about your Internet behaviour from your PC to specific companies!!  This is called spyware.  In other cases the embedded software pulls advertisements from a specific ad server whenever you are connected to the Internet and displays them to you.  This is called adware and has the highest annoyance level possible !  Software manufacturers use adware so they can let you use their software free of charge while they get their revenue from advertisers.  Unfortunately, even when you de-install the original "carrier" software, the spyware or adware often still remains on your PC, sending information out every time you connect to the Internet.  The potential for this type of software is enormous as it can easily be turned into something that sends information that is stored on your PC!!  The problem is such that antivirus manufacturers are starting to produce commercial products to address it.  And it gets worse, time and time again this type of software is found to be the cause of Internet browser crashes, PC freezes, illegal operations, etc...  Run either Ad-Aware SE or SpyBot Search & Destroy (use one or the other, not both) to see if your PC has such software running, and then rid yourself of it!  Note :  if you have Ad-Aware 5.x or 6.x, fully uninstall it before installing Ad-Aware SE.

NetLab 1.4    468K
The free equivalent of NetScan Tools below.  Not as regularly updated as NetScan Tools, Alexander Danileiko's NetLab is nevertheless a great piece of software, and available at an incredible price !  Whois queries (not as sophisticated as NetScan Tool's Whois, but if you know what you are doing you can get close by adding your own list of Whois servers), IP tracing, Ping, you can synchronise the time on your PC or WinNT server with an Internet time source, at regular intervals throughout the day, you can obtain quotes from quote servers, do Finger queries, or perform DNS lookups.  Its best feature, however, and where it surpasses most other products, is its IP scanner which enables you to scan your network for LIVE or available IP addresses within an IP address range.  Great for poorly documented networks with static IP addresses, or when you want to find which IP addresses are still up and running.  Free.  For Windows 95/98/NT.  Excellent.

NetSwitcher 3.3.4    1.2Mb   (11-December-2005)
Ever had to change your network settings every time you sit down at a client's site, or fumble with your IP address configuration, network shares, printer captures, e-mail clients, and network protocols and clients every time you plug into your home network, your office network, or a client's network ?  If Yes then NetSwitcher is the tool for you.  Dead easy to use :  simply set up various configuration profiles, and then use the relevant profile for your current location.  You're at home, click on the Home Profile to activate it; you're at work, click on the Work profile to activate it; you're at a regular client, just activate that profile, and so on.  A breeze.  $14 to purchase when this full-featured demo expires.  Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP.

Set Browser 1.4    44K   (17-November-2001)
Nowadays anyone who uses an Internet browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer also has to have Internet Explorer installed, as an increasing number of software packages will interact only with Internet Explorer.  Some of us, however, prefer Netscape, or another browser.  If you are such a person, you will want to use Set Browser to change your default browser at will depending on whether you need to run software that needs IE, or whether you want to revert back to your beloved non-Microsoft browser.  Set Browser was customised for Answers That Work by Jem Berkes at record speed, and with the end-user in mind at all times – someone definitely worth knowing if you have a programming requirement !  A little gem.  Free.

SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.6.0.30    15Mb   (20-August-2008)
For Windows 9x/NT4/ME/2000/XP/Vista.  You must run this essential piece of software from Patrick M. Kolla of Germany (interesting how the best adware/spyware removal programs all come from Germany).  Many software packages come with embedded third party software which sends information about your Internet behaviour from your PC to specific companies!!  This is called spyware.  In other cases the embedded software pulls advertisements from a specific ad server whenever you are connected to the Internet and displays them to you.  This is called adware and has the highest annoyance level possible !  Software manufacturers use adware so they can let you use their software free of charge while they get their revenue from advertisers.  Unfortunately, even when you de-install the original "carrier" software, the spyware or adware often still remains on your PC, sending information out every time you connect to the Internet.  The potential for this type of software is enormous as it can easily be turned into something that sends information that is stored on your PC!!  The problem is such that antivirus manufacturers are starting to produce commercial products to address it.  And it gets worse, time and time again this type of software is found to be the cause of Internet browser crashes, PC freezes, illegal operations, etc...  Run Patrick Kolla's SpyBot Search & Destroy to see if your PC has such software running, and then rid yourself of it!  SpyBot Search & Destroy is FREE.