utilities

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

Ad-Aware 10: Something completely different

The bottom line: The new owners of Lavasoft have revamped Ad-Aware to the point where it has almost nothing in common with its predecessors besides function. It's a good reboot, but it's not out of the woods yet.

Review: While the name Ad-Aware remains the same as it has for the past 13 years, everything from the user interface to the code powering Ad-Aware 10 is entirely new.

More so than any recent version of Ad-Aware, the suite is usable, lightweight, and worthy of your attention.

Installation The installation is straightforward, although it still does opt you in … Read more

OS X Disk Utility missing options to erase free disk space

Erasing free disk space is an easy (albeit not quick) way to help prevent the recovery of files you have erased from your system. Conventionally when files are deleted from storage device, the system only removes their entries from the file system's directory, thereby flagging blocks containing the data as being free to use. While this offers a quick way to delete files from the drive, the data is technically still intact on disk and thereby leaves open the possibility for recovery using special software.

To prevent this from happening, one option that Apple has offered in OS X … Read more

Get IObit Advanced SystemCare Pro for free

Nothing says "I love you" like free software.

In honor of Valentine's Day, IObit is offering Advanced SystemCare 5 Pro (Win) free of charge. It normally sells for $19.95.

Update: IObit is currently returning a "server overloaded" message when you enter your e-mail address. Hopefully they'll work out the kinks and deliver the promised license to everyone who requests it.

Take note, however: this offer is good today and today only. After the clock strikes midnight, you'll either have to pony up $20 or settle for Advanced SystemCare 5 Free (which is … Read more

Canon EOS utility updated to work in OS X Lion

If you're a photographer who uses Canon equipment and has been unable to use the Canon EOS utility after installing OS X Lion, some good news: Canon has issued an update to the tool that allows it to run properly in Apple's latest operating system.

The Canon EOS Utility is an application that allows you to interface your Mac with your digital EOS camera, allowing you to not only transfer images from it and manage them but also remotely operate the camera from your computer using Canon's interface cable.

When OS X Lion was released a number … Read more

Get a fast, free toolkit for system cleaning and maintenance with Glary Utilities Slim

Glary Utilities has a good reputation among users who need safe and reliable system cleaning and maintenance in an easy-to-use package. Glary Utilities Slim is a freeware bundle of Glary's disk and registry cleaners and other system tools. It also enables easy, centralized access to a number of built-in Windows tools. Some of its features you'll only need once or twice a year, like an oil change; others are for regular duties. It slims the package by leaving out some automatic and duplicate features.

Glary Utilities Slim bears a strong family resemblance because it shares the family interface. … Read more

AirPort Utility 6.0 missing a number of features

Yesterday Apple released AirPort Utility 6.0 along with an update to the older Version 5.x of the same program. The new tool offers an updated and intuitive interface for managing your Wi-Fi network, but it also is missing some key features that, while not necessarily beneficial to most home users, might frustrate IT professionals and network administrators.

After installing the utility and exploring its features, MacFixIt reader Joshua O. wrote in regarding a number of these he found:

I've been surprised that no one has commented on the massive loss of functionality in the new Airport Utility. … Read more

Apple updates AirPort utility and Base Station firmware

Apple has released a couple of updates for its AirPort Utility software for OS X Lion, and also has released new firmware updates for its AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule router devices.

AirPort Utility 6.0 is available to edit and configure both AirPort Base Station, Time Capsule, and AirPort Express networking devices. Apple has updates the prior version to version 5.6 that resolves issues with accessing passwords in the system keychain, but has also released version 6.0 which implements support for configuring iCloud to remotely access mass storage attached to the AirPort and Time Capsule devices. … Read more