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5 Portable Standalone Free FLV Players to Play FLV File Anywhere

vbb — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:44:15 +0000

You may have the best FLV player installed on your computer but sometimes you need to play an FLV file sitting on a cyber cafe or a friend’s computer which does not have an FLV player.

So here are 5 free FLV players which you can carry anywhere on your USB drive and enjoy FLV files anywhere.

FLV Players-Standalone Portable players

Here are 5 FLV players which you can install/take into your USB pen drive.Hence you will never have any problem playing FLV files where any FLV player is not installed.

1.FLV player from martijndevisser.com

Download here - [4.75MB Exe]

Download and install this player on your computer.Now copy all the files from the installation folder to your USB drive.Or you can directly install it on the USB drive to make it portable.Whenever you need to play an FLV file ,just run FLVplayer.exe.This player supports keyboard shortcuts and full screen view .

2.Riva FLV player by Rivavx.com

Same installation Process.

Download from here.[2.3 MB exe]

3.Freez FLV player from Freezsoft.com

Again the process is same..It’s damn small in size.Just 816KB.Get it if you want a really small player.

Download the player from here

4.Easy FLV player by HiHisoft

The process is exactly same as above.

Download from Download.com [2.12MB Exe]

5.Wimpy FLV player

This player is truly portable as it does not need any installation unlike the other payer mentioned above and you have to just extract the downloaded ZIP folder [2.55MB] onto you USB Pen drive.

It can also play common audio files and Video (MPEG 4 ) files such as MP4 and also 3gp.

The player also works on Mac.This one is my favorite and I use it for playing FLV files on my computer.

Download it from the official website .

Also have a look at the previously explained FLV player.And Enjoy FLV files.

What is a DAA file? How to Open a DAA file?

vbb — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:27:09 +0000

As already discussed we have many CD/DVD image formats which are exact replica of a CD/DVD to be used without a physical disc.DAA file is one of them.We have already seen how to open CUE,BIN,ISO,NRG or UIF file.

According to Wiki, Direct Access Archive, or DAA, is a proprietary file format developed by PowerISO Computing for disk image files,hence you will not be able to get many freewares to open a DAA file.

But here we are going to open a DAA file with Freeware tool by first converting to an ISO format and then opening the ISO file

What are DAA files?

DAA files are used for archiving large ISO image files.The specialty of this format is support for password protection,multiple volume splitting along with data compression.

How to Open a DAA file?

Again we are going to use tools developed by Luigi Auriemma, as we used in converting a UIF file to ISO file.

Here he has a tool for converting a DAA file to ISO file which you can download here.Unzip the ZIP file and run DAA2ISO.exe.

You have to first navigate to the folder where you kept the daa file and then specify the folder where you want to keep the converted ISO file.

You will get the following screen which converts daa to iso.

Once it is converted to ISO format you can simply open it using MagicDisc(Freeware) as described here.

Download DAA2ISO.(Freeware ZIP file 50KB)

What is a UIF file and How to Open it?

vbb — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:44:43 +0000

For various reasons it becomes important to make exact replica of your CD/DVD.This is not the usual copy paste methods but it’s known as making an IMAGE of the disk.Some popular image formats like ISO,BIN,CUE,have been already discussed here.

UIF is another image format for the CD/DVD media which offers some advantage over the conventional image formats like compression,password protection etc.Here is a Freeware program which can open or decompress UIF format.

What is a UIF file?

UIF or Universal Image Format is another format in which an exact replica of a CD/DVD can be made.Apart from being just another CD/DVD image format it offers the following features-

Data Compression–This format allows data to be compressed while creating the image.
Data Encryption—You can create the image in encrypted format.
Password Protection—You can protect your UIF image disc by keeping it secure by password.
Multisession disc support
Support for MD5 checksum.

How to Open an UIF file?

The process of opening a UIF file involves the process of decompressing it.When it decompresses ,normally it is converted to ISO image format which can be opened easily.Read here if you do not know how to open an ISO file.

How to decompress a UIF file:

A freeware tool to decompress UIF file is Magic Disc Virtual CD/DVD manager.When you download and install the program it will sit in the system tray.

Right click on the MagicISO icon and select “decompress UIF image” as shown in the figure.

When you select ‘decompress UIF image’ you will get a window asking for the location of UIF image and where to save the decompressed file.

Navigate to the folder where you have kept the UIF file and also specify where to keep the decompresses image which will be an ISO image file by default.

The process is very fast and soon you get an ISO file which can easily be opened by using the same program.

Alternate Program to open UIF file

If this program does not decompress or you do not want to use this ,you can use UIF2ISO which converts a UIF image to ISO image. Don’t worry looking at the black DOS interface in the screenshot.It’s a simple program which also has similar steps as illustrated above.

The process of opening /mounting an ISO file is already discussed here using the same program.So you can now enjoy your UIF file as usual.

Download Magic DIsc Virtual CD/DVD manager

Download UIF2ISO

Now Get NERO 9 Absolutely FREE!

vbb — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:18:14 +0000

Nero was one of my favorite app before it included a lot of accessories and became a commonly cited example of a Bloatware.Also I forgot Nero as there are many free CD/DVD burners available-some of them even perform better than Nero.

However if you are a NERO fan then it’s a good news that it is now offering a completely FREE version of its CD/DVD burner application without any strings attached.

Basic version of Nero for Free!

This free version of NERO is a stripped version of Nero 9.It includes basic CD/DVD copying and burning application.Nero calls it Nero Essentials as it can be seen from the following screenshot.

It has a download size of 55 MB and occupies 350MB of hard disk space.

You can download Nero from Nero’s site by giving your email id.Or thanks to Ghacks tip,you can also download it from third party site such as softpedia.com without a mail id.

Be sure to follow the installation with keen eyes as it will ask to install ASK toolbar which many users do not want to install.

Download Nero from Nero.com

Encrypt and Decrypt Files Quickly and Easily

vbb — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:59:49 +0000

TrueCrypt is no doubt one of the best Free Encryption Softwares which can protect you data from prying eyes.The only downside of the program is the time it takes to set it up and the process you need to follow to open it.While the process is easy –it takes some time and somehow new users find it tough to use TrueCrypt.

For instantaneous file encryption and decryption Best Crypto is a straightforward Freeware Application which is very easy to use.

Encrypt/Decrypt Your Files Quickly

Best Crypto (SmartPhoneWare.com) is a portable application by (hence you can carry it in your USB drive anywhere) and performs only two task –Encryption and Decryption of Files.It does not any option to choose any encryption algorithm as most encryption softwares provide.

The usage is simple.Just choose “Encrypt files” It will open an explorer window from where you can select an individual or multiple files.(In order to select multiple files Press Control Key while selecting)

The program asks for a password while encrypting which you will need while decrypting them.

The files are quickly encrypted and cannot be opened by any other application.

The program comes in handy when you want to encrypt files quickly and don’ care about the strength of encryption.A good software for beginners.

Download BestCrypto (Exe file -270KB)

An Old but Nice and Free Image Resizer Utility

vbb — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:30:12 +0000

The megapixel count of digital cameras have grown by leaps and bounds.And we even have mobiles with 12 Megapixel cameras.All these produce images of very big size in default settings which cannot be mailed or posted in a blog easily.Hence we need utilities to resize images.

There are countless utilities for the purpose but many of them lack simplicity and mainly aimed for the professionals.For home users who have to resize images occasionally, Microsoft has an easy to use freeware utility aptly named Image Resizer.

Resize Images quickly

The utility “Image Resizer” is not new but has been around for a long time as it is a part of Windows XP Power Toys.

The simplicity of this utility is enhanced due to its shell integration.Once you install it—it comes as a context menu when you right click on any picture.Now just choose the appropriate size from the predefined sizes and you are done.

Professionals will definitely complain that it doesn’t offer custom resizing or any other editing.But In my view there are numerous apps for the pros and this app is just right for a home user who seldom uses digital pictures or for a blogger who just wants to reduce image size but doesn’t care about other editing.A little guide has also been published by Microsoft for this utility here.

Download Image Resizer from Windows XP Power Toys Page.

Backup and Restore Your Browser Bookmarks,Settings and Personalization

vbb — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:48:05 +0000

We often work across many web browsers at different locations.Everywhere we save a lot of bookmarks and set preferences.Now in order to have same set of bookmarks and settings at different location across different browsers,it is necessary to backup the settings and restore at other places.

FavBackup is a Freeware program which lets you backup and restore bookmarks,user preferences,history and so on for almost all browsers.

Save and Restore your Bookmarks ,settings for al browsers

There are two main reasons why would you like to save or backup the settings,bookmarks and preferences for a browsers.

You work across many computers/browsers and want to keep all browsers in sync.
You are reinstalling any browsers after an OS reinstall.

Favbackup,a Freeware is a portable application,i.e. it does not need an installation.When you run the program you get the Fav Backup Wizard.As you can see from the screenshot it supports almost all browsers like IE,Firefox,Opera including Safari and Google Chrome.

You have to choose any action (backup,restore etc.) and the browser you want to backup or restore.Depending on the browser it shows a full list of all things which can be backed up.

For example–For Firefox,it can even backup site sessions and cookies,spelling dictionary,MIME types,form data, along with the rudimentary bookmarks,settings, saved password etc..

It can be very useful for people who have to visit cyber cafes for some reasons.This way we can carry all the bookmarks and settings on our USB drives.

And you will never miss your home computer for the bookmarks.

Download FavBackup (1.6MB ZIP Package)

Ultimate Windows Tweaker v2 :A Tiny Utility to Tweak Many Settings of Windows 7 and Vista

vbb — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:53:43 +0000

You don’t have to fiddle with your Windows Registry or download any utility to tweak any individual settings.Here is a Freeware Utility which offers almost all types of Tweaks you can apply to your Windows Vista or Windows 7 Operating system.The releaser,TheWindowsClub has just released version 2.0 of this software.

The software offers tweak in the areas of Personalization,System Performance,Internet Explorer,Network Tweaks, Security and so on.

Simplest tool to tweak Windows 7 and Vista

Windows Operating System always had options ,some open and some hidden ones,which you could configure for boosting the performance ,visual options or security of the system.The same goes for the coming Windows 7.However it’s not easy for everyone to tweak these settings.And hence there are numerous programs to help you tweak them.

The Windows Club has released Ultimate Windows Tweaker V2 which offers tweaks for Windows 7 ,apart from Windows Vista in an easy to use interface.

Main Features of Ultimate Windows Tweaker

Auto detection of Windows 7 or Windows Vista and offers only version dependent settings.
No installation required.You can carry it in your USB pen drive.
Easy to access System Restore Button ,so that you can restore your settings if anything goes wrong.
Offers configuration settings in the categories of Personalization,User Accounts & UAC,System Performance,Network Tweaks ,Security Settings,IE, and some additional settings.

Download Ultimate Windows Tweaker Version 2.0

Forget the Start Menu and Explorer:Get Launchy to Start Anything Using Hotkeys

vbb — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:07:44 +0000

Depending upon your habits,you are bound to have any or all of the following situations:

You have a desktop full of so called shortcut icons.
Your programs menu spans to two/three panes as you have too many programs installed.
You are a folder maniac, making folders inside a folder,that is again inside a folder.

In all the above cases you are bound to juggle through a lot of shortcut or programs menu to launch a program.Or you may find it difficult to find a particular folder whose location you do not remember.

In any case you just need Launchy ,a freeware utility which can replace your start menu and explorer forever.In simple terms ,this quickly launches a program when you type initial characters of the program name.

Launch any program or folder using Hotkeys

Launchy,as the name suggests helps you launch a program or folder in just a few keystrokes.What is does it indexing of all the programs so that when you type in just beginning characters of the name of the programs it shows you the program.Just choose it and press Enter.

For example you want to launch Microsoft Paint,then just type ‘paint’.The probability is that it will suggest the program even you have just typed the first letter P.Once paint is selected,press Enter to launch Paint. And to launch Launchy,you have a simple Hotkey-Alt+Space which brings the launch bar .

As you can see in the following images I just typed the letter P to get Paint,and Fir to launch Firefox.

Apart from simplifying launch of programs it has following awesome features-

You can index a directory or a drive to index all the files so that you can quickly launch them.
You can index only a particular type,such as pdf only so that you can open a pdf file quickly.
Supports Command line options.For example you want to open Google on Firefox browser.Type fir in launchy and once Firefox is selected ,hit Tab now type Google.com and press Enter.Or it can replace the command prompt too.type “cmd” and then tab and then type any DOS command.
.This program has plug-ins too and skins to adorn it.

Upon using it for only for a minute,I am hooked to it as I can launch almost anything with this program.Any person who likes to use Keyboard will find it too useful to resist using it.And anybody who installs many programs on the computer will praise it as it can save many of their precious seconds .Just download and use it to praise it fully.

It includes a simple startup guide in a pdf format to make you familiar if you are new.

Download Launchy

VLC Media Player Reaches Milestone (v 1.0.0)-Download Now!

vbb — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:22:52 +0000

Fans of VLC Media Player know that for how long it was also hovering around versions such as 0.9.2,0.9.8 and so on.Now we finally have version 1.0 of the best media player around.

This versatile media player is capable of playing almost all media formats without the need of any external codec.The great networking features of this player allows it to stream videos over the network.It has so many features that I call it a tool instead of just a media player.Congratulations to the VideoLAN community for the version 1.0.0

VLC media player 1.0.0 – Goldeneye

Version 1.0.0 has been christened GoldenEye.

Only to remind you VLC media player has following main features which also includes features included in the latest version-

It’s Open Source and FREE.
Cross Platform-It works on Windows,Mac,Linux and so on.
Codec Free viewing–For most of the video formats ,you will not need a codec-if you play it using VLC media player.
Live recording and streaming
Instant pausing and Frame-by-Frame support
Support for HD codec (AES3, Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blu-Ray Linear PCM, Real Video and so on)
It also has all the common features of media players such as full screen view,media management ,subtitle support, skins and so on.

To fully appreciate the features you must use this tool.You can alo refer to official wiki on their site linked below.