Picks: Reviews of DriveScrubber, Guiffy, J. River Media Center, and HTMLPad 2007 Pro.

DriveScrubber, by iolo technologies, LLC is a neat utility program that really cleans a hard drive. is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to really clean off a hard drive. Many users don't realize that when you delete a file it isn't actually gone. It's just not visible any longer. A person with the right knowledge and the access could easily retrieve your data. So, while I was going to give the computer away I didn't want to do so with any of my data on it. DriveScrubber goes in and erases files so they can not be retrieved. It doesn't just erase or format them, it wipes your hard drive clean! Ahh, but it has other uses as well. For example, say you just want to keep your computer secure and remove remnants of erased files, DriveScrubber can do that too. You can set it up to wipe just the disk space that is free. That means that any traces of things you've erased are gone for good. The program has a number of configurable options and I always like that. I actually like DriveScrubber better than several similar products I've tested. It's intuitive and easy-to-use making it perfect for users with all levels of experience. The program really gives you control over the process of cleaning a disk drive, be it a 300 gigabyte hard drive or a 4 gigabyte flash drive. So, take a look at DriveScrubber, I recommend it.

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/NT/XP/Vista

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Guiffy, by Guiffy Software, Inc. is a program I decided to look at because the name was curious to me. As it turns out Guiffy is a cool tool that can be used to compare files and folders, merge them, and lots more. One cool feature of the program is that you can get versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and even UNIX. In testing it out I found Guiffy to be intuitive and easy-to-use, perfect for users with all levels of experience. I believe, however, that this product might be of more interest to users who are at least slightly advanced. I tested it out in comparing folders and it not only worked well, but amazingly fast! Guiffy can merge files and here again it does a beautiful job. They call this function SureMerge and after testing it out a few times I'd have to say it's an appropriate name. The merging is quick and accurate. Another feature I really liked in this product is the reports it can generate when you're comparing files. The program can save your reports in HTML format and that gives them a nice appearence. The program has a number of configurable options and also offers a command line interface. So, if you're looking for a high-powered product for finding differences in files and folders, merging things together, and more, this may be your solution. Check it out.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003

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J. River MEDIA CENTER, by J. River is a multimedia tool that's nicely done. This media player supports video, music, and photos, which makes it an all-purpose media player. Not only does it play and display your media, but it helps you to organize it and get the most out of it. J. River Media Center supports a huge number of devices, including iPods. In addition, it also supports an impressive number of file formats. You can use it to burn CDs of your favorite music or get your photos organized. I liked the fact that Media Center can monitor folders and automatically update things when you have new files. That's really very handy. According to the company Web site you can use J. River Media Center to work with all of your devices including VCR's, DVD players, and even Tivo. I didn't have time to test that out, but having worked with the program it seems realistic. This program is simply loaded with features from the ability to upload files to your Web site to built-in support for the Audible Web site. Oh, and another cool feature is that the program can support multiple zones. That means that if you have two sounds cards you can actually be playing different music in different rooms. Slick. So, if you're looking for a control center for all your media, this may well be the solution you've been looking for.

System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/2003/XP

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HTMLPad 2007 Pro, by Blumentals Software is a slick software program for writing HTML code. It has lots of cool features that make it really powerful. For example, there's syntax highlighting for a variety of formats including CSS, HTML, XML, ASP, PHP, and more. The screen shot shows the dialog that lets you setup the program for each of the different types of coding. That way the program works the way you want it to. The program can also check your coding to make sure it's correct and that's a handy feature. The program really is loaded with features. For example, it has a built-in JavaScript editor, auto-complete function, code preview, and even a spell checker. One of the more impressive products I've looked at recently. HTMLPad 2007 Pro is powerful and yet it's also very easy-to-use. I found the interface to be intuitive and I think the program is perfect for users with all levels of experience. It has all the features you need in an HTML editor, but you can use it as a text editor as well. So, if you're into creating clean HTML code this is a program you need to look at. Give it a try, I recommend it.

System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

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