Picks: Reviews of DriveScrubber, DART CD-Recorder, Ozum, and Boxer Text Editor.

DriveScrubber, by iolo Technologies, LLC. is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to really clean off a hard drive. I actually tested the program on my old computer when I got my new one over the holidays. 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 perfect for users with all levels of experience. The program really gives you control over the process of really cleaning a disk drive, be it a 300 gigabyte hard drive or a 4 gigabyte flash drive. I like it so much that I'm also making it a Dr. File Finder Favorite and in 25 years of reviewing software there haven't been many of those. So, take a look at DriveScrubber, I recommend it.

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

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DART CD-Recorder, by DARTech, Inc. is a product I first looked at when it was at version 1.x so I decided it was time to take another look at it. I recall buying that first version. This is a cool program for working with audio and I like the fact that it's a multi-faceted audio program. It has lots of features and plenty of functionality. This isn't just a program for playing CDs or ripping music. You can use it to record audio and it does a good job. You can even fade in and out to make your recording classy. The program supports all types of CDs and it makes CDs that you can play in any CD player. DART CD-Recorder is easy-to-use and perfect for both new and experienced users. It works really well to fix audio that may have problems with it. For example, you can use DART CD-Recorder to remove hiss and clicks from recordings. You can also use the program to create playlists and keep your music organized. There's a nice graphic equalizer so you can adjust the sound of your music. In testing it out I also found that it has a "normalize" function that will help you to set the volume to a common level for all songs. Another cool feature is a recording function that has a timer. You can use it to record online radio broadcasts that occur at a specific time and much more. DART CD-Recorder is a full-featured program for really working with audio. Create it, fix it, manage it, and play it. Take a look for yourself, I recommend it.

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

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Ozum, by Oz Insight Pty. Ltd. is a cool newsgroup reader that's loaded with features. So many, in fact that I can possibly cover them all here, but I will try to cover some of the high points. Most newsgroup readers do okay with text, but they don't tend to do well if media is involved. Trying doing things with audio, video, or graphics and some newsgroup readers will choke. Not Ozum! It was built to do newsgroups and do a great job working with media as well. One very slick feature is a built-in "cross group" search capability that will find what you're looking for if it's available. Put what you're looking for in the search interface and Ozum snags it for you. The program is really powerful and one of the best newsgroup readers I've ever looked at. For example, you can actually preview multiple part video and audio clips. Slick. Ozum is extremely easy-to-use and quite intuitive. To me that makes it perfect for both new and experienced users. In my opinion if you want to frequent the binary Usenet group, Ozum is a must have! It's one of those programs that have a lot of power "under the hood." The ability to "preview" digital content can be a huge time-saver allowing you to decide if you want to spend the time downloading 15 parts of some audio file. And if you do decide to download all the parts of a multi-part file, the program actually puts the parts together for you. Ozum is one of those programs that you have to try for yourself to really appreciate all it can do. Try it and see, I recommend it!

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

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The Boxer Text Editor, by Boxer Software is an award-winning text and HTML editor that's simply loaded with great features. I love the fact that it has so many configurable options. You can truly make it your own by altering the colors, the way it acts, the keyboard layout, fonts, and lots more. The program is easy-to- use and has an intuitive interface, perfect for both new and experienced users. The Boxer Text Editor has excellent features for anyone who needs to write HTML coding as well. It has color syntax highlighting so you can easily see what you're doing when you're writing HTML, Perl, and more. The Boxer Text Editor also has templates which you can use for a wide range of things. I have a whole set that I use for inserting HTML codes that I use when writing Picks. The program also has a very cool spell checker and what I like is that it will actually skip over any HTML code. Boxer Text Editor has all the little extras that make it a joy to use. Thing like a calculator, auto-complete, calendar, HTML color chart, ANSI chart, macros, and "User Lists" that include things like a collection HTML tags. The Boxer Text Editor has all the features anyone could need and a lot of features that most people don't expect. A macro language, easy macro recording, and HTML color chart, the ability to edit files up to 2 gigabytes in size, column blocks, and the ability to edit files via FTP. How cool is that? Very! If you're looking for a full-featured editor for doing text, HTML, or programming, then this is your solution. Give it a try, I recommend it.

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

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