24 January 2013

6 Free Typing Tutors Online That Teach You How To Touch Type [Chrome]



free typing tutorBelieve it or not this is my day job. I get paid to produce content for the Web, writing mostly about technology in all its forms. This means my working day consists of two things – reading and writing. The reading part is easy. I just head online and consume information, some destined to be used for specific articles, more to act as background fodder lurking away in my subconscious to be pulled out when needed. But the writing, well, that’s a little tougher.


I’m not saying writing for a living is a difficult job. Writing in all its forms is an absolute pleasure. However, I’m not a natural typist, and have got by to this point without being adept at touch typing. I don’t quite hunt and peck, instead using a selection of fingers which have learned where the keys are despite my hands hovering far above the keyboard. This does make typos a rarity, but it’s not ideal.


It’s time to do something about this. It’s time to learn how to touch type. But how? By choosing an online and free typing tutor from the following list of six popular typing tutors listed as extensions in the Google Chrome Web Store.


Type Fu


free typing tutor


Layout: Simple and minimalist, with the option to remove extraneous elements. Everything is easy to find, easy to understand, and not crowded out by adverts.


Lessons: There are five sets of lessons, including letters, numbers, and quotes. Each has numerous lessons available, and they get progressively harder.


Levels: There’s a clear learning curve and the rate of progression is one that will encourage while still providing a challenge. There are also various ways of charting your statistics.


Overall: The polished feel, number of options, and extra little touches means Type Fu is a joy to use.


KeyHero


typing tutor


Layout: A little confusing, with the small box containing the quote you’re meant to copy being surrounded by unnecessary detritus. It works, but it isn’t pretty.


Lessons: There’s a distinct lack of variety with the lessons, as they all comprise of short quotes from famous people. This is great for measuring and improving typing speed, but not for learning how to touch type.


Levels: There are no levels as such, instead you choose a quote and type it out. You’ll then informed of the speed and the number and type of mistakes made.


Overall: It does what it says on the tin, but nothing more. Great as a one-off WPM tester, but offers little beyond that.


Type Scout


typing tutor


Layout: A lot of work has been put into how Type Scout looks and feels, but the changeable backgrounds are usually a hindrance rather than a help. The options are a little confusing to navigate.


Lessons: There’s a good variety of lessons, with various modes on offer. The highlight is Typetris (yet another Tetris variant), which sees you hitting the right key before it reaches the bottom of the screen.


Levels: There is a clear and defined learning structure in place, but sadly only registered users can save their progress between sessions. Making it hard to recommend to casual users.


Overall: Good for beginners but nag screens reminding you that you need to pay for the advanced features will put most people off.


TypingClub


typing tutor


Layout: The lesson select screen is laid out in a sensible order, and the actual typing screen removes everything but the keys you’re meant to hit and the fingers you’re meant to hit them with.


Lessons: There are 100 levels in all, split into sections by their difficulty. You begin by learning the position of each letter, before numbers and symbols are added to the mix.


Levels: You have to create an account in order to save your progress between sessions, which is annoying but not the end of the world. Various stats are then tracked, including your average and best WPM.


Overall: TypingClub offers a regimented lesson structure overlaid by fine design sensibilities. Which is all positive.


TypingWeb


online typing tutor


Layout: The lesson select screen is clear, concise, and easy to navigate, while the typing screen is well laid out, if not a touch on the small side. The ads, particularly during loading, are annoying.


Lessons: The lessons are split into several sections to allow individual users to find their appropriate starting point. There are also specialty lessons to add variety.


Levels: Again, you have to create an account in order to save your progress and to see your skill level. Thankfully it’s all free, so it just depends whether you want to provide the necessary information.


Overall: While TypingWeb offers a good experience, it’s a little dull and by-the-numbers. Which will appeal to some more than others.


Typing Tutor


free typing tutor


Layout: Typing Tutor is about as simple as it gets, with one screen being all there is to it. You select your lesson and then begin. Unfortunately the animation is outdated, and the ads encroach on each side of the keyboard.


Lessons: There are 16 lessons in all, with different letters gradually being added until the whole keyboard is literally at the end of your fingertips. There’s a distinct lack of excitement or variety on display.


Levels: There are no stats tracking your progress through the course or revealing your WPM count.


Overall: This is an extension only for the purists who need a refresher course in where to position their hands for extensive typing sessions.


Conclusions


KeyHero is great for a quick fix of checking the number of words you type per minute, but as a free typing tutor it’s a toss-up between TypingClub and Type Fu. I’m personally going to stick with Type Fu for the time being because it offers a great user experience without any need to sign up for an account or pay a subscription fee.


If none of these touch typing courses is quite right for you then there are plenty of other online resources to try before you give up. Do you touch type or are you eager to learn how to do so? Is there a website, program, or app that has helped you gain authority over the computer keyboard? As always let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.


Image Credit: Davidfordaus


The post 6 Free Typing Tutors Online That Teach You How To Touch Type [Chrome] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Mount Your Image Files On a Virtual Drive With WinCDEmu [Windows]



wincdemu mounterYour CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs are rotting and optical discs as such are slowly disappearing from the market. ISO and other image file formats, however, are here to stay and are a good way to back up existing optical discs.


Once the original disc has degraded beyond repair, you can burn its image backup to a new disc. Or you could give your discs and your wallet a break and just read the data directly from the hard drive. But how do you read ISO files?


Enter WinCDEmu, an open-source CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray disc emulator, which allows you to virtually mount image files of optical discs on your computer, to use them as if the physical disc was inserted on a local drive. WinCDEmu is a Disc Image Tool listed on our Best Windows Software page.


Features Overview



  • Runs on Windows XP / 2003 / Vista / 2008 / 7, 32- and 64-bit;

  • can mount ISO, CUE, NRG, MDS/MDF, CCD, and IMG images with one click;

  • supports data, DVD-video, and BD-video images;

  • offers unlimited amount of virtual drives;

  • drive letters are available when not in use;

  • let’s you create ISO images via Explorer context menu.


Installing & Using WinCDEmu


This is probably the most simple tool you will ever install and use. Once installed, you can instantly mount image files. Double-click on an image file and WinCDEmu will load a small ‘mount disc image’ window with only a few options. You can choose a drive letter, select the disc type, disable autorun, reserve the drive letter (keep drive after restart), and let the tool manage drive letters automatically.


Once you click OK, the image will be mounted, meaning it will open as if you were running the original disc.


wincdemu mounter


You can further simplify the use of WinCDEmu. Launch WinCDEmu settings from Program Files or by clicking the button in the window shown above. Select Let Windows manage drive letters automatically and you won’t see the Mount a disc image window again.


If you do want to see it again, right-click the image file and click Select drive letter & mount.


cdemu how to mount


To increase safety, you can also check the option Require administrator rights (UAC) to mount an image.


To unmount an image, go to your Computer, i.e. where you see the list of devices with removable storage, right-click on a mounted image, and Eject.


To create an ISO image from an optical disc, insert the disc into your optical drive, right-click the disc in the list of devices with removable storage, and select Create ISO image from the menu. Choose a storage location on your hard drive and WinCDEmu will begin to save an ISO file. While the file is written, you can adjust some settings.


wincdemu mounter


How Does WinCDEmu Compare To Virtual Clone Drive?


I recently reviewed Virtual Clone Drive, a similar tool, which also made our Best Windows Software page. The two programs essentially do the same thing, but slightly different. Virtual Clone Drive differs from WinCDEmu in that it offers a System Tray icon, through which you can mount and unmount images.


Virtual Clone Drive also lets you pre-mount virtual drives without content to reserve drive letters. What Virtual Clone Drive does not support is creating ISO images.


Conclusion


WinCDEmu is a straight forward and simple tool to create and mount disc images on your Windows computer. Once installed, it simply works and you won’t even notice it’s there. If you still want to look into alternatives, have a look at the following articles:



How do you manage your optical discs? Have you discovered the benefits of image files and virtual drives, yet?


The post Mount Your Image Files On a Virtual Drive With WinCDEmu [Windows] appeared first on MakeUseOf.



23 January 2013

Springpad’s User Interface Makes It an Awesome iPhone Cross-Platform Notebook



springpad notebook ideasEvery user of iOS devices would do well to have at least one dedicated advanced notebook or journal on their device. Springpad, as well as Evernote, is one such notebook that I recommend.


I’ve already written about the advantages of the visual orientation of Springpad, and if you’re looking to use the service on your iPhone or iPad, Springpad‘s iOS cross-platform is well designed and straightforward to use. For the most part, it mirrors the user interface of its popular web browser platform.


Basic Layout


Springpad is highly useful for saving recipes, scanning barcodes to create wishlists of products, bookmarking articles and documents for reading later, developing personal to-do lists, collaborating with coworkers on a project with notes, planning your vacation, and much more.


springpad notebook ideas


It’s best to get started with Springpad using its online platform. All of your content of course will sync to the Springpad app on your iPhone or other iOS device. Springpad’s mobile app has a simple two column interface, with the left side listing all of your notebooks, and the right sliding column displays the content of selected notebooks.


springpad ideas


You can view content as a List or a Gallery. I personally think the Gallery listing has always been the advantage of Springpad’s user interface. Most people are visual readers, and the Gallery listing typically helps you to locate specific content faster.


springpad ideas


Adding Content


The nice size circled + button at the bottom of an opened notebook is what you tap to add new content to a selected notebook. In addition to regular text notes, Springpad can handle photos, audio files, task lists and checklists, bar scans, and event and contact listings.


springpad ideas


Springpad also has special listings for movies, TV shows, music, books, products, wine, recipes, and of course bookmarks. For example, tapping on the Movies icon will get you a listing of the most recent popular movies released. You can select a movie and “Spring It!” to a new or existing notebook, as well as post that listing to Facebook and/or Twitter.


springpad review


The Place icon will show you a list of nearby restaurants, and you can also do custom searches. The Contact listing is useful for adding contacts that you don’t want to go into your default iOS contact list. And Springpad’s Reminder feature also includes an alarm.


springpad review


Other Features


From within the Springpad app you can share links to individual notebooks, as well as items within. And like Evernote you can share entire notebooks with other Springpad users.


springpad review


The Explore feature allows you to view spotlighted Springpad notebooks, new “Springs” (new content added to Springpad), as well as the ability to search for particular topics. All of the public content added to Springpad can in turn be added to your own notebooks. You can also subscribe to the notebooks of other users, similar to how it is done in Pinterest.


The advantage of Springpad over Evernote is that Springpad offers a way to share notebooks publicly so they can easily be found and followed.


Explore


The Settings in Springpad includes a way for you to add the Safari Web Clipper that allows you to save things to Springpad directly from websites in the Safari browser of your iPhone. You can also install a Quick Add Shortcut that places a button on your device’s homescreen so you can quickly add new items to Springpad.


Evernote 9


The settings for each notebook allows you to customize the color, theme, and accent of each notebook, as well as select privacy settings, and category and tags.


springpad notebook ideas


I use both Springpad and Evernote, and personally I find the user interface of Springpad easier to navigate. However, Springpad does not have the popular third-party support given to Evernote. In other words, you can directly share selected content from many other iOS apps, as well as the web, to your Evernote account. Such direct sharing is not widely available to Springpad.


Let us know what you think of Springpad and how you’re using it.


The post Springpad’s User Interface Makes It an Awesome iPhone Cross-Platform Notebook appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Anonymous Group threatens UK Government



The hacking group, Anonymous threatens UK government to changed current systems. They warned government to assist their requests another they have declared war.



Greetings citizens of the world, we are anonymous.


Government of the United Kingdom, It has come to our attention, that despite our continued warnings, you have decided to disregard our requests to assist the people of this country, and have persisted in running a system which only benefits yourselves and the giant corporate bodies operating here.


We have asked politely on many occasions that you change your attitude towards leadership, that you serve the country rather than control it, that you maintain the rights and freedoms of citizens. Instead, you have decided to impose worsening austerity measures upon the people of the UK, increasing taxes for citizens and small businesses, making cuts to our National Health Service, education system, pensions and police force.


You have told the people that the only option out of the financial crisis is to make cuts and have made this humours joke of “we are all in this together”, while simultaneously giving tax breaks to the wealthy corporations, enormous bonuses to the bankers who are responsible for the financial crisis in our country, and increasing your own wages.


You have created to system which ensures the poor remain poor, and the wealthy remain wealthy. You continue to infringe on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people, attempting to gain access to our private and confidential information. It is now very clear to us that you have no intention of running the country for our people, but you will continue to run it to benefit yourselves.


This system has failed us. We now have homeless people dying on the streets this winter, people unable to support their families. People can no longer afford their education; you keep the elderly in work for much longer, keeping jobs and opportunities for younger people out of reach. The number of unemployed has skyrocketed. In response, you force those on benefits into unpaid labour, doing more hours unpaid than those who are properly employed. You add insult to injury, we say enough is enough.


To the UK government, you have made an enemy of Anonymous, you have angered us considerably and we pose a significant threat to you. You disregard the requests of the people and continue to operate for your own selfish gain. Anonymous is not a small group of powerless people to ignore, we are an organised , globally active, collective of like-minded individuals and our message is clear, we declare war on this current system you have imposed on us. Your worst enemy is now your own people. The revolution has begun.


We are anonymous,

We are legion,

We do not forgive,

We do not forget,

Expect us and respect us



Check Out Anonymous Youtube Video:



The post Anonymous Group threatens UK Government appeared first on Hack Illusion.




Faking It: 8 Of The Best Spoof News Websites



spoof newsKeeping up with the news of the day, whether it be local, national, or international, is important. It’s never good to bury your head in the sand, unaware of what is happening around you. However, sometimes the news is too damn depressing, to the point that taking too much of it to heart could potentially leave you with little hope for the future of humanity.


It’s at this point that an injection of humor is needed, preferably straight into your brain. But as doctors are unable to prescribe laughter, despite it being the best medicine, you need to find other sources to get your fix. Amazingly there isn’t even a need to travel far from the news, you just need to choose news websites with less of a handle on reality.


What follows are 8 of the best spoof news websites that should lighten your mood and give you fodder with with which you can catch out your less intelligent friends.


The Onion


spoof news


The Onion is the daddy of all fake news sites, and with good reason. It’s always well-written, always topical, and, most importantly, always funny. It works so well mainly because it’s run like a proper news organization, with a front page full of the headlines, sections dedicated to different subjects, and even video clips with high production values. All in all, The Onion is an absolute gem that deserves to be bookmarked by all those who like to laugh.


The Spoof


spoof news websites


The Spoof may not be as professional as The Onion but it’s still home to some insanely funny fake news stories. A staggering number of writers have contributed to the site throughout its life, creating topical articles with eye-catching headlines. All of which are completely and utterly made up, obviously.


As well as newspaper-like sections dedicated to different subjects, there are jokes, caption competitions, and celebrity diaries, all of which add to the parody.


The Daily Mash


spoof news websites


The Daily Mash is for Brits or those from sunnier climes with a penchant for all things British. Even the weather. International news is featured, alongside sports and politics to name just a handful of the various topics. But the website is British and so most of the stories included on it have a British bent.


The Daily Mash even has its own dedicated agony aunt, and astrological horoscopes from Psychic Bob. Strangely these are often more accurate than those featured in real newspapers.


The Daily Currant


spoof news websites


The Daily Currant may not be as popular as others on this list, and it also suffers from a serious dearth of articles, but it’s still a must-see fake news website. The content is always topical and often cutting, covering subjects that other, more serious publications, won’t touch for fear of upsetting their readership.


There are sections devoted to both science and technology, two subjects of particular interest to our own readership here at MakeUseOf.


The UnReal Times


spoof news stories


The UnReal Times is the Indian version of The Onion, and is therefore likely to appeal most to those from India and the countries that border it. With over 100,000 people following the site on Facebook it’s clearly a big deal.


The UnReal Times is updated multiple times a day, with major headlines vying for your attention alongside Indian-centric topics such as cricket and Bollywood. There are also columnists and comics, as well as the fantastically named Fikileaks.


Borowitz Report


spoof news stories


The Borowitz Report is a little different than the rest of the entries on this list, being a column for The New Yorker written by comedian and author Andy Borowitz. This means it isn’t updated as often as the likes of The Onion, but the content that does appear is always comedy gold, being exceptionally well-written and researched.


Almost all of the articles are focused on the United States, but anyone interested in current affairs should be able to figure out the source being parodied.


Faux News


spoof news stories


Faux News isn’t Fox News… thankfully. Fox News is, well, Fox News. Without besmirching anyone’s particular political affiliations, Fox News is for people of a certain persuasion, with sensationalist headlines and certain biases. Faux News takes that model but turns it on its head, with spoof news stories presented in a headline-grabbing manner with little substance to back up the “facts.”


A clever feature is the addition of a link to the real news story that prompted the parody.


Derf Magazine


spoof news


Derf Magazine offers another spin on the genre, with a weekly format in the style of a lifestyle publication. Derf is based in Cincinatti, so there is lots of local content focused on that city, but most of the articles that appear in print and on the Web will also make sense to the rest of the U.S. and beyond. There are a host of different sections, such as sports, politics, and entertainment, as well as some extremely funny horoscopes and obituaries for pets… even goldfish.


Conclusions


There’s one crucial thing to remember when reading any and all of the spoof news sites listed above… the news isn’t real. I know, it’s pretty obvious to the likes of you and I, but there are some particularly gullible people out there who are willing to show off their stupidity by believing fake news stories to the point they share them on social networking sites. Which is where Literally Unbelievable (the perfect site to read when bored at work) comes in.


Do you have a favorite fake/spoof/satirical news site? Whether it made the list or not please let us know your thoughts on this subject in the comments section below. Or you could link to the best fake news story you’ve ever read… just don’t admit it had you fooled, even if it was just for a moment.


The post Faking It: 8 Of The Best Spoof News Websites appeared first on MakeUseOf.



22 January 2013

7 Must-Know Tips About Managing Your Google+ Circles



managing google+ circlesGoogle Plus isn’t dead. In fact, it’s been growing. Some people even think Google Plus will prevail big time in 2013 and they have solid arguments. This should make those happy who are already using Google Plus and are seeing its value in one way or another.


Circles is the part of Google Plus that lets you organize people you know in, well, Circles. When it comes to managing Google+ Circles, there are a few things you should know. Well managed Circles mean that you share the right things with the right people and get to see the posts you care about.


The Basics of Managing Google+ Circles


On the Circles page you can see an overview of people you have in your Circles, who have you in their Circles, you can find people based on contact data, and you can search by name. Depending on which tab you are viewing, you can sort the list by different criteria.


managing google+ circles


Below the lists of people, are your Circles. You might just have a few default ones or maybe you already created custom Circles. To create a new Circle, you can drag and drop people into the top left circle or you can click on it.


google plus managing circles


Note that you can add multiple people to one circle at the same time. Just select everyone you want to add from the list. When you then move one of the contacts, you are automatically moving everyone you selected.



To select a whole list of people or a Circle, expand the Actions menu and click on Select all.


google plus managing circles


Now that you know the basics of creating Circles, let’s look at this process in more detail. Here are the things you must know to create better Circles faster and use them to your benefit.


1. People Can’t See To What Circle/s You Add Them


When you add someone to a Circle, they do get a notification, but it only tells them that you added them on Google Plus. They can not see what circle/s you added them to. View your own Google Plus Circle adds notifications to see what a notification looks like.


google plus managing circles


2. You Can Add People To Multiple Circles


This might not be obvious for everyone, but yes, you can have one single person in several of your Circles. And knowing that they neither see where you add them, nor that you add them to more than one Circle, should put you at ease with trying different combinations. It goes without saying that people can also not see who else is in one of your Circles with them.


3. Organize Circles Based On How You Want to Interact


You should by all means experiment with Circles and see which ones work best for you. Instead of creating Circles based on how you know people (friends, family, colleagues etc.) create Circles based on what you want to share with them or how you want to interact with them.


Remember that Circles are not only shown on Google Plus, but also as labels in Gmail. You can even search mail in Gmail by circle, e.g. circle:friends. Moreover, if you regularly use Hangouts with a specific set of people, you can use Circles as Invite lists.


4. Manage What You See In Your Home Stream


In your Home stream you can see what your Circles are sharing with you. However, you decide that is shown in the All tab and you can choose a different setting for each of your Circles.


From the menu on top of your Home stream, select one of your Circles. As you view the stream from a specific Circle, you will see a slide control in the top right. When the slider is in the left-most position, none of the posts from people in that Circle will be shown on your Home stream. In the right-most position, all posts will be shown and you will be subscribed to notifications.


managing circles google plus


5. Mute Posts & Remove People


Posts on Google Plus show up based on activity, rather than the chronological order in which they were originally published. Thus it might happen that you see posts popping up in your Home stream that you no longer care for. Likewise, you may get tired of a particular person’s updates. To get rid of posts you no longer want to see, mute them or remove the respective person from the Circle.


Click the arrow head button in the top right of the post and select Mute this post to not see it pop up again or Remove from circles to see no more content from that person.


managing circles google plus


6. Lock Posts To Prevent Re-Sharing


Sometimes there are news you don’t want to spread. To prevent people from sharing a post, lock it.


Before sharing your update, click the arrow head in the line of who you are sharing with and select Lock this post. Here you can also disable comments. A lock symbol confirms that the post can not be re-shared.


managing circles google plus


7. Find Out How Your Contacts Share


Are you a little bit curious in which Circles your contacts may have you? Every post shared on Google Plus has a link that indicates how it was shared. It sits in one line with the date and time of the post and will either say Public, Extended circles, or Limited. Clicking on the link will reveal who a post was shared with or at least a selection of people it was shared with.


managing google+ circles


If you are curious how many people are following you, enter your Google Plus profile URL on CircleCount. The site also shows your follower history and your ranks among other Google Plus profiles.


Conclusion


Managing your Circles well is the key to using Google Plus efficiently. And you might first have to figure out how you actually want to use it. If you would you like to learn more check out our Google Plus guide.


How do you use Google Plus and how are you with managing Google+ circles?


The post 7 Must-Know Tips About Managing Your Google+ Circles appeared first on MakeUseOf.



Absolute Uninstaller: Don’t Settle For The Default, A Better Solution For Software Removal [Windows]



windows software removal toolWhen was the last time you wanted to uninstall something from your computer? Was it easy to do? Could you find the program to uninstall in the default Windows software removal tool? Could you even find where the uninstall tool in Windows is? I don’t mean that to insult your intelligence. But the fact is, finding it isn’t the easiest thing to do if you don’t know where to start. And even if you know how to uninstall a program with the native Windows tool, it isn’t always the best way.


First, there aren’t many options. Second, program files are often left behind and not completely erased from your computer. However, Absolute Uninstaller fills this void and that is why it is on our Best Of Windows Software List for uninstallers.


The Installation Is Easy – Bonus: No Added Programs


Absolute Uninstaller is an easy to install program (as it should be). You simply need to click “next” and “accept” all the way though. Now, you may do that already with all your other programs and if so, you should probably stop. Many free programs come with additional software packaged into the setup of the program you want to install. Now, you can always opt out if it’s a legitimately good program. However, some are still sneakier than others as I complained about in my review about IObit Smart Defrag.


That said, I was impressed that there were no additional programs packaged with Absolute Uninstaller that you need to worry about accidentally installing during the setup.


Exploring Absolute Uninstaller


windows software removal tool


After the installation, go ahead and run Absolute Uninstaller to see what it can do – I think you’ll be impressed. It has quite a few useful features, including:



  • Batch Uninstall

  • Searching for programs

  • Removing entries

  • Restoring removed entries

  • Modifying properties

  • Viewing program support info

  • Command line

  • Showing Windows updates

  • Autofixing invalid entries

  • Backing up and restoring uninstall info

  • Exporting application list


Most of these features are pretty self explanatory, but we’ll briefly touch upon a few.


Batch Uninstall


It’s quite cumbersome to remove program after program. Often you want to just scan through the list first. But if you have several programs to be removed, what are you to do? Write them all down? It’d be nice if you could just check a box of each program and then uninstall one after the other. Well, Absolute Uninstaller can do that.


windows software removal utility


Modifying Properties


windows software removal utility


If for some reason you want to change the name or command line of a program in the list, you can do so by clicking Modify Properties.


Viewing Program Support Info


windows software removal utility


This is often helpful in finding out a little bit more about the program and where it is installed.


Command Line


windows software removal


The great thing about this feature is it is always being displayed – no extra buttons to click. Of course, if you prefer to disable it (enabled by default) you can by going to View and unchecking Show Command Line.


Showing Windows updates can also be controlled under the View menu.


AutoFix Invalid Entries


windows software removal


This option is under Edit and is excellent if there is ever an error with a program entry in Absolute Uninstaller.


Backup/Restore Uninstall Info & Export Application List


windows software removal


These options are under File. Backing up and restoring uninstall info isn’t a feature you’d think of needing, which is nice that it’s included. Before going through and making any changes to the programs (such as removing entries), take the time to quickly back up. It saves it as a registry file. Then if you make any mistakes, you can easily restore the list back to the prior settings.


Exporting the application list can definitely come in handy when migrating to a new computer and you want a list of all the programs you previously used. You can then save the list in a text file.


Ease Of Uninstalling Programs


The uninstallation process goes quite smoothly and quickly. If there are other program files left behind from the uninstaller, Absolute Uninstaller will detect them and prompt you to remove them.



Other Notable “Features”


One other feature that’s nice is that recently added programs are marked with the label, “New!


windows software removal tool


Some Needed Improvements


Although Absolute Uninstaller, overall, is solid, there are some things that should be changed and added. In the bottom left corner the total number of programs is displayed. However, nowhere is the amount of total space used by the programs displayed.


Also, the sizes of the programs aren’t visible in a column, but only once you click on a program. In addition, you can’t sort by size either.


The columns also can’t be adjusted or customized. They are the way they are and that is what you get. It some aspects it makes it simple and gives the program a clean look. In other ways, it’s nice to have that control and just be able to make some minor adjustments.


Conclusion


Overall, Absolute Uninstaller is an excellent alternative to the default Windows program. It isn’t the only uninstaller available, as we’ve reviewed other applications such as Revo Uninstaller, GeekUninstaller and IObit Uninstaller. How does Absolute Uninstaller compare to those? Just like most programs it has its strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately it is up to your personal preferences and that is why it’s great that we have choices available.


If you’ve been looking for an alternative to Windows uninstaller, do give Absolute Uninstaller a try. Do you use it? How do you feel it compares to the Windows default? How about to the other alternatives if you’ve used those?


The post Absolute Uninstaller: Don’t Settle For The Default, A Better Solution For Software Removal [Windows] appeared first on MakeUseOf.