Software

During the ever-passing years, PaintShop Pro has undergone numerous make-overs. It would have taken somebody with the skill of a Nostradamus to get even close to how the original file conversion program would develop into today's graphics suite offering.

'How do I do that' or 'let me think' as I do not complete that task very often. Windows can do most things however it often makes the task difficult. Parallels Toolbox has a range of one step tools to complete the tasks that Windows makes more complex, some may even seem impossible this collection of over thirty different tools are in a simple package.

The only way you know if your Anti Virus or Total Security product is doing its job is if it fails; and, if you have no problems, then it is probably doing its job. While I have previously told you about what McAfee and Kaspersky have to offer today its BitDefender.

Stuck for a way to completing a task that should be simple then the answer might be a Toolbox.

Personal Computer users will appreciate that over time their piece of equipment will often loose its initial fast responsiveness. Tasks that once could be completed at a rate that was more than acceptable during the earlier months, now take their time thus causing degrees of frustration.

A picture, so they say, may be worth a thousand words but sometimes the image does not tell the complete story. Images, especially those of celebrities, have sometimes been doctored to enhance and modify the original image by specialist using software such as PortraitPro 19 from Anthropics Technology.

This is one of several security software products that promise to keep you safe. What each product promises is slightly different so they all have a place according to what you want, here an offering from Panda their Internet Security offering.

A lot of software is sold as a subscription some stop working once the subscription ends other will continue to work with limited functionality which in the case of security software probably means you will soon find you have problems with viruses and other nasty results. So one thing you always keep right up to date should be security software.

No longer do Nero do a standard version but now you can get a Nero 365 Platinum that expires in a year or Nero Platinum that will keep working – without the addition of any new features – for ever, either way the contents of the package is Nero Platinum.

I have used Acronis for years it has often been able to replace a file or files that would otherwise be lost, earlier this year after a hard disc crash I was able to say ‘thank you’ when I was able to restore everything on a new hard drive. These days Ransonware is one of the most popular tools for thieves and used correctly even that can be thwarted.

Adding to its range of graphics software products, Corel has released version 23 of its Pinnacle Studio offering. I was fortunate to have been sent a free version of the top of the range Ultimate product rather than the standard Studio or Studio Plus products.

If your computer seems slower than usual then maybe it is time for a spring clean.

As a long established fan of a product originally developed as a file conversion utility and launched in 1991 by Robert Voit's JASC company, it is that time of year when I can look forward to the arrival of the latest version of PaintShop Pro. Now firmly entrenched as part of the company's family of graphic software, Corel has sent me a copy of PaintShop Pro XX to review for Gadgetspeak.com

Time does not stand still especially when a company take-over is involved as part of the process. In some cases favourite projects can suffer the short-end of the straw as it is ignored but this is not always what occurs. Take for example the Parallel's Toolbox and how the company reacted to a take-over..

As another year passes, I take a look at the latest version of an old friend

While I have restored files and folders which have become corrupted the only REAL test is when your computer fails to boot and at the very least this is not a trivial process. Yes my hard disc crashed, so first job is to get it removed from the computers case, second get a replacement drive and then with the aid of the Acronis disc a chance to do a complete restore.

TheBat! V.8 is the latest incarnation of a versatile shareware email client which is available in both Professional and Home versions.

They say “The camera never lies” but this is a view that those innovative people at Anthropics Technologies would not subscribe to.

F-Secure, as you might presume from the company’s title, offers users a range of hardware, software, apps and Cloud protection solutions.

There has to be a first time for everything and this was that kind of occasion for me when looking at this next product.

Some years ago Microsoft vastly reduced offering the chance to own certain software notably their flagship Office product in favour of a subscription model where you continue to pay every year/month to continue using the product.

A product I have used since its very early days when it was ‘shareware’ it was purchased a good while ago by Corel who do what they do to improve and enhance its features, then they add lots of extras so this basic product is now anything but basic.

Passwords are a pain, good passwords are a greater pain, but no password or one that is easily cracked are the greatest pain of all. Certainly you should never use words such as names and try not to repeat passwords however tempting.

A recent visit to what used to be a very run down area near Paddington found lots of new offices off a busy main road with what I assume was a small river or canal running through all very upmarket. My meeting was with a top man from Kaspersky Labs to chat about the latest threats that affect us all even if all we have is a PC or mobile phone.

The next of the 2019 versions to cross my desk and again a product that gets used all year and not just while being reviewed. However I tend to use one feature the CD/DVD burning software at least once a week all year other features less frequently.

Kaspersky Total Security 2019 is aimed at meeting a family’s need for computer security with Safe Kids parental control being one of its additional features.

This next product is made up of tools that allow you to take control of the different aspects of your digital life.

A company that started as Anti Virus protection but now so many nasty things are not strictly viruses but other ways have been found to affect your PC or mobile device and perhaps the most noticeable is stealing your wallet the last mentioned is not literal but once your cards are compromised they do remove everything you have and even things you don’t like your sanity.

Yes it’s the time of year when lots of software companies vie to be the first to bring their ‘2019’ products to market. Here is one that I use all year not just while I review it and on a couple of occasions when disaster has struck it was there to help.

While oil and water are incompatible, the two major players in the arena of operating systems can co-exist on a single computer as Parallels has proven with its Desktop software.