There is plenty of competition already in the market and because it is so new, there aren’t any reviews available – this is a new site trying to get a foot on the rung. The owner doesn’t intend to contribute but, instead, rely on customer submitted reviews. This is has in common with many of the alternatives. Personally, I think this is an opportunity wasted. With so many competing sites, you really need some kind of USP. Customer submitted reviews can sometimes be their own worst enemy with people complaining about issues that really weren’t the hosts problem, or giving them full scores simply because they hadn’t experienced any issues up until then. The big tech review sites ignore Web Host reviews as well, so this would be a great opportunity to have the reviews led by a single person doing a fair comparison between the alternatives.

Hosting Sites Reviews only has a handful of hosting companies on their list at the moment – this list, however, is consistent with many other sites so I wonder if it has anything to do with their affiliate schemes. If a site wants to show itself as fair and all-encompassing, it should really give the opportunity to everyone. I use Memset and (grumble, grumble) Streamline.net but neither are on the list (I’d love to write a review of the latter!).

But, this is a new site and I’m sure it will grow and improve over time. Already is show promise by dividing the companies into categories – green, php, asp hosting, etc. It even has it’s own Facebook page.

Website hosting is rarely taken as seriously as it should be so more and more sites dedicated to the reviewing of these companies can only be a good thing.

Related posts:

1. Bingo sites join the social web Well, it’s been a while coming. Bingo sites in the UK seem to rely on extravagant adverts on TV with big named stars but, unlike...
2. Streamline Hosting Somebody once described NTL (now, Virgin Media)  to me as “excellent, until you need any help”, due to their poor support. When it comes to...
3. UK2.net Hosting While I was moving  something else happened – this site’s bandwidth limit was reached and the site went down. As you can imagine, I didn’t...

It’s been out for a few months now and I’ve been trying it on a number of computers, running XP and Windows 7 64-bit. All work without an issue.

You install it and it runs during each boot up, timing it and looking at the various startup processes. Simply go into the software for a breakdown of those processes. They are divided into 3 sections – “no-brainer”, “potentially removable” and “cannot be removed.” The latter category mainly includes system software (and Soluto itself). The other 2 you can do something about – either delay (make the program start later, when the computer is idle) or pause (switch off) each. In all cases you can view each program in turn, viewing what information Soluto knows about it, and make the decision yourself as to what you wish to do with it.

In the case of my home PC, running Windows 7 64-bit, my boot currently takes 1:58. Without being overly aggressive, I have reduced this by 3.3. Unfortunately, running Soluto adds 3 seconds so I’ve hardly gained anything.

To be honest, as an “expert user” I know exactly which processed need removing and how to do it and I can often remove more than Soluto can. However, for the amateur “dabbler” this is an ideal solution as it provides all the help you could ask for, including details on what other people did and even allowing you to edit program descriptions.

Lastly, there’s a flashy history screen showing how your boot times have changed over time along with key changes that were made.

Summary of Soluto

A good quality product that really can help the amateur PC owner. However, for the geeks amongst us this may be a frustrating solution and, as the saying goes, results may vary. For a free product, there’s no excuse to not at least try it!

Reviewed by David Artiss on 23rd March 2011.

Promotional Video

Screenshots

Related posts:

1. EaseUS Partition Master 9.0 Professional Edition A couple of years ago I published a review of the home edition of EaseUS Partion Master. At the time I rated it as an...
2. Uninstalling Ubuntu If you’ve installed Ubuntu as a dual boot with Windows then removing it isn’t easy (which is a shame that they make installation so easy...

Removing the partition that Ubuntu lives on is the easy bit – sadly, it also removes GRUB, which is the menu that allows you to choose your OS during boot. As a result, you’ll simply get an error during the next reload and you won’t be able to even start Windows. Nice.

It would appear that you have to repair the Windows MBR (Master Boot Record) – this will restore the standard boot method. I found an excellent article on how to do it but, sadly, as this was on a Netbook (and is often the case with Laptops these days as well) I didn’t have any Windows installation disks.

You can use Win2Flash to create your own Windows disks on a USB stick – and there’s a great article for how to do this too.

However, after doing this and following the instructions in the first article, I found it booted just the same (at this point I hadn’t removed the Ubuntu partition, as I still wanted to be able to access Windows!). In the end, I came across a utility named MBRFix – this can be run from Windows and is a command mode utility to perform various actions on the MBR, including restoring it.

Install MBRFix and run the following command (assuming you’re running XP)…

MbrFix /drive 0 fixmbr

Then simply reboot to ensure it’s worked – the GRUB menu shouldn’t appear and XP should boot as normal. Once this is confirmed, remove the Ubuntu partition and then use a free partitioning tool to reclaim the space.

Related posts:

1. Ubuntu still leaves me cold Much has been made of the recent 10.10 release of Ubuntu and, particularly, the Netbook edition so, a while since I last tried this particular...
2. EaseUS Partition Master 9.0 Professional Edition A couple of years ago I published a review of the home edition of EaseUS Partion Master. At the time I rated it as an...
3. Soluto Soluto calls itself “anti-frustration software”. A free program for Windows, and still in Beta, Soluto analyses your PC’s startup process and recommends solutions. It’s been...

I placed the installation onto a bootable USB key and tried it out first – however, running from a restrictive USB stick means that it runs a little slow. It seemed good and rather than try it for a short while and move on, I decided that a more long term test would be better and I should really install it properly. So I did – as a 20GB partition (considering most of what I do on my Netbook is online, through Pogoplug or my 2GB Dropbox account, I thought this would be sufficient) running alongside Windows.

I then spent a good amount of time getting used to UNR (Ubuntu Netbook Remix), including installing the various apps that I use under Windows (or equivalent). I was left with a feeling that went from being underwhelmed to completely frustrated.

Underwhelmed because UNR is simplified but not obvious in use. For example, there’s a launch bar down the left hand side. Fine. It works a bit like the Windows task bar in that once an application is running and there you can right click on it and ensure it’s there permanently. But to add items, I was expecting to be able to drag the application icons onto it. Nope.

Click on the Ubuntu icon in the top left and you’re shown a big chunky menu – very simple in use, but clicking on an option either launches a single app (Internet launches Firefox) or takes you to a menu of programs that aren’t presented in the same style. It’s not obvious how to change the main menu or, indeed, how to re-assign which grouping your programs appear in. You can’t add to that main menu and, in fact, many options are missing (tools, system, etc)?

Within system settings there is a menu editor, but this seems to relate to the standard Ubuntu start menu (the equivalent of the Windows start menu), which is not used in the Netbook Edition. In the end you have to resort to the applications icon that’s (thankfully) in the launch bar.

Like most fresh OS installs, it needed a bit of tweaking to be more comfortable to my use – for example, I don’t like the touchpad tap option so I went to turn this off. I could but, maybe I’ve been spoilt by Windows, there were very few options relating to the touchpad. Next, I thought I’d tweak the “Effects” to improve performance (or even to give myself a more flashy interface). Sadly, this was greyed out (including, strangely, the message which told me why it was greyed out) and inaccessable, apparantly because of something else I had installed (and something that Ubuntu had come with by default). So, if it’s unavailable by default, what’s the point? How do I change the visual options? Nothing told me.

Next up, managing files and folders. There’s a file manager in the launch bar but this is a stripped-down version that allows you to open folders and launch files and pretty much nothing else – there’s no right click option, for instance. If you want to use the more advanced file manager, you’ll have to do some digging as it’s not even listed in the full application list. Once found, I quickly pinned it to the launch bar.

If I can’t work this out, how is the average person supposed to?

Then, to the frustration. If you want to install a program and it’s in the Ubuntu installation list you’re fine, as it will do all the work for you. Anything else and you’re back to the out-right madness that is multiple types of Linux installation file, each of which requires you to have root access and to perform various command line actions.

Pogoplug was the best example of this – a download is available from their site but with no installation instructions. A quick Google and I found some but to say they’re complicated (it involves installing FUSE, including which of the many FUSE files that you need to install, lots of command line stuff and mounting it as a drive) would be an understatement. I’d like to say this was just the fault of Pogoplug, but it wasn’t – this is just what you’d expect from Linux.

In fact, I was recently looking at adding the facility to my wife’s Asus EEE PC to synchronise the time automatically, but the instructions to do this are nightmarish. When was the last time an installation was so complex with Windows?

So, I struggled to make my away around the system and was having a frustrating time installing some programs (and, in the case of Pogoplug, I didn’t). In the end, I decided the trial was over and I’d remove it. The installation process is made easy but, sadly, uninstalling is a different matter -get it wrong and even Windows will fail to boot, leaving you without any OS. Indeed, I’m writing a follow up post just to cover how to remove a dual-boot Ubuntu installation.

Summary of Ubuntu 10.10

I want to like Ubuntu, I really do. I love the idea of a Netbook specific, speedy OS, but I really don’t think it’s yet fit for the public at large.

Unless you install something from the Ubuntu library adding software gets very complicated, very quickly, far beyond what the average home user would be able to cope with. And the Netbook interface appears thrown together, with a lack of capability in places and not obvious ways to do things.

Until this user experience improves, I can’t see Ubuntu being for anyone but the Linux enthusiast.

Reviewed by David Artiss on 2nd November 2010.

Related posts:

1. Uninstalling Ubuntu If you’ve installed Ubuntu as a dual boot with Windows then removing it isn’t easy (which is a shame that they make installation so easy...
2. Pogoplug Mobile Pogoplug have now released a new device, Pogoplug Mobile. Looking like a tiny Pogoplug Pro, this is designed for sharing files with a mobile device...
3. Driver’s Updating in Windows 7 Windows 7 was created to make your communication with computer easier. Considering it became more safe and reliable and had some bugs removed from the...

Now, it’s not the only one available, but unlike the others, this allows you to install the OS via Windows – the installation resides on the drive to what looks like Windows as a very large file. No messing with partitions, etc, and you can simply uninstall it via the standard Windows process.

Installation was easy and all my Aspire Ones hardware was recognised and configured.

The default interface is very black, although you can change this, with program categories down the left hand side. Down the right hand side are your various document folder shortcuts (including a shortcut to your Windows files, which is very welcome – although this doesn’t work until you perform your first system update). Click on any category and the main centre of the screen is filled with the programs available.

The “cloud” part of the name is a clue to how a lot of this works – many “programs” are merely shortcuts to websites, but running under a toolbar free version of the Chromium web browser so they look like a standard application. Unfortunately, without forward and back buttons some sites are not particularly easy to navigation – Gmail being an example of an exception.

And they’ve avoided a lot of the hassle of Linux installations, by making you select programs from their site. This means the choice is a lot more limited, but ensures that installs are incredibly easy.

And, Jolicloud even integrates Wine so you can, theoretically, run Windows applications (I tried one and it crashed, but that was hardly a good test!).

So, am I keeping it? No. An uninstall beckons. I have to say, it is good. But for power users it lacks badly. And I found it slow – delays occur often and at one time the main “desktop” appeared to crash (and disappear) entirely.

If you’re after an easy to use alternative and all you use your Netbook for is basic office tools and internet use, then this may be perfectly adequate. Unfortunately, it lacks a lot of the applications I need on a day-to-day basis. Yes, I can continue to dual boot with Windows, but Jolicloud doesn’t offer me anything extra. Boot times are quick, yes, but using XPs hibernate feature means that Windows is just as speedy. Now, if someone wants to offer a more powerful Linux distro but with just as easy to install applications, then I’d be interested.

Related posts:

1. Uninstalling Ubuntu If you’ve installed Ubuntu as a dual boot with Windows then removing it isn’t easy (which is a shame that they make installation so easy...

You can download the install, portable or U3 versions from MajorGeeks and then use the serial number XSA092-11TA9R-8K12YT.

Related posts:

1. Can you really get free solar panels for your home? Having recently moved home and being the environmentally conscience chap I am, I looked into solar panels. What I think a lot of people don’t...
2. 21 free Amazon Kindle software My mum already has one and I know my wife won’t mind one either. The Amazon Kindle is a rather remarkable device – it’s superb...

Worry.

So I booted under safe mode. It turned off.

Panic.

I rolled it back to the previous restore point. It then worked. Hurrah.

And it’s behaved since.

The restore point was taken yesterday morning  – I wonder why? I can’t remember installing any kind of update or running any kind of system function that would have created a restore point. Hmm, I’m guessing something happened though and my first reboot after that caused the power issues.

It definitely need an eye kept on it.

Related posts:

1. Acer Aspire One slow Wi-Fi This will possibly be my last post about my Acer Aspire One as I’ve now passed this onto my wife and I have a sparkly...
2. Acer Aspire One 9 Cell 7800mAh Battery My Acer Aspire One is a couple of years old  now and has been, by a rough calculation, has been used on at least 540...

Some of the methods, however, can be easily transferred to any Windows system – in this post I’ll be concentrating on XP, but I’m sure many of these will work on other versions.

So, here are some of the things that Lenovo did and what you can do that’s similar…

Fixed the drivers of on-board hardware components that were cumulatively causing massive delays.

Ok, so there’s not much we, as individuals, can do to fix drivers. However, it is important to stay on top of Windows drivers to ensure that you benefit changes of this type.

Personally, I have a spreadsheet of download links for my drivers and regularly check them. The other option is to use software that will look for updates for you. DriverMax is a popular example, although others are available.

Tweaked the BIOS phase of startup to temporarily hide some devices from Windows 7, so that the OS only loads the drivers after the boot is finished.

What they’re doing here is hiding hardware devices from Windows until its loaded. This may be a webcam, CD drive, etc. Now, there are some things you can do here for yourself…

1. Create a secondary hardware profile. This gives you an additional boot option where, say, lesser used hardware devices won’t be loaded. This is done by turning off different services (and having different startup options too). I used to have one for gaming, whereas non-gaming services would be disabled, saving memory and boot time.
2. Switch hardware off that you don’t use very often. No, ok, this won’t stop the drivers from loading but there may be some exchange (or handshaking) of information that may be reduced. My scanner and lazer printer, for instance, are used only occasionally, so are left unplugged when not in use. Of course, this also saves on electricity!
3. Uninstall old drivers. When you change hardware, you often leave the old drivers behind. Plug everything in, start up your PC and then find and uninstall any old drivers.

Tweaked Windows 7 to delay the loading of non-essential services and applications until after startup.

Ah, now this is definitely something we can do ourselves.

The first thing I’d recommend you do is to go through the various startup programs and disable those you don’t feel you need (RealPlayer, Quicktime and Java update checkers are popular ones to disable). You can use msconfig, but I find the option within the Tools section of CCleaner a better option.

A quick tip… you’ll find some startup options that don’t appear within the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu. If one of these is only relevant to particular users, who have their own profiles, then note the URL that this startup is running. Disable it and then create the relevant shortcut within the appropriate profile startup folder.

You can also delay when various startup options execute. So, lets say you REALLY want Quicktime, et al, to do their online checks, do they have to do them as soon as the computer starts? Programs such as Startup Delayer will allow you to delay startup tasks.

That’s applications. Now services. You have to be careful with these, but its still worth going through all your services and looking for those that are best set to manual or disabled entirely. There are many websites dedicated to which ones should be changed.

And that’s it. If you have any suggestions on how to improve startup and shutdown, feel free to contact me (or add a comment to this post).

So, I was set a challenge – find some Open Source software that most people won’t have come across.

Ok, that was the plan. Now, the limitations (self set). Nothing too technical, nor niche. No games (otherwise I could just easily provide a vast list of them). Oh, and they have to be Windows applications – no Linux, Mac, PHP scripts, etc.

I thought plunging into my Firefox bookmarks would yeald many but, sadly, most were either games or too technical for this list. Or I’ve covered them elsewhere in my blog. So, a number I’ve had to scourer SourceForge for (oh, I wish their search facility was better). And some goodies I’ve come up with too – here’s my 40 (in no particular order)…

TV-Browser
A desktop based EPG. It’s German in origin but includes UK channels. I’ve only had a brief play with it so far, but I’ve been impressed.

MP3Gain
This is something I’ve been using for years. Now, adding gain to MP3s (i.e. bringing them all up to a similar volume) is something built into many media players and burning products. However, MP3Gain is a standalone product designed to do this one task. And well.

DVDStyler
DVDStyler is a DVD authoring program for the creation of professional-looking DVDs. It allows not only burning of video files on DVD that can be played practically on any standalone DVD player, but also creation of own-designed DVD menus.

Arora
Yes, it’s another browser! Based on WebKit (like Chrome and Safari), it’s fast and available on a number of platforms. However, the fact that is has recently “elbowed out” Konqueror as the browser of choice in Kubuntu, has made news.

MuseScore
An excellent WYSIWYG musical score editor. It’s packed full of features, including importing of data and has a built in sequencer and synth.

SmillaEnlarger
Another simple idea, done well. SmillaEnlarger will magnify images in high quality. Useful for “blowing up” part of a photo. And it will go on a USB key as well.

AxCrypt
A file encryption tool that integrates directly into Windows Explorer. Simply right click on a file and you can quickly and easily encrypt it, with password protection (or without, for simple sending via email).

WindowsPager
If you’ve used Linux any time recently, you’ll probably have come across its virtual desktop environment, where you can easily switch between multiple desktops via an icon in the toolbar. Well, WindowsPager provides a similar facility. It’s not perfect, however, and I spotted a problem with Command Prompt windows, but it’s worth a try – as with most of these products, it’s still being worked on.

Synkron
Synkron is a relatively powerful folder synchronisation tool. How you use it, well, is up to you – for something as simple as synchronising a USB key to your PC, or as a quick backup tool.

Hugin
I said I’ve avoid anything too technical and, well, this isn’t. It’s just powerful. But if you’re a keen photographer, you’ll love this. It’s a photo stitcher (which can allow you, for example, to make panoramic images) which is a bit more manual that many (but, hence, it’s power).

PeaZip
PeaZip is an excellent compression program, like WinZip and 7-Zip. It also has file encrytion facilities and a portable version is available. Of course, 7-Zip is also Open Source, but PeaZip does, at least, offer an alternative.

Scribus
Scribus is a desktop publishing tool, similar to Microsoft Publisher. It has an easy to use interface but Scribus also supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

Appetizer
This is an application launcher which allows organizing your shortcuts and folders into a convenient dock. It supports plugins and skins, so is completely configurable to your own taste.

Storybook
Storybook is novel writing software for novelists, authors and creative writers. It will help you to keep an overview of multiple plot-lines, records characters and locations and will generally assist you in structuring your book.

InfraRecorder
InfraRecorder is free CD/DVD burning software. It offers a wide range of powerful features, all through an easy to use  interface and Windows Explorer integration. A portable version is also available.

BonkEnc
BonkEnc is a free audio converter and CD ripper which integrates various popular formats and encoders. It currently supports MP3, MP4/M4A, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC and Bonk files.

RedNotebook
RedNotebook is a graphical diary and journal helping you keep track of notes and thoughts. It includes a calendar navigation, customizable templates, export functionality and word clouds. You can also format, tag and search your entries.

Gminder
Gminder is a simple, but effective, desktop version of Google Calendar. It waits in your system tray and alerts you when you have an upcoming Google Calendar event. GMinder supports multiple calendars and allows you to configure how you want to be alerted. Since it downloads your events, it works offline and enables you to preview your agenda of events. New events can be added to your Google Calendars using a Quick Add feature.

Fwink
This is an excellent webcam application that takes still images from your camera at timed intervals and puts them on your web site with FTP. You can add effects like text messages, time stamps and an overlay image.

PopTray
PopTray is a full-featured, customizable, e-mail notifier which works with POP3 accounts but also has plugins for Hotmail, Gmail, etc. It includes spam management and will handle multiple accounts.

calibre
Got an eBook? calibre includes library management, format conversion, news feeds to eBook conversion, as well as an eBook reader sync feature and an integrated eBook viewer.

Process Hacker
Process Hacker is a feature-packed tool for manipulating processes and services on your computer. Think of it as being like the Task Manager that appears when you press CTRL/ALT/DEL but a lot more detailed.

JavaRa
JavaRa is a simple tool that does a simple job: it removes old and redundant versions of Java.

TweetMyPC
Make use of Twitter in other ways – send commands to your PC, allowing you to shutdown, log off, transfer files, etc.

Xmind
Xmind is brainstorming and mind mapping software. You can even embed results in your blog.

MonitorES
A fabulous idea – when your lock your desktop, MonitorES will automatically put your monitor into standby and, optionally, pause any media players, mute sound and change your Instant Messaging status’.

Sweet Home 3D
This is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview

iColorFolder
Bored of your folders? With a quick right click, iColorFolder will allow you to change their colour – useful for grouping together. You can also change your default folder icons with a selection of “skins”.

Data Crow
Weird name, but useful application. Data Crow is media cataloguing software – audio, software, book, film and photo collections.

winsupermaximise
This is another “simple but handy” utility. It adds a system tray icon which, once clicked (or you can press a hotkey combination), will “super maximise” the current window – that is, it will resize so the title bar is actually above the screen boundaries, thus saving those extra pixels that you don’t want to waste. A great utility for Netbook owners, in particular.

PhotoGrabber
This application makes it easy to download tagged pictures from Facebook. It only takes a few clicks!

Cache My Work
CacheMyWork is a handy utility that enables you to reboot Windows without losing your place in your work. It builds a checklist of currently open applications, and will restart the apps you’ve selected the next time you logon to the computer.

SheepDog
SheepDog is useful whenever you have an application or window that you can’t access because it is located off your visible screen – when activated, SheepDog will re-position the offscreen windows back onto your main screen.

Vanity Remover
This application removes all sub-folders (and the folder itself) where vanity is found. In other words: Recursively checks for and deletes empty folders. Simple as that.

HKTunes
HKTunes (formerly iHK) allows you to control iTunes using global hotkeys. For example, you could change the track and music volume while playing a game. It has a tray menu and a GUI to let you select hotkeys.

Synergy+
Synergy+ lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, without special hardware. All you need is a LAN connection. It’s intended for users with multiple computers, where each system uses its own display. It’s a little like having a 2nd or a 3rd desktop…

Desktop Google Reader
Desktop Google Reader is a desktop client to Google’s popular RSS aggregator services. It is focused on on the most important things you do with Google Reader – read, mark as read and star items. In addition and in combination with the notification system Snarl it gives you nice popup notifications on your newly arriving news feed items.

ZScreen
ZScreen is a screen capture program that allows you to upload screenshots, pictures, text & files and put the URL in your clipboard in a single keystroke.

Rainmeter
Rainmeter is a desktop customization platform. Through Rainmeter, you can enhance your Windows computer at home or work with skins: handy, compact applets which float freely on your desktop, much like Windows Sidebar gagdgets, or dashboard widgets for the Mac.

ClipMan
Clipman is an extension of the standard clipboard shipped with Windows. You can store all the items copied in a list or send them back at the clipboard. If you want, you can also edit the images in the list.

Related posts:

1. 21 free Amazon Kindle software My mum already has one and I know my wife won’t mind one either. The Amazon Kindle is a rather remarkable device – it’s superb...
2. Pogoplug Software I’ve reviewed the Pogoplug hardware in the past, but now it’s time to review the actual desktop software. Why? Because with the recent version 3...
3. Ubuntu still leaves me cold Much has been made of the recent 10.10 release of Ubuntu and, particularly, the Netbook edition so, a while since I last tried this particular...

Linux has a great function that allows you to move windows with the mouse when pressing the ALT key. Well, now, you can have this on Windows too thanks to AltDrag,  a small, free application.

Not much else to say – it works a treat and gets the thumbs up from me.

Related posts:

1. HP Mini 210 Netbook Last night I spent a few hours with my bosses nieces Netbook, as I’d been asked if I could cure it of a virus. It...