Favorite Files

1. Adobe Reader for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/2008
2. Advanced MP3 Catalog Pro
3. AnyDVD HD
4. ATI Catalyst Drivers for Windows XP
5. CloneDVD
6. CloneDVD Mobile
7. cURL for Windows
8. DivX for Windows
9. eMule
10. FeedDemon
11. FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder
12. FileZilla v3 for Windows
13. FireTune
14. Free Download Manager
15. ImgBurn
16. Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility
17. Internet Download Accelerator
18. IsoBuster
19. iTunes for Windows
20. Koepi's XviD Codec
21. McAfee SuperDAT Update
22. Media Player Classic for Windows 2000/XP
23. Microsoft Codec Installation Package
24. Microsoft IntelliPoint (32-bit)
25. Microsoft IntelliType Pro (32-bit)
26. Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows XP
27. Mozilla Firefox for Windows (v2)
28. NewsBin Pro for Windows NT/2000/XP
29. NoClone Home
30. Offline Explorer Enterprise
31. PowerDVD
32. QuickPar
33. QuickTime Alternative (QT7)
34. Real Alternative Lite
35. Renamer
36. RSSextender
37. Spybot - Search & Destroy
38. SubRip
39. VLC (VideoLAN) for Windows
40. VMware Player
41. VobBlanker
42. WebMon
43. Website-Watcher
44. Winamp 5 Full
45. WinRAR (32-bit)
46. Xnews
47. µTorrent for Windows

Recent Posts

1. 
   Review - Website-Watcher

   5.0.1 Beta 1 (Jan 20, 2009)

   Use to be great (4.0) but has now become slow and bloated with the new version (5.0). For example, compare the startup times and how long it takes the new version to load links within website-watcher when you initially start it up. Also, the new AutoBackup feature is S-L-O-W and runs by default every day.
   
   It's way too expensive for what it does and the licensing scheme is a rip off and is basically an effort by the author to extort money from existing users. Bug fixes should be free. Period.

2. 
   Review - AnyDVD HD

   6.4.7.6 (Oct 19, 2008)

   AnyDVD is becoming buggier and buggier and is having more and more problems with recent DVDs. To name just a few recent releases, AnyDVD couldn't handle Leatherheads and You Don't Mess With The Zohan. Slysoft's forum was filled with irate customers like myself who had to wait a month for Slysoft to fix AnyDVD to work with these DVDs. Its main competitor DVDFab had no problems with these DVDs and worked as advertised.
   
   The only saving grace for AnyDVD is that it is the only program that is currently able to remove all of the protections on Blu-ray discs. That is its only advantage over DVDFab. Don't let anybody tell you differently.
   
   For those that value their privacy (and all of you should), you should be aware that this program frequently calls home even if you have the "Automatically check for new AnyDVD Version" option unchecked. For those claiming the program is only calling home to check for updates, read the EULA for what private information Slysoft are collecting about YOU. Needless to say, you should block AnyDVD with your firewall but Slysoft makes it difficult by using multiple servers and domains (ev1.slysoft.com, h3.slysoft.com, ns23842.ovh.net, iw2.slysoft.com, h3.slysoft.com, sb2slysoft.com, ns6.gandi.net, ev1slysoft.com, reverse.privatedns.com, etc. are but a few of the servers they use).
   
   And don't believe the hype about "free lifetime updates". It is a sham which old customers of AnyDVD like myself found out the hard way. When Slysoft added HD DVD support, they said it was not an "enhancement" but rather an "upgrade" that users had to pay for which forced users who had been promised "free lifetime updates" to pay for the program TWICE. So much for their empty promise of "free lifetime upgrades"! You can bet that Slysoft will make you pay full price again when the next video format is released.
   
   If you want a good chuckle, read the EULA to find out the truth about when your "lifetime license" will expire (Hint: It will expire before you die). Buyer beware!
   
   These two very important facts about Slysoft's "free lifetime updates" are always forgotten or covered up by Slysoft supporters when criticizing its main competitor DVDFab. But it's these little white lies that will come back to bite you in the pocketbook if you are not careful.

3. 
   Review - CloneDVD

   2.9.2.0 (Oct 19, 2008)

   Slysoft hasn't made any major enhancements or added new features to CloneDVD in over 2 years (see the changelog if you don't believe me). They have basically sat on the program since they bought it from Elaborate Bytes.
   
   To give you an idea of how out of date the program is, pop in a Sony DVD with ARccOS protection. CloneDVD in its all of its dumbness will display all of the gargabe VTSes that ARccOS protection adds to the DVD. CloneDVD's main competitor DVDFab is much more intelligent and hides these garbage VTSes from the end user.
   
   CloneDVD is also having more and more problems with recent DVDs. To name just a few recent releases, Leatherheads and You Don't Mess With The Zohan both completely broke CloneDVD. Customers like myself had to wait a month for Slysoft to fix CloneDVD to work with these DVDs. If you don't believe me, go to Slysoft's forum and read all the posts about these DVDs.
   
   On the other hand, its main competitor DVDFab had no problems with these DVDs and worked as advertised. Slysoft tried to claim CloneDVD couldn't handle these DVDs because the protection was deliberately targeting CloneDVD but that is rubbish. It's because CloneDVD has not had any significant updates in two years.
   
   As I said in my CloneDVD Mobile review, Slysoft's guarantee of free lifetime updates doesn't mean squat if the program is no longer actively developed which is currently the case with CloneDVD. If Slysoft wants 39.00 euros for this program, they need to put more effort into the program (more enhancements and new features).
   
   Two much better options are DVD Decrypter (free) and DVDFab (pay). Before anyone complains DVD Decrypter hasn't been updated in 2 years, you can pretty much say the same thing about CloneDVD. If you want a program that is still actively developed, get DVDFab.

4. 
   Review - CloneDVD Mobile

   1.5.0.2 Beta (Oct 19, 2008)

   Like its sister product CloneDVD, CloneDVD Mobile has not gotten any major enhancements from Slysoft in over 2 years which is unacceptable for a 39.00 euro product. You can check the changelog if you don't believe me.
   
   The program itself is buggy and sloppily coded. For example, choose the vob passthrough option and you will see the reencoding options screen (!) for a split second. The reencoding options screen shouldn't be displayed at all because vob passthrough does not reencode the vobs.
   
   Also, the program is not very customizable with regards to settings. There are no options to disable the annoying sounds or have the preview window automatically play the video.
   
   It's main competitor, DVDFab (with Mobile Option), is a far better product and has lots of features CloneDVD Mobile doesn't have like automatic black bar cropping (for getting rid of those pesky black bars) and easy converting to wav and mp3 (so you can listen to your concert DVDs on your iPod).
   
   If Slysoft bothered to update CloneDVD Mobile they could probably give DVDFab (with Mobile Option) a run for its money. But in its current state, CloneDVD Mobile is handily beaten by DVDFab (with Mobile Option) and it looks like it will stay that way because Slysoft isn't interested in improving CloneDVD Mobile.
   
   Slysoft's guarantee of "lifetime updates" doesn't mean squat if Slysoft is no longer actively developing the product which is currently the case with CloneDVD Mobile.