Shields Up : Security System Test

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Shields Up is an online port scanning service created by Steve Gibson of Gibson Research Corporation and hosted at grc.com. The purpose of this utility is to alert the users of any ports that have been opened through their firewalls or through their NAT routers. The utility can scan the most common file sharing ports, as well as all service ports (1-1056), and user defined ports, in sets of 64. The scanning servers have the static IP addresses of 4.79.142.192 to 4.79.142.207.

A few links with info about this service :
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/qatorching-your-firewall-on-purpose/

http://lifehacker.com/5511734/shieldsup-tests-your-firewall-for-vulnerabilities

The Ultimate Tool for Security Testing (for Pros)

Back Track
http://www.backtrack-linux.org/
This tool is not really for IT-rookies.

Wikipedia - BackTrack is a distribution based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution aimed at digital forensics and penetration testing use.^[4] It is named after backtracking, a search algorithm. The current version is BackTrack 5 R3.,^[5] now based on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) LTS, which is itself based on Debian.

Can't get rid of the Babylon Search toolbar? Try Adwcleaner by Xplode.

AdwCleaner by Xplode is a program that searches for and deletes Adware, Toolbars, Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP), and browser Hijackers from your computer. 

Recently I was trying to remove a toolbar called Babylon Search from a friend's computer. I used several known programs, but to no avail. Adwcleaner was impressively efficient and I liked the little bug. I recommend it.

Bleepingcomputer.com in a review about this program says : The types of programs that AdwCleaner targets are typically bundled with free programs that you download from the web.  In many cases when you download and install a program, the install will state that these programs will be installed along with the program you downloaded.  Unless you perform a Custom install, these unwanted programs will automatically be installed on your computer leaving you with extra browser toolbars, adware, and other unwanted programs.  AdwCleaner is designed to search for and remove these types of programs.

Soluto

Wanna boot faster? know why your computer is slow?


http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/can-soluto-really-make-pcs-less-frustrating/2164

what kind of memory chips do you have?

No need to open up your computer. A simple scan will tell you about your current memory chips.

http://www.memory-up.com/

crucial.com 

Video (Youtube, Dailymotion,etc) doesn't work after Flash update

Noticed that youtube's videos don't work anymore? Well, if this is a very recent matter and if you have installed recently the new flash player 11.3 odds are it's related to a small bug in their latest update. As of yesterday Adobe issued a fix for this problem.
http://forums.adobe.com/message/4594596#4594596

How To Password Protect The Email Client Thunderbird

How to set a password to open Thunderbird?

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=786135

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/06/28/how-to-password-protect-the-email-client-thunderbird/

How to create a GIF animation

Found a useful link:
http://www.howtogeek.com/72084/convert-youtube-videos-to-animated-gifs-the-easy-way-no-photoshop/

Recommended free(open source) photo editors

Two of them are Gimp and Photofilter. From what I've read, Gimp is as good as Photoshop. Its main drawback is that is not as easy to use as Photofilter. Otherwise it's a powerful tool.

Best Free (open Source) Video Editors

Virtual Dub seems highly recommended by most experts. Then there's Pinnacle's free VideoSpin, although this editor offers many tools that require a fee. In it's basic form is probably as good as Windows MovieMaker, which is also free. Avidemux seems a good alternative too. And last but not least there is VideoPad.