Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader John C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been getting your newsletter for awhile now -- thanks for that. As of late, however, I've noticed that some of your software reviews seem to be more like advertisements, rather than an ... unbiased review. In my opinion, you should state up front whether or not you profit from anything you review or write about, and make it clear it is an advertisement. " My response: Rest assured -- the reviews I write are absolutely 100% biased. The reviews are biased because I chose to write them, and I often prefer one software product over ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Skip 'BigFoot' writes: " Dear Dennis, I just finished reading your stellar review of Genie Backup , and was very interested in making it my primary backup solution. The problem is that many of the backup programs I've tried in the ... past have fell short of their promises, leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth (for lack of better words). Before I decide to purchase the Genie Backup program, I would like to obtain a trial version first to see if it will work with my system. Is this possible? " My response: As far as I understand, the Genie-Soft web site (home page ... (view more)

Are brush-based CD Cleaning Kits saf e? That was the question posed last week by Infopackets Reader, John R. In my response , I suggested using a q-tip and alcohol as a way to clean the lens of an optical drive, as some brush-based kits tend to be ... abrasive and may scratch the lens of the optical drive. A few days after posting the article, Infopackets Reader Dawn M. wrote in with her experience using a brush-based CD Cleaning kit. She writes: " Dear Dennis, I am writing in response to John R.'s inquiry about cleaning his optical drive with a brush-based system. I personally use -- and ... (view more)

The last three articles in our newsletter have provided an in-depth look into The Importance of Backing up Data , highlighted a number of Backup Strategies , and even presented a Six Point Guide to Buying Backup Software . At the same time the ... articles were being compiled, however, I quietly enlisted myself on a top secret mission to research, review, and rigorously test a never-ending list of backup software. The purpose: to find the best, easiest to use, feature-packed backup utility according to the stringent set of criteria previously established in our 6 Point Purchasing Guide (namely: ... (view more)

Continued from Choosing a Backup Solution: An In Depth Look and 6 Key Elements for any Backup Strategy ; this article is our third and final installment. -- Each year, home and business users lose millions of dollars in lost data because the backup ... solution they've elected to use has failed to live up to its promises -- often, the result of a failed restore, partially corrupted files, or poor hardware support. With -- literally -- millions of documents on the web related to "backup software", making an informed decision about an appropriate backup solution can prove to be an ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader John R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Have you heard anything about those CD / DVD ROM disc + brush cleaners causing damage to the drives? Someone told me this a long time ago and I've never cleaned my burner since. I was in Circuit City ... the other day, and the rep told me he uses his all the time to clean his burner. What do you think? " My response: I honestly don't have any statistics on this matter or a definitive answer, but I personally would avoid using any abrasive surface on an optical lens (such as the disc + brush combo). The lens is a glass-like surface and ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bill S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just finished reading your article on how important it is to maintain a clean System Registry in order to achieve optimal PC performance. I have a question for you: I have two computers (one with ... Windows XP and the other with Windows 98); the Windows XP computer has a feature called "system restore" which automatically reverts my System Registry to a previously working state [in case I get attacked with Spyware, for example] ... however, my Windows 98 PC doesn't have the system restore feature. My question is: how can I backup ... (view more)

Continued from Choosing a Backup Solution: An In Depth Look . As I outlined in my previous article, there are many backup solutions available -- but few that are designed to meet the requirements of virtually every computer user. Therefore, it's ... important to establish your backup strategy ahead of time before choosing the backup solution that is right for you. Whether it's a short term or long term solution, and for home or office use -- here are 6 key elements you can use in formulating your own Backup Strategy: 1. Determine the Frequency of your Backups Most (but not all) backup solutions ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bernie B. 'kennel king' writes: " Dear Dennis, You last featured my program, FileMap by BB, in your newsletter of January 2004. FileMap by Bernie Madigan I just wanted to pass on a quick note to let you know that I've just ... released version 4.03 of FileMap. It now displays System Registry 'run keys' since Trojan programs need to be constantly running in order to achieve any rational objective. My purpose in the update was to allow users to monitor 'run keys' which are a dead give-away for any rogue programs [Spyware, Trojans, etc] downloaded from the Internet. Rather ... (view more)

The next few feature articles of our newsletter will spotlight 4 editorials written by Kevin J. Vella of UniBlue, and provides an interesting and in-depth view of choosing a backup solution. -- It was Sunday, the 23rd of November 2003 at 4 PM, and I ... was in my final months of Graduate Business School. Two chapters of my research project were stashed on my hard drive -- no hard copies, just bits and bytes of hard work compiled over the last three months. I was punching away at my keyboard -- when all of a sudden, my notebook slowed dramatically. I started closing down open applications in hopes ... (view more)