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Complete Internet Repair is a tool developed to resolve Internet connection errors following a virus attack, malware, Trojan or adware, or following the uninstallation or installation of a third-party program, which has caused conflicts or errors in your registry. Tip: only use this software in the event of extreme breakdowns where basic first aid has failed. This is not an optimization tool, but a tool for solving extreme problems. The tool is portable and requires no installation. Tip: before using it, we recommend that you create a Windows restore point. libellules.net accepts no responsibility for any misuse of this program. OS: Windows 10 & 11 (32 and 64 bit) Language: English License: Freeware Official website

LosslessCut is a tiny multiplatform video editor, capable of making small cuts with no loss of quality. Simply load the video file, use the start and end marks and then click on the cut icon to export the marked section to a new file, without decoding or encoding. You can also use the program to take a JPEG or PNG snapshot of a scene. Ideal for rough processing of large video files taken from a video camera, GoPro, drone, etc. Also supports lossless cutting, in the most common audio formats... OS: Windows, Mac OS & Linux Language: English Price: Free Download page Other download page

Firemin is a utility that will undoubtedly generate a lot of comments. Basically, from memory and my understanding of it. Firemin is a small application that eliminates memory leaks from browsers to keep their consumption at a reasonable level. When using a browser, memory usage continues to increase the longer the program remains open / in use. Firemin uses a Microsoft API (EmptyWorkingSet) to force the browser to release some of its reserved memory without causing stability problems. It runs in the system tray and requires no installation. It continuously optimizes your browser, forcing it to free up memory when necessary. The extension was originally designed for Firefox only, but it seems to work with other browsers too. All you need to do is tell Firemin the path to your browser. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: English Price: Free Official website

SyncBackFree is a fast backup and synchronization utility that lets you create copies of your folders and files on external hard drives, disks, FTP servers and shared drives. SyncBackFree is an easy-to-use application that works by defining a personalized profile. Three modes are available: backup, synchronization and mirroring between folders. For each, you can modify the preset filters, and you can schedule jobs without having to reconfigure a profile each time. Finally, the application lets you simulate a job, which means that no file is actually copied, but a report is generated. Finally, the application lets you simulate a job, which means that no file is actually copied, but a report is generated. Pay-per-use versions of the software are available, offering even more features. You can see a table of comparisons by clicking here! For more powerful features, such as enhanced compression, cloud storage, encryption, scripting and more, turn to SyncBackPro. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website

Audacity is a free, open-source, multi-platform, multi-track sound recording and editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The most striking functions are : Live recording Convert discs and cassettes to digital format Edit WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP2, MP3, Ogg and Vorbis audio files Cutting, copying, pasting and assembling sound clips Changing the speed/height of a recording And much more, for example! Integrated audio effects including Bass Boost, Wahwah, Equalization, Noise Removal and Normalize, Vocal Remover and VST plug-in support. To find out more, click here! It's a true multitrack recording studio that lets you save your musical projects in a wide variety of formats. A must-have in your software library, for any musician with little money. Language: multilingual OS : Windows 10 & 11 (32-bit or 64-bit) & Mac OS & Linux Price: Free Official website

More than a task manager, Process Lasso is an automated process priority manager. Its aim is to adjust program priorities to offer the best possible reactivity. It offers advanced functions specifically dedicated to very high load situations, and will be able to better manage invasive processes, for which it offers specific functions, with adjustment of all others and exclusions : For example, its ProBalance tool analyzes in real time all launched processes, their CPU utilization rate and determines which ones need to have their priorities adjusted for total PC optimization. But don't worry, you can deactivate, modify or adjust each service and each software program to your liking in manual mode... Note: beware of configuration: in the wrong configuration, and in particular situations (e.g., shared calculation pushed to the limit), this software can cause slowdowns instead of increased reactivity. You've been warned! libellules.net declines all responsibility for any misuse of this program. A paid version is available, with even more features. Below is a link to the page showing the differences between the free and paid versions. https://bitsum.com/howfree OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: multilingual License: Freeware Official website

MediaMonkey is a free and open source media player for Windows and Android. It allows you to manage your collection of music, podcasts, videos, listen to audiobooks, browse by artist, album, genre, playlist, modify tags and playlists, connect to a UPnP/DLNA music server. MediaMonkey is available in free and paid versions. The free version is sufficient for most users, but the paid version offers additional features, such as synchronization with mobile devices, online listening and downloading of tracks. Designed for collectors, it supports a wide variety of file formats MP3, AAC, FLAC, MP4, AVI, WMV, MKV and OGG, etc. and has an equalizer for volume adjustment. Media file data can be edited - title, artist, album, genre, composer, date, etc. OS: Windows 10 & 11 (32 & 64 bit) Language: multilingual Price: Free Official Page

Opalis an app that plays relaxing background sounds while you work or when you take a break. It's a free and open source music player (provided) that helps you relax by mixing nature and office sounds to create the perfect relaxing background noise, while you're working or you take a break. Opal is very simple and includes different groups of sounds to suit everyone from desktop to fancy. The 40 relaxing tracks are available and all have a slider volume control so you can put them in the background or put them in the foreground with a lot more presence. You can also set up a timer from the Settings tab to remind you to take a break. You also have the ability to combine multiple sounds at varying volumes to produce the perfect background noise on a loop that can help you stay focused. So you can listen to the music and enjoy it for as long as you want without interruption. Language: multilingual OS: Windows, Linux & Mac OS Price: Free Official Page

Disk SpeedUp is free software from the same publisher as the excellent Glary Utilities already featured on the blog. Disk SpeedUp analyzes, optimizes and defragments your hard drives. Very fast, it detects all the scattered fragments in seconds and reorganizes the files stored on your disks to accelerate access speed, accelerate application launches, increase search speed and shorten boot time of the system. In short, improve the overall performance of your system, which is what we all expect from this type of software. You can also configure Disk SpeedUp to perform defragmentation when the PC is idle and instruct it to shut down the system after the defragmentation process is complete. FAT, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5, NTFS+EFS file system support Warning! It offers to analyze the hard drive before starting the defragmentation operation and based on the analysis you can decide whether defragmentation is really necessary. If it deems that defragmentation is not necessary, it returns a message, in this case The disk seems to be in good shape. Defragmentation may reduce its lifespan. Are you Are you sure you want to continue? Other caveats: There are a number of different opinions about Disk SpeedUp. Some users claim it has dramatically improved their computer's performance, while others have seen little or no effect and extremists swear it's useless 🤪 It is important to note that Disk SpeedUp is not a silver bullet. It cannot speed up a hard drive that is already outdated or in poor condition. If you plan to use Disk SpeedUp, it is recommended that you back up your data before you begin. This will allow you to restore your computer to its original state if you are not satisfied with the results. libellules.net declines all responsibility in the event of misuse of this program. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: English, French License: Freeware Official page

If you're unhappy with Windows 11's Start menu and taskbar management, StartAllBack lets you restore the display to Windows 10 or even Windows 7, with multiple customization options. For those who like to work with the taskbar at the top or side of the screen, this will once again be possible. StartAllBack also offers numerous customization options. You can choose the appearance of the Start menu, the position of the taskbar and which features to include. You can also create shortcuts to your favorite applications and files. The program is by the same author(s) as StartIsBack. It is not free, and costs a modest $4.99 for one PC and $8.99 for 2 PCs. You can test it and see for yourself for 30 days. Uninstalling the program returns you to the Windows 11 interface. In any case, it worked fine for me! Warning! libellules.net declines all responsibility for the use of this software and the bizarre consequences it may cause on your PC... You alone assume the risks! Language: multilingual OS: Windows 11 Price: $4.99 for one PC, $8.99 for 2 PCs and $11.99 for 3 PCs Official website

Flagfox is an extension for Mozilla Firefox that displays a flag icon to indicate the country where the server of the site you're browsing is located. Knowing which server you're connected to adds an extra level of security, and can be useful for indicating local languages and regulations. Clicking on the icon launches Geotool, which provides a map of the country, as well as information on the ISP, city and local time. The extension also provides, via the right mouse button on the flag, access to other services such as Whois and DNS information, site security through Virus Scan analysis, server status check, SSL server test, diagnostics such as pings and traceroutes, IP address copying, automatic translation into your language, etc. Flagfox is simple, non-intrusive and uses relatively little memory. To protect your privacy, country searches are carried out locally, rather than calling up an external server about the pages you're browsing. The extension works by accessing a database of internal IP addresses. Basically, it's a sort of simplified map of the physical display on the Internet, with data provided by Maxmind. Flagfox offers a flag for the nationality of the current location of the server you're connected to, rather than just the nationality of the domain name, which may be different. Flagfox updates are offered every month or so to keep the internal database accurate. Official website Extension page for Firefox installation

GetWindowText is useful for retrieving text from different windows and controls in a Windows application. <<<< Place your cursor on the icon in question, press and hold the left mouse button and move the cursor to the relevant window. The detected text is framed. The text is read when the mouse button is released. This program also supports directory trees (SysTreeView32), combo boxes and list views (SysListView32) to read the entire contents. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website Post and text by Kappa. Thanks to him for presenting it on the old forum in the "Kappa's discoveries" section.

Calibre is an open-source e-book library management application that lets you manage your book collection, convert them between different formats, synchronize with popular e-book reading devices and read them with the included viewer. You can sort your books by author, title, date, etc., download metadata and book covers, add tags and personal comments. A highly accomplished freeware, it supports iPad and iPhone mobile devices (including e-book readers, those dedicated devices), lets you consult your library from the web and much more. On startup, if you have an e-book reader, Calibre will offer to take it over to handle direct transfers and synchronization with your library. Calibre recognizes many e-book readers. Information can be entered by hand, or by entering the ISBN reference, and Calibre fills it all in for you. Calibre recognizes and converts a huge number of formats, making it the industry standard. It won't stumble over internal links, tables, encapsulated fonts, etc., and converts in batches if required. Input formats include CBZ, CBR, CBC, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC**, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, TCR, TXT. It exports in the following formats: EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, TCR and TXT. The options are numerous and very detailed, notably for the conversion and content server (you create your own little web server to access your library from anywhere). A plug-in system (with updates) makes the software open and upgradeable. The benchmark for e-books. If you don't have an eBook reader, you can use it as a simple document manager. The program also offers extensive support for synchronizing e-books with popular devices, such as Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook, and many others. OS: Windows 10 & 11 & Linux and Mac OS Language: multilingual, including French License: Free software (GPLv3) Official website

A very successful post on libellules.ch talked about the problem of iPhones that suddenly stop lighting up. I think it prevented a lot of suicides according to the 450 comments it generated. I suggest you go and read them, it's fun 🤪😉 I don't know if it's still current, but I'm republishing it here, with screenshots that unfortunately date back to 2008, I think. I don't know, but something tells me this might still be a thing! Here's the post as it was published at the time. Today, I was confronted with a bizarre failure of a colleague's iPhone. His iPhone suddenly shut down. Total black screen. Impossible to turn it back on. At first, we thought it was a battery failure and tried to recharge it, but nothing happened. My colleague decides to call his supplier's support team, who give him the procedure for restoring the situation to normal. Before I forget what to do, here's the procedure. Maybe you'll find it useful one day! Simultaneously press the On/Off button and the main button (see image below) for at least 120 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Do not release the power and main buttons until the Apple logo appears. This appears and disappears. Press the Power/Standby button again and the Apple logo should reappear. Repeat this operation until the system download progress bar appears and your iPhone regains all its colors. It looks a lot like a reset, but in this afternoon's case, my colleague hasn't lost any of his data (photos, contacts, music, etc.). Kind regards. Krigou 😎 libellules.net accepts no responsibility for any misinterpretation of this tip.

RJ TextEd is an editor with features that go far beyond a simple text file editor. Support for Unicode, HTML/XHTML/XSLT/PHP/CSS/Javascript syntax with result preview in Edge and Chrome, code checker, autocomplete, HTML validation, source code, macro commands and much more. A tab system lets you open several files at once and switch between them very quickly. It also has a very interesting feature called code folding, which is very useful for managing large source code files. This feature makes it possible to hide parts of the text or code, so you can concentrate more easily on one part. The program also includes a CSS editor, a hexadecimal editor, a text comparator, a dual-pane folder and file explorer and an FTP/SFTP client. It also features built-in synchronization, a special character table, a unit converter and many other cool little tools to help you in your daily tasks. Language: multilingual OS: Windows 10 & 11 Price : Free Official website

To display seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock, follow these steps: Open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I keys. Click on Personalisation. Click on Taskbar on the right side of the window. Scroll down and click on Taskbar behaviors. Under Clock, check the box next to Show seconds in the taskbar clock. You should now see the seconds displayed in the taskbar clock. Here are some additional things to note: This setting is only available in Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. If you have a battery-powered device, enabling this setting may consume more power.

A utility that can help you clean up your disks, by pinpointing the folders and sub-folders taking up the most space. Treesize works by scanning your computer's hard disk and creating a graphical representation of folders and files. This graphic representation, known as a "tree structure", makes it easy to visualize the structure of your data and see how much space each of them uses. Once launched as administrator, the software displays your disk tree, Explorer-style, and assigns a colored bar to each folder. The longer the bar, the more space the folder takes up. Treesize can be integrated into the context menu, providing information on a folder by simply clicking on the TreeSize Free menu, and finally, the results can be printed as a report. OS: Windows 10 & 11 (32 & 64 bits) Language: English Price: Free Official website

Guide written by Falkra, whom I would like to thank once again for all her work on libellules.ch. A visual tour of the sockets, connectors, cables and plugs commonly found in and around computers. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's not easy to find the name of a connector, or to search for it. The "flat, blue thing that plugs into the back" won't do much good under Google. The names of data transmission protocols and connectors are often confused in common usage. When several names are used to designate a connector, details are provided. The name most commonly used in computing will be retained here as the main name. Images have been taken from royalty-free or public domain image banks. I would like to thank their authors. For my part, I have taken a few photographs (prefix lib_), which can be distributed under a Creative Commons license (conditions of authorship and non-commercial use). To see the part devoted to interfaces inside the PC, go to this page. USB There are several types of plug : Here's USB type A, the most common. The smaller USB type B, often found on printers, scanners, etc. And finally, mini USB (type A), often found on portable music players and cameras. The left-hand grip is the most common form. Developed name : Universal Serial Bus Other names : without Hot plug : usb can be hot-plugged. Classic connection: universal, i.e. almost everything: keyboard, mouse, scanner, printer, external hard drive, joysticks, modems (prefer ethernet) and... usb flash drives... Firewire Two types of connector here, on the right the firewire mini (4 pins vs. 6 on the classic connector). There are several bus speeds, the most common are 400 and 800mbps (there are more), here is the firewire 800 connector: Developed name : without Other names : IEEE 1394, iLink. Hot plug : firewire can be hot-plugged. Classic connection: external hard drive, camcorder Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet is a protocol named after the connector (RJ45) itself. Developed name : without Other names: RJ45 (registered jack), 10baseT, IEEE 8802-3 and usually "LAN", ISDN, "network". Classic connection: network... RJ11 This is the connector used in fixed-line telephony. This connector has 6 pins (2 usually used), as opposed to 8 for RJ-45, so be careful not to confuse them. Developed name : registered jack 11. Other names : "modem socket"... Classic connection : telephone modem, fax, xDSL BNC This is a termination for a coaxial cable. Male and female connectors. A screen cable then a termination plug and "T". Developed name : Bayonet Neill-Concelman (from "baïonnette", because it locks). Other names : 10base2. Classic connection : network, screens. DVI There are several types of DVI connector, and not all carry the same signals. Here's the DVI-D (D for digital). This connector transmits a digital signal only. It can be single-link or dual-link, depending on the amount of data transmitted. Dual link connectors send other RGB signals at the same time, for higher resolutions. In comparison, the DVI-A (analog) port looks toothless. It transmits only an analog signal, and is simply a VGA port disguised as a DVI port, with the appropriate pinout. The author requests an authorship link in the creative commons license, click on the image to access it. The DVI-I (integarted) port, which is very similar to DVI-D, only the pin usage is different. This is the most common port, with pins in absolutely every slot on the female plug, and it carries both digital and analog signals (one at a time, not all pins will be used, depending on the type of signal). No conversion is performed; it all depends on what you plug into it. Here again, dual link and single link. For MAC, the ADC (apple display connector), a revamped DVI : The author requests an authorship link in the creative commons license, click on the image to access it. Last but not least, mini-DVI for MACs, introduced for reasons of space. It can carry a digital or analog signal, and adapters to standard DVI, VGA or TV are often available. Four rows of connectors instead of the two of mini-VGA (see below). The author requests an authorship link in the creative commons license, click on the image to access it. Developed name : Digital Visual Interface Other names : Digital Video Interface (obsolete). Classic connection : monitors, digital or analog link. VGA The mini-VGA, for MAC, capable of carrying an S-video or composite signal. This connector was also launched to save space. Developed name : Video Graphics Array Other names : Video Graphics Adapter (inaccurate), D-SUB 15-pin. Classic connection : monitors, analog link. HDMI This interface is digital and transmits audio and video signals. It will replace scart and s-video interfaces, and can be used for high-definition and multi-channel sound. Developed name : High Definition Multimedia Interface Other names : without Classic connection : home cinema equipment, consoles, media centers, htdv, blu-ray players, DVD-HD. Péritel Away from the PC, but not necessarily far away, this connector is easy to identify ! On the right, a Peritel / 3 RCA & S-video adapter. Developed name : peritélévision. Other names : SCART (Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et Téléviseurs). Classic connection : TV, VCR, media center. This connection carries analog audio and video signals. S-Video Both the name of the video connector itself and of the video signal separating luminance and chrominance. Sometimes the connector may have more pins : Developed name : separate video. Other names : Y/C, DIN 4-pin. Classic connection : TV output on graphics card. Jack A jack is a plug. There are several varieties, named according to their diameter. The most common are the following : The 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) jack : On the left, male and female. The one on the right is stereo, (number of sections). The 6.3 mm (1/4 inch) jack : On the right, the family (all called Jack...) : 2.5 mm mono, 3.5 mm mono and stereo, 6.3 mm stereo. Name developed : audio jack. Other names : without Classic connections : audio (sound card, speakers (if not RCA), headphones, etc.). RCA Male and female connectors. Developed name : Radio Corporation of America. Other names : Cinch. Classic connection : widely used for audio and video signals, to carry various types of digital or analog signals. A composite input/output (component) uses 3 RCA sockets, for example. Signals are analog, except in the case of SPDIF audio outputs, which are digital. PS/2 Name developed : Personal System/2 Other names : Mini-din. Classic connection : keyboard, mouse. Gradually abandoned in favor of USB. PCMCIA Found on laptops, these connectors accommodate expansion cards of all types (usb, wifi, ethernet ports, etc.). There are three types of PCMCIA card, distinguished by their thickness: Type I: 3.3 mm Type II: 5 mm Type III: 10.5 mm On the laptop side, open the small flaps to insert the card. On the right, the small eject button (push-button). Developed name : Personal Computer Memory Card International Association Other names : CardBus Connection : expansion cards for laptops. Parallel port This connector takes its name from the data transmission mode. Computer side : Printer side : Developed name : without Other names : DB25, LPT (Line Printing Terminal) Classic connection : printer. Obsolete, replaced by usb. SCSI This interface is faster and more complex than IDE; at one time, E-IDE and SCSI coexisted, the advantage of SCSI being its lower consumption of CPU resources than IDE. Controller cards took care of this work. There are 3 versions of the interface (SCSI-1, 2 and 3), with different transfer speeds as for IDE, E-IDE and UDMA. Amiga, Apple and Sun used it, then IDE gradually replaced it. This is where things get really complicated, depending on the type of interface and speed. Here's a table, taken from Wikipedia (click to view). SCSI-1, Fast SCSI and Fast-Wide SCSI (= SCSI-2) and ultra SCSI (SCSI-3 non wide) use this connector, a Centronics 50 (C50) : But a DB25 or d-sub 25 connector (as for the parallel port) could be used, as shown below. This photo comes from my old scanner: to the left of the centronics 50 port (above) is this DB25 connector. The blue numbered module is used to define the ID (the identification number on the bus). Let's complicate things a little. Since the centronics 50 connector is a bit large, a compact versino was released, the DH50, or high-density DB50, shown here on the back of a PCI card : On the cable side, the male : A rarer feature is a DB50 connector on three lines : To transmit more data, more pins were needed for SCSI-3, a high-density 68-pin connector, here below the 50-pin : The author requests an authorship link in the creative commons license, click on the image to access it. On a SCSI ribbon, this would look like this : The author requests an authorship link in the creative commons license, click on the image to access it. A VHDCI (ultra-high density) connector also existed in 68-pin for SCSI-3, in particular for RAID systems for hard disks : Internal cables and connectors have the same appearance, and the number of pins and the shape of the connector are enough to identify them from the external connector. On the Mac, a radically different HDI30 SCSI connector is available : Name developed : Small computer System Interface. Other names : "Skezi" (geek pronunciation) ;-) Classic connections : hard disks, scanners, optical drives. Discontinued. Series This connector takes its name from the data transmission mode. On the motherboard side, these are the two turquoise ports. Developed name : without Other names : DE-9, RS-232, V24. Classic connection : 56k modems and various peripherals. Obsolete. DIN DIN refers to a family of connectors, in this case 5-pin DIN, used by older keyboards before PS/2 (and USB), but also for MIDI instruments. Mini-DIN is used for S-video signals (4-pin), keyboards (6-pin, PS/2) and much more. Name developed : Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN). Other names : XT/AT. Classic connection : keyboards, MIDI equipment. Obsolete for keyboards. Port JoyStick Present on sound cards, this connector for joysticks and joysticks has now been abandoned in favor of USB. It could also be used for certain midi instrument connections (via an adapter), hence its presence on the sound card. Developed name : without. Other names : DA-15, game port, joystick port. Classic connections : joystick, joypad, midi instruments. Toslink This is a connector for fiber-optic audio transmission. It emits a red light, and is usually protected by a cap or small removable panel. Rare on PCs (except sound card racks), but common on hi-fi systems and media centers, you'll find it more on the living-room side. Not to be misleadingly referred to as S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital InterFace), as the latter standard uses a variety of connectors, including fiber optics via a TosLink link. Name developed : TOShiba-LINK. Other names : without Classic connection : miniDisc, home appliances, media centers, DAT Continuing with the connections inside the PC, go to this page.

Guide written by Falkra, whom I would like to thank once again for all her work on libellules.ch. The second part of this visual guide, this time dedicated to the connectors and connections inside the machine. (>>>Part One) To see the section on interfaces outside the PC, go to this page Internal USB Internal USB ports are often found on motherboards, shown here in blue. On the right, the type of plug, which leads to a USB socket on the front or rear of the case. Sata Sata interface : Two connectors on the motherboard side (left photo), then on the hard disk side (right photo): on the left, the larger disk power supply, and on the right, the data connection. The two cables needed for the hard disk: on the left, the data cable; on the right, the power cable. Caution: fragile connector. Developed name: Serial ATA Other names: without Typical connection: hard disks, some optical drives (burners). An e-Sata standard exists for the external variant of this interface. IDE An interface using ATA/ATAPI protocols. The latest hard drives use the ATA7 version (ultra DMA 6, ultra DMA 133). Motherboard side (black and blue), then cable. Here, on the left, 4 IDE ports, and on the right, the narrower floppy drive port. Cables (or cables). The photo on the right shows the two types of cables, with 40 and 80 wires. For more recent peripherals, 80-wire cables are the only ones that can be used for ATA100 and ATA133 hardware (UDMA 5 and 6). Below that, 40 wires are sufficient. Developed name: Integrated Drive Electronics. Other names: parallel ATA, PATA. Conventional connection: hard disks, optical drives. Replaced by serial ATA for hard disks. PCI-express The interface for graphics cards and other peripherals, an evolution of the PCi bus. From top to bottom, 4x, 16x and 1x versions. PCi express 16x graphics card and connector: Developed name: Peripheral Component Interconnect Express. Other names: PCIE. Classic connection: expansion cards, especially graphics cards. AGP The bus for graphics cards, superseded by PCI Express 16x (there will be no AGP16x). It has had several variants, differing in voltage and speed: Here are the AGP bus standards: AGP 1.0: 3.3 V - 1x, 2x AGP 2.0: 1.5 V - 1x, 2x, 4x AGP 2.0 universal: 1.5 V, 3.3 V - 1x, 2x, 4x AGP 3.0 (latest): 1.5 V - 4x, 8x Here it is on the motherboard side, brown by default, sometimes red or burgundy: A 1.5-volt AGP with the ejector mechanism: This is a 3.3 volt AGP: And the graphics card connector (3.3 volts): A graphics card compatible with 1.5 and 3.3 volts : Name developed: Advanced Graphic Port. Other names: without Connection: graphics card. PCI An interface for expansion cards of all kinds. Still present, but less and less used, due to the integration of hardware on motherboards or the existence of comparable products in the form of USB peripherals. Expansion card connector : A PCI-X slot, an evolution of the classic PCi bus (increased bandwidth). Found in professional machines: Developed name: Peripheral Component Interconnect. Other names: without Classic connection: extension boards. RAM slots Designed to accommodate RAM, these connectors feature a coding pin whose location changes according to the type of memory (SDram, DDR, etc.). Here for SDRam Here for RAM DDR The two colors indicate the slots that need to be filled with modules of the same type and capacity to benefit from Dual Channel technology. Other names: memory bank. Connection: RAM. Power supply side The type of plug is called "molex", after the group that produces them. But this only designates the way the contact is made, via a plastic connector containing the pins. There are 4*1 molex plugs (those supplying optical units, for example). On the left, the classic socket for optical drives and non-Sata hard disks. On the right, the socket for floppy disk drives. The connector on the left is an additional, obsolete auxiliary power supply. On the other hand, the right connector (2x2) often completes the processor power supply. On the left, the classic ATX socket that powers the motherboard, on the power supply side, on the right, on the motherboard side. On some power supplies, the ATX socket may have a built-in 2x2-pin module. There will be 28 instead of the usual 24 pins. Name developed: Molex 8981-4P (classic 4x1 plug). Other names: without Classic connection: power supply... Molex 4x1: hard disks, optical drives, some graphics cards. Fan sockets On the right, the 3-pin motherboard connector used by 8 cm fans and below. Beyond that, fans use a classic 4x1 molex plug. When there are 3 wires, the 3ᵉ is used to count the fan's revolutions per minute. This connector is often white. Developed name: 3-pin fan plug... Other names: ... Classic connection: fans, with or without rpm counter. ISA An obsolete interface no longer in use. These are the pre-PCi expansion slots. In the photo below, they are black, on the right. The one below is an 8-bit ISA, the others are 16-bit. The connector of an expansion card : The ISA data bus is 16-bit (8-bit for the previous, shorter version), unlike PCi, which is 32-bit. Developed name: Industry Standard Architecture. Other names: without Classic connection: extension cards. Discontinued. Part One Connections, outside and around the PC, go to this page

Article written by Kappa, on the old libellules.ch forum Jack-type connectors often pose a problem, and I draw your attention to the multiplicity of connector sizes, of which here is a small assortment: Example of the meaning of dimensions : 5.5*2.5mm DC = > 5.5 is the outside diameter in millimeters of the metal part and 2.5 the hole diameter. DC (Direct Current) is the abbreviation for direct current, in this case 12 V. In this case, if an external hard disk enclosure is not from a hard disk brand, you should therefore give preference to connectors marked DC, which boils down to this: Please note that the dimensions are precise and there are several hole diameter values for the same outside diameter. Example: For 5.5 mm, you can have a 1.5 mm or 1.9 mm or 2.5 mmm hole. Likewise, it's important to measure carefully, as some dimensions are very close, e.g. 5.2 and 5.5 mm. In short, it requires a little precision when measuring! This should help you make the right choice! Article written by Kappa, on the old libellules.ch forum

With HDDScan, you can check the performance of your hard disk using a variety of tests. In addition to read and write scans, which you can adjust according to the size of sectors and data blocks, you have access to other verification tools. This application lets you display media details for specific functions, or use a widget to check hard disk temperature in real time. Using the S.M.A.R.T. report, the software lists the health status of the storage medium and associated parameters. As the application does not need to be installed, your Windows registry keys remain intact. You can also place HDDScan on an external device and run it directly on any computer. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: English Price: Free Caution! libellules.net declines all responsibility for any misuse of this program. Official website Post and text by Kappa. Thanks to him for presenting it on the forum in the "Kappa's discoveries" section.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM) is anti-malware software, in other words, more than just anti-spyware. Of course, he takes care of traditional spyware, but particularly focuses on what resists conventional antivirus and anti-spyware. To put it simply, it is used in disinfection on specialized forums, and can overcome many infections where certain specialized tools must be used (with the necessary precautions). You can, however, use MBAM as a regular tool; it is accessible, multilingual and offers a quarantine to restore what has been deleted, in case of a problem. It deals relatively well with Bagle, Vundo and various tough and especially recent adware. These infections evolve very quickly, and traditional antivirus and solutions often fail to keep up. The results are really effective, in any case much better than what we are used to with a lambda anti-spyware. In short, you probably have here one of the first tools of the new generation, because under the hood, what runs is much more technologically advanced than a classic static list of elements to check for, and with a real heuristic engine (detection of new potential threats) and generic, against parasites with random names, which have long fooled many structurally simpler programs. This quality induces a certain slowness compared to our habits, during the scan, far from being a defect, it is the mark of a real scan of the contents of the files (the slogan of the program is: elimination of harmful, byte by byte). It has a real-time scan module, but paid, the only limitation of the program. In the past, this kind of limitation hasn't stopped millions of people from installing ad-aware, so it shouldn't be an obstacle for MBAM. You have understood that this program has convinced me, and I have used it regularly in recent months on real cases of infections where antivirus and traditional tools give up their apron. The version you can download is fully functional and free, you just have to do without the real-time module. In freeware mode (therefore without a resident module), it completes a software configuration. OS: Windows and Mac OS, iOS & Android Language: multilingual License: Freeware, paid version (for the resident module) Official website

F-Curator lets you create a database of website links for your personal or professional project, keeping track of categories, names and icons, in case you need to reach them quickly and easily, without going through your Internet browser's favorites or bookmarks. This program can help you create a neat website repository, allowing the user to create multiple categories for easy sorting and access. The application includes offline support, data persistence and remote resource integration. Drag-and-drop sorting and integration is another useful feature to avoid wasting time. For each favorite, if an icon is associated with the imported website link, it will be displayed in the application, which could facilitate any search thanks to this aspect. Access is simplified by adding categories… ... to which you can copy the favourites you want, either manually or by dragging and dropping them from the browser: All items, categories and favorites can be moved, re-edited or deleted with ease: A search tool is also included for those who already have a large database and wish to navigate straight to their points of interest. Finally, you can export the database for archiving purposes (ZIP) in HTML format. If you then have several application areas, you can import an archive directly to complete or use its contents. F-Curator is an interesting application that could prove useful to those looking to create a system of useful links for various projects and uses. Language: English O.S.: Windows and Mac OS via separate downloads Downloads and updates : F-Curator Win or Mac versions Official website : F-Curator

ALLPlayer is an audio/video player that sets itself apart in its category with an intuitive interface more reminiscent of smartphones or tablets than Windows systems. All functions are easily accessible exactly when they're needed, and thanks to the included codec program, ALLPlayer can open all media file formats. ALLPlayer is a free multiplatform software for Windows, Mac OS and Android. OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: simplified multilingual Price: Free Official website Post and text by Kappa. Thanks to him for introducing it on the old forum.

Sandboxie is sandbox-based isolation software for Windows operating systems. Sandboxie lets you run programs in an isolated environment, protecting your computer from malware and other harmful software. Sandboxie works by creating a virtual environment in which programs run. This environment is isolated from the rest of your system, meaning that programs cannot access files or data on your system. If a malicious program runs in Sandboxie, it cannot damage your computer. Sandboxie can be used for a variety of tasks, including : Running untrusted programs Software testing Safe Internet browsing Software troubleshooting It's free and easy to use. If you're looking for a way to protect your computer, Sandboxie is an excellent option. Sandboxie is available in two editions, Plus and Classic. Both share the same core components, which means they have the same level of security and compatibility. What's different is the availability of features in the user interface. Sandboxie Plus features a modern Qt user interface, supporting all the new features that have been added since the project became open source. OS: Windows 10/11 Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website

In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension... (Source : Wikipedia) Fractal Zoomer lets you zoom in on infinite fractals, revealing ever smaller and more complex details. The program offers a variety of customization options, such as color, brightness and contrast. The program comes with plenty of options to further enhance your fractal experience! Easy enough to use at first, you soon realize just how complex it can be if you want to achieve satisfactory results. Image saving in *.png format. Cauliflower, butterfly wings, snowflakes and lung alveoli are all examples of natural objects with fractal geometry. Considered mathematical aberrations until the mid-20th century, fractals acquired full status in the 1970s thanks to French mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot. This genius scientist coined the adjective "fractal", which comes from the Latin fractus meaning "broken" or "irregular", to describe objects combining several particular characteristics: parts that have almost the same shape as the whole, and an extremely irregular structure. (Source : futura-sciences.com) OS: Windows, Mac OS & Linux Java version 1.8 or higher must be installed. Language: English License: GNU General Public License version 3.0 (GPLv3) Official website Download

Honeyview is an image viewer supporting various formats (BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, PSD, DDS, JXR, WebP, J2K, JP2, TGA, TIFF, PCX, PNM, PPM, RAW: DNG, CR2, CRW, NEF, NRW, ORF, RW2, PEF, SR2, RAF). It also supports the display of images in non-extracted compressed files (ZIP, RAR, 7z). Simply drag and drop the archive to display the photos. If an image contains GPS information, the location can be viewed on Google Maps. Supports the "Slideshow" function to display multiple photos with a certain interval, the "Double page smart" function in the view menu, which displays two images in portrait mode side by side, the "Copy to Photo Folder" function, which allows you to store your favorite photos in the folder of your choice. The program also displays a file's EXIF information, and is available in a portable version. OS: Windows 10 & 11 (32- and 64-bit) Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website

XnViewMP is a free, cross-platform, fast and lightweight image viewer and converter. It supports over 500 image formats and can perform a variety of tasks, such as viewing, converting, editing and managing images. XnViewMP is a powerful, versatile tool that can be used by users of all skill levels. Conversion can be carried out in batches, thanks to a powerful, easy-to-use conversion module. This is the same module used in XnConvert. Photo viewer With XnView, you can browse, organize and view your images in a variety of ways: Thumbnail view Full screen view Filmstrip view Slideshow with effects Image comparison EXIF, IPTC, XMP metadata support Photo editor XnView lets you process your images with a host of editing tools: Resize, rotate, crop Lossless rotation and cropping (JPEG) Adjust brightness, contrast, etc., Automatic levels, contrast Change number of colors and palette Apply Filters & Effects XnView MP is provided as FREE (NO Adware, NO Spyware) for private or educational use (including non-profit organizations). If you enjoy using XnViewMP, please don't hesitate to support development with a small donation. Available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. OS : Windows, Mac OS and Linux (32 & 64 bits) Language : multilingual Price : Free Official website

With Photo Editor, you can add different effects to your photos, adjust colors, crop, rotate and tilt, via a clear and simple program interface. What's more, you can modify image size, change perspective and tilt, and use undo and redo functions. Images will only be imported via the file browser, as drag & drop is not supported. Input and output formats supported are JPEG, PNG, GIF and BMP. Program4Pc Photo Editor is designed to be easy to use and user-friendly. It's a product for amateurs and professionals (in a hurry!) alike. This highly intuitive software supports standard formats, allowing you to edit a wide range of images. Program4Pc Photo Editor is equipped with the usual set of file operations, plus slightly superior editing options, and adjusts photo colors or applies filters if you want to get involved in personalizing your images… OS: Windows 10 & 11 Language: english Price: Free Official website Post and text by Kappa. Thanks to him for presenting it on the forum

dupeGuru is a tool dedicated to finding duplicate files on your computer. The interface isn't very sexy, but it's equipped with a powerful detection algorithm that can find duplicate files, even when the names aren't exactly the same. dupeGuru is customizable, so you can define the type of duplicates you want to find. Not only can you delete them, but you can also move or copy them to another folder. You can then filter the results to act on a subset of them, e.g. all files containing the word "copy", etc. The help file lists all the possible scan parameters you can modify. It lets you do whatever you want with your copies. Not only can you delete duplicates, but you can also move or copy them elsewhere, or export the results (HTML, CSV)... A special "Duplicate Image Search" version and another, "Special Music File Search", are available. Language: English, French, German, Chinese, Czech, Italian, Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian, Brazilian, Vietnamese OS: Windows, Mac OS & Linux Price: Free Official website

Open Source DTP (Desktop Publishing) software, running on Windows, Linux and Mac OS, it is often compared to QuarkXpress or Indesign. It offers all the basic functionalities you'd expect from such software. Scribus lets you design and produce magazines, newsletters, advertisements, brochures, calendars, animated and interactive presentations. Scribus is also a powerful tool for creating PDF documents with advanced functions such as forms, buttons and passwords. Scribus supports professional editing features such as color separation, four-color process (CMYK) and ICC color management. Scribus supports the most common image formats, including SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Also available in a portable version. OS: Windows 10 & 11, Linux and Mac OS Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website

VeraCrypt is a free, open-source disk encryption program that acts as a digital safe. Available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux, it is based on TrueCrypt, but is apparently more secure. VeraCrypt can be used to encrypt entire disks, partitions or individual files. It can also be used to create encrypted virtual volumes, which can be mounted like real disks. VeraCrypt is considered one of the most secure encryption programs available. It has been audited by security experts and no major flaws have been found. VeraCrypt is used by governments and companies worldwide to protect their sensitive data. VeraCrypt supports a variety of encryption algorithms. If you're looking for powerful, secure encryption software, VeraCrypt is an excellent option. It's free, open source and easy to use. A portable version is also available. OS: Windows, Mac OS & Linux Language: multilingual Price: Free Official website Tutorial Veracrypt Wikipedia entry on VeraCrypt Caution! libellules.net declines all responsibility for any misuse of this program.