We’ve talked about recording an online radio stream in the past. But often, just being able to record radio shows isn’t enough. If there’s a show on you like while you’ve got other obligations, it’s likely you’ll have to scour the website’s archives – that’s if there are any.
Today, we’ll talk about how to schedule a recording on your computer, with detail for both Mac OS X and Windows computers. This tutorial allows you to record either an online radio stream, or actual FM/AM broadcasts.

Internet Radio

Internet radio stations are common these days, albeit not as common as their analog counterparts. However, because most regular radio stations — and most certainly the popular ones — offer an internet stream on their website to supplement day-to-day broadcasting, this is often the easiest option.

Windows – Radio & MP3 Player

You’ll need the URL of your internet radio station. If it isn’t supplied, you might be able to find it in the page source. If this doesn’t work, you can run the radio station in the background and use the analog recording option specified below.
There’s a nifty tool for the Windows platform called, rather appropriately, Radio & MP3 Player. It has all we need to schedule a recording. Go ahead and install it on your computer. Add the URL(s) of your internet radio station via Show My Stations -> Add.
Next, go to File and select Show Schedule Recordings. Here you’ll see an overview of all recordings that are already scheduled. If you’re using the application, this list will still be empty. Press Add New.
In the ensuing pop-up window, you’ll need to name the show you’re recording and select a radio station. Below, you’re able to configure the time window for the recording, and whether or not to make it recurring. The recording will be saved as MP3 by default in the folder specified at the bottom of the window.

Mac OS X – Radio Recorder

An application like this for Mac OS X is hard to find — at least if you want it to be free. Radio Recorder is your best shot. The last release dates back to early 2005 and was for PPC. The developer’s website has since gone offline and the application is no longer supported. On the flip side, it still works like a charm, both on Intel Macs and PPC systems.
You’re able to configure Radio Recorder without leaving the main application window. Simply add the station URL, a name, and specify the time window for the recording. Similar to Radio & MP3 Player (above), these scheduled recordings can be made to recur. The other application tabs allow you to automatically split the songs and track radio tagging. When you’re done, press Now to activate the timer.
A retail alternative to RadioRecorder that’s still being actively supported is Radioshift — $32 at the time of writing.

Analog Radio – Audacity 1.3 & up

Windows + Mac OS X

If you’re simply going to record audio from your computer, i.e. a radio station that’s playing in the background, you can skip this step. Actually recording analog radio shows falls into two categories; using a PCI Radio Tuner or your microphone input.
A PCI Radio Tuner is a piece of hardware that you put in your PC; it’s often included with PCI TV Tuner hardware. Some PC’s that were sold as media centers might have this by default. It means you can listen to FM/AM radio using an application on your computer. Make sure the software that came with the tuner is installed.
If you haven’t got a radio tuner in your computer, don’t worry, you can simply hook up a radio to your computer. You’ll need a radio with an AUX or Line-Out port and a 2x 3.5mm TRS jack cable. This cable has a plug like the one you use with an MP3 player or computer on both sides. This will connect to the mic-in port on your computer.
You’ll need Audacity 1.3, which is currently in beta. This download is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux/Unix. Be sure to select the right version; scheduling a recording wasn’t possible up until the 1.3 Beta.
You can select your audio input in the main application window. If you’re recording sound that’s playing on your computer, select the Internal Microphone. Otherwise, select your audio card.
Go to Transport -> Timer Record.. to schedule a recording. You can configure the start- and end time, but it’s not possible to create a recurring recording. You’ll have to configure the recording manually each time. Press OK to start the timer.
Do you know any other great alternatives to scheduling a recording? Let us know in the comments!

The digital age is a dream come true for hoarders and collectors. No matter how much digital data or information you amass, it won’t take up a lot of space. This means you don’t have to control your primal instinct to search and collect, you can give rein to it.
Sometimes, however, there are technical obstacles. If you’re looking for a way to download YouTube videos and view them in Windows Media Player, read on. This article will explain how to best extract YouTube videos and subsequently enjoy them on Windows Media Player.

How It Works

YouTube streams content using flash video technology. The respective file format is .flv. To download and view a YouTube video, you basically have three options:

1. Download and playback the video in .flv file format.
2. Download and playback in an alternative file format.
3. Download the .flv file and convert it to another file format for playback.

This article is mainly concerned with how to view YouTube videos in Windows Media Player, regardless of how you obtained the files and what file format they are in. Hence, we can neglect the third option.

Best Download Options For YouTube Videos

To limit the confusion, I have selected only two tools. One is a website, the other a program. Both work flawlessly. You should go with the second one, VDownloader, if you want to download multiple videos in parallel.

Kiss YouTube

Kiss YouTube is a straight forward way to download YouTube videos because you do not need to install any software. In addition, Kiss YouTube can download YouTube videos in three different file formats: 3GP, FLV, and MP4. Paired with ease of use, that’s plenty of great features for an online service.
You can either copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video into the respective field on the Kiss YouTube homepage (see screenshot below); OR you can rename the YouTube URL, adding the word ‘kiss’ between ‘www.’ and ‘youtube.com/…’.
In both cases you will be directed to a page that lets you select your download format.
To proceed, click the download link of your preferred file format.

VDownloader

This is a software option, which is more convenient if you want to download multiple videos or wish to download from more sources than just YouTube. Attention! The installation comes with lots of extra software options and adware, all of which you can opt out of. Be sure to carefully screen all your options and go with a custom installation to opt out of the Ask toolbar and homepage.
Once you have completed the installation, VDownloader is a great tool. As soon as you copy a URL, it is pasted into the program’s > Video URL field. Next select your preferred > Output Format and hit the > Download button. While your first video is already downloading, you can proceed to add the next one.
The available output formats include .flv (no conversion), .avi, .mpeg, .mp3 (audio), and several more.
VDownloader was also reviewed by Karl in this article: VDownloader – Really Easy Video Downloader Software.

How To View Various Video File Formats In Windows Media Player

Now that you have downloaded your videos, here comes the tricky part. Per default, Windows Media Player only recognizes a limited amount of file formats, the standard video file format being .wmv. However, none of the options above download YouTube videos in that format. So what can you do?
You need to download and install codecs so that Windows Media Player can read all those file types. Don’t sweat, it’s a quick and easy three-step-program:

1. Go to Codec Guide and download any of the K-Lite Codec Packs, the basic one is sufficient.
2. Install the downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack.
3. Enjoy downloaded videos in Windows Media Player.

That’s it.

Conclusion

If you’re now wondering, why you would want to use Windows Media Player in the first place, I congratulate you. The answer is, I don’t know. Fact is, it’s much easier to download a media player that naturally supports all these file formats. Obviously, you will save yourself the hassle of installing codecs and trying to make it work with WMP. If you can live without WMP and would prefer an easy option, I highly recommend VLC Media Player.

This is the time to fess up! Do you download YouTube videos to your computer and in case you do, what is your reason? Do you mind sharing how many gigabytes the YouTube videos take up on your hard drive?

There are many great tutorials on the web for using a Mac to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on a PC. Unfortunately, you may be unable to follow such tutorials if you do not readily have access to a Mac to perform the preparation necessary for the installation.
Great progress has been made in hacking PCs to run OS X, and it is now possible to install Mac OS X without a Mac. Thanks to some great tools put together by some brilliant hackers, it is also much easier and does not involve nearly as much time and effort as was once required.

Step 1: Getting The Hardware Ready

I recently purchased the following set of hardware for the purposes of building a Hackintosh (often PCs running Mac OS X are referred to as such):

• Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale 2.93GHz
• Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 Motherboard
• 4 GB DDR3 1333 RAM (2 x 2GB)
• DVD Burner
• MicroATX Computer Case
• 585 Watt Power Supply
• 4-pin to 8-pin Power Adapter

The motherboard has an 8-pin power connector on it, and although it is possible to connect a single 4-pin connector to it, you may encounter odd issues running with just a single 4-pin connector. To ensure that you provide sufficient power to the board, you should purchase the 4-pin to 8-pin power adapter. Alternatively, you could purchase a power supply with 3x 4-pin connectors (1 for the 20+4-pin main connector, and 2 for the 8-pin connection) or an 8-pin connector.
I did not purchase a hard drive or video card, as I used some I already had from another PC, but you will need those items as well. As of the time this article was written, you can get a 1TB drive shipped for $75 and an NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT video card for $65.
I also purchased v10.6.3 of OS X Snow Leopard retail DVD for a mere $29 (was about $35 with shipping & handling).
All-in-all, the full system (without monitor) will run you around $600 (you could also add a 22″ monitor for $170). You could certainly try doing it even cheaper with different hardware, but you’ll need to figure out the appropriate changes to make in the BIOS and boot loader installation.
I did my best to put together a fairly modern system for a very reasonable price. Having used this set of hardware, I can affirm that it runs OS X Snow Leopard very well. Without a doubt, $600 – $800 is a far cry from what you would spend on an equivalent Mac from Apple. Granted it won’t be as compact or pretty as an iMac, but it will be just as functional.

Step 2: Putting The Hardware Together

If you purchase the hardware I used, along with a hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce video card, you should be able to follow the instructions exactly as I’ve laid them out. If you’ve never built a PC before but are willing to give it a try, you’ll definitely want to check out The Idiot’s Ultimate Guide to Build Your Own PC. It is a step-by-step guide to building your own PC, with plenty of photos to help you out.
You can try following this tutorial with existing hardware you have as well, although you may need to make adjustments when configuring the BIOS and installing the boot loader. The more modern your hardware is, the better the chances are it will work for you. It would be best if you have a 64-bit Intel dual-core (or quad-core) processor, although an older CPU might still work as well. I would recommend NVIDIA GeForce video card, but ATI cards should work too.

Step 3: Prepare The Boot Disk

In addition to the hardware and a retail copy of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you’ll also need a blank CD. You may want to use a rewritable CD if you’re using a different hardware configuration, just in case the first one I recommend doesn’t work for you. There are two boot disk images that will allow you to install OS X directly from the installation DVD:

• iBoot (by tonymacx86 and MacMan)
• Empire EFI (by Prasys)

I successfully used both of them with my hardware setup. However I recommend you try iBoot first, as it is a bit leaner and doesn’t take as long to boot. If you’re using my hardware configuration, be sure to download the iBoot Supported disk image. If you use Empire EFI, download the Empire EFI v1.085 R2 image.
You can use one of many free programs to burn CDs if you don’t have one. Be sure to use the disk image burning mode in your CD burning software. Do not just simply copy the disk image file to a blank CD. I like InfraRecorder, because it makes this very easy. All you have to do is click the Write Image button, select the image, and burn it. Once again, you may wish to use rewritable media if you’re using a different hardware configuration than mine.

Step 4: Bios Configuration

Fortunately, the Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 does not require a lot of configuration to run Mac OS X. When you first turn on or reboot the machine, press the delete key to enter the BIOS setup. You can just load the Optimized Defaults, and just make a few changes within three sections of the bios: Advanced BIOS Features, Integrated Peripherals, and Power Management Setup.
4.1 – First, go to Advanced BIOS Features and set the First Boot Device to CDROM. I have my USB drive as the second drive and then Hard Disk as third – you can configure yours the same way if you wish to ever boot from a USB drive. Just be sure that Hard Disk is the Second Boot Device or Third Boot Device.
4.2 – Next, configure SATA to run in AHCI mode in the Integrated Peripherals menu. You’ll need to set both PCH SATA Control Mode and Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode to AHCI.
4.3 – Finally, go to Power Management Setup and set the HPET Mode to 64-bit mode.

Step 5: Installing Mac OS X

5.1 – Insert the iBoot (or Empire EFI) boot disk.
5.2 – When you see screen below, eject the disk.
5.3 – Insert the Retail Mac OS X Snow Leopard DVD, wait a few seconds, and press F5.
5.4 – When you see the screen below, select Mac OS X Install DVD (it should already be selected) and press Enter.
5.5 – If all goes well, you should eventually see the language selection screen for the installer. If all did not go well and you do not make it to the language selection screen, try downloading a different version of iBoot or Empire EFI.
5.6 – Select your language and click the arrow to proceed.
5.7 – Next, you need to partition your drive. Click on Utilities > Disk Utility.
5.8 – Select your disk drive.
5.9 – Click Partition.
5.10 – Select 1 Partition for the partition scheme. Note: If you have a drive that is larger than 2 TB, do not create partitions larger than 1 TB. Split the drive into multiple partitions, and be sure the main installation partition is 1 TB or smaller.
5.11 – Enter a name for the partition (I used Hackintosh).
5.12 – Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the Format.
5.13 – Click Options…, select GUID Partition Table, and then click OK.
5.14 – Click Apply.
5.15 – Quit Disk Utility and proceed with the installation. Install on the Hackintosh partition.

Step 6: Installing the Boot Loader

Do not fret when you reboot after the installation and get a boot error, as you will need to first boot the machine with iBoot (or Empire EFI). Eject the Mac OS X Snow Leopard install DVD, put your boot CD back into the drive, and reboot the machine. Now when you boot up, you should see a second choice for your installation partition (Hackintosh if you named it that way). Select the Hackintosh partition and press Enter to boot into OS X.
Once you’ve completed the first-run setup, open up Safari and download Multibeast. Multibeast is another superb tool by tonymacx86 and MacMan that makes it stupid easy to install the boot loader, along with all the drivers necessary for your Hackintosh to function properly.
In addition to downloading Multibeast, you will need to download the DSDT for the Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 and copy it to the desktop. Be sure to save it as DSDT.aml. Launch Multibeast and make the following selections (your choices will differ if you have a different motherboard/hardware configuration):

• UserDSDT
• System Utilities
• Advanced Options > Kexts > Audio > LegacyHDA > ALC889
• Advanced Options > Kexts > Graphics > NVEnabler
• Advanced Options > Kexts > Network > RealtekR1000SL
• Advanced Options > Patched Kernels > 10.3.1 Supported Kernel

After MultiBeast finishes installing, eject the iBoot CD and reboot the system. You should be able to boot right up from the hard drive, and all your devices should work just fine.

Step 7: Getting Started with Your New Mac

So what now? Most certainly you’ll want to check out 5 apps to get more out of your new Mac as well as 15 must-have apps for your Mac. In fact, you should probably just go ahead and browse the entire Mac section on MakeUseOf, as you’ll find a wealth of great free stuff for your new Mac in there. And most importantly make sure to download MakeUseOf’s getting started manual for Mac. Highly recommended for switchers.
If ever you encounter into problems with your new Mac, you can always seek help from MakeUseOf Answers.
If you have any problems installing Mac OS X on your PC, just post a comment right here and we’ll do what we can to help. Just be sure to provide as much information about the hardware you’re using:

• Motherboard make and model (i.e. Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3)
• CPU model (i.e. Intel Core i3-530 )
• GPU model (i.e. NVIDIA GeForce 9900 GT)

I never managed to get sleep to work. When I try to put the computer to sleep, it sort of goes into a coma. The fans never shut down and the machine doesn’t wake up when you press the power button. If you manage to get sleep to work with my hardware configuration, please do feel free to share your solution in the comments on this article.
There are also many great forums and sites out there that provide a lot of information and assistance with running Mac OS X on PC. Here are just a few you may want to check out:

• tonymacx86 Forum
• InsanelyMac Forum
• Hackint0sh
• Prasys’ Blog
• OSx86 Project

If you do seek assistance from any of these or similar resources, be sure to search for your problem before posting it. You will be flamed to no end if you ask a question that has already been answered. Another tip for posting in these forums: never call it a MAC (in all caps) instead of a Mac, or you will solicit many abusive responses. Mac is an abbreviation not an acronym.
Here are a few more links that provide tools and files to help you set up a Hackintosh on hardware other than what I’ve mentioned here:

• myHack – Another bootloader/kext installer, similar to Multibeast
• Kexts.com – A good resource for downloading Kexts (device drivers)
• Kext Helper – A tool that makes it easy to install new Kexts
• Kext Utility – A tool to ensure proper kext installation
• Chamelon Boot Loader – The boot loader that pretty much all the boot disks out there use (including iBoot and Empire EFI).
• netkas PC EFI – Used in combination with Chameleon to provide maximum compatibility for booting OS X. Most boot disks use this as well.
• BootCDMaker (French) – Utility (for Mac) to create your own custom boot disks

A million thanks to tonymacx86 and MacMan for developing iBoot and Multibeast to make installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard on PC a piece of cake. Enjoy your new Hackintosh and let us know what you think of it!
Disclosure Statement: Please note that the links to the hardware in this article are affiliate links. MakeUseOf will earn a small commission on any purchases you make. Commissions earned will support the staff of MakeUseOf and allow us to continue to bringing you more great articles.
Disclaimer: Please note that running Mac OS X Snow Leopard on hardware other than a Macintosh is against the Mac OS X End User License Agreement (EULA). If you have concerns about this, you may wish to read Is Making Your Own Hackintosh Legal? By installing Mac OS X you are in breach of a contract (breaking a contract is not the same as breaking the law). As long as you own a legal copy of the software, you are not in violation of copyright law.

No, it’s not Spiderman’s latest web slinging tool but something that’s more real world. Like the World Wide Web.
The Invisible Web refers to the part of the WWW that’s not indexed by the search engines. Most of us think that that search powerhouses like Google and Bing are like the Great Oracle…they see everything. Unfortunately, they can’t because they aren’t divine at all; they are just web spiders who index pages by following one hyperlink after the other.
But there are some places where a spider cannot enter. Take library databases which need a password for access. Or even pages that belong to private networks of organizations. Dynamically generated web pages in response to a query are often left un-indexed by search engine spiders.

Search engine technology has progressed by leaps and bounds. Today, we have real time search and the capability to index Flash based and PDF content. Even then, there remain large swathes of the web which a general search engine cannot penetrate. The term, Deep Net, Deep Web or Invisible Web lingers on.
To get a more precise idea of the nature of this ‘Dark Continent’ involving the invisible and web search engines, read what Wikipedia has to say about the Deep Web. The figures are attention grabbers – the size of the open web is 167 terabytes. The Invisible Web is estimated at 91,000 terabytes. Check this out – the Library of Congress, in 1997, was figured to have close to 3,000 terabytes!
How do we get to this mother load of information?
That’s what this post is all about. Let’s get to know a few resources which will be our deep diving vessel for the Invisible Web. Some of these are invisible web search engines with specifically indexed information.

Infomine

Infomine has been built by a pool of libraries in the United States. Some of them are University of California, Wake Forest University, California State University, and the University of Detroit. Infomine ‘mines’ information from databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, mailing lists, online library card catalogs, articles, directories of researchers, and many other resources.
You can search by subject category and further tweak your search using the search options. Infomine is not only a standalone search engine for the Deep Web but also a staging point for a lot of other reference information. Check out its Other Search Tools and General Reference links at the bottom.

The WWW Virtual Library

This is considered to be the oldest catalog on the web and was started by started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the web. So, isn’t it strange that it finds a place in the list of Invisible Web resources? Maybe, but the WWW Virtual Library lists quite a lot of relevant resources on quite a lot of subjects. You can go vertically into the categories or use the search bar. The screenshot shows the alphabetical arrangement of subjects covered at the site.

Intute

Intute is UK centric, but it has some of the most esteemed universities of the region providing the resources for study and research. You can browse by subject or do a keyword search for academic topics like agriculture to veterinary medicine. The online service has subject specialists who review and index other websites that cater to the topics for study and research.
Intute also provides free of cost over 60 free online tutorials to learn effective internet research skills. Tutorials are step by step guides and are arranged around specific subjects.

Complete Planet

Complete Planet calls itself the ‘front door to the Deep Web’. This free and well designed directory resource makes it easy to access the mass of dynamic databases that are cloaked from a general purpose search. The databases indexed by Complete Planet number around 70,000 and range from Agriculture to Weather. Also thrown in are databases like Food & Drink and Military.
For a really effective Deep Web search, try out the Advanced Search options where among other things, you can set a date range.

Infoplease

Infoplease is an information portal with a host of features. Using the site, you can tap into a good number of encyclopedias, almanacs, an atlas, and biographies. Infoplease also has a few nice offshoots like Factmonster.com for kids and Biosearch, a search engine just for biographies.

DeepPeep

DeepPeep aims to enter the Invisible Web through forms that query databases and web services for information. Typed queries open up dynamic but short lived results which cannot be indexed by normal search engines. By indexing databases, DeepPeep hopes to track 45,000 forms across 7 domains.
The domains covered by DeepPeep (Beta) are Auto, Airfare, Biology, Book, Hotel, Job, and Rental. Being a beta service, there are occasional glitches as some results don’t load in the browser.

IncyWincy

IncyWincy is an Invisible Web search engine and it behaves as a meta-search engine by tapping into other search engines and filtering the results. It searches the web, directory, forms, and images. With a free registration, you can track search results with alerts.

DeepWebTech

DeepWebTech gives you five search engines (and browser plugins) for specific topics. The search engines cover science, medicine, and business. Using these topic specific search engines, you can query the underlying databases in the Deep Web.

Scirus

Scirus has a pure scientific focus. It is a far reaching research engine that can scour journals, scientists’ homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional intranets.

TechXtra

TechXtra concentrates on engineering, mathematics and computing. It gives you industry news, job announcements, technical reports, technical data, full text eprints, teaching and learning resources along with articles and relevant website information.
Just like general web search, searching the Invisible Web is also about looking for the needle in the haystack. Only here, the haystack is much bigger. The Invisible Web is definitely not for the casual searcher. It is a deep but not dark because if you know what you are searching for, enlightenment is a few keywords away.
Do you venture into the Invisible Web? Which is your preferred search tool?

This article really needs no introduction. There are many free anti-virus programs on the market, and you want to sort the wheat from the chaff. Fair enough. Documented here are the 10 best antivirus programs on the market.
While I won’t attempt to rank the programs here (in many ways the programs can’t be compared), I will attempt to give you an idea of under what circumstances they will be useful.
The order here for the 10 best antivirus programs  is mostly random, so be sure to read every entry if you want an idea of what will work for you.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Released by Microsoft in late 2009, Microsoft Security Essentials sports more than a typically verbose Microsoft name: it’s also a really good antivirus. Lightweight enough to run on older machines without crippling their performance, yet competent enough to handle most viruses and malware out there.
Perhaps the best part of MSE is its simplicity. As you can see, the user interface is really clear, with large buttons for the most basic functions. This is important if you’re setting it up on a computer for someone who is not computer-savvy.
Finally, MSE is completely free – there’s no professional version you can upgrade to. In fact, it’s even permissible to use in business situations, meaning you can use it at work without breaking the law. This alone sets it above most of the other selections for the 10 best antivirus programs.
Read more about MSE in Stefan’s article here or download MSE here.

AVG Free

This one recently topped our Movers and Shakers list of the top downloaded free anti-virus programs. But just because AVG is popular doesn’t mean it’s not great.
AVG has become synonymous with free anti-virus, and there’s a reason for this: AVG offers complete malware protection, with considerably less bloat than the top pay-to-use antivirus clients. And while AVG Free does constantly remind you that you could pay for the professional version of the program, it does this without ever getting in the way of the program’s core purpose: protecting you from viruses.
Though when it comes to upgrading one version of AVG to another, you need to make sure you’re good at reading what’s on screen, because the free download is only available via a tiny link at the bottom of the screen—the site really wants you to get the paid version. When upgrading to version 9 recently, for example, check out how hidden the free download was:
Not exactly a big link, is it? Figure this minor inconvenience out, however, and AVG is a a really good free anti-virus. Download AVG.

Avira Free

In terms of simplicity, Avira’s right up there with MSE. It’s fairly lightweight, too, so the comparison is quite apt. While Avira does have a paid professional version to peddle, much like AVG, it’s not quite as aggressive as AVG in peddling it. I’d say Avira is solid and worth looking into for sure. Download Avira Free here.

Avast! Free

If this competition were for the coolest name, the piratey Avast! would win hands down. Even though that’s not what we’re discussing, Avast! stands up pretty well. This is one of the top free anti-viruses on the market, and for good reason: it’s remarkably complete. Expect great all-around protection, including against trojans and spyware. You can also expect constant reminders that there’s a free version you can upgrade to, on your desktop and in your inbox. Still, the protection is solid.
Download Avast! here.

Malwarebytes

Whatever your default anti-virus is, you need Malwarebytes too. This program doesn’t run in your system background and constantly protect you, but when you run into a problem running Malwarebytes will usually take care of what other programs can’t. I’ve saved more than a few unbootable systems by running Malwarebytes from safe mode. This program takes care of any form of malware you throw at it, so keep it around. In fact, I’d keep this one on your flash drive in case you ever need to fix a computer for a friend (and if you’re reading this blog, you probably will).
Download Malwarebytes.

ComboFix

Consider this the nuclear option. If you know you’ve got a virus, but your usual anti-virus program can’t handle it, and Malwarebytes can’t handle it, it’s time for ComboFix. This program isn’t friendly: it runs from a command window and is proud of it.  And this is not a program you should use if you don’t know what you’re doing, because it can have devastating effects in the hands of the uneducated. But when all else fails, ComboFix delivers. Every geek should have this one on their keychain.
Download Combofix.

Clamwin

Clamwin is the Windows version of ClamAV, the main Linux anti-virus on the market. ClamWin is flawed in many ways: it simply scans instead of offering real-time protection, it doesn’t really do non-virus malware and it’s not exactly easy to use. Still, having ClamWin around doesn’t cost anything, and you can never have enough scanning tools in your arsenal.
Download ClamWin and see if you like it.

Panda Cloud AntiVirus

At first I thought the idea of a cloud-based antivirus was stupid, because it would only work while I’m online. Then it occurred to me: why the heck do I need an anti-virus when I’m offline?
As the name suggests, Panda Cloud Antivirus stores its virus definitions online. There’s an upside to this: your definitions are always up to date. There’s a downside, too, however: your anti-virus is constantly making use of your network connection.
I’d say this is a really good idea for underpowered PCs with constant access to the net. Like, say, a netbook. But if you’ve got a netbook you shouldn’t be using Windows anyway; switch to Jolicloud and you’ll have a functional netbook operating system immune to practically every virus.
Read a previously published article on Panda Cloud. Then download Panda Cloud Antivirus if you’re interested.

Comodo Firewall + Antivirus

Comodo is best known for its free firewall, but it also offers a bundled firewall and antivirus program. While the Comodo firewall isn’t the easiest to use, and the antivirus doesn’t include protection for non-virus forms of  malware, this one’s worth mentioning if you’re looking for a free security suite which includes both a firewall and anti-virus protection.
Download Comodo Free here.

Common Sense 2011

This one’s unusual in that it’s free and considered by far the best protection out there, yet can’t be downloaded anywhere. Without it, however, even the best security software is rendered useless.
If you haven’t already figured this out, Common Sense 2011 isn’t a product you can download so much as it is a state of mind. If you’re going to be free of viruses and malware you need to use your head while browsing the web. The most important thing to remember is this: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is—and your computer will probably be compromised.
Free porn usually isn’t. Warez are best to be avoided altogether. Nigerians that need your help transferring money are never actually princes or princesses. You get the idea: avoid shady sites online and you’ll find you’ll get far less malware on your machine.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great free anti-virus programs out there, but what you use is mostly a matter of preference. Myself, I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows machine because it’s free, lightweight and will never ask me for money. But I also make sure I always have Malwarebytes on my thumb drive for quickly removing viruses and malware from the computers of friends and family.
What about you? Which free anti-virus do you prefer? Commenting is good for you, so do so!

I love Google, Bing and Yahoo just as much as the next Internet user, but sometimes you really want to dig down into a particular subject.
In order to do that, you really need access to those underground search engines that may not be quite as well known, but they dig much more deeply into specialized areas of the Internet than the general search engines are capable of.
In many cases, these search engines are tapped into what is currently termed the “invisible web,” which is the information available on the Internet that standard search engines don’t have access to, because they are buried behind query forms or directory requests.

The following 6 underground search engines that I chose are not porn sites, illegal piracy sites or anything else that could get you in trouble with the law, or with your significant other. Instead, I term the following as “underground search engines” for two reasons. First, because they are so specialized that, although they are extremely useful, these search engines remain hidden from the general Internet population.
Second, because they provide a search service to a select community of Internet users who are interested in the specific subject matter that the search engine covers. So, in this article I’ll be covering seven “topical” search engines that I consider that best in that topic area.

#1 – The Best Torrent Search Engine

If you are a Torrent enthusiast, and you find yourself pouring through the hundreds of search engines that are available online for shared torrent files, then search no longer. Torrent Finder is one of the most impressive meta-search engines for Torrent files around. It methodically searches through over 170 torrent sites to identify the results that pertain to what you’re looking for.

#2 – Free Bargains and Deals

At MakeUseOf, you’ll find a lot of excellent resources for how to find awesome deals, such as coverage of the great bargain search engine FreshBargains. FreshBargains aggregates results from 15 top websites, which is excellent. However, another fantastic and barely known website to find freebies is called Prospector.

#3 – House Sales and Sales Foreclosures

Earlier, I wrote an article about the best websites to find foreclosed homes. Public government sources seemed to provide the most information without requiring a paid membership. However, somehow I missed AOL Foreclosures. This foreclosure search engine sifts through various sources of foreclosure listings from all across the country (U.S. only), and unlike the paid sites – it offers price, address, and as much information about the property as is available. AOL Foreclosures is one of the unsung heros of free foreclosure search engines.

#4 – Public Records Search Engines

Another very common sought-after search engine that isn’t always very easy to find are those that offer free public records information. Nine times out of ten, if you try to find such a search engine, you’ll end up with results from one of the major commercial companies trying to sell paid public records search results to you. However, the Public Record Center is different.

#5 -  A Legal Search Engine

Ever hear of a search engine that lets you dig up legal information from the web? Neither did I, until I discovered Cornell’s Legal Information Institute. This amazing little search engine digs through the Institutes extensive legal library and pulls out any information that you might need. This could include family law, criminal law, labor law and much more.

#6 Paranormal Search Engine

Of course, if we want to go really underground, we’ve got to go paranormal. And there’s really no better underground paranormal search engine out there than UFO Seek. Don’t let the name fool you, this particular niche search engine isn’t just focused on UFOs and aliens.
UFOSeek covers just about anything out there that’s paranormal, as well as new age, alternative health, science, the occult, ghosts and just about anything else that you might consider “fringe.” It’s one of my favorite search engines on the net.
Now that I’ve gone over a few of my favorite hardly-known, niche search engines, offer some of your own! What are your favorite underground search engines that you wish more people knew about? Share your insight in the comments section below.