Top 20 Temporary and Disposable Email Services

Top 20 Temporary and Disposable Email Services

There are many instances when a disposable e-mail service comes in handy. For instance, a website requires you to register with your e-mail address in order to download a "free" software program. Or, if you want to search a website's database, you have to create a free account using your e-mail address as your user id. Whatever the case, there is always a potential abuse of e-mail address. The website can send you unwanted newsletters, ads or promos. Worse, the website can see your e-mail address to a third party - despite the fact their privacy policy forbids such a thing.

Disposable e-mail services create temporary e-mail address which works like ordinary e-mail address. However, they hide your real identity. Many of these disposable e-mail services offer a plethora of extra features. For example, some allow you to set the lifespan of e-mail address - 10 minutes to 10 days. Some forward received e-mail messages to your real e-mail address. Some even allow you to create a name for the e-mail address. For example, sleazycompany@mailinator.com.

The vast majority of these services are free. The article reviews a list of 20 disposable e-mail services. You don't need to use all of them. My personal favorite is Jetable, a French company. I like it because it allows me to set the lifespan of the e-mail address as well as forward any messages.

Remove Stubborn Files

New software programs offer more features and speed. However, this growth is not without its share of problems. In fact, as software becomes more and more sophisticated, it becomes bloated and more cluttered. As a result software programs become harder to uninstall. Yes, it is true that most programs come with their own uninstaller. But, they still leave remnants of the program on the computer, such as orphan registry keys and .dll library files. It has become such a problem that several major software makers have developed their own special removal tools, including: McAfee, Nero and Symantec.

• McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool

• Nero Clean Tools

• Symantec Removal Tool

For example, a colleague of mine recently decided to switch from McAfee Antivirus to Symantec Norton Antivirus. He used McAfee regular uninstall program and not their Consumer Product Removal Tool (MCPRT). After uninstalling McAfee, he tried to install Norton Antivirus. But, Norton Antivirus refused to install because it detected the presence of another antivirus program. You guessed it. There was enough trace McAfee registry keys and files left behind to prevent Norton Antivirus from installing, which was to be expected since 2 antivirus programs installed on the same computer just doesn’t work. Running MCPRT would remove the trace elements but it would create another problem. MCPRT not only removes McAfee Antivirus but all McAfee products, including McAfee SpamKiller, McAfee SiteAdvisor and etc.

There are other problems such as the dreaded “can’t locate install.log.” In situations such as these you need is a dedicated uninstaller program. Many of uninstaller programs are bundled with utility suites, such as: TuneUp Utilities 2007 and Iolo’s System Mechanic 7. Others are standalone programs such as Your Uninstaller and Total Uninstall. All the programs I mentioned come with a free trial period so you can try them before deciding to purchase it.

BetaNews | Zango Sues Spyware Remover, Again

BetaNews | Zango Sues Spyware Remover, Again

This is rich. Zango, previously known as 180Solutions, has filed suit against PC Tools, a well established security software maker. In particular, Zango accuses PC Tools' Spyware Doctor of falsely labeling its software as malicious. The suit asks for $35 Million USD as compensation. This is an old tactic used by Zango in the past to intimidate security software makers to delist their software products. In November 2005, Zango sued Zone Labs for falsely labeling their software as adware and/or spyware. But, by then, both the federal government and public were wary of Zango products and actions. Zango later dropped the lawsuit without any explanation.

In November 2006, the federal government charged Zango with deceptive tactics to install their software on personal computers without user's knowledge and approval. In addition, their software was designed to make it very difficult to remove. Zango settled out of court with the federal government and paid a fine of $3 million USD to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). After the settlement, top executives at Zango pledged to totally revamp their advertisement operation with promises to end distribution of what many considered adware. Well, true to form, this was another ruse and Zango is back to its old dirty tricks.

Unlimited storage, it’s coming! - Yodel Anecdotal

Unlimited storage, it’s coming! - Yodel Anecdotal

Yahoo! announces unlimited storage space for Yahoo! Mail. This includes all free mail accounts. Yahoo! will be slowly rowing out the unlimited storage, so don't panic if you haven't gotten it yet.

BetaNews | Microsoft Preps 7 Security Bulletins

BetaNews Microsoft Preps 7 Security Bulletins

Next week Tuesday, Microsoft plans to release 7 security patches. Microsoft will not release details about the patches until Tuesday; however, it is known that 1 of the patches will address a DNS vulnerbility in Windows 2000. Other patches will most likely include fixes for Microsoft Office and Windows XP.

TrendSecure | TrendProtect™ Overview

TrendSecure TrendProtect™ Overview

Many of you might be familiar with Trend Micro, a leading security software company. Trend Micro Internet Security Suite is one of the most popular security software bundle. What you might not know is that Trend Micro has a number of free products which can protect Internet users. With phishing scam on the rise, there is an increasing need to identify fake websites. TrendProtect is a plugin for both the Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers which identifies phish websites. In addition, the plugin also scans individual webpages for malicious content. For a more in-depth review of TrendProtect read PC Magazine's review article.