Our theme for the PC Alamode this month is the Internet; therefore, I have included Internet shareware and freeware for your consideration.  All of these programs work with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.

The newest version of Pop-Up Stopper supports Internet Explorer 5.x and 6.x, and now supports Netscape 4.x. It also adds two pop-up control modes to further customize your surfing experience. Other new features include new pop-up control technology and more sounds to play as pop-ups are blocked. There are three versions of this program: free, professional electronic version for $19.95, and professional CD version for $29.95.   PanicWare . 

Stop popup ads for good! AdsGone pop up killer prevents pop up and popunder ads from opening while you browse the Web. AdsGone also blocks banner ads too! It works by tightly integrating with your browser so popup ads don't have a chance. AdsGone is fast, simple, stable, works with any browser, and doesn't interfere with your computer like some other ad blocking software we've tested. AdsGone also makes browsing faster by preventing ad content from loading. This release is a major update.  You can try it for 15 days free, but if you want to keep it the cost is $14.95. A1 Tech 

PopUpCop suppresses popups and a variety of other annoyances that, unchecked, degrade the quality of your Web experience. This add-on for Internet Explorer version 5.0 and above will make your Web browsing experience more satisfying. Now blocks more types of PopUps, including requests to change your home page. Added online help. Improved install. This shareware is less than $20. PopUp Cop 

Internet Download Manager version 3.03 can increase your download speed by up to 500 percent, and schedule or resume broken downloads. Internet Download Manager's resume capabilities can recover broken downloads from lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or even an unexpected power shutoff. The program features dynamic file segmentation, multipart downloading technology, and it reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages. Smart in-speed technology dynamically adopts all settings to your particular connection type in order to maximize your download speed. 

Internet Download Manager supports download queues, firewalls, proxy and mirror servers, redirects, cookies, directories with authorization, and a large number of different server platforms. The program integrates seamlessly into Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator to automatically handle your downloads. The program also features download logic optimizer, virus checking, and various appearance settings. Try it for 60 days free of charge or register for $24.95.  Tonec 

A nice freeware package from SpeedBit, Download Accelerator is a download accelerator/manager that can increase download speeds by up to 300 percent. It features multi-server connections to provide the best possible performance from your dial-up or broadband connection. Download Accelerator can also recover from lost connections, computer shutdowns, and other errors. This program even searches for mirror sites to maximize your download performance. It integrates fully into Internet Explorer, Netscape (including Netscape 6.x), and Opera, supports proxy servers, features automatic hang up after download completion, download scheduling, dial-up configuration, an AlwaysResume feature that will resume broken downloads from servers that do not support resume functions, and more. 

The newest version includes a convenient toolbar that integrates with Internet Explorer and includes a file leecher, downloadable link highlighter, integrated search bar, and more. DAP 5.0 also features the ability to import and export downloads lists, operate triggered sounds, password management, and the option to save files to different folders based on their file extension.

WebCopier is an offline browser that downloads Web sites and stores them locally on your hard drive. WebCopier performs precise link searching, including JavaScript parsing, and can download up to 100 files simultaneously. It can also print an entire Web site or only specific parts. WebCopier offers support for proxy servers and allows you to specify an account name and password to access secure Web sites. It also lets you schedule projects to download, specify download levels, and restrict downloads to certain links only. 

This version features a new skinnable user interface, a redesigned "Download Info" window, the ability to keep previous log file and query strings in the file name, and more.  It’s shareware for $30 WebCopier 

FlashGet 1.1, a freeware program from Amaze Soft is shareware designed to improve speed and storage of downloads. By splitting files into parts and downloading them simultaneously, the downloading speed increases from 100 to 500 percent. FlashGet is capable of creating unlimited numbers of categories. Each category has a specified hard drive directory. Files placed in categories will be stored in the specified directory. The powerful and easy-to-use management features help you to organize your files in a way that you had never organized before. 

For $69.95 you may be able to solve your computer security problems with iOpus STARR Stealth Activity Recorder & Reporter.  This shareware program is the all-round, award-winning Desktop Security Monitoring tool. It allows companies and individuals to track the use/abuse of PCs easily and invisibly. It logs keystrokes, user names, passwords, path names, access times, windows titles, BOTH sides of a CHAT conversation, AOL, and visited Web sites into a password-protected encrypted file. The encrypted log file can be converted to plain text, HTML, or spreadsheet (e.g., Excel) format to fit different evaluation needs. In the stealth mode, STARR does not show up in the system tray, task bar, or task list. For remote surveillance of networked PCs STARR can invisibly e-mail the log file to another PC via any standard e-mail account or save the log directly to the server using any Local Area Network (LAN). It contains an installation wizard for extremely easy setup and use. With STARR, you will know who is doing what on which PC, and you can, if you wish, even let them know you know.  iOpus