Split and Merge PDF Files with ArduoPdfMerger

We have already seen some free tools to merge PDF files. ArduoPdfMerger is a freeware tool which can be used to split or merge multiple PDF files. The tool is very simple and easy to use with good interface. The advantage of using this tool is that you can split the PDF based on the pages and you can remove any particular page from the original PDF and then merge the new files into one. This can be done for multiple PDF files.

 

 

The interface is pretty self explanatory, you need to click on the add button and select the PDF files. You can either chose to split the selected PDF or add the PDF as one file.

 

 

The splitting is done based on the number of pages in the original PDF file. Once you have added the PDF files, you can remove any particular page from any PDF, provided you have split based on pages.

Features of PDFMerger;

• Split a PDF file into many PDF files
• Extract pages form a PDF file
• Merge multiple PDF (or only a part) into a new PDF

This application requires .NET Framework 2.0. The application installer check its presence. If it is not installed, installer try to download and install it. Vista user have to run it as administrator to  handle protected files.

 

Download ArduoPdfMerger

 

Source: Life Rocks 2.0

Top 4 Sites To Add Special Effects To Your Images

‘A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words,’ so goes the famous saying. Images bring the creativity of its authors out in the open. Artists use many image editors, one famous example being Adobe Photoshop. But editing images and adding special effects to images is not that simple thing to do. So here are the top 4 sites to add effects to images and get stunning results.

 

 

 

 

1. MagMyPic

How can anyone not include this? One of the earliest sites to offer custom image effects on your own images. This site allows your images to appear as if it was the on the cover of any magazine or comic book. The magazine templates though do not many include famous ones, but there are some like vague. Visit it at http://www.magmypic.com/

 

 

 

 

2. PhotoFunia

Another wonderful site that allows your images to appear on tea-cups, bill-boards, magazine, art galleries…there are so many effects! The site currently boasts of more than  100 designs or ready-made templates. One special feature of this site is that some effects require your face to appear properly. For this the site has implemented face recognition technology. Pretty neat! Visit it at http://www.photofunia.com/

 

 

 

 

 

3. BeFunky

Originally started as a site to cartoonize your image, or add a cartoonish effect to your pictures, it now has 9 effects that include the cartoonizer (cartoon effect), inkify (drawn with ink), scribbler (pencil effect) and many more.  The most special feature of this site is that all of the image editing happens inside a flash application. Visit it at http://www.befunky.com/

 

 

 

 

 

4. WriteOnIt

A relatively new entrant into the field of image editing, this site offers the option of putting our slogans on pre-taken images. That is you get the template wherein a person is holding a placard. In this placard you can fill the slogan of your choice. Other effects include  magazine covers, background-images and putting your face on a celebrity’s body (Face in Hole mode.) Visit it at http://www.writeonit.org/

 

 

These four are my personal best’s. I’ve used it over and over and it still amazes me. Do you know of any more such sites?

Five Best Free System Restore Tools

 

Backing up data is a great way to minimize losses after a computing catastrophe. But what about restoring your actual system right away? Here are the five most popular options for our readers.

 

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite free system restoration tools for saving working computer states and bringing them back to life. You responded and we rounded up the top five free system restoration tools favored by Lifehacker readers for your consideration.

 

 

Macrium Reflect Free (Windows, Free)

 

Macrium Reflect Free is a no-cost but capable version of the popular Macrium Reflect disk imaging tool. With it you can back up your disk to network locations, optical and removable media, and other hard drives. A built-in scheduler and CD/DVD writing software make maintenance easy, and Macrium Reflect Free supports Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service, allowing for real-time, multi-version disc images. One of the strong selling points of Macrium Reflect Free is its compatibility with BartPE, as well as offering a free Linux-based recovery boot disc.

 

 

DriveImageXML (Windows, Free)

 

 

DriveImageXML creates thorough hard disk images, copies them from disk to disk, and offers browsing of backed-up disk images just like regular directories. That means if there are just a few files to grab from a previous image, there's no need for whole-cloth restorations, just a quick point-and-grab operation. Like Macrium Reflect Free, DriveImageXML supports Volume Shadow Copy, and is a free for personal use copy of the company's commercial software.

 

 

 

Paragon Drive Backup Free (Windows, Free)

 

 

Paragon Drive Backup is the free personal edition of Paragon's commercial disk imaging software, but supports a wider variety of disks and file systems than comparable backup tools. Paragon supports Microsoft Volume Shadow Services for real-time backup, and it can restore multiple partitions and disks in one shot following colossal hard drive failure. Restorations can be made from flash drives and CDs/DVDs created by the app. The user interface, as seen in the screenshot, is almost entirely wizard driven, making the sometimes arcane world of disk imaging more accessible to newcomers.

 

 

 

 

 

ImageX (Windows, Free)

 

ImageX was created as a tool for computer manufacturers and other large organizations with a need for imaging and deploying large numbers of computers. So it's primarily a command line tool, but because of its popularity with imaging geeks, a GUI, GImageX, was created for it seen in the screenshot here. Despite having several key limitations, most notably that it only works with modern Windows file systems, ImageX has quite a few excellent features if you're already rocking a Windows-centric house. Image sizes are smaller thanks to "single instancing," where a file appearing in multiple locations within the hard disk you're imaging is only stored once in the disk image. ImageX can also perform selective overwrites of your disk, allowing you to partially restore the contents of a disk image. The link provided above is to the information about ImageX on Microsoft Technet; to jump right to the download for ImageX use this link.

 

 

 

 

 

Clonezilla (Windows/Mac/Linux, Free)

 

 

Clonezilla is a powerful open-source disk imaging tool easy enough for new users to jump into. The deep-down features, though, may keep users around as their needs grow. The server edition allows for network-based bulk disk imaging, and Clonezilla itself supports over a half-dozen file systems covering Windows, Linux, and Mac-based machines. Even if you're using an obscure file system that isn't supported, you can still use Clonezilla, but you'll need to do a sector-to-sector copy instead of taking advantage of the efficiency and compression it applies when backing up a supported file system. The personal version of Clonezilla is a Live CD and customizable by the end user to meet a variety of needs in a variety of situations, with more than adequate documentation on the Clonezilla site to help you do so.

KnowEm : Checks the availability of user name on 120 popular Social Media websites

 

KnowEm is the latest in services that check for unclaimed user names at multiple social sites. This is helpful if you're interested in retaining the same user name at sites you haven't yet signed up for, or if you're on the verge of launching a new site or service and want to lock down that brand name before someone else does.

 

Most recently we checked out Namechk, which does the same thing for 84 different sites. KnowEm steps it up by searching in 120 places, as well as offering a premium service which will actually go to each site and sign you up. This doesn't come cheap though; it's $64.95, and it only goes to the sites where the user name is still available. It then sends the log-in information back to you so you can do things like change the password and where it's sending confirmation e-mails.

 

What's more, is that for $10 a month it can keep signing you up for any new services it adds to its search engine. It promises anywhere from 6 to 10 per month, but that can change depending on what new sites are introduced during that time.

 

Is it worth it to place your money, and trust in a service like this? It depends on how fast the providers are at adding the new sites and registering for you. If you've got an eccentric, or otherwise uncommon user name then yes, it will probably still be available. However, for more common names, you're better off keeping an eagle eye on your RSS reader and signing up for new services as soon as they're announced.

 

 

KnowEm checks 120 different sites to find you open user names, and for a price can sign you up to all the places where that name is still available.

List of Essential Free Windows Downloads 2009

We feature downloads of all kinds every day at IndyaOn. Today,I  am bundling all the best free downloads for new computer owners, re-installers, would-be geeks, or anyone who wants to save time installing the best stuff out there. This is my 2009 IndyaOn Pack for Windows computers.

Onto the list!

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Productivity

• Foxit Reader - Opens, save, and prints PDFs much faster and lighter than Adobe's official reader, whether on your desktop or through your browser, and it won't nag you every two hours to update it or its "components." There are some down-sides, like how it asks to install a browser toolbar during installation, and some reported difficulties with multiple monitors. But if a document absolutely won't work with anything but Adobe-sanctioned Reader, try Adobe Reader Lite, which cuts out all the "Maybe You'll Also Like" add-ons and extras out of Adobe's product and leaves just its basic rendering intact. [Download]

 

• Notepad++ - If you just want to write, save, and edit text, it's hard to go wrong with Notepad++. This freebie offers tabbed file views, syntax coloring for those working in HTML or other code, and, as the name implies, does a whole lot of what most people wish Notepad did. If you want a free office suite that offers most of what Microsoft's Office suite does, try OpenOffice.org. If you love working in the constantly-backed-up cloud, try the Zoho or Google Docs suites. [Download]  [Portable]

 

• Texter - Whether you write code, write out the same address repeatedly, or constantly misspell a certain word, Lifehacker's own text replacement app wakes up whenever you type certain phrases and then springs into action, saving you serious time and helping you avoid burdensome busy work. [Download (+Portable)]

 

 

 

Internet/Communication

• Firefox - All debates about security, memory use, or compatibility amongst the web browsers aside, Firefox can adapt to nearly anyone's browsing habits through a range of adaptations. Whether that's an extension/add-on , a Greasemonkey script , or some deep-down about:config tweaks, Firefox can probably be what you want it to be. Put down the Internet Explorer and slowly back away into a better web life. [Download]  [Portable]

 

 

 

• Pidgin - Do you ever use AOL/AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber, or even old-school IRC to chat online? Pidgin has you covered, and it's got plenty of recommendable plug-ins. It can tab your chats in a single window, update you on new emails, and work inside most any smiley system out there (which has, oddly enough, become a notable issue). And while the up-and-coming IM app and-then-some Digsby has garnered a lot of users, its large footprint and questionable installation choices (it's got a really unfriendly installer that tries installing a lot of adware) keep us firmly in the Pidgin camp for now. [Download] [Portable]

 

 

 

• Postbox - If you're not using your email's web interface, use this. It's basically Thunderbird, the open-source email client we'd previously included in our Lifehacker pack, but remixed with stronger, almost Gmail-like powers. It finds and indexes all the attachments in your email account, groups together conversations with similar subject chains with the "Gather" command (like Gmail's conversations), offers tabbed inbox and message views, and lets you organize emails under your own chosen "Topics." It's also got built-in easy setup steps for Gmail and other webmail systems—in other words, everything we're waiting to see Thunderbird implement. [Download]

 

 

 

Utilities

• 7-Zip - The fix-all archiving/un-zipping program. It basically fills in all the gaps in your system's compression abilities. Multi-file RAR packages, Mac-formatted archives, and even ISO images can all be opened, and the right-click integration makes it all too easy to do so. [Download]  [Portable]

 

 

 

• Everything - Does what you really want when you hit "Search" in Windows. It's really tiny, doesn't need to be installed if you don't want, and searches for files across your system with the speed of a jackrabbit gone rogue on old-school cold medicine. Faster than that, really, and it makes finding and deleting file types, digging through your browser cache, and any other file search task far faster. We used to recommend Google Desktop for a system-wide search tool, and it certainly has its merits—including some neat gadgets for Gmail and Google Calendar—but, in most cases, you're not going to need to find a single word out of every single document on your system. You just want that apples.doc thing, wherever it is, and Everything finds it as fast as you can type it. [Download (+Portable)]

 

 

 

• µTorrent - Also known as uTorrent. If you're a complete newcomer to BitTorrent, uTorrent makes it easy. Install it, and any torrent file you click on is automatically handled and grabbed by uTorrent, and saved in your Downloads folder, making a seemingly nerd-core activity as easy as opening an MP3.If you're a BitTorrent pro, you should know that uTorrent's features—remote control and download starting from the web, a phone, or using Dropbox—truly set it apart. [Download]

 

 

• Revo Uninstaller - Windows doesn't always remove everything that a program leaves behind—file folders, Start menu items, menu entries, you name it. Revo Uninstaller does. It runs a standard uninstaller, then it searches your system for everything the program changed or touched while it was installing. If you don't know the name of a program you want to kill off, or don't see it offered when Revo starts up, choose "Hunter Mode" and click on a window or message from that program. Got annoying programs that start up with your computer without permission? Yeah, Revo handles them too. It's like the software equivalent of bleach. [Download (+Portable)]

 

 

 

 

• TeraCopy - Windows is slow, and occasionally fails, at copying large files, or just big batches of them. TeraCopy copies things between destinations faster, with more options on what to replace or skip based on file dates, and can actually be (gasp!) paused if you need to do something else while The Complete Works of Woody Allen are being transferred. [Download (+Portable)]

 

 

 

• ImgBurn - It does just about everything you can possibly do with a CD, DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD disc, and the image files that make them. Use this instead of the software that came with your system or add-on disc drive, because it can make music discs, data backups, video DVDs, and other projects with grace and speed, and all for free. [Download]

Photos & Video

• Picasa - One of the few software recommendations that this editor's wife, parents, and other relatives actually stick with after installation. Google's free software indexes your computer's pictures and makes them a snap to flick through, lightly edit without a Photoshop degree, and share through email or uploading to Picasa Web Albums (or an add-on button). Most important of all, it makes importing pictures from any digital camera a lot more intuitive than Windows' own process. [Download]

 

 

 

• VLC - Got a video or audio file to play? VLC probably plays it. Don't like how naggy and heavy-running Windows Media Player is? VLC is lighter. Want it free, working on any system, and have it show album art from your tracks? Done and done. [Download]  [Portable]

 

 

 

Music

• If you own an iPod or iPhone—iTunes - For seamless syncing between your iPhone or iPod devices and your music collection, it's hard to beat iTunes—which is, of course, Apple's intended outcome. There are other iPod-to-computer solutions, but none are really worry-free and seamlessly integrated with everything an iPod can do, including updates, album art transfers, and, in the case of iPhones and iPod touch models, backups. It's not that bad a music manager, either, especially if you've got a huge collection or compatible Apple devices, like AirTunes-capable speakers.  [Download]

 

 

 

• No iPhone or iPod—Songbird - Like iTunes, except open-source, open to killer add-ons, and much more web-savvy—point it at a web page full of music, and it plays it like it's just really fancy playlist. It can, in fact, play Apple-formatted tracks with a (default) add-on, including any older, copy-protected songs you bought from iTunes, and manages non-iPhone/touch iPods fairly well, but you'll still need iTunes for restoring, upgrading, and backing up your device. For music in general, though, Songbird is a nice midway point between iTunes' big, big tent and a tight little open-source player. [Download]

 

 

 

 

File Backups/Syncing

• Dropbox - Put simply, Dropbox makes synchronizing your files across Windows, Mac, or Linux systems a very simple, almost magical process. Put a copy of what you're working on or want saved in your Dropbox folder, and it's synchronized to your account, which has 2GB to start with, and gets bigger if you recommend friends. When you're at another one of your own computers, your Dropbox updates and grabs those files. If you're at someone else's system or on a smartphone, head to Dropbox's mobile-friendly site and grab what you need. It's not quite a backup tool, but it is one of those utilities that makes a lot of old habits—thumb drive copying, CD burning, multi-email self-mailing—seem unnecessary. [Download]

 

 

 

• Mozy - If Dropbox is where you stash the stuff you're working on or enjoying at the moment, Mozy is the backup service that saves everything for when your system goes black on bootup. The free accounts for PCs (and Macs) offer 2GB of free online space, and with the really smart filtering tools, you can have Mozy crawl your whole system and back up financial documents, Excel sheets, and any file with "Rick" in it. If you spring for a monthly unlimited plan, Mozy is a smart whole-system saver, one that doesn't eat bandwidth when you're using it, and works when you're not working. [Download]

 

 

 

 

Security

• KeePass - It's where you keep your passwords, and create one password to track them all. It has lots of great plug-ins for your browser, other programs, and cool functionality. And it's available for every platform, so you never have to fear losing all the secrecy you pour into its secure little well. [Download]  [Portable]

 

 

 

• AVG Free - We actually prefer versions of this free anti-virus app earlier than 8.0 for their, shall we say, more quiet and subtle operation. But it still does a good job of keeping up to date on the latest virus threats and protecting against them, when needed. [Download]

 

 

 

• Spybot Search & Destroy - Just read through the list of what Spybot protects against—trackerware, info-tracking cookies, homepage hijackers, trojans, pop-up producers, keyloggers, advertising controllers—and you'll want to stop thinking about what a trip around the net leaves inside your system. Spybot is a tested and true veteran of the net annoyance wars, and has a support network of enthusiastic updaters. [Download]

 

• Ad-Aware - It somewhat crosses over with Spybot's protection, but if you (or a friend/relative) have a system that's regularly filled with mysterious, malicious stuff, it's never a bad idea to let Ad-Aware comb through and safely clean the cruft out. [Download]

 

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