Dr. Bob Spencer  - Downloads of Interest

The following downloads and information are used by me in my lectures and writings so that I kill fewer trees in the process of preparing handout materials. My Clients and frequent visitors also find these links of use for problem solving.

Free Magnifying Glass Tool. During my seminars, I use this great Magnifying Glass tool to help those in the back of the room see information displayed. You can download this free tool here Magnifying Glass Software. Another excellent magnifier and annotation tool for presentations is Zoomit. Find out more and download this free utility...

Free Microsoft Anti-virus Software. The software has been available for testing since June 2009. Security Essentials works with Windows XP (Service Packs 2 or 3), Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Free Windows Defender Offline Tool.  Sometimes, malicious and other potentially unwanted software, including rootkits, try to install themselves on your PC. This can happen when you connect to the Internet or install some programs from a CD, DVD, or other media. Once on your PC, this software might run immediately, or it might run at unexpected times. Windows Defender Offline Beta can help remove such hard to find malicious and potentially unwanted programs using definitions that recognize threats.

Data and Disk Encryption Tools. Protecting your data is critical, so visit sites like PGP, www.pgp.com or Truecrypt and learn more. True Crypt also offers free software to help you protect yourself at www.truecrypt.org.

Find out who has your permissions - You might be surprised how many apps have permission to post to your Facebook, Twitter and other accounts. This means they can impersonate you and your Social Network presence. Since so many people trust the people they follow, thinking you made a post may be the same as a recommendation!  Find out quickly and easily which Apps have Permissions to your accounts by going to www.mypermissions.org. 

Software to help you manage your technology for free! Do you know what applications are installed on all your computers? Do you have records for insurance purposes, or in case of a disaster? You can use either of these great free tools (or upgrade to the pay-to-use version) to get the job done: System Analysis Tool (Belarc) or WinAudit Tool to analyze your computer.  I recommend every business with a network or more than fifteen users implement a Help desk to track problems and better manage the technology in your office. Here is free software to help you get started SysAid Help Desk Software (free).  If you are a larger  business and looking for a tool to monitor network attached workstations, printers and so forth, perhaps this free network monitoring tool from Spiceworks is just what you need: Spiceworks Network Management Software (free).  Finally, in my consulting practice, I often find that people do not have proper power protection for their workstations and servers. This free tool from APC may help you get it right: UPS/Power Selection tool (APC).

Software to help you find Product Keys. I have been in disaster recovery mode, attempting to restore software when the Enter Your Product Key Information message comes up and pure panic ensues. Here is a great free utility with a funny name, the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder that is diffidently worth the download. Pay a few bucks and you can find the registration keys for a number of other apps, but this is a quick way to find your product keys for Windows OS and Microsoft Office apps.

Managing International Meetings?  Try this online free tool http://www.timeanddate.com/

Not all CPUs Support XP Mode Virtualization? There was a lot of Virtualization talk at the CPA America Combined conference in Denver. One critical point was that not all desktops or laptops support Virtualization. For a good list you can visit Tom's Hardware site for some short awnsers.

Sites to provide On-line backup. But how can you know which site is worth sending your data to, and which fits best into how you work and play? http://lifehacker.com has put together a spreadsheet comparison of the online storage sites of those that have stood the test of time, to help you out. Make sure you read about the sites security and their backup measures as well!

e-Discovery Links and research sites. I have started talking about the issues associated with electronic discovery in many of my seminars. Here are a few sites that might be of value if you are educating yourself on the subject. 

Electronic Discovery Reference Model –www.edrm.net (EDRM is the industry standard for describing the discovery process, offering excellent information around the intersection of legal and IT.)

• Electronic Discovery Law Blog –www.ediscoverylaw.com (Run by law firm K&L Gates, site summarizes judicial rulings and outcomes that affect e-discovery.

• E-Discovery Team Blog – www.Ralphlosey.workpress.com (Analyzes cases and rulings and their impact on discovery.)

• The Sedona Conference –www.thesedonaconference.com (We respected nonprofit legal research institute includes guidelines and best practice for e-discovery as well as commentary.)

Looking for hosted Peachtree Providers? Yup, here is a list of reputable SaaS providers, from Randy Johnston, that support Peachtree Accounting and Quantum box versions in a hosted environment. A Win-win for everyone.

• Insynq/CPAASP http://www.insynq.com/

• Right Networks http://www.rightnetworks.com/

• Realtime Bookkeeping http://www.realtimebookeeping.com/

• Real Time Data Services http://www.myrealdata.com/

• Personable http://www.personable.com/

• NetHost http://www.nmgi.com/

Looking for hosted QuickBooks Providers? SaaS for QuickBooks providers increasing. Here are three potential solutions to QuickBooks offered over the Internet as a complete service.

• Right Networks http://www.rightnetworks.com/
• In Sync http://www.insynq.com/
• Real Time Data Systems http://www.myrealdata.com/

The URL for the QuickBooks Financial Statement Designer for QB2010 is as follows:

http://http-download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/proadvisor/downloads/QBFSD_2010.msi

QuickBooks Company File - Database Element Dictionary

QuickBooks consultant, Chuck Vigeant, of consulting firm Accountigrate, created an interactive model of all the tables and associated fields in QuickBooks so we would know what each meant and where it came from. Chuck worked closely with Intuit in developing its ODBC SDK and the relationship between FLEXquarters and Intuit. If you are a QuickBooks user and using ODBC to access data directly from your company file you will want to access the table information from http://doc.qodbc.com/qodbc/Qodbc_20_us.html. Start with ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF ALL TABLES to see all the data that is available to you.