Computer Freebies (Windows PCs)
Free Software
Legal, Free and Reputable Software. For Windows unless it says otherwise.
- Libre Office - Not far removed from Microsoft Office but at the right price. Its predecessor Open Office originally came from Sun Microsystems (Sun Office). then the developers of OO branched off to produce Libre Office, while the Open Source community persisted with OO. Both are closely compatible with the latest Microsoft Office file formats. Reads/writes: doc, docx, txt, xls, ppt, etc., just set up the preferences and forget it. Also exports Acrobat 'pdf' files, which 'MS Office' can't do. Loads of 'extensions' are available for foreign dictionaries, clipart, thesauruses, et cetera. About 200MB download but worth it. Versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Oxygen Office - Enhanced version of Open Office including including clipart and other extras and it accepts the same extensions. The download page pushes free antivirus software but that would be downloaded separately, if needed. Very big download, more than 350 MB. Alternative download at Sourceforge. Versions for Windows and Linux.
- PDF Creator - Creates reasonable pdf files from just about anything - but not always perfectly. Well, it is free. You 'print' to it as though it was a printer, then input a name and location to save the file.
- Kindle Reader for PC - Nice freebie from Amazon to read this popular e-book format, with a dictionary built-in.
- Art of Illusion - Fiddly 3D modelling program. AutoCad it ain't.
- Inkscape - Vector graphics editor along the lines of Adobe Illustrator or Corel Xara. Seem to recall that it was tricky to use but not sure if it was this program or something similar.
- 7-Zip - This is a file compressor/extractor with a high compression ratio like Winzip or WinRaR but free. Pack/unpack: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR. Unpack only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, MSI, WIM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS. Old-fashioned user interface but it works OK.
- Gimp - Advanced image editor (sort of Photoshop, Paintshop Pro sort of thing). Fiddly and messy interface and I never liked it. Supposed to be powerful if you care to learn it. Windows and Linux.
- Gimpshop - Based on the Gimp but with a better user interface. Windows and Linux.
- XnView - View and convert a wide range of graphics formats. Useful for sorting digital photos, batch renaming and some basic editing. Limited video file viewer. I recommend it. Windows and a weaker version for Linux.
- Photofiltre - Graphics program from France with some interesting-looking effects. Free for non-commercial use. Portable version too.
- Audacity - Records and edits sounds as a basic wave editor. A sort of poor man's Sound Forge or Wavelab. Add the 'VST enabler' - to use VST plug-in effects.
- Wavosaur - Another basic wave editor with support for VST plug-ins and ASIO. Simpler than Audacity but it has an oscilloscope and spectrum analyser.
- Scribus - Something like MS Publisher or InDesign, this DTP is handy for newsletters, ransom demands, etc. Has CYMK colour and ICC colour management. It is good but it's for high-quality printing, not the internet, so file sizes can be large.
- Camstudio - Captures on-screen events to create video clips for powerpoint, etc. Handy if you want to make a 'How to use this program' presentation.
- Monex - Personal finance manager with double-entry bookkeeping, whatever that is.
Free Security and Protection
Be very careful with USB memory sticks or other media from outside the home. There's a high probability of school/college computers having viruses and a low probability of media being properly scanned before leaving their premises. Many viruses can necessitate a complete re-install if they get embedded into a system and you stand to lose everything - photos, documents, projects, etc. You might end up re-purchasing an operating system and programs that you use every day and waste time and trouble setting everything up again. Alternately, you might have to buy a new computer. It is better to be careful.
Antivirus and firewall software is absolutely essential but there are reputable ones out there for free, if you don't mind separate programs to cover both functions. The bundled versions are always to pay for. These are quite easy to install but, after downloading, uninstall any old ones before trying to install the new one. Don't worry that a new firewall will disable the built-in Windows firewall. Always keep security software up to date (as in 'check for updates') and schedule the antivirus to scan at least once a week.
- 'Free AVG' - An excellent free antivirus. I think it works better than McAfee and it scans plugged-in memory cards and USB sticks before they can auto-run bad things.
Tip - turn off auto-run or hold down a shift button when you insert a CD to stop it from auto-running (Windows). Also a Linux version.
- Avira - Another free antivirus. Used to be called 'Antivir' and it still uses the same little umbrella symbol. Look for the 'Classic' version.
- Malwarebytes - Small program which does a quick but very effective scan. Use the free version. I recommend this one and you don't need to uninstall the antivirus to use it.
- Spybot - Reputable spyware scanner. Must do some good because the virus writers try to stop it from working. It won't conflict with the antivirus
- Superantispyware - Go for the free version. Most of the buttons nag you to pay for the full version but the free spyware scan is worth having. It won't conflict with an installed antivirus.
- Windows Defender - Free spyware scanner from Microsoft. (Vista and Win7 have it built-in already)
- Windows Security Essentials - Another one from Microsoft which does more than just Defender on its own. But we all know that the hackers will have this one firmly in their sights.
- Zonealarm - Well-regarded firewall. This link goes straight to the file download (it's hard to find on the website). Right-click the mouse over the link and then click 'save target as'. During install, stick to the free options. They have all sorts of tricks to get you to upgrade to a pay-for version. You can get all that you need for free.
- McAfee Tools - Download and run the latest 'Stinger' for an emergency antivirus check. It won't conflict with the installed anti-virus program.
Free Utilities and Others
- Piriform - 'Free for private use' programs:
- CCleaner - Decent cleanup utility. But I advise against using the more advanced registry options, only the first cleanup bit. (Download page - top-right)
- Defraggler - Lightweight program to defragment hard disc drives and memory sticks. Works well. (Download page - top-right)
- Recuva - Useful to recover accidentally deleted files from hard disc or corrupted camera card. (Download page - top-right)
- CPU-Z - Little free-standing program reads and saves essential PC hardware information, such as: CPU, mobo, memory config, graphics, various frequencies, etc.
- Foxit Reader - Reads Acrobat pdf files without Acrobat bloatware. It is still freeware although the web page imples otherwise. Click 'Download' and ignore the (pay-for) 'Pro' version.
- Networx - Handy utility to keep track of online usage. Set it up to give a warning when you are close to a monthly download limit. (Download page)
- Picasa - Picture editing utility from Google but files emailed from it can be poor.
- HDTune - Check the hard disc for efficiency. I found the free version useful when investigating lumpy video capture. The Pro version costs money.
- Gutenberg Project - Download free books. Mostly quite old classics.
Free Video Progs
- DVD Flick - This is really good for burning Video DVDs from just about any sort of video files, including Youtube 'flv'. You must have a DVD burner installed first, of course. Highly recommended. Windows.
- VLC Media Player - Plays more formats than Windows Media Player, such as DVDs, wmv, avi and Youtube Flashvideo flv. Versions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix...
- Quick Media Converter - Convert video clips such as flv, DivX, Xvid, WMV, Quicktime, DVD, VCD, Playstation, WMV, WMA, Wii, etc. and some sort of webcam support too. Ignore the heavily-advertised AVS link as it isn't entirely free. QMC is itself free. Ignore the 'unauthorised version' box at startup which shows if you are not on-line at the time.
- Cinerella - Pro-sumer non-linear video editor ('NLE') and compositor for Linux only. It has lots of features including HD and surround sound but you can bet that installing it will be a pain.
- Lightworks Beta - Another free NLE. This video editor is free now as a beta for testing but it is not clear if it will stay that way. Updated 29th Nov 2011. Windows.
- VLMC - From the same people as VideLAN, this is another free NLE but it looks a bit basic to a fan of Vegas Video. Versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- DVD Shrink - Re-edit Video DVDs to strip out all the extras, then burn it to a new DVD. It hasn't been updated in a long time and the original website has gone - but it still works well. So they say.
Free Web Browsers
- Opera - The first tabbed browser. Very fast and definitely my favourite. Versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Firefox - Very good browser with a lot of enthusiasts. Its usage comes second after Internet Explorer. Versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Safari - Primarily a Mac web browser but now available for Windows. Very spartan.
- Chrome - Google's web browser - but do really you trust Google to not record all of your browsing activity. They are a bit sneaky, you know.
Freeware and Open Source Links
- Ninite - A website which provides an easy way to download all of the common freebies.
- Filehippo - Popular and long-established source of a lot of free software. Also have a look at the anti-malware section for free protection.
- Moneysavingexpert - Not an obvious place to look for Open Source and Freeware but it's worth a shufti.
- PCtoptips - All free but the list looks to be way out of date. Probably loads of linkrot.
Sort-of Free
- Serif Software - They sell software but these lovely people also give away their 'Starter Editions.'
Eskia Computers
Here's a little plug for my old mates at Eskia Computers in Oxspring. They are very helpful to this website. www.eskia.co.uk
Tweakers:
Computer Tune-up and Maintenance (Out of Date Section)
Sections here started in 2000 and were intended for Windows 98 and Windows 2000 Operating Systems. They have not been updated much and are well out of date now. Many of the problems on older PCs were with limited memory and HDD storage but these days that is not a problem. Some of it might still be relevant but you must regard the advice as being at your own risk. Here goes:
Don't touch a thing unless you know how to get
out of trouble and - most important - don't ask me. If your copy of XP is old, I recommend the Service Pack 3 update. In time-honoured computer tradition, this section starts with number zero.
It is good policy to make changes one at a time and reboot the
computer between changes if you are not confident, then you can undo things more easily. Windows XP has a useful 'roll-back' feature. First thing to do is install an antivirus
program and a firewall make sure that they are frequently updated (they all have an update facility). An unprotected computer on the internet will certainly attract trouble within a short time.
