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WARNING : Increasingly I find that when trying to download a free program I am being tricked into downloading other programs which I do not want. The owner of the free program is getting a commission every time you download the alternative. A good example is the excellent media player VLC, which I recommend as it is capable of playing far more video and audio formats that Windows Media Player (and there are a LOT). If you find that you have downloaded other programs that you do not want it is usually easy to uninstall them. Alternatively, do get in touch with me at paterson.keith@gmail.com and I will try to help.
For an explanation of the problem see http://ask-leo.com/why_did_i_not_get_the_download_i_wanted.html He calls it 'the cost of free'
Please note that the Google Pack, which included many useful programs, was discontinued in 2011
VLC from Videolan is a good media player and it is free. But
they are making something by agreeing to allow additional downloads to accompany
the main download. In fact, even from the main Videolan site I counted FOUR
additional programs that one has to carefully avoid. So, to get VLC
alone I recommend that you go to
http://www.filehippo.com/ But
before starting the download be sure to untick all three boxes referring
to Babylon. Otherwise it will replace your home page when you open
your Browser.
At the next stage exit the Babylon screen with the X without accepting it
with OK
On the next screen avoid each of the following : Start Scan Now; Is
your PC Slow? and Fix Windows Errors
Now start the download and click the VLC installer shown at the bottom of the page and follow the remaining instructions. You CAN leave the tick in the box regarding updates from VLC. Not sure about the other one. Safer to untick it.
It really is annoying that that most free programs have caught on to this way of making commission from other software companies but I suppose we have to live with it.
If you have found Babylon has crept into your machine then go to Add/Remove programs and uninstall it. It is NOT malware but it gets installed by surreptitious small print and that is not nice. For further details see Q & A for a way to remove it.
An excellent site on free software is
www.thesimpledollar.com
It is a bit dated these days but only a couple have gone to the software
heaven.
My favourite download site us
www.filehippo.com, even for programs
like Ccleaner
http://www.educational-freeware.com/ Very useful for youngsters.
So, from the Top Free Hundred, what do I suggest ? Many links to these
programs are lower in this page
Video/Picture manipulation : DVD Flick, DVD Styler, Windows
Live Movie Maker, PhotoStory3, Windows DVD Maker (Vista and
W7 Pro), Lightworks, Picasa
Video downloader Freemake
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/fmvideodl.html
(do the Advanced download to prevent it taking over your browsing)
Capture your screen actions Camstudio (for creating
tutorials)
Graphics : Irfanview, TheGimp, Google Sketchup, , Picasa3
Media Players : VLC, (see instructions above) ReralPlayerSP.
Klite Codec Pack
Backup/CD?DVD Burners CDburnerXP, Imgburn. GFI Backup 2009,
Cobian Backup
Office Suites : Lotus Symphony/ Open Office, OxygenOffice
Pro
Optical Character Recognition. Simpleocr (with a scanner)
Accounts : Turbocash Accounting
Communication : Skype, Msnmessenger, Yahoo Messenger,
RSS: Feedreader
Security : Microsoft Security Essentials, File Shredder,
Avast (AV), Keepass (password list)
Partitioning Easus
Anti Malware : Malwarebytes, Superantispyware, Spyware Search
and Destroy, Mcafee Adviser
Design : Artweaver, Google Sketchup, Blender, Kompozer, DoubleCad
Free
Cleanup : Ccleaner.
Online Storage : Dropbox, Googlemail (allows 7gb free)
Other : Notepad2, Gadwin Prrint Screen, or my favourite: Mwsnap.
PDF creator, Recuva ( recover deleted files even on a memory disk), PDF Reader
: Foxit NOT Acrobat
Genealogy Family Tree Builder
Remote access Logmein or Windows own.
Clear unwanted programs from a new PC : Pcdecrapifier
Clear data or everything from an old PC Eraser
www.heidi.ie/eraser
Startup analyser and reducer Soluto
Cloud Computing These days you do not even have to load software on your computer. If you have a good (broadband) connection to the net you can use programs that are 'up there in the cloud'. Here are just a few that can be used instead of Microsoft Office. So you can create or amend documents (Doc and Docx), spreadsheets (XLs), presentations (PPT) without buying Office 2007. Incidentally the latest version of Open Office can also open these file types
ZOHO: http://www.zoho.com/ Zoho is probably the best online office suite that I have come across so far. Its whole office suite comes with the Zoho write (word processor), sheet (spreadsheet), show (presentation), wiki, creator (database management), notebook, planner (calendar), meeting and chat. Some of its great features include the option to publish the content to your blog, convert your files to pdf, tagging for easy retrieval, template library and a small bookmarklet that allows you to add content to your zoho account as you surf the Web.
Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/ Google Docs provides a simple word processing, spreadsheet and presentation editing tool. Its main advantage is its ability to integrate Gmail, Google Calendar and other Google services seamlessly. While it is not comprehensive in its feature, it is definitely the most heard of (probably the most popular) in the Web.
ThinkFree Online: http://www.thinkfree.com/ ThinkFree is probably the online office suite that resemble Microsoft Office the most, including the toolbars, icons and functions. In fact, it claims to be fully compatible with Microsoft Office files. ThinkFree also provide you with 1GB storage space, which you can use it as an online backup for your local files.
Live Documents: http://www.live-documents.com/index.html Live Documents looks and works exactly like the latest Microsoft Office 2007. In fact, it is a mimic (or you can call it a hack) of Office 2007. The rationale behind this is to give the user a familiar environment so that there is nothing new to learn. The full strength of this office suite lies in its ability to use your existing desktop Office application as a smart client that permits offline access to your document, and synchronizes all changes the next time you go online.
Note : I registered for Live Documents and opened a Docx (Word 2007) document on my PC, amended it, added a picture from my computer and saved it on line and on my PC. I was also able to turn it into a PDF file and save that to my machine. I had an email with a link to get back to the document. Very clever program and certainly a good one for people who are confused by getting Docx files from people which they cannot read. It is even possible to notify others about your document and allow them to amend it.
Ulteo: http://www.ulteo.com/ If you have come to love Open Office, then you will find Ulteo familiar too. Ulteo literally put the whole full feature Open Office in a browser so that you can use it online. The whole application is run on Java and is aimed at Open Office enthusiasts. Initial loading can take quite a while, but taking into account that it is providing a full-feature office environment, the waiting time might just be worth it. (Ulteo provides more than office suite. It is in fact an online operating system where you can open up your very own KDE desktop.)
MARKETING TECHNIQUES OF SOFTWARE SUPPLIERS There are various ways in which a software company can market its programs to a world where millions of people are just a click away. Most are perfectly legitimate but you should be aware of them :
Microsoft offers a number of free programs that may be very useful. They include Messenger, Email, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker and DVDMaker See http://download.live.com/
I used to use the CNET download site but since they try to get you to also download the Babylon search add-on I have fallen out with them. If possible, go directly to the site owner or try another site such as www.filehippo.com, which has many good downloads. To get rid of Babylon (if you have fallen for it) see my Tips of the Week page for a link. You may also find it in Add/Remove programs
A great place to go to get safe downloads of useful software (much of it free) is the Downloads section of Computer Active
This is a typical selection
The Google Pack has been discontinued but many apps are available from Google e.g. : Picasa (Photo editor/Organiser); Skype (Free voice and video calls); Google Earth (see your own house from satellite) Google Talk (chat to others), Google Desktop - (fast searching of your hard disk) plus some great art work and screen savers.
With more and more of these little mini computers running the free Linux Operating System you may be intrigued to find out more about it. Linux can completely replace Windows and there is a great deal of free software available for it these days. If you wish to experiment, without dispensing with Windows, it is possible to establish it in a 'Virtual' (memory based) partition within your ordinary hard disk and easily swap between that and Windows. Alternatively you can get a disk which will boot your Windows PC in Linux, without disturbing your Windows version. For more detail on this, do have a look at http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/ Incidentally, Ubuntu (see Glossary) is a well established version Linux.
Ccleaner is a free cleanup program which is very reputable. The latest one (July 08) is 2.09.600 version is 2.09.600 and can be downloaded from http://www.filehippo.com Click the link on the RIGHT, NOT the one for Regcure on the left, which is reputable but will inevitably ask you for cash when you have used it. Ccleaner also includes a Register Cleaner
You might think that Windows is a complete Operating System that doesn't need any additions in order to make it do everything you ever need to do. Although many additional programs are unnecessary - and may even create problems for you, there are a few which are important and some which I find to be very useful. This page is intended to help you choose which might be worth getting.
Definitions :
Freeware : Totally free.
Shareware : Try before you buy. It might be 'crippled' or time limited
or just nag you to buy or it might be fully functional.
Commercial software : You buy it from a shop or download it off the
net and pay in the usual way..
N.B. Not all software has to be downloaded. Providing you are on Broadband you can use a number of programs 'on line'. These include word processors such as Buzzword, Google Docs and a whole plethora of programs from www.zoho.com. All are free and provide on line storage for your files. Files can be shared with others and you can pick them up from ANY PC in the world that has an internet connection
Downloading
There are numerous sites from which you can download. Programs might
be Freeware, Shareware or require payment. Freeware is completely free.
Perhaps there are no strings attached or it may be a 'Lite' version
with a suggestion that you buy the 'Heavy' version. Or they may be
given away by companies such as Microsoft e.g. Media Player, Outlook Express
etc. Shareware is usually free to use but may have a 'nag' suggesting
that you pay a fee in order to continue to use it. Other programs can
only be downloaded on payment of a fee. In the UK many free and shareware
programs can be found on 'Cover Disks' of magazines. This can save
a big download. A large program, such as Windows Media Player (comes
with XP) might take an hour or more to download if you are using a slow
connection. Page 17 of this site gives an indication
of the variety of cover disks and what they contain. Download
sites include www.webattack.com
(very good - look for their Top 100)
http://www.opensourcewindows.org/
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp
http://www.mgshareware.com
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads and
www.download.com
www.google.com/downloads/
is a useful site for Google's very good free products such as Picasa, Google
Earth, Google Talk, Firefox and Ad-aware etc
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124883,pg,5,00.asp
is another good free software download site
In my view you definitely need some sort of Media Player, Zip file decompressor, PDF file reader, Anti Virus, Firewall ,Web Browser and Email client. If you do not have the MS Office Suite you may need 'Reader' programs for Word, Excel , Powerpoint and similar files you receive. These can be downloaded from the Microsoft link above. Take a look at http://www.ramsinks.com/ All the best free and shareware essentials
For people with Windows XP/Vista and digital video cameras Microsoft do a free Movie Maker program. Now on version 2 and said to be better than the one that came with XP you can get it from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com if you don't mind an 8Mb download . Computer Active gave it 5 stars
WATCH OUT ! Recently I have noticed various techniques to get you to download other programs when you are looking for free ones. You go to the site recommended and there is a big download button. You find that you are downloading some program that will, no doubt, do the job but then asks you for the inevitable $29.95 to finish it. Another technique is to have a similar named program to the popular free one. e.g. I did a search for Spybot Search and Destroy and the top (paid) link in Google was Search and Destroy - an entirely different program, which planted a trojan on my PC which even Spybot couldn't clear.
One of the most reliable sources of up to date downloads (mostly free) is http://www.filehippo.com/default.aspx. Interestingly they also have small update program that will check your computer to see if you have all the latest versions http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/. I found a dozen and it then gave me an easy way to download and install these.
I regularly use most of these IMPORTANT UTILITIES The star rating is mine
The addresses for specific programs are:
http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/index.asp
If you have a crazy mixed up 'Desktop' like mine you will find this
a great program. It automatically puts your shortcuts into appropriate
categories (within fences) and makes sure they are alphabetical. No
lost shortcuts again.
http://docs.piriform.com/
Piriform is the developer of three excellent free programs,
Ccleaner, Defraggler and Recuva. Check the site for info
Ccleaner
**** Safely cleans megabytes of old, temporary files but also includes Registry
and Startup cleaners.
www.iobit.com. **** Advanced
System Care. A bit like Ccleaner. Cleans out the dross and the
register I have used it without ill effect
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/
List the links to 30 essential a free pieces of software. All good stuff.
http://pgoh13.free.fr/software_progs.php
Is a great site for free utilities recommended by a friend in Paris
*****
www.grisoft.com (AVG Free anti
virus - always the most downloaded) **** or
www.avast.com (Avast Free anti virus)
*****
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
Comodo is now a combined anti virus and Firewall product.
Unfortunately, I found it too " fussy" **
www.zonelabs.com (Zone Alarm Firewall)
*** Some sort of firewall is ESSENTIAL if you browse the net
Microsoft Messenger
Major Chat/video conferencer) *****
Skype : Chat to people with text, video
and sound. Excellent if you are deaf. You can even record what is seen
and said or record you own message.
www.winzip.com (file compressor,
uncompressor) *** You may NEED a file unzipper of some kind. A free
example is 7Zip ***
www.lavasoftusa.com (Ad-aware anti
spy and anti marketing program) ***
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
(various Windows programs) ***** Set it to update automatically.
Adobe flashplayer/ If
a site says you need the Flash Player *****
http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/ie.html *** Free Mcafee program :tells
Internet Explorer & Firefox users if a site on a search list is safe
Browsers are used to search the net. Alternatives to Internet Explorer are
Firefox,
Opera and
Chrome (must have XP SP2 or
Vista)
www.apple.com (Quicktime movie/video player)
**** Very large and persistently asks you to update it because of security
worries
www.adobe.com (Acrobat PDF file Reader)
*** You will need one of these. A much lighter version
is Foxit Reader
****.
Spybot Search and
Destroy. Now on Version 1.6 **** Probably the best free spyware
remover. These days you can include a program that asks you whether you want
the register changed when you install a new program. Do not use Search and
Destroy, which is typical scareware.
www.malwarebytes.org. Powerful
virus cleaner *****
www.Superantispyware.com Powerful
anti spyware program ****
Foxit Reader
(3.1) is a good alternative to Acrobat at just 5Mb download and under 10Mb
when installed. To create PDF files from a word processor
you can install a program called PDF995 or use the Open Office word
processor
USEFUL TO HAVE
Google provides a number of programs which can be download via the link
at the top of this
page.
Gnucash A free version
of Msmoney or Quicken
http://www.freemake.com/free_video_converter/
which is capable of converting from all the following : : AVI,
MP4, MKV, WMV, MPG, 3GP, 3G2, SWF, FLV, TOD, MOV, DV, RM, QT, TS, MTS, and
many more. Import music (MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV), and photos (JPG, BMP, PNG,GIF).
It can then convert to AVI, WMV, MP4, MKV, SWF, MPG, 3GP, MP3,
also iPod, iPhone, iPad, PSP, PS3, Android. They also do a video downloaded
at
http://www.freemake.com/free_video_downloader/
Googlemail A great web based email progran. Get you mail anywhere
in the world ****
www.soluto.com.
Soluto checks what is loading at startup and suggests ways to reduce that
load. Needs more than 256mb RAM (Memory)*****
www.osalt.com This is a great site
for 'Open Source" software. Open source means they allow anyone to
download it and even amend it.
www.digiguide.com Digiguide
is a software/database for displaying information on ALL the TV channels
available....which is invaluable if you use satellite or Freeview TV. Being
a computer database it is interactive. It is continuously updated, with a
charge of £8.99p per annum. There is a 60 day free trial.
http://www.my-blood-pressure.com/
Keeps track of, and displays, blood pressure readings. You can input directly
via a USB port from the BP monitor, or manually. There is a 30 day trial
and buy it on the net for £13.
http://www.openoffice.org/
The Open Office free equivalent of that very expensive Microsoft product,
Office. It is Word/Excel etc compatible *****
These days it is even possible to have Office compatible software which works
on line. See
http://www.zoho.com/
http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm
Reduce the size of one -or many - pictures.***
www.picasa.com The
best free (and simple) graphics manipulation program ever invented
*****.
www.mlin.net Startup Control Panel
(instead of using Msconfig) **** `
www.nicocuppen.com (Photocopier
for a scanner) ****
www.dsoft.com.tr/stripmail
(Program to clean up email and webpage downloads) *****
http://www.mirekw.com/ Mwsnap.
My favourite screen grabber *****
Mwsnap notes:
www.belarc.com (Belarc system analysis)
*****
www.skype.com. (Free telephone calls)
*****
www.dsoft.com.tr/stripmail
(Stripmail email cleanup) *****
Mozilla Firefox (Internet explorer alternative) **** see
Here
Mozilla Thunderbird (Outlook Express alternative ***
http://www.filehippo.com
for Quicktime .It is 75Mb, which you will have to uninstall
www.google.com Search engine
http://bluefive.pair.com (Fontpage.
excellent for viewing your fonts) ***
Terrapin FTP uploader
***** (small cost)
AbAlarm An alarm clock for your screen and speakers.*** Click
HERE
for this useful free utility by Abelsoft
The Gimp
A Powerful graphics manipulation program
K-lite CODEC Pack.
Codecs may be required to run certain programs such as DVD
PLayers
Paint.net. More
powerful than Microsoft Paint.
Cobian Backup. A
straightforward backup program
Drive Image XML Make
a complete image of a hard drive. Great for recovery or transfer to
another drive.
CCleaner. Everyone's
favourite hard disk and Registry cleaner
RECUVA. Recover deleted files
(even from a memory stick) This can also delete and overwrite files
Easeus Disk copy. Great CD or
DVD copier and partition tools
Gmail
notifier. Shows Googlemail users that they have email
Final
Burner. A simple CD/DVD maker
Please note that you can get the latest Open Office Suite (compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 programs) from http://www.8daysaweek.co.uk/. It costs £8.99
These days you may not be able to send and receive faxes from you PC. For info on FREE fax programs see http://askbobrankin.com/send_a_free_fax.html
A new list mentioned in a blog. I have to admit I have only tried the ones marked ** myself. I am quoting directly from the blog.
"30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software for Windows (Mainly XP)
The blog continues : Recently, I bought a new laptop from Dell. Upon receiving it, I removed a lot of the 'free' software that is preinstalled on Dells. Then I installed some truly free software that takes care of pretty much every software a person needs. If you want to do likewise take a look at this list and pick and choose. You will have to copy the link (e.g. http://www.getfirefox.com/ ) and paste it into the address line of your Internet Explorer.
If you've downloaded and installed all of these, you've got access to all the productivity software you are ever to need."
Focus
Software is commercial but always reasonably priced (£5 - £10)
See
Here
for titles such as 3D Arts and crafts, Model Railway, Typing, Greeting
and Business cards, T - shirts etc
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