If you see a program listed in both columns, it means there is a free version in addition to the paid version. You will have to decide for yourself which will work best for you.
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Great FREE Software Listed Below
Belarc Advisor This neat program will tell you everything about your computer including a great deal of serial numbers.
Clipboard Magic This little gem will replace your standard Windows clipboard and hold an actual list of items so you can copy and paste over and over again.
Copernic I can't imagine not having this program on my computer anymore. It's a search engine for your computer. You can find anything and in less than a minute. Plus, a great deal of the time it will even show you a preview screen so you don't have to open the file if you're just trying to find text.
Evernote Evernote has changed a lot in the past year. I would highly recommend testing this software to see if it will work for you. The current version (3) is a multi-tasking program that holds your info on your computer, your phone and the internet. Personally, I love version 2. It's just for your computer, but you can collect information from anywhere and keep in Evernote. It's like a running notepad with a memory and search function. I've saved entire web pages and have over 2500 notes in my Evernote database.
Firefox web browser Firefox is like Internet Explorer but it is faster, safer to use, doesn't have as many bugs and has nifty little add-ons that let you do all sorts of things IE won't. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING THIS ONE!!! Very small learning curve.
Free Ram XP This is a nifty little program that lets you monitor how much ram your computer is using and free it up when necessary. Although Windows is suppose to automatically release ram as it's no longer needed, this isn't always the case. As the name implies, this software is for Windows XP.
Gimp Gimp is an open source software program to edit images. There is a learning curve, but not that much.
Google Earth Ever wanted to see your house (or somebody else's) from the air? You can do it with Google Earth. You can also see some of the most famous locations on earth. Really cool software!
Google Picasa I know I keep bringing up Google Software, but so much of it is useful and free, that I just have to mention it here. Picasa is like a software photo album with tricks. One neat feature I like is to install it and then let it scan your entire computer for images. You'll be amazed at what you find.
Google Sketchup Like 3D? Ever wanted to design your house, a building or just play around with some neat 3D software? This is for you. Now, I must admit there is a steep learning curve for this one unless you are very computer literate or just lucky. Take a look at the website and then have a go. You never know, it might be a new hobby for you.
Image Resizer Power Toy A "power toy" for Windows is a cool tiny piece of software that should have been automatically installed with Windows, but it's not. This particular little power toy will let you right click JPG files and resize them on the fly. Once you install it, you will find an added line on your right click menu of JPG files. It will simply say Resize Pictures and if you click on it a box will pop up giving you choices. Now you can email everyone photo's without clogging up their email inbox! When you click on the link you will be taken to a page of power toys. Scroll down and look to the right; you will see the image resizer link to download. While there, browse the other power toys too!
Kompozer This is a WYSIWYG HTML editor to create websites. It does help if you know some HTML, but you can learn as you go.
Launchy Are you forever clicking on the start menu for your program list? This little bit of software will let you find and open any program on your computer by typing in the first couple of letters of said program. It will also do the same for files including image and sound. You tell it what directories to look in and what file types to search. You can leave it open on your desktop or keep it hidden until you want to use it by clicking a keyboard shortcut.
Miranda Miranda is an instant messaging program for those of you who have friends using ICQ, Yahoo, and AOL among others. You can be logged in to them all with one program. Kind of like having multiple personalities!
Miro Miro is a free video player. Ever have video clips you can't open? Try this one.
MobiPocket MobiPocket is for reading ebooks or RSS feeds. If you use either one of these, you'll be right at home with this program. Very easy to use.
Open Office Open Office is a MS Office compatible program. You can create and edit Word, Excel, Access and Power Point files in addition to creating a few others MS Office doesn't even have. Definitely worth trying out if you don't want to invest the money in an office program.
Paperless Printer If you want to create PDF documents without having to shell out the $$$ for Adobe Acrobat because you don't need all the bells and whistles, then try this little program. It might just be what you need. Once installed, it acts just like a printer only a file is created instead of a paper.
Secunia PSI This is a wonderful program to keep your other programs up to date. Once installed it will scan your computer and show you what programs need to be updated and/or patched.
Smileycons Do you like those little animated smileys and other icons? This program has so many emoticons that I can't even begin to tell you about them here, but they're great to add fun in your email.
The Brain If you're a right brain person, this is probably right up your alley. Instead of making lists and spreadsheets connecting information, you create a "brain" on your computer. If you've ever drawn out your thoughts on paper to connect the dots, this program is for you.
WinPatrol Wish you had a monitor for your computer? This program will keep an eye on your computer so you don't get any of those pesky programs that add themselves to your start menu without your knowledge.
Word Web Ever wanted a simple thesaurus or dictionary right on your taskbar? This little program is so useful you may wonder how you functioned without it.
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Products In my humble opinion, Zone Alarm is the best firewall on the market. It's relatively easy to use if you are comfortable with computers and understand the purpose of a firewall. Just remember, say NO to server rights, and only allow those programs you know need access to the internet to access the internet. :)
Clipboard Magic This little gem will replace your standard Windows clipboard and hold an actual list of items so you can copy and paste over and over again.
Copernic I can't imagine not having this program on my computer anymore. It's a search engine for your computer. You can find anything and in less than a minute. Plus, a great deal of the time it will even show you a preview screen so you don't have to open the file if you're just trying to find text.
Evernote Evernote has changed a lot in the past year. I would highly recommend testing this software to see if it will work for you. The current version (3) is a multi-tasking program that holds your info on your computer, your phone and the internet. Personally, I love version 2. It's just for your computer, but you can collect information from anywhere and keep in Evernote. It's like a running notepad with a memory and search function. I've saved entire web pages and have over 2500 notes in my Evernote database.
Firefox web browser Firefox is like Internet Explorer but it is faster, safer to use, doesn't have as many bugs and has nifty little add-ons that let you do all sorts of things IE won't. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING THIS ONE!!! Very small learning curve.
Free Ram XP This is a nifty little program that lets you monitor how much ram your computer is using and free it up when necessary. Although Windows is suppose to automatically release ram as it's no longer needed, this isn't always the case. As the name implies, this software is for Windows XP.
Gimp Gimp is an open source software program to edit images. There is a learning curve, but not that much.
Google Earth Ever wanted to see your house (or somebody else's) from the air? You can do it with Google Earth. You can also see some of the most famous locations on earth. Really cool software!
Google Picasa I know I keep bringing up Google Software, but so much of it is useful and free, that I just have to mention it here. Picasa is like a software photo album with tricks. One neat feature I like is to install it and then let it scan your entire computer for images. You'll be amazed at what you find.
Google Sketchup Like 3D? Ever wanted to design your house, a building or just play around with some neat 3D software? This is for you. Now, I must admit there is a steep learning curve for this one unless you are very computer literate or just lucky. Take a look at the website and then have a go. You never know, it might be a new hobby for you.
Image Resizer Power Toy A "power toy" for Windows is a cool tiny piece of software that should have been automatically installed with Windows, but it's not. This particular little power toy will let you right click JPG files and resize them on the fly. Once you install it, you will find an added line on your right click menu of JPG files. It will simply say Resize Pictures and if you click on it a box will pop up giving you choices. Now you can email everyone photo's without clogging up their email inbox! When you click on the link you will be taken to a page of power toys. Scroll down and look to the right; you will see the image resizer link to download. While there, browse the other power toys too!
Kompozer This is a WYSIWYG HTML editor to create websites. It does help if you know some HTML, but you can learn as you go.
Launchy Are you forever clicking on the start menu for your program list? This little bit of software will let you find and open any program on your computer by typing in the first couple of letters of said program. It will also do the same for files including image and sound. You tell it what directories to look in and what file types to search. You can leave it open on your desktop or keep it hidden until you want to use it by clicking a keyboard shortcut.
Miranda Miranda is an instant messaging program for those of you who have friends using ICQ, Yahoo, and AOL among others. You can be logged in to them all with one program. Kind of like having multiple personalities!
Miro Miro is a free video player. Ever have video clips you can't open? Try this one.
MobiPocket MobiPocket is for reading ebooks or RSS feeds. If you use either one of these, you'll be right at home with this program. Very easy to use.
Open Office Open Office is a MS Office compatible program. You can create and edit Word, Excel, Access and Power Point files in addition to creating a few others MS Office doesn't even have. Definitely worth trying out if you don't want to invest the money in an office program.
Paperless Printer If you want to create PDF documents without having to shell out the $$$ for Adobe Acrobat because you don't need all the bells and whistles, then try this little program. It might just be what you need. Once installed, it acts just like a printer only a file is created instead of a paper.
Secunia PSI This is a wonderful program to keep your other programs up to date. Once installed it will scan your computer and show you what programs need to be updated and/or patched.
Smileycons Do you like those little animated smileys and other icons? This program has so many emoticons that I can't even begin to tell you about them here, but they're great to add fun in your email.
The Brain If you're a right brain person, this is probably right up your alley. Instead of making lists and spreadsheets connecting information, you create a "brain" on your computer. If you've ever drawn out your thoughts on paper to connect the dots, this program is for you.
WinPatrol Wish you had a monitor for your computer? This program will keep an eye on your computer so you don't get any of those pesky programs that add themselves to your start menu without your knowledge.
Word Web Ever wanted a simple thesaurus or dictionary right on your taskbar? This little program is so useful you may wonder how you functioned without it.
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Products In my humble opinion, Zone Alarm is the best firewall on the market. It's relatively easy to use if you are comfortable with computers and understand the purpose of a firewall. Just remember, say NO to server rights, and only allow those programs you know need access to the internet to access the internet. :)
Great Software but it will cost you. Some not so much $$, and others, wow $$$$.
Adobe Acrobat Adobe Acrobat is the full version of what most people recognize as the free Adobe PDF reader that comes on all computers. This version is the program that will let you create all those PDF files and it isn't free by a long shot. It is one of my personal favorites though. I use it on a weekly basis because you can send PDF files to anyone and they see exactly what you sent. Kind of like sending a photocopy in the mail. $$$
Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Design Premium There is so much to be said about this one. This is for the photographers, webmasters, designers, etc or serious hobbyist. There is a huge learning curve if you are not a computer geek and it's terribly expensive. There are 4 versions of the latest suite. Software like Photoshop, Acrobat, Flash, Illustrator - just to name a few. That said, it's some of the best software on the market if you have the time and money to invest. $$$$
AVG Anti-Virus AVG is a great small anti-virus program that doesn't take up a lot of room on your computer like some of the big names, but it does work. There is a free version of this program, but you have to look hard on their website to find it. The difference is the free version has to be updated manually and the paid version has more bells and whistles, but it's not expensive by any means. $$
Corel Ever wondered how to make drawings on a computer? Well, this program is how you do that. It's another one of those that has a steep learning curve and is expensive but if you have the time and money, it's a great one. $$$
Evernote Evernote has changed a lot in the past year. I would highly recommend testing this software to see if it will work for you. The current version (3) is a multi-tasking program that holds your info on your computer, your phone and the internet. Personally, I love version 2. It's just for your computer, but you can collect information from anywhere and keep in Evernote. It's like a running notepad with a memory and search function. I've saved entire web pages and have over 2500 notes in my Evernote database. $$
Flashpaper 2 This is a neat program if you want to publish papers on the internet without resorting to a PDF file. Actually, this will let you create PDF file's too, but the main purpose is to convert paper into Flash files. This makes it easy to upload files like documents and spreadsheets to the internet so anyone can view them without effort. $$
MS Office Everybody knows what MS Office is, right??? This is where you find Word (for letters), Excel (for spreadsheets), Access (for database), and Power Point (slide shows). You can almost always find an educational version of this for a reasonable price and the office supply stores are forever running it on sale when school starts in the fall. $$$
Nero There are a lot of CD & DVD burning programs out there, but this one is my choice because it's easy to use with simple or advanced settings. $$
Personal VPN Witopia is for virtual private networking and anyone who uses a laptop in public should use this software. Virtual private networking is like using a tunnel to get where you want to go on the internet without others being able to see what you are doing. $$
Post Its Believe it or not, there is such a thing as digital Postit Notes. They are really cool and look just like the paper version only they stick on your screen. $$
PrintKey Pro Have you ever needed to capture what's on your screen and save it or email it to someone? This program will let you do that plus a lot more. $$
Send Personally Do you ever find yourself in need of sending the same email to a group of people but you don't want them to have everyone's email address and you hate to send via BCC (blind carbon copy) because they may not open it? This is an add-on for MS Outlook or Outlook Express that will send all of the emails separately on one click. It is an annual fee, not a one time charge but it's very inexpensive. $$
Smileycons Do you like those little animated smileys and other icons? This program has so many emoticons that I can't even begin to tell you about them here, but they're great to add fun in your email. $$
Splash Data This company has several great software programs for Smartphones and PDA's and they do offer bundled deals. $$
Steganos Steganos is for people who value their privacy. From file shredding to encrypted email and files, this is the company to use. $$
Synchronize It! By far, my favorite backup program. Although it's called 'Synchronize It!' and it does do that, my choice is to use it as a backup program. There is an option to copy one way versus synching files. It will check the files on the target drive against those on the source and only copy those that have changed or are new. Saves so much time! $$
The Brain If you're a right brain person, this is probably right up your alley. Instead of making lists and spreadsheets connecting information, you create a 'brain' on your computer. If you've ever drawn out your thoughts on paper to connect the dots, this program is for you. $$$
WinPatrol Wish you had a monitor for your computer? This program will keep an eye on your computer so you don't get any of those pesky programs that add themselves to your start menu without your knowledge. $$
Word Web Pro Ever wanted a simple thesaurus or dictionary right on your taskbar? This little program is so useful you may wonder how you functioned without it. The Pro version is useful to those who work crossword puzzles or anagrams. $$
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Products In my humble opinion, the best firewall on the market. If you use the ZA Security Suite, you get the firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and more all in one bundle. It's relatively easy to use if you are comfortable with computers and understand the purpose of a firewall. $$
Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 Design Premium There is so much to be said about this one. This is for the photographers, webmasters, designers, etc or serious hobbyist. There is a huge learning curve if you are not a computer geek and it's terribly expensive. There are 4 versions of the latest suite. Software like Photoshop, Acrobat, Flash, Illustrator - just to name a few. That said, it's some of the best software on the market if you have the time and money to invest. $$$$
AVG Anti-Virus AVG is a great small anti-virus program that doesn't take up a lot of room on your computer like some of the big names, but it does work. There is a free version of this program, but you have to look hard on their website to find it. The difference is the free version has to be updated manually and the paid version has more bells and whistles, but it's not expensive by any means. $$
Corel Ever wondered how to make drawings on a computer? Well, this program is how you do that. It's another one of those that has a steep learning curve and is expensive but if you have the time and money, it's a great one. $$$
Evernote Evernote has changed a lot in the past year. I would highly recommend testing this software to see if it will work for you. The current version (3) is a multi-tasking program that holds your info on your computer, your phone and the internet. Personally, I love version 2. It's just for your computer, but you can collect information from anywhere and keep in Evernote. It's like a running notepad with a memory and search function. I've saved entire web pages and have over 2500 notes in my Evernote database. $$
Flashpaper 2 This is a neat program if you want to publish papers on the internet without resorting to a PDF file. Actually, this will let you create PDF file's too, but the main purpose is to convert paper into Flash files. This makes it easy to upload files like documents and spreadsheets to the internet so anyone can view them without effort. $$
MS Office Everybody knows what MS Office is, right??? This is where you find Word (for letters), Excel (for spreadsheets), Access (for database), and Power Point (slide shows). You can almost always find an educational version of this for a reasonable price and the office supply stores are forever running it on sale when school starts in the fall. $$$
Nero There are a lot of CD & DVD burning programs out there, but this one is my choice because it's easy to use with simple or advanced settings. $$
Personal VPN Witopia is for virtual private networking and anyone who uses a laptop in public should use this software. Virtual private networking is like using a tunnel to get where you want to go on the internet without others being able to see what you are doing. $$
Post Its Believe it or not, there is such a thing as digital Postit Notes. They are really cool and look just like the paper version only they stick on your screen. $$
PrintKey Pro Have you ever needed to capture what's on your screen and save it or email it to someone? This program will let you do that plus a lot more. $$
Send Personally Do you ever find yourself in need of sending the same email to a group of people but you don't want them to have everyone's email address and you hate to send via BCC (blind carbon copy) because they may not open it? This is an add-on for MS Outlook or Outlook Express that will send all of the emails separately on one click. It is an annual fee, not a one time charge but it's very inexpensive. $$
Smileycons Do you like those little animated smileys and other icons? This program has so many emoticons that I can't even begin to tell you about them here, but they're great to add fun in your email. $$
Splash Data This company has several great software programs for Smartphones and PDA's and they do offer bundled deals. $$
Steganos Steganos is for people who value their privacy. From file shredding to encrypted email and files, this is the company to use. $$
Synchronize It! By far, my favorite backup program. Although it's called 'Synchronize It!' and it does do that, my choice is to use it as a backup program. There is an option to copy one way versus synching files. It will check the files on the target drive against those on the source and only copy those that have changed or are new. Saves so much time! $$
The Brain If you're a right brain person, this is probably right up your alley. Instead of making lists and spreadsheets connecting information, you create a 'brain' on your computer. If you've ever drawn out your thoughts on paper to connect the dots, this program is for you. $$$
WinPatrol Wish you had a monitor for your computer? This program will keep an eye on your computer so you don't get any of those pesky programs that add themselves to your start menu without your knowledge. $$
Word Web Pro Ever wanted a simple thesaurus or dictionary right on your taskbar? This little program is so useful you may wonder how you functioned without it. The Pro version is useful to those who work crossword puzzles or anagrams. $$
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Products In my humble opinion, the best firewall on the market. If you use the ZA Security Suite, you get the firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and more all in one bundle. It's relatively easy to use if you are comfortable with computers and understand the purpose of a firewall. $$
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