Software Recommendations

From time to time, the Computer Club Board will recommend software products which Board members are using and feel it is worth passing on to members. Some are free and some have a free trial period allowing you to try before purchasing. Please read the product disclaimers, requirements, etc. before downloading. The Board is not responsible for any problems due to your downloading these products.

Acerose Password Vault

Create and save your passwords with Acerose Password Vault. This FREE program provides reliable and secure password management and has a built-in cryptographic-quality password generator that graphically shows you the strength of your password settings. Multiple action launch not only opens the Web site, but can also be configured to copy either the user name or password to the clipboard, and then clear the clipboard after a delay. Records are viewed as a table where every column can be hidden, shown, sorted, sized, or reordered. Automatic multi -version backup of vault files to any local or network drive adds another layer of protection against the loss of passwords.

Ad-Aware SE Personal

Ad-Aware SE Personal is designed to provide advanced protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. With the release of Ad-Aware SE Personal edition, Lavasoft takes the fight against Spyware to the next level.

AVG

AVG is an Anti Virus program that is available free and can be used in place of Norton or McAfee but should not be used with them.

Belarc Advisor

Not sure what hardware and software you have on your computer. The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, including Microsoft Hot fixes, and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server. This is FREE.

Digital Photography Review

Digital Photography Review has all the latest digital photography and imaging news, reviews of the latest digital cameras and accessories, the most active discussion forums, a large selection of sample galleries, a digital camera database and buyers guide and the most comprehensive database of digital camera features and specifications. We believe in quality, original, unbiased content.

Firefox

Firefox is a free browser and competitive to Microsoft Internet Explorer. Firefox is offered by Mozilla, the same company that makes available an email software package that can replace Microsoft Outlook and/or Outlook Express.

Firefox is simple and easy to use. Its primary advantage is that it is perhaps less susceptible to hackers who would hijack your machine and either load it with undesirable files and information or use it to transmit undesirable information to other machines on the Internet.

Google Tool Bar

The Google Toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer is provided by Google, the same company that offers the Google search engine. You need not use Google to use the Google Toolbar. The Google Toolbar will automatically block all pop ups and keep a record of how many have been blocked. This feature can be turned on and off. The Google Toolbar will automatically fill in those forms that companies ask you to complete giving your name, address, email address, phone number, etc. Rater than type this information time and again, simply click on auto fill on the Google Toolbar and the necessary information will immediately appear in the form.

ImgBurn

ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit!

Living Cookbook

Award-winning recipe software from Radium Technologies. Plan meals, create menus, get nutritional information, create shopping lists, print recipes, publish cookbooks, export, e-mail and much more.

Smart Computing Magazine chose Living Cookbook as the best cooking and recipe management software in their August 2004 issue, awarding it their Smart Choice award. Only 12 software titles receive this prestigious award every year.

Living Cookbook comes with more than 700 recipes. Thousands more are available online. Visit Living Cookbook for more information.

Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2003

PowerPoint Viewer 2003 lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions. This viewer also supports opening password-protected Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. You can view and print presentations, but you cannot edit them in the PowerPoint Viewer 2003.

Microsoft Word Viewer 2003

View, print and copy Word documents, even if you don't have Word installed. This download is a replacement for Word 97 Viewer and all previous Word Viewer versions.

Microsoft Sync Toy

Microsoft Sync Toy is a free program made available by Microsoft. Sync Toy is used to synchronize files stored in two or more places on your computer so that all copies are identical. This software will only run on computers using the Windows XP operating system.

Open Office

Open Office is a software package developed by Sun MicroSystems to compete with Microsoft Office Suite. It has a nice Word Processing and Spreadsheet option and is easy to use. Although it is not as fully featured as the Microsoft offering, it is free and allows someone who has old files saved in Word and/or Excel to use those files on a new computer without having to purchase the new Microsoft Suite package.

PDF Factory Pro

If you need to save a document in PDF and your software does not have the capability to do this, PDF Factory Pro offers a free trial version. To save as PDF, go to print and select PDF Factory Pro instead of your printer. The trial version prints a banner on the bottom of each page. If you chose to purchase it, the banner will go away.

PDF Re-Direct

If you need to save a document in PDF and your software does not have the capability to do this, PDF Re-Direct offers a free version. To save as PDF, go to print and select PDF Re-Direct instead of your printer.

Picasa

Picasa is a photo editing program which is free. It has an easy photo cataloging system and the basic photo editing tools.

Registry Cleaners

The Registry is the heart and soul of any Windows system. It contains information that controls how your system appears and how it behaves. When you install an application, new Registry entries will be created. These entries automatically will be deleted when you uninstall the application. Unfortunately, this process does not always work. Sometimes, some applications fail to remove their own Registry entries. These entries become obsolete.

After a long period, after you install and uninstall a number of applications, your Windows Registry will contain a large number of obsolete entries. This will significantly increase the Registry size and slow down your computer, because Windows will need more time to load, search, and read data from the Registry. To keep your computer at top performance, it is recommended you periodically clean your Windows Registry. Version 2.0.9 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

TweakNow RegCleaner is a Microsoft product intended for use with Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP and 2003 Server.

RegClean is a fairly small application that will save a lot of start-up time. It clears the Windows 95 Registry safely and effectively. With the Registry cleaned out, you'll have a shorter wait whenever you boot the system.

Smiley Central

Enjoy Smiley Central icons at your fingertips!

SnagIt

SnagIt now allows you to capture any graphic, audio or video file from the Web. You can even enter other file extensions to capture files, such as Word documents, PowerPoint Presentations, Excel spreadsheets and more.

For a limited time, you can download a FREE version of SnagIt. It says it is a 30-day version, but sources say it can be used forever.

Spybot Search & Destroy

Spybot Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something snooped into your computer.

Startup List

Startup List prepares a report in the form of a text file that details every program and/or process that runs when you start up your machine. One look at this report and you will no longer wonder why your machine takes so long to get up and running.

Startup List reveals where the files, links, and registry entries are that are responsible for starting all of the programs and processes. Use this information to track down the source of annoying icons in the Windows tray area and to get rid of background processes that you KNOW that you don't need.

This program does not change anything on your machine and should not be held responsible for any changes you make as the result of using its report.

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005

Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 protects your PC and home network against all types of viruses, worms, Trojans, and blended threats—including network viruses, like MYDOOM and SASSER. It also blocks hackers, detects and removes spyware, guards against phishing attacks, filters unwanted content, and minimizes spam. New features include Home Network Control and Wi-Fi Intrusion Detection—extending desktop security to your home and wireless networks.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird is an email software package that is competitive to Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express. It is offered free by Mozilla, the same company that offers Firefox, a web browser that can be used in place of Internet Explorer, the Microsoft browser.

If you desire, you can have both Thunderbird and Microsoft Outlook Express on your machine and use either one that you prefer. If, after a time you decide to stay with Thunderbird, it is not advisable to attempt to remove or delete Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express because Microsoft has integrated these systems into their operating systems and their removal could create other problems.

TuneUp

Improve your system's performance, thoroughly clean up your hard drives, solve your PC problems with a few clicks, and customize windows to your personal requirements. All in one program, simple and intuitive - TuneUp.

Webshots

Webshots is a source of screen backgrounds (desktops) and screen savers. Their free software will allow you to download a wide variety of pictures at lower resolution. You can pay for a subscription to their high resolution versions. You can also use Webshots to convert your own pictures to screen backgrounds and screen savers.

Windows Defender

Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive. Now with 2 free support incidents for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Windows Installer Clean Up Utility

Not able to remove or uninstall an application in Windows XP using either the Uninstall option or the Add/Remove Programs tool? Try using the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. As long as you installed the application using the Windows Installer, this utility will remove all the folders, files, registry keys, and entries from your system and allow you to start over with a clean slate.

Zone Alarm

Zone Alarm is a free firewall program that can be used for a single computer or for a network. As with all firewall programs, one of its functions is to hide the indentity of your computer when connected to the Internet so that hackers cannot locate your machine. This free version is fully featured but not as powerful as the Professional version that is sold on line and in computer stores.