Free Software
Looking for some great free software? Most of us use computers nowadays. The software we use depends on the tasks that we have to perform. Things can get quite expensive once we start installing things that are needed to get started, such as word processors, spread sheets, antivirus, anti-malware, graphics software etc…. Thankfully there are many free software options available that will do the same job. Here is a few of the free software programs I have been using, that in my opinion work really well.
Open Office is free software that is an alternative to Microsoft Office. This software is free to download and use and has some really useful features including; a word processor for creating your documents and letters similar to Microsoft Word, a spreadsheet creator for creating all kinds of spreadsheets similar to Microsoft Excel, a power point creator for creating those all-important presentations. It also includes a drawing program. For a free software program it offers some great features, so if you want to save a hundred dollars or so give it a try. Download it here.
Next up we have PhotoScape. This is free software for editing photos and image files of many different types. It is great fun to use and can create some great projects. I have used it many times for photo cropping and enhancing, I have also used it for editing images for use in web design projects. It is nowhere near as complex as Photoshop or similar programs, but has some great features that will enable most users to accomplish what they need to do with ease. Download it here.
Everyone needs some antivirus software. Even if you are running Windows 8 or 10 that have on board solutions, many people say that it is a good idea to have some extra protection. AVG has a great free software program. I have used it for many years and have been very satisfied with it. I has a good real-time protection feature as well as manual scanning options. It does pop up with other offers occasionally but you are not obligated to accept them. When installing AVG Free, make sure you check the boxes that say ‘free’ or you can end up with a full version that will expire after a trial period. Download it here.
If you want something a little lighter but also very good protection, then Microsoft Security Essentials is a great way to go. Again I have used this on many computers in the past and it has proved to be very useful. Obviously being a Microsoft product it will only run on Windows computers. Some of the things I really like about this free software program or ‘app’, is the fact that it is very easy to use and runs quietly and efficiently in the background, so you don’t have to worry about interruptions or making updates. Download it here.
Even with good antivirus protection you are going to get malware and adware on your computer just from browsing and especially from installing free games. Although much of this is not malignant like viruses or spyware, it can be annoying and also slow your computer down to a crawl. Malwarebytes is awesome free software that can remove this with ease. I have used this for years and it has proved to be an essential part of my toolkit and resides on all of my computers. If a virus does slip through you antivirus program, ( this can and does happen especially if you click on a malicious script ), then Malwarebytes is there and will usually catch and remove it when you run a scan, especially if you run it in safe mode. ( I have a short YouTube video here about Malwarebytes ). Download it here.
So there you have it, there are some great free software solutions out there. You an download all these programs from my site here or from the manufacturers websites. I hope that you have found this article useful. ‘Happy Computing’.
