FROM THE INTERNET
SUMMARY:
I. Free software versus free services
II. Preparing a computer for free
software and services
instead
of paying for commercial anti-virus/anti-malware software
from
the World Wide Web for free
V. (Slow) Dialup Internet access for free
VI. "LibreOffice.org" and other software or
online services for free
instead
of paying for "Microsoft Office"
VIII. Online file storage for free
IX. Webcams and related free software and
services
X. More
free software for your computer
XI. More
free online services from the World Wide Web
I.
Free software versus free
services
A. Free software runs in your computer and
it can run even when your computer is not connected
to the Internet.
B. Free services require an active Internet
connection for your computer.
II. Preparing a
computer for free software and services
A.
Install "Adobe Acrobat Reader".
During
the installation, uncheck and do NOT accept the
"Google
Toolbar" or any other toolbar that it tries to get you
to
accept.
If
you prefer another PDF reader, you can install it instead.
B. Run the free "PC Decrapifier"
OR
for
each item of trial software ("nagware") and expired software remove
it manually using one of the following methods:
1. run the unwanted software application's "Uninstaller"
or
2.
remove unwanted software from
"Add
or Remove Programs" in the "
in "Windows XP"
or "Programs and Features" in the "
in "Windows
or
3.
remove the unwanted software with the free
"Revo
Uninstaller Freeware" software application
instead
of paying for commercial anti-virus/anti-malware software
When
deciding between the free and non-free versions of
anti-virus/anti-malware,
look carefully at the software developer's description
of the differences in features between the free and
non-free
versions of their software.
IV. Online computer training from
the World Wide Web for free
V. Dialup Internet
access for free
A. Dialup Internet access by means of a modem
will
be at data rates of between
24
kilobits per second and 56 kilobits per second.
1. This is very slow:
Even
the slowest "broadband" Internet connection
is
about 1.5 Megabits per second.
(24,000
+ 56,000) / 2 = 40,000 bits per second average for dialup
1,500,000
/ 40,000 = 37.5
A
broadband connection will be about 37 times faster
than
a dialup connection to the Internet.
(You might prefer to use the free wireless
Internet
access at a Pima County Library branch
instead
of
dialup Internet access. See
http://www.library.pima.gov/services/computers/wifi.php
)
2.
You can use free dialup Internet service
as
a free way to get on the Internet.
3. You can use a dialup Internet service as a
backup
method
to get on the Internet when your cable or
"broadband"
Internet is temporarily "down".
B. Before, installing dialup Internet, prepare
your computer by following
the advice at
C. "Netzero
Free Version"
from
"United Online" of
D. "Juno
Free Version"
from "United Online of
VI. "LibreOffice" and other software or
online services for free
instead
of paying for "Microsoft Office"
A.
"LibreOffice" software
B. Other office productivity software
1.
"Abiword"
is a great free substitute for "Microsoft
Word".
2.
"SoftMaker Office 2006 for Windows"
is a free alternative for "Microsoft
Office" that uses less
hard drive space that
"OpenOffice.org".
3.
"OpenOffice.org" software
has been available as a free
alternative
to "Microsoft Office" since May 2002.
.
C. Online Web-based services instead of
"Microsoft Office"
To use these online services, your
computer has to have
an
active Internet connection:
1.
Google Docs
at
at
http://workspace.officelive.com/en-us/
3.
Zoho
at
B. Online Web-based karaoke
1.
"Divtune's Albums" at the Vimeo Web site
at
http://www.vimeo.com/user336607/albums/sort:name
2.
"Red Karaoke" Web site
at
3. "Karaoke Play" Web site
at
4. "Karaoke Haven" Web site
at
5.
"Cantanding" Web site
at
VIII. Online file storage for
free
A. "ADrive"
provides 50 Gigabytes of free file storage.
B. "Google
Docs"
provides storage for about 5000 files.
C. Microsoft's "SkyDrive"
provides 25 Gigabytes of free file storage.
D. "IDrive"
provides 2 Gigabytes of free file storage.
If use them, you have to download and install
their software
into your computer. This software then
automatically,
periodically copies your data files from the
hard drive of your
computer to your storage space at the
"IDrive" Web site.
E. "My
Picturetown"
provides 2 Gigabytes of free file storage.
F. "Box.net"
provides 1 Gigabytes of free file storage.
G.
"AARP.org"
provides 1 Megabyte of storage for photos
and 1 Megabyte of storage for videos.
H. "Mozy"
data file backup and storage service
at
http://www.mozy.com
If use them, you have to download and install
their software
into your computer. This software then
automatically,
periodically copies your data files from the
hard drive of your
computer to your storage space at the "Mozy"
Web site.
at
provides 1 Gigabyte of online storage for free
IX. Webcams and related free
software and services
A. "Yawcam"
motion detection alarm
to protect your home or business
For step-by-step instructions see
http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/yawcam/yawcam.html
B. "Ustream.tv"
lets you view any Webcam that you
attach to your computer from anywhere in the
world.
C. "Ugolog"
uses your Webcam to record "motion
events"
that occur in your home or business.
D. Additional information about webcams
X. More free software for your
computer
A. Backing up your entire computer for free
To
recover from a massive software failure or virus infection,
you
can periodically back up your entire C: internal hard drive to an
external
1.
Macrium Reflect Free Edition
2. Clonezilla
B.
Software for doing file conversions
1. "Any Video
Converter Freeware"
2. "XnView" image file converter
3.
"ImgBurn"
to convert between CD/
See also
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fileextensions/tp/free
for more details about the capabilities of
"ImgBurn".
4.
"PDFSAM"--"PDF Split and
Merge" software
5.
"MyMorph"
Electronic Document Conversion software
C. "Audacity" software for editing
sound files
D. Clocks and timer software
E. Diagnostic software for a Windows computer
F. "Fax
and Scan" applet in Windows computers
G. Free software for Macs
H. "GnuCash"
instead of "Quicken" or "QuickBooks"
J. "Magic Jelly Bean Keyfinder"
for Windows
K. Microsoft
Software Evaluations
L. Photo Editing with "GIMP"
M. Photo Editing with "Picasa"
N. Printscreen Utilities for Windows computers
O. Creating Acrobat PDF Files with free software
P. Splitting or Merging Acrobat PDF files with PDFSAM
Q. "Recuva"
to recover accidentally deleted files
R. "Avidemux" to convert or edit
video files
"Avidemux"
is a linear editor for video files.
S. Virtual
machine software for free
to
run a simulated computer inside your real computer.
Inside
each "virtual machine", you can install and run
a
separate, real copy of "Windows", Mac OS X", or
"Linux".
T. Zipping software for compressing or
de-compressing files
XI. More free
online services from the Web