Links

Here you'll find links to free software programs that we recommend.

If you take time to figure out how to use these programs, you'll find that they are just as good as expensive alternatives.

AVG-Free Edition - A completely free antivirus program that we highly recommend.  A better paid version is also available for $39.99 for a two year subscription.

Avast Antivirus - Another highly reviewed antivirus program.  Free to use but you must sign up for an account with them to continue using the program for free after the first few months. 

SPYWARE - ADWARE SCANNERS

Spybot Search & Destroy  One of the most effective spy ware removal tools available.  As of August 2008 it detects more than 280,000 different strains of malware.

Ad-Aware Scan your computer frequently to be sure it doesn't contain advertisement software that can eat up bandwith and slow your computer down.

FIREWALLS

Comodo Firewall A great free firewall that monitors what is coming into and going out of your computer.  It is excellent at stopping unwanted spy ware and aware programs from taking control of you operating system.

BROWSERS

Firefox A much faster and safer browser than Internet Explorer.  Includes a built in pop up blocker and tabbed browsing

OFFICE PROGRAMS

Open Office - A complete office suite, fully compatible with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.  All the power without the price.  A large download not recommended for dial up users.

AbiWord - A small and easy to use word processing program.  Great for typing letters or doing schoolwork.  Includes a spell check and thesaurus. A small download, great for dial up users.

FoxIt Reader - A much smaller and easier to use program than Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Much quicker download then the competition.

Zip Utility

7 Zip - Unpack ZIP, RAR, CAB, ISO files and more.  Also allows you to create your own compressed files in Zip format.

PHOTO EDITING

GIMP - A very powerful photo editing program with capabilities similar to that of Adobe Photoshop.  It allows to you work with layers and has many imaging options and filters to choose from. 

PhotoFiltre - A very small and simple to use photo editing program that would be great  for a beginner.  At only 1.6 MB even a dial up user can quickly download this one.