Auslogics Duplicate File Finder is a nice way to further clean up your computer. It is designed to find duplicate files on your computer that are taking up valuable space. It has the ability to search for many different types of files such as: image, audio, video, archived, and application files.
Not only is this program really useful, but it is really easy… Continue reading
Ever feel like you are just running out of desktop space? 360Desktop is here to save you from desktop clutter. This program allows you to dramatically increase your desktop space. There are many perks to this program, such as the ability to download custom widgets, and 360 degree desktop wallpapers. In the upper right corner of the image below, you can see the panoramic view of the full desktop with… Continue reading
Have you ever used a computer that has one of those really cool cursors, maybe one that’s animated? Ever wondered how they got it, or where? I found a program that will allow you to change your cursor to many different themes. The program is called CursorFX, and it is totally free with the option to pay for an upgrade. The free version has multiple features
This program is used for removing those pesky adware / spyware files on your computer. By now, most people understand the vast threat out there when it comes to malicious files that are sometimes tied to programs you download. If you are not aware of the potential threats I will give a bit of an overview.
Spyware is defined as a type
Dreamscene is a feature in Windows operating system that allows you to have animated desktop backgrounds. This is a great feature if you have a solid graphics card, and want to maximize your Windows experience. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for the “Ultimate” versions of Windows operating systems. Fortunately, you can enable Dreamscene on any versions of Windows by using the Windows 7 Dreamscene Activator. This program works for… Continue reading
Jarte is a lightweight freeware substitute for WordPad and NotePad, laden with useful features. These include the ability to export files as PDF or HTML, and to save as DOC, RTF or TXT. The default interface uses mouse-over navigation (called Clickless), which means when the cursor hovers over the menu icons, menus appear. Although, if the Clickless feature doesn’t appeal to you, it can easily be changed to clickable menu… Continue reading
There’s little more frustrating to a computer user, than finding your icons scrambled all over the desktop. In addition, if your desktop is full of icons, you can imagine how annoying it would be to arrange them manually.
This problem usually occurs when you change your computer’s resolution. Changing the resolution, either manually or when installing drivers for your video card, can sometimes change the order and… Continue reading
We recently ran a tip called Free Stuff, where I provided a partial list of the best free software installed in my computer, and readers were invited to suggest their own favorite freeware. You were not shy, and we received many good recommendations. Thank you. Several of the suggestions had already been covered in earlier tips, but some were new to me and worked… Continue reading
100% Free Chess is just what the name says. Utilizing a simple, intuitive interface, it includes several free chess games, along with helpful tutorials for those of us who need all the help we can get.
Let me begin by saying that there will be no mention here of the outcome of the test games I played. I suspected that this wasn’t my… Continue reading
The other day, I was reading online comments about software from an unhappy user. I have the same software installed in my computer, and it does what I need it to do, so I wasn’t particularly concerned with the specific issues described by the writer. What occurred to me though was that this software is free, and that fact was overlooked. I don’t have a problem with that omission, but… Continue reading
I’m always looking for new products that will clean junk from my computer. As a result, after repeatedly installing new junk removing software, more junk accumulates. While I have kept, and still use, several other utilities, none seem to clean as thoroughly as WinUtilities. Most maintenance software misses or ignores certain items, including WinUtilities, but this one seems to find and correct more problems than any of the others. It… Continue reading
Writing download tips provides numerous opportunities to test new software. However, for many of the tips, I just download, test, and uninstall. This might be because the product doesn’t suit my needs, or it merely duplicates software I’m already using. Once in a while though, I run across something I’ll keep. File Renamer Basic is one of those. It shares a feature with another product I recently reviewed… Continue reading
If you like solitaire and if you like free, you’ll like 123 Free Solitaire. It’s 12 free games, beautifully displayed, and can be downloaded here. Once you’ve arrived at the site, just click the Download Now button.
The download and installation is easy and straightforward. However, you may want to postpone the installation until you have… Continue reading
If you’re looking for a new digital media player, capable of ripping and burning CDs, along with most other features generally found in quality media players, jetAudio Basic may be for you. In addition to a full range of features, you might also find the price appealing…free.
jetAudio can be installed on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7 and supports mp3, wma, avi, along with many… Continue reading
Austin asks :
Is there a way to back-up Windows updates (in my case, for Windows XP) to a CD, so if I ever have to format and re-install, I don’t have to re-download everything?
Windows updates is a service by Microsoft which helps you to install the latest Windows components, hotfixes, security fixes, software upgrades e.g. Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer and so on. Security… Continue reading
If you’ve visited Amazon.com recently, you’ve probably noticed advertisements for its new ‘e-reader’, the Kindle. An e-reader is a physical device that displays e-books and other information on its screen for your enjoyment. Kindle ‘e-books’ are often cheaper than their physical equivalents, and are usually ‘delivered’ in under 60 seconds. The only problem is that the Kindle costs upwards of $250! For those on a tighter budget, Amazon offers some… Continue reading
How much time do you spent in front of Your PC everyday? All of us do, whether it’s Facebook-ing or paying our bills. Very conveniently, most of us choose to ignore the ill effects of so much ‘computing’. Though we see pamphlets at our workplace and ergonomic products in shops, most people simply don’t pay enough attention to RSI and eye strain warnings.
Repetitive Strain… Continue reading
Alanna S. Asks:
I tend to save a lot of websites to my Favorites folder. I looked today and there are tons that are out of date. How can I get rid of my old Favorites without having to go through every single one?
Hi, Alanna! I, too, save lots of websites (too many!) in my Favorites folder (they are technically
Carl J from Palm Desert, CA asks:
Can you recommend a good virus protection program? I realize Norton and McAfee slow down my computer, but there has to be some real good ones out there that don’t do this.
Good question! First some info on Anti-Virus programs:
An Antivirus program is one of the most essential software applications any computer user must install… Continue reading
Jane Asks: In Windows Media Player, is it possible to print a playlist? If so, how?
A: You would think it would be easy to print a simple playlist from Windows Media Player. Unfortunately, it isn’t. It’s a shame you have to go so out of your way to do something that should be easy, but as with many things, it takes more work and time than it should
Since we regularly discuss OpenOffice and why you might want to use it, today I thought that it might be a good idea to go over what comes with your free OpenOffice download.
Once you’ve run the setup wizard and launched OpenOffice, you should bump into this:
From this
One of my favorite parts of Windows Vista Ultimate edition is Dreamscene – the ability to use a video from your PC as your Windows wallpaper. The drawback is that it only supports .wmv and .mpg formats. This makes it difficult to use videos from the internet, as most of these are in .flv format.
To the rescue comes the Video Download Helper add-on for… Continue reading
Have you ever wanted to change your desktop wallpaper, but had trouble choosing between different images?
Wallpaper Master is a free program that will cycle through a series of desktop wallpapers saved on your computer at periodic intervals. All you have to do is select which images you want it to cycle through and it will regularly change your desktop wallpaper after a period of… Continue reading
We live in the Digital Era. We have fast cars, fast food and fast computers. Since their conception 30 years ago, the performance of personal computers has skyrocketed. In fact, they are so fast that we are actually slowing them down.
Despite all this speed, not much has changed in the way we interact with our personal computers. We still use a keyboard for commands… Continue reading
New substitutes for built-in Windows programs have been popping up all over the place. The alternatives listed below can sometimes be more useful or simply more fun. We all need a little change once in a while, right?
Replacements for Wordpad include…
* OpenOffice – a Java based office suite that is perfect for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and more. It allows… Continue reading
I like movies, but had mixed reactions when Netflix first introduced its instant streaming capability. Like I say… I like movies, but I’d really much rather watch them on my 42″ HDTV than my 20″ computer monitor.
But then, like a gift from the Gods, came Playon. http://www.playon.tv/index.php
Playon is an easy to load, easy to use program… Continue reading
Time management is key to efficiency, which is why we need ways to track our efficiency at home or at work. We feel more accomplished after a busy and engaging day. Here is where time tracking software is becoming more popular, so you can measure your performance through the day. Listed below are some of the more effective ones:
Paid Time Tracking Software
