tech sectiontech sectionThe Microsoft Reader application is a free downloadable program that allows users to load electronic books to enjoy on their computer or mobile device. These electronic books, or e-books, have become a popular commodity to readers in the last few years, as they reduce paper consumption and are extremely convenient. There are several free alternatives to Microsoft Reader that perform the same basic functions.
FreeBSD is an operating system created by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California at Berkeley. A hard drive with FreeBSD can be wiped by the same methods used to wipe any hard drive. Keep in mind that wiping a hard drive is different from deleting files. Though deleting files removes them from the screen, the data can still be viewed with the right tools. To permanently erase files, you will need to wipe the drive.
Although Microsoft released the Windows 98 operating system over a decade ago, some up-to-date antivirus software remains available for it. However, a number of major antivirus companies have dropped support, leaving 98 users unable to run their software.
Defrag-A-File and Power Defragmenter are two defragmentation programs for computers running Microsoft Windows. Defragmentation increases computer performance by moving the different fragments of an individual file on a disk so that they are physically adjacent--or at least very close--to each other.
Microsoft Silverlight is a multi-browser plug-in which is designed to provide a media experience with Rich Interactive Applications on the web. RIAs are Web applications which have a lot of similarity with desktop applications. It can be used with multiple operating systems, like the Windows and Mac OS. There are other plug-ins that provide the same services as Microsoft Silverlight.
Computer Aided Design software, often abbreviated to CAD software, is used in the architecture, entertainment, graphics and industrial design industries. The most popular CAD software like AutoCAD is incredibly expensive, and priced out of range of most consumers. CadSoft, a European software developer, has created a lower-priced CAD program called EAGLE CAD. Not only is the software comparatively inexpensive, CadSoft hosts a limited freeware version of EAGLE CAD on their servers that you can download and install at any time.
If you have trouble reading the type on your monitor, you may want to magnify your whole screen or even just certain parts of it. While you can do this by using the zoom features on your web browser and applications, you can also use screen magnifiers, which act as magnifying glasses for your desktop. All these programs are freeware, which means you can use and share the programs without paying a licensing fee.
Keylogging software can be an invaluable security tool for computer users, allowing them to key a log of all of the keyboard and mouse input data generated by other users. Keyloggers, though, can function as vicious data collection utilities used by hackers and identity thieves to extract valuable information from you. With the help of spyware removal software, you can scan your computer and get rid of it.
The term "bandwidth" refers to the amount of data that can be sent across a computer connection per unit of time; it can be thought of as the "speed" of the connection. Bandwidth is most commonly measured in "kilobits per second." Issues on your computer or your home network may affect the bandwidth of your Internet connection. However, for most people, the bandwidth of their Internet connection is determined by their Internet Service Provider (ISP), which limits the bandwidth of the connection based on the type of contract you have signed with them. Some websites will measure the bandwidth of…
Microsoft's email client Outlook Express stores sent and received messages in archives called DBX files. These files aren't readable by any major programs besides Outlook Express, which can be irritating when you want to transfer your email account or archives to another program--or when a DBX file becomes corrupted and Outlook Express refuses to open it. While programs exist to extract the contents of DBX files into more portable formats, most of them are paid software--except one, the small freeware utility Macallan Outlook Express Extraction.
Disk defragmentation is a process in which files are written to hard drives in a single contiguous block. A file is considered "fragmented" when it is stored in multiple locations, which slows down drive access to the file. Mac OS X does not require regular defragmentation, as the operating system automatically handles this for you. However, cloning your drive will defragment all of your files at once.
Freeware scanning software is free to download and can be installed in multiple computers in the home or office. Various types of free scanning software are available, including anti-virus programs and software that scans documents and converts them to a digital format.
Microsoft WordPad is a basic word processing program that lets users create, edit, view, and print text documents. WordPad can save documents as .rtf, .txt and .odt file types. If you have Adobe Acrobat installed you can also create PDF documents. Acrobat is an expensive software application, but luckily there are several free alternatives for saving WordPad files as PDFs.
While Windows comes with its own defragmentation---or defragging---program, some computer users prefer to use external defragging software that has more features and options. There are many free defragging programs out there, each with their own set of added features and abilities.
Using any number of image mounting programs, you can mount a DVD image (or any other type of image file). Image mounting software creates a virtual disc drive that functions similar to the physical disc drive (the thing you put CDs and/or DVDs in) in your computer. This can be useful for storing back-ups on your computer's hard drive, or if you don't want to burn the image file, to a DVD. DVD image files are BUP, IFO and VOB files.
The partition table is the area of a computer's hard drive that contains information regarding the structure of the particular drive partition. Restore a "bad," or corrupt, partition table for free by using the Recovery Console tool in the computer's operating system. This repairs the master record of the hard drive of your Windows XP or Vista computer, including the partition table, and restores it to working order. The procedure typically takes about 15 minutes.
According to Cnet.com, the most frequently downloaded programs are antivirus related. More specifically, the highest rated downloads are the free antivirus programs. These programs have proven to be efficient against preventing common Internet threats and removing viruses from already infected machines. Most of these programs are updated regularly, keeping your antivirus program effective when dealing with new viruses.
The About:Blank browser hijacker is a known malware program that takes over the browser home page, installs pop-ups and other components and occasionally renders the Internet connection useless. The About:Blank hijacker is difficult to manually remove from a system. However MalwareBytes, a reputable anti-malware product distributor, has created the About Buster freeware tool to remove the malware. The About Buster tool must be run in Windows Safe Mode and then the browser home page must be reset to the original setting.
With high-speed Internet, high-powered home computers and advanced digital video recorders making their way into a growing percentage of households, it's only natural for amateur directors and techno-geeks to want to try their hand at editing video on a computer. Professional video editing software can be prohibitively expensive to the casual user. Luckily, several software developers have stepped in with free software for the home user, each with a built-in library of special effects options.
Whether you want to learn how to type or you want to improve your existing typing skills, a well-rounded typing tutor can help typing become second nature to you. Many typing tutors mix lessons, games and tests, and with a great selection of free typing tutors available, you won't even need to spend money.
If you are planning to sell or give away your computer, you could be giving the recipient access to files that you had on the computer's hard drive. Even if you use the disks that came with your computer to restore the system to its original settings, there are several programs with the ability to recover the files that have been deleted. To make sure the information you have stored on your computer is completely deleted, you will need to use a program that can wipe the hard drive completely clean. There are several different freeware programs available for download…
Antivirus software plays a critical role in modern computer security by blocking the spread of computer viruses. With so much data going portable, you may sometimes find yourself working at a PC that doesn't have antivirus software--putting your files and documents at a higher risk of infection. There are, however, several portable antivirus programs: software you can carry with you on a USB memory stick and use to scan a PC at which you're a guest before starting to work on it. These programs reside on the memory stick and don't require full installation on the computer.
Protecting your privacy is of the utmost importance when browsing the Internet, as spyware and other types of unwanted software can be installed from websites by adding a cookie to your computer. As you browse other websites, the cookie can monitor what websites you visit and spyware can intercept personal information you send over the Internet. These programs often solicit information to you in the form of pop-up advertisements catered to what sites you previously visited. In order to prevent cookies and other sites from monitoring your history, you must clear your history and use privacy software.
Anyone who uses a digital camera has experienced the frustration of losing pictures at some point. However, freeware software and tools are available on the Web to help retrieve lost images.
The Windows registry is a file utilized by the Windows operating system to store the environmental variables of the system. The registry is used every single time an application is loaded or installed, or the operating system boots. Due to this prolific use, the Windows registry is prone to errors and inconsistencies. Luckily, the Windows registry can be cleaned with a number of freeware applications in a matter of minutes.
Budget software is expensive and may people don't need all of the bells and whistles that are included. Using a freeware alternative to do simple budgeting saves money and the program is likely much easier to use. Knowing what to look for in budget freeware ensures a smooth trip to the bottom line.
Adobe Photoshop is one of the world's most popular software programs but it is expensive and not affordable for the casual digital photographer. GIMP is a powerful image editing program available for free at http://www.gimp.org/. It has many of the same features of Photoshop and is easy to use. In this article we will discuss how to the hue and saturation of an image.
