This page last updated on
January 08, 2012
By Gene Mathes
Free Downloads
Click on the blue
titles
or the red button to download the program.
If you know of any free downloads members might be interested in, email me at
Webmaster@SPCUG.org
Adobe
Reader
Many of the tutorials on the SPCUG website have been
written in the PDF format which, in order to be read, requires a program
such as the “Adobe Reader” to be installed on your computer. You can
recognize these files because the name of the document ends in “.pdf”
(e.g. How to Format A Disk.pdf) The “Adobe Reader” is free.
Asterisk Key
Perhaps, like many of us, you have allowed your browser to store a
password for a Web site you frequently access, only to realize in time
that you've forgotten what the password actually is. Asterisk Key can
help--sometimes.
The most important thing to know about Asterisk Key is that it seems
to work only with Internet Explorer. We tried it with Firefox and Chrome
and had no luck with either. With IE, however, the program works well,
if not particularly elegantly. The interface is minimal: just a square
with a blank text area and a couple of buttons. To recover a password,
users simply open the IE page that contains the password field in
question. Click Recover and the program displays the name of the Web
site and the decoded password. This tool is pretty bare bones, but it
does the job if you need to decode a password saved in Internet
Explorer. We recommend this program to all users.
TeamViewer -
the All-In-One Solution for
Remote Access and Support over the Internet
TeamViewer connects to any PC or server around the world
within a few seconds. You can remote control your partner's PC as if you were
sitting right in front of it.
MouseWithoutBorders
Mouse Without Borders
allows you to reach across your PC's as if they were part of one single desktop.
I can move my mouse between the 3 screens, even though one of them is attached
to a different PC from the other two. What’s more, I can move files between the
2 computers simply by dragging them from one desktop to another. In fact you can
control up to four computers from a single mouse and keyboard with no extra
hardware needed – it’s all software magic, developed by Truong Do who by day is
a developed for Microsoft Dynamics. The software is easy to setup and in
addition to enabling drag and drop of files.
GIMP
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.
Paint.NET
Paint.net is free image and
photo
editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and
growing
online community provides friendly
help, tutorials, and plugins.
This image editor resembles older versions of
Photoshop. It includes a layers system and offers lots of special effects. You
can make photos look like old paintings, add motion blur for excitement, or just
remove red-eye.It is good for intermediate users. For those of you without
artistic genius, Paint.NET has you covered. It provides “Undo” too, so you can
always backtrack to your original image.
Fences
Is a program that helps you organize your desktop and can hide your icons when they are not in use. Clean & organize your desktop by creating shaded areas which become movable and sizable containers for your icons. Double click blank spaces on your desktop and all your fences will fade
out, and back.
GreenFish Icon Editor
GreenFish Icon Editor is a powerful and very easy to use icon editor. This makes it easy to create you own icons for the desktop.
436 kb
This reminder program is about as simple and bare-bones as
they come. Basically,
Memento
allows you to append any number of sticky notes to your desktop. The program
provides a few pastel-colored templates at random, but you can't select the
color yourself or change the font. The tiny notes also can't be resized to a
larger view. Right-clicking the application's system-tray icon will let you view
all notes at once, and you can generate a new one with a hot key. However, don't
expect any extra features such as pop-up reminders or audio alarms. Folks
seeking an extremely basic note-taking app for no cost might consider Memento,
but it's certainly not for power users.
The Crucial System Scanner automatically analyzes your
computer memory information and suggests an upgrade that's guaranteed
compatible.
Buying memory on the Internet is usually easy. Online retailers have
configurators that allow you to look up your computer by manufacturer and model
number. But what do you do if you have a custom-built machine? You might not
even know the maker of your motherboard. If that's your case, check out the
system scanner from Crucial
Technology.
In just a few seconds, you'll get a bunch of information about your
motherboard, memory and video card. Of course, Crucial wants to sell you memory
or a video card. They're good people--I've bought memory from them. But you can
use the information there to buy elsewhere, if you prefer. Computer stores sell
memory, and there are a number of memory retailers online, too.
1.8 Mb
Directory Printer
prints the names, and other information, of all folders and files on your
computer.
2.9 Mb
FastStone Image Viewer is a fast,
stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array
of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal,
emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments.
68 Mb (Might take a while to download)
An excellent Office alternative
Programs like Microsoft Office are very expensive – often more than $400.
Many people pay up because office programs are essential. But you do have an
option. If you need a word processor and spreadsheet, you don’t need to spend
hundreds of dollars. Simply download
OpenOffice. It is
very similar to Microsoft Office. It features a word processor, spreadsheet,
presentation software and a database. And it is free! Download it today and see
why people have been buzzing about the software. Files are compatible with
Microsoft Office, so the switch is virtually painless.
Belarc Advisor
Whether you're troubleshooting, shopping for an upgrade, or just want to check
what's underneath the hood, it's helpful to know what you have. Belarc Advisor
gives you the scoop on what's installed on your desktop or notebook. It scans
your computer and generates a profile of everything installed on it, from your
main circuit board to software. Version, manufacturer, and serial numbers are
listed, as well as statistics such as available memory slots and hard drive
space.