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This
page contains free software which we think you could benefit from. Some of the best software out there is free, so why not take advantage! To the best of our knowledge all software listed below contain no bundled software (eg. advert programs) which often come with so-called 'free' software.
Note:
All file sizes are approximate. Please note that Claygate Computers
accept no responsibility for content contained through links to other
websites found on this page. All software offered on this page is free
to download for non-commercial use only. For use in a commercial / educational
/ governmental environment please see the manufacturer's website.
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Claygate Computers says:
Does what it says on the tin! |
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Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
Microsoft Office 2007 uses new formats to save files in Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx) and PowerPoint (.pptx). Previous versions of Office can't open these formats without installing the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack on top of Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats.
If you have Office 2007 and wish to allow your documents to be opened by previous versions without the Compatibility Pack, then when you save each document, click 'Save as' and select 'Word 97-2003 Document'. You can set each program to save in this format by default by going to the 'Office Button' in Word, Excel or PowerPoint 2007 (the round thing at the very top left), then click on 'Word Options' > 'Save' (or equivalent), then where it says 'Save files in this format:' use the drop-down menu to select the '97-2003 Document' format.
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SPAMfighter - Free Antispam Software!
Fed up with spam? This really is the answer. I've tried out a number of antispam programs (mostly paid-for) and beats them all hands down. It is exceedingly good at correctly identifying spam and pops them into a separate folder for inspection before deleting them. You get the Pro version for 30 days after which the program reverts automatically to the Standard version. There are only a few minor differences, the main one being the license (Pro version includes company/organization license). Pro vs Standard edition can be seen here.
Verdict:
Brilliant. And worth paying for if you're a company! |
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EZBack-it-up - Free Backup Software
EZBack-it-up is a personal file backup utility. It is designed to be very easy to learn and use. It is not an archival tool that compresses all your files and folders into one file, but instead, it copies your data to a destination of your choice where you can readily access your backed up files any time you need. All directory structure is preserved and you can optionally choose to delete files from the target that are not in the source. EZBack-it-up includes a built-in scheduler, command-line switches, logging functionality, and more.
Verdict:
Pros: Easy to set up, and the built-in scheduler makes this product great for automatic backups.The "Get Command Line Info" function is really useful to create a batch file so you can create a "Backup Now!" icon (paste the data into a text file and change the extension from .txt to .bat).
Cons: As ever with backups, it would be great to have another program checking your backup status (ie. Your last successful backup was on....) and notifying you if there's a problem. |
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PrimoPDF - Free PDF Creator
"Convert to PDF from any application by simply 'printing' to the PrimoPDF® printer - it couldn't be easier! Within minutes, you can create high-quality PDF's by converting from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and virtually any other printable file type."
Verdict:
Great program, and saves so much money! Installation: took 12 seconds. Just remember: once you've installed it, create your document in Word, then click on "File > Print" and select "PrimoPDF" to create your PDF file. Easy Peasy. |
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Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
"Want to see if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista? Just download, install, and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.
This small software tool will scan your computer and create an easy-to-understand report of all known system, device, and program compatibility issues, and recommend ways to resolve them. Upgrade Advisor can also help you choose the edition of Windows Vista that best fits the way you want to use your computer."
Verdict:
Easy to install, useful, 'does what it says on the tin'. |
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AVG Antivirus - Free Antivirus Software!
AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).
Highlights include:
- Automatic update functionality
- The AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run
- The AVG E-mail Scanner, which protects your e-mail
- The AVG On-Demand Scanner, which allows the user to perform scheduled and manual tests
- Free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product
- AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files
Verdict:
A really good basic level of protection against viruses. Really simple to install and updates by itself. No excuse not to have antivirus on your PC when this is available for free. Can be tricky to remove a virus once you've got one, and the level of security isn't as tight as the market leaders (eg. Norton), hence 4 stars. |
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Windows Defender - Free Antispyware Software!
"Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive."
Verdict:
Easy to install, very unintrusive, and offers real-time protection (runs constantly in the background). |
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Spybot Search & Destroy - More Free Antispyware Software!
Spybot Search and Destroy searches your hard drive for so-called spy- or adbots; that is, little modules that are responsible for the ads many programs display. Many of these modules also transmit information, including your surfing behavior on the Internet. If it finds such modules, it can remove them. In most cases the host still runs fine after removing the spyware/adware.
Another feature is the removal of usage tracks, which makes it more complicated for unknown spybots to transmit useful data. The list of last visited websites, opened files, started programs, cookies, all that and more can be cleaned. Supported are the three major browsers Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and Opera.
Verdict:
Looks good, straightforward, and runs in the background. A great piece of free software. |
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ZoneAlarm - Free Firewall Software!
Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats. Remember that Windows XP SP2 includes it's own one-way firewall (incoming traffic only).
Systematically identifies hackers and blocks access attempts
Automatically makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Internet
System Requirements:
Windows 98SE/ME/2000 Pro/XP. Pentium III 450 MHz or higher. 50MB of available hard disk space. Internet access. Minimum system RAM: 48MB (98SE/ME), 64MB (2000 Pro), 128MB (XP).
Verdict:
Not as easy as some firewalls you can buy, but good none the less, especially as it's free. |
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SiteAdvisor
SiteAdvisor is an Internet service that warns users if a website may obtain malware of one kind or another. All you need to do is download the very small program and install it. Next time you search Google, Yahoo or MSN, SiteAdvisor's safety ratings appear next to search results.
As you browse, a small button on your browser toolbar changes color based on SiteAdvisor's safety results. Menu options on SiteAdvisor's toolbar let you customize SiteAdvisor or see a site's detailed test results. Warnings inform you of threatening Web sites. Detailed test results for every site are just one click away. This program is a must-have for web-surfers, especially those who search for free stuff.
*'Go to download site' link on the right is for Internet Explorer add-on only. For other versions please click here.
Verdict:
The best free tool we've seen for a long time. Integrates seamlessly with Internet Explorer. Downloaded it now to give yourself much better protection when surfing the net. |
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| Word 2003 Viewer |
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| Excel Viewer |
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| Powerpoint Viewer |
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| Visio Viewer |
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Don't Have Microsoft Office?
You can still view Microsoft Office Documents using the free viewers available from the Microsoft website. |
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BBC
Newsline
Newsline
can sit anywhere on your desktop and will automatically update throughout
the day with the latest news, sport, travel, finance and weather.
When you click on the headline, you'll be taken to the full story.
Verdict:
Extremely useful, up-to-date and simple to install. You can choose which categories you want to view which is great. |
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Picasa (from Google)
Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organised by date with folder names you will recognise. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organised.
Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos home, make gift CDs, and even post pictures on your own blog.
Verdict:
A must-have. Extremely easy to use and makes it so easy to organise your photos and to email them (especially if you use Outlook Express, MS Outlook or Gmail). |
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WinRAR
WinRAR
is a powerful compression tool with many integrated additional functions
to help you organize your compressed archives.
Verdict:
Really easy to use, does what it says on the tin! |
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Google Earth
This is a fantastic program that allows to fly anywhere in the world from the comfort of your chair! You'll be absolutely mesmerized and addicted! Ever wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower? Or the Pyramids? Or how about take a trip along the Grand Canyon? This program is immensely educational too. Another masterpiece from Google.
Key system requirements: Windows XP and Broadband
Verdict:
Wow, amazing, supercool, and educational too! |
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Open Office
Review from PCMag.com
Unlike the slow, clunky original version, version 2.0 of this free productivity suite is surprisingly slick and highly compatible with Microsoft Office file formats. It even offers features not found in its expensive Microsoft counterpart.
The 106MB download expands into five applications: the Writer word processor, Calc spreadsheet, Impress presentations program, Base database program, and Math equation editor. OpenOffice .org uses an XML-based file format by default, but it opens and saves files in MS Office format seamlessly, without special prompts or warnings.
Our tests showed impressive compatibility with MS Office documents, although Word macros—notorious for security problems—won't run in OpenOffice.org. Heavily formatted Word files opened in Writer almost exactly as they did in Word, even when they included tracked changes, drawing objects, and other advanced features. We didn't expect Word's (largely ignored) animated text to translate into Writer, and it didn't.
Writer adds a PDF-export feature that Word doesn't offer, a find-and-replace feature that uses wildcards and regular expressions, and an impressive macro and scripting feature that organizes your macros in a tree-structured display. Advanced find-and-replace operations (such as those involving fonts and attributes like italics) are easier to manage in Writer than in Word's confusing Find dialog, although Word makes it easier to find special characters like dashes.
The Calc spreadsheet opened most of our test Excel files with few problems (save for some minor mislabeling and misalignments in charts), though charts based on pivot tables tended to be blank. We found Calc's menus and dialogs easier to navigate than the corresponding dialogs in Excel. The Impress presentations software is feature-rich and easily managed, with tabs for notes, outlines, slide-sorting, and other conveniences.
But the program can't do everything that the MS Office suite can do. There's no online collaboration or Smart Tags, for example, no grammar checking, and no highly flexible outlining, smart table formatting, or research task pane. And being free software, it has no tech support in the traditional sense. But the Web site does host a huge community-based support forum where you can usually get fast, detailed answers to any queries not covered under the FAQ section.
Anyone who doesn't want to pay Microsoft's premium prices for rarely used features may prefer this free suite. It does mostly everything that typical users need it to do, and does some things better than MS Office.
Verdict:
Pros: Free. Good compatibility with Microsoft Office documents. PDF converter built in.
Cons: No support for Word macros or Excel pivot tables. |
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