Some of the best things on the internet are free

 

Sometimes free comes bundled with ads and spyware attached but not these! Here is a top ten list of some of the coolest freebies around.

 

Spybot S&D
This is a popular FREE spyware detection and removal tool.

 

TweakUI
Microsofts program that allows the tweak geek to customize their windows experience more than what Microsoft really wanted.

 

Google Desktop
Get internet content right on your desktop.

 

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
Is a great tool for repairing and restoring your computer from most any problem.

 

Open Office
Is a FREE open-source office software comparable to the microsoft office suite.

 

BitDefender
A great antivirus program offers a FREE version as well as a premium one!

 

ZoneAlarm
The freeware version of this great firewall software.

 

dBpowerAMP
Music Converter and Player convert/play everything from Mp3s, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, Monkeys Audio, Real Audio, Wave to Midi.

 

AnalogX MaxMem
The FREE RAM memory managment tool to help keep memory available to your system.

 

Mozilla Firefox
A great free web browser with many add-ons and a good alternative to microsofts internet explorer.

 

And don’t forget THEMANSHAN.COM to avoid a computer fix and it’s always free here.

Windows Vista has a neat feature that allows you to see how well it has been functioning over time.

 

When you first get your Vista system your rating is 10, the highest rating, and from there it may fluctuate down depending on system problems. The tools usefulness is that you can track a trend of poor ratings back to a particular day. This day could have been the day you downloaded or installed malware or screwy drivers.

 

 

Using this tool together with others like the Event Viewer can help you find what ails your computer.

 

To open the reliability monitor:

 

click start
right click computer
click manage
click Reliability and Performance Monitor
click Reliability Monitor

 

 

Avoid a computer fix and check back often.

Windows Vista has some cool little features that are worth mentioning even if Vista isn’t all it’s crack up to be. Let’s look at some interesting apps that are worth using.

 

Windows Vista has a small feature that’s an upgrade from the old print screen function- The Snippet Tool

 

You can choose what parts of your screen image you want to copy and paste or save.

 

Click start
Click programs
Click accessories
Click Snipping Tool

 

 

Get cool stuff on the sidebar

 

Windows Vista has a sidebar tool that allows you to put Rss feeds from the internet or snippets of info or content right onto your desktop via the included sidebar tool.

 

Click Start
Click Programs
Click Accessories
Click Windows SideBar

 

 

Vista offers Remote Desktop Connection

 

Vista has Remote Desktop Connection option right from programs, accessories menus. This allows you to access your work computer from your home computer, for instance. Not to be confused with Remote Desktop Assistance, Remote Desktop Connection has to be allowed the in the pc’s firewall options and you must be connecting to a Vista system that isn’t Vista Home, Vista Starter etc. (must be the upper tier of the Vista Family i.e. Vista Enterprise or Ultimate)

 

Click Start
Click Programs
Click Accessories
Click Remote Desktop Connection

 

 

Now you can see how Vista rates your hardware

 

The Performance Information and Tools Menu. Gives a rating from 1 to 5 of the performance rating of system hardware like memory and video card.

 

Click Start
Click Control Panel
Click Performance Information and Tools

 

 

Tired of typing? Talk to your computer

 

Speech recognition is a tool that allows you to give voice commands to the computer. Instead of typing words into Microsoft Word you can just dictate by voice. There is a learning curve that the computer must overcome but it’s a clever feature once you get used to it and train it sufficiently.

 

Click Start
Click Programs
Click Accessories
Click Ease of Access

 

There are other noteworthy apps but these are some of my favorites!

There Is No Escape From Spam

 

Free email accounts which offer anti-spam capabilities have advertisements embedded everywhere the in webpage if not in the emails themselves. Modern email has gotten to the point where its just about impossible to avoid some junk mail. It’s at the point now where its a good idea to have junk email accounts - this way we can still shop online (every online vendor wants an email address and not just so they can tell you your package has been shipped). If you have joined a forum you notice how most forums require a login which requires you to sign up and submit an email address. So you can see how keeping an email account secret from the general public can be difficult unless you have several accounts and use each for a particular thing.

 

Disposable FreEMail Accounts Rule

 

There are quite a few freEmails out there that make having disposable emails easy. Most are familiar with HOTMAIL, GMAIL, YAHOO, but there are some lesser knowns that offer a few new bells and whistles like BIGSTRINGS that features self destructing email, limiting how long it can be viewed, preventing copying and printing. DIINO offers encrypted mail for those who want more security in their freEmail. And there is CRAPMAIL, perfect for the creating of throwaway email accounts. Get a FreEmail account and save yourself the hassle of worrying about how much spam you’ll have to delete after the internet marketers figure out your email address. If you need more tips and tricks for your computer fix, check back here.