The Anti-pay Free Software Blog

A "BIG" Welcome

2009-03-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

Make your own videos w/o a webcam!

2009-02-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

Simple as that.. CamStudio, a free, open source, screen recorder that easily lets you create your own video's based on screen actions. For example, if you wanted to create a tutorial on how to access this blog, you could install this program and set it to record as you go through the steps. Unfortunately, CamStudio only lets you save your video's in the .avi format, but you can easily convert it to something else. CamStudio features a very simple and easy to understand interface; it lets you pick keyboard shortcuts to start/stop recording, cycle through layouts etc.. Another very handy feature included in CamStudio is the ability to annotate while recording; which means you can add text to your videos easily, and display instructions, silly messages, or whatever else! CamStudio also lets you convert your video to a flash .swf file, which is great especially for those wanting to add their video to a website.

What I like about this program is that it does it's job, and well!

Best Antivirus

2009-02-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

I am very picky when it comes to antivirus programs. Yes, we all want protection, but some protection is good and some is great! There's alot of free Antivirus programs out there today, but I have narrowed it down to the top two.

#1 - Avast! Antiv irus
This is my number one choice for good reason. I've been using it since 2004 and have been 100% virus free ever since. What I like about Avast is that it is easy to use for the average user, and that it just flat out destroys anything that would dare call itself a virus. I have purposely tried to download virus' and Avast just goes along annihilating every attempt.

Another great aspect of Avast is the updating. Most antivirus programs will have you manually click update every time it needs new definitions.. this simply will not do! Avast, however, does the whole process automatically and randomly pops up with a window telling you it updated.

Avast also give's you the option to perform a boot-time scan. This is very handy indeed if you are aware of an infection, but want to remove it before your OS starts so it won't spread.

Avast protects you from accidently walking into a virus in alot of areas with its various shields including Instant Messaging, Internet Mail, Network Shield, Outlook/Exchange Shield, P2P shield, Web shield, and of course the all popular Standard Shield, which is basically homeland security in a nutshell.

I also love the nifty interface Avast uses. Avast also uses much less resources than most antivirus programs out there!

#2 - AVG Antivirus Free Edition
I have tried AVG numerous times, but just never have enjoyed the experience as I do with Avast. AVG is a great antivirus program for some people, but for me Avast just does the job quicker, easier and more efficiently. I use Avast simply because it's more user-friendly and protects you in many more ways. But enough on AVG vs. Avast, let's see how AVG stacks up with Avast.

AVG features a solid virus scanner and includes spyware, adware and identity theft protection alongside. Both Avast and AVG provide outstanding detection rates.

AVG free edition includes many limits, however, such as no anti-rootkit protection, no anti-spam, no firewall, no download screening, no instant messaging protection, and no real-time protection. Also, the free edition does not include a free customer support option. Most of these can be added if you are willing to pay $34.99 for the Pro version.

In essence, Avast provides you with all of the protection and features you need & more for absolutely free. If you are willing to part with $35 bucks for the pro AVG then its a tossup between the two, and I personally, would still stick with Avast.

Get yourself a free office suite!

2009-02-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have heard of OpenOffice, but they just released a new version (3), which you probably did not know. This upgrade fixes alot of issues people were having with the grammar checking as well as alot of other problems. The new design is great and almost eye popping when comparing to the last version. What's also great about OpenOffice is that it is compatible with Microsoft Office!

The suite includes a very nice presentation builder called Impress which does exactly as the name suggests. Impress easily lets you create is capable of creating flash versions of your presentations as well great looking 2D and 3D clip art as well as special effects, animation and includes high-impact drawing tools.

Word processing is easy with this OpenOffices' "Writer" program. Writer has everything you need to make professional looking diagrams, books, advertisements, etc..

OpenOffice includes a great organization program called 'Base'. Base is a full featured desktop management program that includes the ability to create tables, forms, queries, and reports in a simplistic environment.

Calc is the spreadsheet program provided in OpenOffice. Easily create great looking spreadsheets with a variety of unique functions. Calc is also compatible with Microsoft's Excel.

Graphics designers and image editors will love the wonderful design program included in OpenOffice. Draw lets you create just about anything you can think of and without the clutter that most programs surround you with. Easily arrange objects, use smart connectors and enjoy the guidence of dimension lines.

Oh, did I mention it's free? Just so you see it: FREE!

Filezilla > Godzilla

2009-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Many of you may be looking for a great way to upload you photo's, documents, etc.. to the web, so I have discovered the best program to do that. Did you ever think such a process would be easy? Well, keep that train of thought going because it now is. FileZilla is probably the only FTP program I have ever grown a fond friendship to. Just drag and drop your files into the interface and your done! Best of all its free!

a-Squared is an A+

2009-02-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

If you are still hobbling around senselessly looking for that free spyware protection you just haven't been able to find, look no further. A-Squared is a very powerful program designed to secure your computer like an airport; metal detectors and all. This thing currently features 2.6 million malware signatures in its enormous database. I would recommend this program to be your main spyware removal program. The only cons I found with this program was the slow scanning time. It took a little over 35 mins to perform a deep scan on my 80 gig HD. The great news was that after it performed that scan, it found 3 infections my other scanners let pass by. These were low threats, but still, it was something.

So as to conclude my experience with this program I am giving it the #1 spot for free spyware removal. In my next post I will cover free backup scanners and preventive maintenance programs.

Finding the right firewall

2009-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Finding the right firewall, for many, is tough business.. Many choices exist out there for free firewalls. If you are currently paying for your firewall and are not happy with the results, most likely there is a free one out there that fits your criteria.

I have personally tested and approved the following free firewalls:

My top recommendation due to compatability is PC Tools Firewall Plus. This great free program is rule based, and it rules! Low on memory usage, high on protection benefits. I found this firewall to be one of the only easy to use and low memory usage firewalls out there! I recommend this to most people as this program is very simple in the way it works; something intrudes, you get a pop up to allow/block it and thats it. It monitors your computer in the background silently while you work. And don't let the ease of use fool you; this program is only friendly to its users. So give this program a try, and if you don't like it, this brings us to #2 on my list.

Comodo Internet Security (Previously Comodo Firewall). This program is another excellent firewall which I recommend to any advanced users(those who know how to tinker around with stuff without blowing something up). This program is more of a security suite than just a firewall; also featuring an anti-virus scanner, and a very useful preventive maintenance program called Defense+. Overall, if you are a little more computer saavy you may go with Comodo Internet Security, rather than PC Tools Firewall Plus, but the choice is yours! Both programs are great so give it a try.

Escape to Photoscape

2008-12-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

While there's alot of free image editing software out there, there aren't really any that do it like Photoscape. Offering many options such as a handy screen capture utility which lets you take screenshots of anything on your desktop, an image splitter, a feature rich editor and much more!

This program gets my top vote for image editing greatness!

PhotoScape v3.2

Bench the Windows uninstaller!

2008-12-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Anyone who uses the uninstaller included with Windows knows how frustrating it is to have to clean up left behind folders and files manually. Some people may not be aware of this, however, and so have a messy clutter of old files and folders left on their hard drive. Welcome to Revo Uninstaller, the program created to make your life easier by deleting all those files left behind by removed programs. Revo is a very handy utility that uninstalls the program completely unlike the Windows uninstaller. It also includes many features that help you remove programs easily. The Hunter Mode allows you to drag an drop programs you wish to uninstall with ease.

Revo Uninstaller v1.75

Top Free Defragmenter(s)

2008-12-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

Ranked by the author, the top free defraggers are picked for you.

I picked Auslogics Disk Defrag over Smart Defrag because in my opinion it gets the job done faster, more thouroughly, and is easier to use. Smart Defrag is nice in the way it offers 'Set And Forget' optimization, an option I don't completely like personally because of its simplicity and lack of user control. Auslogics on the other hand is quick easy and efficient and is my choice for top free defragmenter.
A section of your computer that is often overlooked when it comes to defragmenting is the registry. There are some great free programs designed specifically to unclog the registry, which will point us again, in the direction of an Auslogics product for the #1 spot.

Free Registry Defrag is a great lightweight contender, but Auslogics has a nicer design and is more efficient.