Located in Beckley, WV
(304) 222-2337
Free tools for you!
We are always on the lookout for great deals, and there's no better deal than FREE!
Here are some of our favorite free tools to help our customers.
Click a link below, to jump straight to your point of interest.
Anti-Virus (Free AVG)
Anti-Spyware (Spybot S&D)
Office - Word Processing (OpenOffice)
Internet Child Safety
File Conversions (media-convert.com)
Internet Speed Test (speed-test.net)
For
free anti-virus protection, we recommend FREE AVG.
AVG is a great 'low-profile' program. It will not 'take over' your computer
the way MacAfee and Symantec will, and it has a very good track record
of removing unwanted nasties (and more importantly, keeping them out to
begin with!!).
AVG will update itself automatically every day with an active internet connection, and you can schedule it to run a scan once/week. I recommend turning off the 'safe site' link scanner if you have an older computer system, since it can slow down your surfing quite a bit.
You can find FREE AVG at http://free.avg.com
Several people also 'swear by' Avast, but personally I don't think it catches as much as AVG does, I think it uses too many resources and I don't like the fact that you HAVE to re-register it every year. Personal preference though!
The best free anti-spyware protection we've seen, is Spybot Search and Destroy. This nifty little program will give you an added layer of protection when used with Free AVG. You can schedule the program to download new updates daily and scan your computer monthly for infections. For extra protection, Spybot comes with an optional 'Tea-Timer', which will pop up to ask you if you want certain changes made to your computer, each time they are made. This is GREAT if you're starting out with a clean system, but it can drive you a bit crazy if you already have infections or if you unintentionally cause it to pop-up all the time. Use Tea-Timer at your discretion (mostly for folks who KNOW what they want to 'allow' and what they don't).
You can get Spybot here http://www.safer-networking.org
Why spend $100 or more to get one of the 'big name' Office Suites, when you can get the same thing FREE?
OpenOffice is a full suite of Office tools, including spreadsheet, database, word processor, even 'power point' compatible programs. OpenOffice is multi-platform and compatible with all major office programs. It's friendly and easy to use.
Download OpenOffice here http://openoffice.org
The internet is a dangerous place for children. Allowing your children to surf unmonitored, can be as dangerous as allowing them to go to an adult club alone. Not only can children unknowingly allow harmful programs to infest your computer, they can compromise their own safety.
The best way to keep track of what your children are doing online, is to keep a close eye on where they go and what they do when they are online. A great program to help you do that is called K9 Web Protection. My own family uses it, and so should yours!
Looking for a way to convert those pesky PureVoice .qpc files from your cellphone into .wav or .mp3? This website will do it for you. You have to jump through a few hoops and there are flashing banner ads and even a popup or two, but the webpage works, converts pretty quickly and the files appear to be 'clean' (no viruses or spyware added that I can tell). The site is a bit 'rude', not really work friendly, but it's the ONLY source I've found for this conversion.
Will also convert other file types between the various formats, such as other audio files, video files, and even text files and documents. Nifty!
http://media-convert.com/convert/
Do you sometimes wonder if you're really getting what you're paying for as far as your internet speeds? Or maybe you're just curious as to how fast those downloads and uploads really can go? Here is the best 'speed test' site I've seen!
Great application, VERY simple and easy to use, just one click does it all! You can even compare your speeds to other folks around the word, so you can either wallow in self pity, or strut your stuff. ;)
