IN DEPTH Essential PC programs you should download today
The best software doesn't always come with a price tag attached. There are a host of free PC programs available on the web that can improve the way you work and play.
Plus, you can often unearth programs that will help you solve problems you didn't know you had, improving your PC's overall performance.
What follows is a handy list of what we believe is some of the best free PC software available - some applications you might know, some you might not. But once you've used them, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. It starts with …
1. Adobe Flash Player
Speaking of plug-ins, if you want to get the best web experience, view every website, play games in your web browser and watch videos in Firefox, you're going to need the Adobe Flash Player. This plug-in is an internet essential.
Flash powers most Facebook games, YouTube, and an array of innovative, interactive websites that include WeChooseTheMoon.org (a recreation of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon) and moodstream.gettyimages.com(an interactive mood board from Getty Images). If you're going to have a good time on the web, and experience it to its full potential, you need Adobe Flash.
2. OpenOffice
Microsoft Office is the obvious choice when it comes to business productivity, but its price tag can put some people off. You might think that a free alternative wouldn't be able to match Microsoft's suite for functionality, but OpenOffice can prove you wrong.
Instead of Word and Excel, try Writer and Calc. PowerPoint too has a free equivalent - Impress is ideal for creating multimedia presentations. Of course, there'd be no point in singing OpenOffice's praises if it wasn't compatible with Microsoft Office document formats. It is, enabling you to save out OpenOffice files that can be opened by Office users and vice-versa.
3. Avira 2014
A PC without anti-virus software is like a car without any doors. Anybody could get in and wreak havoc. The most popular AV products, including McAfee and Norton require you to take out a yearly subscription. But before you do, consider a free alternative like Avira 2014.
This software equips your PC with a layer of key defenses that protect your computer from threats automatically, eliminating harmful viruses and Trojans, blocking sneaky adware, zapping spyware, and even warning you if you visit a website that could infect your system. And yes, it's completely free.
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4. CCleaner 4.09
If Avira 2014 helps you to protect your PC from viruses and unwanted installs, CCleaner 4.09 will help you get rid of anything that has already slipped through. Using a simple interface, CCleaner can be set up to find unnecessary files and unused applications and, with a nod from you, delete them. This frees up space on your PC, cleans up your Registry, and lessens the load on your system. A win-win-win situation.
5. AdwCleaner 3.0
AdwCleaner 3.0 does much the same as CCleaner above, but it's a much simpler application. Set it to search your PC for unused files, rogue installs and unwanted toolbars and it will cut through the clutter like a digital knife, deleting junk data and optimising your PC system.
9. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter
With all this talk of work and security, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we have no playful software to recommend. The Free YouTube to MP3 Converter does exactly what it says on the tin - takes any YouTube video and extracts the audio track from it, saving it as an MP3 file on your PC's hard disk.
This makes it ideal for grabbing music tracks from videos or stripping out the content from an interview, webinar or TED talk, so you can listen to it later on an MP3 player or smartphone. Handy.
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