Recession Busters

Free Internet Radio

/ Loreto Weir / Leave a comment

1. MyTuner Radio : MyTuner Radio lets you search and listen to radio stations in 200 countries and territories around the world and 1 million podcasts for free. With myTuner Radio you can discover new music and listen to podcasts from a wide variety of creators and topics. It runs on Windows devices (Windows 7, 8 and 10, 32/64 bit) and macOS. There are apps for iOS, Android, Microsoft Store, amazon and Samsung Galaxy. You can stream content from the website or listen on amazon alexa, Apple TV, Roku TV and more. The website has Charts section that lists the top songs of the week with options to choose other time frames and genres.

2. BBC Radio 6 : When it launched in 2002, BBC Radio 6 became the first new station created by the BBC in more than three decades. A digital-only channel that focuses on alternative music from all over the globe, Radio 6 plays everything from guitar music to dance, jazz, and soul cuts.

Download it now for:

IOS or ANDROID

3. WFMU 91.1 FM — JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY

WFMU is the grandaddy of them all. The longest-running independent radio station in the U.S. is also one of the best internet radio stations on the web. This listener-funded station offers a free-form variety of eclectic shows that are sure to provide something for everyone. Such free-form formatting can a blessing and a curse, as some hours will prod listeners to tune in elsewhere.

Download it now for:

IOS or ANDROID

4. WQXR 105.9 FM — NEW YORK

Among the finest — and most listened-to — classical radio stations in the world, New York’s WQXR is also one of the oldest FM stations in the world. It’s among the best internet radio stations as well. Showcasing the best of composers new and old, it’s an excellent place to tune into when looking for some serious music for work or study. It’s also the perfect pairing for that nice bottle of red wine you have stashed away.

Download it now for:

IOS or ANDROID

Download An Entire Web Site To Your PC

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Free program called HTTrack can be used to browse a website offline on your own PC.

You can download the program from
http://www.httrack.com and it’s around 4 MB.  The program is malware-free according to VirusTotal and Web of Trust.  Once downloaded (I recommend the portable “without installer” version), unzip the file and double-click on WinHTTrack.exe to run it.  You’ll be asked to pick a name and category for your project, and to specify the URL of the site.  That’s really all there is to it.  The program will then attempt to download all of the files that make up the site, so you can browse and search them on your own PC.

Depending on the site you try to download, you may not get a perfectly usable or complete copy.  But for casual browsing or searching of the full text of the site, it’s a useful feature to have.  Just be sure not to try to download a huge site such as Wikipedia!

One point worth noting is that, when you’re asked for a folder in which to store the downloaded site, don’t choose any folder that already contains other folders.  If you do, and you don’t pay careful attention to the program’s prompts, it will delete all of those other folders when you exit the program because it thinks they are remnants of previous downloaded sites.  But as long as you watch out for the prompts to delete those folders, the program is very useful indeed.


 

Best Free Program’s to install on your PC

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Here are twelve of my most used free applications and utilities (in no particular order). By the way, I am not including browsers or security suites because I use a variety of these heavy-duty applications.

1. 7-Zip archive manager

Everybody encounters compressed files and needs an archive manager. I find the native Windows feature to be too limited and slow and have used 7-Zip for years. It is also Gizmo’s choice for Best Free File Archiver and is reviewed here. For some tips on using 7-Zip go to this link. Some people have reported permission problems with 7-Zip 64-bit when using Windows 8.x, 64-bit but I had no trouble with the installation from the download link at http://www.7-zip.org/download.html.

2. VLC Media Player

I don’t use multimedia as much as many video and music fans might nor do I need an editor but like almost everybody I need a media player now and then. VLC comes with a lot of codecs and is much more versatile than Windows Media Player. I can play most formats, including RealMedia and QuickTime. A good review can be found here.

3. IrfanView image viewer and basic editor

This is yet another basic utility that I prefer to one that Windows provides. The IrfanView image viewer and basic editor has been around since Windows 95 but is constantly updated. Photography and graphics experts will want something more powerful but, if you just want to be able to view a large number of different graphics formats or do basic editing like resizing and cropping, IrfanView is hard to beat. Average PC users will find it easy to use and will not get buried in the complexities of more advanced programs. It also comes with a lot of plug-ins. I put a lot of images on the Internet and IrfanViews’s “Save for Web” plug-in is very useful for reducing the size of image files. Gizmo’s has a review at this link.

4. Notepad++ text and code editor

Almost anybody will want to use a text editor at some time and there are a lot of them. Plain old Notepad will do for the simplest tasks but I need something with more features and Notepad++ is an old workhorse for me. I use it in a lot of ways, including editing HTML and other code. It has many features and a number of plug-ins. The developer’s site is at this link.

5. DropBox file synchronizer and backup

Using the cloud to back up or synchronize files is all the rage and there are many services. DropBox was early in the game and is the one I got started with. I still like it. It’s fast and it lets me synchronize across multiple platforms. One thing I don’t do is upload sensitive information. I also don’t need huge amounts of storage since I don’t upload videos or music. Windows 8 users may prefer Microsoft OneDrive but I am sticking with DropBox. The developer’s link is here. Gizmo’s has a review of DropBox on mobile platforms in this article.

6. Malwarebytes anti-malware

This is not my first line of defense against malware but it provides a quick and convenient way to run an additional check of the many files that I download. It puts an entry in the right-click context menu for a quick scan of a file. It is also a favorite of many of Gizmo’s readers. The developer’s site is at this link.

7. Belarc Advisor system information utility

One thing that many people overlook is the need to have a record of what is on their system. Belarc Advisor creates a file that lists a variety of information about your hardware and software, including the product codes. I run it on every new computer and print the file it generates. I then periodically update it. The developers link is here.

8. “Send To Toys”

One feature of Windows that I use constantly is the “Send to” entry in the right-click context menu. A long-time favorite of mine is the utility “Send To Toys” that allows you to augment the “Send to” menu in powerful ways. The description of how to use this highly useful program is here. This utility saves me a lot of time.

9. Ditto clipboard manager

I am constantly copying text, URLs, code, and what-have-you for use elsewhere. That means I must have a clipboard manager that can store and manage multiple clips. I use Ditto constantly. It is a top pick at Gizmo’s and is reviewed here. I prefer this download site but it is sometimes busy.

10. LastPass password manager

Like many PC users, I use a lot of sites and services that require a log in with a password. Complex and different passwords for different sites are an absolute requirement these days and I suspect that only people with total recall can get along without a password manager. My favorite is LastPass. It works on multiple platforms and has served me well. LastPass is a top pick from Gizmo’s and a review can be found here. There is also an article here.

11. PDF-XChange PDF viewer

PDF documents are so ubiquitous that you have to have a PDF reader but here I deviate from listing an app that I have been using for a long time. Over the years I have tried a succession of PDF readers, beginning with Adobe. But Adobe became so bloated and such a security hazard that I ditched it and used Foxit for a while. Then Foxit started trying to foist unwanted components on users so I then tried Sumatra for bare-bones reading with no editing capability. However, the more fully featured PDF-XChange viewer is more versatile and is now my choice. It is a top pick at Gizmo’s and a review can be found here.

12. CCleaner system cleaner

Finding this well-known program on the list will be no surprise to Gizmo’s readers – it is a very popular way to keep a system tidy. I confess that I don’t use CCleaner that often any more but it is still standard on all my systems. It is a top pick at Gizmo’s and a review is here.

Recession Busters

/ Loreto Weir / 4 Comments

Recession Busters for PC Users

piggy bank photo piggy-bank-key-tag-extralarge-209462_zps29b97c69.jpg
Keep Checking back, this Post will be regularly updated. By now, those dreaded electricity bills are coming in, and yes they’re as bad as expected and some are worse than expected. So once again to lighten our load I have decided to mention some more things we can still get for FREE. Check out all the free ebooks available to view and download. Don,t worry you don,t need an eReader (but would recommend one)they can also be read on your laptop or PC. eReaders for your laptop or PC can be found in my post: Free readers & ebooks for your PC.

Watch Movies/TV Online

Couchtuner is a Tv Streaming site.  Stream Tv by Searching your favorite TV series

1channel.ch is another website that will allow you to watch your fav tv show or film.

NB: Be aware if you have limited download watching movies online will quickly use it up.

Free Office and Word Productivity suites

Why pay for Microsoft Office, use OpenOffice 3. This is fully compatible with Microsoft Office.

If a word processor is only required, you can not go wrong with AbiWord . AbiWord is a free Word Processing program. It is an effective free replacement for Microsoft Word, and even better than Microsoft Word in some respects. AbiWord is particularly good in document layout.

LibreOffice is the power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs:

All these and more can be found at I Love Free Software . Both Open Office and AbiWord are excellent for netbooks. The download size of AbiWord is less than 8MB, which also makes it great to carry on your USB storage stick.

Free Music & Edition Programs

Loads of free mp3 music downloads to be found at diffuser.fm website.

So wondering how to get your favourite songs or music on to your Mp3 player or mobile phone from your CD’s, just use FreeRip MP3. it is then easy to load your favorite audio player (e.g. a portable MP3 player or Sony Walkman or phone). Don’t forget to save them in a location on your PC that you can find, such as “My Documents > Music “. Ps. after downloading and extracting FreeRip, make sure to UNTICK options to install things like default page and toolbars, only leave a shortcut on the desktop.

Audacity is free, open source, cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds. To save your files to mp3 you need to download a plugin from here. Be sure to save to the same location you saved Audacity. When you select save as mp3 it will ask for the MP3 plug-in.

Internet Tip – Royalty Free Music at No Charge can be found at this website.

Love that song on YouTube and want it on your phone as a MP3 file, easy just copy and paste the URL of the video into this website: YouTubeMp3 Converter

Free Antivirus

Avast the free anti virus represents the best free antivirus protection currently available on the market. This edition is FREE OF CHARGE for non-commercial & home use. Be sure to select the free version. Go to the link on the top right of the page. Always be careful of large big download buttons they might not always be for the software you want.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is trusted antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows available to download for free. In addition, the new included LinkScanner® Active Surf-Shield checks web pages for threats at the only time that matters – when you’re about to click that link. The download link is on the top right of the page.

Free PC Cleanup software

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! 🙂 The bonus is also that if you go to Tools in CClearner you can uninstall any program on your PC you no longer use. It will also allow you to go through your start up programs and disable any program that is preventing your PC from starting faster.

Hundreds of other Popular free Software downloads can be found on FileHippo.com, such as Adobe Reader , Spybot – Search & Destroy etc.

Download Managers.

Faster copier: moving large files or a multitude of files from one drive to another can take up a lot of time, not to mention causing your PC to get bogged down. TeraCopy reduces transfer times by optimizing file data operations. It also lets you pause and resume large file transfers.

The five best download managers can be found on this website.

and finally thanks to Gizmos here is a list of the best free windows Utilities and tools.

Free Cloud Storage

ZoolZz: no longer free but check out my post on Cloud Storage: it has a list of the most popular free Cloud storage services.

All-free-download.com: Is a good website to get free wallpaper, website templates to Photoshop brushes, fonts etc

PDF editor

Debenu PDF Tools Pro– in appreciation of those who have “Liked” their Facebook page there are providing a fully licensed Debenu PDF Tools Pro(normally $59) for … FREE! The pro key is included in the download file. Point your mouse at the PDF file to edit and right-click to bring up Debenu PDF tools, scroll over and down to Applications info and click on register key, put in your name and the key provided in the file to make it pro.

Windows Operation Systems

Windows 8 for €29 is no longer available but fear not, there are other options. If you want to get a free legal copy of a windows 7 installation disk than you can go to this website for more information. You still will need a product key but there are easy enough to pick up anywhere..(hint:YouTube)

The Ubuntu operating system powers millions of desktop PCs, laptops and servers around the world. Ubuntu will work with your existing PC files, printers, cameras, music players and smartphones — and it comes with thousands of free apps. Ubuntu is free to anyone who wants to use it.

Best Free Online (Web) Applications and Services

Once again thanks to the good folks at gizmos we have a very comprehensive list of the best free online applications and services.

FREE Image Editing Programs

Adobe CS2 suite is still available to download for free with the serial numbers, but since it’s over 7 years old it might run in to compatible issues with newer windows operation systems.

Chasys Draw IES is a suite of applications including a layer-based image editor with animation, icon editing support and super-resolution via image stacking, a multi-threaded image file converter a fast image viewer and a RAW camera file processor .

GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages

IrfanView 4.35 View, annotate, edit and process all your images with this compact and versatile graphics tool

Online Image Editor is a great program if you do not want to download anything. All the editing is done by uploading your image, editing it and then saving it back to your PC . Great for editing gif images without losing their transparency.

Tinuous: Nifty Free Windows Application for Batch Conversion, Resizing, and Renaming of Image Files. Two ways to download it are available, either an EXE file for automatic installation or a ZIP file that can be used to run the application from anywhere without installation.

Free Ebooks

Free ePub & PDF,s ebooks to download below. No Reader, no problem, use your PC or netbook to read them. Find the best Free Readers for your PC go to my post: Readers for your PC & eBooks

Bookworm
Torrents
ExtraTorrent
Millions of Free eBooks and Audio Books Online
List of free ebooks by genre
Open Textbooks by Subject

Ebook Blitz: Free eBooks for Kindle and ePub from all over the Web. Great website thanks to Faydra Deon. Check out her other website: The Free Web: Don,t pay for it unless you have to.

Free Kindle ebooks

Best of Free & Paid ( just select Top 100 Free)
squidoo
kindlefinds

Big List of Free Windows Utilities and Tools

The site 4sysops has put together a large list that is worth looking at. The author of the list has divided it into categories. Take a look – you may find some useful utilities you didn’t know about.

Please note that these links are not recommendations but are informational only and are for you to explore. Many of the products in these links do in fact appear on one or the other of Gizmo’s Best Free lists but many do not.

Best Free Windows Desktop Software

Gizmo’s Freeware Editors’ Choice List, where you’ll find a collection of the very best freeware for Windows from their site.

Best Free Windows 8 Apps

Before Windows 8 development, you obtained your desktop software from developers. Now however, you can download and install Windows apps directly from the Windows Store, just like the way you do with iOS and Android apps from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store respectively.

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If you do find other useful software be careful when you download it because many of them might have malware included in the download, so be sure to always pick customs install and untick any links to install toolbars etc.

Malware is the universal umbrella term used to describe the many different types of malevolent software that exist. Computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, rootkits, spyware and adware are all different varieties of malware, each of which interacts with your computer in a different fashion.

Want to get the most out of your netbook, try this website : Netbook: Freeware .

Still have friends who think that good software always costs a lot of money? Show them this !

Also found this website appropriately named: The Free Web: don,t pay for it unless you have to!!

Also check out PC Live Download Centre , they usually have some new free downloads available every month, not to mention keeping up to-date on all things technical happening in Ireland.