Post your favourite freeware - Page 4

michelemichele · 06-09-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kana

Okay, I'll give these a shot.

1. GIMP will run on Windows XP. XP and Windows Server actually replaced the Windows 2000 line. I've run it on XP, so I know it works.

2. I don't know how well an old version of PSP would run on XP, but it probably wouldn't hurt to try if you have a copy laying around.

3. I think the bit about Windows not being able to handle video is just an Apple marketing tactic. It all depends on the software you are using and having the right codecs installed. I use Cyberlink PowerDirector, which is unfortunately not free, with the XviD codec. It uses a good bit of system resources, but it works very smoothly. The K-lite Codec Pack, which I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet, is a nice one-stop solution to handle video and audio encoding and decoding, but you'll still need an editor. I guess Macs come more prepared to do video editing out of the box.

4. I'm not really familiar with system mechanic. It seems to be a bit of Swiss Army Knife, in that it does a lot of system maintenance functions that aren't directly related. You probably won't find one single freeware app that does all that, as freeware generally tends to have a narrower scope. One nice system cleaner I've used is Crap Cleaner (a.k.a. CCleaner). Microsoft also made it's own registry cleaner called RegClean. Some other PC tuning apps are listed here: PC World - Browse System Resources Tune-Up.

Hi Kana

Thanks very much for the tips: gimp works very well once one's familiar with it, and I'll take a look at CCleaner. Turns out that System Mechanic was great eight years ago, when I installed it on the desktop, but it's come down since then (not surprising, though sort of sad).

I've a couple of other apps I installed yesterday after Nero got difficult on me:
Free-Codecs.com :: Download LameXP 3.00 : LameXP is a GUI for popular LAME MP3 Encoder
very nice for converting wav files to 320 constant bit mp3s
Mp3tag - Screenshots
for tagging

There may be others that look better, but after dling a few horrors six weeks ago, I'm happy with these (that's saying a lot).

michelemichele · 06-17-2008, 05:19 PM

You guys were so great with your suggestions, here I am again.

Now it's to ask if any of you know of an application I could use to edit .flv files (or converting to back to movie files, editing, getting rid of some audio, keeping some intact...).

Time to try making videos, I'm pretty much done with audio previews for the time being.

God Is Santa for Adults · 07-20-2008, 07:18 AM

When I first started downloading my digital pictures a preprogramed file would open my pics and put them in microsoft 'my pictures' automatically. I also have adobie and the official olympus downloader but I preferred microsoft's version best because it gave me option to name complete file versus numbers and it put the photos in my gallery.
I just tried downloading a free test version of windows 2007 which I have now turned off and deleted. My picture upload program no longer pops up for me when I plug in. (and my email signature disapeared)

Can anyone give me advise or help on to to fix this problem?
Thanks so much.
santa

EvilMonkey · 07-22-2008, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by God Is Santa for Adults

When I first started downloading my digital pictures a preprogramed file would open my pics and put them in microsoft 'my pictures' automatically. I also have adobie and the official olympus downloader but I preferred microsoft's version best because it gave me option to name complete file versus numbers and it put the photos in my gallery.
I just tried downloading a free test version of windows 2007 which I have now turned off and deleted. My picture upload program no longer pops up for me when I plug in. (and my email signature disapeared)

Can anyone give me advise or help on to to fix this problem?
Thanks so much.
santa

It sounds like you lost your file association. I am not sure how to get it back under these conditions but once you plug your card in it should appear in "My Computer" then you can just drag your images to where you want.

God Is Santa for Adults · 07-22-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericgtr

It sounds like you lost your file association. I am not sure how to get it back under these conditions but once you plug your card in it should appear in "My Computer" then you can just drag your images to where you want.

thank you

Kana · 08-19-2008, 03:57 PM

Just an update on one of my previous recommendations. I recently got sick of the free McAfee firewall that came with my computer and uninstalled it. This finally gave me a chance to try out the freeware Comodo Personal Firewall, which uses only a fraction of the resources the McAfee firewall uses. It provides rule based filtering for your network traffic on a per-application basis, giving it a feature set on par with the pay version of Zonealarm.

To my surprise, Comodo also comes with a HIPS component called Defense+. HIPS stands for Host-Based Intrusion Prevention System. It will basically prevent any unauthorised code from running on your computer or altering any other program or protected file. A HIPS system can effectively prevent infection even from unknown malware. Although it's still a good idea to have an anti-virus scanner to detect and remove any malware that slips through, HIPS software provides a new first line of defence. Comodo comes with a whitelist of safe software which helps cut down on the number of prompts you will receive (which was a huge problem the last time I tried a HIPS system).

Although I've only been using it for a few days, I can already recommend it for anyone looking for a free firewall.

guest1234567 · 09-06-2008, 03:10 PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I found a website that has free video tutorials on how to use GIMP.

Meet the GIMP! The free video tutorial podcast.

This guy has been doing this for over a year now and I think he's a very good teacher and that he must be pretty cool to keep up a blog like this.

Also, I bought a book today titled "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional"

I'll let people know how it is as I go through it.

List price is $49.99, but I got 10% for Barnes & Noble membership.

I probably could have save a few more bucks because my son works for B&N, but what the heck.

disfigured · 09-06-2008, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guest1234567

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I found a website that has free video tutorials on how to use GIMP.

Meet the GIMP! The free video tutorial podcast.

This guy has been doing this for over a year now and I think he's a very good teacher and that he must be pretty cool to keep up a blog like this.

Also, I bought a book today titled "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional"

I'll let people know how it is as I go through it.

List price is $49.99, but I got 10% for Barnes & Noble membership.

I probably could have save a few more bucks because my son works for B&N, but what the heck.

Awesome I use only Gimp, and don't need anything other then it, for the few graphic things I do. And I still suck. I need all the help I can get.

06-17-2008, 05:19 PM	#32 (permalink)
michelemichele Living Dead Girl Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 796 My Mood: Thanks: 82 Thanked 48 Times in 35 Posts	You guys were so great with your suggestions, here I am again. Now it's to ask if any of you know of an application I could use to edit .flv files (or converting to back to movie files, editing, getting rid of some audio, keeping some intact...). Time to try making videos, I'm pretty much done with audio previews for the time being. __________________ (((start the music)))
	Top

07-20-2008, 07:18 AM	#33 (permalink)
God Is Santa for Adults Alcohol & Tobacco Free! Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 396 My Mood: Thanks: 4 Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts	Help downloading pics When I first started downloading my digital pictures a preprogramed file would open my pics and put them in microsoft 'my pictures' automatically. I also have adobie and the official olympus downloader but I preferred microsoft's version best because it gave me option to name complete file versus numbers and it put the photos in my gallery. I just tried downloading a free test version of windows 2007 which I have now turned off and deleted. My picture upload program no longer pops up for me when I plug in. (and my email signature disapeared) Can anyone give me advise or help on to to fix this problem? Thanks so much. santa __________________ Have Faith in Yourself... . ...Not an invisible friend! *I Believe = I Guess Religion is an Illusion of Control!* www.Yessy.com/OldBaldy www.OldBaldyPhoto.com
	Top

08-19-2008, 03:57 PM	#36 (permalink)
Kana Fluffy Kitten Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 1,971 My Mood: Thanks: 46 Thanked 73 Times in 52 Posts	Just an update on one of my previous recommendations. I recently got sick of the free McAfee firewall that came with my computer and uninstalled it. This finally gave me a chance to try out the freeware Comodo Personal Firewall, which uses only a fraction of the resources the McAfee firewall uses. It provides rule based filtering for your network traffic on a per-application basis, giving it a feature set on par with the pay version of Zonealarm. To my surprise, Comodo also comes with a HIPS component called Defense+. HIPS stands for Host-Based Intrusion Prevention System. It will basically prevent any unauthorised code from running on your computer or altering any other program or protected file. A HIPS system can effectively prevent infection even from unknown malware. Although it's still a good idea to have an anti-virus scanner to detect and remove any malware that slips through, HIPS software provides a new first line of defence. Comodo comes with a whitelist of safe software which helps cut down on the number of prompts you will receive (which was a huge problem the last time I tried a HIPS system). Although I've only been using it for a few days, I can already recommend it for anyone looking for a free firewall. __________________ Groovyville
	Top

09-06-2008, 03:10 PM	#37 (permalink)
guest1234567 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,823 Thanks: 17 Thanked 60 Times in 43 Posts	I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I found a website that has free video tutorials on how to use GIMP. Meet the GIMP! The free video tutorial podcast. This guy has been doing this for over a year now and I think he's a very good teacher and that he must be pretty cool to keep up a blog like this. Also, I bought a book today titled "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional" I'll let people know how it is as I go through it. List price is $49.99, but I got 10% for Barnes & Noble membership. I probably could have save a few more bucks because my son works for B&N, but what the heck. Last edited by guest1234567; 09-06-2008 at 03:13 PM.
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