Cloud Computing

• Sketchpad - Online painting and drawing application
• Autodesk Project Dragonfly - Online floor plan software designer
• Gliffy - Online diagram software
• Pixlr - Online photo editor - similar to Adobe Photoshop
• eyeOS - Open Source cloud computing operating system. Web Desktop.
• Google Docs - Online word processor, spreadsheet, presentation editor, form generator, and file storage. All for free.

 

Must Have Applications

• LogMeIn - Remote desktop application. Most of what this company offers requires a subscription. They do have a free version that is very capable of helping you reach out to friends or relatives that have computer problems. I use this application several times a week to troubleshoot problems, install updates, or access my home computers when I am on the road.
• Deskpins - Finally the ability to pin any window to the top of the stack on your desktop no matter what you have open. Free to download, free to use. Even though it is not listed, I can confirm that this app works fine on Windows 7.
• Ultra VPN - A totally free VPN (Virtual Private Network) client. Use this nifty app to create an encrypted connection to ensure your privacy while surfing at your local WIFI hotspot. Download and register for a free account today!
• PC Inspector - File Recovery 4.x is a data recovery program that supports the FAT 12/16/32 and NTFS file systems. The "Special Recovery Function" supports the following disk formats:
  
  ARJ | AVI | BMP | CDR | DOC | DXF | DBF | XLS | EXE
  GIF | HLP | HTML | HTM | JPG | LZH | MID | MOV | MP3
  PDF | PNG | RTF | TAR | TIF | WAV | ZIP>
  Put simply, this FREE program may get you out of a bind at some time. It has been tested and proven to recover files from corrupted usb thumb drives.
  

 

Must Have Internet Security

• Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) - Detects insecure versions of common/popular programs installed on your PC. Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied. Assists you in updating, patching, and protecting your PC. Runs through your browser. No installation or download is required.
• Spybot Search and Destroy - Powerful malware, spyware, trojan horse, scanner for your computer. I recommend using the 'Immunize' feature and updating weekly, this alone will help prevent you from ever getting near the bad stuff.
• Spyware Blaster - Another immunization program that populates your browsers 'HOSTS' file and prevents you from visiting known bad internet addresses. Free if you update manually. I recommend updating this weekly or bi-weekly.
• Avast! Anti Virus Free Antivirus solution that is battle tested and a very worthy contender. I have this installed on 2 computers and like it.
• AVG Anti Virus - I have been an AVG fan for years, I have recently moved away from this product, but it is still very good, and free. I moved away from this because on a couple of older computers that I own it seemed that AVG was using up most of my available resources. I am not sure that that situation improved by switching. AVG is still a very reliable product.
• Microsoft Security Essentials - Free Antivirus / Anti Spy/Malware product from Microsoft. I am testing this product on one of my computers, and so far I am very impressed with it.
• Malwarebytes Anti Malware Scanner - If your computer is running slow, or just doesn't seem right, try this app. It's free. I have saved a few computers from certain doom with this one.