Well, before downloading anything from the web you will need security and a secure web browser.
I suggest you Firefox: this is THE web browser.....


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Many people will choose a paid antivirus, which is good,
but you can have the same level of security using free ones,
such as AVG which is excellent and reliable for everyday use.
In order to download just click on the AVG logo.


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Not happy with AVG? Let's go for Avast, another good freebie.


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After a good web browser and two very capable antivirus is time for a nice Antispyware,
this is Spyboot S&D featuring a comprehensive scan facility and realtime monitor.
Just click on the logo and there you go!!!


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Many of you will be loyal to the compression tool available on Windows XP,
sometimes people refer to it as Winzip, but there are nicer tools on the web and for free !
One of those is 7zip which supports most of the popular compression formats

• Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
• Unpacking only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS

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Foxit Reader 2.0 is a free PDF document viewer and printer,
with an incredible small size (only 1.67 Mb!), breezing-fast launch speed and amazingly rich feature set.
Foxit Reader 2.0 supports Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista.
Its core function is compatible with PDF Standard 1.7. Version 2.0 introduces many exciting new features,
including interactive form filler, multi-language User Interface support, on-demand download of add-on,
self upgrade, Javascript support, improved printing speed, streamlined UI and much more.
Before installing Foxit Reader, please make sure you uninstall other PDF readers.


Notes from Pcshouts lab:
This product is fantastic, has a very small installer and is blazing fast. The install is extremely easy:


grab it now!!
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A-PDF Text Extractor

A-PDF Text Extractor is an utility designed to extract text from PDF files for use in other applications.The program is a standalone application. No Adobe Acrobat needed. The program is freeware, which means that you can use it either persionally or commercially for free. To extract text from a PDF file, the PDF file must meet the following conditions:

• The file is formatted to contain text and not just images.
• The file contains no security restrictions which disable text selecting.

Note: Text formatting may be lost after exacting from the original PDF file.

Download
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AT Notes,

This tool is something of love and hate: many will love it, others will hate it.
As the names implies this little tool will let you grab notes and it's quite powerfull too!
You can set reminders so the notes can pop up at designated times, set color transparency,
keep track of deleted notes, make the application undertake different actions and even
send notes across a network!


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OpenOffice

Now is time to get productive, but in a Pcshouts way, we are now proposing you Open office
this is a powerful office suite wich in certain areas is better than it's competitors, has all you can expect
from a professional office suite.

during installation choose to not associates files with Openoffice if you have MS Office installed.




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Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.