Gizmo's Freeware: Top selections

Loads Of New Free Fonts For Your PC

Sat, 23 Apr 2016 18:09:22 +1000

If you're bored of all your printed documents looking so similar to each other, it's time to try out a new font or typeface. Windows comes as standard with a large selection (just use the Font or Format menu in whatever program you're using, to choose one) but sometimes it's nice to have some additional choices.

It's easy to download and install new fonts for your PC, and once a font is installed it can be used within any Windows program. It'll also print correctly too, without the need to change any settings on your printer.

This is a great site to start looking for new fonts. Not all of them are free, but many are, and the download is just a single click. You then unzip the downloaded file, right-click on the font file, and choose the Install option. Windows will do the rest for you.

You can then use your new fonts to create documents, posters, book covers, labels, and so on. Read More

Search 80 Million Academic Papers For Free

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 18:36:33 +1000

Microsoft Academic is a search engine that indexes academic research papers. Unlike the typical article on the web, articles published in academic journals are meticulously researched, and then fact-checked by multiple experts. Whether you have a deep interest in a particular subject, or you just want to learn about things at a deeper level than the conventional web can provide, this material makes really interesting reading.

Microsoft's academic search system contains details of more than 80 million articles, and you can view abstract information about all of them. Many are also available as full-text PDF files to download. Others can be requested by email. But whatever you want to study, it's a fair bet that you'll find some great information on this site. Read More

Send Files Securely to Anyone Anywhere in the World

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:56:49 +1000

The most traditional way of sending files to another person is probably by email. But this has some restrictions like the file type and size that are allowed by a service provider.

Other than through email, there're several other ways of sending and receiving files to a nearby or remote device via the Internet and one of them is to use a web service called Send Anyway.

Head to Send Anyway's website in a web browser and you can start sending or receiving any files anywhere securely with a 6-digit key, a QR code or a URL containing the key. You do not need to signup or signin with any credentials to send or receive files, except for the unique key, which expires in 10 minutes and can only be used once.

If a 10-minute span is too short to be useful, you can opt for 24 hours. Install this app Send Anyway which gives this option and more features on your device, either an Android, iOS or Windows Mobile smartphone or tablet, or a Windows, Mac OS X, Linux or Chrome OS laptop or desktop. Read More

You Need To Uninstall Quicktime For Windows

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:40:43 +1000

If you have Apple Quicktime for Windows installed on your PC, you need to consider removing it as soon as you can. A couple of serious security bugs have recently been discovered in the product, which could allow someone to gain access to your PC. However, while Apple still supports Quicktime for the Mac, the Windows version is no longer supported and so the bugs will not be fixed. Read More

Banish Those Missing .NET Framework Errors Forever

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 19:32:40 +1000

The most popular tool with which to create Windows software is Microsoft's Visual Studio. Pretty much all programs that you create with it, though, won't run unless the end user's machine has the Microsoft .NET framework installed. That's why, when you install new software on your PC, the installer often complains that you're missing the .NET framework and that you'll need to download and install it before you can continue.

There are literally dozens of versions of the .NET framework, and making sure you have the correct ones installed can be tricky. Which is where a rather neat utility called the .NET Version Detector comes in. It'll tell you which versions are currently installed on your computer, and provide links to all of the other versions in case you want to install them. Read More

Learn Languages, Science, Maths And More

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 19:58:10 +1000

Memrise is an online system that contains courses on hundreds of topics. It specialises in languages, but there are also courses that cover maths, chemistry, physics, art, literature, history and more. Plus, courses on how to train and improve your memory.

A premium account will cost you $9 a month, but basic access to all of the courses is completely free. So start today learning some new stuff, or refreshing your existing knowledge. Read More

Gasp! What Else Have You Just Downloaded to Your PC!

Sun, 17 Apr 2016 18:21:35 +1000

These days, more and more programs are being bundled with extra components such as the Ask toolbar or Open Candy which Gizmo has written about here. Even the once 100% clean SourceForge repository for Open Source projects now uses a wrapped installer for some products.

There are varying opinions about the nature of these add-ons, but without joining the argument about how developers choose to fund their existence, how can users ensure that what they download is what they get, and nothing more?

Here’s are a few simple steps: Read More

Wallpaper of the Week: The Rings Of Saturn

Sat, 16 Apr 2016 18:50:58 +1000

This weeks wallpaper is a monochromatic view of the planet Saturn and its beautiful banded rings against a starry backdrop, lit by the sun. Every now and then I get the urge to see Saturn on my desktop so I hunt down images, this weeks wallpaper is the result. Is it a real image of Saturn? I haven't the foggiest idea, but I'm sure enjoying it seeing it as my desktop this week. Icons do quite well with this image in the darker regions. Read More

Updated: Best Free Media Player for Android

Fri, 15 Apr 2016 19:55:40 +1000

Ever since it was possible to play videos on a computer, it seems like people have always been looking for an alternative to the built-in media player, and with reason. Often built-in video players will only provide basic functionality and often a limited codec support. That, well, let's call it "tradition", continues today on mobile form factors. Ever since the iPhone came out, people have been looking to be able to play files like flv files on it. Same with Android, and that's why we're here today. So, if you're looking for a fresh interface for enjoying your media, some broader codec support, or just something plain old new, keep reading. Read More

Find Out Everything About Your PC with New Free Utility

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 18:28:53 +1000

I love trying out new PC software which claims to be able to detect the details of all the components installed in your computer. My latest favourite is called Speccy, from Piriform (who also make CCleaner).

The program is available in a variety of versions, including one that's totally free. I suggest you try to as it is really quite impressive. Read More

How To Prevent Unwanted Windows 10 Upgrades

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 21:04:04 +1000

Microsoft has been ambitious in attempting to ensure that computers running Windows 7 and Windows 8 are upgraded to Windows 10 - here are a few different ways to block any unwanted and unasked for upgrades on your computer.

Whether you're computer has been suddenly (and unwittingly) upgraded to Windows 10, the upgrade logo in the system notification tray is bothersome, or you want to make sure that you won't be upgraded to Windows 10 unless and until you decide to, here are some tools and tips to give you what you need. Read More

Finds of the Week

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:57:22 +1000

Finds of the Week is a list of web sites I've come across lately that are interesting, fun, or useful (or all three). I hope you enjoy them. -Rhiannon

- Remove Backgrounds From Images For Free
- Outstanding List of Animal Cams
- Free eBooks and videos from Interweave
- Create Your Own Online Journal/Diary

Read More

CCleaner Is Updated, Free And Portable

Mon, 11 Apr 2016 21:27:59 +1000

Microsoft is always proud of announcing just how much faster each new version of Windows is, compared to the previous one. It's true that, if you upgrade to a new version of Windows your PC will run faster. But in many cases, the speed-up is nothing to do with the new operating system. It's simply that, the more you use your PC, the more it gets bogged down with old files and unnecessary registry entries. And it's these which are largely responsible for the slow-down, rather than the upgraded OS.

You can see it for yourself if you wipe your computer's hard disk and install a new copy of the same version of Windows that you had before. Your computer will almost always run much faster. But then, of course, over time, it will slow down again as the detritus builds up.

There are many programs which claim to be able to clean up the mess that Windows continually accumulates. Probably the best known is CCleaner, made by Piriform. While the full version is a paid-for product, the basic free edition is still very powerful and worth investigating if you've never tried it.

The most recent update to CCleaner was a couple of weeks ago. And as well as the standard installable version, there's also a portable edition which runs without installing anything. So if you don't like it, or don't intend to use it regularly, just delete the downloaded files and all traces of the software will be gone. Read More

Zorin: A Linux Version designed for Windows Users

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 18:25:34 +1000

If you feel like a change from Windows, the obvious answer is to try Linux. But there are literally hundreds of variants available, so it's difficult to know which one to try first. Among those coming from a Windows background, Zorin is rapidly gaining followers because it deliberately tries to resemble Windows in order to feel familiar to existing users of Microsoft's OS.

Zorin is built on the well-known Ubuntu flavour of Linux, with additional themes and tweaks. There's also a Look Changer app, that instantly changes various settings in order to make the user interface resemble either Windows 7 or XP.

Zorin version 11 was launched a couple of weeks ago, and it's free to download and use either the Core or Lite versions. There are also Pro and Ultimate offerings, which cost around $9, but Core should suit almost everyone. Read More

Forgot Your WiFi Password? How to Find It in Windows

Sat, 09 Apr 2016 19:38:34 +1000

One of the top rated articles at Gizmo's Freeware is a short guide how to recover a lost wi-fi password in Windows. You can understand why; loosing passwords is common and this guide shows two sure-fire ways of simply recovering the password. Read More

Some Amazing Google Tricks

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 19:06:59 +1000

If you're a regular user of Google, there are some fun tricks that you can try on the site.

Foe example you can make your screen do a barrel roll, tilt the screen sideways or even turn your search results into a game of Atari Breakout which you can control with either the keyboard or mouse! Read More

A Friendly Mac-Like Program Launcher For Windows

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:42:44 +1000

If you use a Mac, iPad or iPhone then you'll know that the program launcher screen is more friendly and simple than the default Windows desktop. And sometimes, simple is best.

Paper Plane is a program which gives you a simple desktop program launcher which bears a passing resemblance to the iPad and Iphone one. It runs on Windows, and it's completely free. Paper Plane is easy to use, and it helps to make your use of Windows more efficient. It automatically organises your icons based on how often you use each program, so commonly used ones will be most accessible. And you can easily add new programs, built-in accessories or files to the desktop screens if you want. It doesn't replace your standard Windows desktop either, so there's nothing to lose if you don't like it. Read More

Find More Than 10,000 Fun Facts In One Place (Android, iPhone, iPad)

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 18:39:39 +1000

Did you know any of these facts?

- “Silent” and “Listen” are spelled with the same letters;
- One penny doubled everyday becomes over 5 million dollars in just 30 days;
- You can’t fold a piece of paper in half more than seven times.

These are just three from over 10,000 fun facts about all sort of things for you to explore in this simple yet resourceful app called 10,500+ Cool Facts.

To be exact at time of this review, it has a total of 10,513 entries of facts in the Android version and 11,969 entries in the iOS version. In either version, the entries are sequentially numbered.

Some facts you will already know, but more you will certainly not. Install this app for free on your mobile devices and read a few entries a day wherever you go. If you continuously read 10 facts every day, it will take about three years to finish.

Browsing through the facts in this app is easy. Tap, swipe down or right to go to the next entry, or swipe up or left to the previous; or go straight to a fact with an entry number. When you like a fact, save it to your favorites for future reference, or share it via email, Facebook or Twitter.

If you have any doubts over a fact presented, tap “verify this fact” via the gear button and it leads you to a Google search result page to find out more.

Enrich your knowledge and learn a ton of facts and information in this free app. It is not only entertaining and educational but also a great way to kill time. Read More

Free And Easy Online File Conversions

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 18:34:06 +1000

The other day, I needed to record some speech in my own voice and burn it to an audio CD that I could listen to in my car. I was actually learning some lines for an important presentation, so it seemed like a good way to practice.

The voice recorder app that's built into Windows 10 was sufficient to let me record my voice and save it as a file on my PC. But Windows Voice Recorder saves files in m4a format, and if you want to burn audio to an old-fashioned CD player you need a wav file instead.

The software that came to my rescue was Zamzar. It's a neat system that can convert any file to just about any other format you can think of. It'll convert document and spreadsheet files to and from PDF or e-book formats, for example. And it converts between dozens of audio formats too. Including between mp3, m4a, wav and others.

The nicest thing about Zamzar is that it's online, so you don't need to download anything. And it's completely free too. So add it to your bookmarks or favourites, for the next time you need to convert a file. Read More

Free Ransomware Protection Utility

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:34:35 +1000

Ransomware is the latest and most dangerous type of malware to hit computers. If you're unlucky enough to be infected, the malware encrypts all the key document files on your computer. To get the decryption password you'll need to pay - sometimes up to $500.

Any decent antivirus product should protect you against ransomware, but it always pays to be well covered. So a new tool from BitDefender is worth knowing about. It specifically guards against ransomware, and it's completely free.

It works by tricking any ransomware installer into thinking that your computer is already infected. So the installer, if you do happen to inadvertently run one, won't continue running because it thinks there's nothing else to do.

The program is a 4.5 MB download and malware-free according to VirusTotal and Web of Trust. Read More