Guides and Tips for Using Four Popular Free Applications [1]
There are certain free applications that are especially popular and I have collected some links to articles that give guides and tips for making better use of four of them. Here is information that I think you will find helpful for using some of your favorite freeware.
1. VLC Media Player
VLC is one of Gizmo’s top-rated media players [3] and is widely used. But it has a lot of functions that you may not be aware of. Learn more about VLC from this article at the How-To Geek:
10 Useful Features Hidden in VLC, The Swiss Army Knife of Media Players [4]
2. Paint.NET
Paint.NET (not to be confused with the Windows app called Paint) is a free but quite powerful image editor. It can be made even more powerful with the plug-ins that are available. Find out about the versatility of this program from these two articles at MakeUseOf.
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Paint.NET: The Best Image Editor Available That You Should Download [5]
Guide to using Paint.NET -
Using Paint.NET? Make It Even Better With These Great Plugins [6]
Free plug-ins that turn Paint.NET into a powerhouse editor.
3. Notepad++
One of the most popular and versatile text editors is Notepad++. It has a multitude of features and it is easy to overlook many of them. Here are some links to help you take full advantage of all the functions and plug-ins packed into this excellent free program.
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Notepad++ Cheat Sheet: 11 Tricks And Tips For Plaintext Power Users [7]
Useful tips from MaximumPC -
Notepad++ Plugins [8]
Sourceforge List of available plug-ins -
How to Get More Plus out of Notepad++ [9]
Tips on advanced features from Lifehacker -
15 Pro Tips for Notepad++ [10]
Coding tips
4. NoScript Extension for Firefox
Firefox is a very popular browser and one of its most popular extensions is NoScript. But not everybody knows all the ins and outs of this important aid to safer web viewing. Here are two places to learn how to make expert use of Firefox and NoScript.
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NoScript FAQ [11]
Extensive article about NoScript from its developer. All your questions answered. -
The Firefox NoScript guide you have all been waiting for [12]
Tips on using NoScript from gHacks
And there you have it - how to make better use of some favorite freeware.
Get your own favorite tip published! Know a neat tech tip or trick? Then why not have it published here and receive full credit? Click here to tell us your tip. [13]
This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie [14]. Vic runs several websites with Windows how-to's, guides, and tutorials, including a site for learning about Windows and the Internet [15] and another with Windows 7 tips [16].
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