Most people know it is very important to have a good virus protection software installed on their computers. What some do not know is that they do not have to spend a large amount of money, and that this software can be downloaded online for free.

One of the most popular free antivirus programs is AVG. Other than being free, the main thing users like about AVG is the fast scanning speed. A recent addition to the program added “smart scanning” which  identifies some files as safe and will only rescan them if a change is detected. Another advantage of smart scanning is that scans will run more slowly, but without interfering with other tasks, when the computer is in use. Once the computer is idle the scan will run faster. AVG also updated the 2012 edition of their software, so that it now catches fake antivirus programs as well as ransomware, both of which can be very obnoxious.

The boot time, on the other hand, is a bit slower than other antivirus programs. AVG is considered to be a very reliable program, but does occasionally miss something it should have detected. For this reason, many people use it along with another program for extra backup protection. The download time for AVG is about five minutes, from beginning the download until it is ready to use.

Avast is another freeware antivirus program that has recently made extensive upgrades, making it much more user-friendly and adding to its growing popularity. The download process is fast and simple, although still slower than most paid programs. The biggest addition to Avast is its AutoSandbox feature, making it only the second free antivirus program to offer this function. Another important update is the Safezone feature, which will be very helpful if you use your computer for things like online banking. Avast does not offer the fastest scan speeds, but it is fairly competitive and has made improvements in speed with the most recent version of the software.

One downside of downloading Avast is that it automatically comes with WebRep, which some users do not appreciate because it reduces their browser’s performance. Since it can be tricky to uninstall this program, it is recommended to use the Custom feature when downloading the software to begin with, and unchecking the box for WebRep. Overall Avast is considered one of the best free antivirus programs, even thought it is not perfect. A paid upgrade is available, and comes with even more features, but the free version offers a high degree of protection for most users.

The thing to remember with freeware antivirus software is that most do a very good, or even excellent, job of protecting your system.  However, some users who want even more advanced features will want to upgrade to the paid versions of the programs.

While most operating systems come with a screen capture function pre-installed, many users desire more options or features than those which are standard for most systems. There are several freeware programs available which can offer a wider variety of functionality for using and modifying screen capture images.

One of the most popular free, stand-alone screen capture programs is Screenshot Captor.  Screenshot Captor allows you to edit images and save them in a wide variety of formats, email them directly, upload to a hosting service, or send the image straight to your printer. This program offers the widest variety of options, including delayed capture, which is not included in some other screen capture programs.Screenshot Captor can be used to snap the entire screen, just a region of the screen, just one object on the screen, or even a scolling window. Users can utilize a hotkey or the system tray for screen captures, depending upon their individual preferences. The only drawback is that Screenshot Captor will repeatedly remind you to register, which can be annoying; however, registration is free.

For excellent and diverse editing functions, SnapDraw is one of the leading screen capture programs. The tools offered in the built-in editor are extensive, such as 3-D perspectives, reflections, and more. While it can only be used for full-screen or window captures, the image can be cropped afterward during editing, so it is almost as convenient as programs which offer the ability to capture only part of the screen. There is no delayed capture function. After capturing and editing images, they can be saved to a variety of formats, but there is no direct-to-printer function.

Cropper is a simple, quick way to capture either your entire screen, an active window, or just part of the screen by using either the icon or a hotkey. This program does not offer delayed capture, and some other more advanced options offered by other programs. It can, however, send images straight to the printer or clipboard, or can be saved as an image file in JPG, BMP, or PNG formats. It also allows for a screenshot and a thumbnail to be created at the same time.

Since there is a wide range of features available, and each program differs in which ones it offers, the best strategy is to download a program which offers the features you need without the clutter of options you will never use. This will allow for more streamlined use and faster learning of the program you choose.