SincereCoTechnology

How to save a few hundred dollars installing an office suite on an extra computer

As computers go further and further down in price many of us accumulate extra laptops or desktops around our offices. One of the problems we face is there isn't always an extra copy of Microsoft Office to install nor do we feel like spending a few hundred dollars to purchase a new copy just for a computer we might only use occasionally. One alternative is to install OpenOffice, a free alternative to Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice is open-source software, meaning a community of programmers work together to develop and refine it, rather than a single company. In most ways the interface is very similar to Microsoft office and many of the commands are the same.  Additionally, the vast majority of formatting options are supported so that you can open almost any Microsoft document using it.

When you install OpenOffice, it comes with a complete array of programs including a document editor, spreadsheet software, presentation software and database tools.  Even better, it takes up less storage and uses less memory than a typical Microsoft office installation.

Download a copy of OpenOffice now.

Save Space and Reduce Frustration by Deleting Duplicate Files

The faster you work, the more e-mails you process, the more attachments you wind up opening and saving all over the place.  This is a cycle a lot of us fall into.  I don't like having random copies of files all over the place so one of the things I regularly do is remove all the duplicates from my computer. This ensures that I won't work on one version one day and a different version the next.

It's almost impossible to manually search for duplicate files so I was especially pleased to come across Easy Duplicate Finder.  What's great about it is that it's one of the easiest, fastest and simplest duplicate removers I've used.  I've tried many of them and the problem is usually that no matter how well the program works the interface is either confusing or simply nonintuitive.  Easy Duplicate Finder manages to have a pleasant interface that feels very intuitive and makes clean up a breeze.

One trick i use is to only compare two folders at a time, rather than simply scan my whole hard drive. This keeps the seaches and comparisons easy.

The trial version of Easy Duplicate Finder will allow you to delete up to 50 files at a time.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Not everyone types rapidly or accurately. Even people with great typing skills might sometimes prefer to have someone else type for them. Recently, some of our employees began using Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. We were amazed how far dictation software has come.

Watch a demo

avast! 4 Home Edition Antivirus

It's not uncommon to end up with one or two or even three extra computers as you seek out the latest technology. The question becomes just how much you want to spend in time and money keeping those extra computers running. While laptops, in particular, are great for taking along on vacation to check your e-mail or surf the internet, you might not want to spend an extra $50 or $100 a year on antivirus software for them.

Thankfully, firms such as ALWIL are kind enough to provide free versions of their software for personal use. ALWIL’s avast! 4 Home Edition hits the spot when it comes to these extra computers. It provides everything you could ever need for a PC that is only being used occasionally and on which you will not be storing client data. It installs quickly and efficiently and will automatically check to make sure you have the latest antivirus updates.

To Download