Freeware to the rescue

Wow, where did the month of January go? Seems I put off writing a day or so and the next thing I know weeks have passed. But no more I say, I must write, write, write. But what to write about? Well this post is about a couple of freeware programs I’ve used lately.

First up is a program that I recently used that was extremely helpful. My in-laws were having some problems with their email. I live in Illinois and they are in Wisconsin so I can’t just pop up there and fix it. Tried to walk things through on the phone but that was getting no where. But a little remote access program called Crossloop came to the rescue. I’ve never done anything like this before but the installation was easy for my in-laws and connecting was a breeze. The program worked great and the problem they were having is now fixed. I’m sure there are some other programs out there that are similar. I wish I had done this sooner, it would have saved a lot of time and hassle.

The other freeware program I’ve been using a lot is Mediamonkey, My MP3 collection is quite extensive and its sheer size bogs down Windows Media Player’s library function. But Mediamonkey handles it with no problems. The program also does a great job with the artwork for the tracks and tag editing. You can purchase an upgrade to do more functions but the freeware (no nags) version does what I need it to do. Highly recommended if you do alot of work with MP3 files.

I also recently installed Gimp since I bought a new digital camera and want to do some minor editing. How ever I can’t say I’m too happy with the interface or the program as a whole. I need something that does more than the basic editing that Picasa or Microsoft Picture Manager handles. I’ve read that Paint.net does a good job so I’ll probably be giving that a go.
Might have to break down and spend some money on a more robust program but I’m a sucker for freeware so that is where I’m focusing on at the moment.

So until next time stay safe and if you have any software recommendations send ‘em my way.