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Advice on free PC software, multimedia and web design for individuals and churches

Below are personal recommendations on programs and techniques for your consideration. (The adverts on the left will offer alternative commercial products and services )

Make a Back up!

You switch on your computer and the hard drive fails to load it cannot be read. How much have you lost, pictures, music, text, records. It doesn't bear thinking about. So make back ups especially of your data. You can always restore your programs from disks or if the worst came to the worst buy them again. But your letters, sermons, music...... are not so easily restored. You need a backup plan.

1) Right now open my documents and save it directory by directory on CDROMs just open the writeable CD's for data, check the size of your directories by holding the cursor over them but it it comes up as larger than 600mb then left click on the directory (the other mouse button) when a subdirectory comes up select properties this will show the size of the directory. Now remember that a CD will take a maximum of 700mb. Copy a directory, don't move it, paste it to the CD then write the files to the CD. If you have a lot of data it may take some time but at the end of it you will have a pile of CD's with copies of all your work.

Check the CD's by opening a file at random make sure you have it all. Have you any irreplacable files in other locations. Are there other users of your computer copy those files too. Now put this in a big envelope and ask a trusted friend or relative to keep them in their house. (Why another location? If your house get burgled they might take the backups as well, if your study burns down..... ok call me paranoid)

2) Get a backup program - I haven't found a freeware one yet but back up programs do come round fairly regularly on the magazines (by the way if you have found a computer enthusiast locally - he will get all the magazines and have a pile of discs sitting doing nothing). I'm currently using paragon 6.0. But it would need a big pile of CD's to back up my hard drive and it would take forever. I currently use a second removable hard drive for my back up's - these are hard drives from my old computers on a caddy system. I also copy all my data accross our home network to our other computer.( I will write something on home networks eventually). The envelope of CD's hasn't been added to for months (whoops must read what I just wrote about backups). You can now buy a big USB hard drive fairly cheaply try pcworld.co.uk or savastore.com

now you can back up in one process - it will run in the background but it really slows down your machine for an hour or two, best to start it over night. I usually use the backup program to make a complete backup of everything and then simply copy mydocuments to the remaining space on the drive. Currently I'm using about 50Gb of my 160Gb drive, and by backup drive is just my old 80Gb hard drive. I'll have to get a bigger one eventually.

3) Finally keep a backup copy of your backup program with all your backups.

Look at the computer magazines

Just look at them - they tend to be quite expensive - I usually put them back muttering I could buy a book for that. I also notice that as I read fewer computer magazines my need for new and expensive equipment also decreases - funny that! I do look to see if there is anything interesting on the cover CD's. Most of the big computer magazines will give away 4 or 5 full products on the cover CD's. Most of these will be useless to you. Trial and shareware programs are usually limited to 30 days and are almost entirely useless. The magazines are also getting more expensive and I suspect that there are now too many of them. But usually one or more of the magazines will contain something useful. Normally its an older version of a program. For example I just picked up PC Pro May 2006 which has Router Planner Europe (an auto route type program - finds the quickest route from Auchtertool to Auchtermuchty for those in search of the auchter life.) On the same disc is Netobjects Fusion 8 - a website creator and two powerful drawing / art programs Serif 3DPlus 3, and ACD canvas 8. They hope to make their money by getting you to upgrade to the newest version - usually at a reduced price. Be warned though the magazines are Ł5 each, and you can spend a lot of time loading running and rejecting programs. Also every time you load and unload a proram a little bit of junk gets left behind.

If you do find a computer magazine that's useful to you and is good toilet reading (or even just bog standard)then consider subscribing usually you can do a 6 month subscription for half the price. Also the same programs tend to go round all the magazines.

If you don't understand what a program is for ignore it. In particular beware of programs which offer to clean up or fix or speed up your computer - yes they might work but they might also really screw up your computer at the very least save your registry settings before you try one.

You can also download programs from the magazine sites ie PC Plus unfortunately you have to trawl through scores of programs which will be useless to you to find one or two with potential ie Serif Photoshop (art program). Try also PCW .

Cheap not free - look at ebay.co.uk

If you know what program you are after and how much it costs search for it on ebay. As well as the price look at the sellers Feedback score (the number of people who have dealt with this person) and their approval rating. If some with a low feedback score is selling windows XP for a fiver then it is a pirated copy. But a shop may have a feedback rating of 1000+ and 99% approval and may offer goods on a buy it now price rather than auction. Check that it is the exact thing that you are after not an older version, or a cut down version. Don't get caught up in biding over the odds. My general rule on ebay is to bid only once and never to spend more money than I am prepared to write off if it all goes wrong.

Linux

Linux is an operating system, an alternative to Microsoft windows). No doubt a lot of enthusiasts will sing the praise of Linux - its great if you are an enthusiast. The good things about it are that the software is free and there is a lot of quality software available. Linux will also get the best out of an older computer and of course you avoid giving money to Microsoft. Linux has also got a lot easier with nice graphic interfaces.

I recently installed Mandriva which installed very easily - I backed up my hard drive using Norton Ghost onto another hard disk before a repartitioned my C: drive (reserved a bit for Linux). Repartioning worked perfectly - though it is possible to completely wipe your hard drive if it goes wrong. I now have a dual boot (I can choose between Windows and DOS at start up) and the Linux system includes openoffice.org and it recognises my printer and I can get to the internet. It doesn't recognise my scanner though.

But there are snags as well - not all hardware is supported, though that situation is improving. It won't run windows software without an emulator (fake windows) program. Linux is not easy to figure out if you are used to windows. I usually pick up software very quickly but a session of Linux left me very frustrated. It is hard to go back to a command line (remember DOS) after years of using windows, and you will need the command line for installing new programs. Most folks around us are using windows it will be harder to swap data with them and harder to find local help. My advice is to avoid unless you are living in a community of linux users.

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