Kim Komando - Daily Download

Freebies from Microsoft

Windows is the most-used software in the world. It runs on over 90 percent of all computers in existence. That's a lot of configurations to handle.

It's also a lot of users to keep happy. One software program can't perfectly suit everyone. That's why Microsoft has provided extra enhancements. Best of all, they're free.

Let's take a look at a bunch of them:

Windows Live Movie Maker (Vista and 7)
Windows Movie Maker (XP only) 
Internet videos continue to grow in popularity. Posting home videos to YouTube is almost required now. Fortunately, making your own movie is easier than ever.

Microsoft's free Movie Maker offers the basic editing functionality you need. Hook up a camera and you'll be editing in no time.

Movie Maker Creativity Fun Pack (XP only) – Movie Maker for XP is a nice, basic video editor. It's great for casual users. But what if you wanted to spice things up a bit?

The Creativity Fun Pack adds additional video titles. You also get free music and sound effects. Use it to take your videos to the next level.

Photo Gallery – Digital photos are everywhere. Nearly all cell phones include digital cameras. Unfortunately, Windows' photo organizing options aren't that great.

Windows Live Photo Gallery is a good solution. You can organize photos by date or type, or add custom tags. There are also basic photo-editing features. And plenty of output options are included, such as burning CDs.

Windows Live Writer – Blogs are basically online journals. You can create entries about topics that interest you. There are also options to upload photos and videos. However, blogs aren't always convenient to update. Most have a Web-based management interface. It would be nicer to use a program like Word.

Windows Live Writer is like Word for blogs. Create a blog entry using a desktop program. Easily add media. Then upload the entry to your blogging site. Writer works with all the major blogging services.

Desktops – Multitasking is a great computer feature. In many cases, it increases productivity. However, too many open programs can lead to desktop clutter.

Stay organized using Desktops. This program lets you create up to four virtual desktops. Assign certain programs to each virtual desktop. Then switch between desktops with a click of the mouse. You only see the program windows you need to see.

BgInfo – Configuration information about your computer is useful. However, it can be a pain to find. This is especially true when something is going wrong.

That's why you need BgInfo. This small program puts your computer's information on your desktop background.  This includes processor type and operating system information.

Process Explorer – Sometimes your computer acts up. In most cases, Task Manager will help you get it working again. However, Task Manager's information often is vague.

Process Explorer is a more powerful version of Task Manager. It shows you more information. And the information is often clearer. This makes it more useful for tracking and fixing computer problems.

Office 2007 Help Tab – In Office 2007, Microsoft changed the interface considerably with the Ribbon menu. And the Help menu was replaced by a hard-to-find icon. This confused some people.

Office 2007 Help Tab rectifies this issue. As the name implies, it adds a Help tab to the Ribbon. You now get easily accessible options for searching the help database.

IbarraReal font – Fonts change the way text appears on your computer. Windows ships with quite a few standard fonts. More fonts can be downloaded or purchased online.

Microsoft recently released a high-quality font, IbarraReal. It's based on a print type from 1780. It originally appeared in the Royal Spanish Academy's edition of Don Quixote. Thisont is a wonderful mix of tradition and technology.

Cost: Free
System: Windows XP, Vista and 7
Download page HERE

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