Tools

We have gathered together some of the most useful tools we have found on the internet and placed them here to share with you.
All tools are free or have a free version of the program available.
Flareworks does not take credit for these nor do we assure that they will work with your computer.

Media Codeces

Combined Community Codec Pack
This is the absolute best set of codeces out there. This will play any type of video file except for .mov files which can be played with the QuickTime Media player below. When installing, select the option to register extensions with Windows Media Player if you want to use Windows Media Player as your default player. P.S. Don't be intimidated by its imposing web design scheme. It is a safe site.

Media Players

Windows Media Player
A link to the latest version of Windows Media Player. A good player for anything windows based and the media player of choice to watch Life in Lincoln episodes.
QuickTime Player
The media player of choice for Mac applications. This link is for the windows version. You can download it with or without iTunes music player.

Broadband Speed Tests

Speakeasy Speed Test
Probably the easiest and quickest speed test out there. Requires a recent version of Flash Player.
speedtest.net
Another good test. This gives you a few more options and compares your results to those of others with similar broadband connections.

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware

Microsoft Security Essentials
If you like to keep things simple and all based around Microsoft and Windows products, then this is the free Anti-Virus software for you. It works just like any other anti-virus, but is provided by Microsoft. It includes/replaces Windows Defender which is a seperate Spyware Monitor program from Windows. Another benefit is that this is a relatively small program compared to other Anti-Viruses and requires few resources. This is excellent for Netbooks where storage and RAM are limited.
Ad-Aware SE Personal
The best Ad zapping software available and best of all, its FREE! Download the free version and install it on your computer. You have to manually run it about once a month, but it scans your registry, files, and cookies to weed out the ones that are causing you to receive spam and ads then it safely deletes them when you are done. No computer should be with out this program.
Windows Defender
Windows Defender is software that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software by detecting and removing known spyware from your computer. Windows Defender features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, minimizes interruptions, and helps you stay productive. This program comes free and pre-installed on Windows Vista and Windows 7. It will be replaced if you decide to go with Microsoft Security Essentials as your Anti-Virus Program.
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is a site dedicated to fighting malware. Malwarebytes has developed a variety of tools that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer. When your computer becomes infected, Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance.
Norton Security Check
This is a link to Symantec's web page where they will test how vulnerable your computer is to online threats. It's Free. If you are using Firefox, open this one with Internet Explorer as only half of it can run in Firefox.

Helpful Programs

Open Office
If you can't afford to buy Microsoft Office, this is an excellent alternative and best of all it's FREE! It has the ability to open Microsoft Office saves and to save the Open Office files in Microsoft Office format. There can be some slight formatting differences between saves, but all in all an excellent program.
Synergy Mouse/Keyboard Sharing
A wonderful program if you have two computers that are often side by side, be them laptops or desktops. Download and extract this zip file and install the program on all the computers. From there you have to configure the program which is fairly easy. Just start on the computer that has the mouse and keyboard you want to use. That is your host computer. Then you just tell it where you want the mouse to go when you touch a part of the screen. So if your laptop is to the right of your host computer, you would tell it to go from right screen host to left screen laptop and vice versa. Then do this on all the other computers. Check out their website here for more info.
Image Resizer
This is a favorite Windows XP Powertoy. Power toys are programs written by Microsoft, but not officially packaged as part of windows. This program once installed lets you right click on any picture and select Resize Image. From there a little window pops up letting you quickly and easily make pictures smaller or bigger. Helpful if you have a 2+ megapixel camera. You can make smaller copies to email quickly to friends. The smaller copies ensure that the picture will show up properly on their screen. If you have Windows Vista or 7 you will need to get a clone of this program which works looks exactly the same. You can get it here.
Hamachi VPN
A must have for anyone works away from home a lot and needs physical access to all their files. This is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) program. Once set up, it lets you transfer files between two computers as if you were still on your own home network. The transfer speed is dependant on the upload speed of your internet service provider which is usually around 350 kbps for broadband. I highly recommend this one.
Audacity
This is a free audio editing program. It lets you import audio tracks and edit them. One of the really nice features is the ability to click on individual samples and manually move it around.