Best FREE Software (Used and Rated by Loungers)

[Rudi]

I recently discovered HandBrake Video Converter (Open Source and completely clean, No adware or crapware in the app or its installer)
It is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs (.MP4(.M4V) and .MKV)

Reasons you’ll love HandBrake:
-- Convert video from nearly any format
-- Free and Open Source
-- Multi-Platform (Windows, Mac and Linux)

[Dave Davison]

To clip a section from the beginning or end of a video I Usually use iWisoft Free Video Converter which is great as it also offers the options of converting the format or extracting the sound track in mp3 which is great for the car use. I understand the latest version of ConvertXtoDVD allows sections to be deleted from any part of a video but (as the screen shot shows) I gravitate to freebies wherever possible so wondered if anyone can point me to one that also offers the said function? Dave.

[Rudi]

Hi Dave,

A very good Video editor that provides to options you refer to is Windows Movie Maker. As you can see illustrated in the screenshot, I can trim any part of the movie and join those parts together, adding effects, transitions and credits info. And of course it is completely free and a Microsoft product.

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[Dave Davison]

A Thousand thanks Rudi........will be pleased to give that a go. Just saw the UBit Menu Setup freebie post on this forum and thought it looked good so decided to download it BUT a warning message popped up saying the Publisher could not be verified....so thought I would see seek reassurance before installing it on my M/C .

[Rudi]

That is fine Dave. Its just Microsoft (or Windows) informing that it is not a known software publisher. You can choose Run...but continue to be vigilant with the options within the installer as you work through the steps...

[jstevens]

Another one from Karen...

Karen's Directory Printer-
Print the name of every file on a drive, along with the file's size, date and time of last modification, and attributes (Read-Only, Hidden, System and Archive)! The list of files can be sorted by name, size, date created, date last modified, or date of last access.

http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptdirprn.asp


Regards,
John

[BobH]

Thank you, both, John and Rudi!

Is that you holding the mic, Rudi?

[Rudi]

Is that you holding the mic, Rudi?

I do a lot of lectures in my line of work, but no, that is not me...
It is Simon Sinek with a very interesting and motivational talk at the 2009 TED Talks. The presentation he gives is entitled: "Start With Why".

[Claude]

And here is here ! I'm extremely impressed with it.

This mobile mapping app is worth a look Here from Nokia. It’s pretty good but has one standout feature .. offline maps.

Not the limited offline support from Google Maps … you select and download the full maps for a country or state.

Even when you have a data connection, Here running offline is often faster because you don’t have to wait for map information to be downloaded. The mobile data can be saved to an external microSD card if your device has one.

It’s available for Windows Phone (naturally) and a beta for Android that’s working quite well on my Galaxy phone. There’s also a Windows 8.1 version I’ve not tried. Downloads at http://here.com/download/?lang=en-US An iOS version is promised soon.

[Rudi]

TX Claude.
I see it shows street numbers when you zoom in close.

One question... does your street view work? Still not been able to get this going.

[Claude]

Nope, remember Rudi that it is in beta.

[Sundog]

Copernic Desktop Search... Copernic (which I used up until the free version wouldn't index network drives) ... index and search by content (of supported filetypes).

A few minutes ago I downloaded Copernic Desktop Search Light v.4.2.0 (free). When it installed, up popped an offer to upgrade to the full 4.2.0 version for half price, $24.97. Bought it immediately.

[Sundog]

Uh oh! Initial search stopped, with Runtime Error!, Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library. Any ideas? (Maybe I should wait until Copernic indexes my files before searching?)

[HansV]

If the problem persists, I'd contact Copernic.

[BobH]

And here is here ! I'm extremely impressed with it.

This mobile mapping app is worth a look Here from Nokia. It’s pretty good but has one standout feature .. offline maps.

Not the limited offline support from Google Maps … you select and download the full maps for a country or state.

Even when you have a data connection, Here running offline is often faster because you don’t have to wait for map information to be downloaded. The mobile data can be saved to an external microSD card if your device has one.

It’s available for Windows Phone (naturally) and a beta for Android that’s working quite well on my Galaxy phone. There’s also a Windows 8.1 version I’ve not tried. Downloads at http://here.com/download/?lang=en-US An iOS version is promised soon.

So, this app must somehow know my approximate location from my IP address, no? When I clicked the "here" URL, the map that came up was of Waco, TX - about 45 miles from where I sit.

Did everyone experience a similar response?

[Rudi]

So, this app must somehow know my approximate location from my IP address, no? When I clicked the "here" URL, the map that came up was of Waco, TX - about 45 miles from where I sit.
Did everyone experience a similar response?

Yep...when I opened the link, the map opened up at Cape Town. I stay 25 minutes outside the city!

This is the opening image I see...
Strange thing is that I didn't know that Cape Town had a "Brooklyn" ... LOL, I suddenly feel very American!!
(Brooklyn is the name of the suburb, but directly next to the suburb is an airforce base. I have always known the suburb by the name of the airforce base so I was quite surprised to see the name Brooklyn.)

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[BobH]

So, this app must somehow know my approximate location from my IP address, no? When I clicked the "here" URL, the map that came up was of Waco, TX - about 45 miles from where I sit.
Did everyone experience a similar response?

Yep...when I opened the link, the map opened up at Cape Town. I stay 25 minutes outside the city!

This is the opening image I see...
Strange thing is that I didn't know that Cape Town had a "Brooklyn" ... LOL, I suddenly feel very American!!

1.jpg

And I must feel a bit Dutch because I have ancestors who were in New Amsterdam running a dairy farm and dairy in the 1750s in a part of what is now Brooklyn. The surname became De Hart but began as de Artsen.

[Rudi]

1750's... You have dug deep into your family history!! (That's the era of Davey Crockett)

[PaulB]

So, this app must somehow know my approximate location from my IP address, no? When I clicked the "here" URL, the map that came up was of Waco, TX - about 45 miles from where I sit.

Did everyone experience a similar response?

When I opened the link, the map was centered on Toronto. Now, while everyone knows that Toronto is the center of the known universe, I live over 280 miles away.

[viking33]

So, this app must somehow know my approximate location from my IP address, no? When I clicked the "here" URL, the map that came up was of Waco, TX - about 45 miles from where I sit.

Did everyone experience a similar response?

When I opened the link, the map was centered on Toronto. Now, while everyone knows that Toronto is the center of the known universe, I live over 280 miles away.

Toronto is also where Chris G lives and the city with the infamous Mayor. 280 miles is a good distance of separation, I think?