jam-software.com/freeware/

TreeSize Free is a handy little program that tells you where all your disk space has gone. This is great if you are running out of disk space or planning a format and want to know where all your data is on your hard drive. You can scan entire drives at once or a particular folder (and it’s sub-folders) just by right-clicking on the folder and picking TreeSize Free from the menu. Results can be sorted according to size or name and sizes can be listed by percentage or space-used (in KB, MB or GB). Folders can be expanded in the results view just like in Windows Explorer, so you get a full view of which folders are really taking up all that space.

This is the free version of TreeSize (the paid version includes extra features such as 3D graphs, last access dates and owners of files as well as scanning network drives) and works on Windows 9x/2000/XP/Vista. Using TreeSize Free is a great way to do some spring cleaning on your PC

www.microsoft.com/downloads/

This is a handy one, especially for business, as it allows you to open Microsoft Office 2007 files in earlier Office versions (such as XP, 2000 & more). With the release of Office 2007, Microsoft introduced a new default file format for Office files called Office Open XML which comes with a new file extension (in Word for example, files now have a .docx extension instead of the previous .doc). These new files will not open properly in previous versions of Office so Microsoft have released this converter which allows you to do so. Once installed, 2007 files will open just like your regular files and you can also ‘Save As’ and save the file as a pre-2007 file format, so you can then send the file to other non-Office 2007 users to open (without them needing the converter tool). Installation is simple and once the tool is installed, you wont have to worry about it again.

Tip: For Office 2007 users, remember that you can still save your files to be pre-2007 compatible by selecting it from the drop-down box when you save the file. If you are sending documents to other people and aren’t sure what version of Office they are using, doing this will ensure they can open it in any version.

http://free.grisoft.com/
AVG Anti-Virus is one of the top Anti-Virus programs out there. Their free version, for home and non-commercial use, is a great alternative to the paid anti-virus programs that are available. It comes with all the standard features of a good anti-virus system;

• Automatic Updates
• Real-time protection for active and downloaded files
• Scheduler for regular scans
• A virus ‘vault’ for handling infected files

It also uses very little system resources, unlike a lot of anti-virus programs that are bloated, running AVG will not slow you down at all. Once installed, AVG runs in the system tray, protecting you from the latest virus threats, without any extra hassle. You are notified when updates are installed for you and any results from completed system scans are displayed.

So if you’re looking for a new anti-virus program or need to replace your current one when the subscription runs out try AVG, the free version is available here.

Synergy SourceForge Page

This one is for those of us with multiple computers lying around who want to avoid the hassle and clutter of having a mouse + keyboard for each one. Like a KVM switch which allows you to attach one keyboard + mouse to multiple machines except synergy is a piece of software that works with network computers, so it cuts down on the mess further by getting rid of the switch and KVM cables. Plus, no more buttons or hot-keys are needed to move between monitors, once you’re set up you just drag your cursor off one screen and onto another. Better still, you can copy and paste (clipboard not files) between machines and it’s multi-platform so you can move between your Windows PC to your Macbook and your Unix box (Linux, Solaris, Irix etc). You can even synchronize your screen savers.

Screenshots don’t really show what Synergy does too well, so take a look at these YouTube clips.

So what can you do with it? Well like multiple monitor setups you get the ability to extend your desktop and increase your workspace for things like graphic design and multitasking like gaming & surfing/IM at the same time.