Computer Help - Kyle,TX

Mozilla Firefox is free and has lots of things on it I use it as home also. You may want to also get the Norton later.

Yes, you do have to pay for them. I recently bought the student edition of Word on Amazon.com for almost 50% cheaper than in the stores. Try that.

That's part of their strategy: load their proprietary software onto your computer before you buy it, then lock you in for the cost of upgrades for as long as you have that computer. This is the reason Bill Gates is a gazillionaire. You absolutely have another option: Free and Open Source Software. Make the switch and you will never pay for software again. Go to: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download. You can download a free operating system (replaces Windows) which includes Open Office, which replaces your Microsoft Office suite of programs. You will be able to accomplish all the same things, for none of the cost. If you are currently using Internet Explorer (also proprietary), Ubuntu includes a free internet browser called Mozilla Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/. It is more secure than IE, and it's free. Use the money you save to go out on a date with your husband every month this year! Good luck!
PS: I failed to mention that if you switch to Ubuntu, you will no longer need a virus scanner, so you do not need to buy the upgrade for Norton Antivirus. Ubuntu is the most secure operating system available, and beats Windows hands down in that area.

I agree with Nicole, and I am not only paying for a good anti-virus service but it provides me with a good piece of mind. We've used Norton for 4 years and I am very pleased. I rather pay 50.00 a year that taking my chances with a free anti-virus service. About Microsoft, even if I wanted to update my 2003 version, the price was not worth it. Not sure if I would use a free version.

A free alternative to microsoft applications are google's. Which have very similiar functionality.

I visit www.kimkomando.com for ALL technical advice. There are lots of free security programs but you want to get a reputable one. Go to her site and follow her links for free software and you won't accidentally download anything that might cost you. Some of these companies try to trick you into a purchase or free trial when it's already free!!!

M.,

The best thing that I can tell you is that there are options out there that are free. For starters with the Anti-virus I recommend AVG Free. I use it on my computers and it works great. But remember you need to uninstall Norton first before you install AVG, because if you have two anti-virus programs on one computer you run the risk of not having any protection. Second with Microsoft Office, once the trial period ends you could have the problem of not having all of the benefits that come with the paid license. There is a free office suite called Open Office. It is compatible with Microsoft office..in other words it is completely interchangeable. Go to www.download.com for the programs. Good Luck!!

Yes, you have to pay, either by downloading from their web-sites or buying the software at a store. A couple of weeks ago I bought MS Office Home/Student at Office Depot on sale for $89.99, normally $129.99. Don't know if it still is. You can install it on 3 computers. Check around to see if anyone else needs it and split the cost. My step-daughter needed it for her laptop. Of course, I didn't split the cost with her, step-momma paid for it all. lol

I also got Norton Anti-virus at Wal-Mart for $39, that gives you a year of protection. There are other virus protection software programs out there. I've always used Norton and have never had any problems with it.

You shouldn't have to pay for "WORD", it should automatically come w/the program. We've had that on every computer we've owned so far. As far as Norton, yes you will have to pay for it as far as we know. It is somewhat pricey but it's a great program, much better than others we've tried (aka Macafee...DON'T go w/Macafee, it really made our computer do crazy things & made the computer not work half the time) & in trying others, we've ALWAYS gone back to Norton, it's NEVER given us any trouble (so far) & we've used Norton for years, at least as far back as 2001. Although you hafta pay for it, it's worth it because it will alert you if someone is trying to 'hack' your computer & other security features. Don't pass this one up simply because you don't want to have to pay for it. It IS a service so, like virtually any services you get, you have to pay for them. I'm sure you can look around for 'free' services but remember, you generally get what you 'pay for' whether it's free or not. Free doesn't always mean better.

If I were you I would uninstall Norton asap. I've watched Norton crash 3 computers right in front of my eyes. Since I've used AVG (free) I've had no problem with viruses not being caught or computer problems.

I'm not sure about Norton because we don't use it, but you do NOT have to pay for Microsoft Word. You can download Open Office for FREE and it works the same as Word. You can get it at
openoffice.org

One of the features I like best about it is you are able to save the files so they will open in Microsoft Word. That way, if there are files you already have saved as Word (.doc) or if your files need to be opened on a computer that only has Word, it isn't a problem.

Good Luck!

I just ordered Microsoft Office home and student off of amazon for $70.00 (a lot cheaper than the $150.00 that they charge to get the key and this way I will have a hard copy of it as well). As far as your antivirus goes, I recomend Avast. The home version is a free download from their web site that they update daily ( I have run it for 4 years and never had a problem and have seen it catch things that Norton and others miss). Just make sure that you fully remove norton before instilling Avast or you will get to have the anti-virus wars on your computer. (All anti-virus software tags other anti-virus software as a virus).
Good luck.

If you are talking about the Norton antivirus. You can get the firewall just from your own computer control panel security system if you have Windows XP - just make sure it is on. As for the antivirus program, - you can download it free from the internet if you look up the AVG one. I think it's under http://free.avg.com/download-avg-anti-virus-free-edition. It is best to have both the firewall and antivirus protection. Good luck!
C.

if your internet provider is through att, then you can download a free antivirus. otherwise if you update then you do have to pay.

These companies are telling you that you need to buy their products but there are free choices.

I highly recommend a program called Spybot Search&Destroy for spyware and malware. You can find their latest version (1.6.2) at http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html.

Then I recommend AVG Antivirus software, available at http://free.avg.com/ but be careful on this web page because they have one version for sale. To get to their version offered free (to personal computer users, like yourself), look to http://free.avg.com/download?prd=afe

Good luck! Do remember to make regular (at least once a week) downloads of virus detection updates.

Yes, as others have said, you do have to pay for these programs. However, someone else mentioned Ubuntu operating system and OpenOffice. We have these programs as a secondary system on our home computer. They are very reliable, easy to use, and generally integrate with Microsoft programs. They also include some other fun programs and games that you don't get with the Microsoft suite.

Oh and we use Mozilla Firefox almost exclusively for internet browsing. There are only a few things on the net that aren't compatible with Firefox (example - if you have a netflix account that allows you to view movies online, you will need IE for that.)

Good luck.

-N.

Sorry to inform you that you indeed have to buy one unless you have the CD for one(you can use one CD for 3 computers). Try BUY IT NOW on ebay,I found better prices there.,about 50.00 to 75.00 compared to 150.00 at Wally World. I think it is a shame that they are doing this now,Everyone thought they were getting a good deal only to find out most every thing was trials including security. Lots of luck.

Yes, you have to pay for the licenses. Neither of these tools works without a license. You can get a Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 for about $150, and you can use this license for 3 computers in your home. If you search on the internet you can find a cheaper price for a little under $100 (including shipping), but these are likely OEM versions (sold by another company but still the same Microsoft Works products) and only good for one computer. You have to type in the license key to activate the license. Microsoft has call-home code to verify the license (ie, the license is automatically passed over the internet to Microsoft). Microsoft Office is a one time fee. Norton utilities are set up similar for a similar price, but there is an annual fee to use it. The Norton software shuts down when the license expires (as does the trial version).
However, you are not hosed. There is freeware that is excellent you can use. If your computer is new, you likely have Microsoft Works on it. It has a basic version of Word and Excel, but with ads. You can buy a license with no ads for $40 if you cannot stand the ads. You should get a blurb about this when you open "Microsoft Works with No Ads" on your computer under Start->Microsoft Works->Microsoft Works with No Ads.
There is also a free program that is excellent that you can download called Open Office. It will save your files in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.
Here is a link to an interesting security article in the Austin paper: http://www.statesman.com/search/content/business/stories/...
Be sure to use the firewall program that came with your computer. There is free antiviruns software on the internet for non-commercial use (ie, free for home use). Avast has a free home edition that is supposed to be very good. (I have not tried it.) Here is a good website that gives info on free anitvirus software: http://www.freebyte.com/antivirus/
I hope this helps you!

As for as Word, make sure it is not microsoft works because as a business owner I can not opened any documents from microsoft works, but if it is Microsoft Office Professional that would be great. However, I would buy the CD's from a computer store or e-bay, because if you computer hard drive goes out you have nothing to re-install from, and that has happened to me many times. I always buy the program with the CD so that I may re-install it on my new hard drive. If you are in college you can buy the program from the college book store at a cheaper price, if you are a teacher you can even get a better price.
Note: Even with my business I purchased from e-bay Microsoft Office Professional 97, I know it is the older version, but I can do everything with it. It was about $40-70, alot cheaper than new which is several hundred dollars.
Hope, this helps you.
To save money I always buy the older version of most software and you will find really no difference in the new and the old. I usually never use all the features of the program anyway.

I am a computer nerd..so email me and I'll help you. ____@____.com. Those ones you have to pay for, but there are free ones out there, that are very similar

Yes, you do have to pay for them. If you get the "free" ones, legal or not, they aren't registered to you and you can't use all the features without being registered (i.e. on-line tools). I just got a new computer too. I know we got a discount on the Office suites by going to the website through the tutorials. I think that's where? But try it that way first because they're really expensive if you buy it in a store.