Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. -Mahatma Gandhi _______________________________________________________________ 1. Genuinely free anti-virus software (Windows users only) 2. Free web search of PDF files & Make your own PDF files for free All users _______________________________________________________________ 1, What it is : Genuinely free anti-virus software Applicable to: Individual computers using Windows 95/98, NT Workstation or Windows 2000 professional I recommend this program to anyone who has no anti-virus software and those who have may well consider trying it. Given the recent widespread affects of several virus programs this seemed like an appropriate offer to bring to people's attention. Notwithstanding TANSTAAFL *, a large and reputable software company is providing a completely free antivirus program and is also providing free ongoing virus signature updates and free online support. The company is Computer Associates who have been around for many years and produce a large range of software. I am unsure of their motives in this instance but the offer seems useful and the price is right. The version available is for personal use (even in a business environment) on a single computer. They also make network versions which are not free.. Installation is straight forward. As with ANY new software there is always a possibility that the process of installation or running the software MAY cause problems. Always ensure that you have copies of important files (either on floppy disks or other backup media). To download the software or to get more information, go to - http://www.antivirus.cai.com/ Download size is 3.3MB which will typically take 20 to 40 minutes to download. The manual is a separate 330 kB file. If you do download this software and use it, do remember to regularly update the virus signatures to maximise the protection provided. Performance: Unknown to me. CA guarantee that their commercial version of this program will find ALL existing and new viruses. . Everything comes if a man will only wait. -- Benjamin Disraeli So be SURE to use antivirus software _______________________________________________________________ 2. a - Free web search of PDF files & b - Make your own PDF files for free All users a - Adobe make a range of software including the widely used "Acrobat" system which allows documents to be viewed in the format which they were originally printed. Most of you will be familiar with the resultant ".PDF" documents. When searching the web, most search engines do not search within a PDF document and useful information may be missed. Adobe have sought to remedy this lack by providing a free "PDF search engine" which indexes all the PDF files it can find on the web and allows you to rapidly search its database. This capability is a significant one for those who frequently perform web searches The search occurs online - no software needs to be downloaded to your computer. Any modern browser and any computer type can access this facility. http://searchpdf.adobe.com/ b - At the same site Adobe are providing a trial system that allows you to convert your own documents to PDF format. This capability normally requires use of their Acrobat program. I suspect that the system will not remain free indefinitely. _______________________________________________________________ * - TANSTAAFL = "There aint no such thing as a free lunch" Robert Heinlein. _______________________________________________________________ FINER PRINT InoculateIT Personal Edition Program Information InoculateIT Personal Edition (IPE) is easy to use, powerful antivirus for the desktop. Computer Associates is offering this as a service for PC users in order to significantly limit the damage caused by viruses to PCs. The increasing prevalence of viruses and the growing numbers of desktop computers has led to this initiative. Virus protection is an integral part of the PC and should not have to be purchased separately. It is as key to computers as brakes are to cars. Computer Associates is pleased to bring its considerable expertise in the corporate antivirus area as illustrated through the award winning InoculateIT product line, to the desktop. InoculateIT Personal Edition will protect Windows 98/95 desktops, Windows NT Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional from all forms of viruses including macro viruses. InoculateIT Personal Edition is complete virus protection for Windows 98/95 PCs, Windows NT Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional. InoculateIT Personal Edition is based on one of the leading anti-virus products in the worldwide market, consistently performing well in independent tests. InoculateIT PE automatically detects and cleans conventional file and boot sector viruses as well as macro viruses that infect Office 95, Office 98, and Office 2000 Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Powerpoint files, and Access databases. It provides excellent protection against Internet and email-borne viruses, protecting your PC from infected files downloaded from web sites around the world, and from infected attachments sent to you via email. Free Unlimited Upgrades CA's commitment to this initiative is complete as illustrated by the fact that in addition to FREE virus protection, CA also will provide free signature updates. This will ensure that your PC will be virus free. _______________________________________________________________ This document is sent in clunky plain text ASCII format to ensure it is viewable by the maximum possible number of recipients. This document may be copied in part or whole as desired. Credits: Adobe - Ken CA - Jinx _______________________________________________________________ Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of resentment. -- Nietzsche