Tools for Your Computer

The software listed on this page is suggested to help you make better use of your computer. The Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network is not affiliated with any of the companies offering this software and has no liability for any content or goods on this page. Download at your own risk!

Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html)
This free software allows you to read documents stored in pdf format. Many of the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library offer the full text of articles in pdf format, so you will need the free reader to view them.

Microsoft Word viewer
Word viewer for Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=95E24C87-8732-48D5-8689-AB826E7B8FDF&displaylang=en")
If you'd like to view a document created using Microsoft Word, but you don't have Word loaded on your computer, you can download this free viewer from the Microsoft Web site. It will allow you to view and print the document, although you won't be able to edit it. Notice that you must be running Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 or Windows XP to use this viewer.

McAfee Virus Information Library (http://vil.nai.com/vil/default.asp)
If you use the Internet or read email on your computer, you should have virus protection software installed. To learn more about viruses and how to check whether your computer is infected, visit this site. You can even check this site to find out whether a virus is a real threat or only a hoax.

TUCOWS (http://www.tucows.com/)
Looking for free stuff for your computer? The TUCOWS Web site offers reviews and links to over 30,000 software programs. Some are free ("freeware"), and some offer a free trial but ask you to pay if you keep it ("shareware").

Microsoft Internet Explorer (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp)
Netscape Web browser (http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/default.jsp)
Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/)
Opera (http://www.opera.com/)
So you have a Web browser on your computer that you use to surf the Web. But is it the latest version? Does it have all the capabilities you need? The sites above offer updates to some of the most popular Web browsers, plus "patches," i.e., updates designed to improve the performance of your existing version. Browsers usually occupy a great deal of space on your hard drive, so read all information provided before installing.

Microsoft Windows updates (http://update.microsoft.com/)
You might think that once your computer is running, you never need to think about your operating system again. However, Microsoft offers updates for the Windows operating systems to improve performance, correct bugs, etc. From the Microsoft Windows home page, click on the "downloads" link in the Resources list in the left column, then follow the on-screen instructions to see what updates are available for your operating system. (Not sure what operating system you're using? Right-click on the "My Computer" icon and choose Properties. Your operating system is shown in the gray box near the right top corner under the heading "System.") Many of the updates offered by Microsoft are important because they solve security problems in the operating system that would allow someone else to tap into your computer. We recommend that you install all security updates for your computer!