Recommended Programs
We often get asked what programs we recommend for use with Windows based PCs. All software listed below is free of charge unless otherwise noted, and the links provided are directly from the company that makes the software. Here are our picks...
- Free Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender
Security Essentials / Windows Defender is a very lightweight antivirus offering from Microsoft. It is free of charge and available for Windows 7 & 8.1, as well as 10 (Windows Defender, as it is called in Windows 10, is integrated directly into the Windows 10 environment). It has a very simple interface and is unintrusive. It's good basic protection! Remember to UNINSTALL your existing antivirus software before you install this new package.
Another excellent free antivirus option is BitDefender Free. It's certainly more robust than Security Essentials / Windows Defender, but not as light weight (although still very good on resources). - Paid Antivirus/AntiMalware: If you're looking for a more comprehensive protection package, Emsisoft Antimalware is an excellent choice. This is a commercial (paid) software suite, that offers protection against varied threats including ransomware. We're an authorized reseller of Emsisoft software in the US, so feel free to contact us if you have any questions about their products or would like to order licenses through us.
- Cloud backup: We recommend iDrive for cloud backup services. They offer 5GB free storage, as well as paid Personal and Business packages, lots of storage space, the ability to share the account amongst multiple computers, versioning, and number of other great features. We're an iDrive Authorized Reseller, so these links do contain our affilliate ID. If you try iDrive from one of our links, please take a moment to confirm your referral through North Computer Service when prompted - thanks!
- PDF Viewer: Foxit Reader
This PDF viewer is lightweight (starts quickly when you need it) and is far less risky to use with regard to security issues than the popular Adobe Reader.
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox
Firefox is a secure and very customizable alternative to Internet Explorer. Those of you still using Windows Vista have been without a new version of Internet Explorer for a number of years now, being stuck with version 9 (the current version is 11). Firefox is a modern browser & supports all current web standards.
- Photo Organizer/Editor: Google Photos
Google Photos offers many great and easy to use photo management tools that aid in editing, organizing and sharing your photos in the cloud. Give it a test drive and I'm sure you'll agree it's a great little program.
- Office Software: Libre Office
Libre Office offers compatibility with most Microsoft Office document formats, and it's free! While it doesn't provide all of the modern features of Microsoft's office suite, it is far from basic, and does a fine job at providing a capable office suite.