Support > Downloads & Links
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Handy extras for everyday needs as well as power tools for that hard to solve problem...
By using the links below you will automatically download files (when clicking on links marked as Application) or you will navigate to other websites (when clicking on links marked as Website or Webpage). |
xDSL Calculator (ISP Hub Distance Calculator)
Utility that calculates the maximum Internet speed based on the distance from the ISP hub. Very handy in a market that sales reps promise high speeds and consumers end up short. We might as well know what the theoretical maximum is...
Links
- Webpage of the article where the Greek author explains its algorithms
- Webpage with a browser based calculation utility for ADSL / ADSL2 / ADSL2+ circuits
- Application for any type of circuit (no installation necessary, requires .Net Framework v2)
Links
- Webpage of the article where the Greek author explains its algorithms
- Webpage with a browser based calculation utility for ADSL / ADSL2 / ADSL2+ circuits
- Application for any type of circuit (no installation necessary, requires .Net Framework v2)
OOKLA Speedtest.net (Actual Internet Speed Measurement)
Global Internet speed measurement service since 2006, does not require installation, Browser based, works on every popular platform (Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS etc). Available also as a standalone application for Windows 10.
Links
- Measurement Webpage
Links
- Measurement Webpage
MXTOOLBOX (Internet Address Information Check)
MXTOOLBOX provide on their Website numerous tools to check and gather data and information regarding our Internet addresses, such as our Connection address, Web site address, Mail Server address etc.
Some of these may prove very useful even for novice users, i.e. when a sent e-mail does not reach its recipient with the notice that the sender's IP is on a black list.
Links
- MXTOOLBOX Website, the official company Website
- WHATISMYIP Webpage, reporting of various information regarding our Connection address
- BLACKLISTS Webpage
Some of these may prove very useful even for novice users, i.e. when a sent e-mail does not reach its recipient with the notice that the sender's IP is on a black list.
Links
- MXTOOLBOX Website, the official company Website
- WHATISMYIP Webpage, reporting of various information regarding our Connection address
- BLACKLISTS Webpage
PASSMARK Benchmarks (Performance Benchmarking)
PASSMARK have a long history of making performance benchmarking applications and provide access to results for numerous devices and components via their Website.
All measurements are relative (as there are no absolute measures on such matters) still a comparison is possible. Therefore it is possible for a prospective buyer to make a choice by means of a price/performance ratio of one device against another.
The site provides separate webpages for every type of device benchmarked, while reporting various charts of values. The links to the entire device webpage is the first mentioned in the Links section. Moreover, as a shortcut and where available, you will find links for the specific Search pages used to quickly find the main benchmark figures.
Links
- PASSMARK Website, the official company Website
- CPU Webpage with specific Search
- Video Card Webpage with specific Search
- Hard Drive Webpage (HDD & SSD) with specific Search
- RAM Webpage with specific Search
- PC Systems Webpage (Branded PCs)
- Android Webpage (Android handheld devices) with specific Search
- iOS/iPhone Webpage (iOS handheld devices)
All measurements are relative (as there are no absolute measures on such matters) still a comparison is possible. Therefore it is possible for a prospective buyer to make a choice by means of a price/performance ratio of one device against another.
The site provides separate webpages for every type of device benchmarked, while reporting various charts of values. The links to the entire device webpage is the first mentioned in the Links section. Moreover, as a shortcut and where available, you will find links for the specific Search pages used to quickly find the main benchmark figures.
Links
- PASSMARK Website, the official company Website
- CPU Webpage with specific Search
- Video Card Webpage with specific Search
- Hard Drive Webpage (HDD & SSD) with specific Search
- RAM Webpage with specific Search
- PC Systems Webpage (Branded PCs)
- Android Webpage (Android handheld devices) with specific Search
- iOS/iPhone Webpage (iOS handheld devices)
DEVICEHUNT (Device Manufacturer Search)
Every so often during Windows installations there will be certain devices leftover, for which the operating system will not be able to find appropriate drivers and it is left to us to do so.
The first step towards this goal is to find out what type of a device we are talking about and then, based on that information, to try and find the appropriate drivers at the manufacturer's website (hoping they exist).
DEVICEHUNT is a site incorporating a large database of known devices. It is the successor to www.pcidatabase.com, which was shut down near the end of 2017, with the added bonus of USB devices except for the standard PCI ones.
Links
- DEVICEHUNT Website
Notes
In order to search for a device the following need to be known :
- its Vendor ID (manufacturer global code)
- its Device ID (manufacturer's internal device code)
By entering this information in the appropriate Search fields the website provides the desired results.
These 2 pieces of information are made available to us on the Details screen of the unknown device. Since we are at the point of discussing about unknown devices, I assume that the reader is already in Windows' Device Manager!
So, Right Click on the device and Properties > Details
The Details screen provides a list of Properties, of which Hardware IDs is the one we are interested in (they are usually among the first).
By selecting it we are presented with a value like this
PCI\VEN_aaaa&DEV_bbbb&SUBSYS_ccccccc&REV_dd
The values we are looking for are aaaa (Vendor ID) & bbbb (Device ID)
I.e. PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_153B&SUBSYS_E0001458&REV_05
DEVICEHUNT will reply that the Vendor with an ID of 8086 is Intel Corporation and the Device with an ID of 153B is Ethernet Connection I217-V.
Given these we can head to Intel's site in order to download the driver for Ethernet Connection I217-V.
The first step towards this goal is to find out what type of a device we are talking about and then, based on that information, to try and find the appropriate drivers at the manufacturer's website (hoping they exist).
DEVICEHUNT is a site incorporating a large database of known devices. It is the successor to www.pcidatabase.com, which was shut down near the end of 2017, with the added bonus of USB devices except for the standard PCI ones.
Links
- DEVICEHUNT Website
Notes
In order to search for a device the following need to be known :
- its Vendor ID (manufacturer global code)
- its Device ID (manufacturer's internal device code)
By entering this information in the appropriate Search fields the website provides the desired results.
These 2 pieces of information are made available to us on the Details screen of the unknown device. Since we are at the point of discussing about unknown devices, I assume that the reader is already in Windows' Device Manager!
So, Right Click on the device and Properties > Details
The Details screen provides a list of Properties, of which Hardware IDs is the one we are interested in (they are usually among the first).
By selecting it we are presented with a value like this
PCI\VEN_aaaa&DEV_bbbb&SUBSYS_ccccccc&REV_dd
The values we are looking for are aaaa (Vendor ID) & bbbb (Device ID)
I.e. PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_153B&SUBSYS_E0001458&REV_05
DEVICEHUNT will reply that the Vendor with an ID of 8086 is Intel Corporation and the Device with an ID of 153B is Ethernet Connection I217-V.
Given these we can head to Intel's site in order to download the driver for Ethernet Connection I217-V.
MAGICAL JELLY BEAN KEY FINDER (Retrieve Product Keys of Installed Apps)
In case someone wishes to reinstall a PC and they don't have all Product Keys readily available, Magical Jelly Bean's KeyFinder will prove to be a really valuable asset.
In its free edition the application handles Product Keys of 300+ apps, among which are Microsoft's Windows and Office. What is extremely important is the fact that it can retrieve Product Keys of non functional Windows installations.
The company offers additional utilities in its Website and there is a community of developers contributing to the functionality of the default apps.
Links
- Magical Jelly Bean Website
- KeyFinder Application
In its free edition the application handles Product Keys of 300+ apps, among which are Microsoft's Windows and Office. What is extremely important is the fact that it can retrieve Product Keys of non functional Windows installations.
The company offers additional utilities in its Website and there is a community of developers contributing to the functionality of the default apps.
Links
- Magical Jelly Bean Website
- KeyFinder Application
AVIRA AntiVirus
Free version of Avira's famous product with more than 560 million downloads
Links
- AVIRA Website, the official company Website
- Application, AVIRA Free AntiVirus
Links
- AVIRA Website, the official company Website
- Application, AVIRA Free AntiVirus
MICROSOFT Windows Defender / Security Essentials για Windows 7
Windows Defender is a free software by Microsoft, included with Windows starting with Windows 8, which offers protection against viruses, spyware and possibly unwanted software, as stated by Microsoft itself.
On Windows 7, Windows Defender protected the computer only against spyware. There was though another software available for Windows 7, also free, called Security Essentials, which offered all the basic protection now offered by Defender.
Links
- Webpage to download the app in all available languages and versions
- Application for Windows 7 32-bit in Greek
- Application for Windows 7 64-bit in Greek
On Windows 7, Windows Defender protected the computer only against spyware. There was though another software available for Windows 7, also free, called Security Essentials, which offered all the basic protection now offered by Defender.
Links
- Webpage to download the app in all available languages and versions
- Application for Windows 7 32-bit in Greek
- Application for Windows 7 64-bit in Greek
MALWAREBYTES
Especially famous protection application against malware, as its name implies, which lately started offering virus protection as well. There was always a free version of the software although there is a Premium paid version as well.
Links
- MALWAREBYTES Website, the official company Website
- Application, Malwarebytes Free
Notes
"How can I stop Malwarebytes from asking me to purchase its Premium version?"
When you install the software on your PC the [paid / free for a 14 day trial] Premium version will automatically be activated. In order to avoid seeing the popups asking you to buy the Premium version after the 14 day trial period ends, you can deactivate the Premium version in the following way: Settings > Account Details > Deactivate Premium Trial. As soon as you do that you will see a popup window open to which you reply "I don't need real time protection", press Ok and you are done!
Links
- MALWAREBYTES Website, the official company Website
- Application, Malwarebytes Free
Notes
"How can I stop Malwarebytes from asking me to purchase its Premium version?"
When you install the software on your PC the [paid / free for a 14 day trial] Premium version will automatically be activated. In order to avoid seeing the popups asking you to buy the Premium version after the 14 day trial period ends, you can deactivate the Premium version in the following way: Settings > Account Details > Deactivate Premium Trial. As soon as you do that you will see a popup window open to which you reply "I don't need real time protection", press Ok and you are done!
PASSWORD MANAGERS
LASTPASS, DASHLANE, 1PASSWORD & KEEPASS
These four are the most highly regarded Password Managers, that offer a free version, and they will help you centrally control the passwords you use. They run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android, among others, and allow you to use large and really complex passwords in order to feel secure while being safe that you will not be locked "out".
KEEPASS is the only Free / Open License product among the 4 and enjoys the same esteem as the 3 commercial ones based on features, although it is also regarded as the most difficult to install.
Links
- LASTPASS Website, the official company Website
- DASHLANE Website, the official company Website
- 1PASSWORD Website, the official company Website
- KEEPASS Website, the official company Website
These four are the most highly regarded Password Managers, that offer a free version, and they will help you centrally control the passwords you use. They run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android, among others, and allow you to use large and really complex passwords in order to feel secure while being safe that you will not be locked "out".
KEEPASS is the only Free / Open License product among the 4 and enjoys the same esteem as the 3 commercial ones based on features, although it is also regarded as the most difficult to install.
Links
- LASTPASS Website, the official company Website
- DASHLANE Website, the official company Website
- 1PASSWORD Website, the official company Website
- KEEPASS Website, the official company Website
7-ZIP
Open Source, free and tiny (1MB) compressed file management software. It can handle more than 35 types of compressed files and produces smaller ZIP files than WinZIP and PKZip by a factor of 2-10%.
The accompanying license is valid for corporate networks as well as personal ("You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a commercial organization. You don't need to register or pay for 7-Zip.")
Links
- 7-ZIP Webpage, the official organization Website where you can download the appropriate version (32/64-bit) for your PC
The accompanying license is valid for corporate networks as well as personal ("You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a commercial organization. You don't need to register or pay for 7-Zip.")
Links
- 7-ZIP Webpage, the official organization Website where you can download the appropriate version (32/64-bit) for your PC
CORE TEMP
Free, light yet powerful monitoring software for the main operating conditions of your PC such as CPU temperature (per core), CPU utilization, operating frequency and power consumption.
Especially useful and handy is the ability to constantly present its reading on the System Tray as well as the option to alert the user in case of overheating.
Links
- CORE TEMP Website, the official company Website
- Application, CORE TEMP
Especially useful and handy is the ability to constantly present its reading on the System Tray as well as the option to alert the user in case of overheating.
Links
- CORE TEMP Website, the official company Website
- Application, CORE TEMP
GIMP
Very powerful image editor with a long and significant presence (since 1996). Initially built for Unix platforms (Linux, HP UX etc) it immediately caught the attention of enthusiasts who created a community around it contributing plugins and addons and within a year it was ported to MacOS and Windows.
It remains to the day the most complete free image editor by far. If the need is for specialized tasks, there are smaller and lighter programs available. If on the other hand the need is for an All-in-one solution, the choice is clearly GIMP
As an extra bonus the operating manual has been translated to many languages, so it is highly likely that you will find the one you prefer.
Links
- GIMP Website, the official organization Website where you can download the latest version
It remains to the day the most complete free image editor by far. If the need is for specialized tasks, there are smaller and lighter programs available. If on the other hand the need is for an All-in-one solution, the choice is clearly GIMP
As an extra bonus the operating manual has been translated to many languages, so it is highly likely that you will find the one you prefer.
Links
- GIMP Website, the official organization Website where you can download the latest version
GOOGLE
The Internet giant may be best known for its most famous products (Search, Maps, Earth, YouTube, Mail, Chrome, Drive & Android) but it has a whole array of other products, less known perhaps but equally useful and impressive.
The company Apps lie hidden behind an icon with 9 colorful dots which appears at the far left on Chrome's bookmarks toolbar. It bears the obvious title of "Apps" and comprises 3 expanding levels of applications that eventually number more than 100.
I include a few of those that make my days a little more pleasant and easy to tackle.
Applications
- CHROME : The most important Internet browser with a market share of more than 60%
- KEEP : Notes in Post-It style which sync through your Google profile to every device that knows your Google Account (runs on Chrome)
- REMOTE DESKTOP : As the name implies, a light and simple remote access application, without limitations for strictly personal use (runs on Chrome)
Links
- CHROME Webpage, where you can download the latest version
- KEEP Webpage, where you can use the application (for iOS and Android there is a special app available for download on the App Store and the Play Store)
- REMOTE DESKTOP Webpage, where you can add the Remote Desktop extension to your Chrome browser
The company Apps lie hidden behind an icon with 9 colorful dots which appears at the far left on Chrome's bookmarks toolbar. It bears the obvious title of "Apps" and comprises 3 expanding levels of applications that eventually number more than 100.
I include a few of those that make my days a little more pleasant and easy to tackle.
Applications
- CHROME : The most important Internet browser with a market share of more than 60%
- KEEP : Notes in Post-It style which sync through your Google profile to every device that knows your Google Account (runs on Chrome)
- REMOTE DESKTOP : As the name implies, a light and simple remote access application, without limitations for strictly personal use (runs on Chrome)
Links
- CHROME Webpage, where you can download the latest version
- KEEP Webpage, where you can use the application (for iOS and Android there is a special app available for download on the App Store and the Play Store)
- REMOTE DESKTOP Webpage, where you can add the Remote Desktop extension to your Chrome browser
NAPS2
NAPS = [N]ot [A]nother [P]DF [S]canner
Free, especially friendly and flexible application, which supports any scanner installed on your PC and provides a standard interface for scanning documents and images regardless of model and make.
You can scan any number of documents in one go, check them, process them, reorder their pages and, last but not least, save any number of output documents with any number of pages in any order to your preferred file types.
Links
- NAPS2 Website, the official company Website where you can download the latest version
Free, especially friendly and flexible application, which supports any scanner installed on your PC and provides a standard interface for scanning documents and images regardless of model and make.
You can scan any number of documents in one go, check them, process them, reorder their pages and, last but not least, save any number of output documents with any number of pages in any order to your preferred file types.
Links
- NAPS2 Website, the official company Website where you can download the latest version
PAINT.NET
Powerful yet light, user friendly and free image editor. It started in 2004 as a Senior Design Project in Washington State University and it has been evolving ever since.
It includes quite a few special effects, like a mini PhotoShop, while there is a whole community of developers grown around it who continuously supply added features as Plugins (numbering more than 1000).
Links
- PAINT.NET Website, the official company Website where you can download the latest version
- Plugin Index Webpage
It includes quite a few special effects, like a mini PhotoShop, while there is a whole community of developers grown around it who continuously supply added features as Plugins (numbering more than 1000).
Links
- PAINT.NET Website, the official company Website where you can download the latest version
- Plugin Index Webpage
PIRIFORM
Famous utilities suite since 2004, with free as well as paid versions, offering status and reporting (Speccy), cleaning (CCleaner), defragmenting (Defraggler) and deleted/lost file recovery (Recuva).
Their first and best known product is CCleaner which has surpassed the 2.5 billion mark in downloads and is available in 55 languages. CCleaner is also available for Android.
Liks
- CCLEANER Application (system cleanup and optimization)
- DEFRAGGLER Application (disk defragmentation)
- RECUVA Application (file recovery)
- SPECCY Application (system information)
Their first and best known product is CCleaner which has surpassed the 2.5 billion mark in downloads and is available in 55 languages. CCleaner is also available for Android.
Liks
- CCLEANER Application (system cleanup and optimization)
- DEFRAGGLER Application (disk defragmentation)
- RECUVA Application (file recovery)
- SPECCY Application (system information)
RUFUS
Very useful utility to format and create Bootable USB drives, i.e. to reinstall Windows 10 on your PC.
It is tiny (1ΜΒ), very fast, requires no installation, is free, offers a portable version and supports all Windows versions later than and including Windows 7 (32/64-Bit).
Links
- RUFUS Webpage, where you can download the latest version
It is tiny (1ΜΒ), very fast, requires no installation, is free, offers a portable version and supports all Windows versions later than and including Windows 7 (32/64-Bit).
Links
- RUFUS Webpage, where you can download the latest version
TEAMVIEWER
Connect remotely to your PC or invite a friend to assist you regardless of their location. The standard [Full] version allows for Remote Assistance (Active or Passive) and Remote Meeting either via computer screen (Presentation) or via Video Call or even via telephone.
Links
- TEAMVIEWER Website, the official company Website
- TEAMVIEWER Full Application
Notice
The application is free only for Personal / Non Commercial Use. You will be asked during the installation process to choose in which way you intend to use it, therefore make sure you make the appropriate choice.
Links
- TEAMVIEWER Website, the official company Website
- TEAMVIEWER Full Application
Notice
The application is free only for Personal / Non Commercial Use. You will be asked during the installation process to choose in which way you intend to use it, therefore make sure you make the appropriate choice.
WINDIRSTAT
Free, open source application for presenting in a meaningful manner the occupied space of a storage disk depending on the structure / folder, the size and the type of the file.
It has become an extremely useful addon to Windows (as well as every other operating system) as, with just a glance, anyone can get a good idea of the usage status of a disk, something that requires great effort and lots of time to achieve if the only available tools are the ones provided by the operating system itself.
Links
- WINDIRSTAT Website, the official company Website
- WINDIRSTAT Application
It has become an extremely useful addon to Windows (as well as every other operating system) as, with just a glance, anyone can get a good idea of the usage status of a disk, something that requires great effort and lots of time to achieve if the only available tools are the ones provided by the operating system itself.
Links
- WINDIRSTAT Website, the official company Website
- WINDIRSTAT Application
ADOBE Reader
Adobe Reader is the de facto standard for reading PDF documents. Older versions of Windows provided no means for reading PDF documents out-of-the-box while Windows 10 incorporate a 3rd party application. The authentic application, nevertheless, is more complete and accurate.
Links
- Adobe Reader Application
Notice
When you install and launch the application, it will ascertain whether a 3rd party application is installed and guide you to change the default application to Adobe's
Links
- Adobe Reader Application
Notice
When you install and launch the application, it will ascertain whether a 3rd party application is installed and guide you to change the default application to Adobe's
AUTODESK DWG Viewers
AutoDesk, maker of the famous AutoCAD suite of apps, provides free tools for end users in order for them to open and use documents created by AutoCAD (with a DWG extension).
Links
- DWG TrueView Application, to view and print DWG documents
- Design Review Application, in conjunction with TrueView, to allow markups in the same documents
Links
- DWG TrueView Application, to view and print DWG documents
- Design Review Application, in conjunction with TrueView, to allow markups in the same documents
MICROSOFT Office 2003 Compatibility Pack for 2007 Formats
If you still use Office 2003 for your office documents (with the 3 letter extensions such as .doc/.xls /.ppt) you can also use, read or/and create documents in the new file types introduced with Office 2007 carrying 4 letter extensions (such as .docx/.xlsx/.pptx) by installing a special add-on by Microsoft itself.
Links
- Compatibility Add-on, with Office 2007 new file types
Notice
By Microsoft's own announcement, this Add-on will be withdrawn, as Office 2003 support has ended (along with Windows XP) since 2014. Whoever needs it must hurry. As of this writing, end of October 2018, the link and the download are still functional.
Links
- Compatibility Add-on, with Office 2007 new file types
Notice
By Microsoft's own announcement, this Add-on will be withdrawn, as Office 2003 support has ended (along with Windows XP) since 2014. Whoever needs it must hurry. As of this writing, end of October 2018, the link and the download are still functional.
MICROSOFT Office File Viewers
Microsoft followed, until lately, the common practice of providing end users with tools capable of viewing and printing a document created with a Microsoft Office Suite application, via discrete applications installable on the user's PC.
Unfortunately all those Viewers have been lately discontinued (apart for the Visio Viewer) stating that "The Word Viewer, PowerPoint Viewer and Excel Viewer have been retired. These Viewers will no longer be available for download or receive security updates. To continue viewing Office files for free, we recommend installing the Office apps or storing documents in OneDrive or Dropbox, where Word Online, Excel Online or PowerPoint Online opens them in your browser. For the mobile apps, visit the store for your device".
Links
- Visio Viewer Application
Unfortunately all those Viewers have been lately discontinued (apart for the Visio Viewer) stating that "The Word Viewer, PowerPoint Viewer and Excel Viewer have been retired. These Viewers will no longer be available for download or receive security updates. To continue viewing Office files for free, we recommend installing the Office apps or storing documents in OneDrive or Dropbox, where Word Online, Excel Online or PowerPoint Online opens them in your browser. For the mobile apps, visit the store for your device".
Links
- Visio Viewer Application
PDF Suites - Document to PDF
The applications below function in the sense of a Printer Driver and create PDF documents with the exact look and content of the printout the user would get from the application they were using when creating it (i.e. Office app, ERP, browser etc). In essence, anything that can be printed can also be stored as a PDF document.
The makers of such applications actually create a wrap, that is the interface with which the user interacts, around a piece of software which is the core of the whole process, being responsible to correctly store all printout information to the PDF file format.
This is the so called PDF Converter, it is free, but not unique, so it is safer to use the version provided by the maker on their site along with the interface app.
You should therefore make sure to install the PDF Converter you will find below in the Links section, or the application will not function.
Notice
One can find Internet Sites offering On-Line transformation of various source documents to PDF, yet, for privacy reasons, I recommend using products that are installed on our own PCs
The makers of such applications actually create a wrap, that is the interface with which the user interacts, around a piece of software which is the core of the whole process, being responsible to correctly store all printout information to the PDF file format.
This is the so called PDF Converter, it is free, but not unique, so it is safer to use the version provided by the maker on their site along with the interface app.
You should therefore make sure to install the PDF Converter you will find below in the Links section, or the application will not function.
Notice
One can find Internet Sites offering On-Line transformation of various source documents to PDF, yet, for privacy reasons, I recommend using products that are installed on our own PCs
PDF995
Powerful, quite complete and entirely free suite of PDF file management applications
Links
- PDF995 Webpage, the official company Webpage
- PDF Printer Driver Application, the standard application
- PDF Free Converter Application
- PDF Editor Application, used to extract content from PDF documents
- PDF Signature Application, for advanced options such as securing a document with a personal code
Links
- PDF995 Webpage, the official company Webpage
- PDF Printer Driver Application, the standard application
- PDF Free Converter Application
- PDF Editor Application, used to extract content from PDF documents
- PDF Signature Application, for advanced options such as securing a document with a personal code
CutePDF
A longtime player in this league with an established product. CutePDF offers a standard free edition along with others, more complete but not free.
Links
- CutePDF Webpage, the official company Webpage
- CutePDF Application, the standard application
- PDF Free Converter Application
Links
- CutePDF Webpage, the official company Webpage
- CutePDF Application, the standard application
- PDF Free Converter Application