November 25, 2014

Windows 10 Skin Pack For Windows 7/8.1

Microsoft is currently working hard to release a minor update to its struggling Windows 8.1 version. Windows 8.1 Update 1 ( aka Feature Pack for Windows 8.1), which has already been leaked on to the web last week, brings ability to pin Modern or Metro apps to the taskbar, minimize and close buttons to Metro apps, shut down and search buttons on the Start screen, and more.
Windows 10, the next major version of Windows will reportedly land in the last quarter of this year or in the first quarter of 2015 for sure. Microsoft, though hasn’t revealed anything about Windows 10 so far, is expected to show its next version of Windows operating system in this year’s BUILD event, which is scheduled to happen in April. Some sources are also hinting that Windows 10 will reach RTM stage by the end of May, 2015.

Windows 9 Skin Transformation pack
Even though there is no information available and no one outside the Microsoft campus knows what Windows 10 will look like, according to some Windows experts, Windows 10 will ship with a mini-Start (Metro-style!) menu, taskbar for the Start screen, and more personalization options among other features.
But Microsoft’s silence on Windows 9 is not stopping Windows enthusiasts from creating Windows 10 concepts and transformation packs. If you’re looking to try out a Windows 10 transformation pack on your PC, you can now download Windows 10 Skin Pack for your Windows 8 and previous Windows versions.

Skin Pack for Windows 8
Windows 10 skin pack is the first version of the transformation pack and doesn’t include features that you might see in Windows 10, as Microsoft hasn’t shown us what Windows 10 will look like. It just includes some tweaks for Windows Explorer (File Explorer), taskbar and the desktop. So, if you’re looking for a transformation pack that can transform your Windows 8.1 or previous version into the actual Windows 10 (that we haven’t seen so far), you’ll have to wait for a month or two.
We encourage you create a manual system restore point before installing transformation packs, as most of the transformation packs out there can’t easily be uninstalled. Windows 10 Skin Pack (transformation pack) is available for both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit systems (x64).

skin pack installer

As you can see in the above screenshot, Windows 10 Skin Pack offers you add HQ-Videos Pro to your web browsers. If you aren’t interested in adding it, please click the Skip button when you see the above screen.
Download Windows 10 Skin/Transformation Pack

Source: http://www.intowindows.com/windows-9-skin-pack-for-windows-78-1/

How To Pin A Website Link To Windows 7 Taskbar

By now, you probably know that Windows 7 lets users pin favorite favorite programs to the taskbar for the quick access. That is, one can use the taskbar in Windows 7 to quickly launch their favorite programs. You can pin your favorite web browser, Office applications and other frequently used programs to the taskbar.

pin website shortcut to windows 7 taskbar

One of the hidden features of Windows 7 taskbar is that it lets you pin your favorite websites as well. Yes, you can pin your favorite webpages to the taskbar so you can quickly jump to the webpage without having to first run the web browser.
As some of you know, by default, Windows lets you pin a webpage to your default browser’s jump list only and not to the taskbar. For those who love to pin their favorite websites to the taskbar can complete below mentioned steps to pin their favorite websites to the taskbar.
Alternatively, if you have upgraded to Internet Explorer 9, you can easily pin websites to the taskbar without any workarounds. Check out our how to pin webpages to Windows 7 taskbar using Internet Explorer 9 browser for detailed instructions.
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, select New and then select Shortcut to launch Create Shortcut wizard.

Pin webpage to taskbar in windows 7

Step 2: In the location box, you need to enter browser’s installation path followed by website address. For example, if you want to pin Into Windows shortcut to the taskbar and want to open open it in Internet Explorer browser, you need to type the following command:
“C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe” http://www.intowindows.com

Pin a website to windows 7 taskbar

Step 3: Click Next to enter a name for your shortcut and finally click Finish button to close the wizard.

Pin website to windows 7 taskbar

Step 4: Now, simply drag and drop the shortcut to your taskbar to pin it. Click on the shortcut to launch the website in your favorite browser.

pin website to taskbar in windows 7

How To Install and Add SkyDrive And Google Drive To Send To Menu





With the release of SkyDrive client and Google Drive, backing up files to the cloud has become easier than ever. While SkyDrive offers 7GB free storage (25 GB free upgrade for loyal users), Google Drive offers 5GB free storage space all users. Both services let you extend the storage space by purchasing paid storage.
As we all know, SkyDrive and Google Drive clients are available for Windows. If you have already installed and using SkyDrive and Google Drive, you probably have noticed that one can easily drag-and-drop a file to SkyDrive or Google Drive folder to sync file to the account.
But if you want to backup a large number of files by transferring files to your account, dragging and dropping files may take quite a while. So, what’s the best way to easily send large number of files to SkyDrive or Google Drive folder?

Add SkyDrive and Google Drive To SendTo Menu Step4

The best way is to add SkyDrive and Google Drive shortcuts to the Send to menu. By adding SkyDrive and Google Drive shortcuts to the Send to menu, you will be able to send files in a jiffy.
Procedure:
Step 1: Navigate to C:\Users\UserName directory (“C” is your Windows installation drive letter and “UserName” is your user account name). Right-click on SkyDrive and select Create Shortcut. Also, do a right-click on Google Drive and click Create Shortcut.

Add SkyDrive and Google Drive To SendTo Menu Step2

Step 2: Open Run dialog box. To do this, simultaneously press Windows + R keys. In the dialog, type shell:sendto and hit enter key to open SendTo folder.

Add SkyDrive and Google Drive To SendTo Menu
Add SkyDrive and Google Drive To SendTo Menu Step1

Step 3: Copy SkyDrive and Google Drive shortcuts that we have created in step 1 to SendTo folder. That’s it! You should now have Google Drive and SkyDrive shortcuts in your SendTo menu. From now onwards, you can simply right-click on file, highlight Send to option and then click Google Drive or SkyDrive to send the selected file to the cloud.

Add SkyDrive and Google Drive To SendTo Menu Step3
Send To Menu
The only catch is that when you use the Send to menu to send a file to the Google Drive or SkyDrive, the file will be stored in the root folder. In other words, if you want to send a file to the subfolder of SkyDrive or Google Drive, you will need to manually drag-and-drop the file.
Users who don’t mind adding multiple shortcuts to the Send to menu can add shortcuts of Documents and Public folders to the the menu.

Source: http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-add-skydrive-and-google-drive-to-send-to-menu/

Google Drive Installation And Setup

As we reported a while back, Google has finally launched the much awaited and speculated Google Drive, the cloud based file storage service. The service offers 5GB for storage space and client application is available for Windows, Mac, and Android.
The popular Google Docs service is built right into Google Docs. That is, you can work with others on the same document, spreadsheet or presentation in real time and access your files from anywhere.
Installing and setting the the client on Windows machine is fairly simple. Simply follow the given below instructions to download, install and setup Google Drive on your PC.
Step 1: Visit this page to download the web installer and then run the setup to download and install the program.
Step 2: Once the installation is complete, you will see Sign in to Google Drive dialog where you need to enter your Google credentials to login.

Google Drive
Google Drive1

Step 3: Just like SkyDrive’s setup, Google Drive’s setup also creates a special folded in C:\Users\UserName directory. To select another location, click Advanced setup during installation, click on the Change button next to Folder location and then browse to the location where you wish to save the folder.

Google Drive2

Step 4: Finally, click Start sync button to begin using Google Drive on your computer. Google Drive automatically starts with Windows. When the application is running, you will see a small icon in the system tray and a folder icon in Windows Explorer Favorites area. Simply drag-and-drop a file to Google Drive folder to sync the file.

Google Drive3

Right-click on Google Drive’s icon in the system tray to quickly open Google Drive folder, pause or resume sync, visit your Google Drive on the web, view items shared, buy more storage space, view used storage space, and change preferences. Options to disconnect account and change default sync options are available under preferences.

Source: http://www.intowindows.com/google-drive-installation-and-setup/

Install Google Drive on your Mac/PC

You can keep your Google Drive files on your desktop by downloading Google Drive on your Mac or PC. As an added bonus, you can sync your files between your desktop and the web. This means any changes you make to a file on your Mac or PC will automatically show up on the same file at drive.google.com.
To download Google Drive on your desktop, follow the steps below.

Download Google Drive using the New Google Drive

  1. Go to drive.google.com.
  2. Open the settings menu .
  3. Click Download Drive.
  4. On the download page, choose PC from the list that appears under "Download Drive".
  5. Read the Terms of Service and click Agree and download. You may also check the box next to "Optional" if you'd like to share your usage statistics and crash reports with Google.
  6. Open googledrivesync.exe to automatically start the installation process. If you see a warning that Google Drive is an application downloaded from the Internet, click Open.
  7. Type your Google Account user name and password to sign in to Google Drive. This will be the account associated with Google Drive for your PC.
  8. Complete the installation instructions.
  9. Click Start and choose Google Drive.
  10. Move or copy files and folders from your desktop into your Google Drive folder to begin syncing items. You’ll be able to find your files and folders in "My Drive" in the left hand navigation on drive.google.com.

Download Google Drive using the Classic Google Drive

  1. Go to drive.google.com.
  2. Click Connect Drive to your desktop in the left hand navigation.
  3. Click Download Google Drive for your PC.
  4. Open googledrivesync.exe to automatically start the installation process. If you see a warning that Google Drive is an application downloaded from the Internet, click Open.
  5. Type your Google Account user name and password to sign in to Google Drive. This will be the account associated with Google Drive for your PC.
  6. Complete the installation instructions.
  7. Click Start and choose Google Drive.
  8. Move or copy files and folders from your desktop into your Google Drive folder to begin syncing items. You’ll be able to find your files and folders in "My Drive" in the left hand navigation on drive.google.com.
If you’re having trouble signing into Google Drive on your PC, make sure you have the following enabled in Internet Explorer:

How to Create a Bootable Windows 7 USB Flash Drive

How to create a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive :  If anyhow you don’t have a windows 7 installation disk or either it is damaged, then you can make use of a bootable  USB pen drive to install windows 7 on your PC. The process of creating a bootable windows 7 USB flash drive is fairly easy but  you would require a windows 7 ISO file to create a bootable windows 7 USB Flash drive.
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Fortunately Microsoft provides Windows 7 ISO images as free downloads for all users.  You can download windows 7 iso images from here and Once you have downloaded a Windows 7 ISo file, you can then follow these instructions below to create a bootable windows 7 USB flash drive.

Instructions to create a Bootable Windows 7 USB Flash Drive 

bootable usb flash drive.
  • Step 1: Download rufus on your computer and run it .
  • Step 2: Plug in your USB flash drive into your computer .
  • Step 3: From Rufu’s settings, Choose NTFS as the file system.
  • Step 4: Check ” Quick format ” and ” Create extended label and icon files
  • Step 5: Check ” Create a bootable disk using ” and click the drive icon beside it to select the windows 7 ISO file .
  • Step 6: Now click on start to create a bootable window 7 USB flash drive .
After a few minutes your Windows 7 bootable  USB flash drive will be  ready for installation. Reboot your PC and set the bootable flash drive as a first boot priority in the bios settings. Save the bios settings and reboot once again to continue with the windows 7 installation process .
 Note: You have to allow booting from USB devices in your BIOS settings in order to proceed further with the windows 7 installation .

Source: http://www.techverse.net/how-to-create-a-bootable-usb-pen-drive-for-windows-7/

November 18, 2014

Use Android phone as webcam for Windows PC using DroidCam

Want to video call someone from your computer but don’t have a Webcam? No problems, DroidCam is a freeware utility that lets you convert your Android device into a web camera for your Windows computer. DroidCam is very useful though simple to use. You need to install the DroidCam onto your Android device as well.

DroidCam 334x400 Use Android phone as webcam for Windows PC using DroidCam

Convert Android mobile device into a webcam for Windows PC

Once you are done with installing the PC client and Phone app, you are ready to go. There are four types of connections available which are as follows:
  • Wi-Fi Mode: Under this mode you can wirelessly connect your mobile phone with the computer and use it as a webcam. This mode is always recommended as it is easiest to setup. You just need to copy the details as it is from phone and enter them on the PC Client. In this mode your mobile phone acts as a Server and your PC as a Client.
  • USB Mode: As the name suggests, this mode lets you use turn your phone into a Web Camera on a USB Connection. This mode is recommended only if you don’t have a Wi-Fi router installed. Some times this type of connection may require advanced configuration due to missing of some drivers.
  • Wi-Fi Server: This mode is only compatible with the paid version of the mobile app, in this mode your computer acts as a server and the mobile as a client. The mode can run under 3G/LTE so that you can connect to an external IP and share your mobile’s camera to a PC from wherever you are.
  • Bluetooth Server: This mode is similar to the previous one, you must have the paid version of mobile app to use the mode.
Once you’ve successfully established a connection between your phone and your Windows PC you are ready to go. You can use the DroidCam to video chat with your friends using Skype or any other video calling software. Remember that the ‘Metro’ version of the Skype is not supported but you can download Skype for Windows to use DroidCam with Skype.
The software is unique in its kind and performs a very uncommon task of converting a phone into a webcam. Nowadays Android phones comes with a camera no less than 5 MP so you can enjoy a quality even better than an average webcam. DroidCam is very simple to use and operate, no advanced configurations are required except in the USB case if the drivers are missing.

DroidCam free download

Click here to download DroidCam client form Windows. You can download the app for your mobile from here.

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/droidcam-use-android-phone-webcam-windows

SandBoxie: Run Programs in a secured environment on Windows

Sandboxie is great program designed for the Windows operating system for protecting the computer from any malicious program and prevent them from making changes to the system files. The application allows user to run programs like browser, PDF, Word, Excel or any other application in a Sandbox environment.
Sandboxie helps user to protect their computer from malicious software, rogue programs, Trojan, spyware, worms, viruses and any threat that can damage the machine. Sandboxie act as a firewall in between your computer and the program you are currently using it as threats gets downloaded when you are online.

Sandboxie for Windows

Sandboxie 600x293 SandBoxie: Run Programs in a secured environment on Windows

How Sandboxie works
Sandboxing is a method of preventing any permanent damage to your system caused by malware, by denying them access to you real system by having the sandbox pretend to be the real operating system. Sandboxie is somewhat different from the usual sandbox program since it does not virtualize everything. It virtualizes only the resources that are requested by the programs running inside the sandbox – like Files, Disk Devices, Registry Keys, Process and Thread objects, Driver objects, and objects used for Inter-process communication such as Named Pipes and Mailbox Objects, Events, Mutexs , Semaphores, Sections and LPC Ports. You can read more about Sandboxie and Sandboxing.
When you launch the application, it creates an isolated space and prevents programs to make permanent changes in the computer.
User can configure Sandboxie application according to their requirement and can run multiple applications in a single Sandboxie program. Threats ranging from botnets to banking Trojans that are very destructive in nature and some ransomware are considered as the biggest threat for security conscious computer user.

How to use Sandboxie

  • Download Sandboxie and run the setup.exe file to install the application, the setup.exe will download few more files to complete the installation once done a Sandboxie Control window will pop up on the screen.
  • Right click on the Sandbox Default Box to launch the program in Sandboxie.
  • You can go into All Programs, click on Sandboxie and make a shortcut on the desktop from “Run web browser sandboxed” or pin it to the Start screen or Start menu, Quick launch or Taskbar.
You can get tips on how to use Sandboxie here.
Why consider Sandboxie
  • Secure Web browsing: Allows user to surf web in Sandbox environment hence blocks any malicious program to get downloaded when you are online.
  • Provides Protective Shield over Email: We receive numerous emails in a day many are spam, few are useful those mails contains attachment which might contains virus or malicious software. Sandboxie application prevents those file to get downloaded on the computer and infect the computer
  • Provides Enhanced Privacy: When we surf, all information like web cookies, browser cache are stored on the computer which can be easily seen by hackers, so when the web-browser runs in Sandbox environment it saves those data inside the application itself hence prevent those cache files to get downloaded on the machine.
  • Prevention from Wear and Tear: As Sandboxie runs application in a shield hence it prevents malicious program to get installed on the computer.
For Windows XP user, SandBoxie is a must-have program as Microsoft has already stopped providing security patches, hence it allows hackers to easily break into the computer. SandBoxie can be installed on Windows XP SP3 and higher and is available in Free and Pro version.

Sandboxie download

You can get Sandboxie from its download page. It works on all Windows, including Windows 8.1.

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/sandboxie-review-download

WinX Free DVD Ripper for Windows 7

There are several DVD ripping and backup freeware in the market. However, not many of them allow you to carry out tasks like DVD backup, decrypt, rip and backup DVD to iPhone 4S, Android Phone, etc, like WinX Free DVD Ripper for Windows does.

winx dvd ripper WinX Free DVD Ripper for Windows 7

This free DVD ripper is able to rip DVD to MP4, rip DVD to WMV, rip DVD to AVI, FLV, MOV, MPEG, H.264, and easily convert DVD to iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, Android phone, PSP, etc. with customized profile settings.
The latest version of WinX Free DVD Ripper is faster than other similar software and lets remove all known copy protections including DVD CSS, UOP, RCE, region code and Sony ARccOS. It also supports the latest encrypted DVDs, without the assistance of third-party DVD decrypter. It supports ripping DVD to Android Phone with numerous pre-configured profiles for HTC, Samsung Galaxy, etc.
What’s New in WinX DVD Ripper V5.5.0
  1. Added Android HTC Phone as output format, including Aria, Surround, Desire, Hero, EVO 4G, Magic, etc.
  2. Added Android Samsung Phone as output format, including Galaxy S, Fascinate, Spica, Behold, Transform, Meserize and so on.
  3. Added Android Tab as output format, rip DVD to XOOM, Kindle, ThinkPad, DELL Streak, Galaxy Tab, etc.
  4. Improved the speed of H.264 encoder.
  5. Improved H.264 encoder to provide better video quality & smaller size than the older version under the same bitrates.
  6. Support ripping DVD to iPhone 4S with high-quality H.264 encoder.
  7. Fixed DVD VM so that it can load the latest encryption mode.
  8. Fixed some bugs to rip DVD with much smooth process.
Download : Home Page.
Stay tuned. We will be posting a 10 license giveaway for WinX Blu-ray Decrypter tomorrow, where the first three commentors will definitely get a license!

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/free-dvd-ripper-windows-7

November 5, 2014

Say farewell to Windows 7



Ap091022012735
Image: Christof Stache/Associated Press




As of late last week, Microsoft stopped selling the consumer versions of Windows 7 Home Basic, Premium and Ultimate to computer manufacturers. Once the supply runs out, you won't be able to get a new computer with that software installed.
Only Windows 7 Professional was spared, so businesses that need more computers with the software don't need to worry — at least, until next year.
The changes affect companies that build PCs.
Microsoft already stopped selling Windows 7 software packages to the regular public in 2013
Microsoft already stopped selling Windows 7 software packages to the regular public in 2013, but now original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can't license it, either, meaning they can't build more computers with Windows 7 as the default operating system. It's unclear how many PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed are still in stock; it might take some time to notice its dismissal.

Windows 8 was largely a failure for the company; it was given the cold shoulder by businesses and derided by users. One of the big complaints was the absence of the Start Menu.
Windows 10, Microsoft's next big upgrade for its Windows operating system (it skipped Windows 9), is slated for launch in late 2015. This is a sign the company is gearing up for the change: A preview version of the software was downloaded by 1 million users in the first two weeks following the platform's announcement.









Windows 10
Image: Microsoft
Mainstream support from Microsoft for Windows 7 will end in January 2015.Microsoft cut off retail sales of Windows 8 on Friday, so consumers can't buy the software package after supplies right out. In other words, you won't be able to walk into a store and buy a Windows 8 box set much longer. OEMs still have that option, though.
Windows 8's retail lifespan just exceeded two years; it was first available for purchase on Oct. 26, 2012. That's much shorter than a traditional software cycle for a Windows operating system.

BONUS: What you should know about Windows 10


November 4, 2014

9 Of The Best Free & Low-Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office

By Aaron Couch, 08-02-2012, on makeuseof.com

Microsoft Office has dominated the market of text documents, spreadsheets and slide shows for years, and for good reason – it’s one of the very best. However, there’s one drawback and that is the price. Sure, it’s a relatively good investment, but for one reason or another you choose to not pay for it. What do you do?
Thankfully, there are other options – and good ones. These range from web-based apps and local software to free and paid. Although some do cost, all have free options and the price you pay for the paid software is a fraction of what you would pay for Microsoft Office. Through this article I will touch upon any unique features such as mobile capability, cost, user interface and compatibility with Microsoft Office files.

Google Docs (AKA Google Drive)

googledrive   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Google Docs has practically become my unconsciously chosen alternative to Microsoft Office. Although I actually own Microsoft Office, I use Google Docs heavily primarily because of convenience. First off, I’m already logged into my Google account either to check my email, watch a video on YouTube, add an event to my Google Calendar and so on. I plain just use Google for everything.
Besides that, I have found the interface to be very nice, although I still think the interface of Microsoft Office 2010 wins hands down – it’s just beautiful.

Features

Probably my favorite feature in Google Docs is the ability to easily collaborate. Collaboration on most sites can be difficult. So often if you want to share a document with someone, they too must have an account. Google is similar to Facebook in this aspect in that (almost) everyone has a Google account. This makes collaboration very nice. But even if the user doesn’t have a Google account, you can still share the document with them.
But sharing a file is only one aspect of collaborating. Editing a document and seeing the changes live is a tremendous benefit to Google Docs – non-Google users can do this too. Now with Google Drive you can also access all your files right on your desktop.
Google Docs Example   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Other unique features are the research and dictionary tools to enable you to search certain topics or words right next to your paper. Since Google Docs is a web app, it’s also mobile and can be accessed from your tablet or smartphone.

Cost

Google Docs is completely free – plain and simple. There are options to upgrade space, but it’s hardly needed – I wouldn’t recommend doing it.

User Interface

Google Docs has seen some pretty major improvements in this area from the past interface. The interface is now even cleaner and simpler, without lacking essential features.

Compatibility

Google Docs’ compatibility with Microsoft Office is surprisingly good! When a Microsoft Office file is uploaded, it labels it differently than it’s own native files, but the editing process is all the same.
What about synchronization and sharing files? Well we already covered collaborating with others while using Google Docs in the cloud, but what about collaborating with others who are using Microsoft Office? Google offers a solution with a plugin for Microsoft Office called Google Cloud Connect, which has been covered thoroughly here on MakeUseOf.

Microsoft Web Apps

Office Web Apps logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Some may argue that Microsoft Web Apps is Microsoft Office. However, that is completely irrelevant. Unlike some articles, the purpose of this article is not to avoid Microsoft products, but to find cheaper alternatives. Microsoft Web Apps is free – you can’t get cheaper than that. The only thing that can make it better is if it’s a solid online office suite, which it is.
Not only is it available for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but it also offers OneNote online, which was news to me. If you don’t know what OneNote is, it’s a note taking application similar to Evernote.

Features

Web Apps is combined with Skydrive, which gives you access to 25 free gigabytes of cloud storage. That is the best deal anywhere right now! Remember when I said I wouldn’t recommending paying for more storage on Google Docs? I’d be hard pressed to find one logical reason to pay for additional Google Docs storage when you have 25 free gigabytes at your disposal. If you have Skydrive installed on your computer, these files are synced there as well (similar to how Google Drive works, except you get 20 more gigabytes with Skydrive).
As far as other features compared to the official Microsoft Office software, Web Apps can’t really compete, but it’s not too shabby. It’s ideal that they’re used together – that’s how they were made. Can Web Apps be used by itself? Yes it can, but just like Google Docs, don’t expect it to be a full feature office suite. As far as mobile access, to my knowledge you cannot edit documents on your phone, but you can view them – which is still very nice.

Cost

Just like Google Docs, Microsoft Web Apps is entirely free of charge.

User Interface

Microsoft Web Apps Word   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Remember when I told you how beautiful I thought the interface was in Microsoft Office 2010? Well seeing that Web Apps is practically identical, I just want to reiterate that. Sure Google Docs is clean and simple and even what I use primarily, but Microsoft knows what they’re doing when it comes to creating an office suite user interface.

Compatibility

This is almost obvious, so I’ll keep it short – if there is going to be any “winner” in compatibility with Microsoft Office, I really hope it would be Microsoft Web Apps.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
LibreOffice is a full featured, open source office suite that “broke off” from OpenOffice. LibreOffice lives up to its name, as “Libre” stands for “free.” As you can see in the image above, LibreOffice has Text Document (Word alternative), Spreadsheet (Excel alternative), Presentation (Powerpoint alternative), Drawing (Publisher alternative), Database (Access alternative) and Formula, a math and equation program.

Features

Like I previously mentioned, LibreOffice is a full featured office suite meaning it has all the same functions and maybe even more than the competing office suites (free or not). Other software typically has alternatives for the “popular trio” as I call it – Word, Excel, PowerPoint. LibreOffice goes beyond that adding software for publishing and databases, as well as it’s own addition – a math-focused software.
One great feature about LibreOffice is that it’s portable. You can install it on your flash drive or portable hard drive, or even an SD card and take it with you wherever you go.

Cost

LibreOffice, like OpenOffice, is completely free. Although, donations are accepted.

User Interface

LibreOffice Text   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
For a free, full featured software suite, LibreOffice looks surprisingly good. It doesn’t have Microsoft’s fancy ribbon-style menu, but it is still modern and easy to use.

Compatibility

When I opened my resume, a heavily formatted document originally created in Word, in LibreOffice, everything was in place. There were no lines pushed over, or any fonts, styles or settings changed. The only thing that was a little different was the spacing – somehow the last couple lines didn’t make it onto the second page and got pushed onto a third. I’m sure that this could be fixed with spacing settings within LibreOffice. I use LibreOffice as my primary portable office suite on my portable hard drive so that I can open up my files where ever I may be without worrying about having software that is incompatible with my Microsoft Office documents.

SoftMaker Office

SoftMaker Office Suite 2012   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
SoftMaker is a company that creates a very good alternative to Microsoft Office. They offer two different paid versions of their software, as well as a free version. Another thing they do, which is unique, is they allow free downloads of their previous versions of software. Their free office suite is named no other than FreeOffice.
The benefit to downloading this as opposed to other office suites they’ve created and sold, but are not free, is that FreeOffice is in and will continue to be in constant development, whereas older suites are, in their words, “frozen.”
SoftMaker TextMaker   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
The screenshot above displays the SoftMaker Office Professional 2012 version of TextMaker.
Below is FreeOffice TextMaker:
SoftMaker FreeOffice TextMaker   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office

Features

I found while using SoftMaker, that it is very similar in features to Microsoft Office and other office suites. There wasn’t anything feature-wise that necessarily made it stand out apart from other suites. That said, it has a lot of features and options within each program. There are two versions, other than FreeOffice, of SoftMaker Office Suites. The professional version includes TextMaker, PlanMaker, SoftMaker Presentations, BasicMaker, SoftMaker eM Client Professional and 4 Berlitz Basic Dictionaries. The standard version only excludes eM Client Professional and the 4 Berlitz Basic Dictionaries.
TextMaker, as it implies is a Microsoft Word alternative. PlanMaker is the spreadsheet software. SoftMaker Presentations is the PowerPoint alternative. BasicMaker is the macro language that lets you automate TextMaker and PlanMaker. The SoftMaker eM Client Professional is actually an all-in-one email, task, calendar and contact client. This would be similar to Outlook.

Cost

It is obvious that FreeOffice is free, so I’ll jump right into the prices of the Standard and Professional versions. Office Standard 2012 is € 69.95 and $ 79.95. Office Professional 2012 is € 89.95 and $ 99.95. If you’re looking for an all-in-one email client alternative to Outlook included with your office suite, this is a pretty affordable option. Of course, there is Thunderbird however. Another thing to consider with SoftMaker is that if you want to upgrade, you don’t have to rebuy everything again, but instead just pay a fraction of the cost.
FreeOffice Logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
I feel the true value of SoftMaker Office resides in FreeOffice, and not just because it’s free, but for what you get in comparison to what you pay for in their other suites. It truly is a bargain and is a great new rival to LibreOffice. Yes, FreeOffice is new. SoftMaker hasn’t officially announced it’s arrival, but we have been given permission to introduce it to you.

User Interface

SoftMaker Office 2012 isn’t bad, but it isn’t superb either. I definitely think that LibreOffice has it beat in this area. I will give it credit though in that it allows you to add and remove icons from the toolbars so that you can customize it to your liking – that’s nice and often a forgotten feature with many office suites.

Compatibility

When opening up different Microsoft Office files with SoftMaker Office, I didn’t notice any changes in them. In fact, the problem I mentioned about an additional page being added in LibreOffice, did not occur in this case. I was quite happy with the overall performance of the program. Again, the only drawback is that the interface seems a little backdated and could be overwhelming to someone who isn’t very tech savvy.

Kingsoft Office

Kingsoft office logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Kingsoft is a software company based out of Hong Kong that should worry Microsoft. They have a pretty good product here. However, the product only includes the “popular trio” as I’ve previously called it: Word alternative, Excel alternative and PowerPoint alternative. If that is all you need then this will suit you just fine. If you need a software for publishing or databases or note taking, you will need to look elsewhere or get “supplemental software” along with Kingsoft Office.
Although Kingsoft hasn’t been covered on MakeUseOf (to my knowledge), it has been mentioned by a reader in response to a question on MakeUseOf Answers. To read his opinion about it, scroll all the way to the end of the page.

Features

Aside from only having three programs, Kingsoft Office still excels (no pun intended). One feature that I really liked was the mobile app for Android, which is full functioning – you can view and edit your files, right from your phone or tablet. Not too many office suites offer that. Unfortunately my lack of owning an android device inhibited me from testing this personally, but I would be happy to hear any reviews in the comments below.

Cost

Like SoftMaker Office, Kingsoft Office has three versions as well: Free, Standard and Professional. The standard version costs $49.95. The professional version costs $69.95. In my opinion, this is a great deal. Also note that you don’t have to have the entire suite if you don’t want everything. Each piece of software (free and paid) is available individually too.

User Interface

As I was writing this review, I had to continue to hold back my praises on the interface until this section – believe me, it was hard to do. My first impression of Kingsoft Office happened like this, “Wow! That is nice!”
Kingsoft Writer Professional   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Kingsoft Writer Free   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Of course that faded a little once I realized that the ribbon style was only for the professional office suite and not the free one, but that said, the free version looks pretty nice too. With the ribbon style and full featured software combined with an affordable price, I would say that Kingsoft Office is probably the biggest contender to Microsoft Office. Sure, LibreOffice is free, and it does offer more programs – which in no doubt is a plus, but Kingsoft Office comes in at a super close second place.

Compatibility

Compatibility with Microsoft Office for Kingsoft Office isn’t even an issue. When I opened the files they all looked uniform and I noticed that the program’s own interface actually plays a roll in the look and “feel” of the file you’re viewing. Even in the free version, Kingsoft Office worked awesome.

Honorable Mention

ThinkFree

ThinkFree logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
ThinkFree has web based and mobile apps as well as one for download. Don’t get the online and local versions confused. Contrary to what the name may imply, and although it’s a reputable company, the version for download is not as free as you may think.

Zoho Office

web office zoho   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Zoho has been around quite a while and has long been Google’s contender for the calendar and office web apps. If you prefer to not use Microsoft Web Apps or Google Docs, Zoho is the next best choice. They do have a free plan as well as two monthly paid plans.

KOffice

KOffice Logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
KOffice is a free office suite with Word, Excel and PowerPoint alternatives, as well as diagram and flowchart, and vector graphics software. If you are looking for something that is free and diversified, you may want to check out KOffice to see what it has to offer. The interface isn’t bad and the updates are current as well.
Calligra Suite Logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Note: KOffice is the older version of Calligra Suite, which was covered on MakeUseOf for popular Linux office suites. Both are fantastic and Calligra Suite does have some differences. If you are interested in one of these two, I recommend you try them both out to see which one you like better.

IBM Lotus Symphony

symphony logo   9 Of The Best Free & Low Cost Alternatives To Microsoft Office
Lotus Symphony is another one of the “popular trio” desktop applications. It has been around for a while and seemed to be popular among Linux users for a while until OpenOffice came about. It still is a decent alternative if you enjoy trying out different software, but it isn’t my favorite by any means.

Conclusion

I hope that these recommendations have been helpful in deciding what you should use as your primary office suite. Some are much better than others. To sum up my thoughts, I feel the best to consider would be Kingsoft Office and LibreOffice for desktop apps and either Google Docs or Microsoft Web Apps for online files. To me, these have the best user interfaces, the most affordable prices (or are just plain free) and are the most full featured. If you have already tried some of these, I would like to hear your feedback. Which one do you prefer? I’m curious if there are others out there that may not be as popular, but are just as good or better. Let me know!
Also, if you use Microsoft Office, be sure to check out our guide on the best tips and tricks in Office 2010!

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-of-the-best-free-and-low-cost-alternatives-to-microsoft-office/