I always keep an eye out for useful software and it is very important to note if it works with your particular version of Microsoft Windows. If you are using an Apple operating system this article will have no bearing on what you are doing except for the fact you also have to be careful the software you download will work with the operating system you are using. I use Windows 10 on my computers and keep it up to date. There are some very useful programs which I have come across in the many years I have been computing and some of them have been kept up to date and still work fine today. Others work, but are limited to use with specific browsers. One of my favorites is RoboForm. It is a password protection program. It isn’t free, but it isn’t expensive either. You can no longer buy it, you have to license it. It costs $19.95 for one year and gets cheaper as you license it longer. Why would you need this you might ask and is it safe? I have been using it ever since it came out. I have been using it so long I can no longer remember when it came out. It has never been breached on my computer and it is so handy to only have to remember the password for RoboForm instead of, in my case, hundreds of individual ones. It also fills forms so you no longer have to keep typing you credit card information. The downside is it no longer works with the new Microsoft Browser, Edge. This browser doesn’t seem to use outside software.

Years ago I found a piece of free software named Infanview. It is a photo manipulation program and has also been around forever. I use Xara Designer Pro for my heavy art and photo work, but Infanview is so handy for the ordinary stuff I find myself using it quite often. It is constantly updated and has become quite powerful. There is a 64 bit version for Windows 10 64 bit. If you are using an older version of Windows it will work, but if it doesn’t there are older versions which will. One of the real useful features is batch image resizing. You can change all the sizes of the photos in a directory at once. Gone are the times where you had to do it one photo at a time. It is not made for adding complicated text, but there is a feature which does allow text to be added along with a simple drawing. Once you start using this program you will continue to use it. If you download it do it from a safe site like CNet.

I usually don’t discuss games when I talk about software, but everyone does need a game or two to play in their spare time. We older folks like card games and one of the best ones in my opinion is Hoyle Card Games. You can play Blackjack, Bridge, Canasta, Crazy Eights, Cribbage, Euchre, Gin, Go Fish, Hearts, Memory Match, Old Maid, Pinochle, Pitch, Poker, Rummy 500, Skat, Solitaire, Spades, Spite & Malice, Tuxedo and War. The best part is you play it against characters who make comments and seem very lifelike. The game package if I remember correctly was $19.95 and brings many hours of pleasure. Sometimes you might even forget you are only playing characters and take offense if they insult you. I have been playing Hoyle Cards for many years in many different packages and this one is the best.

Over the years I have tried many different Craps simulations. Some have been bad, some okay, but the one I use now is perfect. It was written by an airline pilot in his spare time and is called WinCraps. If you like to play craps this is the next best thing to being in Atlantic City or Vegas. Not only is it just like playing actual craps, but it keeps statistics. There are two versions. One is WinCraps Classic and the other is WinCraps Pro. I prefer the Pro version myself, it has more features and gives you a view of the entire table. The price as of the writing of this article is only $14.95 for the Pro version and $9.95 for the classic version. Upgrading to the latest version is $5.95.

I would like to point out at I get nothing for recommending any software and I am only stating what I think is useful and enjoyable.

Everybody likes photos and the best photo album software I have found is JAlbum. It is not perfect, but it creates some very nice albums. The software will create an album of thumbnail photos which when clicked on will show the enlarged photo. It can also run a slideshow and there are several options. You can opt out of the slideshow, enlarge the photos, put thumbnails above the slide show so you can select from them, show captions you have created and pause the show. When I said it wasn’t perfect I was referring to the fact it takes a lot of space, because the software makes numerous copies of the same photos in different sizes rather than resizing them on the go and this takes space, but with today’s machines there is plenty of storage so it is not the problem it used to be. The standard one time license is $44.00.

There is a utility program which I have been using for years and the free version is quite good. The name of the software is SCleaner and it is updated quite often. It has always been reliable for me and there are more powerful versions if you want to buy them. It can clean software which is no long used from you browser cache, your system and has advanced cleaning options. It can also clean the registry, has tools such as uninstall, browser plugins, duplicate finder, system restore and drive wiper. In all the years I have used this software it has never caused me any problems. When I first tried it years ago I was a little scared it would do something to my system, but it has only done good things.

Lastly and I have said this many times, get a good anti-virus program and remember in this area you only get what you pay for. None of those free ones is good enough, so do your research and invest it is worth it. I use Bitdefender Total Security 2017.