What is the best free software ?

For computers running Windows, a wealth of good software is freely available for download over the internet. As an alternative to some of the expensive packages from companies such as Microsoft and Adobe, many of these packages are very well designed and have become standard tools.

Unfortunately, other packages are quite limited in what they can do, and may lead to problems and incompatibilities and even computer crashes. And of course, sometimes you don't find out until it is too late or you have spent a lot of time trying to use the software.

Over the years, PC Proficiency has gained experience with many of these software packages and can help you identify the best ones for your needs. We have developed an "A list" of the best software in the following categories: