I've recently updated the first post to remove the Origin freebie, which disappeared two years ago and have added links to the Epic Games freebies as well as edited a few lines here and there.

The latest free game via Indie Gala (but only if you spend $3 or more on another game (bundles not included) is RAIDEN IV: OVERKILL worth £10.99/$14.99

gog[.]com/promo/20170502_special_promo_star_wars

"Everything Star Wars up to -77%"

Hi Dana, please excuse the late reply. I think the site stopped operating a few months ago. I've now removed the link.. Thanks for pointing it out.

You can get several of the shooter type games for example alien and zombie shooter via FreeGamePick 24/7:

Zombie Shooter
Alien-Shooter
Alien Shooter 2
Absolute Survival
Zombie Shooter 2
Alien Hallway/
Theseus Return of the Hero

One small point, the link for One More Bundle is broken or something.

Hi Granny, sorry it took me so long to reply, been ill for over a week now. You can also add the Steam key by clicking the game button (found along the top of the client), i.e.

When you click game it opens a drop down menu; select 'Activate a Product on Steam' A small window will appear, follow the prompts

input the code and the game will be yours for a long as Steam exists. (with 60+ million community members it's likely to be around for many many years) :)

p.s. hope the step by step imagery didn't come over condescending?

I use https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeGamesOnSteam to keep track of all of the free games being given away on Steam.

Thank you Chris!! I will try to find my Steam client app..... I am now also fighting with Windows10.... my start menu, search, notification boxes aren't working - again! But that's a whole different forum..... ;)

You might want to bookmark this article Retail CD Keys which says

Log in to the Steam client application (if you haven’t yet, you can download the Steam client here . Click the button labeled "+ Add a Game" on the bottom left on the Steam client and select "Activate a Product on Steam..." and follow the on-screen instructions.

Alternate instructions are:

Please follow these instructions to activate a new retail purchase on Steam:

Launch the Steam client software and log into your Steam account.
Click the Games Menu.
Choose Activate a Product on Steam...
Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

Whiterabbit-uk, Hi! I look forward to playing the GGOTD game..... once it finishes downloading!!! I have a question regarding Crystals of Time. I got the key, but have absolutely NO idea how to get the game without paying for it through Steam.... Couldn't find help anywhere - either the Indie site or Steam!

There is another Steam game available for free via the following link called Endorlight.

[HERE]. That deal ends late sunday 24th April.

You can check out Endorlight HERE

updated Friday 15th April.

I didn't realize that every link was dead. When I went to edit the problem I found loads of """"""""" in between each address with the http: removed. Very strange???

I've updated the thread by adding more links to bundle sites and have repaired all of the broken links.

thanks for the update guys. Been really busy, so not had the opportunity to update.

It looks like a lot of the links WR posted got borked by being embedded in additional linkage text. The link should be:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647#post-101133

but instead got wrapped for some reason in:

(www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/%22%22//) and (%22%22%22)

It's easier to see in some of the other links, ones to other sites like the groupees or indiegala links.

If you have any problems installing or getting The Musketeers: Victoria's Quest working, please go HERE for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread (most of which have been suggested by the community over the years), which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by

HERE........sends you to a 404 Error.

The problems section has now been moved to the FAQ's thread HERE

You can return to the comments section for the latest game giveaway HERE

The number of games on sale via Steam varies from day to day, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand, depending on whether they have any developer sales on or whether it's a special occasion such as Christmas, summer, Valentines day, Thanksgiving etc. You can find all of the games on sale HERE. I won't bother listing any of the games, but it should be worth visiting as there are games for all tastes. Of course you do need to install the Steam client, but IMO it is well worth it. There are lots of free games (not just free to play online games) available plus there are always games on sale. You'll often find other game distributors will sell games with a Steam key and most of the bundled games on sale usually come with a Steam key as well.

You'll find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

1) ... GreenManGaming usually have coupons to the value of 23% and sometimes more off pre ordered games. I've pre ordered lots of AAA games from GMG and saved up to 25% off the pre order prices you find on Steam.
2) ... Gamersgate
3) ... Good Old Games - they also sell new games
4) ... Gamestop
5) ... Origin
6) ... Direct to Drive

The Desura link was removed last year following the owner Bad JoJo going into liquidation, however, a buyer has since been found for the site and it will begin operating again soon. I think they will also be resurrecting the Indie Royale bundle which was also part of the Desura brand.
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Toomky Games
MyPlayCity
Gametop
FreeGamePick - (I've been told by Diane that FreeGamePick games tend to revert to demo's, can't qualify this tohugh as i don't download from FreeGamePick anymore.

To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steam works games, many of the above sites also sell Steam work games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles and Bundles Stars bundles (there's over 40 of them at the moment - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the five day sales at IndieGameStand you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.

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The Daily Indie Games stopped their three day sales. Instead they now have several bundles available most of the time. usually with around 6 games for less than $2. You'll find the latest bundles HERE.

Most of the bundles available retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that usually cost around $1.50 + or + 10 cents for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. There are some excellent bundles out at the moment. I highly recommend the first four sites as they regularly change their bundles, at least weekly. Bundle Stars is the most prolific, usually with at least 10 bundles, but sometimes a lot more. Some bundles stay for months, others for only a few days. Fortunately Greenlight is closing down soon, so Greenlight bundles will be a thing of the past. I say fortunately because most of the games released were not very good. some good games did come out of it and it did give wannabee developers an opportunity to release their creations, but overall all it seemed to do was increase the number of games released weekly from an average of about 10 games, to sometimes over a hundred. I reckon at least 75% of the games from those bundles have been Greenlit since I purchased my first Greenlight bundle. (I've bought at least 50 bundles with only Greenlight games and they have never cost more than $3 to $4 per bundle, with savings up to 90%. The flying bundle is the only one that will inform you when a game has been Greenlit and will send you your Steam keys, the rest you have to check your accounts page to see if they have added Steam keys. Sometimes it may take several weeks after the game has been released before you get your keys, but generally its either the same day or a few days after release at the most.
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Bundle Stars
Groupees
Indie Gala
Humble Bundle
Blink Bundle
Play Injector
Get Loaded
Games Rage
Flying Bundle
Coinplay
Lazy Guys
Orlygift - giveaways and bundles
Game Bundles
IsThereAnyDeals - lists all of the games and bundles on sale.
Indie Bundles notice forum
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We have been getting free AAA and substantial arcade games from Epic Games since December 2018. From May 2019 its been on a weekly basis; sometimes we get one some times two games weekly and even three on one occasion). You'll find the latest freebie HERE

You do need a free Epic account and to play the games you do require the Epic Installer. Since they started to give these games away we have been given over 70 decent AAA and arcade games. These include:

2/8/2020 Ticket to Ride,
2/8/2020 Carcassonne,
1/31/2020 Farming Simulator 19,
1/24/2020 The Bridge,
1/17/2020 Horace,
1/9/2020 Sundered Eldritch Edition,
1/1/2020 Darksiders Warmastered Edition,
1/1/2020 Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition,
1/1/2020 Steep,
12/29/2019 The Talos Principle,
12/28/2019 Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun,
12/27/2019 Faster Than Light,
12/26/2019 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator,
12/23/2019 Ape Out,
12/23/2019 Little Inferno,
12/21/2019 SUPERHOT,
12/20/2019 Towerfall Ascension,
12/14/2019 The Escapists,
12/14/2019 The Wolf Among Us,
12/5/2019 Jotun Valhalla Edition,
12/4/2019 Rayman Legends,
11/22/2019 Bad North Jotunn Edition,
11/15/2019 The Messenger,
11/14/2019 Nuclear Throne,
11/14/2019 RUINER,
10/31/2019 Costume Quest,
10/31/2019 SOMA,
10/25/2019 Layers of Fear,
10/25/2019 Q.U.B.E. 2,
10/17/2019 >observer_ ,
10/17/2019 Alan Wake's American Nightmare,
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars - Space Race,
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars,
10/10/2019 Surviving Mars - Mysteries Resupply Pack,
10/4/2019 Minit,
9/26/2019 Everything,
9/26/2019 Metro: 2033 Redux,
9/19/2019 Batman Arkham - Trilogy,
9/15/2019 Unreal Engine,
9/13/2019 Conarium,
9/7/2019 ABZU,
9/7/2019 The End is Nigh,
8/29/2019 Inside,
8/29/2019 Celeste,
8/22/2019 Fez,
8/15/2019 Mutant Year Zero,
8/15/2019 Hyper Light Drifter,
8/9/2019 GNOG,
8/3/2019 Alan Wake,
8/3/2019 For Honor Standard Edition,
7/25/2019 Moonlighter,
7/25/2019 This War of Mine,
7/12/2019 Torchlight,
7/12/2019 The Cycle Alpha,
7/7/2019 Overcooked,
6/28/2019 Last Day of June,
6/20/2019 Rebel Galaxy,
6/14/2019 Enter the Gungeon,
6/8/2019 Kingdom New Lands,
5/31/2019 City of Brass,
5/23/2019 RiME,
5/19/2019 Stories Untold,
5/4/2019 World of Goo,
4/19/2019 Transistor,
4/5/2019 The Witness,
3/22/2019 Oxenfree General Audience,
3/7/2019 Slime Rancher,
2/22/2019 Thimbleweed Park,
2/9/2019 Axiom Verge,
1/31/2019 Jackbox Party Pack,
1/10/2019 What Remains of Edith Finch,
12/29/2018 Super Meat Boy,
12/15/2018 Subnautica

Another source of free games that appeared on the Indie Gala site early last year is the Developers showcase. This often has over 20 free games,, some of which are fully fledged games, some of beta or alpha versions or a new developers first attempt and some are extended demos

You'll find a list of all the developers showcase games HERE] and free games that change every few weeks HERE

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Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to all of the developers and distributors who contribute to this site for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.
Regards
Whiterabbit aka Stephen

You can return to the first page of the game giveaway HERE
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I've frozen section this for now, simply because my book keeping is appalling (due to a brain injury I seem to have lost my ability to file things effectively) Consequently I've been unable to find the Steam keys for the games I want to give away. I actually owe some keys to various community members still, and will eventually find and distribute those.

I've posted a list of over 200 Steam games in these forums HERE some of which I will giving away each week to those community members who post decent feedback for the game given away that day. It is quite an extensive list of games taken from the 10 000+ Steam keys I've collected over the last several years; all were either purchased by me, or received free for pre-ordering games on Steam, plus a few from entering competitions and other offers). There will be a limited number of other keys available, such as Origin, uPlay and Desura keys (Desura has recently been purchased following the original owners demise and should be up and running by the end of March). I will announce the winner's from the giveaway the following week. If no announcement is made, it means no one posted feedback that qualified for a free game that week. If you have won a game, I will post details in the thread I've created specifically for that purpose HERE. Once I've given a key away, the game and any comments by the winner will be removed from the list.

Depending on the quality of the feedback, I may choose to award games to more community members for each game given away, 'at my discretion'. The feedback must be about the game, and it must include a couple of paragraphs of feedback following the guidelines I've posted in the suggestions section of my review. i.e. your opinion of the game, what you liked and/or disliked plus suggestions for improvement. If you choose a game that is very cheap I may give you a second game; so, when choosing from the list I provide, please list more than one choice. If a game is chosen by more than one community member and only one key is available the key will go to the one I deem the most useful. I do have multiple keys for quite a lot of the games I've listed, so, don't be put off if you see someone else has chosen the game you want. I haven't indicated any of the games I have multiple keys for (though for example I do have several keys for the excellent Western themed AAA game Call of Juarez, which i picked up for free for purchasing several games via the Indie Gala store several months ago. spending a few dollars got me a copy of the game, so I made several separate purchases over a couple of days while the offer was still live.

I do own at least three community members a game from the previous giveaways that I posted several months ago. I'd totally forgotten about those. I do have a document with their names on, so they will get a game from the original list when I find the document (I'm extremely disorganized); or they can peruse the new list and choose something different. Just post a comment over in the forums in the appropriate thread. If you do post feedback with a view to getting one of the games and think you have covered the requirements, you don't have to do anything until I announce the winners the following week

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Alawar, Gamehouse, Playrix Entertainment and Big Fish Games usually have a good selection of decent arcade games, with new additions being added frequently. Big Fish say they add a new one every day. Some of these game houses also have access to free online versions of their arcade games. Other game houses such as the AAA distributors Ubisoft, Origin and Green Man Gaming always have some games on sale

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The following is an updated list of other sites where you can find games on sale as well as links to free online games as well as other game houses plus gaming news sites such as Rock Paper Shotgun and Game Seek, and a list of popular and highly recommended free to play Massive Multiplayer games for example World of Tanks, World of Warships, Liberators and Allegiance to name a few.
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There are lots of free online arcade web sites that include Miniclip Games, Classic Arcade Games, Armor Games, Free Arcade.Com, Free Web Arcade, FOG, Kongregate, Addicting Games, Feel Good Games, AGame.com (puzzle games), Google Play, Poki, FreeGames.org, Quarked Game Zone (physics games), Shockwave, FreeGames.ws, Polygon Games and Animal Jam(playground for kids that love animals linked to Nat.Geographic).

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General news about games and new releases can be found at the following sites:
⦁ Game informer
⦁ Rock, Paper Shotgun
⦁ Gamespot
⦁ Tech Radar
⦁ PC Gamer
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For gaming hardware and hard copies of games check out Game Seek, Amazon, Tech Radar. and eBay. There are loads of other sites that you can find via Google.
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You can download hundreds of free arcade games (all these sites do have hidden extra's that can be avoided by unchecking the check-boxes during installation, but all will still open your browser when turning off a game. this is innocuous, but necessary for the free game sites survival. Every time you viost their home page through the forced visit, they earn cash, part of which goes towards paying the developers for allowing your game to be distributed basically for free.. The most popular and usually the safest include Gametop, Itch.io, Jenkay Games, FreeGamePick, and of course MyPlayCity. There's another decent one, but I've forgotten the name. will add it when I remember.

There are hundreds of free Massive Multiplayer Online games available, either via Steam HERE . Other free MMO games include Liberators, War Thunder, World of Warships, World of Tanks, Allegiance (space combat), Infantry Online, Tera (fantasy MMORPG ).

You can find a large list of Massive Multiplayer games via Steam (though many of them also have home pages where you can download and play the games without Steam HERE. Most (almost 700) of which are free (exceptions include Conan Online, Elder Scrolls Online plus others). Many of the free to play games many gamers consider pay to win becasue many also include commercial dlc packs that give you an advantage of pure free to play players. that although free to play do include dlc packs that cost money and do give you an advantage.

System Restore
Info on System Restore is IMHO inaccurate & incomplete. Don't count on System Restore in XP, & if you dual boot XP, since it doesn't understand later versions of System Restore [VSS] they'll be deleted when XP starts. Don't count on retaining anything created/changed since the last Restore Point, & don't count 100% on predictable results if you updated or removed & reinstalled an app. In win7/8 do count on it as a means to backup the registry, though more short-term to try something rather than long-term -- Windows & apps like your AV software are frequently updating files, so you can run into difficulties if you restore just a registry backup, since it may not agree with any files changed since the backup was made. Note that in win7 if you attempt a restore & it didn't work, which does happen, you may be sunk -- a partial system restore may be worse that before you tried it, & you can't reliably undo the attempted restore.

Safe Mode
If you dual boot XP & 7 you'll need to manually add Safe Mode to the XP boot menu. In a VM use Msconfig rather than F8. If your system uses a Splash screen while booting, you may need to disable that &/or plug away at the F8 key during startup. Safe Mode itself is variable -- it may or may not have stuff like networking etc. -- and adding devices often will not work.

Overheating
An app like the free HWMonitor from CPUID or similar will show you exactly what's going on, & depending on what app you use, may include logging. CPUs don't just overheat & crash -- you'll see it getting too hot in plenty of time before that happens. In the Bios you can also often set the temps separately for when the motherboard beeps warnings & when it shuts down -- you may also be able to set the fan speed curve for the CPU heatsink fan etc. -- these can speed up as temps increase, but are often set very conservatively to keep fan noise at a minimum. All that said, the most common cause is dust bunnies either blocking/reducing air flow or clogging a CPU heatsink so it can't transfer heat well. 2nd most common in my experience is a fan going bad or already failed -- the fan tach readings in something like HWMonitor *may* show you that as well. That said, if you periodically do a spring cleaning with your PC, while you're in there blowing/vacuuming out dust bunnies & such, it's often not a big deal at all to replace the fans as a purely precautionary measure, say once a year or every 2 years or whatever. Over the course of a year I'll see case fans go on sale for incredibly cheap prices, & pick them up then for later on.

Motherboard Beeps
Good luck with that... There are more generic code tables that can help sometimes, but good luck finding specific info on your hardware. Most often I've seen error codes included in posts in the manufacturer's support forums, or in emails to support in case it's helpful, but rarely are there any comments suggesting including them did any good. You can buy pci, pcie, & laptop cards that will show varying amounts of info, & they're pretty cheap from sites like Meritline. That said, if a PC won't boot are the fans starting -- if not, check the power supply... testers run about $10, or keep an old or cheap unit as a spare just for testing. If the fans do start it still could be the power supply, so should still check it out, but yank any add-on cards you can do without & try that 1st. The problem could also be a graphics card failure -- if you don't have on-board graphics hold onto an old one when you upgrade just so you can plug it in as a test. Something that maybe could go without saying, sniff for any burning smell, & look closely for any signs of burnt or melted components -- sadly it happens. RAM failures are somewhat common, & Very difficult to diagnose by any means other than replacement -- you can test all you want but unless a test shows it's definitely bad it doesn't mean much. If you don't have a replacement you can use, & if you have more than one stick installed, try one stick in each slot, then the next stick in each slot etc. Bear in mind, many bios nowadays hold onto info & settings regarding your hardware, so it can be extremely important to clear it after doing stuff like removing add-on cards, swapping RAM etc., or else that could cause the system to not post, even if you've cured the original problem. Finally, don't overthink... the best techs in any given field are less concerned with what *in theory* could be wrong. You might unplug your hard drive & the system posts [i.e. completes the boot process], & while you've diagnosed the problem, you may never know how or why the HDD caused it.

Reinstall

"strip out all traces of the program in question using a third-party uninstaller -- Revo Uninstaller will do the job for free -- then start the installation process again from scratch with a fresh download or the original discs. Why? It ensures any corrupt or damaged files are replaced and all of the software's settings are reset. "

That's um... BS. No 3rd party tool exists that can remove all traces of an app, unless that app was/is portable. On installing from the original disc(s), you usually want to install the latest, updated version if/when available. Damaged files are rare unless you've got disk or malware problems, but an easy way to check is rename the program folder & copy over the same folder from a backup. As far as reinstallation goes, usually the 1st thing tech support will say is try an uninstall followed by a reinstall. If an app is really screwed up, you may need to reinstall it just so you can run the uninstall routine, & then you can try reinstalling again, optionally cleaning out leftovers beforehand, & that can often work.

Adaptor problems
You should have a cheap, spare, wireless USB adapter -- they're really inexpensive on sale -- & just plug it in. Do note that you may need to set the router to allow the new adapter's MAC address for example -- that's a good thing to bear in mind with your own network, as in if my adapter fails do I have something else that will allow me to access the router's settings, &/or do I know how to reset that router to its factory defaults so I can connect using a new or a spare adapter?

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Finally I take umbrage at the lame profiling: "despairing at the number of browser toolbars unsuspecting pensioners install"

If anything over the years I've found that whether you're talking about cars, electronics, or PCs, patience & being careful doesn't correlate with age. I've seen porn obsessed men of all ages disregard every common sense caution -- I've seen loads of naivete [which I often define as a lack of sufficient cynicism :) ] -- & I've seen little sense of responsibility in people of all ages, by that meaning they don't consider the consequences of what they do [like the author profiling :) ].

Thanks Nowhere Man.
Terri...Task Manager: right click on task bar -- a menu will appear with Task Manager listed.
Startup: open Windows and type msconfig in search box or use CCleaner: click tools and Startup is listed on left side. I use CCleaner to uninstall programs and remove programs from startup.

2 dumb questions - where do you find the Task Manager and how do you see the Startup menu? I can see Startup folder on the Start menu but nothing happens when I click on it.

This is a great list. Thank you very much.

These help lists are always useful and in some cases can be a life saver.

New years eve last year we'd been getting power failures in the house regularily for several days (all over the Christmas period). Eventually I'd tied the problem down to my sons room because the power failures only happened when he was in his room. I'd told him not to turn any electrical items on until I'd checked everything throughly, but because of my constant sleepiness (due to the opiates) and I'd already checked virtually everything in the house over the past few days I was dragging my feet somewhat.

I remember telling him not to turn his computer on until I'd checked everything, but in his impatience waiting for me he'd decided to use his computer again. On this occasion (when I woke up) I remember smelling something (very faintly) like you get when electic implements are faulty, but with overtones of burning plastic. Thankfully I found the problem before the house caught fire. I discovered that the main plug that plugged into the back of the computer had somehow become damaged and the live and neutral were periodically shorting out (this is what was causing the power failures - basically tripping the fuses because of the short). When I finally found the problem, half the plug had melted and was glowing red hot. I'm just amazed the house hadn't been burnt down at some point over the previous week becasue my son had an habit of leaving his computer on all day, even when he wasn't using it. And more amazed that the computer had continued to work throughout the whole problem.

Thanks, GooGoo!

If you know what a USB port looks like, chances are you're regularly called upon as the 'IT expert' by friends and family whenever a computer goes bust or a window mysteriously disappears.

Below are some of the most useful tips I've gathered over many years of troubleshooting PCs and despairing at the number of browser toolbars unsuspecting pensioners install. And no, I'm not going to come around to "take a look". Work your way through all of these first...
General problems

1. Be Google smart
Google can be a huge help when it comes to specific error codes and very detailed problems. It's less useful for "my PC is running slowly" queries. Include as much detail as you can, putting "+" before keywords that must be matched and "-" before keywords to exclude.

2. System Restore
Windows' built-in roll-back feature will undo recent changes to the registry and hardware and software setup of your computer, without affecting your personal files and holiday photos. It's a good place to start if something has very recently gone wrong. You'll find System Restore via Control Panel.

3. Safe Mode
Tap F8 during boot-up to access the boot menu. Choose Safe Mode to launch a special stripped-down version of Windows that keeps drivers and background utilities to a minimum and looks like it's straight out of 1995. Safe Mode can be used to uninstall programs or devices, or run fixes, if you can't get into Windows normally.

4. Overheating
If your PC crashes at seemingly random times -- in other words, there's no particular software program or hardware device that prompts it -- it's possible that your computer or laptop is overheating. Invest in another fan or a laptop cooler if you think this may be the cause.

5. On-demand scans
A whole bundle of problems are caused by viruses and spyware, from slow performance to unexplained reboots. It goes without saying that you should keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware tools right up to date, but you might want to run an on-demand scanner as well to get another opinion -- Spybot Search & Destroy and Microsoft's own Safety Scanner are two good choices that won't interfere with your existing security tools.

6. Background noise
Sluggish performance that degrades over time can be due to more and more programs deciding they'd like to run in the background. Open Task Manager (right-click on the taskbar) to see what's actually using up the RAM and CPU time on your PC -- if any of the entries under Processes and Services don't make much sense, run a quick Google search for details of what they are.

7. Selective startup
If you find any superfluous entries in Task Manager, chances are they're being launched with Windows. Scour the Startup folder on the Start menu to find and remove anything you don't really need all of the time. For more control over the Windows startup process, type "msconfig" into the Start menu search box and hit Enter -- the subsequent dialog lets you make detailed changes to which services and tools can launch automatically at the same time as the operating system.
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: startup
You might be surprised at how many services start up with Windows.

8. Restoring files
When Windows deletes a file, it doesn't move the 1s and 0s, it simply removes the references to them and marks the disk space as free. Unless you've overwritten the file with something else, you might be able to get it back -- Recuva is one of the best and most straightforward free tools for the task.

9. Windows won't start
Windows comes with various system recovery options (besides Safe Mode) that you can use if the operating system won't boot. Tap F8 when booting and choose 'Last Known Good Configuration' to revert back to the settings in place when Windows last launched. Another trick you can try is to unplug all non-essential peripherals -- sometimes a badly configured device will cause the startup process to hang.

10. Motherboard beeps
If your PC gets so far and no further, and you find it beeps at you and shuts down before Windows even starts loading, the problem is at a lower level. Motherboards will alert you to what's gone wrong by the number of beeps -- check the user manual to find out what they mean, or look for a digital copy on the manufacturer's website.

11. No power
If the PC or laptop doesn't get going at all, either you're in the middle of a power cut, your power cable is faulty, or the power supply unit/battery is bust. See if you can source a cheap spare cable or battery first, as a PSU replacement will cost significantly more.

12. Forums
If you do have to turn to the web, locate the developer or manufacturer's official support forums before you turn to Google. You may find there's a particular fix available or advice from other users. For smaller freeware programs, you may even find posts from the developer.

13. Ask Microsoft
It turns out MIcrosoft does know a thing or two about their own systems -- it offers an automated Fixit tool, which will try and detect what's going wrong and then do something about it.
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: fixit
The Microsoft Fixit site offers a number of simple troubleshooting wizards.

14. Registry cleaning
The labyrinthine settings file that is the Windows registry can cause errors, program crashes and system restarts if something has gone wrong deep within it. There are plenty of third-party tools that will scan it for problems for you, though not all of them are trustworthy -- Glary Registry Repair is one of the ones you can depend on (though as with any advanced tweaking tool, use at your own risk -- you do back up, right?).

15. Re-install Windows
This is the scorched earth policy -- but it's not as drastic as you might think. Many PCs and laptops come with recovery discs or a recovery partition on the hard drive that you can use to return your computer to the state it was in when it arrived from the factory. Of course, it goes without saying that you'll need to install your software again and you'll lose all your personal data, so you'll need copies of your important files (photos, university essays etc). This process is set to be made even easier in Windows 8.
Hardware problems

16. Test on another computer
Use another computer to test your malfunctioning mouse/camera/printer, or just another USB port, to help you work out where the fault lies. If the problem vanishes, it's not the device itself that's to blame.

17. New drivers
Head to the manufacturer's website and hunt down the latest drivers and/or firmware for your device -- installing these updates will replace damaged files, add the latest bug fixes and improve compatibility with other hardware and software.

18. Old drivers
Windows and devices themselves sometimes install new drivers without asking and these occasionally cause problems. To roll back to a previous version, find the hardware in question in Device Manager, right-click and choose Properties and open the Driver tab.

19. Uninstall drivers
Staying in Device Manager -- there's an Uninstall option that will remove all traces of the hardware in question from your system. Reboot and reattach the device to launch the installation process from scratch, which may resolve your issue.
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: drivers
Update, roll back and uninstall drivers from Device Manager.

20. Test the memory
It's not easy to tell when your memory is failing you and it doesn't happen often -- intermittent system instability and software crashes are the usual signs. A decent memory diagnostics tester like MemTest86+ can help by scanning the installed modules and alerting you to any potential issues.

21. Test the hard drive
Modern hard drives have something known as SMART (Self Monitoring And Reporting Technology) built into them. It's a standardised technology the disks use to report their status and general health back to Windows. Plenty of free applications can read and report this SMART data -- HDD Health is one example, which also supports SSD drives -- and they will display warning signs if you need to buy a replacement drive in the near future.

22. Windows disk checking
Windows has its own disk-checking tool that looks for problems on your installed hard drives -- right-click on a drive in Windows Explorer, choose Properties and then the Tools tab to find it.

23. Screen issues
Problems with the display can be caused by the graphics card, the monitor itself or the connecting cable (if you're not using a laptop). Using a spare cable (if available) or switching to on-board graphics (again, if available) can help you work out exactly which link in the chain is the one going wrong. If your monitor or screen is found to be faulty, there's not much you can do except dig out the warranty or pay a visit to the local repair shop.

24. Open her up
You don't have to be a PC-building expert to take a peek under the case -- just make sure you ground yourself to remove any static electricity first, and unplug the computer from the mains. Check for loose connections and screws or an excessive build-up of dust (a can of compressed air can help here). Laptops are less easy to poke around in, but some do allow access to the memory and hard drive, so you can check these connections. You may find more guidance from the manufacturer's website or the supplied documentation.

25. Backup
Unfortunately, there are times when there's just nothing you can do, and you have to accept that your hard drive or power supply unit is kaput. It's vital that you have backups of your important files and folders, and there's no shortage of services willing to help out -- Google Drive, SkyDrive, Dropbox and Backblaze, to name just a few.
Software problems

26. Updates
Has the program you're struggling with made an update available? Perhaps to support new hardware or operating system features? It's worth checking via the developer's website or the built-in update tool that most software has, though the majority of updates now install automatically.

27. Re-install
If problems persist, strip out all traces of the program in question using a third-party uninstaller -- Revo Uninstaller will do the job for free -- then start the installation process again from scratch with a fresh download or the original discs. Why? It ensures any corrupt or damaged files are replaced and all of the software's settings are reset.

28. Plug-ins
Bear in mind that the problem may not lie with the software itself but with one of the program's plug-ins or extensions -- try disabling these add-ons one by one to see if the issue is resolved.
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: plugins
Plug-ins and add-ons are at the root of a lot of software problems.

29. Clean up
Many applications will create caches of temporary files that can occasionally interfere with program behaviour -- look for an option that will wipe these files. CCleaner is a handy third-party freeware utility that cleans up temporary files for many different applications.

30. Conflicting programs
Is the troublesome application having problems because of another program on the system? This can be particularly common with security tools that try and do the same thing at the same time. Try temporarily disabling other programs that might be causing interference.
Internet problems

31. Find the fault
First step: find where the problem is. Check if you can connect to the web on other computers and devices. Ideally plug a laptop into the router directly and run the router's built-in testing diagnostics -- your ISP may be experiencing issues. If there's only one PC that can't get online, there's likely to be a problem with its network adaptor or settings.

32. Adaptor problems
If you suspect the adaptor is to blame (a wireless USB dongle, for example), check the hardware tips above. Try updating the adaptor's driver, uninstalling and reinstalling, or simply plugging it in another USB port.

33. Update firmware
It's possible there's a firmware update for the router that you're using, though some ISPs frown on users taking this much control over their network setup. The best place to start looking is the customer forums for your ISP, where you should find details of which free router you've been lumbered with and how you can update its firmware.

34. Reboots all round
The reboot process is something of a troubleshooting cliche, but that's because it often works -- turn the router off for 30-60 seconds to re-establish the connection and reset the router. Reboot your PC for good measure to attempt to connect again.

35. Change channels
Routers typically share the same frequency as other devices, like microwaves and baby monitors, which can slow down your connection -- either move other wireless devices away, or change the channel used by your router (see the router settings for help with doing this).
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: channels
Switching to a different router channel could fix slow broadband speeds.

36. Is it down?
If you're having issues with a particular site, look it up on http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com -- the problem may not be at your end. Note that if something large scale suffers a failure -- like Amazon's S3 storage -- it can affect many different sites and services at once.

37. Network management
Delve into the Network and Sharing Centre in Windows to make sure there aren't multiple programs trying to manage your wireless connection. Laptop manufacturers will often bundle their own network management software with their machines, which is fine as long as these applications aren't trying to work concurrently with Windows' own utilities.

38. Browser woes
Switching to an alternative browser is a simple way to test if your Internet-related problems are being caused by your favourite browser. If the browser is to blame, try some of the software tips I mentioned earlier, and take a long hard look at the plug-ins and extensions.

39. Firewall settings
Firewalls can be temperamental and might be blocking the site, service or program you're trying to use. Consult the incoming and outgoing settings when you've found them (if you're using the Windows Firewall, head to Control Panel). If you're struggling to get online with a particular game or networking tool, you might find instructions for allowing firewall access in the supplied documentation.
40 tips for fixing almost any PC problem: firewall
Some networking tools and games will need special firewall permissions.

40. View connections
Head into the Network and Sharing Centre to make sure your PC is trying to connect using the right connection (wireless versus wired, for example). While all of this should configure itself automatically, rogue programs or security tools can make changes they shouldn't. There are also some troubleshooters built into the Network and Sharing Centre, which are surprisingly useful.

article plus visuals

really nice list

http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

Avast! Free Antivirus 6.0.1000
Avast Software - 59.65MB (Non-Commercial Freeware)

* Main changes/improvements:

- AutoSandbox – suspicious programs will be optionally run sandboxed
- avast! WebRep – browser plugin for website reputation rating; a combination of data from our virus lab and community voting
- Script Shield now even in the Free AV
- Site Blocking now even in the Free AV
- SafeZone – a special virtualized area for sensitive transactions (e.g. secure online banking) (paid products only)
- Restore factory settings command (Settings -> Troubleshooting)
- Automatic actions in the boot-time scan
- New compression method in the installer makes the setup packages about 20% smaller.
- Script Shield now functional even with IE8/IE9 Protected Mode
- Sidebar gadget
- Improved stability/compatibility of the Behavior Shield
- Improvements in the avast! sandbox

as a side (but somewhat related) note - I recently installed Zone Alarm (free version), and I discovered that it was giving me major problems with GOTD downloads - more specifically, it was interfering with the activation process - so I immediately uninstalled it.

As soon as I did - all was well again with GOTD's activations.

I am sharing with you this info. in case someone else also has this same problem.

I know its not free but I put trust in Kaspersky. You get 3 licences so you can split the cost with family or friends.

It looks like the latest version of ZoneAlarm was released 2-24-2011 and it may have a different set of automatic rules that no longer include "bitdefender". Consequently, you must manually give permission for the connection.

Thanks Robert. The strange thing is that I don't remember ever getting that warning before. I finally went ahead and allowed it because it kept interrupting me with the request.

Hi Terri,

Any program that has automatic updates enabled will try to establish a two way communication at a certain point in time ,when checking for/downloading updates
(and Zonealarm will tell you it's trying to act as server).

So in your case Zonealarm has to grant AVG permission to use ('listen to') a predefined communication port to check for updates at regular intervals..and retrieving them.

If you disallow AVG to act as a server you'll have to check for updates manually.
So yes, it's best to allow (and tick 'remember', if you have that option in ZA).