Downloads

A variety of free software may be downloaded from the Internet. Applications that you may find useful as you pursue your studies are included below.

Virus and Malware Protection

Please note that HCC's ITS Department has a variety of web resources on internet and computer security, such as virus prevention software. Please visit http://www.haywood.edu/information_security/and use the links at the left to access valuable recommendations and resources.

If you have a licensed copy of Windows, Microsoft provides a free antivirus/antimalware program called Essentials. It is highly rated. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ to download it.

AVG Anti-Virus offers a free edition of antivirus software. If you don't already use an up-to-date version of antivirus software, and cannot use MS Essentials, then this program may be for you.

Plug-ins, Players & Viewers

Plug-ins, players & viewers may be required in order to use certain kinds of programs. Your instructor will probably list these requirements on the course syllabus. Please note that ALL INSTRUCTORS expect that you can use MS Office documents. If you do not have access to a software suite that can do this, you may use OpenOffice (described below). Please note that if you are using Office 2003, you should ensure that it can also read Office 2007 documents.

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free, and freely distributable, software package that lets you view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
  • Apple Quicktime player is for viewing video in Apple's QuickTime format. This player works with over 30 audio, video and image formats.
  • CutePDF Writer will convert files to PDF (Portable Document Format).
  • Java allows certain programs, including some Moodle applications, to run.
  • Nitro PDF Reader is a free PDF reader (similar to Adobe Acrobat Reader), but it also allows you to easily add notes to PDF documents or to move content to another file.
  • OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, this product is free to download, use, and distribute. If you don't have Microsoft Office products on your computer, this resource may help you.
  • PowerPoint 2003 Viewer is for viewing and printing PowerPoint 2003 (PPT) presentations. Download this if you do not already have PowerPoint installed on your computer.
  • PowerPoint 2007 Viewer is for viewing and printing PowerPoint 2007 (PPTX) presentations. Download this if you do not already have PowerPoint installed on your computer.
  • ReadPlease offers a free version of text-to-speech software. If you are visually impaired and do not already own such software, this program may fit your needs.
  • Real Player is for streaming audio and video content.
  • Shockwave (Flash Player) is for viewing interactive content in various Macromedia formats.
  • Windows Media Player plays most Windows media and other streaming formats.

Browsers

Browsers are the used to access the Internet. Both Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox often release new versions of their browsers that still have bugs. If your computer is set to download the newest updates automatically, you may suddenly find that you are having problems with IE or Firefox. If you are not running the absolute newest version, the following browsers should work, and can be downloaded from the links below. If you are running the newest version, expect some glitches until the bugs are worked out. Please note that Chrome does not provide a WYSIWYG HTML editor, though if you are a Chrome user you are probably already aware of its limitations.

Please note that AOL's browser is not certified for use with Moodle and should not be used.

Additional Resources

Microsoft Tutorials are available for all Microsoft Office products. This site contains audio/visual tutorials for Office components including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.