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There are times when you can get something that's really good for free.

PC Magazine recently rated a whole bunch of free security software and they found a number of products that did a really good job of protecting against all kinds of malicious software.

The editors top picks are Avast Free Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free. Both scored four and a half out of five stars and are free for personal use. They earned very good scores from both independent labs and PC Mags own tests.

In its review, PC Magazine says Avast provides great antivirus protection and comes with a surprisingly extensive collection of bonus features, like password manager and network security scanner.

AVG AntiVirus Free has a new look and some new technology but the editors say it's just as reliable an ever.

Bottom line: While these are good programs, PC Magazine says the best paid antivirus software does tend to offer "more and better protection."

By the way, the magazine did not include Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center on its best list for 2017. They editors said thats because it only rated 2.5 stars

More Info: The Best Free Antivirus Protection of 2017

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Free security software that's top-rated - KOMO News

Credit: TaxAct

After conducting a thorough review of online tax software, we recommend TaxAct as the best free tax software for small businesses. We chose TaxAct from dozens of online tax software options. To understand how we chose TaxAct, you can look at our methodology and a list of online tax software vendors on our best picks page.

TaxAct's free edition is excellent for filers with simple federal and state returns. The software supports forms 1040A and 1040EZ, which essentially means personal tax filers with incomes below $100,000 can use TaxAct for free to fulfill their tax requirements. While TaxAct offers the best free online tax software we reviewed, filers with more complex needs will either have to upgrade or use a different service.

Free state filing is included with the free version, and for $10, users can import the previous year's information not just from TaxAct, but also from TurboTax and H&R Block (two of our other best picks.)

As far as free products go, TaxAct offered a complete and accurate platform that didn't feel like it was skimping on the product. While not as fluid or guided as leading paid products, TaxAct does a great job of making filing straightforward and hassle free. Additionally, the availability of tax-time resources and assistance, regardless of subscription level, means even free filers don't have to go it alone.

We chose TaxAct as our best pick, because unlike many free online tax applications, TaxAct offers a product that is professional and comprehensive. Although access to more complex forms is limited, TaxAct free still inspires trust with the quality of its free features.

TaxAct's user interface is less user friendly than that of some paid software we reviewed. It lacks the guided step-by-step feel of our other best picks, but it still isn't difficult to navigate. Rather than respond to prompts, TaxAct users navigate through a series of tabs to manually fill out fields and follow checklists. While all of the needed information is immediately accessible, it takes more focus on the user's end to ensure everything is properly filled out.

While TaxAct's features are limited compared to our other best picks, its offerings are more plentiful compared to other free filing software.

If TaxAct seems like the solution for you, but you require more than the 1040A or 1040EZ forms, upgrading is still relatively cheaper than other leading solutions on the market.

These plans are more basic and straightforward than some competitors, but the price is lower for a tax preparation program that still delivers a quality experience and accurate service. While we chose TaxAct as our best free online tax software application, the paid versions are also solid choices for those preparing more complicated returns on a budget.

When we called TaxAct posing as a small business in need of simple tax filing solutions, we were met with a short wait time. It wasn't long before we were connected with a representative who explained what the free version does and does not include.

We felt much better acquainted with the software's capabilities and limitations, despite our prior research, after we spoke with customer service. We didn't get the feeling that we were being urged to choose TaxAct when we said it was just a preliminary discussion; however, we were explicitly asking about the free edition. It's unclear if this same level of acceptance would have been shown were we interested in premium versions of TaxAct's product. Overall, our customer service experience was exceptional.

TaxAct's service and support includes a slew of tax-time resources like how to file extensions, new IRS forms, W-2 assistance and how to contact the IRS. TaxAct also includes a resource center for audit assistance, which guides users through navigating an IRS audit.

TaxAct's phone number is difficult to locate on the website, but it does maintain a support center via phone and email. Business hours for the company are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT from April 19 through early January. During tax season, they expand their hours to include Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT as well as Saturdays (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT) and Sundays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT). Every version, including the free edition, comes with unlimited support.

TaxAct's free edition isn't going to measure up to top-tier paid programs, but it does a great job of offering personal income tax services at no cost. Still, if your business requires more complicated filings for instance, companies that aren't structured as a pass-through entity you're going to require a paid service to ensure accuracy and access to all of the necessary forms.

However, for straightforward tax situations, like those involving LLCs, TaxAct's free version should cover your needs and go above and beyond other free software.

Already prepared to choose an online tax software? Here's a breakdown of the rest of our coverage:

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Best Free Online Tax Software: TaxAct - Business News Daily

As a response to significant gaps in the health monitoring of the 3.5 million emergency workers in the United States, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a free software product.

The ERHMS Info Manager was developed to implement the Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS) framework into emergency responder organizations.

The nation depends on more than 3 million emergency response workers who are trained and prepared to respond to disasters and other emergencies where they often face hazardous conditions, said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D in a statement. ERHMS Info Manager streamlines the important task of response worker health monitoring and surveillance saving organizations time while ensuring the health and safety of emergency responders.

The software platform allows organizations to track and monitor emergency response and recovery worker activities during all phases of emergency response following a natural disaster or other public health emergency.

It can be used by anyone involved in the deployment and protection of emergency responders, including: incident command staff, response organization leadership, health, safety and medical personnel and emergency responders, according to NIOSH.

By being able to easily collect, analyze, and report health data, ERHMS Info Manager decreases the time required to identify exposures and signs and symptoms illness throughout an emergency response to ensure workers are not harmed and can respond effectively, said NIOSH ERHMS Coordinator Jill Shugart, MSPH in a statement. Data collected before, during, and after a response also helps identify which responders would benefit from medical referral and possible enrollment in a long-term health surveillance program.

ERHMS Info Manager uses CDCs publically-accessible data management and informatics tool,Epi Info for creating forms, capturing data and analyzing data specific to emergency response situations. The platform allows users to:

NIOSH, along with partner federal agencies, developed the ERHMS framework following the collapse of the World Trade Center when the subsequent health problems experienced by responders illustrated an urgent need for improved health monitoring and surveillance of emergency responders.

Additional resources as well as the ERHMS Info Manager can be found onNIOSH's website.

See the rest here:
NIOSH Develops Software for Emergency Responder Health and Safety - EHS Today

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collectionadds several tools -- for free!. (Image courtesy of Autodesk.)

Autodesk made a huge announcement that provides tremendous benefits for those in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. Today, Autodesk added tools to its Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collection. They will help customers address the ever evolving and expanding building information modeling (BIM) workflows that spanplanning and design to preconstruction -- at no additional cost.

AEC building and infrastructure projects have become increasingly complex with tighter deadlines. This has led to the introduction of new and expanded software solutions to help those in the industry accomplish project goals within ever evolving workflows. BIM software solutions continue to progress at a rapid pace. They have become more powerful and at times can seem daunting if lacking the budget to acquire the new tools or time to train on them.

Ive personally had the opportunity to see many of the building and infrastructure projects our customers are working on, and Ive been impressed by the complexity, size and ingenuity of what is being designed and built today, Vikram Dutt, Senior Director, Building Business Line of Autodesk, said.Still, even in the most innovative firms, a common pain point I hear from our customers is that with technology changing so rapidly, its expensive to try new software. In specific, youve told us loud and clear that visualization, analysis and fabrication capabilities have moved from nice to have to must have to implement the BIM workflows you need to stay competitive.

Autodesk addressed some of these concerns last year by launching its Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collection, which is a set of BIM tools for building design, civil infrastructure and construction. The initial core collection included Revit, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Navisworks Manage and 3ds Max. This move was aimed at not only giving customers the tools needed for their projects today, but tools they could use as BIM workflows evolved.

The additional tools announced today continue to expand the product offering into emerging BIM technologies and workflows such as virtual reality, fabrication, computational design and analysis.

Virtual Reality

Revit Live is the virtual reality (VR) component of the collection. It allows users to visualize their project models by turning them into immersive visual experiences."Imagine being able to virtually experience an entire building project before it is built; seeing how sunlight shines at different times of the day or even throughout the four seasons, or having doors that open and behave as they would in the real world.

Analysis and Computational Design

Rounding out the structural analysis tools of the collection are Robot Structural Analysis Professional, which allows users to test the effects of loads on different structures to verify code compliance and structural integrity, and Structural Bridge Design, a similar analysis software tailored for small to medium-span bridges.

Design to Fabrication

Advance Steel and Fabrication CADmep, which are Interoperable with Revit and Navisworks, were added to help users conceive, model and fabricate better mechanical, electrical and plumping (MEP), and structural steel systems on an integrated platform.

Conclusion

As stated above, these additions are free if you are already signed upfor an Architecture, Engineering and Construction Collection. Subscribers can log into their My Account portal to start trying these new tools. If not a subscriber, check out more info, pricing and download a free 30-day trial here.

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Best Things in Life Are Free. Autodesk AEC Collection Grows. - ENGINEERING.com

With more and more Android devices flooding the markets, people are in more need of an Android data recovery software. Thats because threats and bugs related to Android devices are also on a rise.

There can be any day when you might lose valuable data on your Android smartphone or tablet. Probably, because you messed up something or accidentally downloaded somemaliciousapp, or some software update broke in the middle resulting in loss of your data.

Android data recovery software comes into the picture in such situations of crisis. In this post, we would like to give a brief walkthrough of the Primo Android Data Recovery for Windows OS. Earlier, we have published the review of the iOS versionof the same software.

Blessed with a good looking UI, the software doesnt do anything but getting back your data. This could be one of the best apps if we take visual appearance into consideration.

As far as the main options are concerned, Primo doesnt include any extra tool except the one which you can use to recover your data.

Taking glance the Prime Android Data Recovery would make you realize that the software can recover things like:

On the top-right corner of the app window, you can click the Settings button to explore more options like Check for Updates, link to online guides which will help you with using the software, recover stuff like photos, etc.

PrimoSync, the developers, claim their software supports more than 6,000 Android devices, including devices from leading manufacturers like Google, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, etc.

Using Primo Android Data Recovery is a fairly simple task.The step-by-step wizard offered by the software makes it quite an easy task to select what to recovery, and review the details before the data is finally copied to your PCs hard drive.

Itll be an affair of a few minutes to setup the software after you download it using the following link:

Primo Android Data Recovery

You can start the data recovery process by connecting your Android devices to your PC. Include the following points in your checklist:

When you open Primo Android Data Recovery for the time, itll install an app on your Android Device called Device Recovery. The app is required to fetch data from your device. If you dont want the app, you can delete the same from Settings > Apps afterward. Click Ok your PC, when the software asks for permissions.

Once the device setup is complete, youll start seeing different categories of data the software can recover. Check one or more as per your requirements.

The software will ask you to enable different permissions on your Android device. These are for access to various types of data the software can recover.

On the next screen, you can choose whether to perform a Deep Scan or Quick Scan. Much like other software Primo Android Data Recovery also roots your device to perform Deep Scan. But it incorrectly states that rooting your device wont void your warranty.

Choose Deep Scan only if your device is out of warranty or you dont have any problem rooting it. If data to be recovered is extremely valuable, you can let the software root your device. You can unroot it using some other tool at a later stage.

The software can preview thumbnails of photos but not video and audio files before you recover them. The preview option in the case of call logs, contacts, messages is quite impressing. For Messages, the software separatestexts on the basis of sender name. So, you can easily recover conversations with one particular person. A similar process for logs and contacts.

Well, there isnt any considerable reason to not even give a single chance to the software. Because its free to use, so, if you dont like it you can uninstall the software whenever you want. The ease of access offered by the software is definitely a plus point, and it may encourage people to use the software more than once.

You can download Primo Android Data Recovery using this link.

Note: PrimoSync sponsors this post. Fossbytes is not responsible for the loss of data or any other damage caused due to the use of the software described in the post.

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Primo Android Data Recovery For Windows Recovers Lost Data For Free - Fossbytes