I spent way too many years working as a copywriter for national advertising agencies. Almost none of my work was exceptional --- which is why I am working for newspapers again.

But I did learn some important lessons during my advertising days. One was this: Some words are so magical they can stop readers in their tracks. One of those words is free.

It's an overused word. But there are times when it really means something. Today we'll look at some of the best of the free programs and services for home computer users. In many cases, I'll mention programs or services I've talked about before and wrap the best ones into one fine and free package.

> Anti-virus: I think AVG from Grisoft is at least as good as the for-pay competition. Updates are free, too. That's a big deal, since most of the for-pay programs require that you make yearly payments. Grisoft does sell a commercial anti-virus program, but the free version is great. I use it on two of my home computers and am pleased. Go to free.grisoft.com and scroll down to "download AVG Anti-virus Free edition now."

> Firewall: There's a free firewall included with Microsoft Windows XP, but it's a marginal product in my opinion. The strongest praise I can offer is that it is better than nothing. On the other hand, I hear great things about the firewall that will be included with Windows Vista, due to debut late next year. I also like Zone Alarm, a free download from www.zonelabs.com. As is the case with AVG, the company sells commercial firewall software, too. You'll find the free version by clicking the "download & buy" link at the left side of the page. Look at the tabs at the top of the new page and select the one that says Zone Alarm.

> Adware/spyware: I use SpyBot Search & Destroy at home, but some readers swear by Ad-Aware. You can download free versions of either at www.download.com. My editor has had nothing but good to say about a free anti-spyware program from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com). I think you'll be happy with any of the three.

Some people, by the way, use two anti-spyware programs, since one can often catch stuff the other misses. Unlike with firewalls and anti-virus programs, there's no harm in using more than one anti-spyware program.

> Web browsers: Windows, of course, comes with the excellent Internet Explorer. But since some hacking programs take advantage of Explorer just because of its popularity, many of my readers are trying out Firefox. It's available for free download at www.mozilla.org /products/firefox.

> Microsoft Office clones: Microsoft Office is a terrific --- and popular --- suite of programs that includes the popular Microsoft Word as well as several other programs, including a database. There are many free programs that promise to deliver the same kind of power. I favor one called Open Office. You can find it at www.openoffice.org.

> Remote storage: The safest place to back up data is at a remote site. After all, if you back up your data to CDs or another computer you own, a fire or tornado can wipe out both your data and the backups. You can get 10 gigabytes of remote storage free at www.streamload.com. The company also offers larger amounts of storage for a fee.

> Operating systems: Microsoft Windows is an operating system. That's a category of software that controls how your computer works at a basic level. It's the platform used by all the other programs. Most computer users will never stray from the Microsoft world.

But there is a free choice: Linux. It can be used on a PC. In fact, even a machine that isn't powerful enough for Windows XP can often run Linux just fine. But Linux isn't for everyone. You'll actually have to learn a bit to use it. For those with a spirit of adventure, go to www.linux.org/dist /download_info.html. (And if you get confused after installing it, please contact anyone but me).

> Other categories: There will be times when you need a program that isn't as common as a word processor, Web browser or firewall. Two sites do a great job in helping you find and download programs in other categories. I've mentioned www.download.com. Another site, www.tucows.com, works the same way. Just use the search feature to find the program you want. In many cases the program will be free. Other times the download will be free, but you'll be asked to pay a small fee.

The world is full of questionable free offers and, in my time, I've written many of them. But unlike my free offers in the advertising world, these free programs truly are free.