I learned long ago that gift giving doesn't have to cost a fortune, especially when you are the family computer support guru. In fact, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations in my family normally end with me fixing someone's computer. I learned long ago that a USB thumb drive with copies of my favorite applications was a holiday must have, particularly for my relatives still on dial up.

Since I don't get to spend as much time at home as I used too, I end up with fewer house calls in the days following Christmas, making PC repair gift certificates less practical. Not to be dissuaded, this year I plan to revive my role as the tech support Santa and give friends and family a collection of free software that should make their lives easier. Shh, don't tell them, I want it to be a surprise.

The software categories include:

• Office package
• Photo editing
• Instant messenger
• Anti virus
• Spyware removal
• Web browsing

The following collection of software is all free and fills the holes left by the trial software installed on so many new computers. That's not to say this software is any less useful or valuable, the collection of programs below include some of my personal favorites which provide a rich user experience and in many cases let users grow into their features.

The Daily Deal for Monday, April 14: You can never have too many flash drives around your office and this deal on Sony Microvault drives at Staples is well worth stocking up on. You can get a 2 GB drive for $12.95, which is a steal, and would make a great present for all those upcoming graduation parties you will be attending. If you are feeling generous, you could splurge on the 4 or 8 GB models which are $24.98 and $49.99 respectively. $12.95 is about the best price I have seen for a name brand 2 GB flash drive in a long time, the deal is even better given you can pick it up in store and don't need to waste any extra cash on shipping. The higher capacity drives while a bargain aren't the best deal you can find but are still a good deal if you need a high capacity drive in a hurry.

The drive features a retractable USB port so you don't need to worry about losing a cap during your busy day. The unit is also small so it should easily fit into your backpack or purse. Don't pick up any of these drives if you are looking to use the Readyboost feature in Windows Vista, as it appears that none of these drives will work to speed up your system. You can't beat this deal for the combination of size, form factor, price and convenience.